The issue of light is becoming more and more important. Over the last year or two, as you may have noticed, I have been generating pictures using models. To some, the use of models is questionable, but to me it has been quite a natural progression. It’s a daring step from landscapes and monochromatic lifestyle, and at times I have questioned myself as to what I was up to, but overwhelmingly there was something I had try out and develop. Having been through this journey, and then spending a concentrated amount of time on one large shoot in July with a big team, I have now finally realized what it is that I was trying to achieve. If I’m honest, finding this threw me somewhat and has led me to take a step back from what I do and think about focussing on the future. I work with models in a particular kind of way, and I’m always shooting them as if they were characters but now I can categorically say that perhaps I should be working with actors and actress’s also. It is the light technique, the composition and cinematic feel in my pictures within one still frame that I have been searching for and have achieved yet there is much development needed if I am to apply this technique and develop it further. And what of content? Well I don’t worry too much about contextual issues right now, when the lighting, colour and painterly feel of my pictures can carry just as much integrity as any concept. After all, contextual issues are for fine artists, I wear that hat for different occasions – I am tog and I am allowed to by step this…

I am thinking continually about how and when I can next shoot – soon hopefully, but it takes much organizing and this is all separate from commercial ventures and other projects. If it is still films I am creating then I bloody well need to light them like films, and this dear reader does not fall in the usual remit of a working photographers lighting conditions! I see very regularly people trying to mimmic these effects with software. Let me tell you that if the light source is not there in the first place any attempts to copy it with photoshop simply look like they have been photoshopped! I was very saddened recently to see a the work of young, local photographer and most of the pictures looked rushed and plastic due to his reliance upon software.

So….two large soft boxes would help immensely from continuous heads (not flash – ruins all subtle ambient light). This would help reduce dramatic and harsh contrast between shadows and faces when it appears, whilst perhaps taking the overall ambient reading up to 125 which would mean i could lengthen the depth of field in most of the shots. Then there is the dim-able tungsten spots. I have one already, a mighty fine piece of kit with focussing beam, cone (snoot in flash terms). These expensive pieces of equipment allow for complete light control, and I would benefit from a least another three to light different parts of the figures. I also need to think about some quite dramatic side and top lighting. Top lighting for head illumination and side lighting for drama (however it can’t be sprayed light and would need to be directional and controlled possibly by some barn doors). This would then free up my existing red heads and pin spots for all of the background work and effects. I will be styling it myself, very simply, and paying close attention as usual to the colour relationships between garments, skin tones, make up, hair, and background. I think one more shoot on a solid colour background, perhaps blue, will be suffice to compliment my ever growing selection of red images, and then I will look at moving to a trickier location like a cafe or a bar to try these techniques out. I have made a lot of pictures in cafes and bars, but all with available light and none with this kind of lighting, so I’m really looking forward to trying it out someday.

I have to be very resourceful now, and make sure that all my energies go into the planning, development and preparation for this kind of thing, and not to waste time and money. It’s not as simple as just shooting with your camera. There are other elements involved as with films, such as cast, pots of paint, make up and so on – so it’s important to know what you are doing. Oh yes, and one more thing on my to do list is to visit a scrap yard to buy some car light reflectors…you’d be amazed what happens to light through these things when it’s thrown against a wall!

It’s been an usual year or two, and even though it’s August, I feel like it’s the start of new time….of what I am not sure yet, but yesterday Gus and I finally started recording and you can hear the energy building. It was a lovely sunny day in the countryside, the studio is brand new equipped and it really refreshed me to be supping smokey tea and recording again. I think it’s something I just have to do along with my pictures.