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Rolling with the BIG Dog Part 7 - part 2 of 1 2 3 4

by Damian McGillicuddy Published 01/10/2010

You may recall me writing on my blog about my resent frustration in trying to shoot my boys in the studio, I've always struggled when shooting my nearest and dearest - I put too much pressure on myself! That torture gave me an idea and the ability to prove to you my first point...

The family and I were due to take a well-earned holiday and I decided to set myself the challenge to shoot our middle boy whilst away...but I was on holiday, did I really want to lug a D3 and a flight case of lights along with my board shorts and tevas? (note from Editor, Tevas are fancy sandals, or something like that!)

Well the answer to that is quite simple...NO! If I did that it would just be another day at work! So, what did I pack for this challenge? Hold your breath, here we go...JUST a Nikon D5000 with its standard kit lens and my trusty hand-held meter, so NOTHING out of the ordinary to even the most Spartan photo enthusiast.

Sooooo, the only thing I had, in real terms, to get the standard of image I wanted of my son was KNOWLEDGE, the key to all good photography, knowledge acquired through education and enthusiastic effort. Now as a proud dad I love the picture, but as an artist I'm equally pleased because the image is capable of touching other viewers emotionally. So how did I achieve the shot?

That's very simple...I applied the knowledge I've earned. The portrait was made at the front door of the little villa we were in, just as the sun started to set. I'd observed from my seat on the terrace that at the right time of day the directionality of the light was just right to 'skim' the subject and create dimensionality. The white-painted villa acting as a large, soft reflector to fill the shadows and raise density. Using my Sekonic meter to measure the incident light gave me a great exposure and helped me avoid the pitfalls that metering with the cameras internal reflected meter may cause if slavishly followed.

So the first question is, 'Equipment or education?'...I know the answer, do you? Let's press on with a little more anecdotal evidence. What about technology, surely this is the savior of photography?

Well let me explain what I witness every time I run a workshop. Very recently I had a fabulous day in Manchester with some lovely people on one of Team McGillicuddy's 'Mini light - Maximum effect' workshops. Days like that are a real pleasure and it's a privilege for me to help develop the photographic skills of our delegates.

It is always gratifying to see the 'penny drop moments' on the delegates faces as they realise that thousands of pounds worth of equipment is absolutely no substitute for an initial creative intent realised through sound technique, correct metering, styling and relevant posing. In other, less flowery words it's not about the gear but is about the idea - and correct execution of the idea at that!

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1st Published 01/10/2010
last update 09/12/2022 14:58:37

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Rolling with the BIG Dog Part 7 - part 2 of 1 2 3 4