It's not all storms and bad weather up here on the West Coast of Scotland. We had a lovely, sunny day today and the harbour in front of our home looked beautiful this evening.
I took this photo at 1710hrs from my study window, with my Nikon D750 fitted with a Nikon Nikkor 24-70mm 1:2.8G ED lens. I though it worth posting here! I'm feeling blessed! Since I have moved into semi-retirement in North Ayrshire, Scotland I have been able to devote more time to my freelance photography. I have made the strategic decision to focus my core business on Portrait and Headshot photography. This makes sense because I have a natural affection for people, and I love photographing them. So, whilst I will continue to consider other photographic projects, my hope is that through Instagram, Google Business and Yell Business, I will be able to attract people who are looking for high-quality headshots and portraits. I have taken many military portraits over the years, so am initially offering this service to members and veterans of the Armed Forces. However, it's also being offered to corporate clients; students and aspiring actors needing portfolio photos; people wanting to promote themselves on platforms such as LinkedIn; and anyone else looking for a portrait or headshot. I'm hoping I will receive the support I'm looking for! I have purposely avoided having a dedicated studio for a number of reasons. Firstly, I have set myself up to create a mobile studio in any environment, which means I can offer studio-quality portraits virtually anywhere, indoors or outdoors, giving me valuable creative flexibility. Secondly, it means that without the inherent expenses of a dedicated studio, I can offer more affordable and realistic prices. If I ever need a studio, I can simply arrange to hire one. The kit I use for this is a combination of PiXApro Pika 200 Pro portable flash units and a number of Nikon SB910 speedlights, mounted in a variety of softboxes, diffusers, and light shapers. Whenever it's needed I make use of reflectors as well. With the flexibility of the PiXApro units, I am able to choose between my Nikon and Fujifilm camera systems to suit the occasion. Here are my first two posts promoting this venture on Instagram: More will follow...😊 Featured above is Colonel Mel Emmett MBE For this image, I used a simple three light setup (in a church), using my Nikon D810 fitted with my Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 85mm 1:1.8 G prime lens, which is in my view the ideal portrait lens. Steve Blake (then a Sergeant and British Army Combat Photographer)
This photograph was taken one morning when we were having fun trying out different lighting techniques in the studio. This photo of Steve was lit with one huge softbox mounted directly above and close to his head. We used fill lights to the left and right at about 45 degrees and, to deal with the shadows around his eyes caused by the overhead light, Steve held a reflector directly in front of him at waist height and angled towards his face.He was not standing but sitting on a chair. I used my Nikon D800 fitted with my Nikon NIKKOR 70-200mm 1:2.8G II ED lens. This is my first blog post on my new web page.
I was privileged to photograph Lieutenant General Sir Jim Hockenhull at Windsor Castle, and then at his London residence following his investiture by HRH Prince William in December last year. I think it is more than a worthy subject to begin my blog on this website The indoor photos and portraits were taken with my Nikon D810 and either a Nikkor 24-70mm or a Nikkor 85mm prime lens. For lighting I used a combination of a PiXapro Pika 200 Pro flash and Nikon SB910 speed lights. Outdoor images were created using the Nikon D810 with the Nikkor 24-70mm lens. I was pleased with the results and hope you like the few images I've chosen to include here. I would like to thank both General Sir Jim and Lady Karen for their warm hospitality and for granting me their permission to use these images here, as an example of my portrait photography in their home. |
AuthorClive Larrett is a North Ayrshire Freelance Photographer Archives
October 2023
Categories |