#ffordes

With my flights booked with Easyjet, I was on the earlier then required train to the airport. With my travel itinerary going to plan allowing more then enough time to get through airport security, it was time for me to make my way to the departure gate. It was here that the itinerary started to crumble. We were informed of a crack in the planes windscreen (good job it’s on the ground) so sent back to the departures lounge to await progress updates. After a two hour delay and a new plane (well a plane from the deepest corners of the storage yard) we were eventually up in the air.

On arrival at Inverness I was greeted by Don who whisked me to Ffordes. The store stayed open for my later arrival at 7pm, so a big thanks to them for that. The store is a photographers dream, with old and new cameras, not to mention kit everywhere you look. As time was getting on, we said our goodbyes and myself and Don made tracks to the hotel where we enjoyed a lovely meal and chat before departing to our rooms for a sort of early night ready for the workshop the following day.

After breakfast we made our way to the stunning location, Bogbain Farm http://www.bogbainfarm.com With the misty morning fog rumbling in the valley, it was breathtaking. I could only imagine covering a wedding at this location, and the images I could get. For the morning workshop we had 3 studios setup in the barn, and in the afternoon I was to run a natural light workshop outside.

I had the pick of the bunch when it came to the models, so Victoria was my choice with all her vintage and 60’s styled clothing. This would work perfect for the shots I had in mind, along with the props I found laying around the barn. B&W, B&W, thats all I was thinking for this shot in the barn, so with the old couch, radio and camera I found, I set up the Westcott constant lighting and my Olympus OMD EM1. Using a selection of lenses 25mm, 17mm, I chose the 17.5mm 0.95 Voitlander Lens to give a more vintage look

In the afternoon I took my group outside to demonstrate how to find natural light. This is a technique I was shown by an Australian photographer at the top of his class, and has worked for me flawlessly every time. I showed how to meter properly for perfect skin tones, and the perfect light, and I’m sure you will agree everyone came away with some stunning images.

My thoughts behind the shoot and workshop were vintage victorian with that country girl B&W shot, with the colour shots being vibrant and soft focus, as it would have been back in the victorian days.

Big thanks for all the staff and attending photographers for all your help and support on the day along with the models. Also a big thankyou to Don for his amazing company over the course of my stay.