The Watford Photographer @phototravelblog

Don't get me wrong,  I whole heartedly encourage anyone who wants to get in to photography to take the plunge and go for it. It can be a wonderful way to view the world or record a perfect moment in time for eternity. Whether its a hobby or profession, whether you're a purist or dab hand at ultra real HDR you are still an artist. But just like the artists of old did a canvas and paintbrush enable them to instantly create a masterpiece over night? .... Your images will only be as good as your 'homed in' creative eye and your ability to understand how to manipulate light with your camera.
There have been some amazing camera designs over the years, everything from pinhole cameras all the way through to the likes of the Canon 1DX. Technology has never stood still, if someone had told me when I was using my Nikon FE 35mm film camera that one day in my life time the image I took would be able to be focused after the shot (see www.lytro.com) I would never have believed them. Then again I'm sure that many photographers prior to the 1850's would  never have believed that colour film would exist let alone become relatively easy to produce commercially in large numbers!

This year I moved on from my much loved Canon 50d to a 5Dmk2. Many will wonder why it was worth the extra ££££ but others will wonder why I used the 50d for so long. The answer is simple...great kit doesn't make you a great photographer.

The 50d for me had enough pro end features that didn't fall too short of its full frame brothers yet in my opinion bettered the 40d and 60d for the aspects that were important to me in my work. At the time of setting up my business I simply didn't need any more. I had enough understanding and sense to know that lenses are more important in many respects than the camera body you use. My skill set enabled me to get the pictures I created on many well known websites and in many publications including Vogue.

The main reason for the change to full frame was that my trained (and ever critical) eye had reached a point where I had outgrown the limitations of my 50d. Not only for the quality required in my commercial work but in the quality in my personal shoots. Here I am mainly talking about MP and sensor size.

Don't get me wrong the 50d is a fantastic camera as was my previous 400d for its and my time but just as technology improves so do our skills if we work hard. Knowing how to use a camera to its limits then being granted with a larger sensor and more MP for me is like driving a 2 litre sports car to the edge of its limits and being able to keep it under control then being give some ceramic brakes and a 5 litre engine. I know how to work it, I know how to get the shots I need but now I have more scope to push my boundaries and stimulate new ideas.

The video below is a short clip of my equipment over the years, there are some missing but the important ones to me are there.

Enjoy

(please view in 720p for best quality)

2011 has been a busy and challenging year for MJL Photographics, having taken the decision to become a 'product only' business was not an easy one. But from the business side of things came the idea for this blog! Although I make my crust from product photography, I love so many other areas such as landscapes, band imagery and creative still life to name a few! This blog not only enables me to share my business experiences, techniques and images but also Images and techniques that I create in my spare time. 2012 is shaping up to be a great year so expect a great deal more from me. 

There is some great work out there and there are a handful of videos for the ‘best images of 2011' circulating at the moment. I really like The 45 most powerful images of 2011 and Google's 2011 Zeitgeist

So how was your year? Do you have some favourite moments or images that you have taken? To the left is my favourite image from 2011, i discovered a passion for black and white imagery last year and the lighting in this image just does it for me!

Below are my favourite images from the year taken by my me. Some are what I consider well composed images that i’m proud of, some are of locations I have visited and will never forget and some are moments in time that I consider myself fortunate to capture.

I hope you like them, please leave any comments you have !

Here’s to prosperous and adventurous 2012 from Michael at MJL Photographics

Here we go...
This week with MJL Photographics we take a look at some Chic and stylish product photography.

Michael was contacted by Alexia de Boynes from 'MyBagHanger' to produce some high key high quality photography with their products.

My Bag Hanger offers a wide range of Handbag hooks to hang handbags to most tables and desks in order to keep them off the dirty floor.
My Bag Hanger also offers to customise its handbag hooks with any corporate logo to use as promotional gifts.

So Why Where We There?
Michael explained that the idea behind the shoot was to really show off the product with high quality high key lighting. The combined effect of rich reflections and dreamy background blur produces a chic and stylish effect. The product needed to be clean with smooth even reflections and sharp details. The reason they needed to be sharp is that additional logos were going to be dropped in with Photoshop at a later date.Michael explained that the idea behind the shoot was to really show off the product with high quality high key lighting. With rich reflections and dreamy background blur produces chic and stylish images.

Technique Time
In terms of technique the three most important aspects for this shoot were going to be good lighting, product sharpness and soft background blur.

Product in action ;
Setting up the two styles of product in action with a glass table and bag was the first shot. Michael managed to obtain a small glass table with darkened glass and chrome legs that was perfect for the look he was going for. After playing around with various

positions it was decided that a 45 degree angle looking slightly down produced the best effect. In terms of lighting a large softbox with a 150 watt flashead was used above at a 45 degree angle facing the table and product on ¾ power.  A flashgun with a snoot and diffuser was used to light the product on 1/4 power. White reflector boards were used beneath and to the side of the bag to brighten up the handle that was not receiving as much light because of the darkened glass. There was also some great natural lighting from behind where the shoot  was taking place coming through a very large window.

Camera settings ;
With a middle sized setup of products but a small central product being showcased a fair amount of cropping in shot was required. This enabled the quality and dpi of the final image to remain high with no post process cropping. I used a mixture of a Canon 50mm f1.4 and Canon 100mm f2 with 12mm lens tube. To trigger the 

 flashgun and flash head some new on the market Phottix triggers which worked great! The camera body was mounted on a manfrotto tripod with a trigger release cable and linked to a laptop with canon software so the images could be reviewed instantaneously.

To get some pleasing background blur the 50mm lens was used between f2.8 and f3.5, this allows the product to remain sharp but have some dreamy out of focus background detail. The 100mm was used between f2.8 an f8 mainly for the straight on white background shots that were up next.

Products on a white background
With any products that are being used for web or catalogue a majority of the time a pure white background is needed. The key here is to light your product first then take a light reading with a  light meter. Then over expose the background by two stops, this ensures a pure white background 99% of the time.

Having the products setup on a Perspex tray table enables the light from the pure white background to show through so you end up with a product that looks like it is floating. However on some of the shots a shadow and non pure white background was required.

For the main white background no shadow shots a paper roll background was setup using a 150watt flash head and standard dish. The product was setup on an angled Perspex tray which allows for the background to be seen and the camera to get a good angle. A further flash head was used above the product and a flashgun for fill flash .

Be Creative
Another set of shots that were required were images of the soft cases for the products. Here a non pure white background was required. Here reducing the lighting intensity for the background works well so that the lighting is unifom and doesn't have any fall off at the edges.

The key here is to experiment and be creative until you get the right balance between the product and background. This is especially important when the product itself is white or grey. I'm sure you will agree the finished result worked very well!

And Thats a Wrap!
Thank you all for reading, as usual any techniques found in this article can be found in our 'Technique time' section including your guide to equipment and lens choice. Please take a moment to checkout 'MyBagHanger' the brilliant client who supplied the products for this shoot. See you next time.

Do you Live, sleep and eat Photography?

Waking from a dream this morning I had a sudden realisation. Never before had I really understood the phrase ‘live, eat and sleep xxxx’, made famous by a drinks manufacturer advert ‘Live football, sleep football, drink xxxxx’ etc. I always knew what the phrase was meant to mean but couldn’t fathom anyone being so involved and passionate in a single particular field that it enters all of their basic body functions! Ok so I was taking it too literally but when I woke up today I felt that I understood at a deeper level what it means to be able to love what you do but also that you can’t get there without total commitment. My passion is photography and although I can’t get enough of it I hadn’t realised up until this point how much of my life if affects.

In my dream I was on the edge of a cliff top, I was lying down in a small flat ridge just about the length and width of my body. I barely had enough space for myself, let alone the camera equipment I had with me. Above me as well as slightly below I had the most amazing sea birds just begging to be photographed. Below them was a several hundred foot drop on to the stunning ocean scenery and the jagged rocks.

Birds were flying past me and I was scrambling to get some good shots, I tried to change my lens for one with a longer focal length. This involved taking one lens off and setting it down before attaching the new one (not easy with no space). As I got the new lens on a large flock of birds rose up so I fired off some shots, just as I did this my original lens slipped from where I had it (between me and the grassy cliff face). I reached to grab it, not thinking and had one of those moments where your stomach  ISO 250goes tight and you feel for an instant that you are going to fall.

Luckily I didn’t go anywhere and my equipment was safe. In my panic I had managed to get some superb shots due to the unusual angles and my finger sticking on the shutter through my fear of dying! I decided to leave my spot on the cliff as I was becoming more and more aware that I was alone. Also should something happen to me nobody would be there to help or be stupid enough to be on the edge of a cliff in the first place!

As I was walking away from the edge the strangest thing happened. From along the crest of the ridge a group of young girls on horses appeared, they were climbing a really steep section which had a vertical drop either side. They emerged unscathed and just trotted past me without even pausing for breath. Now I’m no horse rider but even if I was there was no way I would have ever been confident enough to do what they had just done. It made no sense to me, I simply didn’t understand why they would take that risk. My lying on the cliff edge scared out of my wits taking photos started to look feeble by comparison.

Does this dream mean that I’m scared of girls on horses or that i’m a closet horse riding show jumper?.....no. In my head when I woke up I was struck by two things. Firstly that both I and the horse riders had to be 100% committed to our passion, not just because we love them so much but because in this instance we were putting our lives in danger and taking a big risk for what we believed in. Secondly that you may not understand people’s passions in life or the choices they make but there are a select few individuals in the world that dare to risk everything for what they love. I am lucky enough to know people like this outside my dream world and In my humble opinion these people are the most likely to succeed in life.

I was chatting to a friend of mine the other day who has recently got in to photography. After looking through some of each other’s photos my friend started asking me questions, how did you get that colour right and how did you get such nice background blur etc. It dawned on me that I could go ahead and explain the relationship between aperture and shutter speeds and when to use what metering mode or adjust your ISO but remembered how I felt in my early days of photography. Too much info just confuses you, it’s better to learn from a friend and books and go out and try things for yourself. I decided to write a number of articles based on the basics of photography with images to illustrate the results. These will be found very soon under the ‘Technique Time’ section on this website.

The thing you have to realise is that no matter how talented you are or how much kit you have or how many hours you spend looking through that view finder there will always be photographers out there that produce stunning images that you wish you had created. It doesn’t mean that they are any better than you but if you study the images of fellow (good) photographers it will be clear that they have spent a great deal of time looking through the viewfinder. Knowing how to correctly expose and frame an image is no secret, it just takes experience in knowing what to do in each situation, the more time you spend with the camera the closer you will be to the never ending perfection you seek.

To give you an idea of time....well everyone learns at different rates but a guestimate that has been suggested a lot recently is 10,000 hours. This is said to be true in any field, whether its Tiger woods playing golf or Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) playing his guitar , you can guarantee that they have put in a minimum of 10,000 hours in to their field of expertise making them professional grade at what they do.

It sounds a lot doesn’t it? Well think about it realistically, lets say you are an aspiring landscape photographer. It may take many years to get to where you want to be, then again it may take a lifetime! Here is an example of how your first three years as a beginner might look :

 Year1 – 0-1000 images

Firstly you have to work out the basics of your camera and lenses, you take lots of photos and can’t work out why some are good and some are not. You do some reading and take on some advice about the auto settings. Then realise you need a tripod to keep images still, you take more photos and are pleased with them but can’t quite get the effects you see in those cool photography mags. So you invest in some software to adjust levels, first you have to learn how to use it, later on you will learn how to use it properly! You play around with manual mode and on camera flash.

 Year 2 – 1001-3500 images

You take more photos and wonder how a particular effect is produced in a photo you see, you discover basic filters, you then discover the disadvantages of filters that rotate as your lens focuses. You read up on metering modes and discover that aperture can affect what is in focus in you images. You take more images and get some good results but are still not happy. You decide to upgrade to a good wide angle lens and a proper external filter kit. Your images are better but you still have the occasional disappointment.

 Year 3 3500-6500 images

You invest in a shutter release cable and better tripod as well as a polarising filter, your images are sharper and better controlled yet you still can’t quite get the images you really want. You go on a photography holiday or join a club. You experience lots of different shooting locations and light you have never come across before. You realise that early mornings and late afternoons are best for lighting and that having something in the foreground of you images really helps. You start to focus manually and discover focusing a third of the way in to the frame is best and remember to consider the ‘rule of thirds’.  Your images have now left the amateur league so you enter competitions and submit for critique online. You get a mixed bag of feedback but keep in mind the comments that are made for you next shots.

The above is just an example of course, there are so many things to consider and thousands upon thousands of different kit combinations you could use. Everyone will learn in different ways and at different rates but the main thing to do above all else is SHOOT OFTEN. Every day is great but not always practical, but as often as you can in your free time over evenings and weekends. I started to find that my spare time and weekends were planned around my photography. It isn’t an issue though as I love every second.

Also in my work as a product photographer I am still constantly learning new things and how to affect light, most of which are discovered through trying something new and overcoming issues to get the results you want. Many of my product photos often use new techniques and can be found here www.mjlphotographics.co.uk


To assist you on your way I will be producing several articles on the basics of photography. Although it is about the basics there will be some advanced techniques and kit used so even if you are not new to photography it will be worth a read. Promise!

All technique related articles can be found in our Technique Time section on this website. 

Many thanks for reading!

Exciting, fast, low lit and LOUD!

This week the Watford photographer has been looking at Band Photography with MJL Photographics.

Michael from MJL Photographics a big live music and Rock / Metal fan regularly attends many local gigs. “For me it’s the perfect shoot, combining two passions Music and Photography. Getting involved, loving the tunes and getting to know the band gives me an excuse to get up close and personal and get some great atmospheric action shots!” 

The first Set of images are of awesome metal band Neverstar who you may recognise from my earlier article 'Rocking Portraits'. You can listen to some of their awesome tunes and see more images of them in action at  www.neverstar.com

Challenges
The main challenges you will come across that subsequently cause other problems are low light levels and inconsistent light. Because most gig venues are dimly lit and have stage lights in all colours of the rainbow that are flashing on and off its pretty difficult to get the shots you want. Because of the low light levels you not only need a fast lens, but to avoid unwanted movement in the subjects you need a reasonable shutter speed. So how do you overcome these issues without ramping up your ISO and going mad with you flashgun? It all comes down to using the right kit for the job.

Lenses...
All the info below is from my personal experience, there are as with most things in photography a plethora of options when it comes to lens choice. However often the choices open to us unless we have a rather large bank account are based on compromise.

A wide aperture lens capable of low light levels is a must, with a standard f3.5 -4.5 you will really struggle. The reason for this is that most venues whether they are large or small will at some point be filled with hundreds of sweaty fans. This means you will be shooting hand held = no tripod.

Secondly a high percentage of performers are not static on stage, if you are in to rock or metal then you are going to need a fast lens! A lens with the minimum aperture of f1.4 – f2.8 is what you will need to get more natural shots handheld without blur, excessive flash or extreme ISO’s.

A great way to get some up close shots from some great angles is to use a 50mm prime lens. Prime lenses are sharper, often have great wide apertures and because you can’t zoom you have to get up close and personal! Canon has several on the market, an f1.2, f1.4 and f1.8. Dependant on your budget you can get away with the cheap and basic 1.8, but be warned the focusing system is very basic and you may miss shots at low light levels. But you can’t really complain at the super low price!
Next up (and my personal preference) is the f1.4, its ultrasonic focusing system is superbly accurate and allows for some dreamy background blur. Next is the ultimate, the 1.2, yes it’s amazing but unless money is of no object and you are using it a lot in a professional capacity in my opinion you are not gaining much over the 1.4.

Other lenses I have tried are the sigma 50mm macro and Canon 20mm f2.8. I found both these lenses struggled to focus accurately or quickly enough in low light level situations. The best focusing system to look for on canon is ‘ultrasonic’ or if you have the budget you can just rely on the ‘L series’ name!

Dependant on the size / height of the stage and if you are on stage or in the crowd a 50mm may not be a long enough focal length for you. Equally it may not be a small enough length for those group shots. My advice here would be to go for a 50mm initially and then see what you need more, do the venues you attend require more wide angle or close up shots?

For close up shots id recommend the Canon 100mm f2, it’s got a great focusing system (very similar to the 50mm 1.4) and is very sharp wide open at f2!
For Wide angle shots you have a few options, I personally don’t rate the canon 20mm f2.8 for low light action shots as mentioned above. However I do rate the Tamron 17-50 f2.8 and the canon 16-35 f2.0. They are both great lenses that focus accurately.

Flash
A flashgun can provide much needed fill light and bounce light if you are graced with low level white ceilings. Obtaining one with manual settings enables you to manually set the flash compensation / exposure. ‘Auto only’ flashes restrict your creativity and like to over expose everything in low light  level situations even with the most advanced ETTL or equivalent operation

A sigma 530dg super, Canon 430ex or 530ex are great choices. My advice here is to use only minimal fill flash, don’t rely on the flash for your main light source or to keep your shutter speeds high otherwise you end up with over exposed and bleached out photos very easily. Keeping some of the natural colour from the stage lights really makes the shot. Over exposing with flash because you have a minimum aperture of f4 lens is not the way forward. Also consider the use of a diffuser to soften the light as well as the bounce flash technique. The key here is to let the lens do the work and only use the flash for minimal fill.

Extras
Dependant on the size of stage and whether you are in front, behind or on it you may have the option to use some extras and not get in the way of the band or crowd.

A monopod can be a great accessory to keep your camera still in the right situation. But also limits your movement at the same time.

A tripod further restricts your movement and is rarely a tangible accessory in gig venues. However if there is a little space you can get away with using it maybe try some creative long exposure shots with the band and crowd moving around but the surrounding walls and stage staying still.

Another body?
If you have ever been to some big gigs / festivals (I’m talking 40,000+) you may have noticed the pro photographers on stage running around grabbing shots. Lots of L series red rings and grey bodies to be seen! But do you ever catch them loosing valuable shooting time swapping lenses? Of course not! 

The way to do it is to use two high quality prime lenses of different focal lengths at the same time on two camera bodies. Ok it can get expensive if you want two 5D mkii’s! But dependant on what body you have you don’t have to go crazy. If you have a 5D mkii why not consider a 50d or 40d, they are high end crop frame bodies and could give you an advantage of being even closer up as 1.6 crop frame sensors further zoom you focal length. If you have a 50d / 40d why not consider a 450d. They still allow live view and spot metering and can achieve some really great shots.

Lastly a personal tip ....
When you are concentrating hard, rapidly firing off shots and swapping camera bodies to get that perfect shot you will probably not realise at some point that you are standing right next to a rather large speaker! I have done it so many times trying to get a shot and not realised, being deaf for 3 days isn't much fun so take some ear plugs!

Orange, red, green, yellow..... 
There are only a handful of moments each year that provide amazing natural photographic opportunities out in the open. Sometimes you just have to be in the right place at the right time, with perfect (or unpredicted) weather conditions and light. Or be in a country that experiences natural weather such as snow, fog, amazing west coast sunsets or powerful phenomenon such as volcano eruptions or the Aurora Borealis.

Some photographers are graced with natural beauty spots on their door step (which may or may not be why they became a photographer in the first place) others are not so lucky. Beauty is however in the eye of the beholder.

Seasons delight
One constant which is more or less the same for the majority of us is the change of seasons. Personally I love cold bright days in mid winter when the sun is low and shadows are rich and golden. However it’s a real challenge to make such a cold blue and sometimes dead looking environment come to life through the lens!
One of the best times for photography in my opinion is autumn. It’s a time of year where days can still be mild, the day light still lasts long enough to explore a new location and the sun starts to set that bit earlier thus bringing long shadows and golden hour closer to you without feeling like you have stayed up half the night! 

Of course the other main attraction for photographers in autumn is the greens, yellows, browns, reds and oranges out on display! Mix these rich colours with the late autumn golden sun and you are on to a winner. Whether you are a fan of landscapes, still life, portraits or macro there is something out there for you.

Ground Work
You have two options here, firstly you can scope out a location full of colourful trees (local photography forums and photography magazines can assist you here). In the UK there are many locations that advertise the autumn colours they have on display. Most are paid attractions but are big enough to still get your own space to shoot what you want. Turn up later in the day when the harsh light of the midday sun has already peaked and not only will you get better light but less crowds! Also with a bit of research you should be able to find some local woods/ forests that will have ample opportunities for some great autumn shots.  Do some research in the type of trees that have the best colours and when they are on average at their best.  Maple trees for example are fantastic for deep reds. Usually the last two weeks of October and first two weeks in November are best for rich colours however do bear in mind dependant on if you have had a wet or dry summer can cause the leaves to fall early or late as can harsh gales which are not uncommon in autumn. If you don’t know what you are looking for then you may turn up too early or late and miss the best time for rich colours completely!

With a little bit of Luck
If you can go out on a bright sunny day in the late afternoon then I promise that you will not be disappointed. I recently discovered a beautiful set of maple trees in full autumn colours with striking shades of red. However when I first discovered them during the day they looked dull and not really worthy of photographing in the shade under a canopy of much taller trees. Then later on as the late afternoon sun came out from behind a cloud and shone horizontally through the taller trees (that tend to have less foliage lower down) it completely transformed the maples and all I could say was wow! I was lucky that the sun stayed out until it got dark otherwise I may have missed the shot as I was so taken a back! It’s well worth the preparation of checking weather reports etc before you set off, if you are graced with a sunny day it will be worth it trust me!

Big Ideas doesn't have to mean big equipment
Have a few ideas in mind before heading outside, a lot will depend on what equipment you have i.e. lens, camera body, tripod & flash etc. If you want some close up shots with some dreamy background bur then something like a 50mm lens either f1.4 or 1.8 would be great, these would also allow for some higher shutter speeds in the failing light which means you wouldn’t have to use a tripod or flash. The can also double as great portrait lenses.

If you want some action shots the same or similar zoom style lenses could be used, a popular and effective shot is having a friend in a deep leaf drift throwing a big bunch leaves up in the air. For this a flash can be helpful to capture the moment and keep the shutter speeds higher to avoid any shake or blur. But don’t overdo it, having the flash at too strong a level can over expose the image and you can lose much of the detailing along with the rich autumn colours. My best piece of advice would be to shoot the flash through a diffuser or even better have the flash off your camera shooting through an umbrella.    

Move Closer
Or maybe you are shooting real close using macro techniques. All lenses will have a minimum focus distance, many standard kit lenses are around the 15mm- 35mm mark and although the will all most likely have a little macro flower symbol on them, they are not classed as macro lenses. For real close up stuff you will need a dedicated macro lens that offers true 1:1 scaling. Popular focal lengths range from  50mm – 150mm. With these lenses you will need a tripod and shutter release cable. If you plan to use flash then you will need to use off camera flash or a body bracket (mounts flash on a bracket via the camera tripod mount and allows the flash to be well above/ below or on the side of the camera with adjustment). The amount of up close detail obtained with these lenses is phenomenal but they mainly lens themselves to abstract / still life shots when shooting autumn leaf colours. 

Just get out there!
The type of kit you have matters little, what is important is to get out there and see the amazing colours that nature has on offer this time of year. Explore both nature and new photography techniques and if you are lucky enough to find some outstanding colours one sunny evening make sure you have your camera with you!

Below are some recent images of the maple trees I described, as you can see they are stunning but what a difference the natural sunlight makes! Enjoy!

Here we go...
This week with MJL Photographics we at The Watford Photographer are going to take a look at Portrait and Product photography on location. Michael had previously worked with and shot product images for Tom Hide Designs who design and sell high quality leather apparel. "Created in 2008, Tom Hide encapsulate the classical and functional designs of a bygone era.  Inspired by the bags carried by horseback messengers and motorcycle dispatchers, Tom Hide satchels display both simple lines and rugged appeal."

The second part to this was some Lifestyle shots to showcase the products. For full details of Tom Hide Designs including contact please see the end of the article.

So Why Where We There?
Michael explained that the idea behind the shoot was to show the products from a posed and real life perspective. Obviously the products needed to remain the main focus of the shoot however striking the right balance and ensuring the feel of the imagery was natural was paramount.

The image to the right does not necessarily showcase the product in its entirety. However as the model is looking away from the camera and is therefore more detached from the viewers perspective, the viewers eyes are naturally drawn back to the bag the model is carrying,

The images were to be used on Tom Hide's new website, the images needed to be fresh bright and colourful.

Technique Time (each photo has the technical data from the shot)
When shooting products or portraits of even a mixture of the two on location the most important part is lighting.

When we arrived at the shoot it was raining heavily, hardly ideal! However after waiting it out in hope of a break in the weather for about an hour we were rewarded with a new weather front of glorious sunshine!

Don't get me wrong sunny weather is better than rain any day however the bright relentless midday sun also has its challenges! Shadows can be very harsh and lighting can blow out highlight detail.

To combat this Michael used a Sigma 530DG super flashgun with diffuser and large reflector. This helps to brighten the subject and make them 'pop' from the background.
There were six different products from a briefcase to an ipad cover.  The location was close to the clients address and in a great area with a nice park. This turned out to be a brilliant location for some really varied shots.

Be Creative
Each shot can be different and say something different to the viewer. Using a mixture of shots with the models looking at the camera and away in to the distance enables the viewer to connect differently to the images.

Having the model wear sunglasses is also a great way to avoid the subject of eye contact. The viewer wont be able to see the models eyes and therefore it adds a sense of mystery, plus having a reflection in the sunglass lenses looks really great!

Throughout the shoot we were constantly scoping new locations, an overgrown field shooting in to the summer sun was my personal favourite (see first image).

For final images and out-takes take a look at the images below:

And that's a Wrap!
I hope you have found this weeks article interesting and informative. As always we will add more technique information and advice from today's article in our 'Technique Time' section. 
Big thanks to Michael at MJL Photographics and James at Tom Hide Designs for making this article possible.
Please feel free to get in contact with any comments or questions.

See you in a few weeks back with the Watford Photographer