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Richard P Walton fswpp & Alistair Campbell The Benefits of shooting yourself - part 4 of 1 2 3 4 5

Published 01/12/2015

Richard P Walton: Excellent answer, I'm in total agreement on this and this is why I wanted to get this article off the ground. You can never become who you want to be without putting the work in and you should never 'practise' on paid shoots. The whole essence of shooting for yourself is to become competent in what you do and confident in offering it to a client, knowing you can guarantee that standard of photography in any situation. What was your main goal when we went out to shoot that day?

Alistair: I don't really have a goal you can regulate or assess. I just enjoy photography, and that day I knew was all about no-pressure photography. When I'm due to go out on any shoot I enjoy every aspect, from travelling there, meeting people, talking, looking around unusual places, and especially new places; not knowing what you may find, or exactly what photographs you will end up with is great. From the moment I leave the house until the moment the first image is edited, it's all part of the shoot experience for me, and something all people involved in the industry should savour. Before I began photography I was always a bit of a hermit, wouldn't really go out the house too much, loved sitting inside and watching films, etc. Since I began taking photos that's really changed; every time I see a 'Keep Out' sign, I just think - bingo! That day in particular I knew we were going to see some very interesting places, and although you had taken the time at the last Societies' Convention to speak to me whenever you saw me, I knew we would be able to chat properly about photography. Up until the Convention I had done all of my work on my own, and had only a small amount of contact with other photographers, most of whom work in the wedding industry so I found it hard to try to explain why I do the type of work I do. It was just amazing to look around these buildings for a couple of days, the models were great too, they also had a great time looking around. Malcolm, the male model, I had known previously and knew he was always up for a bit of an adventure. The images to me aren't really a goal as I'm always fairly confident I'll come home with something to add to my portfolio, and something the models could be proud to also use. I'm not sure if it counts as a 'goal' but just having that freedom, chatting, enjoying cobbling together outfits and coming up with shots in new locations was just great.

Richard P Walton: That's what I love about photography, the life experiences are worth just as much, if not more than getting good photographs. Meeting other creative people who can appreciate dirty old buildings is also great. I was also very shy when I was younger; I owe so much to photography! It seems like we both have an attraction to derelict buildings; they've always interested me and make for great backdrops. Have you got any horror stories regarding these places? I once got chased by a security dog who almost bit my a*se off.

Alistair: Haha! I love looking around them; I still find it weird that these places even exist in the UK. I don't know if they represent a civilisation moving forward or backwards. No horror stories I'm afraid. There was a beautiful, old, burned out pub close to me; I was using it for about a year, it was only small but had loads of great little sections. I used it for about seven shoots without repeating any of the images, I just loved it ... until one day, I turned up with a model to be greeted by diggers, building-site fencing and one of those 12ft blokes in fluorescent jackets, a radio and a hardhat. You know where this is going don't you ... anyway after about 10 minutes of discussion and compromise, we were in, and so was he! Just stood there two feet behind me, arms folded and counting down the 15 minutes until kicking out time. Needless to say, I took about three photos, everyone felt odd and then we left. I had felt harshly done by, like someone had taken my studio away from me, but what can you do hey? We move on.

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1st Published 01/12/2015
last update 09/12/2022 14:58:54

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