'The Hopfather' Wye Valley Brewery

Wye Valley Brewery contacted me after finding my Herefordshire Landscapes series, to discuss ideas for new content for their upcoming anniversary beer and new calendar. I was pretty excited, I am quite a fan of their work.

An initial plan was for landscapes along with a few portraits to compare the current Hopfather (Vernon Amor) in their new brewery to photographs of the founder (Peter Amor), when he started out brewing in the back of the Barrels in Hereford.

After a conversation with the marketing team this beautifully spiralled somewhat out of control…

What resulted was a full set of portraits and staged action shots, portraying the WVB team as the family run and tight knit business that they are, with a mafiso edge…

The anniversary beer is called ‘The Hopfather’ after all.

These were made into a calendar, can be found all about their distribution area on dripmats and I also discovered their brilliant, movie style advert recently:

Below: Some of the team swiftly load the branded getaway mini - strictly overseen by Abbie, in the name of a drama playing out inside their photographers head.

Despite how grim everyone looks this is possibly the most fun shoot I have ever made. Enormous thanks to the whole incredible team for being so game to act out my ludicrous Godfather themed ideas “..so Scouse, you’ve just brutally murdered this chap right, he’ll be on the floor covered in fake blood and I want you to shower off in the emergency chemical shower...”  

Thanks to Peter Glendinning for getting involved with great suggestions and supplying the essential hop backdrop, as well as for all his work in creating the hop varieties of the future (Jester starring in the ad above being one). Extra special thanks to marketing Abbie Gadd and Isobel Heywood for all their incredible input, organisation and assistance.

Also of course to Peter and Vernon, for looking the part so completely “... look really grim, perhaps dour is a better word - yes perfect hold that face” and for creating really amazing beer as well.

As usual you also can view the whole set on Flickr

Lionheart Promo Poster Art

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This shoot was for a very old friend Matt Milne (check out his IMDB), who is working on the proposal for a film to document and dramatise the true British boxing story of George Groves vs Carl Froch.

He called me in to provide the photographic base for the mock-up poster artwork, to be taken to Lionsgate along with the script and movie ideas for their appraisal. 

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Matt chose the metaphor of facing up to the unrelenting surf and an enormous wave to conjure in popular imagination the feeling of insurmountable odds. However, the impression we wanted to achieve was a gritty, determined and prepared attitude to facing the inevitable. Or more accurately a choice made to stand and fight - win or be broken. 

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The shoot was done (purposefully) on a dismal miserly day on Rhossili beach in Wales. Matt was in the cold hard surf and bitter wind for 2 hours to get the stills and film we wanted.

Then we went surfing...

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The final poster was created based on the photography by graphic  and designer Oliver Gillard of Gage Graphics - check out his work.

As usual you also can view the whole set on Flickr

Crete Location Portraits

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A series of posts now following a family holiday in Crete.  First up - location portraiture:

View the whole set on Flickr

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I felt that whenever I was with family or friends any portraits were so opportunistic that I never had the chance to make the most of really amazing locations. 

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On many of the walks and explores on this trip I used a posed portrait as the focal point in a street scene or landscape to bring it scale, depth and relatability. 

This way of blending architectural or landscape techniques with controlled portraiture is a great deal of fun and I think generated more purposeful and representative photos of the time we had, the people and the places, than if I had only photographed what was immediately happening with no creative intervention.

A landscape photographer who largely inspired in me love for this approach is Bastian - A German landscape photographer who features in many of his own (polaroid & tilt-shift) images. See his outstanding work here.

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2014.08.13 MItchell Taylor Workshop Portraits

This portrait shoot was for MTW, the award winning architecture practice I worked at before leaving for freelancehood. An incredible team - I miss working with them! It was fun coming at them from a photographic angle for the first time though. The shoot was in the dojo of Stillpoint - a health, wellbeing and activity centre on Walcot Street in Bath - to this day one of my favourite projects of theirs.

As usual you also can view this set on Flickr

As always cutting criticism and comments via email (tomglendinning.photography@gmail.com) or 

facebook

, are hugely helpful and welcome.

If you don't like something then please, tell me - Also try to articulate why, it is tremendously useful to have constructive, critical feedback. You can view my full portfolio, contact and pricing information on my WEBSITE -

tomglendinning.co.uk

Rob Mitchell

Kris Eley

Simon Gould

The Gang

2014.02.06/12 Crafting Melodies

Crafting Melodies. 

PRODUCTS & PORTRAITS

It’s been a fairly quiet month so far, with more networking and contact-finding than commissions. However some fun points before todays post:

>

 I’ve started working as an assistant with 

Colin Hawkins

, an excellent local photographer, through contact with his primary assist, 

Laurie Lapworth

.

The first job was a brief for a BBC show on animal’s sleeping habits.

Bristol Zoo. Dark. Wind. Lions. Presenter. Holding heavy lighting rigs at full extension. Tremendous fun - more please!

>

 GoPro is a-go. I have plundered the savings for a 

GoPro Hero3+

. It will be used for filming adventurous antics but also to supplement sport photography coverage. Watch this space for moving pictures!

Watch my favourite inspirational video so far: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fVcV9ItdZ8w 

Crafting Melodies

This project was done for some Bath Spa Uni students taking music management courses for their enterprise module. They have set up a series of music related crafted products for sale and needed professional photography of Products, Portrait Profiles and Backgrounds for their 

website

. Shoots were with speedlites on location in a University music studio and at Burdall’s Yard in Bath.

2013.08.16 Shooting Little Sister

These two shoots are of my little sister when she came to visit for the weekend.

We had some un on the swing up the hill in the morning and later on set up the studio for a quick shoot. Unfortunately due to back pain I was feeling completely exhausted at this point and I did a very bad job of directing her and getting what I wanted from the shoot - but luckily she was great at messing around and trying out news things with little prompting, if not that great at sitting still while I adjusted the lighting!

All taken with 7D, 24-70 f2.8L, studio shoot against backdrop with 3 steady lights and 1 flash on remote.

In other news - I am waking up the old SLRs for use in shoots and on projects - particularly for some street and cafe photography. My plan is to never be without a camera, and using a B&W film with a tiny lens makes a photographer far less conspicuous and also easier to approach strangers to pester them for a portrait.

That said if anyone has some film they don't need I would gladly accept all donations :)

Photos of me are taken by Lydie - who is a great little photographer!

As usual you also can view this set on Flickr

As always cutting criticism and comments via email (tomglendinning.photography@gmail.com) or 

facebook

, are hugely helpful and welcome.

If you don't like something then please, tell me - Also try to articulate why, it is tremendously useful to have constructive, critical feedback.

STUDIO SHOOT

Studio 1

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Studio 3

Studio 4

Studio 5

Studio 6

Studio 7

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Studio 12

Studio 13

Studio 14

Studio 15

Studio 16

SWING SHOOT

Swing 1

Swing 2

Swing 3

Swing 4

Swing 5

Swing 6

Swing 7

2013.07.28 Bebe Pepi

Casual photos in a park with Bubato's 3 month old baby 'Pepi'.

14. 22/7/13

"…had a nice last full day in Bulgaria visiting friends with Bobby […] we take the tube to a suburb of soviet blocks. Here in a small playpark - one of the many dotted between the apartment blocks who are mostly overgrown and in some degree of disrepair but still full of children and parents - we meet Bubato and Pepi her baby boy. [Bubato got married whist we were here and was part of the reason to come to Sofia when we did].

The girls chat away and I join in a little, but mostly I babysit Pepi and carry and swing him around to keep him happy, and then take some photos of him with Yana and Bubato. The girls comment on how guys are more natural with babies and Bubato says how Bjorn took to looking after the baby very naturally whilst Bubato found it more difficult… Anyhow he is very fun and happy…"

As usual you also can view this set on Flickr

As always cutting criticism and comments via email (tomglendinning.photography@gmail.com) or 

facebook

, are hugely helpful and welcome.

If you don't like something then please, tell me - Also try to articulate why, it is tremendously useful to have constructive, critical feedback.

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2013.07.27 Taking Tea

6. 14/7/13

"…Bobby then takes me to meet Dani, who shows us to a tea house where we sit upstairs on cushions at low tables and take some truly delicious tea and sweets [also pancake with apple and honey]. I have 'Balance', a light, sweet herbal mix. Bobby and Dani chatter away in Bulgarian and I sit in bliss, overhearing a passionate conversation drifting up from downstairs about previous lives and the dangers of the film 'Back To The Future' on your immortal soul."

As usual you can view these photos on flickr - visit my photostream.

As always cutting criticism and comments via email (tomglendinning.photography@gmail.com) or 

facebook

, are hugely helpful and welcome.

If you don't like something then please, tell me - Also try to articulate why, it is tremendously useful to have constructive, critical feedback.

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Jackson Kingsley Productions

For a while now Jackson and I have been discussing making some photographic material to use in his business and profile as a camera man and film maker. 

This is the first shoot we have done, and although there will be more to come I am pleased with how these turned out.

It was my first outdoor shoot in a while, so it was good to try out my new gear. Off camera flash was very handy for to produce useful fill when the sun wasn't behaving. However the setting was great and Jackson and I had fun playing with his new camera as well, making a short film in the woods, which was great except for such a blantant continuity fail in the last shot that we binned it.

As usual you also can view the set on Flickr

As always cutting criticism and comments via email (tomglendinning.photography@gmail.com) or 

facebook

, are hugely helpful and welcome.

If you don't like something then please tell me - and try to articulate why, it is tremendously useful to have feedback like this.

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Studio Shoot (Estelle)

Practice studio shoot No.3

The lovely model is Estelle Martin-Iyet, French erasmus student in 5th year at Bath

 Architecture

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One of the best features on my new 7D is the ability to use the built in pop-up flash as a sync for off-camera speedlites. This I utilised throughout this shoot and having the full and variable power of a flash (modifier: rogue flashbender) was much more effective and controllable than solely using lamps and umbrellas for creative light and flash only as front-on fill.

Prep for this shoot involved scanning Bobbie's 'Bazaar' fashion magazines (which actually have some excellent photo shoots in) for poses I liked, and adapting them with Estelle as I shot.

All in colour this time. Estelle's preference, but it was my aim to get a bright full colour shoot also. Having the speedlite off-camera really helped to bring the colour out effectively.

Edited using aperture for the most part, Nix Software Viveza2 for final colour edits.

As usual for me no airbrushing or selective photoshop.

The shoot was a load of fun - Thanks to Estelle who was fantastic! My confidence and a general sense of knowing what I wanted, as well as knowing more instinctively how to set the lighting (still lots to work on here though), helped plenty with the success of the shoot.

Afterwards we all drank (Spanish) wine and had lasagne.

As usual you also can view the set on Flickr

As always cutting criticism and comments via email (tomglendinning.photography@gmail.com) or 

facebook

, are hugely helpful and welcome.

If you don't like something then please tell me - and try to articulate why, it is tremendously useful to have feedback like this.

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Llangranog Candid Kids

An addition to the Llangranog post - these were a few candid shots I took of kids playing on the sands at Llangranog.

As usual you also can view the set on Flickr

As always cutting criticism and comments via email (tomglendinning.photography@gmail.com) or 

facebook

, are hugely helpful and welcome.

If you don't like something then please tell me - and try to articulate why, it is tremendously useful to have feedback like this.

Llangranog Beach 1

'Intense Concentration in Construction'

Llangranog Beach 2

'Bravery'

Llangranog Beach 3

'Flee!'

Llangranog Beach 4

'Big world to run away into'

Llangranog Beach 5

'Wet Pitch Conditions'

Llangranog Beach 6

'Tide Stops Play'

Studio Shoot (Ainé & Rory)

This post is the second studio portrait shoot I have done as part of my new training regime. The wonderful participants in this case were Ainé (who I work with) and Rory her brother. Whilst the last shoot was completely of my own devising and had no real need for outcome, the results below are planned as a birthday present for their mother, and as such the pressure to perform increased. Ainé also had in mind a relaxed and natural photograph of the two of them, so I opted for a semi-candid approach. I would position the two of them loosely, give them a direction to look and let them chat away (with the odd interruption for direction or positioning), the better to catch some direct emotion and reaction between them. 

This I think was successful - however due to the nature of their vibrant chatter and almost unceasing mirth (I spent most of the shoot quietly giggling behind the camera), I ended up taking One THOUSAND Thirty Four, yes *1034* photos in a single hour of shooting. This edited down to around 15 I was pleased with. Not the best kill/keep ratio. However, I am happy with myself at the speed my picking and editing has now reached.

In the last shoot (with Maria) I made the error of being woefully unprepared in what poses I wanted to create, or a feeling I wanted to emulate. This made the 2 hour shoot a bit of a roller coaster ride for me, hunting to get a pose that I liked and worked. Once settled into the shoot it proved successful, but the constant creative energy required to think of each shot prevented me from focusing on the details of the photograph and on making the very most out of the model. It also was utterly exhausting! 

Lesson learned, this time round 

I made preparations for each general position.

 Even though Ainé and Rory would be able to carry on without me to some degree, whilst I chose my angle for each shot as I wanted,  I outlined in advance six poses I wanted to try, with notes as they occurred to me about each. 

This was brilliant and solved my problem. I barely even glanced at my notes and I had a clear idea already formed, with enough brain space in the moment to focus on the detail and make the most from the arrangement.

As usual you also can view the set on Flickr

As always cutting criticism and comments via email (tomglendinning.photography@gmail.com) or 

facebook

, are hugely helpful and welcome.

If you don't like something then please tell me - and try to articulate why, it is tremendously useful to have feedback like this.

For the geeks.

My studio set up for this shoot was:

Canon 50D

tamron 17-50 (I still reallly want a 24-70)

White sheet backdrop. Smooth paper roll will come soon.

2 Lamps with umbrellas to light backdrop

1 lamp with umbrella to light model.

Speedlite on camera with rogue flashbender modifier.

Edited with Aperture and Silver Efex Pro2.

The lighting for this shoot was more generally bright whereas before I was looking for deeper shadows for creative modelling. 

I lit the backdrop with two high lamps, had the models further from the backdrop, and with one lamp facing the models from an angle to get some direction lighting and supplement the on-camera flash.

I think the colour came out better in this shoot than the last but I am still not entirely content with the result (examples below). I am putting this down to lighting to some degree and need to look into how to solve this problem.

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