Brett Harkness Photography Training

Last week saw us Host Ray Tan Photography on his 1-1 session and the week before with David Foden Photography. Both sessions were initially spent looking at their portfolio and their current methods of shooting. We then looked at weddings and the whole process of what goes into one of their own weddings and also one of mine. We spent the pm session shooting with a model , looking at numerous lighting setups in and out of the studio.Huge thank you to Nicky & Laura for modelling for us .Our bespoke sessions are very relaxed and we make sure that we cover as much as we can what you need to know.

If you are interested in our 1-1 or small group session please CLICK HERE or call the studio on 01706 340792 for more information.

Here are a few images taken on the 1-1 sessions.

Shot outside with Elinchrom Ranger, 1 head. 400 ISO 125th sec @f18

320 ISO, 250th sec @ f14. Using Quadra. 1/4 power.

ISO 400, 25th sec @f22, one head shot with Elinchrom Ranger & 70cm softbox.

To read more about the Elinchrom lights please read our last post HERE or go to the ELINCHROM SITE HERE.

No matter what flash situation I am in I still use the same techniques, it means I have full control of my situation and not being controlled by the lights or TTL!  ETTL is great and to be used when the time is short but I love the process of manual flash, I don’t know;  it makes me feel totally in control and on top of what I am doing. It is this process that you will learn if you come on one of our flash courses. After a brief session outside we headed into the Lowry Theatre  and after coffee continued to shoot around the building looking at light, form, posing and getting the most from the simple things! A huge thank you to Zan Atkinson our Stylist who rocks it every time. To Steph & Aaron & also to Alana for being great and for standing in the cold whilst everyone figured out their settings!

Here are some of the images shot on the course:

WEDDING FLASH II

Wednesday this week saw us put on our last flash course, in fact our last course of 2011! What a year it has been! The course content was the same as Monday so we started off at the studio ironing out the technique that has pushed our own wedding flash to another place. After heading out to Manchester for lunch we started shooting in a very cool location. The shoot started off in the back alleys of Manchester, because of the cold we didn’t last too long and then headed off into the very dark & spooky cellars under Manchester streets. We wanted dark and we go it!

After a while down there we headed off upstairs to the club and continued the shoot. Even using the ladies toilets for one of our backgrounds! It can be done! A huge thank you to the photographers for being such great sports even if we had to squeeze into the worlds oldest & smallest elevator! It was worth it! Also to model Emma for being amazing as ever, to Jnane & Stefan for also being great to work with. To our stylist extra-ordinare! Zan Atkinson.

Here are some images from the day:

SHOT TAKEN WITH DAYLIGHT & LASTOLIGHT REFLECTOR

SHOT IN THE BACK STREET OF MANCHESTER WITH A 70CM SOFTBOX

INSIDE THE CLUB, 500 ISO 1/20TH SEC @F16

IN THE STUDIO , 8TH POWER SPEEDLIGHT WITH AN EZYBOX, 250TH SEC @F3.5, 50ISO

WE HAVE JUST RELEASED OUR NEW EARLY 2012 COURSES SO JOIN US AT THE STUDIO AND AT SOME STUNNING LOCATIONS THROUGHOUT THE UK IN JAN-MAY 2012. FOR MORE INFO CALL THE STUDIO ON 01706 340792 OR CLICK HERE.

A big thank you to make up, Laura Cawte who did  a great job throughout the 2 days shooting with Kristie making sure all the models looked exactly as we wanted them to. A huge thank you also to The Flash Centre for the loaning of some wonderful equipment, very much appreciated and used! If you missed PART 1 & PART 2 please click on the day to view the story so far.

We started off with Laure outside just getting her used to use and more importantly us used to her!! She was great and gelled in with the group straight away. Using only a wall we looked at exposure, framing and interaction when language is a barrier.We then moved onto a few different backgrounds , a tree and also some of the vineyards that surround the chateau before heading back to the chateau. We got a couple of lights out , one as a back light and did a few shots before we ventured back.

A few shots from behind the scenes at the set ups up to this point. Thanks to Guy Levine & Ross Holkham for sending in some great BTS shots..

Paul wearing the models hat! Very fetching!!

We then moved inside for a quick coffee & cake! Before starting the second model for the day, Idoiaa. We had two very different but equally great looks going on this second day but because we had gone through a lot of information on day 1 we could concentrate on ironing out any problems people had with their shooting & flash and letting people shoot more.

Here is a little video from the first AM session:

Brett Harkness Training in France Day 2 am session from brett harkness on Vimeo.

Starting off inside we took Idoiia, into one of the darkest corners of the chateau! Looking at creating a more specific shot to match the surroundings. Teaching people how to match the exposure to the ambient surroundings without “killing it”.

A few shots from behind the scenes at this shot showing the equipment used:

We then went back inside using the window in the main dining room, starting off without any flash and again looking at exposure. We then set up one head on the right hand side of the Laure and looked at balancing and over riding the ambiance with it whilst Idoiia got changed for her next session.

Starting off in the Dining room we were looking to shoot against the light using a situation that could easily be replicated anywhere else! As long as you are not on the top floor!

A few pictures taken at this session…

We then headed into the dining room for a great rustic French lunch, chilling out with a few glasses of wine for good measure. A few us got the equipment ready for our next set up in the long room at the chateau.Using a mixture of daylight and our Elinchrom kit everyone got a mini session with Idoiia, un, deaux, trois!

A quick shot from BTS:

Here is a little video from this part of the session:

Brett Harkness Photography Training PM session from brett harkness on Vimeo.

By this time we had had an amazing three days at the chateau, shooting hundreds of images and passing on a lot of information. We had decided to go out on a bang and finish off shooting in a dead sunflower field using the huge Elinchrom Octabank, measuring 190cm across. This amazing light modifier is not for the faint hearted but we knew that the light quality that it would give out would be something very special and different so we couldn’t resist using it. After we managed to erect it we set up our last shot in the field…

The huge Octabank we used for our final image. Invented in 1982, their unique patented construction and design have won these large lightweight softboxes worldwide popularity. A lightweight die cast rigid central mounting for the flash head inside the unit which places the flash tube at the point of focus. The optical result is a light source, which is so even at the diffuser surface, that many famous photographers use the Octa as a single light source for portrait photography.

Me posing with my new best friend!!

Paul with a UFO landing on his head…!

The image produced with the single light source…

A little video clip showing our last set up..

Untitled from brett harkness on Vimeo.

Our last Group shot…

Wow, so what a few days we had this year in the amazing surrounding of Chateau Rigaud outside of Bordeaux. A huge thank you to everyone that made it down to the course. It is one to be remembered that’s for sure. A lot of information was passed on, a lot of questions asked, a lot of wine drunk! A lot of images taken, equipment used and a WHOLE lot of fun had! It was great for people to be able to spend some time together after the training, spending quality time with like minded people is something that not everyone gets the chance to do, it is a big part of our training courses that they are great social events also. We encourage all levels on our courses as we think that everyone can learn, whether full time pro’s or part time amateurs. So make 2012 a special year and book your training with BHP studios.

Here are some video testimonials from the photographers on the course…

The Last supper… Brett Harkness Training from brett harkness on Vimeo.

We are about to release some very exciting new dates for our courses for next year. So if these last few posts have inspired you and you want to take part in some great training next year then watch this space!

Read what people said about this course:

“un, dos, tres!! Fromage!!  Just got back from a wedding (nice sunset but not like France) to find this great email, can’t wait till the next adventure, the only problem you will have is that in the words of Joyce “nobody else can book unless one of us dies” lol.   Think we could make a book of quotes from the trip and the banter was nearly as good as the photography.”

Ross Holkham

“I just wanted to drop you both a quick note to say a huge thank you for the most fantastic few days in France…
I had the time of my life – so much fun with great friends, the most beautiful cool location, fantastic food, wine & great training as always…
Some very special memories & the image of man’s attempts to fly in a sunflower field with an octobox is one I’ll remember for quite some time!
Thanks again so much & I’ll get some photos over to you asap – see you very soon!”
Joyce

Sharon (11.07.2011 | 11:50)

Hello! I’ve really enjoyed watching all the clips !
I must do something with my hair next time! Ha. Thanks again for the best course EVER ! I learnt SO much and am enjoying putting it all into practise. Put me down for next year and i hope to see the same people again… It was great spending three days with everyone. Sharon x

Our last two courses have been a speed light only course ran from the studio and on location in Manchester and a Winter Wedding day at Knowsley Hall using a mixture of flashes, Elinchrom & Speed lights. Our speed light course at the end of October was using only speed lights, also all the goodies that Lastolite could throw at us! We used the new Ezy box system, the new quad flash bracket amongst other things. The aim of these courses is to show photographers how to use their flashes when A: it gets too dark or B: for creative effect. The two uses are for quite different outputs and effects. I am a great believer in planning when using flash , this might mean knowing where you are going to use them of having them set up ready to go. We usually have around 20 mins with our clients, usually less in the winter so I have learned how to grab the shots when I can. This means making the most of every moment we have with them.

We have 1 last flash course coming up on Dec 12th so join us at the studio and then onto a location to learn how to use your flash in all aspects of your social shooting.

Here are some images from our 1 day speedlight course held in Manchester on Oct 25th using only Canon & Nikon speed lights and Lastolite Ezy boxes:

Shot above using the new Lastolite Quad bracket & 4 flashguns.

In bewteen the two courses I also did 3 1-1 sessions at the studio, here is a shot taken on Mike’s 1-1 session using just 1 flashgun in a 21″ Ezy box of Liz doing a great jump.

All of the shots below were taken at Knowsley Hall on Monday just gone. Our Winter Weddings course was great. Using our Elinchrom system mostly with the odd Speed light thrown in for good measure. A huge thank you to Zan Atkinson for her wonderful make up and hair styling, you did an amazing job. Also to Knowsley Hall for their continued support. To Felicity, Josh & laura for there great modelling skills. An also a thank you to Novak Exclusive Bridal wear for the gorgeous dresses.

Image shot in total darkness at the front of the Hall.

I few behind the scenes shots from our Knowsley Hall course, thanks to Jonathan Yearsley who was on the course:

This is one thing you are up against when organizing a course in another country, unless you have someone on the ground you are in the hands of the models, make up etc… to turn up! Luckily we chose well. All of the models were fantastic and made it all to the chateau on time. So our first model Anna Shteyn had only been in France a few days, all the way from Russia. She was fantastic and worked all day and into the night to give all of our photographers as much as she could. So after breakfast the photographers got themselves ready for what was going to be a very long and action packed day in and around Chateau Rigaud!

Meanwhile model  Anna, went through to make-up to get ready for her day. A big thank you to make up, Laura Cawte who did  a great job throughout the 2 days shooting.

AM session- We spent the morning session keeping it simple, using just daylight and looking at getting the best exposure for the subject. Wearing casual clothes. We then moved onto just introducing a small rear flash as the ambiance was quite dull we looked at bringing the sunshine to us. It was good that the weather was like this as every day of shooting started off dull and the sun burnt through in the afternoon giving us the best of both ambient worlds to play with!

We managed to grab  a bit of video here and there when we could. As we didn’t have anyone there to specifically shoot video we had to make do with whoever was closest to the camera at the time! Using a Lexar 32GB card we managed to cover most of what we shot over the two days.

We travel light! Guy & myself walking back to the Chateau! Carrying an Elinchrom Deep Octa & Ranger kit.

Ross leads the march back to the Chateau with all the kit!

At lunch we headed off in the minibus to a nearby town overlooking the vineyards. We all had wine, chicken & chips ( french stylie! ) After a few glasses of vino we headed off back to the Chateau to start our afternoon session. Anna had changed into a beautiful vintage wedding dress by Kate Edmondson and was met by her husband to be for the afternoon, Adam Pollard, only 18 but has it all going for him, you’ll see what I mean when the pictures come out!!

PM session: Again we started off in a doorway just to give the couple time to get used to each other and using the lovely soft French afternoon light. We now brought in one big flash off right to the doorway we were shooting at .

We then headed inside for 20 mins to use the main stairway at the Chateau. Using just one light, way off to the right we positioned the model at the top of the stairs. Using a very long boom arm we positioned the Elinchrom head into position. There was very little light coming into the stairwell but with our settings we made the scene darker to ad drama and mood.

( Thanks to Ross Holkham & Guy Levine for their behind the scenes shots )

May I also take this opportunity to make a big thank you Kate Edmondson for the loan of her beautiful wedding dresses,  & to Victoria Mary Vintage for her wonderful hair accessories. Also to Denis Hope for the loan of a great suit that fitted our male model perfectly!!

After a moment or two of touching up make up and grabbing a freshly made muffin we headed off to our next location.I grabbed a quick bit of video and a couple of stills of Anna because the light was stunning..

A nearby Winery was our next location for some fashion/wedding imagery using the architecture, light , posing etc.. starting off using just the sun as our main light source!! By exposing from the highlights and a careful bit of exposure tweaking the sun if used properly is a great light source to use head on!

We moved onto the steps of the Winery using the beautiful french architecture in our shoot. Using a mixture of natural light and Elinchrom lights we shot here for 40 mins or so. Here are just a couple of the images taken at this time. We were aware that the light was fading fast and we didn’t want to miss the last location for our shoot. So we quickly returned to the Chateau for a quick dress change and then off to the hill top church.

Image showing an Elinchrom RX speed head in a Deep Octa box on a 10ft boom stand.

EVENING SESSION: To finish the days shooting we headed off down the road to a church that I had shot my sister at a few years previous but little did we know what we were in for! This evening session was for us to make some beautiful images of the B&G and we didn’t disappoint. Working quickly we used the low sunlight first shooting into the light and then moved on to mix it with the flash. Sometimes when you are out shooting something amazing happens with the light, this was one of those times. Just when we thought it couldn’t get any better we turned around and saw the moon rise over the church. We quickly moved the light over and made the most of the moment.

Kristie giving the very hard working Anna some make up touch ups..

One of the lighting set ups showing the fantastic boom arm we borrowed from The Flash Centre

Adam doing his thing!

What a day everyone had. We certainly covered a lot of information, set ups and shooting over the day. W could have stayed upon that hilltop all night I am sure, but I think we had worn out the models! That night we all had a beautiful meal made by our our chef, Tom. It was a very special meal with lots of wine being drunk, laughter and talking about the day etc..It was great to be able to spend some informal time together also on the course, most courses people leave and wish they could have asked this or talk about that, we were able to carry it on over a drink and some great company.

So what would day 3 bring? Well, if you weren’t there you’ll have to watch this space!

I used my Elinchrom Ranger RX speed pack with a 70cm softbox with a soft honeycombe grid. The grid cut down most of if not all of the modelling light so I had to put in a naked light on the B channel so as to help me focus. The shots were taken on 200 ISO , 160th sec @f16.

I have a few more things that I am working on at the moment apart from our “work” photography so watch this space for some more cool imagery over the next few months. A big thanks to Craig & Anna for letting me use their drive way for the shoot and for everyone that turned up for being such great sports.

IMAGE SHOWING THE SET UP. YOU DON’T NEED MUCH TO MAKE THINGS WORK!

So,on October 9th after shooting a wedding in Devon we headed off for the Channel tunnel and our trip down to Bordeaux in France. The Channel experience was great and we arrived in Calais only 28 mins later! A rainy and foggy Calais it has to be said but the weather vastly improved the further South we travelled. Our destination was the beautiful Chateau Rigeaud in the St.Emillion area. We had hired the chateau for 3 days for our course. We had been planning this course for many months and it was very important that we looked at all the finer details of the 3 night course. We are known for putting on a good show and have put on courses in Newcastle & 3 in London over the last year. When you are dealing with models abroad and organizing from a far it’s always hard.

I had photographed my sisters wedding a few years ago at the Chateau and we knew that this was the place to use when the right time arose. A big thank you to Anna from the chateau for helping us source flowers & make up amongst other things. Moment to thank them, flowers by Hayley Sutherland & make up by Laura.

It was the first time we had driven to France using the Channel Tunnel and it was a great experience and we will definitely do it again. Like a typical man I did get rather excited!!

So, after a 10 hour drive, a few stops, many coffees and a load of chatting and planning for future projects Kris & I made it to St.Emillion. Here are a couple of shots of our very very full car and all the kit before hand in the studio..

Most of the kit was mine but may I take this opportunity to thank The Flash Centre for loaning me some kit for the course also. They are are a great bunch and I choose them for all of my lighting kit needs. Here is a brief list of the kit that we took:

• Elinchrom Ranger RX Speed AS pack ( 2 heads )
• Elinchrom Ranger RX Speed pack ( 2 heads )
• Elinchrom Quadra pack x 2 & 4 heads
• Elinchrom Deep Octa / 2- 70cm softboxes
• Elinchrom High performance reflector 48˚
• Elinchrom Beauty Dish 44cm
• Elinchrom Indirect Lightbank Octa 190cm
• Elinchrom Snoot reflector & grid
• Various batteries
• Canon EOS 1ds Mark III & 5D mark II for video
• Avenger 10ft stand with 40″ boom / An amazing Boom arm that goes to over 11 ft
• Canon 70-200/ 50mm 1.2 / 16-35mm 28 /
• Think tank belt system & travel bags
• Lexar 16GB 600 speed CF cards

When Kristie & I arrived at the chateau we were greeted with champagne and cake!! Music to my ears!! After freshening up we went for a walk and a drive around the chateau looking for places to plan out for our shoot. Finding some very cool places. We then set up most of the kit and got all the clothes ready that we had bought or borrowed, matching up the outfits with the backgrounds that we had already scouted out.. Kristie modelling some of the clothes to give me a visual idea of how to piece things together…

May I also take this opportunity to make a big thank you Kate Edmondson for the loan of her beautiful wedding dresses, you will be seeing them in the next post & to Victoria Mary Vintage for her wonderful hair accessories. Also to Denis Hope for the loan of a great suit that fitted our male model perfectly!!

The aim of the course was not only to teach people how to use lights but also how to style, look at exposure and to create gorgeous images. We also wanted the course to be about more than learning. Whenever a group of photographers get together like this in this kind of environment it is a recipe for success. And the ingredients were all there! Everything we do at our studio whether training or our own shoots we do to the best of our ability. From our customer service to pushing the boundaries on our shoots; we live for what we do and this shows in not only the images that we produce but also how we feel when we are doing it!

Monday morning Kris & I set off in the mini bus to Bordeaux airport to pick up all of the photographers which were mostly flying in on the same early morning flight. We knew that it would have been too much to expect the delegates to start shooting as soon as they arrived so we laid on champagne and cake upon arrival and the photographers had the rest of the day to play with our equipment, take a book and a drink under the large tree at the front of the chateau, take a dip in the pool or rest in one of the beautiful rooms in the chateau, ot go for a walk around the vineyard…which many did, whilst a few made a splash in the pool!!

This is the first time I have ever used the 5d for video,we had no equipment with us for video or indeed any hands spare to do it with! It is an art by itself but we had fun trying when we could, the camera was usually left on a tripod and when people got the chance we all had a go! We also used mobile phones on occasion just to document our day, so the quality isn’t great so all you video buffs out there don’t judge us on our video skills! Next time I will certainly take a stabilizer rig with me but the course was about photography and for the time being we will stick to that!!

First group shot taken on a crappy phone, it’ll only get better!!

So the first day ended with us all having a great meal cooked by our own personal Chef Tom who also has his own great business The Flavoursmith! Who we all thank so much for feeding us over the 3 days, it was amazing.Waking up to a great breakfast every day, cake & cookies in the afternoon followed by 5 star food & service  every night. The talk was not only photography based but also many other topics floated around the room. The atmosphere was very easy going from the moment everyone arrived at the airport. With a great mixture of photographers and characters.

May I also thank Fiona and her team for looking after us at the chateau and for making our stay even more special. The night was spent drinking, chatting , laughing and planning the first days shooting to come….. Some chatting into the night with numerous bottles of wine being drunk! Here are some of the video highlights from the first day. I will be posting soon on day 2, our first shooting day!! Watch this space….

Using a 50mm lens is not for the faint hearted as with things and people so far away it forces you to think more about what you are photographing. Making you look around each corner of the frame and deciding whether to include or not.

It isn’t easy, especially if you are used to using a zoom lens all the time but it does make you stop and think and look to make an image , not just take a photograph. Documentary shooting is a large part of what I do on all of my shoots; weddings, commercial , lifestyle and having the ability to create an image out of something very simple or to see something in a crowd or a busy street is another string to your bow.

A big thanks to Guy, Tony, Mike & Karl for joining me on a great day.

We do have some places left on our last courses of 2011 , so don’t miss out. Take a look at the COURSES PAGE for a full list of the courses left. You can also pay through the site or via the studio by calling Kris on 01706 340792.

Here are some of the images from the day. If you get chance, leave a message or if you have a question you can leave one on the message board on the right hand side.

A couple of shots of us all in action & a little video from our documentary day out.

Watch out behind you!

Getting down with Blackpool’s donkeys…

Patience is key when waiting for the right moment to shoot..
A few little snippets from the day shot by Guy..