Anna Saverimuttu's Photography Blog

Photoshoot for Florist

As it's currently wet and grey outside and blowing a gale, I thought I'd blog this shoot to brighten things up a bit!

A couple of months back I photographed some floral displays for a local florist who was updating her website.  She has some beautiful designs and naturally wanted to show them off in the best way possible.  I found it easiest to shoot from above, and take a mixture of shots which showed the whole bouquet and also highlighted some of the details, by using a large aperture and therefore a shallow depth-of-field.

Here are some of my favourites.

Fashion Shoot - Hoxton

I'm always on the lookout for inspiring backgrounds for my outdoor portraits, particularly for model shoots.  When I visited Hoxton recently I knew that I wanted to take some photos here - from grungy doorways to brightly-painted hoardings, it's a photographer's dream; as is my lovely friend Anna, who as well as looking gorgeous and having a great personality, also possesses some wonderful vintage dresses. 

I didn't really have a particular "look" in mind for this shoot, apart from wanting some glamorous shots, and so I just asked Anna to bring along a selection of dresses, with perhaps something quirky thrown in for good measure.  As you can see, she didn't disappoint - thank you Anna for a great day!

 

 

It really was serendipitous that after an overcast day, the sun just happened to come out as we just happened to be passing this wall and Anna just happened to have on the right dress!  Both the quality and the direction of the light were perfect for this shot.

Baby Portraits Guildford

Last week I photographed baby Marcus and his mum, (I last photographed her when she was pregnant, back in July).

We had a great time keeping Marcus amused and entertained, and I got some lovely expressions; a real mixture of soulful and smiley ones!  Here are some of my favourites.

Model Portfolio Shoot - Guildford

Laura contacted me awhile back via my website, to get some shots done for her modelling portfolio, so we met up in Guildford and spent a great morning shooting in lots of different areas.

We ringed the changes with both outfits and backdrops and I experimented with both hard and soft lighting to create a range of different effects.

These are some of my favourites from the session.

Photographers and Fitness

Whether you're a press, wedding or corporate photographer, I think we're all guilty of lugging round bag-loads of equipment without a thought for what it might be doing to our backs; heavy equipment goes with the job and often it's all too easy, when you're in the thick of things, to move carelessly or pick up your bag without really thinking. 

During one corporate portrait shoot I was in a typical knees-slightly-bent and back-slightly-bent posture for hours on end, and it wasn't surprising that the next day I found myself in agony and hardly able to move; fortunately for me, I had a quiet couple of weeks in which to recover, and didn't miss any work as a result.

This is why it's so important that we should pay more attention to looking after ourselves - after all, as self-employed professionals, we can't afford to take time off through sickness.  One of the things I've found invaluable for helping both my posture and the way I lift and carry things is Pilates.  Pilates is based on a series of powerful exercises which help to stretch your body and strengthen your "core" muscles - these are the ones that help you to hold yourself properly and keep your back strong.

I've been doing Pilates for about 4 years now, and everytime I finish a strenous photographic assignment, a short 20-minute session helps to "straighten everything out".  It's incredible the difference it makes to your posture too - if I miss more than a couple of days, I really notice it.

So, a word to all those photographers out there - look after your body, especially your back, and don't take it for granted.

Actor's Headshots - Guildford

A few weeks' ago I did some Spotlight-style headshots for an acting-student.  These are generally black and white shots, and can either be taken in a studio or outdoors. 

Being a location-only photographer, I was able to find lots of different places for us to use, and as it was a really bright, sunny day with no cloud, I looked for good directional light coming from the side or the front, with plenty of top-shade, provided by trees and buildings.  Good lighting can really make or break a portrait, and as you can see from these examples, I've used it in a variety of ways to shape and model the subject's face and really give some depth to the portraits.  Using a fairly shallow depth-of-field also allows the eyes to focus on the person rather than the background.

Anna Saverimuttu Scores a Silver

Last month I entered the image below in the SWPP's (Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers) monthly competition, and was thrilled to find out that it had scored a silver. 

As well as weddings and portraits, there are many other categories in which members can enter their images, ranging from architecture to press and PR. Images are judged on a variety of criteria, such as composition, impact, use of light etc, although it is not necessarily the case that the more complex the setup, the better the photograph.  This image, for instance, was taken on a film camera, and I simply shot from underneath the fig leaves, which were growing above a wall, so that the light shone through them.   

Oxford in the rain

There's nothing like visiting a new place to get inspiration; most people take hundreds, if not thousands of photos when they go on holiday because everything is new and they're seeing it with fresh eyes. 

But you don't necessarily have to go to the furthest flung corners of the earth for inspiration.  Anywhere that takes you away from the familiar spaces outside your front door will do.  So last Thursday I decided to visit Oxford - I've always loved it here anyway, and the buildings and all the architectural details are great for photography.  I wish I could say the same for the weather which was, in a word, WET.  However, a bit of rain is no excuse to stop taking photographs, and I actually managed to take a surprising number both during and in between the downpours, which varied from light sprinklings to torrential cloudbursts, complete with thunder and lightning.

There are some things you just have to photograph and get out of your system in Oxford, and bicycles are one of them.

Using selective focusing and a shallow depth-of-field is a great way of homing in on a particular detail in a shot and leading the viewer's eye into the frame.

I really liked the design of the grille outside this window.

When the rain was at its heaviest I joined the ever-increasing numbers taking shelter underneath the canopies outside Blackwell's bookshop.

The Bridge of Sighs - another of those shots that you just have to take.

I seem to have an aversion to keeping the camera straight. 

More architectural details!

This shop was stuffed full of everything you can imagine.

And of course, Oxford wouldn't be the same without its secondhand bookshops (although they are disappearing fast).

Choosing the Right Family Portrait Photographer

How do you go about choosing a family portrait photographer?  Well, it should certainly involve more than a search through the Yellow Pages.

After all, professional photography is more than just a commodity and no two photographers will be alike in their approach and style.

With this in mind, I've written an article about the sort of things that you should take into consideration.

Read on to find out more about how to choose the right family portrait photographer for you.

A bus ride with Lord Mandelson

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to photograph Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson when he visited Guildford, along with Energy & Climate Change Secretary, Ed Miliband and transport minister, Sadiq Khan.

After being met at Guildford Station, the three were then taken by a special bus to the Alexander Dennis factory, which was launching its fleet of new environmentally friendly vehicles. 

This was the second time that I have taken photographs on a moving bus and despite a few unsteady moments going round corners, I secured the shots I needed!

Following a quick tour round some key areas of the factory, and a chat with staff, the visitors completed a series of media interviews and posed for photographs, before boarding the bus again and heading back to London.

The available light in the factory was quite dim in some areas, so it was a case of dragging the shutter slightly for some of the shots.

Nearer to the entrance, I was able to use available light only.

I wasn't going to miss this one!