As its Christmas!
As its Christmas I couldnt resist posting another selection of stock images with a Christmas twist.
Dex the boxer pup – Pet photography
Meet Dexter! He’s a ball or super high energy and a bit of a monkey when it comes to trainers!
At The Zoo – Who’s watching who?
This weekend I gave myself a few days off but as ever the camera wasn’t far away. It was decided we would make the most of the bank holiday and go to Chester Zoo for the day and this created an idea. What if I was to go back to basics, set my self a challenge and simplify the way I shoot for the day?
When I’m on a shoot and especially a wedding I go packed with a car full of gear – two main camera bodies and a spare in the bag, zoom lenses covering all focal lengths, prime lenses, flash guns, tripods, light stands, reflectors, batteries… the list goes on. For the zoo day I would go with only my Nikon D3 camera and a 50mm prime lens. I would be fine in low light without a flash with this combination but would need to pick my shots carefully. And because I wouldn’t be able to zoom with the 50mm lens as it has a fixed focal length I would have to move around high and low to get a decent shot.
It would be a challenge but if nothing else it would prove that a good shot is not just about the camera equipment but a lot about the photographer. After an hour or so at the zoo (in the pouring rain!) it became clear what my topic would be. It seemed the more I watched the people and the animals and the people watching the animal I noticed something. The animals were watching the people! In fact they seemed just as interested in us as we were of them! So the question was clear – who’s watching who?
Hopefully this post shows what I can achieve with just a simple setup. Its not that all the other equipment is pointless in fact the other gear makes my job faster, quicker and gives me more options. But what is important to note the it’s the photographer that makes the shot, not the equipment.
Christmas Puppy shoot
OK I know what your thinking a Christmas shoot in March!? Well Christmas comes early at Hallmark so I guess it did for me too! Here a video slideshow of the images from the shoot. The puppy was a joy to work with. Usually on a shoot like this we have a job getting the dog to calm down but this little guy struggled to stay awake. Once he was relaxed on the shooting table he simply curled up and was snoring way to himself! Well we got the shots in the end so keep your eyes peeled for these images on cards etc in the shops! Images copyright of Hallmark.
Leap for freedom!
This weeks been rather strange! I went from photographing at my friends wedding to creating the image below! The scene consists of several different shots combined together. Now this image isn’t a new idea but it was something Hallmark had been needing for a while and they wanted a higher quality clearer version than they could get from stock sites.
The bowl was shot with a large soft box from behind to get the glow and the black rim. The gold fish I’m please to say was photographed separately in a fish tank and comped on after wards. All of the water spray is a composite of several splashes I shot using hi speed strobes. It took quite a while to get the water shape right but once I had them in the bag I knew it was going to be a striking image. If anyone wants any more equipment info on how it was created please let me know. Image copyright of Hallmark. P.s no goldfish were harmed in the making of this image!
