This week we were delighted to welcome our first speaker of the year, Fiona Brims. Fiona’s work can be found on her web site, where you can also sign up to her workshops:

https://www.fionabrimsphotography.co.uk/

Fiona described her journey into creative portraiture, which she defined as the creation of an image that is not a normal portrait, such as an unusual situation, an unusual location or an unusual prop. Fiona began by showing us her very first images from a photoshoot at an old paper mill in Bo’ness, where the idea was to shoot a bride in an unusual situation. Although it was a great idea, Fiona bravely pointed out all the mistakes she had made as a beginner:

• There was insufficient attention to the lighting, which meant the models often had harsh shadows across their faces and no catch-lights in their eyes. Fiona had used a Weetabix packet with tracing paper as a soft box, but she could have used another light or a reflector to light the faces. She also pointed out that every pose needed careful light placement. It wasn’t sufficient to place lights on each side of the model and leave them there.
• Always remember to iron the outfits before using them, as a photograph will reveal all the creases. Also, remember that a strongly coloured outfit could reflect light on the same colour onto the model’s face. Be prepared to correct the colour or cancel it with another light.
• Don’t overdo your corrections in Photoshop, as they can make a portrait look unnatural. Less is more.
• The model’s pose, expression, location and props need to make sense to the viewer. They need to tell a story, although each viewer might make up their own story.

The next set of images showed how Fiona had learned from her mistakes and improved. There were some outdoor shots at Bo’ness Railway Museum and St. Peter’s Seminary (which was a great place for graffiti but is now unsafe to access). [Note: The A1 tunnel at Newcraighall is closer to Musselburgh and easier to access for graffiti.] Fiona moved on from outdoor shots to renting a real studio, and moved on from photographing friends to photographing models. Moving on to professional models and professional make-up makes a big difference in quality, but it also costs more money. Fiona emphasised that you’ll need money to pay for the studio, the model, the make-up, the outfits, the props and the backdrop. But you can save money by looking for second hand bargains, for example buy your props from ebay, or look for outfits in charity shops. Remnant Kings is a good place to find material for backgrounds. If you want to try studio portraiture, you can join an organised model day, where a studio will rent hourly slots with a professional model.

Fiona finished by showing us a collection of stunningly good portraits that she had taken recently. Her journey into creative portraiture had been a learning experience, but it had lead to a flurry of creativity. See for yourself at her creative portrait gallery. Thank you Fiona for enlightening us.

• Next Thursday we have a Members Evening. Please bring along any images you would like to share with other members. I expect we’ll see a lot of images from the Battle of Prestonpans, which happened at the weekend.