Studio diary of Hampshire photographer - Mike French
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It’s that time of year again where the warning signs go up on the surrounding roads, the weather gets colder, and the Stubbington 10k is held. It is also the time if year when I take the opportunity to test out some of my kit with thoughts to the year ahead.
I’m firmly of the belief that it is critical for professional photographers to shoot personal photographic projects. I’m not in anyway suggesting that they need to be charitable, life-changing, in South-America, only in Black-and-White, or using some vintage or toy camera. Just that they need to be divorced from an immediate or existing client, direct payment, and on the terms of the photographer within the reasonable constraints of the subject matter/sponsor.
I just got back from an excellent trip to the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2011. Having missed it last year due to paid assignments I was really looking forward to this year and again opted for the Friday, hoping for it to be slightly quieter, and I lucked out with the weather.
I recently headed down to Cornwall for a short break. However, I did still take the cameras, and a tripod with a view to taking some Cornish landscape photographs as a rest and reinvigoration from my normal subject matter – portraits, wedding and commercial work.
More strong winds, and an ideal high tide for those employed as well as self-empoyed meant that the beach at Hill Head was again littered with windsurfing boards, and the green area behind it with kites.
Well the wind from last night continued throughout the day for a rare bright, relatively warm and breezy day. With it being the weekend I knew that there was a good chance that Hill Head beach would be visited by some good quality windsurfers and maybe the odd kitesurfer and I was itching to get out and shoot some watersport – it had been too long since I got some decent windsurfing photography time in
The Stubbington 10k was raced today around the villages of Stubbington, Titchfield and Hill Head. This was my second year of taking images at the event, I used the area around the Hill Head sailing club and the Tichfield Haven visitors centre for these images. They are probably the most scenic of the Stubbington 10k, and provide some good backgrounds and dynamic composition with the curves in the road, harbour and pavement marker posts.
Just back from Queens Club in London for the 2010 Aegon Championships and day two of the tournament. On a changeable day the tennis, and practice, was interrupted by several rain showers but the evening cleared and produced some excellent doubles and beautiful light.
Last week I entered a local print competition with two of my favourite images for sometime. With over 80 entries across a wide variety of subjects, and a singular judge there is never any kind of expectation as to how you are going to get on. Well we did great. After all the comments and scoring both of the images were held back for a final comparison and score, and the result was both images were awarded perfect 10′s and also unexpectedly a 1st and 2nd place, which was a first for this competition.
Today I met up with a group of great photographer friends at a property in London for a location fashion shoot. I have worked with a model on location before but predominately in natural light, and this was an excellent opportunity to try some things out as well as work with a very experienced model.
Some days you get to do photography for yourself. Not much but sometimes. Today this Hampshire photographer managed to get over to the Festival of Speed at Goodwood House near Chichester (a lovely wedding venue) in West Sussex for the first time in years to do a little personal work.
TOCA package images from Thruxton, my local Hampshire racing circuit and first on my list for a no wedding weekend of photography
With no wedding today and with bright and breezy weather here at Hill Head, Hampshire I took my camera down to the beach for some personal photography. With the tide going out I wandered down and perched on a wooden post near the shoreline and photographed some of the kitesurfers and windsurfers enjoying the wind...
I’m taking advantage of some of the weekends in the run up to the 2009 wedding season where I have a “spare” day to do two things. Firstly I’m starting to push my cameras to their limits in tricky shooting situations as preparation for the romantically lit churches and wedding venues around the South of England where I’ll be photographing critical, unrepeatable and emotional moments – and secondly shooting some personal work (OK I know – busman’s holiday) to relax and enjoy myself.
One of my biggest learning experiences from the time I spent 1:1 with world renowned Australian wedding photographer David A Williams towards the end of 2008 was the importance of details in providing context to many of the other wedding images taken during the day – much more so than I had previously allowed for....
