Master Connor .... and Mum.

Some portrait sessions are more fun than others, and I was treated to a fantastic shoot with this handsome little chap who brought his stunningly gorgeous Mum - former Miss West Lothian winner - Claire Molloy, along for company :-))

Fair trade

I enjoyed an afternoon at St. Catherine’s Primary school in Edinburgh recently when I was invited to photograph a group of pupils who had set-up their own Fair Trade stall in the school’s market area.

It turned out to be one of the most popular stalls in the hall – attracting a good deal of attention as well as, I imagine, a fair profit. Most of all though, the underlying experience of sourcing, pricing, displaying and retailing the goods they purchased will doubtless inspire these budding young retail entrepreneurs to bigger and better things.

The pupils of St. Catherine's:

All you need for speed.

I had the great experience, recently, of joining my brother-in-law, Glenn, and a few of his biker friends at Knockhill racing circuit for what they call a ‘track night’. This basically consists of bikers being allowed to take their factory spec bikes onto the race track to get a feel of what it would be like to race.

It turned out to be a great evening and, for myself, as educational as it was entertaining: shooting these high speed events involves getting to learn a whole new set of photographic techniques and disciplines such as panning, depth of field, constant changes of focus, etc.

Having processed the pictures, I’m now only too aware of the limitations of my lenses where sport photography is concerned. Still, I now have a better appreciation of the sports photo-journalists’ work – along with a few extra items to add to my camera gear wish list.


Glenn and friends at Knockhill Racing Circuit.

The 'Cute' factor

Having made photography my profession – rather than my passion and pastime – I’ve had some insights into the more difficult aspects of the work; it’s quite technically challenging for a start: I no longer have license to pick and choose when and if I decide to shoot, it’s now a case of being where I have to be and then trying to grapple with any conflicts I might find – such as light and weather.

On the other hand, it does have its massively PLUS points, and two of those were presented to me just recently: Alana had commissioned me to take a passport sized picture of her daughter, Ruby. But what was a simple enough shoot (despite the latter technical trials and tribulations of getting the wee ones face to fit the very precise passport authority requirements) soon turned into a great fun session as Ruby’s inherent ‘cuteness’ forced me (with Mums permission) to shoot off another batch of pics.

Ruby had brought her friend Olivia along with her for company and that just pushed the ‘cute factor’ right off the scale.

Alana, Ruby & Olivia

What does WC Fields know ...........

W.C. Fields once – famously – said “Never work with animals or children”. But he was an actor and actors are often upstaged by children; kids tend to be more relaxed, more energetic and less likely to conform to the ‘artistic’ direction of the photographer or the sympathetic cajoling of the parents. On the upside, though, is the fact that photographing families in general – and kids in particular – is just great fun.

Woe betide the photographer who takes it all a bit too seriously; the children will NOT think too highly of his creative direction, nor are they likely to be much impressed by his attempts to ‘place’ them in the picture. I’ve found that the best way to deal with kids is just to let them do their own thing: they’re not going to sit still for long, so I try to make an art out of catching them on the move. Then again, I’m not a great advocate of families all sitting together and watching the birdie with a nice smile on their faces, I much prefer to see kids laughing – mostly at their own antics as they try their utmost to confound both photographer and parents.

This family fitted the bill perfectly: the eldest youngster was all over the studio and no amount of persuasion would get her to sit still for the camera. So we just allowed her to do her own thing until, eventually, she must have felt she was missing out on all the picture taking activity and got involved again. It was a fantastic shoot which I – and I hope the family – enjoyed. They were certainly delighted with the finished pictures.

Family Portraits

I recently had the pleasure of a undertaking a portrait session at my studio with Iain, Laura and little Keiran, a lovely family group from my native Livingston. Being asked to compose and capture family groups is something I really enjoy, and working with Iain and his family just augmented that view.

The session itself took just under two hours and as well as portrait shots with Mum and Dad, I also (with a little cajoling help from the parents) managed to get a great selection of shots of wee Keiran. The shoot makes up part of my wedding package in which I offer the betrothed a kind of ‘pre-nuptials’ shoot. In many instances the images from these shoots are incorporated in the couples wedding stationary – which has inspired me to begin creating my own range; further details coming soon.

I’ve already delivered Laura & Iain’s selection of shots from the shoot, and now I’m looking forward to Friday next when I’ll be covering their wedding.

What to do before dinner.

The great thing about the festive period is not knowing that you’re going to receive new presents but – and especially if you’re a parent or grandparent – it’s the certainty that your family are likely to make a welcome appearance.

At the turn of last year, my wife June and I had the pleasure of entertaining a host of family members for Christmas dinner. Unfortunately, June (a staff nurse) was working right through the festivities – including Christmas Day – so the meal was delayed until 5pm. That did allow me to schedule some studio work with my youngest Son and two of my three Grandchildren.

There is a system to photographing children that I’ve found works almost everytime, though it’s a system that has to be carefully weighed against the characters of the kids themselves: first, it’s always best to have the studio set for the shot; if you spend too much time mucking around with lights, backdrops and props then the kids are going to get bored. Have it all set up and the kids love the new ‘game’ of getting their pics taken and the energy just flows. Secondly, they are going to get bored, so you have that time to try and capture some of the moodier – or less effervescent – portraits. And, once they get past the bored stage, they enter the frustrated stage – and the shoot is then over.

As for the adults, well, you can always blackmail them with extra helpings of the coming dinner.

Jodie & Duncan with Uncle David.

These are a few of my favourite things.

All photographers have their favourite subjects and projects. My own is probably still-life photography, in which I can - and often do - lose myself for hours on end; occasionally without even creating something I feel is worth printing. But I do love all the creative alchemy that goes into making - rather than taking - a picture.

Second on my list of favourites has to be family portraiture. I do love taking children's portraits and I can usually build a rapport with children very quickly - possibly 'cause I haven't grown up much myself in the last 50 years, and they can sense the 'Granpa' in me - and that's important when the subject is a wee bit shy. But, on a personal level, I enjoy shooting family groups more than individuals; the dynamics of a family are so easy to interpret, making the photographic capture all the easier to perform. Having a family group interacting with each other within the confines of a studio is a fantastic experience. The very fact that they are all together, usually dressed especially for the occasion but, at the same time, totally out of the comfort zones of the places they normally visit, means that they always seem to want to express themselves a little more: smiles come easily, jokes are told, laughter resounds off the walls. Really, all I have to do is just make sure the batteries don't run out on the equipment!

Such was the case recently when I had the fortune to work with Carolyn & Kenny and their daughters. The fact that I did little direction during the shoot is testament to the fact that they enjoyed the experience and that Carolyn got really involved; directing the latter part of the shoot herself in an effort to make sure that she got the pictures she wanted, rather than have me construct them for her. Such collaboration is always welcome; it makes for a far more productive shoot and, in consequence, a much more intimate and tailored portfolio of pictures.

Carolyn called after she received her prints to say that she loved them, and I think that her own participation in their creation made them more special to her. My only disappointment was that I didn't have more time to work with Kenny and his new daughter. The shots of them both together were taken at the end of a two hour sitting and the wee one was beginning to tire of all the activity. But I'd love to have them back again to take up where we left off.

Busy week

Last week was relatively busy for me though not, I'm afraid, in terms of the photography business. I honestly wonder where I found the time while I was holding down a full-time job?

On Thursday I met Joanne at the West Lothian Courier offices to discuss advertising. I have an ad in the paper this Thursday and I'm on the list for two christmas special features which go out at the end of October and November. We'll see how things go before considering further placings - it's an expensive business but, if it turns out a few clients, I'll be happy to reinvest the proceeds.

I had family visiting at the end of the week - including my youngest grandaughter, who is just gorgeous. Because she's a Londoner we don't see her as often as we'd like, and so the changes in her appearance are vast each time we do manage to clap eyes on her. I had the pleasure of her company for a wee shoot at the Studio on Friday (it was the first chance my middle boy and daughter-in-law have had the chance to see it) and I managed to run of a few GB's while we were there.

On Saturday I had the great pleasure of hosting the McAdam family at the Studio: Eric & Cathy's daughter Amanda had commissioned me to take a family portrait in celebration of her Mum & Dad's wedding anniversary; younger (and equally lovely) daughter, Kay, was there to help co-direct the shoot. I see a bright future for her in stage-production :)

The shoot lasted almost two hours and I really enjoyed their company. I have, just this evening, loaded the results on-line for them to peruse at their pleasure.

Now all I have to do is design the Courier ad and the rest of the evenings my own.