January » 2011 » Julie Edwards Photography

Brighton Tattoo Convention

This weekend was the 4th Brighton Tattoo Convention held at the racecourse.

The convention opened at midday on the Saturday and due to other constraints I had to leave by 1:30 to file and move on to other things. It was clear once there though that by leaving so early I would miss so many attendees and shots.

Given the timescale and the layout of the convention (very tight spaces with high walled booths) I concentrated on the artists and the work they put in..

A tattooist concentrates whilst drawing a tattoo on a knee

Whilst most of the artists were using the needles and ink we associate with tattoos, in one hall there was an artist using traditional methods. Being set up in a boxing ring, it was very difficult to get a good angle to show what was happening (there was also lots of blood which I wanted to show but not too graphically).

Traditional methods of tattooing

Overall it was a very interesting event to cover and one I should have given more time..

Stephen Fry collects an honorary degree from the University of Sussex

No matter how many shoots I do I always feel a little bit of an edge or nerves just beforehand, I can never be sure how much time I will have, what the location/background will be, how cooperative the subject will be, or if a news shoot, how may other photographers (and hence how much input to the shoot).

I was warned upfront that todays shoot would probably be quite quick but in the end it all worked rather well with Stephen being very helpful. First was a nice neutral shot against a nice flint wall.

Chancellor Sanjeev Bhaskar with Stephen Fry

Its quite important with news items not only to get the subject but also to put them into context if possible. By switching location by 20 metres we were able to add a Brighton context to the shot.

Chancellor Sanjeev Bhaskar with Stephen Fry

Also, having Chancellor Sanjeev Bhaskar with Stephen helped us get nice relaxed shots. Finally I was took a more informal shot as Stephen entered the dome.

Stephen Fry

Overall it was a nice quick shoot with a nice set of results.

John Powell, Oscar nominee

I was lucky enough to photograph Oscar nominee John Powell conducting the RPO as they rehearsed the “How to Train your Dragon” music for which he is nominated.

Well done John!

Here are some of the images…

John Powell conducting the R.P.O.

John Powell conducting the R.P.O

John Powell conducting the R.P.O.

Images are available for purchase via LNP (3) or Alamy (2).

BUAV: Say No to Cruel Cosmetics Campaign shoot: Jenny Seagrove

Earlier this month I was back working with the BUAV with a PR type photoshoot for their latest campaign ”No Cruel Cosmetics”.

Due to travel difficulties I arrived at the location a little late and was offered a good strong black coffee by Jenny as she let us know we had 30 minutes. During this time we had to complete at 3 setups (2 campaign shirts, informal and formal).

The first short was the “Stop the Baby Trade” campaign shirt I shot Ricky Gervais in last year. I thought it was important to maintain the same sort of identity to the shot but all the while making it a bit softer for Jenny. For this reason we kept with the same sort of pose but softened the image by not using the harsh white background. This also had other advantages in simplifying the lighting allowing me to use a single light and make use of a nice surface to the right as a reflector to fill-in keeping the shadows very soft. I think the result works;

Jenny Seagrove: Stop the baby trade!

Next we switched to the white shirt of the “No Cruel Cosmetics” Campaign and then an informal shot. My idea for the shot was to incorporate Jenny’s two dogs (always research!). With a quick adjustment to the lighting, Jenny jumped into the basket with the dogs, looking wonderfully relaxed. The biggest issue was getting the dogs to look vaguely at the camera!

Jenny Seagrove with dogs

Finally we completed a couple of shots (another quick lighting adjustment) with the campaign board which is the main shot that has been used within the media

Jenny Seagrove: Say NO to CRUEL COSMETICS

It was great to be working with the BUAV again and with no little help from Jenny’s great professionalism the shoot was completed within time.

For more information on the “Say No to Cruel Cosmetics Campaign” visit the website (and sign the petition – these tests are not needed and the EU should not be going back on their previous commitment)

Happy New Year

So 2010 becomes 2011 and julieedwardsphotography.co.uk becomes powered by wordpress. I am not totally happy with this site yet and it will evolve over the coming months.

Although I prefer not to look back; I want to just push myself harder in 2011 it is useful to take a quick review of the year to help decide in what direction I want to push. With this in mind, these are “my” top 5 images of 2010 with a little explanation;

Tiffany Page at the Great Escape; A new artist in 2010 and one I found really exciting. This was taken in a small bar in Brighton after watching the sound-checks and chatting to the band. Remember there is so much great music and new artists; I need to shoot more new bands.

This particular shot of Angelina Jolie was not published (the next in the sequence was in People Magazine USA). It proves the power of access, having something different. It’s something I have always strived for but I must push harder.

Two shots from Concert for Care;

The group shot taken in a couple of minutes under pressure. To do this you need to know your kit well, I am not a techie and I need to get to know the kit even better.

Christopher Gunning conducting again shows that viewpoint is everything; back to the Angelina shot keep pushing those viewpoints and angles.

And finally; Biffy Clyro from the Wembley Arena. A colour version of this sequence has been included in the Alamy Showcase in their iPAD app. I prefer this mono version, it’s more “raw” and has more passion. Two things from this shot;

Don’t forget the power of Black and White
Don’t be put off by the location; I hate getting to and from Wembley but the effort was worth it..

Heres looking forward to 2011 and wishing you all a happy and successful new year.