Simon's stuff: June 2013

Sunday, 23 June 2013

I don't like photographs!

That's about the first thing he said to me. And he said it again several times during the shoot. I'm the same though. When it comes to having to pose for photos I would rather not. I tried to tell him it would be as painless as possible. Probably didn't help that once he came off the phone after our initial conversation that he then told all of his family what I wanted to do. Think his nephew Matt gave him the most slagging, and during the shot his sister stuck her head in the door at least once and laughed. Mind you when I offered to photograph her too she quickly disappeared!

I love photographing people. Using shadows and light is something I really love. I have recently decided that from now on if I see someone interesting I am just going to offer to photograph them. A few weeks ago I discovered that my dad's cousin was home visiting from New Zealand where he moved to while I was a teenager to be a farmer. Andrew, or Hank as he's known, though I have never heard why, has what I would class as an interesting face. I saw a photo of him from a recent holiday and instantly I knew I had to photograph him. Hank has just turned 50 and between farming and sailing he has a "worn" look to him. Mind you being a "Hodge" brings with it its own features, though I think I have managed to avoid most of them.

For the shoot itself it was pretty simple really. I arrived at the house and was instantly offered a cup of tea and some cake. Anyone that knows me will know I never turn down a cuppa and as for cake, that's a no brainer. We had a bit if a chat and then got down to business.

I used a simple black back drop, my D300 and an SB-910 in a softbox triggered by CLS. I shot at about 1/4000 to kill any ambient.

For someone who hates having photos taken Hank was no problems at all. He was patient and did exactly as I asked. I kept it as quick as possible, once I was happy with the shots I just packed up and left.

Thanks,

Simon

Saturday, 22 June 2013

Kids

I just had a message from a relative who commented on the cuteness of my kids. Love it when people say that. It made me think about all the things they do that make me smile. Usually when I get home from work Kathryn will hold Arwen up to the window as I get out of my car and her wee face lights up as she sees me. Once I open the door I am greeted with Finlay and Lucie shouting out "hello daddy!" and then they come running and throw themselves against my legs. There is nothing better. It sure makes up for all those times that they drive you mad :)

Finlay, Arwen & Lucie.

I thank my God for them and the blessing they are to me and Kathryn.

"Children are a blessing and a gift from the Lord."

Psalm 127 v 3

Simon

Wednesday, 19 June 2013

Fashion for freedom

A few weeks ago my sister-in-law Becki Hodge asked me if I could help her out. What could I say, particularly once I heard I would need my camera! Becki is a very caring person who has a great passion for helping people. During the past year or so she has been involved with the charity Freedom Project Ireland. On their website they state:

"Our vision is to see men, women, and children freed from human trafficking in Ireland and the UK, living life with hope and abundance."

They are trying to raise awareness to try and put an end to this horrible reality through organising a number of different events from abseils to truck pulling. This particular event was a fashion show arranged by Becki, where she arranged for local businesses to donate for an auction (including Candytuft Cakes) and supply clothes for the catwalk. Its so hard to know if events like this will be a success or not. Speaking to my brother beforehand I think they were expecting just over 100 people, oh how wrong they were. I think at final count there were around 300 people (about 99% women) packed into the room. The DJ played, the models strutted their stuff and the woman cheered!

Obviously I was delighted to be able to help out any way I could so when Becki asked me to come along and shoot the show I couldn't say no. I love photography jobs but I do take each one very seriously. I try to plan as much as I can and for this job it was no different. I think about what shots I want to get but also try and look for inspiration from other photographers.

Anyone that knows me will know that I like to work on my own as sometimes when you have help you end up spending as much time trying to explain to your help what they need to do as it would take you to do it yourself. However I decided for this job it would be best to bring in some help. Over the past year I have got to know Gary Boal of Boal Photography. Instantly Gary and I hit it off. The great thing about Gary is that I know when we work together that I don't need to worry about him. Once we plan what we are doing on a job we just get on with it. This fashion show was no different. We got there early, set up and then just got the job done.

Shooting the show itself was hard work. I never realised how fast models walk done the catwalk. I was constantly having to change setting on my camera so as not to either over or under expose the models with the speedlights. I did have a brilliant night though and got the shots I wanted. I was so delighted for Becki and her team for the wonderful success they made of the night. Becki was fantastic and an absolute natural on stage hosting the show. Roll on the next event!