On a warm but breezy last day of July, a group of Irvine Camera Club members met up with Derek Dunlop Photography for a few hours of editorial photography training. Derek used to be a member of the club before going on to set up his own photography business. He is an award-winning wedding photographer but also specialises in editorial photography, working with models in natural and artificial light to create high impact images which really stand out from the crowd.
Derek has decided to start to offer workshops for other keen photographers where they can learn all about how to work models, using the location and the light to create great photographs. He kindly offered to run such a workshop for a few of our keen club members. Derek brought along two fabulous models, Rebecca and Dom, to the Glasgow Vennel in Irvine for the session. After some quick introductions Derek immediately threw us in at the deep end, asking each photographer to spend just 3 minutes working with the models to get some shots. This really helped to break the ice and also made everyone very aware of how difficult it is to just start shooting from scratch.
After getting us all to talk about what we had tried and how it made us feel, Derek began to show everyone how to make the most of the environment and to get the best from the available quantity and quality of light. Using open shade and light reflected from white walls gave a luminance to skin tones that just isn’t achievable in direct sunlight, as well as avoiding ugly shadows. We were shown how to use the background to create depth while also making sure it didn’t compete for attention with the subject. Derek broke us into two groups and we given time to work with the models to create our own ideas.
After a couple of hours everyone took a break for refreshments before we headed down to Troon’s south beach for a change of scenery. This allowed Derek to show us how to manage portrait photography with strong direct sidelight, combining aspects of the shoreline to provide a sense of space and scale in the images. Moving up into the sand dunes allowed him to create some more romantic shots, with the grasses blowing in the foreground and Rebecca & Dom playing the part of the love-struck couple of our cameras.
As well as some of Derek’s images from the shoot I have included photographs taken by the rest of the group at the beginning of the session together with examples from later in the day. Everyone had a great time and I am sure we are all keen to put into practice some of the fantastic techniques the next time we shoot portraits. You can see much more of Derek’s work at his website www.derekdunlopphotography.com where you will soon also see details for upcoming workshops.
Irvine Camera Club offer photographers of all abilities a friendly environment to meet other likeminded people. If you would like to see more of what we offer please check out our website www.irvinecc.co.uk
