Monthly Archives: October 2011

Portraiture

Daisy & Jo

I recently did a Sunday afternoon shoot with a couple of teenage girls, Daisy and Jo. We spent about an hour and a half in a variety of locations, including a local common and nearby churchyard. Both girls had ideal hair colouring for the Autumn backdrop and I was very pleased with the results.

Jo in particular with her auburn hair made a perfect match for the orange and browns of the fallen leaves, as well as the moss and greenery surrounding the cemetary stonework.

I produced a selection of processed images in both colour and monochrome, variously adding soft focus and subtle vignettes. As it was a somewhat blustery day I also had to clone out the odd stray hair as well.

You can see more of Daisy and Jo at www.stevebeeston.co.uk/galleries/daisy-and-jo.

For more information about my portraiture and people photography services visit www.stevebeeston.co.uk.

Gallery, Interiors, Places, Premises

Crosier Place

Earlier in  the week I photographed a show home at a new development of 13 spacious town houses.

This was my first time photographing interiors, something I’ve been interested in getting in to for some time. I had the run of the show home so there was no pressure and I could take my time choosing the best angle and compositions.

The property was ideal material, being large, finished to a high spec, beautifully presented and with lots of light.

I used a tripod for the vast majority of shots and set the ISO to 100 and aperture to f11. In many of the shots I boosted the EV, in some cases by up to 2 stops.

A handful of shots required a bit of a tweak in Photoshop but the vast majority were fine straight out of the camera.

Overall I was very pleased with the results.

Stage Photography, Theatrical

Theatrical Photography: The Producers

S7AAPXPS47UX Yesterday I photographed a production of The Producers, presented by Hertford Dramatic & Operatic Society. This was the final dress rehearsal before the opening night and despite the technical challenges, the cast and crew didn’t let the last minute hitches distract from what is clearly going to be an excellent show.

From a photographic point of view there were lots of excellent shots to be had, with lots of movement and physical comedy.

The show was well lit, which is always a help when there’s lots of movement, especially during the dance numbers.

There were also lots of opportunities for close-ups and facial expressions.

Continue reading Theatrical Photography: The Producers →

Landscapes, Theatrical

Pantomime Publicity

I recently took some publicity shots for a forthcoming pantomime, Robin Hood.

The photos featured the main principles and were taken outside the theatre company’s headquarters in front of a portable white background. The shoot featured both individual and group shots, including some posed action shots. I used one of the group shots to blend in a woodland background, reflecting the setting of the pantomime.

I already had a background that fitted the scene and taken from a similar angle, although the lighting was a little harder to match, both in terms of the direction and quality of light. However, I was quite pleased with the effect, despite the fact that many people would recognise that the image had been shopped.