Fashion shoots are a really exciting area of work for me and I relish the opportunity to get creative and produce a set of beautiful pictures designed to wow clients.

As a photographer there are a few really important things to get sorted from the outset… preparation is EVERYTHING!  I have outlined below a few things to consider when planning a fashion shoot.  I have included a few of my favourite images from this shoot for Laura Burling below.

Identifying your client’s needs:  For this particular shoot Laura and I spent  considerable time discussing the dresses , their fabric and the market they were intended for.  Like many fashion shoots Laura needed a set of art based concept images as eye catching pieces as well as a set of images that were more catalogue style to show the dresses and their detail in full.  It is very important to establish this early on … there is no point as a photographer going off on your own creative adventure with lighting if the results do not actually meet your clients needs.

Picking a location:  I personally always prefer to shoot on location as I feel it gives an extra dimension to the shoot and helps with reinforcing the lifestyle behind the brand.  As Laura’s dresses were designed for high occasions they deserved a grand backdrop for shooting and Stoodleigh Court, one of my favourite wedding venues, was the obvious choice!  It provided both possibilities for the big sky images you see below as well as beautiful interiors for further lifestyle shots and catalogue images indoors.  And because it was all in one place we were able to shoot everything in one day!

Styling:  It is very important that the styling of the shoot is consistent between the dresses, the location, hair, make-up, the model and any accessories.  It is always worth getting professional make up and hair dressers involved on a shoot if you can to get a really professional look.  For this shoot we were lucky enough to work with Eve Ashby (make up artist) and Claire Mathers (hair stylists) to create a look that suited the dresses. The model is also very important – for this shoot we were aiming for an English rose look so Charlotte was just perfect!  All of these decisions on the styling were made  before the day so that on the day everyone knew what they were doing and it all came together to give the overall planned look.

Shooting: I personally always prefer to work with natural light wherever possible, however for fashion work the addition of a little flash or reflected light can add some drama to your images.   The images you see below have been creating using a mix of natural light, flash and reflected light.  An assistant is a must if using anything other than natural light … I personally find using stands and clamps as a substitute can be time consuming and frustrating … a human, like Andy who helped me out on this shoot is a must!

Post Production:  I love to go home after a shoot and download the images onto the computer.  I obviously check on the back of the camera during the day but there is nothing like seeing it all come alive on the big screen!  I did minimal post production work on these files as Laura needed colours to be accurately replicated.  However on some shoots I like to convert one or two images into black and white for a really stylised look.

A selection of my favourite images from the shoot are shown below.

I hope you have found this useful.  Any comments gratefully received!

Ok, so you may have noticed a bit of gap in all things blogging since my last entry in … yes I am ashamed to say .. July 2011!  Eeek!

Well… life has taken a few twists and turns since then… most notably the arrival of my gorgeous son who has been keeping me on my toes and out of a deep sleep for the past 11 months!   Things seem to be finally settling into a rhythm though and I’m keen to fill you in on all the exciting shoots I have shoe horned in along the way.

Over the coming months I will be posting blogs about shoots as and when they happen as well as delving into the archive to look at some of my favourite previous sessions.  I will be looking at the whole range of shoots from fabulous weddings, gorgeous baby and family shoots to the more commercial musician promo and fashion shoots…. and not forgetting the up and coming fine art boudoir sessions!

For those planning a wedding there will be plenty of ideas for different styles of weddings and tips on how to get the best out of your photography on the day.  I will be featuring some of the South West’s finest venues and suppliers… note pads at the ready brides!

I will also be featuring some seriously gorgeous little people as well… from bumps to babies… from toddlers to teens we will be exploring how to create timeless and beautiful portraiture to keep for years to come … even for those of us who are camera shy (myself included)!

Come and find me on twitter (@Perspectives) and Facebook (Perspectives Photography Devon) for more regular updates including sneak peeks from portrait sessions as and when they happen.

I leave you with a picture of one of the more peaceful moments from the past year…

Well I am finally back on the blogging wagon. Life has been manic this year with renovating and moving into our shiny new (not-quite-finished-but-certainly-liveable) house. Very exciting!

Now half way through the wedding season and so far (touch wood) have been very lucky with the weather and have had the pleasure of working with some cracking couples… lots of very lovely moments recorded! Am working on shiny new galleries for my website to show you what we’ve been up to …. watch this space!

Lots going on with the business too – moving into lots of exciting new areas like boudoir, baby bump and a very exciting shoot for an up and coming band… but I couldn’t possibly talk about that! I have also been busy launching some gorgeous new products which I am really excited about – from picture frames to beautiful art books to stunning Jorgensen albums… it’s all going on! They have been a long time in the making but keen to make sure they are right…I think it’s worth the wait!

Anyway – just a quick overview today- will be blogging more details shortly!

It’s going to be a cracking year… I can feel it in my bones!

Phil and I will be having some social media training from Gleny Brookes in our new studio on the 20th and we can’t wait. Ali from Bespoke Web Designs, our web designer is also tagging along to get some helpful tips and hints. We’ll be blogging, tweeting and facebooking like the pros in no time.

Sunday morning’s pre wed shoot was with the lovely Karen and Mark who are getting married at Canonteign Falls next month! Here are a few images from their session…

On Friday we did a pre-wed shoot for the lovely Rosa and Ian who are getting married at the beginning of June.

Most couples feel nervous and self conscious about being photographed – I include myself in this! I mean, not everyone is into public displays of affection and whilst all couples share a closeness quite often this may not be demonstrated in public. So the pre-wed shoots are a perfect time to get used to being photographed and build up a trust with the photographer to enable the couple relax and the photographer to capture images which reflect the couples relationship.

Inevitably, and certainly in Rosa and Ian’s case, by the end of the session we have bagged a great set of lovely intimate images. The experience enables us to work efficiently and at ease on their big day. Here are a few pics below…