A few images from a recent shoot on a farm in North Leicestershire. Farms are full of interesting barns and machinery, providing lots of photo opportunities with different backdrops. Spoilt for choice, but time is always limited. Light levels can be low in farm buildings, so the use of portable flashheads and power packs can be useful. My first shoot on a farm, but looking forward to revisiting at some point in the near future.
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.
A photoshoot at my local Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome took advantage of the last of the summer sun for 2018 with glorious weather at a fantastic venue packed full of old aircraft. Bruntingthorpe is a family run business on a big scale, with the ex RAF base being used for storing of old military aircraft and a vehicle fast track proving ground.
We had the run of some areas of the site away from other activities, and with a group of photographers and models, we used the day to capture a unique set of images. It was fantastic fun, and with my Bowens lighting heads and Travelpak triggered by PocketWizards and Nikon D800 I was very pleased with the resultant set of images.
I recently spent the day with the event planning company helping them with their first outdoor cinema event in the wonderful grounds of Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire. Although a full summer’s day event with three screenings, the most interesting light for photography came at dusk with fantastic colours in the sky, the moon out and the glow of the lighting from the screen and vendors making the whole scene wonderfully atmospheric. It is hard work setting up an event like this, but everyone had a great time with lots of applauds at the last song of the film Grease when the light really had faded.
My last photoshoot of 2016 was the week before Christmas of 2016, photographing the actress Lydia Rose Bewley in her family home for an editorial piece for the Mail On Sunday’s You Magazine. Lydia has starred in The Inbetweeners Movie, Drifters TV series and Comedy Central’s I Live With Models. Lydia could not have been more friendly during our photoshoot – a consummate professional thoughout.
Laumina was visiting the UK recently and contacted me to arrange a photoshoot in Leicestershire. I had done a photoshoot for Triathlete’s World a while back at Beacon Hill. I had always wanted to go back for another photoshoot as the location is ideal with its backdrop of large rocks, rugged terrain and open skies. I used a combination of natural light and off-camera flash to create dramatic images to suit the landscape. It was windy on the day of the shoot, but we persevered and captured a great set of images.
I was asked to photograph Ben for the BackUp Trust Transform magazine. Ben lives in my local area, so it was easy to decide on a suitable location to do the photoshoot. The aim was to capture Ben out and about, so we met in the afternoon and moved around a very small area to capture a set of images. The weather was cold, but Ben is very hardy and managed a good 90 minutes before we declared it a wrap.
The cover shot was Ben’s idea, right towards the end of the shoot. We tried a few variations, with a mix of natural light and off-camera-flash. It was a winner right from the start.
Bradgate Park is one of the most photographed areas of Leicestershire, with good reason. An 800 year old deer park, Bradgate Park is steeped in history, being the home to the 9 day Queen of England Lady Jane Grey.
The 830 acre park is now held in trust for the benefit of the Leicestershire population and it’s visitors. The River Lin flows through the lower part of the Park, the ruins of the Tudor built Bradgate House are situated in the centre of the Park,and deer roam freely throughout the park.
For me, the overwhelming features of the area are the 500 year old trees that are scattered across the land, weathered and gnarly. but no doubt could tell a thousand stories.