Strobist Beauty/Jewellery Shoot

Strobist On-Location - Abandoned Church

Several years ago I came across the work and techniques of Mr. David Hobby aka The Strobist. It completely blew my mind away. Some of the images he was creating with nothing more than a speedlight flashgun and a brolly were simply stunning.

The best part was that I had almost all of the equipment I needed to try it for myself so after investing in a light stand and a brolly I set out to play with light. The first few results were terrible but I persevered, learned and adapted until I started to get the results I wanted. I now use strobist techniques as part of my everyday image capture whenever I need it.

Strobist Portrait

It adds something to an image that you simply don’t get with natural light and reflectors.

It’s fast – much more so than studio lights

It’s also very, very portable – a three light studio packs away into two bags that I can easily take it on public transport or carry on a hike through the countryside.

If you’d like to find out more and learn how to create images like these, check out my course page, here: http://workshops.thelightmatters.com/events/60687642/

Strobist Band Photography - Surrey

The beauty about strobist work lies in it’s portability. Unlike studio flash you can take it almost anywhere. But that’s is Achiles heel too: because it’s lightweight it doesn’t pack the same punch as mains powered lights. On a bright, sunny day, four little AA batteries are simply not going to overpower the sun. It’s not a deficiency, it’s a fact and it lends itselt to making a striking image by balancing flash with ambient light.

With strobist work, the concept of “correct” exposure simple doesn’t exist. True an image can be too bright or too dark as with any exposure but by balancing flash with ambient you have control of the different elements of the image, exposing each differently according to what you need.

Strobist Portrait - Lingerie

Strobist Band Photography

Sound complicated? Actually it’s not. It’s very, very simple. If you’re a strobist and you’re balancing flash with ambient you’re actually making multiple exposures each time you press the shutter button.

If you’d like to learn more take a look at my Introduction to Strobist Course, here: http://workshops.thelightmatters.com/events/60687642/

You’ll need to hurry though – spaces are limited and the price will be going up next time I schedule it.

Best regards,
Gavin

Corporate Headshot Photography

• Corporate head-shot photography while you wait
• On-site service – minimizes disruption
• Proofs available next day

Need images in a hurry to meet the annual report deadline? Call for availability. You might just be lucky.

Perfect for use on your corporate intranet, extranet and internet sites.

Encourage your staff to use on their linkedin profile – far better than that picture of their dog or the dreadful, drunken camera phone image in the pub.

How does it work?

My corporate headshot photography service is geared towards giving my clients a fast service with minimal disruption to their business operations. All the images were on this page were made on-site at the client’s own premises using ultra lightweight studio equipment. This means all the heavy lifting is done in camera to reduce post processing time.

It takes a few minutes to set up in a conference room and the average sitting time is typically less than 3 minutes per person.

Your proof images will be available the next working day and the finals within one day of you making your selection and settling your account.

Client Testimonials

The girls has made a fantastic effort baking exceedingly good cakes and other goodies for the fund raiser. The event was cunningly timed to coincide with the H4H cake sale week at the beginning of the month.

We raised over £250 of much needed funds to finance the printing of the calendar which will be shot in May at some amazing locations and you wouldn’t believe the props we have lined up for some of the shots.

As we had the entire team together it was a great opportunity to go out for an impromptu shoot to warm them all up for the main event in May. It’s a great techinique and gets people used to being in fron of the camera ready for when it really needs to count. That’s why I always advocate a pre-wedding shoot to my brides: they get far, far better images on the day as they’re not nearly so nervous. Works like a charm.

If you’d like to find out more about the H4H Calendar Girls Project, feel free to visit their blog, http://h4hcalendargirls.blogspot.com or their facebook page, http://facebook.com/h4hcalendargirls.

Will Todd Trio - Electric Theatre, Guildford

On Assignment – Photographing The Will Todd Trio

The slide show above and the images in this post are a small sample of the shots that we made that day. It goes to show how important it is to be creative and apply a little lateral thinking. Theatres don’t make good environments unless you have free access to roam around which won’t happen during a live performance. If you’re stuck at the back of the auditorium with a long lens the success of the photo-shoot will be compromised. Movement will be difficult so you only really have one shot.

Bands are all about angles and feeling. You have to get different shots. That means different angles and getting the camera into places others cannot. You’ll see what I mean from some of the other images in this page.

They were all taken with just the available light and although the stage lighting is bright, it is nowhere near as bright as flash. Flash brings with it too many issues to deal with for this kind of shoot:

1. the musicians won’t be able to see their music if I’ve nuked their eyeballs
2. the colours will be all wrong

Will Todd Trio, Electric Theatre, Guildford

The first point is a big no, no. I have to get the shot but I also have to respect the client. They were going on stage for a live performance shortly after their rehearsal. Flash, be it on camera or off camera, would have been fa too intrusive. If they can’t read their music, they can’t rehearse.

As for the colours, the stage lights were all over the place as you an see from some of the images. Fundamentally warm tungsten lights with gels and a few LED lights as well*. Making a white balance reading was an interesting challenge. Correcting for it would remove the effects of the gel and move all the other colours around the colour wheel, completely destroying the integrity of the image. I might post a more technical article about that on theLightMatters Blog as it’s an interesting problem to solve. Introducing daylight balanced flash into the mix would have been disastrous, even had I corrected it with a CTO gel.

(* The LED lights where a real nuisance. Their construction makes it very difficult to create a natural starburst)

Hope you enjoy the images.

Have fun,
Gavin

Will Todd Trio, Electric Theatre, Guildford

Will Todd Trio, Electric Theatre, Guildford

Will Todd Trio, Electric Theatre, Guildford

Will Todd Trio, Electric Theatre, Guildford

Will Todd Trio, Electric Theatre, Guildford

Will Todd Trio, Electric Theatre, Guildford

Will Todd Trio, Electric Theatre, Guildford

1. Are you getting fed up with squirrels and ducks?
2. Do you always leave your camera on fully automatic?
3. Do you take great pictures but wonder why someone else gets better results with less kit?
4. Do you just want to get out of the house on a Sunday afternoon?

I may have just the thing for you

Announcing theLightMatters™ Photography Workshops and Training

If you’re an amateur photographer, an enthusiast photographer or a semi-professional photographer, theLightMatters™ is just the thing for you.  Especially if you want to improve your photogaphy skills or simply just find more interesting subject matter.

My vision is to provide the very best photography workshops and training available in Surrey. That means studio days, location photo-shoots and taught courses. All brought to you in a friendly, supportive environment. I want to whet your apetite as to what you can achieve. I want to encourage you to step outside your comfort zone, just as I did several years ago.

Taking pictures is easy and fun. Making pictures is just as easy and just as fun when you know how. The biggest barrier to making great images isn’t what most photographers would have you believe. It isn’t simply a case of finding a more interesting subject. The biggest barrier to making great images is you. That’s right, you, reading this article right now. BUT it’s not as big a barrier as you might think. All you have to do is to get out there and do it. It really is as simple as that. It all comes from that desire, that passion, that spark from within.

So, what’s stopping you? Do it now! Head over to http://workshops.thelightmatters.com and have a look around. I’ve based the whole thing on the Meetup.com platform so you know what you’re getting. It’s free to join my community and there is no obligation to attend any of the events.

But you’re not going to overcome that barrier and make better photos unless you do something about it. Come on over and join us. You don’t have anything to lose.

Or you could just go back to photographing squirrels instead…

STOP PRESS – GTP in British Vogue

On Monday 9th April, 2012 the May edition of British Vogue goes on sale. In it, on page 240 there will be a little feature about Gavin Thorn Photography and one of the images I made of Amy Lazarou at the abandoned church just outside of Guildford.

It was a great shoot and at the time I hadn’t realised that the images, or rather one of them, would be published in arguably the UK’s most prestigious magazine for the fashion industry.

If you do get to see it, add a comment here to say hello and let me know what you thought.

PS – There is also a little QR code embedded in the image. If you scan it with your mobile it’ll take you to a super secret offer page on this site

To keep up to date with all the latest happenings at GTP, why not join my newsletter by filling out the form on the right? It’s completely free to join and I give you my personal guarantee I won’t sell your email address to anyone. You’ll also receive my top tips on how to prepare for and look great in your photos.

Why you need Band Promo images…

Luke - Session Guitarist, ACM, Guildford, Surrey

Success isn’t just about being good and waiting around to get discovered.
You need to make it happen.
You need to get noticed.
To get noticed you need to stand out.
That’s where I come in.

If you’re serious about putting your band on the map.
If you’re dedictated to pushing through all those at the bottom to get to the top.
If you need to get noticed.

You need to talk to me about making your band promo and press kit images. Fill out the form on the right or call the number at the top of this page.

Or you could do what everyone else does and use a gig photo from a fan’s iPhone taken in a pub.

Read what my clients have said…

Although its a cliche, the phrase “Passion for Fashion” is very apt. Fashion Photography is without a doubt one of the most enjoyable and exciting areas of photography I’ve experienced. Its also about teamwork. Good images don’t just happen by luck. They happen because of the enthusiasm and dedication of the entire team, the photographer, the stylist, the make-up artist, the model, the designer. We each have our role to play and when we do it right we create visual poetry.

More examples of my fashion photography work can be found in my fashion and advertising portfolio. Fashion shoots are frequently high energy sessions, great fun and very exhaustive for the entire team.

If you are thinking of arranging a fashion shoot for an advertisement, lookbook or catalogue, simply fill out the form on the right. I use professional studios in London and Surrey or if you prefer a location there are plenty around that can make a fantastic set to showcase your designs. I can also help source a creative team and models if necessary too.

Wedding Photography to cry for…

… in a nice way of course

Weddings! You spend ages planning them and they’re over in an instant. Your guests have left. Your car has gone. Your cake been eaten and your dress returned. All that remains are your memories.

I Capture the Moment, You Treasure the Memory

Your memories and your pictures.

They’re with you today. They’re with you tomorrow. They’re special. They’re yours. They’re there to show your children. They’re there to tell your story. They withstand the passage of time.

Would you have it any other way?

But you only have one chance. When it’s gone, it’s gone forever. That’s where I come in as your Wedding Photographer…

* to capture those special moments
* to preserve your memories
* to tell your story

I don’t just photograph a wedding…

…I’ll tell your story

But let me ask you something…

* does this resonate with you?
* do you want to have your story told?
* do you want to be moved by your wedding pictures?

Contemporary Wedding Photography with a Fashion Style

If you can honestly answer “yes” to all of these and you want your wedding photographed in a reportage style with a fashion feel I’d love to hear from you. Come and talk to me about your wedding. You can request a call-back using the form on the right or if you’re really courageous, telephone my mobile. Don’t be shy. We’ll need to talk if I’m to take your picture and I really don’t bite very often My number is at the very top of this page.

PS – You’ll need to hurry, I don’t have many dates left for 2013.

Wedding Photography Areas – Guildford and Surrounds…

Being based in Guildford my wedding photography service is primarily based in and around Surrey and the surrounding counties of Hampshire, West Sussex, Berkshire and Middlesex. Typically this is everything within a 30 to 50 mile radius of Guildford and includes the towns listed below.

Surrey – Guildford, Woking, Staines, Camberley, Farnham, Haslemere, Godalming, Cranleigh, Dorking, Leatherhead, Addlestone, Esher, Cobham, Epsom, Reigate, Redhill, Horley, Caterham, Oxted and everything in between.

• Proofing Gallery <= Shhh… Click to see all images in gallery

Image sales from my coverage of the A La Mode shows are available from my on-line gallery (see button above). For all other usage enquiries, please use the form below the slideshow, don’t simply take them. All my images are protected under copyright and should not be used without prior, written consent from myself.

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