Exploring techniques old and new

I am in the process of examining different photographer's work's and styles. I particularly like the fantasy art style of portrait images shown below which show a combination of art and photography

Shown here are some images of various photographers taken of the website "Master Photographers Association" This is a particular style that I like and will be experimenting with over the next couple of months Portraits are bended together with different textures using various layers using the sosftware Photoshop

These images mainly consist of portraits that are blended together with various textures which are then darkened using a various vignetting layers

I will be shooting some new portraits shortly and will be blending them with various textures I have photographed over the last couple of months. Shown below are some of my textures that I may be using , I photogrphed lot of these textures on recent phtogrphy trips to Lacock Abbey near Bath and Tutbury castle some local historic ruins situated about 6 miles from Burton

I have always been an avid lover of Photoshop and have played around with textures and blending modes for years. Shown below are some of my  manipulated images which show show various blends and textures using different layers that I have created in Photoshop   

This image has 3 elements applied to it, a base image which I have de-saturated, various softening layers applied and a soft Grunge texture added to give an old dirty type of effect 

This image shows a simple blend of a recent seascape I took on holiday combined with a stone wall "grunge"texture taken from an image from a wall at Tutbury Castle a local historical ruin that I visited in the summer

I blended the image above of a friend of mine together with a texture of ice photographed on my car windscreen using various layers,blends and masks

Shown here is a base image with just one texture added, I blended the images together using layers, masks and blending in Photoshop. I find the possibilities are endless of what can be achieved it's all down creativity and being inspired by other photographers work's

This image has mutiple layers blended together to produce a soft focus type of feel

I hope to take blending with textures to a higher level over the next few months a technique that I find very fascinating and which I am passionate about. This technique requires creativity along with a good knowledge of using Photoshop which I feel I posses but would now like to take these elements to the next level

Wedding Reception Venues

I am in the process of gathering some information on the various wedding reception locations in and around the area where I live. I am researching this information to try and find a suitable venue to enable us to shoot our wedding photograph marketing shots for inclusion on our website

Shown above is a screen grab from google maps which shows some of the venues in and around this area that may be suitable for this purpose. We really need a venue that stands out from the rest and also has a little quality about it

Shown below are some venues that I have found  which could possibly meet our requirements. These are highly used commercial venues an no doubt they would charge us to use their premises even if they would even allow photographer's let loose on their property's

Hoar Cross hall would be the idle location set in it's own grounds about 8 miles from Burton. it has great facilities and has a little class about it

Other paces  include Sudbury hall about 10 miles from Burton, Keddleston hall at Derby and Calke Abbey at Ticknall nr Burton

_________________________________________________

I will be contacting some of these places shortly to find out if they allow or cater for the kind of thing we have in mind. Even if these places were to allow photographers to use their premises I should imagine they would be charging a large fee

Business planning (planning our business)

The Business idea 


                               under construction

My Colleague James Woodings and I are in the early stages of setting up a part-time bespoke wedding photography business


The business will provide a different bespoke type of wedding photography tailored more to the customer's individual needs but set in our style of our photography 

Our  aim is to target a niche market away from the run of the mill traditional wedding photography where the client wants something different which is unique and the photography  stands out from the rest. Some of our photography ideas we hope to include in our styles include,retro,available light,textured, pastel colour popping, montages and dream fantasy 


A lot of our work will be post processed using the software "Photoshop" a photography tool that Jim and myself are both conversant with where we hope to add most of the effects to our photography

The competition,local and national photographers

We are under no illusions this will be tough, it’s been done a thousand times before and there are far better photographers out there that can produce much better photography than we can.


So how do we compete? We have to provide a better product, a different product, a more unique product that nobody else in this area is doing or will try to emulate. It has to be different, something that will sell our product and hopefully attract potential clients to our style of wedding photography

Our skills 


Good photographers

Both of us are very pro-active to find work,customers,models etc 


Reasonably good business and marketing skills

We have a yearning to take our photography to the next level

Excellent Photoshop and software skills


Confident with a will to suceed

Business planning

We both know that this will be an extremely challenging operation as the market is already saturated with a variety of wedding phtogrphers in our area


The first step in our planning is researching the market to see if we have a viable product that people want to buy. We are checking other photographers websites,wedding websites,studying bride and wedding magazines and visiting bridal fairs as I speak

Marketing:

We are in the process of buying some web space and hosting services to build a website to promote our products. It is absolutely paramount to get your marketing right from the outset. The marketing needs to be slick, precise and up to date.


We will need to stand out from our competiters so a good website with excellent photographic content will be our main marketing tool. It’s absolutely imperative that we have an excellent product upfront, which will be our photography, this has to be of very of very high quality so we need to up our game and produce better images than what we are producing at the moment  

We intend to produce  portfolios of our images to a high very standard of photography

which we will show to potential customers or clients,these are a great marketing tool an an excellent way of showing off our work or products. We hope to build these up over the next couple of months

We are sourcing models  for our initial photo shoot which will supply the main images for our website. As I speak Jim and I are both pro-active in our search for such models

Jim is sourcing models from online model agencies,some of which are free,they provide a ”time for prints” service where the models provide the acting and we provide the photography
Some of these agencies/websites include, Model Mayem, Pure Storm and Star now

I work for the local college here in Burton and we have a large amount of courses delivered that could provide potential models to assist us in our photography. These departments include,dance,drama,hair dressing,beauty classes,makeup,textile etc. All of these classes could help us to provide valuable contacts which could help us to shoot our photography.


I am in the process of emailing these departments today for portential models/contacts etc   which may help to contribute to our photography

We also have an excellent photographic studio here in college which we have access to, this is where we hope to photograph some of our marketing material for the website. On Saturday mornings we have a range of hair and beauty classes taking place in the college. I hope to liaise with these departments to provide make up and hair stylists who want to gain some experience of making up a photographic model


Your reputation is another major marking tool, this is of paramount importance to us, as it is this that sells your business. One bad job with poor photography and your reputation is in tatters. We will have to prove ourselves and gradually build up a credible reputation as time goes by, it won't come over night and could take years before you become reputable. Hopefully a lot of our work will come from our reputation and  word of mouth so it’s critical that we provide a high quality service from the outset

Branding:

We need to think up a name for the photography business as soon as possible
We are at present checking out the competion locally,their prices, techniques and styles
We have local wedding fairs penciled into our diaries whch we will be visiting shortly to get a look at the competition and get a general feel of the industry
We will be designing business cards shortly to promote our website when it is complete
Our website will be our main advertising tool with our name and business outline shown here

Advertising     under construction  We will be promoting our buiness

Marketting tools

Website

Buiness cards

Publicity


Brochures


Stationary


Word of mouth

Setup costs

We will initially have to provide funds up front from our own pockets to get the business up and running. We have a lot of the equipment already in our possession but will be adding to the business as we go along and make profits.purchasedSome of these costs will includ:


Website,
Webspace,
Domain name 
Marketing and publicity
Model hire,
Wedding dresses and suits for our initial models
Business cards
Printing,brochures,stationary
Equipment
Photography shoot venue


Venues for marketing shoot

We are at present sourcing a nice location for the initial website marketing photographic shoot. We want this to be a unique venue, one which shows a little class and style but not over the top

These include:........................

I am in the process of talking  to these venue’s to try and a rrange a phtogrphy shoot at there premises...................

(Yervant) wedding and fashion photographer

Under construction

Yervant (wedding and fashion photographer)

I have heard of this famous wedding and fashion photographer before and also seen some of his photography on the net but never really payed much attention to his work

Wow! what have I been missing? it doesn't get much better than this

He was one of the first photographers to shoot his photography using digital cameras

with not a film camera in site

This is the gear that Yervant uses:

Cameras: Canon EOS 5D; Canon EOS-1Ds Mark II; Sony HDV Video Camera

Canon Lenses: 15mm fisheye; 24mm f/1.4L; 16-35mm f/2.8L; 24-70mm f/2.8L; 70-200mm f/2.8L IS; 85mm f/1.2L
Flash Gear: Canon Speedlite 580EX; Quantum Qflash; Lowel i-light video light; Bescor video light; Metz 45 flash

Yervant was born in Ethiopia, he is the son of royal photographer Hagop Zanazanian.  Yervant followed his father's footsteps in photography, mastered dark room techniques at a young age of 9, won his first award of excellence with a landscape image at the age of 11 

I know that photography is all about light and composition......................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Being one of the world's top phtographers I will find it difficult to emulate this kind if phtography,the majority of his shots I would assume have been set up with proper models and lighting......................................................................

Yervant studied at Mourat Raffael College in Venice Italy from the age of 13 to 17 where he was inspired by fine art and photography.

The Zanazanian family emigrated to Australia in 1975 and Yervant joined soon after and enrolled at The Photography College in Melbourne.  Yervant proclaimed he wanted to be a WEDDING photographer during his college years and he was told by his tutors to quit there and then as Wedding photography never required a college education. 

Nonetheless, Yervant graduated and set himself up as a 'Professional Wedding Photographer' Today Yervant's name is synonymous with the most influential photographers of our time.

y.

Health and Safety Considerations

Health and Safety Considerations in photography

The 1974 Health and Safety at Work etc. Act needs to be referred too when using phtographic eqipment internally and externally. Employees and public must take reasonable care. Risk assessments should be made for all activities, including fire precautions, using display equipment, manual handling and control of substances/chemicals COSHH etc, either in the studio or out on location

Internal, in the studio etc 


There are a certain amount of health and safety considerations to take in to account when using a photographic studio or using photographic equipment. Most of the work will take place in a darkened room so there are a number of dangers lurking for the unsuspecting photographer

1-Trip Hazards

here are various trip hazards in and around the studio,these include:

2-Tripods and lighting stands:

These are very easy to trip over and which cannot be seen easily in a darkened room. Some have long booms with large counter weights on their ends. Be careful not to bang you heads and be weary of low positioned lighting heads

3-Trailing power cables, leads and extension blocks: Again easy to trip over and carrying very high voltages.Tape cables to the floor where possible with warning or hazard tape

4-High voltage Flash and lighting heads: These units which produce the lighting in the studio can become extremely hot due to there high power outputs. The side casings of these units can become very hot, handle them with care. Do not hang or drape coats, shirts etc over lighting/flash heads. This could overheat the lighting and produce a fire risk

5-Strobe lighting and flash: Be sure to warn people accompanying you into the studio that there may be a risk that the flashing lighting in the studio may trigger of epileptic fits

6-Water and liquids: Be extremely careful if using liquids and water within a photographic studio. Liquids and high voltage electricity don't mix. Always use dry hands when using any electrical equipment within the studio

7-Fire extinguishers: Make sure you know the location of the fire extinguishers within the room. Make sue you know the right kind of extinguisher to use on a fire. There are different extinguishers for different kinds of fires

Shown below are the different types of fire extinguisher, we would use the dry powder extinguisher in our studio here at college as this is the correct extinguisher to put out an electrical fire. Using the wrong extinguisher on an electrical fire could result in an electric shock

C

O2 fire extinguishers (carbon dioxide) are the only fire extinguisher recommended for fires involving electrical equipment. CO2 is safe to use on and around electrical equipment, as the gas itself is non-conductive, and once used, there is no sticky foam or messy powder left behind. They are also effective on Class B fires (flammable liquids).

Carbon dioxide fire extinguishers are painted bright red with a black panel above the operating instructions. They have a distinctive horn-shaped nozzle at the side on the smaller models with 5kgs and above having a hose and horn.

8-Telephones: Make sure you have acess to a telephone or mobile phone while using the studio. Sometimes the studio door may be locked or restricted for people entering the studio while a shoot is taking place. If an accident was to accur the use of a telephone is essential. Always notify people that you are using the studio

The links below show some basic health and safety procedures for studio photography:

http://www.ehow.com/video_2371507_photography-studio-equipment-studio-safety.html

(Externally) out and about on location etc

A lot of my location photography is taken outdoors and I normally consider all of the health and safety implications which are highlighted below

1-  Maintaining all equipment in good working order ready for use

2-  Dependent on what you are shooting and what location,use adequate safety clothing such as high visibility vests, hard hats, and safety boots to suit your location

Beware of slippery surfaces and wet floors on location. Wear the correct footware for the job in hand

3-  Being aware of the surroundings on location, careful consideration must be given to positioning of any lighting stands,lighting heads,trailing leads or other equipment that may be a danger to the public

4-  Tape down leads to avoid trip hazards

5-  Use stickers on lighting units and other dangerous equipment warning the general public of the dangers. Some examples would be.....

"Warning!! Do not touch!  Extremely hot surfaces".   

"Warning!! Do not touch! Danger off electric shock"

6-  Warn the general public there are flashing lights in the vacinity whch could pre warn people who suffer from epelepsy etc

In the darkroom

Control of Substances Hazardous to Health

Photographers have to be aware of the environmental and health issues in Photography. Not so much now but many of the chemicals that are/were used in Photography can be and are damaging to your health. Chemicals have to be respected and the appropriate safety items or clothing etc should be worn when using these items

Ensure darkroom areas are adequately ventilated: there is no hard and fast rule as the required ventilation depends on the duration and type of work, but an extraction fan mounted on an external wall to provide 10 - 15 changes of air per hour will normally produce a safe working environment.

Chemicals need to be disposed of in the correct way set out by government health and safety guidlines


Below is a link to the governments heath and safty website guidlines on COSHH

http://www.hse.gov.uk/coshh/industry.htm

                  

The Legal Stuff

Legal & Ethical Considerations

There are a lot of legal and ethical considerations that photographer's have to consider throughout their careers to produce their photography. There are a lot of laws that a photographer has to be aware of and may easily come into conflict with if not the properly versed with up to date laws that apply to a photographer
Listed below are the subjects that may be of concern and may affect  how a photographer goes about his or hers everyday work


Law of trespass 


This has to be taken into consideration. Photographer's have to be careful they remain on public land and public places in pursuit of their images,it's very easy to stray onto private land and private property which could result in prosecution
Shopping centres for example can be considered as private places and the owners have the right to expel a photographer taking images on their properties


Shown below is an extract from a website I have researched on the Internet which I find is a really good guide for a photographer which outlines all the major laws and photographers rights

http://www.how2fundraise.org/OneStopCMS/Core/CrawlerResourceServer.aspx?resource=D9C09F0D-16DB-4F20-92DA-CA8B1FE90462&mode=link&guid=41c98c36a1c54e1283d1b27391e36803



Obsenity law


Law established by the Obscene Publications Act of 1959 prohibiting the publishing of any material that tends to deprave or corrupt. In Britain, obscene material can be for example pornographic or violent, or can encourage drug taking.There is a defence in support of the public good if the defendant can produce expert evidence to show that publication was in the interest of, for example, art, science, or literature. 


Copyright


A copyright basically allows the author of a photograph (the person who took it) control over how that picture is copied, transmitted and reproduced. Copyright issues have become more commonplace since the birth of both digital cameras and the internet because people now have far more freedom and flexibility when they share images, and it is all too easy to copy or post an image that you do not own


People may be unaware of copyright laws on the internet. When they  reproduce an image in digital form and copy it many times without consent of the person who took the original image they are actually breaking this law


Copyright law is there to protect your images and prevent you taking credit for other peoples work.



Health and safety at work act
All workers have a right to work in places where risks to their health and safety are properly controlled. Health and safety is about stopping you getting hurt at work or becoming ill caused by your working environment. Your employer is responsible for health and safety, but the employee is also resposible must follow giudelines set out by this act

The main piece of legislation is the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (HSWA). All work places are covered by this legislation which says that an employer must do everything reasonably practicable to provide a safe and healthy workplace with adequate welfare facilities. HSWA has been supported and extended by various sets of regulations, codes of practice and guidance, all of which deal with various aspects of health and safety. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is the government body which decides upon and implements health and safety policy.


Please see a more detailed Health and safety document I have compiled on blog "Health and Safety Considerations" (Unit 205)


Photography of children or Minors

IIt is important to note that there is no law against photographing children. You are perfectly within your rights to take a photograph of a child. Ridiculous stories are common of parents being told to put their cameras away at dance competitions or swimming pools.

There are some common sense guidelines that you should keep in the forefront of your mind when photographing children. The first of these is that, where possible, you should always seek approval from a parent or guardian before you begin shooting. This is particularly important if you are doing street photography. Photographing children in public places can be controversial and is also a sensitive issue,permission should be granted first and with this in mind no real problems are encountered


If in any doubt, I would suggest when taking photo's of minor's always make sure that the parents are present when the photography takes place. I would then show all images to the parents and ask for their approval before the images are processed or printed



Contract Law



A contract intends to formalize an agreement between two or more parties, in relation to a particular subject. Contracts can cover an extremely broad range of matters, including the sale of goods,property,services etc


In order to be valid, the parties to a contract must exchange something of value. In the case of the sale of the photographs, the buyer receives something of value in the form of the photographs and the photographers services, and the seller receives money for these services and the images


There must be an offer and this must be accepted to make an agreement. While this would in the first instance appear to be self explanatory, it is important to distinguish between what the law says amounts to a valid offer. An offer can be made orally, in writing or by way of conduct.

Contract: the elements of a contract

The first step in a contract question is always to make sure that a contract actually exists. There are certain elements that must be present for a legally binding contract to be in place.

Shown below are the two most common elements of a contract

• An offer: an expression of willingness to contract on a specific set of terms, made by the offeror with the intention that, if the offer is accepted, he or she will be bound by a contract.

• Acceptance: an expression of absolute and unconditional agreement to all the terms set out in the offer. It can be oral or in writing. The acceptance must exactly mirror the original offer made.

Disability Discrimination

Consideration must be given to people with disabilities so we all have the same equal opportunities. The photographer may need to go to extreme lengths to provide resources and to accommodate people with disabilities but equal opportunities must be of paramount importance

The Disability Discrimination Act makes it unlawful for a service provider to discriminate against a disabled person by refusing to provide any service which it provides to other members of the public

Extra provision may be needed to enable a disabled person to fulfill their every day lives and this may come at quite some considerable cost

It may be necessary to have another person available to help with people with disabilities. They may need to be lifted,guided or helped in a variety of situations to carry out their everyday duties that an able person may take for granted

A studio may need to be kitted out to meet the requirements of a disabled person and a variety of different aids may need to be put in place to accommodate this. Wider doors,lower sinks,ramps and larger toilets are all a major consideration to provide proper equal services for everybody

Similar considerations have to be taken into account when shooting on location or outdoors which maybe an even harder challenge for the photographer to complete if additional resources are needed to accommodate someone with a disability


Handling Confidential Information

Care should be taken when handling other peoples information. This information is very personal and confidential including banking details etc.. The photographer needs to protect this data and care must be taken if this data is stored on pc's etc.. There are laws governing the storage of  personal data, this is called "the data protection act" The DPA was first composed in 1984 and was updated in 1998.Shown below are the basic principles of this law

The Eight Data Protection Act Principles

The act contains eight “Data Protection Principles”. These specify that personal data must be:

1. Processed fairly and lawfully.

2. Obtained for specified and lawful purposes.

3. Adequate, relevant and not excessive.

4. Accurate and up to date.

5. Not kept any longer than necessary.

6. Processed in accordance with the “data subject’s” (the individual’s) rights.

7. Securely kept.

8. Not transferred to any other country without adequate protection in situ.