Wednesday 23 January 2008

A hairy affair


So, finally I have managed to set up this blog. I think it has taken me so long because I'm absolutely terrified about writing and usually have people checking it for me. Well, this is not going to be like that and I will just have to get on with it.

So, the course has started properly and lots of ideas came to my mind for our first assignment - people at work. I have been thinking: dog grooming, beekeeping, fish market, puppet makers/puppeteers and book makers....

I went to a dog grooming saloon in Twickenham called 'Dirty Dogs' for my first shoot and met some hairy dogs! It was good fun but sometimes difficult, every time I knelled down I had the dogs on the floor jumping on my lap, licking me and creating camera shake! I had also not anticipated that the light levels were going to be so low, but I also now that this is something I would have to work around since most grooming places would have a shop front and the activity would take place in the back rooms, I decided to use my 50mm lens and concentrate on more detailed shots as they could also look better with a more narrow depth of field.

Lorna, one of the girls working there confirmed my belief about really up market grooming saloons that are often marketed as dog spas where poodles are getting their nails done and painted pink and their fur coloured. Some places go as far as to creating 'my little pony' looks, by weaving in hair extensions! I have to say that I find this really bizarre but it would photograph absolutely brilliantly, using colour with fill in flash to give it some edge. I will definitely check this up for future project potential, there is bound to be such a place somewhere like Kensington or Chelsea.

Tomorrow morning I'm of to Billingsgate fish market to photograph some of the traders there. I'm a bit worried about the light, the market starts at 05.00 and finishes at 08.30, so I will not be able to get much of natural daylight filtering through this time of year, so I will have to see how much light I can get from the strip lights again. If not I might be able to get some good daylight shots from the traders packing up, carrying things to their vans etc.

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