Studio photography has always seemed like a cop out to me when you have a big wide world and it’s natural illumination to use. So it was with a not so open mind that I turned up at this weekend’s photography workshop which was all about studio portraits. After a taster of the possibilities of light set ups I’m definitely up for some more learning in this field as a way of learning how to see light, how to cheat light and most importantly how to step into taking photographs of people.
Human beings are pretty absent from most of my photography. That comes from spending too much time on my own and two basset hounds. My track record of portrait photography is not good. Nerves overcome me and I usually fluff all the photographs either because I’m worrying too much on what my camera is doing or that people are not standing in good light and I’m to shy or stupid to not ask them to move somewhere better.
I can’t say that things were that much better during my studio day but I have at least moved to the point where I have a modicum more confidence to experiment with portraiture and actually start to engage with my portrait assignment which has till now been languishing on my desk looking forlorn.
I had 24 shots and one model to play with. Given I don’t know my model that well (he’s Simon a fellow student), other people babbling in the background giving me direction on how I should pose the model, where the lights should be and what sort of look I should be going for, I was relieved to find that I could at least keep the camera in focus. In the end I was pleased to get a few shots where I feel I connected with Simon through the camera. He was very sweet and kind although I’m not sure who was more terrified – him or me.
