I’ve Quit Photography To Become A Surgeon

Everyone, I have an announcement! I’m proud to say that my hard work and rigorous study schedule have finally paid off, and I am now working through my placement as a Cardiac Electrophysiology Technician.

Although I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make the switch to medicine, I really do love helping people, and I think the challenges that this job will bring will make every week exciting and refreshing. Although I still really like photography, I think this is the right career move for me. Actually, my photographic background really proved helpful in the practical part of my assessment, as the role of a technician also involves medical photography (using different machines than your standard DSLR, of course.) So it hasn’t all been for nothing.

This is the team that I’ll be working the long shifts with…

Wait a minute….

What’s that Declan is holding….

Lenses….??

Hold up….

Haha fooled you all! I was actually working in a hospital alongside James Braund, shooting some scenarios and portraits. But I still got to kit out in scrubs (which are really comfy by the way!) I think the green hat suits me.

Had such a fun day with a great team. I can’t disclose details yet, but keep your eyes peeled for some fresh new photography at Homesglen. Final portrait is with James, sporting the latest in back support fashion. Will miss you when I’m in JP.

Yuki | ゆうき

東京の麻布十番でフォリオ マネジメントのゆうきさんの写真を撮りました。とても楽しかったです。私たちは日本語だけか話しました。私はちょっとへんな日本語を話しますからおもしろかった。１０月から東京に住めます。それからもう一度ふぉりフォリオ マネジメントのモデルと会いたいです。＾ー＾

(english)↓

Anyone who knows me knows that I frequently travel to Japan. I’ve only just started shooting there recently though. (Models and test shoots I mean- obviously I’ve taken my camera there to capture the country many times!)

In March I returned to Tokyo to do some testing with Folio Management models. I had done a few test shoots late last year, and when the agency heard that I was back in town, they asked if I could photograph a few of their girls. One of those faces was the beautiful Yuki. She arrived at the office with her little baby in tow, so the other office staff got to care for him whilst we went out shooting.

The shoot didn’t take long at all, as I work pretty quickly in order to keep the pace and enthusiasm up. It was pretty chilly out in the streets if Azabujuban, but I felt fine as I had just spend two weeks up in the snowy northern part of the country. Compared to the -10C I had been in, Tokyo felt like summer. But I think Yuki was pleased to get her coat back on between shots.

I didn’t speak English the whole time, which was pretty fun! My Japanese is mostly self-taught, so I speak a little bit strangely sometimes (well, I think so.) But I managed to communicate easily and even learned some new words (mostly how to describe facial expressions, which is obviously handy when working in portraiture!)

Thanks Yuki and FOLIO for working with me in Tokyo. Looking forward to October when I will be back for more!

Yuki is represented by Folio Management Tokyo

Finally Getting To Work With Jimmy

I’ve been meaning to work with James Ford for a while now, but our schedules have never aligned and he is often out of the country. But last week I had the pleasure of having him come into the studio for a test shoot. I’ve worked with Jimmy’s sister Peggy a few times, and we had spoken via social media, but it was great to finally be able to meet in the flesh.

I could tell right from the beginning that Jimmy was a seasoned professional. He knew his poses, had great expressions, and got straight into it without needing to warm up at all. The frame above on the right was literally the second frame I took all day.

I got all of my garments from H&M this time, so we had a few different outfits to work with. I find it hard to source quirky, interesting pieces for males, as there seems to be a lot less available (on the mainstream market) than for females. Luckily Jimmy’s strong expressions and great posing easily carried the frames. Because of this, the shoot was over really quickly. Thanks Jimmy for finally getting in front of my camera, and good luck in Asia!

Dodging Puddles

So much testing lately! But it keeps me on my toes so that’s a good thing. A few agencies have been keeping me busy with model portfolio updates, and I really enjoy working with different talent. I also love getting out on location to shoot- it gets me away from the studio and the computer for a while. Those who know me will also know that I hate looking at screens (yup, I’m in the wrong industry, I know!), but unfortunately there is so much back end and admin work when you freelance, that spending a long time in front of my computer is inevitable. So as I was saying, I embrace the opportunity to work with a model on location, especially if the natural light it working in my favour. Whilst I love my flash, sometimes I just want to streamline the process and not have to worry about positioning the light or deciding how I want to blend it with the ambient. It’s faster just to spin myself or my subject around, or find a great patch of golden sunlight to work with.

For this reason, I have been getting back to using natural light when doing test shoots on location. Aside from being quicker, I also allows me to work solo and not have to worry about an assistant or bringing a huge pile of gear. It also keeps me reactive, as I have to find the best light around, no matter what the weather is doing.

Shooting with Chloe, recently signed with GTR, provided a lighting challenge for me. We had planned to shoot on a Sunday, as Chloe is still studying, but the weather wasn’t looking the driest.. Huge clouds hung in the sky, and it would occasionally pour with rain. Still, I met Chloe and her mum at the meeting spot and hoped that the rain would hold off.

As you can probably see from the shots, the rain did subside, and the clouds acted as a huge softbox, which actually worked in our favour. I was really impressed with how Chloe moved, especially being so young. She didn’t need any warming up and just got straight into it. She seemed really aware of her body and the shapes she could make, and took direction well too.

I styled the shoot myself (something I have recently started doing, and that I am loving!) and I loved the colour palette of the garments I had chosen. I think they suited Chloe well too. The tough bit was not keeping everything, as some of the pieces were super cute (I’m looking at you blue and white shorts…)

When we were shooting our last shot, a friendly walker stopped to comment that “the model had arrived” (referring to himself.) I played along, asking him to get in the shot and pose, which he completely didn’t expect. I think he loved it though. Haha.

Thanks Chloe for a fabulous shoot, looking forward to working with you again soon!

Chloe is represented by GTR.

 

Ena in Tokyo

In Tokyo a few months back I did a few test shoots with some faces from Folio Models in Azabujuban. One of those faces was Ena, who needed some new shots for her comp card. I photographed Sakura and Ena on the same day, and it was great working with their different personalities. Their agent came with us as we walked the streets nearby the office. I found this really intersting, as I’ve never had an agent come with me on a test shoot. But it didn’t phase me at all. Once I have a camera to my eye I am in a safe place and fear, nervousness, and any other emotion are totally evaporated. I can completely focus on what I am doing (pun not intended.)

I shoot really quickly, no matter who my subject is. I find that this keeps the energy up, and helps the shoot flow. I’m not sure if my models were used to this fast paced type of shoot or not! We spoke both English and Japanese, which was really enjoyable from my perspective. I was surprised at how much I was able to direct Ena using only Japanese to convey what I wanted.

Thank you Ena for being a gorgeus model and putting up with my broken 日本語！

Here’s a cute beind the scenes from before we hit the streets…

Sakura giving Ena a brush down to remove dog hair. #foliooffice