Nearly half way through another year......
So for most of us the last few years have been challenging whilst being worrying and we have all had so much to deal with on a personal level and on a work related level. We have had to find new ways of doing things and some of these new ways will be entrenched with us all for years to come.
Now things are getting somewhat easier, it is time to pick up the reins again and get our businesses moving. I have had a few shoots now and I am back in the studio working again which I love. That said though it is still worth remembering that Covid is still around and probably will be for a long time, so it is always worth being mindful of not only the health and safety and welfare of those we work with, but also ourselves as well.
Moving forwards, I am planning future shoots and welcoming new clients. However, it is inevitable that there may be cancellations due to Covid so my work cancellation policy has had to be amended. Now all bookings that are made and deposits that are taken will be honoured if the client cancels due to Covid and a rescheduling date will be offered. There will still be no refunds, only rescheduling. I am also offering more location shoots as well which I love as natural light can bring something else to a narrative shoot. But of course this is not without it’s challenges as we now have to be aware of rising fuel costs. I have kept my travel costs at the same government recommendation of 45p/mile.
I am now trying different genres of photography and one of the most recent ones I have been very excited about is Photojournalism Style - it is real, candid and organic in that the whole shoot just evolves and develops at its own pace - quite unlike my usual military style way of shooting. I am also very much in love with narrative photography - this requires more of a cinematic approach and style and the whole shoot will revolve around a story. The beauty of both of these genres is that they work best in monochrome, which is timeless and has a unique element which allows you to capture mood and feeling.
‘Lady on the Rocks..’
A recent shoot with Tess on Portland, to capture the essence, the mood and a story.
‘Photojournalism’
Shot in Poundbury which lends itself well to this style of photography - modelling is Kate
So in preparation for this blog, which is long overdue, I asked on my Instagram stories if anyone had any questions they wanted to ask me……..https://www.instagram.com/lapearce
One question was - what photographers inspire me the most……….
There are a few really depending on what I am shooting and what the style of the shoot is or the concept. But my three most loved and inspirational photographers are:-
Lara Jade https://www.larajade.com
Peter Coulson http://www.peter-coulson.com.au
Lindsey Adler https://lindsayadlerphotography.com
Lara Jade is wonderful for fashion editorial inspiration and her work has been published in many high end glossy magazines worldwide. She has a great online following and she runs course online as well which if you are aiming to get into this industry are well worth subscribing to. Her work ethic is very professional and the quality of her work never diminishes but only gets better.
Peter Coulson is my go to photographer for inspiration for more edgy moody mono shots with attitude. He is a lighting guru and his You Tube channel is worth a visit as he has loads of video tutorials to watch where he breaks his shoots down making them achievable for us mere mortals. He shows his lighting set ups and his gear and offers tips on post processing. His videos are so entertaining as well and feature his sidekick Becs.
Lindsey Adler is really a combination of the other two - she is also a lighting wizard and shares many clips and BTS on her website showing how she got he shot. She openly shares her post processing and again this makes it achievable for us all. Most of her work is beauty/fashion concept based, but she is well worth a visit.
Another question was - where do I get my inspiration from…….
A great question - generally I start with the concept or the location, or sometimes it could be the model herself and the look she has. I then develop this initial thought into something more tangible by looking at magazines, pop videos, literature, adverts, sometimes even a piece of music. I am in the process of planning a 70’s inspired shoot with a contemporary feel and the inspiration for this came from an online shopping company where I saw the most fabulous jumpsuit. I then combined this with a model who I feel has the look I am after and then it is case of putting the studio together to colour balance the outfits and set the scene. So although it won’t be all out 1970’s, there will be elements of, so pop back to see the final results of this in a few weeks.
