Phil Punton; Professional Photographer and Photography Event Producer.

I know that there is so much involved in getting the right photograph from any photo-shoot, with so many things to think about. That is why I started to produce event photography opportunities for photographers with a range of abilities, skills, backgrounds and equipment to come along and join group opportunities for taking pictures at a professionally organised shoot. 

So much can happen at a photography event and I know that getting the details right are very important. When you come along to an event shoot, I try to make sure that the production value is high and that you can get the best experience out of the session. My job as the producer and sometimes with the help of a volunteer production team is always varied and surprising. People can be so generous with their support to make a photography event happen in return for getting some really great photographs from me and photographers who take part.

Last month was a great example of what I do. I pulled together a dance shoot with the idea of capturing the movement of dance, the flow and pure physicality of the art form. I knew that I would need, dancers, dresses, a location, probably large backgrounds and of course brilliant lighting – you can never have enough good lighting.

It was like putting a tricky jigsaw together, and we were so lucky when 2 perfect dancers from the Living Art Group, Cat and Fiona said they were definitely ‘up for it’. Jules a dancer who I had photographed before and then two friends Charlotte and Sienna came along found through a mutual contact.  They needed costumes and materials that would flow and float to enhance the movement in the shots. ‘Mia Sposa Bridal’ and ‘Tynedale Hospice’ shop in Hexham were totally amazing and supportive, providing really beautiful dresses. Now we needed a location and we ended up with two! The first was at the ancient and atmospheric Newcastle Castle Keep, great for the shoot but a backbreaking number of steps getting all the equipment in. It was perfect for tighter shots but I knew we needed a much wider space and a really big background sheet. I made up a 6m x 6m grey backdrop sheet and rigged it on a massive vertical frame and this just did the job. I was so lucky to find the second location when I did a professional job for MWR Hygiene in Stanley. Their business is located within an old theatre with a massive central area that I knew we could get everything into and capture some stunning images. Manager Chris Lowery generously agreed we could use it. Now I knew we had all the pieces in place, I could finally design a lighting plan which turned out just as I hoped. I put the offer out to photographers to join the event via our private Facebook page and the results speak for themselves. The images below are my shots but the images that other photographers have shared within the group show just how much they also got from the event and they seem eager to come to the next one.

Photography events are not scheduled one per month, they will be arranged based on both opportunity and other photographic demands.  However,  if you would like to know more about what is coming up why not make contact with me via my contact page at Philpunton.com .

Next month’s blog; I thought I’d talk about the tricky issues of getting the best out of the people you photograph, to get them to relax and work with you and the camera.

There is nothing else to say other than I hope the images speak for themselves.

As a thank you to photographers who are signed up to my event Facebook page, I organised a beach Viking shoot at Tynemouth. Not the first time, I have introduced a group of photographers to an amazing group performers of people who love to bring history to life. The Viking re-enactors are made up of actors, leather smiths, carpenters, seamstress, and people who are passionate about history.

On this occasion I decided not to limit the number of photographers and just let the event happen. Although the normal sharing of off-camera lighting triggers and turn taking wasn’t possible in the same way, seeing everyone have so much fun was well worth it!

Not only did everyone have a great day but stunning images were captured and shared. It’s been incredible to see the results.

We were also lucky enough to be visited by ITV Tyne Tees’ Jonny Blair who recorded the event for the local evening news, interviewing myself, a couple of Vikings and a photographer – which was fantastic publicity for the event.

Sample images from the shoot were provided by one of the photographers Melanie Wood and header image by John Brown.  Next time I really must take my camera too!

Keep a lookout for more information about upcoming events. 

The Historic and Mythical Imagery group recreated two beautiful Old Masters held by the Hatton Gallery in Newcastle and photograph the results. The two painting chosen were the ‘Drunken Noah’ and the ‘Lamentation’ displayed below.

This was something a little new to our group as it was an event where the public were able to assist our performers to strike the right pose and at the end of the photo shoot step in to be part of the performance.

Leading up to the event, two member of our group, Jo and Pat ran workshops where the public came to the Hatton Gallery to assist in making the costumes. Their input really helped in bringing our images to life.

On the day, my friend and Historian, Anthony Atkinson began the event by presenting the history of the paintings to the public; this involved referring to the performers in costume and in the case of the drunken Noah ridiculing his sons for their lack of respect for their drunken father. Everyone involved played a part and I must mention Phyllis who painted the backgrounds used in both shoots, also pictured below.

In terms of lighting, the last two images below show my crude sketches which help me to work out how to position lighting to try to replicate the artist’s creative use of light and also to create backgrounds to add realism to each image. At the end of the shoot members of the public stepped in to replace our performers. The whole experience was new and exciting. Following this success we will be doing more of the same so look for new blog posts. This so far, has been our most rewarding and satisfying shoot. Below our Artist Phylis creating the two backgrounds. Thank you to Newcastle College fro allowing us to use their space.

Keep watching because we are only just getting started!

The Lamentation – Our Interpretation

A Little Background

The Lamentation of Christ – “Lamentation” meaning a passionate expression of grief or sorrow – was a popular subject in North European painting, inviting worshippers to contemplate the pain and suffering of Christ (meaning “the anointed one”). This 16C (c1560) painting is a copy of a design by Hugo van der Goes a prominent artist from the Netherlands. Only a fragment of the original remains at Christ Church, Oxford. A relatively affluent looking group are tending to a rather serene Jesus, with sanitised depiction of wounds.

The Original Painting

Behind The Scenes

Coast road interview:

Radio Interview with Coast Radio presented by Ian Conway. Joj Pat and I met Ian to discuss everything about our group and also talk about the Hatton Gallery project.

Visit the Hatton Gallery website for more information.