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.
