Thursday, 1 October 2015

Children's Portraiture: The Art of Fine Art


This weekend we got up to something a little bit different and unleashed our creativity! Although we have been run off our feet (as usual!) with our JUST POSE BABY courses recently, we had time to squeeze in a few dates to explore Children's Fine Art Portraiture. As expected, the results did not disappoint!

Although the day was intensive, we were able to cover in depth the art of planning, styling, creating a concept and the ever important final touches - post processing. Here are a few images that we are able to share from the day. There are plenty more that we can't wait to share with you but we don't want to give the excitement away for the students due to attend the remainder of these courses. 



Credits: Backdrop by HashtagLove



Credits: Stretch Poncho by Sally Slack

Credits: Woodland headdress by HashtagLove
Backdrop by Bespoke Backdrops
Backdrop by HashtagLove


Headdress by HashtagLove
Backdrop by Bespoke Backdrops


If you would like to join us on one of our training days, you can check out what's available and upcoming dates on the Just Pose Website: www.justposetraining.co.uk

Thursday, 9 July 2015

PTS: A Student's Perspective

by Lorna Preston


What a difference a year makes! Having recently completed a PTS (Progress To Success) course with GDH Photography Training, I am proud to be able to look back at my work a year ago and see such a huge transformation not only within myself but also that of my seven fellow course mates who have been a part of this career altering experience.

So, firstly, here's a brief overview of what's involved... One year long commitment from the students to attend 6 full day intense training sessions which are aimed at improving and building on the previous, over 50 hours input from teacher including individual online mentoring, homework following each session for students to keep up on their practice…oh and a hell of a lot of brain ache!


From my own perspective, I chose to sign up to the course because I wanted to be a better photographer. I wanted to be proud of what I was producing and most importantly, I wanted to be able to be comfortable and confident to produce quality work given any situation and any client…which, at the time, I didn’t. I was sick of trying to sift through all the ill-informed Youtube videos of “professionals” trying to tell me how to use off camera flash or how to meter correctly. It’s embarrassing to think back on how many hints and tips I blindly followed thinking it was correct only to find out later that I had inadvertently become part of the “youtube society of crap photographers”. I was constantly looking at the work of those I admired and wanted to get to the same standard. In order to do that I needed to raise the bar and this course offered me just that.

Photograph by David Airey
From the first hour of the first session I knew I had chosen the right mentor in Gary. He has the ability to communicate all the technical jargon in a simple and understandable way and really encourages you get involved. I had been to a couple of training days previously which had been more of a spectator sport which just wasn’t for me; I’m more of a hands on learner. During Gary’s training sessions you are made to participate to get you to make mistakes and come across problems you would during a normal client photo shoot. After all, what’s the point in being shown something and not being able to put it into practice yourself? The general message from the beginning was to expect to feel as though you were taking a step backwards before you felt as though you were moving forward…and that was exactly right!


Photo by David Airey
The sessions which followed throughout the year further elaborated on the laws of light, contrast ratios, masculine/feminine lighting patterns, the rules of posing, how to construct more complicated two and three light setups, the difference between classical and contemporary lighting, how to use reflectors/grids/softboxes effectively and off camera flash on location and so much more. We were even put in front of the camera to really understand what it feels like for our clients. Each session expanded our knowledge and understanding of the craft of photography and as a result our confidence in our own ability grew. We were no longer just taking photos; we were carefully constructing images which were not only of a high technical standard but also appropriate and relevant to our subjects. 

Photograph by David Airey
The final session was all about us putting everything we had learned in to practice and be able to produce a technically correct image which had been carefully planned, constructed and executed. Gary was on hand to assist with any technical questions, but it was down to us to select location, lighting, composition, pose and styling of the model etc. We were split in to pairs where we had to work together throughout concept to completion - decision making and problem solving as we endeavoured to be able to produce outstanding work without guidance. Rather than telling you how great we all did, I thought it would be much better to show you. There were so many images  to choose from but here's a small selection which we created in one day with one model and some pretty creative minds...

David Airey

Stuart Reece

Philip Antrobus

Iain Hamilton

Kate Wise

Scott Somerside
Sarah Flanagan

Lorna Preston
I can proudly say that I am honoured to have been given the experience to learn and also to meet a group of people who I now call friends who have made it so much fun and who have become a support network for me offering advice, critique and further learning. We’ve all worked so hard, been 100% committed to learning and we’ve had fun along the way…


I look forward to becoming the photographer I now know I have the potential and knowledge to be. #watchthisspace

Saturday, 6 June 2015

THE NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY SHOW 2015

As usual I have been keeping busy and last week was no exception! After kick starting the week off with some 1-2-1 training down in Kent, it was time to head to Birmingham to take part in The Newborn Photography Show 2015. Much fun was had teaching some familiar and new faces and the weather allowed for lots of outdoor work.  Here’s a brief look at what we got up to…


Our first day was a brief but in depth look at the fundamentals of lighting which was part of the pick and mix classes the show offered. It proved to be a popular class as we only just managed to find a seat for everyone attending! The class was aimed at helping fellow photographers really grasp a good understanding of light - its properties and how we can control it to create beautiful and interesting imagery.


Such great feedback was given on how beneficial this knowledge was and I look forward to seeing everyone experimenting with this new understanding of light within their future work.  The image to the left shows a quick shot taken from the session to illustrate a simple two light setup in a typical studio environment.








Days 2 and 3 were all about maternity and how to create flattering and beautiful imagery for a client. We were able to cover both indoor and outdoor scenarios and the Botanical Gardens offered some great areas to work within.





With such a great bunch of attendees we were able to take an in depth look at how to construct a successful maternity session including posing, styling, composition and most importantly – lighting! 


(poncho provided by Sally Slack)


Once we had covered the essentials indoors, we were then able to apply the same principals to our outdoor session using both natural and artificial light.  It is a common misconception that I prefer to work with flash only. The truth is I choose to work with the best quality of light I can get. So, if natural light is there then I will use it…








But sometimes the use of flash is necessary to enable me to shoot in a location I want to without having to compromise on quality of light. Often, I am not trying to overpower the ambient. Flash can be added very subtly to give directional light on our subject without the image looking unnatural.  




This image is a great example of how we were able to overpower the harsh sunlight we were presented with flash in order to maintain our choice of location and a correct lighting pattern on the subject.



Unsurprisingly 3 hours didn’t seem enough time but boy did we pack a lot in! We even managed to squeeze something a bit more dramatic in on the final day…

For more information on upcoming training dates or 1-2-1 training options, you can find out more at:
or head over to Just Pose for all of our upcoming intensive workshop dates.