..Into the woods
When I was asked to take some portrait pictures of creative designer and fashion photographer David J I saw this as an honour and an opportunity to broaden my skill base and have some fun at the same time. Not only did David chose a fantastic location in Dulwich Woods, but he also chose the perfect day.
David knew exactly how he wanted to be portrayed, then he has years of experience planning photo shoots, styling and directing models at his disposal. It was clear that this was going to prove to be an impromptu masterclass in fashion photography. To pass the grade all I had to do was make sure the images were in focus, well lit and deliberately framed.
We certainly drew plenty of attention, with the locals going about their business; dog walkers and joggers alike. At times the natural light proved to be a touch harsh, this being one of the brightest days of the year so far; but there was also plenty of shade and some careful positioning soon put me back in control of the set.
Having seen the finished prints there are certainly some things I would have done differently, but on the whole I was pleased with the results. There are always lessons to be learnt, in hindsight I would have made sure I had an assistant to position the reflector and set up lighting etc. More attention could have been paid to some small styling faux-pas, like the dust that had collected on David's shoulder; thank god for Lightroom.
It was great to get the opportunity to dip my toes into this genre, fashion and portraiture draws on so many principles I'm use to from landscape and architecture, and then some. Spending the afternoon with David lit a fuse within me, I definitely plan to do more shoots like this in the future, let's see where this takes me.
location:
Dulwich Woods
subject: