PatrickPhotos

I have got to the stage where I’m starting to develop a bad habit of producing safe images. Images that I know work and take very little effort for me to create. Having the chance to work with others and to view the world from a different perspective is a good way to break this habit.

Earlier this week I had the pleasure of attending a day-long workshop run by Fabiana & Carlo called Photographing Women.

For me, just watching Fabiana & Carlo interact with the models was a lesson in itself. They have a real passion for what they are doing, a professional manner and a desire to get the best they could from the models they booked.

So what did I learn? The first thing is that it only takes a small variation in positioning to make the difference between an average picture and an excellent picture.

Looking back on the pictures that I took during the workshop, I’m not particularly happy with what I produced. But that is not a bad thing as it is all part of the learning process.

Knowing how to pose a subject is an art in itself. Stage one of this art is to know what is pleasing to the eye. But with this comes the fact that everyone has different views on what that is and the beauty of aesthetics is another in-depth discussion all in itself. As for the second stage, it is to communicate that idea to the person in front of the camera.

The more I think about it, I’m still a novice in terms of knowing what I like and what I don’t like in my portraits. Which means there is plenty to think about before my next shoot.

With thanks to London Boudoir Photography, models Nina Carter and Amy Sellu and make-up by Claudette Fruchier.