Bridal Trains

As people keep reading this blog I have decided to mirror my main blog - http://loveartforever.com - here.

This is the most recent post...

A couple of weeks ago I got together with a local bridal shop "Gowns of Distinction" and arranged a shoot for them at the STEAM museum here in Swindon.

I had an awesome team of Make-up artists Jenni Thomas and Hannah McGregor, Stylist Cerianne Pidgeon and models Jean Rae, Marina Dean-Francis and modelling the communion gown, Cerianne's sister Harley.

STEAM is a fantastic place and I didn’t know but they are a licensed wedding venue and can hold up to 750 guests. I could have shot in there for a week but we were up against time and only had the morning to complete the shoot. We were shown around by Ian Surtees the commercial manager and given the largest dressing room ever, the whole Great Western Hall.

I got to use my new battery pack so I could take my studio lighting along. I think I'm gonna need a bigger boom though as the one I have is slightly alarming at full stretch. Being able to take the big light out on location is just brilliant. I have used it a couple of times now and apart from the wind knocking it over once it is just awesome to have power over the sun.

I think we confused some people with two brides and no groom (we did get asked where he was) and surprised others when they got into a carriage with a photo shoot in full swing. But we managed to stay out of the way for the most part and we got some amazing photos.

Sarah took out a full page ad in the Swindon Advertiser and used some of the shots which was excellent and STEAM will be using some for their wedding brochure which is ace.

Anyone else needing promotional shots please contact me 07582 139900.
If you need Bridal, prom or communion dresses then contact
Sarah at"Gowns of Distinction" 01793 528030
To book your wedding or conference at STEAM please contact Ian or Jo 01793 466619/13


Hope you like the photos as much as I do...

My Main Site - www.kevinbelson.com

Steve & Debs at Hampton Court

I had the pleasure of a pre-wedding shoot for Steve and Debs last week at Hampton Court. As you can see from the photos we had the place to ourselves (not). It was full of school children on day trips and tourists but luckily we managed to keep everyone out of frame. One couple however wanted to get in the frame. When we shot in the doorway with the gold leaves one couple stood aside and waited for us to finish. When we went to move they asked Debs if she would take their picture - Obviously having thousands of pounds worth of camera equipment in my hands didn't mean I could just have a go with any old camera - She obliged and handed the camera back to the husband who gestured that he was not happy with the picture and we should take it again. I stepped in this time and took the picture. I have never known anyone to have the cheek to make someone take their picture again. I should have charged them for it.

The rest of the shoot was fairly uneventful the only drama was my parking ticket expiring but I got away with it. It was great to shoot them both and they really enjoyed it which will put them at ease when I shoot their wedding next month.

My Main Site - www.kevinbelson.com

Watch this space for the wedding pictures.

Crossroads

OK I have decided to start Wedding and lifestyle photography as a business. It may or may not be the end of this blog. Probably not as it's still funny to talk about the weird things that happen (mainly to me) on shoots.

I have started a new blog called ..love.art.forever.. which is all about the weddings and I have set up a new website kevinbelson.com. which is focused on weddings and portraits. You can watch me evolve my own style over there.

I will still be shooting models, landscapes and bands but that will take a backseat (hopefully) when the business takes off. I'm in the soft launch phase right now but I have big plans.

If we don't see each other over here again then hopefully I'll catch you over there.

Take care.

My Main Site - www.kevinbelson.com

There's a gap in the clouds. Just wait...

For my birthday I spent some of my Marriot points at the High Cliffs hotel in Bournemouth. It's close to the Jurassic Coast (I wonder what it would be called if Jurassic Park hadn't happened? ) The weather was typically miserable. I ruled out trying sunrise shots as I don't think I could sell enough shots of Kimmeridge Bay in the rain to cover the divorce after getting Carol up at 4am.

Sunset it was then.

I have to say that the Marriott were brilliant. Because it was my birthday they upgraded us to a suite and threw in breakfast (That might not sound too much but two people for breakfast at £15 each for four days was unbelievable. Especially as we were paying with points) So thank you very much Marriott Bournemouth - hopefully I haven't just got somebody fired :D

On the first night we went to the beach. Not too far. I thought I would get a cool shot of the pier at sunset. Unfortunately Bournemouth Pier is not very pretty. It looks more like a car park extending into the sea. So instead I shot the groynes (Groins for Americans). I got a couple of nice shots and was setting up to take one last one but then some guy came and stood right next to us (I think I attract them. That's why I never take the bus) He then set out a newspaper and sat right in front of me. I gave him the benefit of my opinion on such things and with the good news still ringing in his ears it started to rain. I grabbed the gear and we went for cover so I could pack up in the dry. I guess he must be a glass half full kind of guy as he came with us and stood well within our (un)comfort zone as we packed up. However as we made our way back up the cliff, my new best mate disappeared. So it was then off to Frankie and Benny's to celebrate.

The following day was constant rain. So we went shopping.

On the Saturday it was dry but overcast all day. I decided that even with the lack of light we might be able to shoot some nice black and whites.

Nice day = colour. Dull day = B&W. In my current world anyway.

So planning to get to Durdle Door at 3pm with plenty of time to set up in case of a sunset (we live in hope) we set off. I didn't realise that the military shut the place for shooting practice when they feel like it but today was ok. I guess being a weekend it's more than likely open. When we got the car park they had card machines to pay which was handy, or would have been but apparently they are on O2 wireless and don't often get a signal. Today was no different so we paid in the shop.

The climb up the hill with all my gear was a nightmare made worse by the fact that the St. Trinian's sixth form were coming down the hill towards us. I tried not to look quite so middle aged, out of breath, sweaty mess but I don't think it worked. I would like to blame cancelling the gym on account of lack of funds but as we only went once a month, if that, I guess I'll put it down to too much decent American TV.

It's hard to make something that has been photographed so often look fresh. It doesn't help when the sky is flat and grey. There's the added issue of the million or so tourists (dawn would have been better but seriously, dawn? Meh!). At least I was the only only with a tripod so I didn't have to battle for position. Just try to keep the facebook camera phone poses out of shot.

There was one small slit in the clouds and I was hoping that maybe it would break and we would have a sunset of sorts. In the end I gave up as it got more and more grey and dull and packed up my gear. As I put the backpack on I had a thought... "If the sun goes down and manages to shine through that small slit it will light up the underside of the clouds." It was worth the wait so I unpacked and set up again.

..and the sky started to turn pink.

Suddenly, like the best cliché, it exploded into colour. Reds, pinks, yellows and blues. The sea also was alight with extraordinary colour. Everyone was oohing and ahhing and I was busily shooting away. 2 seconds @f/16 shoot, shoot shoot, shoot = panorama. Shoot, shoot = smaller pano. Then after about 5 minutes it faded and faded and was gone.

Woo Hoo. If it hadn't been for the time in Cornwall where I packed up, looked up and the sky lit up I probably wouldn't have waited. Yay for bad experience. I would have been kicking my out of breath self from halfway up the path and would have fallen into the sea trying to set up.

All that was left was the pitch black, torchlight and sheep poo walk back.

So here it is. Durdle Door. Before, during and as it faded.

Before.


During (Small panorama. 2 Shots stitched together).


Fading.


Until next time

When the weather goes bad

Earlier this year we went to Cornwall. The weather was great. Not brilliant for photography but nice and sunny like a holiday should be (but rarely is). So after the high (meaning expensive) season was over we went back.

I was hoping for some more dramatic skies, as last time the sky was cloudless for most of the time. On the drive down it looked fantastic and I was excited. I have learnt however that dramatic skies don't last. There's been many times when I have seen giant fluffy clouds that when I get out for the sunset dissolve into nothing. I'm not an expert landscape photographer but I'm starting to see a pattern. Big drama, get camera out, drive to location, drama ends. Click.

This time the exact same thing happened. We drive down with beautiful skies and when we get there the sky is cloudless. So we set the alarm for 05:00 hoping that the sunrise will be better.

It's not.

Sunrise is hidden behind a blanket of blank. Back to bed, for what it's worth. The first night under canvas is always pretty sleepless. It doesn't help when it's raining and blowing a gale. So what to do? The cloud is not going to break and the light is going to remain flat but the cloud does have texture. Black and white will work. So we're off down to the beach for some landscaping before the light completely goes. I also just discovered that my 5Dmk2 expands to ISO 50 so that's a result. I hadn't checked before but what it means is that I can get longer shutter speeds. I agree with David Noton when he says that camera manufacturers should not only go for higher and higher ISOs but also lower ones. A 1/8th second exposure at ISO 100 would give a 2 second exposure at ISO 6. Great for getting some movement in bright conditions.

So hoping that the tide was going out we set up and started shooting. I usually bracket 3 exposures either 1 or 2 stops apart and then combine them in Photoshop to balance everything. I do it manually rather than using HDR software as I think it gives me more natural results. So with the tide actually coming in and the light going I got about 5 shots before packing up and heading back up the cliff path to the tent. I think that the black and white conversion worked really well.





Although I took my camera everywhere during the week, the weather was miserable for the most part so I didn't shoot very much. The really annoying thing was that on the first night the sky was cloudless and being next to the sea, with little light pollution, the stars were incredible. Unfortunately the camp site had a "silence after 10" rule so I couldn't set up and shoot. In reality even if I did the stars move (or rather the Earth does) so you need a special rotating tripod head if you want to take shots of the milky way and the like. I don't have that but I do know how to shoot star trails.

On the last night we went down to St. Michaels Mount to try and get star trails over the mount. What you don't need is the moon out because it also moves and a giant white blob spread over the picture doesn't look good. It also provides a massive source of light pollution which means that the stars don't show as brightly.

When we got there the moon was directly over the mount. Bugger.

I took an initial shot of around a minute as a test and it looked fine so we went down to the jetty and I set up at the end of it. It was pitch black and I couldn't make out if the tide was going out or coming in. I set the camera low sat down so I could see to focus - only just - and got some long exposures to smooth the water. I couldn't be sure but as I sat at the end of the jetty the waves started to get a little rougher and come over the top. The tide of course was coming in (again). I really should check that in the future.

It was getting on towards 9 so now to get the star trails. I explained to my wife that star trail photography is really exciting. You set the camera up. Point it at the sky, turn off long exposure noise reduction. set the ISO to 800, Aperture to f/8 and shutter speed to 30 seconds. Then you make sure the tripod is secure and lock the shutter button.

You then wait...

..for 1 to 3 hours.

..In the dark.

..and the cold.

There's not much to do in the dark and I couldn't leave my gear so a compromise was reached where I would shoot for 1/2 hour and wouldn't get left behind. So not ideal but the results are ok. The other thing that would have been nice is a true wide angle lens but I sold that a while ago when I bought the 5D so I only have 24mm at it's widest. But it still worked.

Below in order, is first the test 1 minute exposure and then the 1/2 hour of 30 second exposures blended together in a program called startrails.exe (from startrails.de). I have also sorted the moon out in photoshop because as I said that moves too (See the video at the end. It's poor quality but you get the point.)

So the moral is don't give up if the weather's shit just try something else.

Oh and that 2 second movie is the entire 1/2 hour shoot. 55 frames, 24 frames per second.

Light painting in the woods

Tonight we went out armed with light sticks and torches. Inspired by Jeff Newsom (http://www.imakegoldrecords.com) and FIZ-IKS (http://fiz-iks.com) I wanted to make strange balls of light in the woods. So... please bear in mind that this was the first time I've tried it and having Carol work the softshell (She holds my jacket up to cover the lens everytime I have to change lights)

... I give you..

Stange balls of light in the woods (part1)

Hopefully I'll get better and we'll show you some real cool stuff now that the nights are drawing in. (Oh and BTW in the first one I lit the left side tress and the torch went flat - Marvellous)

When to slave your zombie

Laura and Libby were out walking Spike.

Unfortunately I had been away shooting landscapes and had rearranged my bag. I had taken everything out I didn't need for landscapes to save lugging all the extra gear around. I'm used to everything being in the right place in the bag and had decided that this shoot would be on location. Unfortunately I had put some of my most important things in a different bag. You know so I would know where they were when I needed them. Unfortunately head = sieve.

My studio at home is my conservatory so it can get a little crowded in the house sometimes. Make-up, clothes, people, me, cups of tea. I do like to change it up so as not to become stale with too many of one or the other studio or location shoots. I know plenty of photographers that do the same stuff day in and day out but that bores the crap out of me.

So when Laura & Libby turn up with Spike-on-a-rope™ I decided for the sake of our braaaiiiins that we would rock a location shoot. I've shot down by the Oasis many times and it's always fun seeing the looks on people's faces as they pass by (It's a major public footpath into town). Most people have a "WTF?" look but try not to make eye contact. There are exceptions, those being mainly gangs of kids armed with all the questions. Also in keeping with tradition on my location shoots the police turned up, but not until the end of the shoot when we were going home. They were looking for some bald guy apparently. Didn't remember seeing one of those. Not, strangely enough, a zombie in a noose being flashed by a slave. I definitely would have remembered that.

We had a great shoot even with my embarrassment at leaving important bits of kit at home. I worked it out (thanks to Andy's suggestion of using slave mode on the second flash) It was a learning experience - "Keeping smiling and waving and don't let them see the fear in your eyes." - and thankfully everyone loved their photos.

...and no-one got eaten.



Next time with LL&S it's pin-up!