Blog
- BLOG 9 APR 2021: Before & After Challenge
I’m starting a new photography challenge – it is called my “Before & After Challenge”. The aim of the challenge is to take you through a series of photographic exercises that will help improve your photography. And so we can see if you have improved or not we will get you to create a set of images at the start and again at the end that we can compare.
Here’s a video of me explaining the challenge and what you will need to do:
Before & After
The first thing you need to do is to pick a location. This needs to be one you can return to at the end of the challenge. If you are a people photographers you can optionally include a person (again you will need them to return at the end of the challenge).
At the location create a number of images which sum up the location and after you have done whatever editing you would normally do, select five different images to give a sense of place for your location. At the end of this blog post there is a link to a video that will help you with creating a sense of place with your images. But here a few thing to help you.
Each image should be different. Try to include different techniques & styles. Also try to include a mix of:
- General location
- Details
- Specific features
Imagine these are for a brochure for the location. Pick the five images that sum up the location. Post the images to my Facebook group. ONLY post the FIVE images you have chosen.
Over the following 12 weeks you will be given a series of photographic exercises, these are designed to improve the way you make images. After completing these exercises you will be asked to return to the original location and do the same exercise again. These are your after images. Now we compare both sets of images and we can see how you have improved as a photographer of this period of time.
Before & After Themes/Exercises
This a list of the twelve exercises that you will be asked to complete, one a week, between you before and after shoots
- 3 Rules of composition
- Blur or freeze
- Depth of field
- Focal length
- Time for night time
- Reflecting the light
- Exposure compensation
- Fill-in flash
- Noon vs the golden hour
- Colour vs monochrome
- Above, below, between
- Shady places
Quick FAQ
I am late joining the challenge where do I start?
Start at the beginning and create you before images then work your way through the exercises – it doesn’t matter if you are out of step with others doing the challenge – just do it at your own pace.
I missed one of the weekly exercises – what should I do?
I’d encourage you to do it, even if it is a week late and you end up out of step with others. Although I am releasing the challenges on a weekly basis it doesn’t matter if it takes you two weeks or more to do each step – just work through the challenges at your own pace.
Do I need to do all the exercises before I do back to create my “After” images?
Ideally, yes, that’s the point of the challenge to see how doing the exercises will improve your photography – but it doesn’t matter how long it takes you to complete the challenge.
Before – creating a sense of place
The following video will help you with the task of creating a sense of place in your “before” images
Continue reading →
Forthcoming Events
Thursday, 1 July 2021 – Horror Night
Location: Ian's StudioTime: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Price: £67.00 (1 spaces left)
Due to current COVID restrictions, this event is being run as a premium event, for just three photographers. In order for the event to take place, we must have EXACTLY three photographers booked. In line with government regulations, photographers attending will be required to wear a face covering. For your reference, the full COVID-19 policies for the studio are listed here: https://www.ians-studio.co.uk/2021/04/covid-19-notes-policies/
With just three photographers you will get much more time shooting throughout the evening than would be possible at a ‘normal’ group shoot.
At this event we will be looking at creating a range of “blood-soaked” images. In addition to a range of different lighting techniques, you will also learn how to create large quantities of fake blood.
During the evening you will have the opportunity to shoot a number of different setups with our model. These include
- “Carrie” (white dress with blood)
- Mad axe killer (see eFlyer!)
- Lilith from True Blood (Nude female covered head to toe in blood)
As a bonus, (subject to model approval and subject to government guidelines on social distancing) there should also be an opportunity to shoot Jason “Friday the Thirteenth” Voorhees terrorising his victim.
The model for this event will be Ella Jay – https://purpleport.com/portfolio/ellajaye?referrer=ianbutty
Images from a previous running of this event can be found here: https://photos.imb.biz/model/shoot/maude-fri13th
NOTE: An additional £7 per person has been added to the price of this workshop to cover the cost of the white dress that will be covered in ‘blood’ as part of this event. If a cheaper dress can be sourced some or all of this additional charge will be refunded.
The price for the evening is £67 – please book using the form below.
Please note: cash/payment on the night is only available to photographers who have previously attended two or more events at the studio.
| Don’t forget, Academy Members get a £5 discount on this event. Why not join the Academy today? |
Friday, 2 July 2021 – Horror Night
Location: Ian's StudioTime: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Price: £0.00 (0 spaces left)
Due to current COVID restrictions, this event is being run as a premium event, for just three photographers. In order for the event to take place, we must have EXACTLY three photographers booked. In line with government regulations, photographers attending will be required to wear a face covering. For your reference, the full COVID-19 policies for the studio are listed here: https://www.ians-studio.co.uk/2021/04/covid-19-notes-policies/
With just three photographers you will get much more time shooting throughout the evening than would be possible at a ‘normal’ group shoot.
At this event we will be looking at creating a range of “blood-soaked” images. In addition to a range of different lighting techniques, you will also learn how to create large quantities of fake blood.
During the evening you will have the opportunity to shoot a number of different setups with our model. These include
- “Carrie” (white dress with blood)
- Mad axe killer (see eFlyer!)
- Lilith from True Blood (Nude female covered head to toe in blood)
As a bonus, (subject to model approval and subject to government guidelines on social distancing) there should also be an opportunity to shoot Jason “Friday the Thirteenth” Voorhees terrorising his victim.
The model for this event will be announced shortly.
Images from a previous running of this event can be found here: https://photos.imb.biz/model/shoot/maude-fri13th
NOTE: An additional £7 per person has been added to the price of this workshop to cover the cost of the white dress that will be covered in ‘blood’ as part of this event. If a cheaper dress can be sourced some or all of this additional charge will be refunded.
The price for the evening is £67 – please book using the form below.
Please note: cash/payment on the night is only available to photographers who have previously attended two or more events at the studio.
| Don’t forget, Academy Members get a £5 discount on this event. Why not join the Academy today? |
Friday, 16 July 2021 – Red Room Studio Night
Location: Ian's StudioTime: 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM
Price: £60.00 (2 spaces left)
The “Red Set” has been very popular in the past at Ian’s Studio. Now for the first time, I am running this as a premium event.
Due to current COVID restrictions, this event is being run as a premium event, for just three photographers. In order for the event to take place, we must have EXACTLY three photographers booked. In line with government regulations, photographers attending will be required to wear a face covering. For your reference, the full COVID-19 policies for the studio are listed here: https://www.ians-studio.co.uk/2021/04/covid-19-notes-policies/
With just three photographers you will get much more time shooting throughout the evening than would be possible at a ‘normal’ group shoot.
At this event you will have the opportunity to shoot images using the red set – this includes red background, red sofa and red blinds. We will look at techniques for creating voyeuristic images, glamour images, and also how to light our subject through the Venetian blinds to create moody images with the shadow of the blinds across our subject. Our model will, of course, be wearing a red dress and red lingerie and will be posing from clothed to nude.
I can confirm that LilyLuxx will be the model for this event. (See: https://purpleport.com/portfolio/lilyluxx, https://twitter.com/LilyLuxxOnly/). Lily is new to modelling and I recently shot with her on the red set at the studio (It’s Lily you can see in the eFlyer for this event) and was VERY impressed with her.
The price for the evening is £60 – please book using the form below
| Don’t forget, Academy Members get a £5 discount on this event. Why not join the Academy today? |
Saturday, 31 July 2021 – Rain / Shower Workshop
Location: Ian's StudioTime: 10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Price: £100.00 (3 spaces left)
Creating rain images and shower images in a studio is a big challenge. At this workshop I will show you how we achieve it.
Due to current COVID restrictions, this event is being run as a premium event, for just three photographers. For the event to take place, we must have EXACTLY three photographers booked. In line with government regulations, photographers attending will be required to wear a face covering. For your reference, the full COVID-19 policies for the studio are listed here: https://www.ians-studio.co.uk/2021/04/covid-19-notes-policies/
With just three photographers you will get much more time shooting throughout the evening than would be possible at a ‘normal’ group shoot.
At this event you will have the opportunity to shoot images of our model in the rain. This will include the use of umbrellas and a selection of outfits.
The approximate timings are:
- 10:00 – 10:15 – Welcome, introduction to the workshop & health & safety briefing.
- 10:15 – 11:45 – Shower set 1 – with umbrella and clothed (two different outfits)
- 11:45 – 12:00 – Break/Empty water trap
- 12:00 – 13:00 – Bonus 1 *
- 13:00 – 13:45 – Lunch
- 13:45 – 14:45 – Bonus 2 *
- 14:45 – 16:00 – Shower set 2 – nude/soap/nude with coloured gels.
The event will last for 6hrs – including a 45min lunch break in the middle. Please bring your own sandwiches – I can provide tea/coffee
Using the shower set-up, we will create a rain effect (see the image in the eFlyer) and create a traditional shower effect. At this event, our model will be working both clothed and nude.
*The two bonus sessions will be two out of the following four options:
- Model splash images (Eg water wig)
- Oil & water droplets on model skin
- Clear slime
- Wetlook glamour (without the shower)
Once three photographers have booked they will be asked to choose which two out of the three they wish to shoot. In the event of a tie the model will have the casting vote!
We will be using the show to create the following images:
- Model under an umbrella in the rain
- Model in wet clothing in the rain
- Wet clothing (see-through) glamour images in the rain and in the shower
- Nude model with soap showering
- Nude with shower lit by coloured gels
Remember that when using the shower the rain effect is genuine and does NOT need to be added in post-production.
The model for this event will be announced shortly.
The price for the evening is £100 – please book using the form below
| Don’t forget, Academy Members get a £5 discount on this event. Why not join the Academy today? |
Photo of the Day
- POTD 12 Nov 2020: Lockdown20/8 – Doctor Who Magazine, Issue #1
Doctor Who Weekly – Issue #1
Doctor Who Weekly – Issue #1 (Image Reference: 20201112A-G0602)
Issue #558 of Doctor Who Magazine should have arrived in my letterbox today. It didn’t. So that spoilt my idea for today’s photo.
So instead I decided to do a little bit of time travelling myself and dig out my copy of the very first edition of the magazine (then called Doctor Who Weekly) from 17 October 1979. I can vividly remember going into Manchester after school to buy it.
The addition of the model Dalek in the image was an attempt to make the photograph look more interesting.
Settings: 1/40s, f/6.3, ISO 6400. Lens: EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM @70 mm.
PLEASE NOTE: This is not a source of free photographs.
Continue reading →
This photograph is (c) Ian M Butterfield. All rights are reserved. No use is permitted (including non-commercial use) without prior permission. If you wish to use any of my photographs please ask first. - POTD 11 Nov 2020: Lockdown 20/7 – The new toy
DJI Pocket 2
DJI Pocket 2 (Image Reference: 20201111A-G0595)
This arrived in the post today – a new video camera! This should open up a lot of possibilities for training videos and travel videos. As well as BTS video and providing a wide “cover shot” while doing video jobs.
Settings: 1/160s, f/8, ISO 6400. Lens: EF24-105mm f/4L IS USM @65 mm.
PLEASE NOTE: This is not a source of free photographs.
Continue reading →
This photograph is (c) Ian M Butterfield. All rights are reserved. No use is permitted (including non-commercial use) without prior permission. If you wish to use any of my photographs please ask first.
Stock Sales
For those who are interested in Stock Photography here's some information about some of the strange and not so strange sales that I have made.- SALE 24 Jul 2020: Goodbye Marco Polo – FIRST SaleContinue reading →
Deck party on the MV Marco Polo as it leaves Tortola (Image Reference: FK0312A-G03662)
Date: 12 Mar 2017
Camera: Canon EOS 5D Mark III
Lens: 12-24mm @12 mm
Exposure: 1/200s, f/8, ISO 100
Exposure mode: Aperture priority
Metering mode: Pattern
Exposure compensation: -2/3 EVNUMBER OF SALES TO DATE: 1
SOLD VIA: Alamy
LICENCE: Rights ManagedA few days ago the cruise company I have been a guest speaker for went into administration. Then I had a sale on Alamy of this image of the Marco Polo. I think I can guess what the newspaper story is about that it will be illustrating.
Link to image at Alamy: https://www.alamy.com/image-details-popup.asp?Imageid=%7B8f3f18b2-aa86-461e-af37-4f21cbbf9092%7D
You can see the other images from this shoot here: http://photos.imb.biz/travel/bvi/tortola/roadtown1703
Sales Info (Newest First)
Country: United Kingdom
Usage: Editorial
Media: Newspaper – national
Print run: up to 500,000
Placement: Inside and online
Image Size: 1/4 page
Start: 18 June 2020
End: 19 June 2020
One use in a single editorial article used within print and /or web versions, with re-use of the article in other titles or web versions within the same newspaper group. Digital use includes archive rights for the lifetime of the article. Any placement in paper and online - SALE 05 June 2019: Russian Dolls – FIRST SaleContinue reading →
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The Full Programme
For full details of all our fourthcomming events please use the links below or click on the event eFlyer. • Thursday, 1 July 2021 – Horror Night • Friday, 2 July 2021 – Horror Night • Friday, 16 July 2021 – Red Room Studio Night • Saturday, 31 July 2021 – Rain / Shower Workshop
REMEMBER: Academy Events will only be open for bookings to non-Academy members for the two weeks prior to the event.