Project 52 ... 45

This is Paul...
.

D200, Tamron 17 - 50 f2.8, SB800 from camera right...

.
Paul is my Brother-in-Law. A great dad and a good husband; a nicer man you could not meet. We shared a house many years ago when we were first starting out in work. Good memories, the best of which ;

'I've fallen and I can't get up... but I'm alright now...'.

You had to be there!

I took Paul a bit by surpirse with this portrait. The flash was on-camera (I know, cheat, I hear you say...!). I am not a fan of on-camera flash; people end up looking flat and washed out. Paul doesn't. The reason is I bounced the flash off an adjacent wall, that in itself would have made solme difference, but some of the flash light would have gone straight onto Paul, which I didn't want. So I placed a gobo, a black piece foam, velcroed to the flash that directed all the light where I wanted it to go. It had the added benefit of not blinding Paul when I took the shot. Great for parties, it looks like directional light... which it is. So much better than on-camera flash.

Thanks Paul for a great photo.

Project 52 ... 44

And in goals ... Chris
.

D200, Tamron 17 - 50 f2.8, SB800 bare head to camera right at half power

camera in manual at 1/200th

.

Chris has saved the day many a time in our Catenian Circle, here in Bracknell; always a man to depend on and a very good Master of Ceremonies. I have only known him for a short time, and recently found out he is an Aresnal fanatic, he even has a season ticket. That's dedication, no, really... it is.

Here Chris is sporting The Gunners jersey. And this is no ordinary jersey...

.

A photograph of two sides...

.

On the reverse is the name Diaby and the number 2, very rare shirt, apparently. I'm just saying... That's football for you.When my brother Paul, I shot him here, were growing up we followed Aston Villa and Chelsea. Because, and this is where it gets interesting, because our Uncle Tommy brought us both mugs when he visited one summer, and yes one was Aston Villa and one was Chelsea. Paul got the Villa one and I ended up supporting Chelsea. Simple as that. Back then Irish football was not what it is today.

The shots of Chris were taken in a local park with the Sun, at about full power - it was Autumn - giving the rim light on Chris' right and the SB800, having to work a bit, zoomed and at half power to his left.

I apologised I couldn't lay on the Emirates to take the shot, to which Chris replied, 'I'll see what I can do...' Well, that shut me up... A great fun shot, thanks Chris.

Playing With The Darkness

Charlotte, Laika and Sofia; three incredible Gothic models.
.

.

These girls gelled really well together. It was as if they had known each other for a thousand years; instinctively they knew how to pose, how to relax and how to give all of themselves to the moment. These are some of my favourite shots from the day.
.

.

.

All the shots were taken on the D200 with a Tamron 17-50 f2.8, set at 1/200 and about f5.6 at ISO 100. We had an SB800 in a shoot through umbrella to the front of the girls and high and a couple of gridded flashes to either side to the rear. Space was a little tight and we had somewhat limited shooting time, but I am more than pleased with the shots.

.

.

The relaxed harmony between them was amazing; it was as if they had memorized their scripts the night before (maybe they had!) but their movement, poise and rapport was second to none and seemed to be second nature. For me, its the darkness in these shots that I like; its the unknowing; it makes me uneasy, on edge, unsure; it tells tales and lets the imagination wander.

.

.

I have no doubt these girls have a future in the modelling world. Good luck Charlotte, Laika and Sofia, I am sure we will be seeing a lot more of you!

.

.
Another big thank you to Ashton Court and Bristol Strobists for organizing a wonderful event!

Jimmy Choo 72 ... shoe photo competition

Yeah, thats right, I said shoes... there's a theme running through here...

The competition was set up to promote awareness of HIV and Aids in South Africa and 25% of net sales of a new collection created by Jimmy Choo specifically for this worthwhile cause is going direct to the Elton John Aids Foundation. A myriad of different styles of photography and images was submitted and I am delighted to say that I was a runner up with... Seduction...

Seduction

I submitted two other photographs along this theme...

.

The Creation of Eve

.

Red Shoe Diaries, page 72

(this shot was featured on the Jimmy Choo 72 home page)

.

The '72' is significant as this is the timescale that vital life saving treatment has to be administered for these people to have any chance at controlling this terrrible disease. A big thank you to Jimmy Choo for the competition and for creating an awareness of this issue and the judges for picking my shot as a runner up. The competition entries can be seen here at www.jimmychoo72.com.

All the shots were taken on a Nikon D200, ISO 100 set on a tripod at f8 and the shutter left open for about 6 - 8 seconds. The light trails are from a Mini Maglite torch with the lense off and the shoes courtesy of Catherine.  And a thank you to Catherine for balancing in 'Seduction' (very seductively...!) for the 8 seconds!

Project 42 ... 43

Meet Jerry,
.

D200, Tamron 17 - 50m f2.8,

SB800 in reflecting umbrella camera left,

Vivitar 285, gridded, behind.

.
Jerry has worked for British Airways all his life and when we got permission to shoot in the new BA Headquarters I was beside myself with excitement! The building is an architectural masterpiece based around the idea of a street with six buildings laid out on either side of a 'street' that is enclosed in a vast atrium. There are shops, banks, all you would ever need during a working day; no need to leave the office!

The shot above is Jerry in front of a model of the famous Concorde; a classic plane beside a gentleman. Thanks Jerry for setting up a great shot and to Katy for being my invaluable assistant yet again! I must also say thanks to British Airways for allowing us access to their wonderful building.

Here is another of the shots we took.
.

D200, Tamron 17 - 50m f2.8,

SB800 in reflecting umbrella camera left,

Vivitar 285, gridded, behind.

Notice Jerry is smiling in this one ... I'm just sayin'...
.

And here is the set up shot. This is how I start up my portrait shoots; the SB800 into the umbrella and the Vivitar, usually gridded to give an accent or rim light. Both the flash guns were on manual and triggered by the now famous Ebay CTR 301P remotes, that have been brilliant. I then tweak the light position and output or the f-stop to get the desired effect.

Thanks again, Jerry, by the way, those wheels to the left are  the wheels from a 747 Jumbo Jet, full size. there is a corresponding set on the other side of the 'street' at the correct positionwhere they are on the actual plane!

Project 52 ... 42

Meet Indiana Jones Peter,
.

D200, Tamron 17 - 50, f2.8, SB800 silver umbrella to camera left,

Vivitar 285 behind Peter

.
I have known Peter for too many years now! We first met during the last recession when he and his wonderful wife, Muriel, gave us many a Red Cross package, they are also God Parents to our son. A champion weightlifter in his youth, now, Peter is a bit of a modern day Indiana Jones, globe trotting all over in search of adventure. Here he is in his study with artifcacts from every corner of the world. Whether it is in the African bush or the Far East or South America, there is always a story to be told and a little something to adorn the walls of his study.

Peter is lit with an SB800 in a silver reflecting umbrella to camera left and behind and on the floor I have a Vivitar 285, both on about half or quarter power. The camera was set at f5.6 and 1/200. The room is tiny and with the umbrella, Peter and myself there was hardlyt any room to move at all.

I don't like 'busy' shots as a rule, but this one works because it mirrors his travels and also says something about the world getting smaller. Thanks for being such a good sport, Peter, and do tell us where you are off to next!