the set up

The first days back at work after a two week break. Having spent the start of the week trying to get my head out of beach mode and back into a workshop mindset the last day of this week was taken up in front of the camera. The shoot was for a book idea that I have been putting together with a publishing company. We were working on final shots of the pieces to be featured, a front cover and a few work in progress images. Due to copyright issues I can't publish any of the pictures taken, even the ones featuring a dog and a chicken ( not joking ) I have to say the chicken was a pleasure to work with, and a true professional. 

Anybody who has had experience of a photoshoot will know if your not the photographer or art director but just the subject matter, you will be spending the best part of the day watching the shots being set up. Fighting the urge to wonder off while the scenes were being created, I decided to hang around watch and see if I could learn something. It was time well spent, doing a fare amount of photography for magazine and publicity work, although a total amateur I always try to produce shots that are clear and inform without being messy. Watching the professionals at work today was an education in precision and patience. Each setup was meticulously crafted to show the work to its best. So much effort was put into creating the right atsmophere with props, positioning and light that it took six hours to shoot just four pices of furniture. 

Hopefully some of the dedication I witnessed will inspire me, often the first impression a client has of our work is in the photographs we have taken of it. It's worth a bit of effort.