You may remember a few posts back (you know, when I was updating regularly…) I talked about working quite a bit with a local band called Scarred I.D (whose guitarist, Ben, is seen above).

A little more recently the band asked for volunteers to help them shoot their first music video. I’ve always fancied doing video work, so I immediately threw my hat into the ring.

There was talk of broadcast-quality cameras and multiple camera operators, but sadly most of that fell through. Instead, we shot the whole thing on two video-capable DSLRs: a Nikon D7000 with a 50mm f/1.8 lens, and a Canon 600D, kindly loaned to us by one of the support acts. I’m not a Canon shooter, but I found that 600D a joy to use (except for the autofocus, which I switched off). I shot the image at the top of this post with that 600D, and it’s one of the best live images I’ve ever made, which is proof, once again, that gear is good but vision is better.

Here’s the full video for the band’s first single from their “Ground Zero” E.P, “Hell No!”:

And, partly because I wanted to say thanks to everyone who helped out, but mostly because I was enjoying playing with Premiere Pro too much to stop, here’s a credits roll for the video:

And yes, I did invent “High Flying Badger” as a name for a production company. Might even have registered highflyingbadger.com for future use, too…

Learn to draw

It’s safe to say that I have drawing ability of a dead gnat. Which is a shame really, since being able to draw at more than a rudimentary level would allow me to storyboard my shoots. Part of the problem with being a visual artist is that trying to express an idea for an image invariably means describing that image in words. Which is pretty hard when the image exists solely in your head.

I don’t need to be an amazing artist with a pencil and paper, but being able to draw figures and faces that look reasonably human would be a vast improvement on where I am now.

Get Published

What it says, really; there’s not much explanation needed. Something on this score is already in the pipeline, but even if that falls through, my aim for 2012 is get at least two shoots published in one form or another.

Shoot Men’s Fashion

I’ve been aware for a while that my portfolio specifically my fashion and beauty portfolio – is entirely made up of women (and at least one model is very heavily represented there, since I’ve worked with her on a significant proportion of my shoots this year). This needs to be rectified.

The obvious solution, then, is to work with some male models. It’s not as if there aren’t plenty out there. Browsing around the male model portfolios on ModelMayhem I can see a wealth of talent; I just need the right concept to get started. Brainstorming will now ensue.

Shoot a Series

I’ve long wanted to shoot a series; several shoots, probably over several months, with a uniting theme or story. I suppose this ties in with resolution #5, actually, in that if were going to shoot such a series it would probably be quite fine-arty (though it might also be interesting to do a portrait series).

Again I’m inspired here by Drew Gardner, but also by Chase Jarvis (whose Seattle 100 is one of my favourite photo books) and, more than all of these, by Alexia Sinclair, whose Regal Twelve and Royal Dozen blow me sideways every time I look at them.

Make Some Art

I’ve loved shooting pretty much everything I’ve shot this year. I’ve shot fashion, beauty, live music, editorial portraits, weddings, burlesque shows*… I’ve loved all of them.

But I feel like I’ve made very little art. The fashion and beauty work comes closest, but it’s still not what I’m aiming at with this resolution.

I’ve banged on for several years about Drew Gardner‘s work. I’m a big fan of it, there’s no doubt, and in particular I’m a fan of his Epic Fashion shoots – his series “The Forest” is a favourite of mine. That’s the kind of thing I want to shoot. Maybe it’s somewhere on the border between fashion (or editorial portraiture) and fine art; I don’t know. But there’s something about producing an image that’s beautiful for its own sake, rather than making one to showcase a person or a dress or a makeup artist’s talent, that appeals to the creative bits of my brain.

Of course, defining “art” is like nailing pudding to a wall, but you get the idea.

*Well, one. I’ll be shooting another on Friday, though.

Get Off Your Arse and Shoot

I’ve spent a lot of time – and not an insignificant amount of money – over the last year on training. Seminars, video training, magazines… And it’s only recently occurred to me that I’m not getting as much from that money as I was at the start of the year.

Another resolution for 2012, then, is to stop spending so much time and money on training and instead go out and train by learning on the job. If I have an idea, I’ll go and shoot it, rather than researching to see how others do it and talking myself out of it in the process. If I see an image I like, I’ll try and reproduce it (not to include it in my portfolio; just to work out how it’s done) with the help of a willing friend.

Sure, I’ll still consume videos on the web, but I’ll be a lot less willing to splash out money for the sake of splashing it out. Because I don’t think that I’m getting back what I’m putting in. The only way to do that is to put my time into learning. And my heart.

Play More

There isn’t a huge amount of craziness in my work to date. Mostly, I think, that’s a result of my trying really hard to get the simple technical aspects of my craft right – sharpness, no limbs amputated and so on. I’m not saying that I want to start producing out of focus work where people are missing fingers, but as an extension of my first resolution I’d love to feel a bit freer with what I shoot.

Maybe it’s as simple as getting the ‘perfect’ shot in the can and then playing around and trying out ideas; maybe it isn’t. But it’s a good place to start.

So, resolution number 1, then:

Take More Risks

2011 has been an amazing year. I’ve been busier than ever as a photographer, and although I’m nowhere near being able to make a living on this alone I know now that I’m capable of working at this as a professional.

But I’m still not taking enough risks. By which I mean that I shy away from doing things that would be cool and fun for entirely specious reasons. Not asking if I can use a location because I’m certain I’ll be told no is a classic example. I should just ask anyway, but getting to the point where I’m willing to do so takes far too long.

So, for 2012, take more risks. Stop worrying about what people think or say; GOYAJFDI

Take this image, for example (click for a bigger version):

This image was made right at the end of a shoot. One of the models had already headed back to the changing room to get changed and remove her makeup. Katie and I were left to get one more shot of this last look, a 20′s flapper-like dress, with assorted accessories.

Katie happened to strike this pose, and whilst my light wasn’t set up for it I immediately knew how I wanted to light it. We shot the look that I was already set up for – which was fine, but didn’t hold my attention for long – and then this one. Simple lighting: a gridded light off to camera right; the idea being to follow the angle between Katie’s face and the wall light.

There are plenty of problems with the image – the lower section is darker than I’d like, for example – but I still love it. It occurs to me that the more I do this job, the more I’m starting to think in terms of a phrase used by David Hobby: Lighting in layers.

I’m starting to think that I want to shoot an entire series where I treat the lighting rather as one would approach painting with oils: adding light to the canvas however it needs to be added than getting wrapped up in thinking about all the technical details. This image embodies a look that I’ve been trying to achieve for some time, and to have come across it almost entirely by accident is both quite delicious and quite galling at the same time.