So, what does one get to do at a Bruff Photography workshop? Well, I thought I'd share a few pictures taken by a participant in Lighting Within. As you will see from the samples below, you can pack an awful lot of learning and experimenting into a single day. And for those of you who we missed, keep watching, there will be more in the future. Different themes maybe, but the same great venue and many of the same wonderful models. Huge thanks again to:
Zoha Rabie - Makeup and hair - Zoha Rabie on Face Book;
Ju Rebel - Model - Model Management Canada;
Catherine - Model - Model Management Canada;
Danielle - Model - Model Management Canada; and
St. Mary The Virgin Anglican Church for the wonderful venue!
PHOTOGRAPHER - MEAG C. MODEL - JU REBEL (MODEL MANAGEMENT CANADA)
Meag made excellent use of her time and the elements of the workshop studio. We hadn't even planned on using the stage but when we saw Ju in her alt street outfit everything came together. Shot was sharpened in post, no other adjustments.
PHOTOGRAPHER - MEAG C. MODEL - CATHERINE (MODEL MANAGEMENT CANADA)
Silhouettes were a full class in and of themselves. In this exercise, Catherine demonstrates the difference between hard and soft silhouettes by using a lace ruffle from her shirt.
PHOTOGRAPHER - MEAG C. MODEL - DANIELLE (MODEL MANAGEMENT CANADA)
Now this shot was set up for post processing. During our black and white discussions, it was really important to understand that a B&W shot isn't about the processing, it's about the feel. The "why", if you will. Danielle's fight poses were quite easy to imagine "hardened" in B&W without losing any of her beauty or grace.
PHOTOGRAPHER - MEAG C. MODEL - JU REBEL (MODEL MANAGEMENT CANADA)
High key light-boxing, light balancing courtesy of trial, error, and a good light meter. Great job Meag!
PHOTOGRAPHER - MEAG C. MODEL - DANIELLE (MODEL MANAGEMENT CANADA)
Top down lighting, a strip light soft box, and some extra contrast and we have an exercise commercial in the making!
PHOTOGRAPHER - MEAG C. MODEL - CATHERINE (MODEL MANAGEMENT CANADA)
Finally, a bit of low key drama and class. Again, straight out of the student's camera.
Thanks to all who helped make Lighting Within a success. Till next time.
Bruff
Hi all!
I thought I'd end the year with a little "how I do it" blog. I am very old school, so my projects all tend to follow the three cardinal steps; concept, design, and execute. Today I'll go over concept and initial design.
For some reason I had recently become fascinated with fishing nets as fashion in photography. As is my wont, I hit the interweb to see what was out there for inspiration. Hint...don't type "fish", "net", and "fashion" or "photography" unless you are ready to bleach out your browser history. Once I managed to tone my search down to PG 13 from NC17, I found a grand total of 1 picture that was even near what I was thinking. One single, solitary pic, and it was a painting! Now if you have an idea and can't find a thousand pics of it online, it is either extremely original and no one has thought of it or sucks so bad that no one else would ever do it. Now, I have never let the fact that I may truly suck at something ever stop me from doing it anyway, so off I went.
The concept was this. Historically, Newfoundland was a collection of very small, very poor, and very isolated fishing communities dotted all over the island landscape. These living conditions give rise to a serious genetic problem, closed gene pools. Basically, young folks were almost guaranteed to be related to everyone in the community, which made the concept of marrying "safely" very daunting. Add a religious intolerance of medieval proportions to the mix and it meant that finding a bride or husband often meant traveling quite far. In the real world, the lads on schooners often brought home wives from different communities after consulting with Grannie to ensure she wasn't "Yer Peeple", but in my interpretation, no young lady of moral upbringing would ever just take off with the first sailor that jumped onto the wharf, so the practice of netting a wife was born. During the last run of the season, when all the boats were on the way home, they would put into a port far away from home. Every community would have a big do with all in attendance. Should a young lady find a man she would be happy to marry, she would invite him to her father's stage house (net making shed) at midnight. When he showed up, she would be wrapped in a net to signal her intention to marry, and the lad simply had to secure the net with a special bow to seal the deal.
The pictures below show the evolution of my design in studio. I can't sketch worth a damn so I tend to build in real life or draw stick figures. Here we go.
STARTING UP WITH A CEDAR CHEST, A BLANKET, AND SOME NETTING
THE NET LOOKED TOO BLAND SO I HUNG IT OFF A STAND
A LITTLE SEARCHING TURNED UP THE TOOLS AND PROPS NEEDED TO RESEMBLE A NET SHED. YEP, THAT'S A PROP
THE CAPTURE NET IS HUNG FROM THE CEILING BARS AND A BLUE GEL LIVENS THE BACKGROUND
STARTING LOOK IS DONE. NEXT STEP IS TO GET THE MODEL IN AND LIGHT
PEELING BACK THE FOURTH WALL. NOTICE THE BULK OF NETTING ON THE LEFT TO COVER AREAS LEFT OUT BY THE BACKGROUND
That's it for now. I'll share more after the shoot. Till then:
Have a great one!
LIGHTING WITHIN WELCOMES
THE ARTISTRY OF ZOHA ROBIE
Lighting Within is extremely happy to have Zoha Rabie on board for our workshop. Painter, model, hairdresser, and make up artist, Zoha has a lengthy resume in "the biz" stretching back to her teen years. She has run successful gallery exhibits, designed and marketed her own clothing line, modeled for Model Management Canada, and now runs her own makeup company.
Although she specializes is fashion, glamour, and boudoir work, Zoha is amazingly versatile and will be demonstrating that versatility by doing all make up for the day. If we are really lucky, she may even hang around to discuss how best to utilize the looks she will create with the photographers.
If you would like to learn a little more about Zoha feel free to drop by her website Zoharabie.com.
ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT ZOHARABIE.COM AND MODEL MANAGEMENT CANADA. USED WITH PERMISSION
Hi again and Merry Christmas (or applicable salutation) to everyone. While we are all sitting here eagerly awaiting Santa to get 'er in gear and do his round the world trip, I figured this would be a great time to introduce the rest of the professionals that will be joining us for the Lighting Within Workshop. So, without further adieu, let me introduce to you...
Ms. Catherine Price
Another Newfoundland native and proud member of the Model Management Canada family, Catherine brings a classic elegance to her work. Business, designer, or evening wear, if it involves a long dress or formal look, that is where Catherine will be.
I recently had the pleasure of photographing Catherine as part of a wedding workshop in St. John's. A full day in the pouring rain posing for a dozen photographers would have upset anyone, but Catherine displayed professionalism, poise, and good humour the whole time. Count on her to help you bring out the best poses for your ideas.
MS. JU REBEL
Edgy. Alternative Editorial. Street Fashion. Retro. All these words have been used to describe Ju's style. I prefer to just call her what she is, wicked talented! Ju brings years of experience in a multitude of styles to the table which have led to her being published in the likes of Institute Magazine (Punkabilly, look it up) and in a number of advertisements and public portfolios.
When I first imagined this workshop I knew right away I wanted Ju on the roster. She always impressed me with her ability to understand what the photographer is looking for, sometimes even before the photographer does, and then give herself completely to it. Need a contorted position? She's capable. Got a twenty pound head piece made of human hair that needs to be worn for hours? Ju's smiling all the way. I can't wait to see what you and her come up with.
That's all for now. Next time I'll be introducing the lady behind the looks and maybe drop a hint or two about the workshop itself.
Till Then - Have a Great One!
Happy Holidays Everyone!
As promised on my Face Book page, I'm going to be spending the next little while focusing my energies on my upcoming workshop, Lighting Within, on January 18th. I'm really excited to be hosting this workshop because I see a need for photographers to have a venue to try new ideas (or practice old ones) in a collaborative setting where there is no pressure from clients, no need to work within someone else' ideas, and fewer space constraints than what many of us face in our own studios. My primary goal is to have a relaxed, learning atmosphere for every person that comes in the door.
Before I mention any specifics of workshop itself, I'd like to introduce some of the professionals you will be working with on the day. We have three models and a lovely make up artist that will be joining us. Today I'd like to introduce:
DANIELLE ROBIN
Although fairly new to the professional modelling industry, Danielle has been extremely busy in her debut year. Besides working with a number of local photographers including Eric Bartlett and Mike Mahoney, Danielle has walked the runways of local fashion shows and recently was hired as a model by Canadian retail chain Eclipse.
With her experience in set piece shooting and the more fluid world of runway fashion, Danielle is a wonderful addition to the workshop and I am really looking forward to seeing what she and the participants come up with.
Next time, we'll meet Catherine Price. Till then, Have a great holiday season!
Mike
No! I'm not talking about what you're thinking about! Get your mind out of the gutter! I'm talking about the hoards of folk who spend their entertainment careers shrouded in the shadows of screen and stage, the extremely deep pool of talented directors, producers, and craftspeople that Newfoundland and Labrador can boast as their own. I'd mention the actors, singers, and dancers, but they already get the lion's share of the attention so I figured it was time to give a huge shout out to those who aren't as easily noticed...until something goes wrong, that is.
What has this got to do with photography? Not much really, except that it was the medium through which I got to see what goes on at a local, volunteer level. For years I have been a theatre satellite, you know, the "guy with truck", or ladder, or cots, or "insert need here", from which sprang my love of local theatre. I really didn't see a lot of the inner workings though until I was tapped by a number of theatre companies to take production stills, the most recent of which was Nothing On Productions upcoming August: Osage County.
So I show up at a nice suburban home with a vehicle load of the trappings of our trade. Grabbing the most important of my tools (and most expensive I might add), I head up the walk and make use of the decorative door knocker. I'm greeted by a miscellany of actors who help me move my gear in and get set up. While I'm doing this the Director (Janet) and Executive Producer (Katherine) arrive. They give each other a quick nod, and I get to see first hand why they get the big chairs. Actors are assigned duties, furniture is moved, more furniture is moved, lights are rigged, I'm given space to do lighting tests and access to whatever I need, and within minutes, a regular living room becomes a fully dressed set. Moving seamlessly through the chaos, Katherine handles anything having to do with behind the scenes while Janet artfully balances the knife edge between Sergeant Major and social worker that every good leader is intimately familiar with. Less than an hour after I started shooting, I had every shot in the list accomplished, and twenty minutes later my car was packed, the house was returned to normal, and the cast were dismissed until next time. Here's a sample shot.
After nearly three decades in the military, it takes a special level of organization and execution to impress me, but I have to say I was impressed, even more so because all of these people are volunteers who do it for the love of theatre. If the play is executed with near the level of sophistication the production shoot was, it will be tight indeed.
Welcome to my first ever blog post. Yep, I know, kind of sad, but there it is. I never really understood blogging, so I didn't go at it, or so I thought. Apparently, I was doing it long before I knew what it was. You see, years ago, I wrote a column for a Canadian Forces newspaper entitled Dilettantia that bounced from topic to topic like a high bouncer ball. It had no direction other than what caught my interest at the moment. Only recently did I find out from a friend in the know about such things that, at it's core, a blog is exactly what I had been doing, just without an editor, publisher, etc, etc. Isn't it amazing what you can learn by talking to someone?
So, what has inspired me as a photographer recently? Well, I love retro looking places and styles, and I really love it when someone takes the best that retro is and fuses it with something functional in today's world. Enter Chris Evans, owner/operator of Fogtown Barber Style Shop. Stepping into Fogtown is like stepping into the past as imagined by Marianas Trench. The black and white tile floor is straight out of the 50's, as are the straight razors and hand clippers that adorn the wall like the honoured weapons of the neatly coiffed. And the barber chairs! Well, they are literally out of the 50's, beautiful exhibits Chris nabbed when Family Barber on Duckworth finally hung up their shears. Even the stickers on the walls remind me of my first haircut. Army units, navy ships, and multilingual signs advertising their craft.
From there thing get truly stylish. Real vinyl records of all types provide a hipster backdrop to skateboards, horseshoes, nunchacku, Lay-Rite Pominade and various manly waxes for those of us who view a moustache as an accomplishment rather than a punch line. Take one look through the big pane glass and I guarantee a swing tune will jar your brain to images of duckbacks, rolled up T-shirt sleeves, and polka dot dresses from Rosie the Rebel.
When I showed up with my camera last week, Chris graciously invited me to shoot him and his staff as they worked. We had a great time and it became quickly apparent these barbers know their stuff. I know taking advice on a barber from a guy with a shaved head might be counter-intuitive, but I have been getting my head shaved there regularly since Chris first set his barber pole spinning and I have never had anything but the best service. So, if you're looking for a great haircut, a reasonable price, and a truly cool look , head on out to Fogtown...but call first. Good news travels fast, and they have had to go to appointments to keep the customers from storming the doors.
Thanks for visiting. Till next time, have a great one.
Mike