Last weekend I attended a photography course hosted and run at the Garage Studios by Lou O’Bedlam.
We started with brief introductions round the group, why we were there, what we were hoping from the class. For myself I was looking for more experience with models, what to look for in a portrait shot, and how to get the best results from the camera
Lou then introduced himself and gave a brief overview of his style and why he takes photos. He had a selection of some of his Polaroid shots hanging from a clothes line at the back of the studio, most of which were stunning.
Once the talking was done we split into two groups and headed outside the studio with a model each, Rosy and Sally. We had Rosy first and as my group stood around chatting, the other group swarmed their model. I was frustrated that we weren’t a whole lot more engaging. Whilst I felt a little awkward directing Sally to pose how and where I wanted I managed to get at least a couple of shots.
Back in the studio we each uploaded a selection of our shots to the computer to go through with Lou and critique. The feedback we were each given was constructive, looking at each of the elements of our pictures and what could have been done to improve them. Mostly we discovered that Lou’s least favourite colour just so happens to be the yellow of the doors to the studios!
After checking out the photos we got the opportunity to head out again with the models. I made a bee-line for Sally but was intercepted at the last moment. I hung around till she was free and whisked her away to a red door to use as a background and then a couple of other shots. Sally seemed a more engaging model than Rosy, we ended up having a quick chat and I feel I managed to get some more natural looking pictures.
All in all it was a fantastic course and I’m really looking forward to the next one that the Garage Studios guys organise!
