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Ahead of the pack - part 2 of 1 2

by John Baikie Published 01/11/2012

"The challenges I now face are to keep moving and to stay ahead of the field," he says. "It's a time where photography has never been more popular, and the number of businesses is multiplying fast. This means that I have to get better and look at new avenues as well, and video has now started to become part of my business in the last year or two. I've also just started up an event photography side to the business, and hopefully this will take off as well."

Enjoying the Convention

True to his philosophy of continually learning, John has attended every Convention for the past six years, something he considers is worth the membership fee on its own. "It's just such a great event for learning, socialising and making friends for life," he says. "As well as going along to hear what other photographers have to say, I also enjoy being involved as a trainer, and the 2013 Convention will be the fifth one that I've spoken at. Presenting a workshop is a mix of nerves and excitement; the build-up can be a little daunting, but it's a great feeling having a room full of photographers who have come just to see me, and I usually get a great turnout, which makes it easier. The first couple of years I was a nervous wreck, but it's become easier each time. It's a massive buzz at the end when you finish, and I love the great feedback I always get from delegates who have come away inspired."

This time round John is presenting two ninety-minute Masterclasses and one four-hour Superclass. "I start off with the Superclass on the Friday," he says, "and this is called 'Shoot to final image in minutes'. It will cover how I approach a shoot, whether it's a wedding, portrait, fashion or commercial assignment, and I'll be talking about how I plan the image, lighting, exposure and all the other ingredients. Shooting and editing will be as simple as possible, and it's all about getting the image as close as possible to the end result required within the camera rather than relying on editing afterwards.

"Saturday's Masterclass is 'Getting it right in camera', and this will do exactly what it says on the tin. What I'll cover here will be ways you can minimise your post-processing by getting it right at the start. I am in a tiny minority of people who still shoot in JPEG format, and I do that because I have confidence in my exposures being spot on.

"Finally, on the Sunday I'm running a Masterclass on off-camera flash. This has become my signature style, and I'll be showing delegates how I achieve the images I do, shooting indoors and outdoors and using different styles and effects."

Although he might be teaching again this year, John still views himself as the proverbial kid in the sweetshop, and he's got a number of speakers he wants to go and see while he's at the Convention. "I'm hoping that I'll have the chance to see Jerry Ghionis, who's the best there is in my opinion. I'm also planning to see Kevin Wilson, Pete Bristo, Richie Walton and Stuart McIntyre - all good friends and awesome photographers, and every one of them with some great information to pass on. It's going to be amazing: I've got butterflies already!"

More information: www.johnbaikiephotography.com

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1st Published 01/11/2012
last update 09/12/2022 14:50:59

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