My Work Experience Week by Megan McClintock

My name is Megan McClintock, I am a student at JCC and for my work experience week I decided I wanted to do something photography related, as it is a career I have considered for the future, so I went to Christina Lauder Portraits.

During my week with Christina, I learnt new various photography skills such as how to work with lighting to make a photo look more soft and flattering or more hard and dramatic. Also I learnt how Christina likes to edit her photos in ‘Lightroom’ and ‘Photoshop’ before developing them.

Over a few days, I did a school project which was needed for homework. This was to produce a picture similar to David Hockney’s. For this, I had Jade standing against a background Christina had and I zoomed right in and took a photo of each block with a slight overlap, then we put them into photoshop and made the collage then added a few frame effects at the end so you could see the separate pictures. This took a long time as there was over 70 photos to put together! Also, the lens I used to take the photos was extremely heavy as it was the biggest one Christina had.

Another thing we did was have a photoshoot between us and as another girl from school went there to do her work experience at the same time. We took dresses in and did lots of different poses then afterwards we went through and edited the ones that we liked with the assistance of Christina.

On Wednesday we took a walk down to florist to get some flowers and nice pot to put them in so we could take some photographs of them and then edit them afterwards. (The photo used is Christina’s)

Being a photographer was more hard work then I expected it to be! You have to have the right angles, and backdrop and the lighting at the exact position and brightness. Also you have to have the perfect composition for the subject that is being photographed.

On Thursday because the weather was nice, me and Jade took a walk around Burbage to photograph main places for the kids at the playgroup where they could visit. We also had another try at a different Hockney style picture, but it didn’t finish off as well as we expected so we didn’t use it.

Overall, I had a fantastic week with Christina and enjoyed it a lot! I liked how every day we did and learnt something different and how it was relaxed yet we still got a lot of work done. I would definitely recommend visiting Christina for work experience or if you would like any photos taking. I would also like to thank Christina for a great week and being such a lovely, helpful lady throughout my week.

Comments

Wedding Workshop in Nottingham

On Wednesday of this week I made the trek up to Nottingham (which wasn't actually much of a trek compared to most of the other delegates who travelled from as far as Glasgow, Portsmouth and South Wales) for a workshop held at Crash Taylor's home. Crash, a very talented photographer, specialising in weddings is someone I can highly recommend to anyone. Apart from spending the morning getting to know the other photographers we then spent the afternoon photographing a hired model, in her own wedding dress, as we wandered through Nottingham Castle. It provided me a chance to see how other photographers handled their weddings as well as a chance to experiment with equipment I haven't had a chance to play around with. Like in this image to the right. Here I used my flash, mounted on a tripod off to the side. This allowed me to achieve studio quality lighting out of the studio, a technique I will be using in my environmental portraiture. I can't seem to make up my mind on whi...

London in Spring, Whats Not to Love?

Well I know there is still a lot not to love but I'm choosing to see the great things about London at the moment. I am having a ball this year visiting London as often as I can. Which is unusual for me since I usually prefer the comfort of my own home, in rural old Leicestershire. Staying home and avoiding people has always been the easy option. But this year, possibly due to the wonderful weather we keep having, has me longing for venturing out. Again, just like my last trip, I headed out with my good friend Panikos Hajistilly . Living in North London he finds it easy to meet up for our shoots. This time though I had more of an idea of the sights I wanted to use as the backdrops for my portraits. With it being spring I was in search of colour, preferably flowers. Admittedly. I didn't quite get what I was looking for. The white fronted terraced houses with pink magnolia trees we did not find unfortunately. But I did make it to Peggy Porchen's which was a must see on m...

I am Still Me: A Story about a Transgender Boy

Meet Leo. Leo is 15 and currently going through an epic transformation that has momentarily turned the lives of himself and those around him upside down. A mum who once had the daughter she always longed for is now coping with the realisation that she will be living the rest of her life with a son instead. When your child is born you have certain expectations of the typical life they will lead but most of us know and accept that it won't necessarily end up the way we imagine. Not every person wants to marry, have kids or be involved with the opposite sex. Most of us have come to accept this and can adjust to whatever comes our way relatively easily. But few of us have expected to have to deal with a change in sex. Its not that we've hoped it won't happen, but just that it never occurred to us that it might. This is a new adjustment that we as a society are being presented with today, just like so many others that have come before. When I first heard that Phoebe ...

Teen Portraits - Prom Season is Just Around the Corner

If your child is heading to prom in the next couple of months I'd say there is probably no better time than now to have portraits created of your growing teen. With the purchase of a new (and probably expensive) outfit wouldn't it be nice to capture this milestone with a portrait created by a professional. Across the pond this is a hugely popular time to create portraits, and although I am not American (I'm Canadian) I wholeheartedly agree that this is a special moment to record. My prom was a key memory in my teen years and in fact I myself had professional portraits created also. I think I'll go dig them up if I can, though admittedly I think my mother has them back in Canada. I wonder if I can get her to scan one for me. My daughter is currently making plans for college and in the running is one that will move her away from home, as many others are probably experiencing for themselves, particularly those who are 18. This makes it all the more important to ...

Family Photos with Flair - Vanity Fair Style Family Portraits

This style of portrait continues to be the eye catching success I had always hoped it would be. Once again I created a beautiful family portrait that I am really proud of and I know this family loves too. Over the years I have developed this style through influences such as Vanity Fair and the many photographers I follow, though I hope that there is something in here that is entirely my own. Having my work easily identified as my own was a goal of mine from the start. Getting to the point where people will want not just a portrait but a Christina Lauder portrait is where I've always wanted to be and I'm hoping I'm on way. These portraits were created for the family of two professional photographers who wanted some portraits of their own. Family portraits isn't really something one can do of oneself, at least not easily. So they needed the services of another and I was honoured to be chosen for the job. They chose me not just for my style but also for my ab...

Christina Lauder Portraits

Search This Blog