Tag Archives: portraits

Pushing The Boundaries

Posted on Monday, 15th June 2009 by Caz

One thing that my Photo A Day project has taught me is that it’s good to try out some new techniques and push the boundaries of your photographic comfort zone.

Some of you may know that one of my pet hates is Portraiture. I don’t know why, but I really don’t enjoy it, and the images I produce when I do try are fairly awful. Add to this the self-portrait and we are into a whole new order of magnitude of underachievement!

So, this week I took the bull by the horns. It’s because another group I’m in on Flickr, 52Themes2009, are having a Portrait theme this week. I’d been dreading it since I saw the list.

I set up a tripod in the bedroom and took down a mirror, so that I had a nice blue background and plenty of room to dash between the camera and my posing spot.

The first issue was to photograph a frame against the wall, not caring what was in it. Then I set about pulling faces in front of the camera through a piece of matte board – so that I could appear to be breaking out of the frame.

The-Rogues-GalleryIt took nearly 50 shots with me to-ing and fro-ing between the camera and my spot, checking pose and positioning of each, before I was half satisfied with the results.

Once I got things onto the computer, I chose a selection of faces and cropped them to the right size to fit in the frame I’d already taken. I chose a suitably horror-struck face for Day #532 and then I posted a small selection to Flickr, where one of my friends suggested putting together a montage of all the moods. So here it is, The Rogues Gallery. You can click the image to see it in all its glorious detail!

Don’t get me wrong, this doesn’t mean I shall be posting Self Portraits left, right and centre anytime soon, but it has forced me out of my comfort zone for a bit, and that’s never a bad thing.

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How To Take… Kids Portraits

Posted on Friday, 26th October 2007 by Caz

I’m not a great proponent of formal portrait for adults, let alone kids. They rarely sit still and pose how you’d like, and I find the pictures usually end up looking stilted and a bit false. I admire photographers who can get good results from the studio, but I prefer a more candid approach.

Here are a selection of pictures I’ve taken of friends’ kiddies.

[Alexander in front of a window, natural light. His mum was behind me]

[Lizzie getting very sticky when we were out having a cake. The table was in a covered courtyard with a great skylight above]

[Alexander gets a push from Dad. Overcast day, so I got rid of as much sky as possible from the composition. At the playground can be a great place for action shots.]

[Conor & Meghan posing in an old wing chair. Natural daylight from a patio door, and a tight crop to get rid of any background intrusions]

[William - was playing with his mum's hat, as we were about to go out. A bit of fill-in flash gave catchlights in the eyes, without being too harsh on his face]

It’s best to get the children in question doing something – perhaps playing with their toys or dressing up. Or, if you’re lucky, “caught in the act” of getting sticky, etc.

Of course, if the children aren’t yours, you should always get their parents’ permission before taking their picture.

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Summer Evening Jazz

Posted on Sunday, 8th July 2007 by Caz

For years, I’ve been meaning to get along to the Ingatestone Jazz Concert which is held in the grounds of the Elizabethen Ingatestone Hall in Essex. This year, I finally managed it, after being invited along to take some photos for the local Rotary Club.

It was a lovely summer evening, and I wanted to capture some of the atmosphere of the open air picnics as the audience listened to the music. Plus I got some nice portraits of the musicians in mid-flow.

[Jazz On The Lawn - a table set for a picnic in front of the stage]

[Summer Evening Jazz - the band play from their tent on stage]

[Me & My Trombone - one of the band concentrates hard on his trombone solo]

[Me & My Clarinet - this jazzer was blowing his "liquorice stick" for all he was worth]

[Me & My Trumpet - The trumpeter was concentrating on his solo]

Thanks to Lord Petre for hosting this great event in the grounds of his lovely home.

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Thinking Around The Subject

Posted on Friday, 1st June 2007 by Caz

I take a lot of photos at rugby matches, but sometimes during the break or after the game can provide some really interesting subjects, not just the players on the pitch. This is particularly true when it’s a big Cup Final game.

On 19th May, I saw Bath vs ASM Clermont-Auvernge play the European Challenge Cup Final at Twickenham Stoop. It was a beautiful sunny afternoon, and by the time the game was over, and the trophy was being presented to the victorious ASM team, there was some great side lighting which really brought things alive.

So rather than show you any of the match photos, here are a selection of fans and player shots, to show what else of interest you can see by thinking laterally. (You can see more after-match photos too.)

Fans:

One thing I love about rugby is the fans – whichever team you support, there is always respect for good play and each other. We all sit together around the ground – there is no need for segregation. Yes, you’ll hear plenty of good- natured banter amongst the opposing crowd, but I’ve never seen any trouble of the sort which is all too common in and around football grounds.

[Left, La Dame d'Auvernge]

This lady was just on her way out of the ground after her team had won. I complimented her team on playing well (in my best French) and she rewarded me with a lovely beaming smile – which really summed up the spirit of the game and it’s supporters.

Celebrations:

The winning team lined up on my side of the pitch for the press shots – fortunately, I was a few rows higher in the stands, directly behind the press corps, and got some great shots of the players celebrating their victory:

[ECC Champions - ASM Clermont-Auvergne]

Some shots you know are going to be special when you press the shutter. The picture below was pure serendipity – I had no idea the ticker tape was due, but just as I pressed the button, it exploded around the cup, lit from behind by the low sun:

[Ticker Tape Explosion]

Of course, being in the right place at the right time is also vital. Often after a game, players will mingle with the crowd, or at least get close enough for you to get some nice portraits. The ASM team were keen to show off their trophy, and gulp champagne out of it too! The shot below was taken with the 400mm end of my 100-400mm IS zoom lens – it has superb quality, and this is about half-frame cropped from the middle of the picture:

[Drinking a toast - Loic Jacquet guzzles champagne out of the trophy, while his team mates look on in the reflection]

If you find you’re getting the same shots from familiar situations, why not try thinking around the subject a bit, it’s surprising what you can come up with, given a little thought and a little luck!

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