I had my first ‘official’ shoot yesterday at Barefoot, official in the sense that a friend wanted some pictures of herself for her website and I got paid in limejuice. Actually the limejuice was much, much appreciated considering the severely dehydrated state I was in due to the previous nights antics. I was actually very nervous about taking the shots, mostly because when I head out with a camera I head out for myself, what I want to capture and showcase to the world. Yes I do care what other people think of my work but mostly because any shortcomings they can point out helps me improve my work. That and there is that ‘small’ ego thing of people swooning over one of your pictures. I hadn’t really dealt with handling someone else’s expectations, but it was definitely worth the effort.

Barefoot was hot, very hot and I had two ‘assistants,’ which made me even more nervous with the painful shyness around strangers that I suffer from. Also I’m sure I looked a bit odd rolling around the ground in a white t-shirt at a café in Colombo. Thankfully the wall T had chosen as the backdrop was at the back of the foot, so my antics would have only amused my subject, the two ‘assistants’ who spent most of their time sitting around and making ribald comments (including one un-kept promise of a bit of disrobing) and the kitchen staff. Of course since I started off as a wildlife/nature/research photographer I really don’t mind groveling in the dirt too much, but still. 

Some things I learnt, in a situation like that composition is of the essence, especially when the subject is as fussy as T and perspective, a couple of inches vertical either way works wonders. Also burst shots are essential; there are so many emotions that cross a human face in the space of milliseconds that I think for portrait work shooting fast is essential. You never know when you might get that one unguarded moment that is magical. Anyways it was a most enjoyable experience, hopefully the pictures come out well, the subject is happy and pacified and I’m definitely looking forward to more limejuice shoots.

Just a taste below….T in a pensive mood