Movie Still Portraits

In the November 2010 issue of Practical Photography I wrote a technique feature about creating movie still style portraits. The technique provides technical and aesthetic advice about how to achieve a filmic look, with further advice including a Photoshop technique similar to bleach bypassing, and also one for a basic off-camera flash technique. The result was two very different portraits that both followed one or more movie conventions.

I’ve been interested in movies since childhood and have been using them as inspiration for my photography almost since the start. Whether it’s lighting, composition or a model’s gesture I’ve often used this influence in my photography.

To find out more check out the November 2010 issue of Practical Photography.

To check out more of my portraits visit www.jamesabbottphotography.co.uk

Carl Zeiss lens (80mm Pentacon 6 mount) and tilt adaptor example image

The earlier post for the 80mm Carl Zeiss Biometar lens and tilt adapter has proved to be popular so I’ve found an example shot to show how sharp the lenses are. The first shot is the full frame image and the second is a crop at 100%. I think you’ll agree that the results are very impressive considering the age of the lens (30-40 years). The image was shot on a Canon EOS 5D with the Carl Zeiss lens set to f/2.8 and the adapter set to full tilt. When a lens is as sharp as this you can’t complain.

Here’s part of the sharp area at 100%

To see more of my work visit www.jamesabbottphotography.co.uk

Driven Creativity 2010 Competition Shortlist

I have recently learned that one of my photos from my Dragon Gate UK Wrestlers series has been shortlisted in the professional photography section of the Driven Creativity Competition 2010. The shortlisted image can be seen below.

The first and second prize winners will be announced on 29th October, with the overall prize winner from across three categories – Photography, film and music announced at a private view at the Brick Lane Gallery on 16th November. A number of highly commended entries will be displayed alongside the winners in a week long exhibition. So it’s fingers crossed for the next couple of weeks! If you want to check out my gallery of nine wrestler images click here.

Dragon Gate UK Wrestler photos

I’ve barely been on the internet for the last couple of weeks because of I’ve been busy retouching photos I took of Dragon Gate UK wrestlers on 11th September. A few of months ago I noticed wrestling posters going up in shop windows around the town where I live. A professional wrestling event only five minutes away from my house – what luck, and an opportunity not to be missed. After tracking down the promoter I secured access to photograph the wrestlers. At this stage I wasn’t sure if I’d have much space to set up a studio, how long I’d have to photograph each wrestler or when during the event. It was simply a case of having my foot in the door.

When I arrived the promoter greeted me and showed me to the auditorium. After a long discussion with one of the other senior organisers I was directed to the bar area where I’d have a window of 15 minutes to photograph 16 wrestlers. I had half an hour to set everything up but I’d fortunately previously done some lighting tests so I knew exactly how I needed to set the lights up. My makeshift studio consisted of a black paper background, three studio lights, a ringflash and an assistant holding a reflector. To see more of the series visit www.jamesabbottphotography.co.uk.

New work from the Le Mans 24hr Race 2010

I’ve recently finished editing a ton of photos I shot at the Le Mans 24hr Race 2010.  My modest web edit of a 12 images is currently filed under Latest Work on my site and can be viewed here.  This was my first trip to the event, and with press access to the track side and a hospitality suite just a couple of metres above the pits I was able to focus my attention on both the cars and the action along the sidelines.

To see more of my work visit www.jamesabbottphotography.co.uk

Fold up trolley

I’m halfway through a week holiday and have managed one photoshoot so far, when I should be relaxing. The location was in the middle of a forest, about a mile and a half going up and down some pretty steep hills. In retrospect I can now see how it wasn’t such a great idea to be carrying a large camera bag, portable lighting kit, a bag of triggers and modifiers and a couple of light stands. My shoulders are still killing me a few days on.

I remembered, after the shoot, a Manchester based photographer I assisted a few years ago who used a fold up trolley to move large amounts of kit from car to location with the minimum of effort – absolute genius. His trolley was about as big as a wheelbarrow and had large BMX style wheels. It folded up almost completely flat and would fit into the boot of even small cars. If you shoot on location with a lot of kit one of these could be invaluable. Something similar is now high on my wishlist.

To see my photography work visit www.jamesabbottphotography.co.uk

Street Portraiture Tips

Street portraiture is an extremely satisfying genre of photography to shoot, but can also be one of the most difficult. It’s not difficult in terms of style and technique because this is something you can decide upon before you even head out onto the streets. Whether you go for natural light with a reflector to fill-in or slick off-camera flash techniques is the least of your worries.

The most difficult aspect has to be keeping your confidence levels up and not becoming disheartened the tenth time a prospective subject turns you down. It definitely gets easier the more you do it, but even experienced street portrait photographers can find approaching strangers in the street draining. In the first 30 minutes you could photograph 10 people, then not shoot a thing over next few hours.

So how do you stay positive? Recompose yourself and keep looking for potential subjects. If things are getting really bad get a coffee and come back to it after a rest. It’s amazing how 10 minutes relaxing can re-energise you enough to feel motivated again. The more positive, confidant and friendly you are the more likely people will be to give you a few minutes of their time. Remember that you’re the only person who knows whether the last person you spoke to allowed you to take their picture or walked away.

Tips for street portraiture

• Be friendly and a use your charm
• Introduce yourself and explain what you’re doing
• Offer a business card
• Don’t forget to take a stack of model releases and a pen
• Email a photo to everyone you photograph
• Keep a bottle of water and some snacks in your kit bag

Here are a couple of photos from a project I shot collaboratively with Rosie Clarke in 2007. The project has been gathering electronic dust on my hard drive and when I recently built my new website  I decided it was time to do something with it. We spent several days scouring the streets of Liverpool for willing subjects. Some days were easy going and productive, while others were slow and unfruitful. For the few moments that we spoke to people we were given a brief insight into their lives – you might not believe some of the stories behind the faces, and you certainly can’t judge a book by its cover. Visit www.jamesabbottphotography.co.uk to see more portraits.