ON CAMERA FLASH - Not always a bad thing....

You know how I harp on about off camera flash, how its so much better than just sticking a flashgun on the top of your camera and blasting away. Well I still totally believe that, the best quality lighting can only be acheived by getting your flash off the camera and using some imagination to light a subject. Well sometimes the on camera flash can create some incredibly powerful images and if used creatively can be equally as useful as a strobe on a lightstand.

Today I had the pleasure of photographing a good friend of mine, Chantelle. Chantelle is an aspiring model, with a very striking look, I have worked with her before and I have always be happy with the images we have created. On this occasion I used a bog-standard 580 EX, bounced off the ceiling of my studio, supplemented with a Lastolite Tri-flector placed under the camera. Thats it, as simple as you like.

If you look closely, you can see the distinctive reflections in the eyes created by the Tri-flector, the larger highlight, is simply a reflection of the white painted ceiling in my studio. This effect can easily create simply stunning images, but these particular images are mainly due to the good looks of an incredible model.

To E-Shoot or not to E-Shoot

Wedding photography has come along way since the days of standing in front of the church doors and an old magnesium flash. The typical bride and groom want something a bit more adventurous from their wedding photographer. They also want to be educated in how to 'perform' for the camera, so that on they look their best on the wedding day, thats why many couples opt to have an'engarement' shoot, or E-Shoot, prior to the big day.

All couples who pre-order an album package with me, qualify for a free E-Shoot as part of their package. Some couples opt not to decide to to use me as their wedding photographer until they have experience of my service, and instead opt tp purchase a seperate E-shoot before deciding wether or not to use me. If they are happy with how I work and what I produce they can then book me without paying a retainer, I just right it off against the booking fee from the E-shoot. I have still earned my fee, and the couple have had their E-shoot, so we are all set for the big day.

I tend to use the engagement session as a practise session for the big day, helping the couple get used to posing in front of the camera, by pointing toes and shifting weight between legs to get comfortable and slim those lines. We often hold the shoots at the main venue, so I get to have a good wander around and inspect the layout of the venue prior to the wedding so that I have an idea of what will work and what won't.

The shots I have included here are from two recent and very different e-shoots. Laura and David, and Katie and Matthew both booked me several months ago, so I haven't seen them in ages, it was good to get to meet them again and to run through the arrangements so we were all happy. Both seessions produced some very striking images, that I hope both couples will be happy with.