My Week With Christina - By Lauren Phillips

When I first arrived at Christina's studio I found it to be very Professional and clean. On the the first day, we had a meeting in Coventry with One Vision Imaging to discuss different types of frames and glass. Also Christina suggested they tried something different by taking certain elements of one frame and glass and changing it, creating a new product they could sell.

When it came to Wednesday, we had a group of 4 men from a very high end business company. Whilst Christina was photographing the men, I was watching and looking at all the positioning of the lights and where Christina was stood. Overall I think this day was good for me because it showed me how an ordinary day was for Christina. After the photo shoot Christina showed me, on the computer how to edit the photos and make them so that the photos were pleasing to the customer.

Later on that day, Christina took some photos of me and then I got to choose the one I would like processed and edited. Then showing me on Photoshop, Christina would tell me what relevant icons she needed to use to edit them. After she showed me what to do she gave me a little trial run to see if i remembered how she did certain things and for me to just get used to the software and her awesome pen and pad-mouse?

Thursday. Well, we were expecting a client but it turned out that she told us the wrong day, never mind. But the good thing was that the studio was set up ready for me to use with my friend (client) later on. Christina gave me some time to edit and process another photo we took from the day before, which was nice of her. When i was finally finished; bearing in mind that it did take me a long time to get used to the software and remember where everything was stored, I asked Christina for her opinion and she was very impressed with my first actual photo..edited! Phew, I passed!

It was now only 1 Hour away from me photographing my friend, Ella. I was really nervous but excited at the same time because I had never done this sort of thing before. Christina tried a few shots with me just to make sure that the lighting was right, but would soon have to change it as Ella is nearly 6ft! Thankfully Christina let me go outside and take photos so I would get used to the focusing and how heavy the camera was (it was really, really heavy). I came back inside to show Christina my photos. She took out the memory card and then we looked at them on the computer. She told me where the focus point actually was and if it was even in focus at all; which some were not.

Ella has now arrived. I set Ella up in the position I wanted her, but then we had to adjust the lights because of how tall she is. Also, Christina wanted to try something different; having a light flare coming in from one side on an angle, which was interesting.

Christina stayed in the studio just to see the first couple of shots and how they turned out. Now we were left on our own. I directed Ella pretty well I thought, but I bet she would beg to differ. The photo shoot went pretty well, we changed backgrounds and changed clothes and I even got photographed. When we were finally finished, I showed Ella how we edit the photos and she was amazed that all her flaws were gone, not that she had any anyway.

Friday. My last day. I finished off editing the best photos I took on Thursday and I am very proud of myself to have been challenged with something this different to what I'm used to. However, I have enjoyed this experience and hope to keep in touch with Christina and she is a brilliant photographer! I would recommend her to anyone and everyone who needs school photos or portraits, whether it be of themselves, family or friends.

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