BadmanPhotos

After a recent  post against one of my images, I thought I had best explain where and how I can to be at this point. Back in the day when I managed to blag a place at art school, to then move onto a degree course in design that featured photography as part of it, I was shock horror not that bother by taking photos, frankly I thought I was a bit shit, a thought my tutors were only to happy to expand on. My cropping/framing was awful, and my grasp of the technical side of using a camera was laughable. But I struggled on, I learned how to develop film and to make prints, but my photos were I think awful.

Scroll on a few years and I am working in publishing, yeah in London, I made it by luck and being in the right place at the right time, I am working at one of the top seven publishers. When I am asked to go along and help out at s shoot with the Assistant Art director. Well we rock up to this small Victorian terrace in north London, the location, to be greeted by a long white haired hippy dressed all in Denim wearing cowboy boots, a large ornate belt buckle with a camera (hasslebad) slung round his neck. As we walk into the house the back room a kitchen of what I learn is his friends is the set, and there dressed all in white, well dressed in a corset and white stockings with a parasol is the model. A stunning blonde who is being paid the grand sum of £100 for a few hours work. Myself and the other designer, spent the afternoon drinking wine whilst and looking at Polaroids folding them to match the crop of the final book cover.

And that was it I was hooked. I spent the next twenty years standing beside the camera. I commissioned thousand of photo shoots. From main stream fiction titles, romance, teenage to children’s titles. I have a case full prints and out takes from all the shoots I did. I loved it, but I never ever took a picture myself. I sat there to the side, it was my idea, I found the model, found the location, briefed the stylist. You had to think on your feet, nothing ever went to plan, you got the shot you wanted in the can, then you could play and spit ball ideas. But. but it was not me taking the photos.

Then came digital. I worked with this as well, but again from the role as Art Director, it made life so much simpler, I mean you had the images there and then to work on. but the world of design changed really quickly. Designers became photographers, photographers became designers. The Mac and DTP helped as well. 

I moved on. moved up north to Edinburgh and thought to retire up there. The work, ohhh it was easy, easy and boring compared to what I had been doing. Until I get friends with a local lady who is a dancer, she wants photos taken of her, and then so does her mate. It was fun. I mean real fun. I used a borrowed Cannon Sureshot G3 camera, no lights just winging it. I loved it and both the ladies liked the result.

to start with my images were awful the tungston lights casting a yellow glow, focus was out, fuck sake the dam camera took so long to focus that I had messed up most of the mages As I like to work fast, that and the down load to the card was soo slow. However I got better, upgraded the camera a real Cannon SLR. Then moved on with having one light. Every shoot I do, I learn something more, every time I try out a new lighting set up I learn a new trick.

So if you see an image of mine and the cast is off, there’s a radiator in the shot, her hand is cropped, its a bit too burnt out and in the background is a lighting stand or an extension cable. well who cares, I had fun and I hope so did the model.