Samantha - Low Light Portraits

Light is something that photographers work with. I started as a sound engineer, which was the study, capture, release and manipulation of sound waves. I have always thought of photography in similar way, just the waves are a lot faster. Physics wasn't ever my strongest science subject, but it has followed me (or is it the other way around) since I started working for myself and passions became part of my livelihood.

For anyone who has ever taken a photo in a darkened space without flash. Trying to capture what our eyes see is the holy grail of optics and photography. Over the decades the technology has increased and made this much more of a reality. Some cameras can 'see' in almost total darkness. Quality is always affected but photographers have adapted to the challenge and creates regardless. 

This shoot was interesting as we had a very small hotel room and either really awful overhead light or small sources like table lights. This was the first shoot I did with a Sony A7s camera which purportedly has the best lowlight ability of any digital camera on the market at the time of use. It was a challenge to use, totally different physically and it having an electronic viewfinder was a blessing and a curse. Basically I went to the deep-end on purpose but that is the joy of this kind of shoot. The shoot also combine my normal camera (Canon 5D MKIII) and Mamiya 645 MF with film back plus the A7s.

Lots of photographers call themselves either "a strobist" or a "natural light" photographer. It's like there is an exclusivity to each style. While I more fall into the strobist area overall, I don't identify by that term. I also don't identify by "natural light" either. I that a good photographer just works with light, regardless of the source. So being able to work with anything thrown at you is part of the amazing challenge of this work. I urge photographers to look outside of those terms, and work with anything or everything available to you. This doesn't mean you shouldn't have favourites. I certainly have my "go-to" ways of shooting, but I also know that it's a crutch and if I use the same techniques all the time, others become rusty. 

Therefore, the "deep end" is something I will try to push myself into as much as possible. Low light photography with and without strobe was this challenge with a mix of cameras and film + digital.

• Model: Samantha Mansfield
• Location: Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia

Captured using Canon 5D MKIII

Captured using Mamiya 645 Medium Format with Ilford Delta 3200 Pro film

Cimmerian - Fine Art Series

My journey into more fine art realm with photography continually shows me something a little more dark than I expect.

I grew up on lots of pop culture and devoured a lot of horror films as a teenager. I still love good horror films (not much around these days) and also the art within pop culture.

Somehow while working with the amazing Samora Squid, I found this dark place unintentionally again. With the help of Tahnii Marquis and her awesome body painting skills, we journeyed into something a darker than my original concept.

We spent 2 hours painting Samora from head to toe and then 2 hours photographing him. The results are more than I ever imagined.

Into The Wilds - Artistic Nudes (NSFW)

Model: Erin M

One very early Saturday morning Erin & I went on an adventure into the wilds of Tasmania. We had a mission to create some artistic nudes within the amazing wilderness of the island we live in.    So we started at dawn and travelled, explored and shot until dusk.

There is something amazing about working within this environment. As someone that has lived in Tasmania most my life and explored a fair bit of it when I was younger, I really had forgotten what it was light to just get out into the forests.

Reality Check

Meet Allison, 24, a breast cancer survivor. 

In 2013 Allison found a lump. Her worst nightmare was confirmed by the doctors, she had inherited the same affliction that her mother battled. 

Her friends and community rallied around her but her partner Dwayne was her rock. Now the healing has started but the scars remain. 

This type of photography I think is really important. Allison is one of the bravest young women I know. I expected the shoot to be emotional and challenging, but we turned up the cheesy 80’s music, talked about life, the universe and everything. While talking we created a bunch of different portraits showing her amazing attitude and love of life. A positive attitude is part of the healing process and Allison is amazing because she keeps smiling.

I asked Allison what charity she supports and I got the following response:

“BCNA (Breast Cancer Network Australia) & Cancer Council are both good. I can't remember which one gives out the free padded Masectomy bra & a free 'cancer' diary. It really helps when you're overwhelmed by appointments when first diagnosed. 

But more than anything, I just want women to get themselves checked yearly, WAY before they hit 40. Donating's always nice but checking is way more important.”

More information can be found at:

• Cancer Council: www.cancer.org.au
• Breast Cancer Network Australia: www.bcna.org.au

UPDATE

ABC Hobart took an interest in the story and have interview Allison & myself. Listen to the interview below:

KAYLA & Welcome 2015

Welcome to 2015!

Some big changes have happened over December with the main one being we moved office. We said good bye to Holyman House in the CBD of Launceston and have moved to a house in Invermay. This gives us more flexibility, accessibility and privacy plus space. 

My first shoot for 2015 in the new studio space was with Kayla. I met Kayla through a mutual friend sometime in 2014 and I am ashamed to say it took me this long to ask her to come do a shoot. We tried different outfits, background and lighting but once we put on some swing music, Kayla came into her own. The above image is one of many that flaw both of us.

Sometimes it just take music to bring someone out of their shell.

A more candid shot