Environmental shoots with a specific theme are such fun to do. I grabbed an opportunity to do another Peaky Blinders photoshoot in Leicester with fellow creatives. Using a suitable location can sometimes be awkward, but a local industrial area was available with enough character to make the photoshoot work. A simple combination of old brick walls and amazing outfits, with the addition of some off-camera flash is enough to get the mood right. 3 hours of shooting and some dodging of rain showers and the shoot was in the bag. All images taken with the Fujifilm X100v camera and Godox AD200pro flash.
A photoshoot with a difference earlier this year when we had the fantastic Dave Sinclair with his Swampy zombie outfits created by Clive Barzillia. A bit of minimalist lighting and smoke created a set of images with a difference.Adam England also came along with his Jason Voorhees outfit from Friday 13th, also created by Clive. No skin touchups required in this photoshoot.
A few images from an earlier photoshoot with Midlands based Italian model Valentina. We kept the lighting simple and moody, using either grey or white backdrops and letting the light fall off to control the brightness of the background, which worked well with the muted colours of the outfits.
A black and white themed photoshoot in the studio with Remi – Instagram: _remileigh0.
We used a combination of outfits against black and white backgrounds to give a classic contrast look with simple lighting. Remi used her experience in dance to create delicate and graceful poses.
Another recent group photoshoot in my local Leicestershire area, with Leila and her horse as the models for the morning. Horse photography can be a challenge with so many distractions for the horse, especially on a busy Saturday morning with walkers, but the natural light was kind to us and the horse was extremely well behaved.
Shot with Nikon D800 and Fuji X-Pro1.
It is great to take advantage of an opportunity to do a photoshoot with a special theme and costume, and for me the idea of a Warrior Princess themed shoot with a small group of collaborators in local woodland was too great to pass.
The wooded area is very popular with locals, especially on a nice day, but there is so much space that we could easily find a few areas to work away from the crowds.
The outfit, and especially the head dress, supplied by Sandalwoodpictures.co.uk and worn by local model Tracey was outstanding and made the shoot extremely enjoyable and quite different.
Collaborating with local creatives can bring a completely different dimension to a group photoshoot – a theme that would not normally be possible on a commercial / editorial shoot, a relaxed pace and the sharing of ideas and equipment, along with new locations you would not consider as an option. Leicester based Solo Studio hosts regular group shoots with an amazing collection of photographers and models.
Images below are from a recent Steampunk themed group shoot in a local industrial area within Leicester.
For this shoot I used my Nikon D800 with off-camera SB-800 speedlight with an Octabox modifier, trigged with PocketWizard FlexTT5 / MiniTT1.
It is great to participate in themed group photoshoots to get creative ideas flowing and try out lighting setups. A recent local ‘Peaky Blinders’ group shoot in an industrial area of Leicester was ideal to try something new. With the Peaky Blinders TV series becoming ever more popular, with the airing on BBC and now NetFlix, there were plenty of models keen to take part and dress up for the occassion.
I had the chance to be involved in a Leicester studio photoshoot recently using ultraviolet light and paint only. This was a new technique for me as a photographer, and took a bit of trial and error to get the correct camera settings and lighting position. The combination of UV light and specialised paint on the model gives a very unique look. The colours certainly pop against the dark shadows. Very different results to my normal style of photography.
This set of images was from a recent street photoshoot in the city of Leicester on a very warm Sunday afternoon in the middle of the 2018 Summer heatwave. I love using urban areas in cities because of the wide range of backdrops that can be used – walls, doorways, factory entrances etc. I use my small speedlights to mix artificial lighting with natural lighting to provide a dynamic looking image. The side streets of a city are generally quiet on a weekend afternoon, so we can get on with creating a great set of images without too much interest from passers-by. It is a great way to capture fashion and portrait images with a little difference.