Outtakes and Experiments

I thought I'd post some shots today that ordinarily wouldn't see the light of day - the outtakes and experiments.  These are the hundred shots not chosen for each one that is, or shots taken in extreme conditions and then used for editing practice.

This shot was taken in the dune belt between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay as I waited for sunset to take the 'beauty shot'.  I recently recalled it to practice some editing techniques o

n.  I intentionally picked the original because the light was very flat, but still had some shadow in it that could potentially be used.  I wanted to play with a smoothing technique and was pretty happy with the results.  Looking at the shot now I think that if I added a different sky, it could actually make for quite a pleasant image.

But pleasant is not good enough, so this shot will go back into the big folder on the hard drive.

I tookl this photograph between 16h00-17h00 when the light was at its worst on the surface of the sea.  The surfer is backlit and I was/am risking some serious blowout on the highlights.  So, my first call to action was to practice my black and white conversion ability, using the backlit surfer to create a silhoutte on the water rather than going for a detail shot.  But, the photo still seemed flat to me after the conversion from colour, so I tried a technique I never use, which

 is to blur a large section of the shot and leave the focal point (in this case I chose the surfer) sharp.  I had quite a bit of fun doing it and struggled a lot with the nitty gritty of where to blur and where not.  I still don't think the picture is complete, but it turned out to be a fun image.

This photo was an exercise in texture and toning.

Split toning can be a lot of fun - the infinite number of variables you have in your choice of colour is daunting and one could spend hours and hours on this alone.  For this particular image I didn't want a straight black and white look, but rather a tinted look.  I must have been in the right zone, because I was very happy with the results after a short period of time and didn't want to carry on in case I messed the shot up completely.

Strange that - knowing I'll never use this photograph for anything, but still being so precious about it.

Nonetheless, I found that the toning complimented the texture of the daisy bush and the twigs and grass really well, and also complimented the cat in the bush by not hiding him too much, but also not making him very obvious at first glance (at least I hope so).

So, there you have it; three photos that would otherwise never make it near to my portfolio nor be published by me for any reason.  I think it is important to illustrate that photography is a process, just like any of the other arts, and that it takes hours of practice and discipline to get a handle on, and decades to master.

More Shots of Helga

I have a bit of a cold/flu bug right now.  I'll let the pictures do the talking for themselves.

Inspiration

I recently came across this short video, and would recomment ANY artist watch it.  It was made by a photographer and in it he discusses his art, but I know from experience with other artists that the processes he describes applies to painting, sculpture etc. etc.

The piece is truly inspirational and insightful, and is beautifully made.  Watch it.

www.zarias.com

Which got me thinking further.  Here in Namibia the art community is severely disjointed and not very communicative with, nor helpful to, one another.  I cannot speak about other art communities across the borders, so won't.  But in Namibia, artists need to survive in a metaphorical (and sometimes literal) desert.  There is a lack of originality, of spark, passion, daring, real thought, provocation, challenge... and, of course as mentioned earlier - artists helping one another, be it within their discipline or outside of it.  Whether that is because of low self-esteem, arrogance, fear, envy or any combination of all of those and more, I do not know.  

But I do know how disheartening it can be.  And so I find it rather amazing that the International photographic community is so encouraging of photographers at all levels.  I spend time on photo sharing sites (flickr for example) and spend most of my time reading and learning from others there.  On these sites, there are some outstanding photographers who, as I have recently found out, are more than willing to help out a newbie with questionable talent like myself.  And I'm not just talking here about posting a question on a forum - uh uh - I'm talking about sending them a personal message and receiving a personal response that is positive 100% (so far) of the time.

It makes me feel good to belong to a group of likeminded creatives who are open to sharing with anyone, regardless of how 'great' a photographer they have become.  I cannot speak for other creative and artistic communities, but can only hope that the same is true there.

So, as a result of sharing ideas and inspirations, I have been invited to join a blog of photographers.  The intent of the blog is for photographers to write articles in which they share their experience with other photographers.  These articles are then posted to the blog for anyone to use on their own blog, provided the author of the article is credited. 

I intend to make use of this fantastic opportunity, and so will have 'guest' writers on my blog from time to time.

Now, go and look at that $#*&! video link above...

More Photos of Helga

My internet connection is still not working in the evenings, so today I upload from work. Hehehehehe.

Here are some more photos from the shoot with Helga last week.

I went for a straightforward portrait-like shot here to illustrate Helga's face.

Helga wanted a lot of B&W shots (which I ended up not delivering because the colors came out really nicely in a lot of shots). This was shot with the intention of being converted to B&W, and although I am no expert in that style, I was happy enough with the results.

It was really hot out in the desert, which made for a largely subdued shoot, but we did have a short session where we upped the energy level a bit.

A wind was gusting at this location, blowing Helga's hair into her face. I didn't mind too much, but also wanted to get some shots of her face without the hair in it, so asked her to shake her head to clear the hair from her face - click!

Definitely not one of my favorites here, but interesting enough. As you can see, the light was extremely harsh and I was trying to use it to create a strong effect in the shot.

Mixed Bag

I am, and have been for the last couple of days, feeling like a bag full of mixed emotions regarding my photography.

The results of the shoot with Helga were very positive. I got quite a bit of material that I was happy with and even managed to surprise myself once or twice. Helga too, was pleasantly surprised and happy with the results.

On Saturday the 14th I shot a wedding. I was not the official photographer and had met neither the couple nor the official photographer before the time. I was only there to shoot, with the couple's permission, some shots for my portfolio. I would give them a few shots in return for the opportunity to take the photos.
Because it was a 'for free' gig, I did not hire the lenses and camera I would for a paid gig. Instead, I took my analogue lenses and D50 body, and borrowed my boss's Sony camera (which I have not shot with seriously before).
My first concern came when it became apparent that the official photographer did not know who I was or that I would be taking photographs too.
The rest, as they say, is a disaster.

I don't wish to go into specifics here. Despite the fact that this is quite a personal professional blog, I will not get into mudslinging or blame-games. Suffice is to say that I learned a number of invaluable lessons never to be repeated.

The most important lesson that I learned though, was that I am responsible for making sure that I get an end product that the couple/client will be happy with, and have to do everything in my power to make sure that I take that responsibility, from pre-wedding meetings to taking the photographs on the day to presenting them in the most effective manner I can. If anything goes wrong to the point of not being able to deliver, I must assume responsiblity (barring Acts of God and the like).

I am also stuck on the editing of the fashion shoot of 30 Jan-01 Feb. I received most of the go-aheads from Beatrice yesterday. I took a look at her choices and can quite frankly say that few of them would have been my first choices. To add to matters, I now have very strict guidelines to follow in editing (this is for a professional fashion portfolio after all) and am wondering if I will be able to follow those guidelines to achieve a look and feel in the pics that I will be satisfied to call my product. Hopefully I am only having a case of pre-editing nerves.

And so, seeing that my internet connection has been down in the evenings again and I haven't posted anything for a while, I'm going to add some pics from Helga's shoot to today's post.

Enjoy!

This is currently my favorite shot of the day. I really like the
movement, texture and energy of the shot.





Another shot that I personally like a lot. I enjoy the perspective and unusual lines of the composition, as well as the shadow of her hand extending beyond the confines of the photographed area.





Here's Helga looking (to me anyway) a hell of a lot like Courney Love. What I like about it is the almost clinical studio/setup feel disturbed by the crack in the wall near the bottom left of the shot (pic was taken in an abandoned building out in the desert, and Helga is holding a vandalized light switch that is still hanging from a broken wall - it reminded me of an old-fashioned microphone). And you gotta dig that hat!

Growing Portfolio

A shot of Helga and I walking from one location to another out in the desert.

An old friend of mine, Helga, who moved to Holland several years ago to live there is in town. Today we did a shoot so that I could grow my portfolio and so that she could get some photos of herself.

We did a mid-morning/midday shoot (!) out at some deserted buildings. Town was covered in a thick fog again that even reached to our location (some 40km out of town) at around 10h30. As soon as the fog burned off though, the afternoon heated up very quickly to become a swelteringly humid. Still, Helga and I shot out what we could. Despite lathering herself with sunscreen, she still got burnt.

The shoot was great fun. We had no preconceived ideas of what we wanted to do, so used the location and light to determine what we shot. The circumstances were very difficult. I shot exclusively with analog lenses, so everything was natural light. I have to admit that I really would have liked to use a fill-flash for some of the work, but the analog lenses disable the cameras flash capacities. I struggled with focusing the lenses (again), particularly when trying to shoot wide - the lenses are the 35-70mm zoom and 50mm primes.

After the deserted buildings, we headed back to a clearer town to have a cup of coffee and short break. Afterward, we headed to an abandoned sports stadium in the center of town and got some interesting shots in mirrored glass. From there we drove around looking for another location, and chanced to pass the now defunct brewery building. It was after 17h00 and almost everyone had gone home. I asked one of the employees still there if we could shoot, and to my surprise he said we could, but only had half an hour. He led us to a couple of incredible rooms we could use and I got busy as quickly as possible. The light was dim so I could only use the 50mm prime at f-1.8 to get any kind of speed on the glass. I struggled yet again with the wider shots and focusing. This time the focusing was tricky because I could hardly see Helga in some of the shots, she was so dark, and working at f-stop 1.8 meant absolute precision. Nonetheless, it was a very special half hour of shooting - the brewery is being dismantled and it will be impossible to shoot there in the near future, so I feel very fortunate to have at least got a couple of relatively decent shots in there. I would really like to go back and shoot there some more - the place is incredible.

All in all I'm happy with the day and am very glad to have another new face to add to my portfolio. I must say a big thanks to Helga for her patience with me and for her great sense of humor. It was a very fun day and a very easy-going shoot.

*I haven't posted for a while because:
1. Last weekend I had back-to-back birthdays of my step-son and own son which completely wiped me out and
2. My internet connection has been down since Monday (at least each evening I have tried to get on to the net)

Inspiring

Not a long one today... instead a link to an inspiring photographer called John Michael Cooper. He has been credited for starting the Trash The Dress (TTD) ceremony of wedding photography. But that is not why I share this link with his site; rather it is so display what fantastic photography can look like, and gives me something to aspire to in the future.

Check out John Michael Cooper at http://www.altf.com/ and get ready to spend some time there...

Photoshoot - Day 3 Summary

Another morning out in the desert. The weather was suffering multiple personality disorder; Heavy fog for half an hour, then clouds covering the whole sky from the horizon up. The said clouds had little patches of blue in them and differed in thickness, which meant that the light exposures were bouncing up and down by the second.
To add to the trickiness factor - I was shooting in a northerly direction (sidelight on the models - heavy shadow when the sun popped out sporadically) so as to get a mountain as the backdrop. Models wore white tops, have black skin - an exposure nightmare considering all the aforementioned factors, and include that my brief was for a natural light shoot only. So, without the option of fill-flash... tough going!

The evening shoot was meant to be the crowning jewel of the three days. Fog as thick and dark as storm clouds as we arrived. I cursed. Dark, flat light meant slow shooting or pushing up the iso. Both could potentially mean high noise factors in the dark areas (the models skin). I opted out of the high iso and shot what I could at the fastest possible shutter speeds I could get without compromising my depth of field to much. Once again, a fill-flash would have made things easier, but was not to be. A strong, icy wind whipped over the dunes and Judith and Ester were amazing - although they were getting very cold, they did not complain once and were extremely patient with the designers and I when we pushed for 'just one more' in each outfit/setup. As you may suspect, that 'one more' always became another ten minutes before they could be covered by a blanket. I really felt sorry for both of them, but was so concerned about getting a decent shot that I pushed them as hard as I could. We bled the little bit of light that we had right to the end, and then all collapsed onto the ground in elation that we had done as much as we could for the past three days to try and get the best possible shots we were capable of as a group.
The shoot was over, and there was nothing else we could do...

Photoshoot - Day 2 Summary

On the 2nd morning of the shoot we were back on the beach. This time it was a narrow strip of pink and black sand. The sky was overcast with no sign of sun breaking anytime - exactly what we were not wanting.

Working in a small area (there were also fishing boats out at sea and fishermen along the coast to be avoided in the shots) was challenging and confined a lot of my angles. It was tough going but we managed to get some shots that we were happy with. The Judith and Ester (our models) had a fantastic time playing on the beach and got quite a shock at how cold the sea was. Beatrice and Henriette (our designers) discovered how badly one can get sunburned through the fog.

Our evening shoot was out in the desert, about 45km out of town. There was a moment of despair when we realized how deep the fog went into the desert. We struggled to find a straight length of railway in the sun and almost gave up. Fortunately, we found a great spot just as the light was entering the golden hour. Judith and Ester looked amazing in the garments in the sunset glow, and I was again more comfortable shooting in the desert than the beach.

Because the shoot incorporated a stretch of railway line, Judith had to have a crash course in walking on one of the steel girders in platform shoes. She mastered it quickly and did a superb job of both walking on a single track and maintaining an air of calm in front of the camera. For this she must be applauded!

Although it was a day of mixed fortunes, the overall feel was of optimism after the spectacular light and backdrop of the evening shoot. When we returned to Swakopmund, the fog was heavy again and we decided that we would do another shoot in the desert the following morning not too far from where we had done the previous evening's shoot. We had spotted a wonderful stretch of desert and small rocky hilltops that would work wonderfully with the early morning sun light.
Plans were made, and everyone went to bed tired but satisfied with the day.

Introducing the Team

From left to right: Judith, Henriette, Andrew, Ester, Beatrice

Here we all are at one of the locations out in the desert. Judith and Ester are our two lovely models from Namibia and did an excellent job throughout the shoot. Both worked very hard for long hours without a word of negativity or complaint, and were always interested to learn more about their surroundings at each location. I am very glad I had the opportunity to work with them and hope that I will again in the future.

Henriette and Ester are the clothing designers from Germany. They spent the last six months putting together the collections we photographed. I was very impressed with their level of professionalism and really enjoyed their outfits. They are both very good designers and have contrasting contrasting styles, which helped made my job of photographing both collections back-to-back so much easier.

I would like to thank the team for their hard work, enthusiasm, humor, professionalism and faith in me to represent their work, despite my having no previous experience doing this kind of shoot.

End of Shoot - Work Begins

The photoshoot is over. A more detailed update on days 2-3 will follow soon...