The Assignment
This final assignment for my People and Place course was to draw up a brief for a photographic assignment, fulfil it, providing eight to twelve photographs, and provide a short written assessment, to include:
- The client briefing drawn up.
- The plan for taking the photographs
- An assessment of how successful the project was, including any difficulties and unexpected opportunities encountered while carrying it out.
The Brief
I included the brief in a document I supplied to the models I photographed for this assignment:
Brief
To produce a
portfolio of images of writers and artists in their natural habitat for use in
magazine/newspaper articles on the creative people of Shropshire. By ‘natural habitat’ I mean the places where
they work, or find inspiration, or which express aspects of themselves and
their lives. The locations and times are
to be agreed between model and photographer.
A by-product of this
will be to provide the writers and artists with images they may use in their
own publicity material.
Photographs
Selected images will
be posted on my learning log online and a smaller number of selected prints
will be forwarded to the OCA for evaluation.
Each participant may if they wish receive prints and .jpg files of
themselves.
I will need to visit
participants at places and times to be agreed between each participant and me,
and spend time taking photographs.
The Plan
Model Release Form
As a writer and member of Wrekin Writers, I had access to a lot of writers, so it was easy for me to contact a subset of them and ask them to act as models for me. Writers are sometimes asked by their publishers for publicity photographs, so I hoped the opportunity to get good pictures they could use without restriction would be attractive. As an additional incentive I'm giving each an A4 print of a photograph they choose. I gave them a document containing the brief text above, together with a Model Release form. My intention in issuing a Model Release form was to suggest my seriousness, rather than to collect signed forms. These people are my friends. I didn't pursue signatures, but two of my seven models did sign the release. One model rejected my offer; I didn't press her - many people don't like having their photograph taken. I think the high level of acceptance reflects my existing relationship with the models.
The Photo Shoots
I intended to visit each model at their home so that I could see them "in their natural habitat" and also capture "aspects of them and their lives". I knew that one of my models kept chickens, and planned to picture her with them. One of my models lives some distance away, but I was able to photograph him in a vacant classroom before the Wrekin Writers' monthly meeting.
The Shoots
I posted details of each shoot, together with a selection of the photographs taken, in my blog, as soon as possible after the shoot.
Technical
Canon 60D, 18-55 mm lens. For the last shoot I used a new Canon 15-85 mm lens, and was impressed by the improved quality - every pore was visible!
For the first shoot I took a studio flash kit, but didn't even take it out of the car. It's bulky and would have dominated everything and inhibited movement. I left it at home thereafter.
I used available light for all shoots, usually daylight, with the shadows softened by the silver side of a circular reflector, which was either held by my assistant or propped up on furniture. I found that white-painted doors can also make good reflectors.
Assistant
Suki was very useful, because she could talk to the model and also hold the reflector while I took photographs. I'm not good at talking and relating to the model while taking pictures and I was glad of her presence where she was available. I was able to shoot while the model was chatting to her. On my own, I felt her absence, though in later shoots my confidence increased.
Shoot Plans
I had a few ideas for each shoot, but where I didn't know the location I had to improvise. A pre-shoot reconnaissance is valuable.
Cups of Tea
My confidence increased with each shoot. I found that accepting the hospitality of a cup of tea was very useful in giving me time to think and plan, but mainly to allow me and the model to relax and talk. In later shoots my rule became: accept the cup of tea!
The Sun
The movement of the sun provides transient opportunities: in shoot #1 a shaft of sunlight moved and caught the model's face; if I'd anticipated this I'd have taken that shot first, before it became a problem. Later I had her sit with her back to it and made it illuminate a halo of her hair. In shoot #2 a shaft came through a skylight and I directed the model so that it bisected her face and provided an interesting image.
Activities: Acting and Doing
In shoot #1 the model played bongos. When she moved I got blur; when she was still, spontaneity tended to leak away and the pictures looked posed. I managed to get one that was reasonable. In future, I'd use a bigger ISO or fill-in flash to stop the movement rather than make the model do it.
I asked model #6 to kneel close to her bookcase. She's no longer young, and it was a hardship for her. Her discomfort came out in the pictures.
Props and Clothing
Two models asked what colour clothing they should wear. One brought three options. I didn't have much of an opinion, provided the clothing didn't wear the model. It depends on the backgrounds to be used. Clothing that merges with the background can allow the face to float in space.
#2 wore a bright jumper, which I should have asked her to change for something plainer. However, she also had a lovely hooded cloak, which was splendid. Her hens proved difficult to catch, but she managed it in the end.
I asked #4 to hold golf balls in a suggestive way. Not successful. I got a better picture of him swinging his club in the garden.
Model #7 also came with props. He's a published author, so I was able to take pictures of him signing and holding his books. He's also a scientist, so I asked him to write formulae on the whiteboard. I think the picture of him laughing while doing this is successful.
With him I also discovered that hands can be props too. There are lots of cheesy professional photographs with the hands in peculiar positions, but they do add variety.
I like the model's face to appear in the photograph and some prop and activitity shots make the face rather small. I don't think this is appropriate for the current brief.
Equipment and Preparation
Model #3 is a talented and published photographer, so I was anxious about photographing him, though he's a good friend. He took me for a walk and I hoped to take some pictures in the countryside, since one of the topics on which he writes is the outdoors and walking. However, I made the rookie mistake of assuming I'd enough battery life on my camera, and neglected to take a spare. I'd got one in my bag; there was no excuse for not being properly equipped. I was disappointed with my performance and so was he; he offered me a re-shoot, which I intend to accept.
Background
I'm usually very aware of this; sometimes it's difficult to adjust it while shooting. More planning would help. Pictures of #4 at his desk show the garden behind him. This is distracting-I suspect it distracts him, too!
There's something to be learned about clothing, here. Something lighter would have prevented #6 merging with the carpet in some pictures, but where the background was light, her dark clothing worked fine. I'd planned to use reflections off the shiny surface of the piano, but the inverted face looked weird and wasn't flattering. There's something interesting to be made of this, but not for the current brief.
Variety
All my early shots were from level with the model. This became very noticeable with #4 and I did manage to get some variation with #5 onwards.
Contact Sheets
I was excited at seeing Tony Ray-Jones's contact sheets so I decided to run off my own. It's a failing of digital photography that there are normally no contact sheets to provide clues to the photographer's thinking. Photoshop can produce these without needing to have the images converted from RAW first. Advantages for me are that I can review pictures in print and in my armchair; I can record my thoughts and decisions, and review them later on. It enables me to capture some of the learning I'm doing.
Selected Photographs
Selecting photographs for a brief is different. Some of the 'best' photographs don't fit the brief well, and have to be rejected. I interpreted the brief to include writers doing
more interesting things than simply sitting writing. Here's my shortlist:
Model #1: Sue
An active, alert photograph; not the one she chose for herself
A 'bongos' picture, which fits the brief: expressing an aspect of this author.
Model #2: Diane
The 'chicken' picture
Looking mysterious in her cloak.
Model #3: Simon
At his desk, with one of his own landscape photographs displayed
Model #4: Angeline
Playing her piano accordion. Not a great picture, but fits the brief.
This shows her sense of fun. It anticipates the laughter that follows.
Model #5: Darren
I settled for a simple portrait
Model #6: Mollie
Looking winsome: a change of angle
Playing her grand piano
Model #7: Bryan
At the whiteboard
Closeup, looking serious, with hands.
Summary
I was lucky to have such generous and co-operative models. While one should have some kind of plan for every shoot, it should not restrict what you do; the best shots arise out of the situation and interaction with the model. Take time. Even if you hate tea, accept a cup. It'll provide time to think, look around, and plan. You don't have to drink it. This photographer needs to relax as much as the model.
I've one success to report: one of my author photographs is now on the back of a book.
