January 30, 2009

F@#K!!!

I'm knackered, so this will be brief.

Morning Shoot:
A complete disaster. The weather was terrible - fog as thick as a light rain at 05hoo. No sun on the beach (or anywhere else in sight) until 11h00. 5 minutes of great light, the horrible, midday top light.

And me shooting like a complete amateur. Most pics are a write-off. The keepers are far from great.
Lesson of the day - stay calm and humble.

Afternoon Shoot:
Great light, new rocky desert location far out of town (far from the fog bank engulfing Swakopmund), and great models. And great looking clothes by the designers that really suited the location.
After the morning panic, came in slightly unnerved but focused. Got a couple of great shots, quite a few good ones and the usual number of crap photos. At least I'm back on par with myself.
Explained to everyone I had a disastrous morning. They were very understanding, but haven't seen the actual pics yet.

We shoot the same thing tomorrow morning. Just a little later ;-)

January 29, 2009

D-Day

I just spent two-and-a-half hours doing a meet and greet with Henriette, Beatrice and the two models who will be wearing their collections. Meeting everyone and speaking face-to-face has calmed my nerves. Judging by the way we all communicated with each other, the running of the shoots should be okay. I'm sure there will be some niggles to iron out as we each get used to the others' style of working, but I'm certainly feeling much more confident that there should be no problem with the basic running of things.

The collection's of each designer are very different as are their ideas of the final look they would like to present. This will make it easier for me, as the photographer, to switch between collections on the fly. Both collections look good and I'm sure will be very impactful when worn by either of the very lovely models.

We start with a beach shoot tomorrow morning. Up at 04h00; meet at 05h00. Sunrise is at 06h31. The weather looks like it may actually play in our favor after more than a week of being terrible. I have my usual gear and have managed, thanks to a good friend, to borrow a Nikon D80, reflector, 85mm prime lens, and 17-135 zoom lens. Having a good variety of gear certainly goes a long way to calming my nerves too.

I'm going to try and run (inadvertently) the shoot like a film shoot. There will be little scenarios to play out using slow movements and strong energy. The scenarios will be discussed in detail before being played out, and very little intervention (hopefully) will happen while they happen and as I photograph them. Not quite what models are familiar with, but with some techniques I learnt from dancing butoh, I think we could get some interesting results if they manage to get into it.

And so, my nerves are all directed to where they should be - taking photographs. I would like to have as much concentration there as possible with as little distraction from other elements as possible. Sounds naive, I know, but that is where I would like to ideally be.

Will keep you updated about how it goes...

January 27, 2009

Painting With Light - Part I

Funnily enough, even though my blog's title refers to the meaning of the word photography, that is not the way I intended it.

Instead, the light that I refer to painting with is my own inner light. Unlike the movie Star Wars, where the the Dark and Light Side exist independently, I acknowledge that both the dark and light co-exist simultaneously within me, and it is my daily working with both of them that ultimately paints, with light, my life story.

I subscribe to a more yin-yang point of view, where darkness and light are relative to one another, and are complementary opposites as opposed to mortal enemies. A picture that is completely white, or completely black would be fairly mundane to me. A picture that that manages to balance both its dark and light aspects harmoniously is far more appealing.
And in this search for balance in daily living, to acknowledge that there will be constant shifts in balance, offering me the opportunity to grow; not by subtraction, but by addition.

January 26, 2009

Nerves

I'm feeling a bit down today.

There is no prospect of any income coming in soon, and it's nearly the end of the month. I hate living like this; each month-end is a battle of nerves. And yet I know how much more fortunate I am than so many others. Which is precisely why I feel compelled to chase my dream, because to do anything less, I feel, would be an insult to those in this world who do not have (the opportunities that I do). Yet, on days like these, I feel I am only a moment away from joining the destitute. I almost convince myself of the need to look for a regular 8-5 job and all the security it appears to promise. And then I hear about the 'massive retrenchments' that major corporations both globally and locally will need to make to survive. And for a moment, I feel hope again in the choices that I've made. But hope doesn't pay the bills. (Ask several thousand Americans?)

I am also nervous about the shoot this weekend. I have always suffered from a slight case of performance anxiety. Call it the perfectionist in me. Or idealist, or dreamer or whatever. Before an event I'll run through, in my mind, the results I'd like to achieve by the end of it. And what the actual results are and what I imagined are always light-years apart. And then I feel a failure because I did not live up to my own high expectations of myself, even if I knew before the time that I am not capable of achieving the results I want to.

This is slightly different. I feel that I don't have the level of experience shooting fashion to get the results that Beatrice and Henriette will want. It's not that I think I'm a poor photographer, but I know that 'fashion' photography can be the most demanding and usually requires pretty big budgets and really fancy equipment. I'm going in with a severe handicap regarding my equipment and have a budget of zero. And that stresses me a bit right now.

I won't pursue my negative rant, but think it is important to document moments of doubt.

I thought I'd add a photo to today's post, considering that this blog is supposed to be about photography. This is a shot I took in December at a local coffee shop. I'd asked permission to do a shoot there a few times, and was repeatedly told that it needed to go before the committee for a decision. I never got a response from the committee about their decision. So, while photographing Chris and Kerstin around town during the holidays, I suggested a cup of coffee. The coffee shop was full of people and we luckily managed to get a table near the location I wanted to shoot. And so, in full view of a packed out coffee house, Chris, Kerstin and I had an informal photo shoot. I have to laud my young models for their willingness to be fearless on the day...

Model: Kerstin, Natrual Light


January 25, 2009

Upcoming for the Portfolio

Later this week, from January 30 to February 01, I will be doing a photo shoot with with two young fashion designers from Germany.

Beatrice and Henriette are in Namibia as part of the p.art.ners Berlin-Windhoek program, an exchange program for the arts between Germany and Namibia.
A good friend of mine, Jost Kirsten, is currently on a one year residency in Berlin through this program. He is a fantastic young sculptor and the program is a wonderful opportunity to expose the quality of his art on an International level.

Beatrice called me a week ago and asked if I could do a photoshoot of their clothing collections. She explained that they are on a very tight budget and are not familiar with this region of the country. I considered the proposition, and after much discussion and deliberation with the two ladies, agreed to take the project on.

I decided that I would not charge them for my work. Firstly, I support the p.art.ners initiative, and am willing to contribute to it functioning. Secondly, I thought it better to donate my time and effort than to fix a low market value for my work and get follow-up jobs that expect to compensate me the same amount. Thirdly, I decided that it would be a good project to have on my portfolio at this point in my short career. There is a possibility that the shots may get exposure in magazines or even an exhibition in Germany.

I have also been booked to shoot a wedding on the 14th of February. I am not the official photographer nor am I the official 2nd shooter. I offered to do some photographs for free - once again so that I can add the work to my portfolio.

Both of these opportunities are good news for me, as well as for my currently very thin portfolio. I don't feel entirely comfortable working for no money, but since there are no professional photogs anywhere near where I live, I am unable to be an assistant to anyone and have to gain experience using any means possible.

Has anyone else had similar experieces? What have you done and what advice could you give me?

Mysterious Ways

I need to say thank you.

I received a touching and inspirational surprise this morning (Saturday) when meeting a friend of mine for coffee and to discuss the possibility of a practice shoot in the afternoon. Over coffee, he presented me with a Sigma EF-500DG ST flashgun as a gift.

Wow!!!

I have coveted a flashgun for the past two-and-a-half years and have borrowed this particular one on several occasions in the past for paid corporate work. It does a fantastic job; adds a whole new dimension of possibilities to my photography. Thus far I have worked predominantly (read just about exclusively) with natural light and am a complete novice when it comes to using flashguns. But I know that with only a little bit of practice and knowledge of the equipment, astounding results can be achieved. I am motivated by the fortuitous timing and know how valuable this gift is.

I will not mention the friend's name - I'm almost sure that he would prefer it that way. But here's a message for him:
"Thank you. I don't doubt that you know how much this means to me. I know that it is not just a gift of the physical, but a gesture of goodwill for the direction I have decided upon and a sign of your confidence in my ability to produce some valuable memories for others with it. I will endeavor to do so, and will remain grateful for your support at this crucial moment. "

Below is a photograph taken with the flashgun at in my garden this afternoon. The photograph has had a very quick edit done to it. I am ecstatic with the result.

Model: Silke (thanks for your patience and willingness)

Lighting: Sigma EF500 DG ST Flashgun + Gold Reflector




January 23, 2009

Three Weeks Ago...

My name is Andrew Robson.

Three weeks ago I made the decision to pursue a career in photography in Namibia. This blog is my tale as it unfolds from here on.

I am 34 years old and live in a town called Swakopmund, population 30 000. Most of the people who live here exist below the breadline. Those that have money would rather spend it on booze than photographs.

I live with a fantastic partner who has a 6 year-old son. She is an artist and he started grade 1 last week. My partner and I have an 11 month-old son. He is the center of my universe.

I have less than three years experience with a camera. I am self taught. I shoot with a Nikon D50. I predominantly use analogue lenses (50mm prime & 35-70mm) on the digital body. I have no accessories like reflectors, flashguns, remotes et al. I have only done one photoshoot for money before.I have virtually no business experience. I have avoided it all my life in favor the creative instinct (I know, I know...).

I am broke as I type this.

I am prone to emotional mood swings that can sabotage my best interests and intents.

If I start another sentence with I, I will stop today's blog.

Please check back regularly to see if I make it or not in this venture; which techniques I beg, borrow and steal; which tips I pass on from others and occasionally think up myself. You get the picture.

And please, please, please comment and offer your own insights and tips as I will need all the help I can get.

I...

Shit!