Ope Talk

Ope Talk

Last Thursday we had a talk from ex-Ravensbourne student Ope Odueyungbo. He graduated from the course in 2013. Ope is a prime example of how to use social media to get commissioned work. He has used Instagram since 2010 and he thinks that “80%” of his work has been gained through his Instagram feed.

He has got a fantastic following on Instagram which he uses to share the work he does for his clients. He has 96.1k followers to which a fair amount of his post past 1000 likes.

Mentioning clients he has worked with a wide range of clients.

• Mini
• Adidas
• Huawei
• Disaraonno
• Audi
• Puma
• Cadbury
• Greenwich Peninsula
• Kodak
• Absolut Vodka
• American Express
• Nokia
• Timberland

To name a few.

Here are a few examples of his commissioned jobs

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This is what I took from the talk:

• With social media you should “Post Regularly … comment & like other peoples work“
• When he was on his first job with Adidas he was “excited but I had to keep a professional mindset“
• “Good to travel it broadens your horizons and keeps your work fresh“
• “Keep taking pictures, even if you don’t have your camera“
• “The end of the day with social media. We don’t know who is watching” It could be a fan, it could be a future client
• “Go through Instagram and delete your personal posts and only post your best work“
• “Following others is a great way to learn, grow and be part of the photographic community“
• “The more you help the community, the more the community will help you“
• “Try to post on a daily basis“
• “The more you shoot, the better you’ll get“
• “You have to be firm about your pricing, have to get be confident with your fee“
• “If they come to you, it’s for a reason. They like your work“
• “If companies come to you with a specific fee, they probably have more to pay“
• “Sometimes it’s worth earning less money just to get your name out there“

Mono Research: How Sunglasses Are Used

Mono Research: How Sunglasses Are Used

Along with seeing how ordinary people wear sunglasses I also wanted to see how sunglasses are photographed or how they are used a props in photography.

Fabulous. October 22 2017 Edition

The first thing example I found was in Fabulous magazine. Which came with a British newspaper. It wasn’t only a prop on the front cover but I really liked how the model was interacting with the sunglasses. Even though it is an image, in my mind. It looks like the model is moving the glasses around.

I like the catch light in the sunglasses. In my experiences a good portrait image needs eyes. The viewer needs to be able to make eye contact with the subject. It can draw the viewer in if they think the work is looking at them. It feels like the subject trying to address them.

However we are shooting someone with a model who is wearing sunglasses so we don’t have any sight of there eyes. However the catch light can feel like an eye. I think it can draw the viewers in. If used properly. It looks like this was shot with either a flashgun or a ring flash. Maybe a small soft box. To which these kind of light sources could be good for this effect. Anything bigger like an octobox would bring up a massive reflection and would ruin the effect I might attempt to create.

 

RPS The Journal. August 2017 Edition

When I search up sunglasses photography. The most common thing I see is reflections. Which is what is being used in this example which was on the front cover of the RPS Journal.  I think sunglasses can be very good to show the surroundings of . subject in a portrait. I don’t know much about the image on the cover. But I can make a guess that he is the rap artist of the article. We are seeing his face, however the reflection can show his surroundings, maybe they can show you where they are based or where they aim to get there music out.

Fanzine Research: Voice of The Valley

Fanzine Research: Voice of The Valley

Voice Of The Valley. December 2017 Edition

Voice Of The Valley is the independent Charlton Athletic which is run by the fans of the club. It is a monthly edition. You can tell this fanzine isn’t run by the club because it’s got the Coalition Against Roland Duchatelet [CARD] on the cover and most of the pages. CARD is the Charlton Athletic protest group against the owners. A protest that I agree with and have joined. However since I’ve started photographing for Charlton, I have remained very quiet about this. Only mentioning it to Charlton employees who like me, don’t agree with the ownership.

I hope this topic about the ownership problems to be the centre piece of my fanzine.

 

The first thing I took from this zine is the colour scheme. It’s very basic. The pages follow the colour scheme of Charlton. Red & White, the colours of the club for the last 93 years. The titles are bold red, whereas the text is a regular black. So the viewer instantly knows what this article is about.

 

I really liked the variety in the size of the images that are used. Every page has text, the majority of pages have images. Mentioning back to the size of the images. Some cover most of the page. Some are just a small box in the corner of the page.

I really like the tall portrait frame image. It includes everything. The player who scored the goal, the goal keeper trying to save it and you also have the assumption that the ball went in the net.

One layout I hope to replicate in my fanzine. The centre piece of VOTV is always one game. I think I could use a layout similar this to probably replicate the best match that I’ve photographed in the creation of a fanzine.

Tony Mitchell Responses

Tony Mitchell Responses

I’ve got another response from a photographer for my Becoming An Industry Professional essay.

Gareth Copley-Jones. Getty Images Staff Photographer

However I unfortunately have to start this post on a negative note. I won’t be hearing from cricket photographer Gareth Copley Jones. This morning I received an email which has also been cc’d to Julian Hawkins.

When I emailed him on Wednesday and he replied giving me his phone number. I replied back to him with the questions stating that I was in Ravensbourne on Thursday so I wouldn’t be able to contact him. To which in the email he said “I was more than happy to help you out over the phone.  I have a busy full time job as a sport photographer as a result unfortunately i don’t have time to type out my answers to your questions on email” however I made one more mistake. Over the weekend when I was at Cambridge I tried to ring him on Friday and Saturday. “You decided to call me at 7:30pm on Friday night and again at 8:00am on Saturday morning.  Do you think these are acceptable times to call?“. To which I’ve replied stating that I’m really sorry for any inconvenience that I might of caused. I explained that on Friday I was scouting and Saturday I was shooting on location so I was very restricted as to time available. But then again I should’ve arranged a time with him beforehand that suits as both.

Tony Mitchell. Charlton Athletic

On a positive note, I’ve heard from a second photographer though. I’ve got responses back from Tony Mitchell. I felt this would be a very good comparison to Michael Hulf. Hulf has been in the industry for 5 years and now he has taken a step back from the industry. Tony has been shooting with Charlton Athletic for 30 years. He is the closest that Charlton have as a club photographer. I had prior knowledge of Tony Mitchell before I started shooting alongside him. I knew he photographed Charlton in there play off final in 1998. I however didn’t realise he’d been with the club since 1987.

How Did You Enter the Sports Photography Industry?

• “Long story short, started as a hobby in mid 20s. Wanted to take it further, got myself introduced to a wedding photographer worked along side him learning the nuts and bolts of photography.”
• He considered going into Fashion photography because the money was good but “I was just about to get married so thought shooting girls wouldn’t have gone down too well“
• “By chance I met the then commercial manager at CAFC, got talking and i said i’d live to do a bit of touch line photography”
• “He said turn up at the CAFC portacabin at Selhurst next match day I’ll get you a pass … submit your pics and i’ll see if we can use anything“
• “I managed a front cover on the next home programme! I was on cloud nine, it was 1987. I’ve been shooting at Charlton ever since. “
• “I have to mention Tom Morris at this point. Tom was the official club photographer, he showed me the ropes and gave me a great insight into being a club tog“
• “I didn’t want to threaten his position, not that there was much chance of that back then, but always turned up and submitted the images“
• “In those days it was unusual to have more than one shooter at a club. 
  We were paid per pic used in those days and would scour the prog for anything used, looking to cover costs really.“

Do You Think Assisting is a Good Way Into The Industry?

• “Assisting in my opinion is the best way by far into the photography business.”

In Today’s Age of Social Media, do you feel it’s important to have up-to-date social media feeds?

• “Social media plays a strong part in growing a photography business, it’s your shop window only bigger, much bigger.”
• “You may not get direct jobs from it but it gets your name out there into the areas that matter”

Which Social Medias do you think photographers should take most advantage of and why?

• “Instagram, FB, Twitter, LinkedIn all have their own audiences and are good to follow people that matter to your business.”

If not too personal, what do you think is the best way to be paid as a sports photographer, image usage or paid to cover an event?

• “this depend on the type of job. Studio pack shots for instance would be better per image. Anything else an agreed fee up front is the best way forward.“

In your opinion, what is the best way to be a sports photographer. Freelance, agency, staff photographer?

• “Are there any staffers any more, it’s a dying business as far as I can see.”
• “Agency is good but possibly doesn’t pay as well but you get constant work“
• “Freelance you can pick and chose jobs but you have to spend a lot of time looking for those jobs and usually end up taking anything you can get“

What advice would you give for someone trying to enter the sports photography industry?

• “is to try everything, decide on a genre, keep your head down, be self critical and try to improve on your last best image”

Finally. What would you say has been the biggest challenge of the sports photography industry?

• “The biggest challenge is digital imaging”
• “Its a wonderful thing but soon cameras will be come so advanced, so sophisticated no user skill will be needed to turn out a top quality, perfectly exposed image”
• “this in turn floods the industry with unskilled photographers which then reduces the fees achievable by decent photographers”

 

As I mentioned earlier. I think comparing Tony Mitchell and Michael Hulf for my essay would be very good. In my eyes there both very successful. They’ve both had very different entrances into the industry. Michael came built himself up in the period of social media, he had a way to get his out there with clients. Tony however built himself up during a time of “word of mouth”. There was no social media, there was very few computers. Phone numbers were tough to come by. So Tony had to actually go and talk to his potential clients.

I also felt this would be a good comparison because Tony doesn’t exactly consider himself a sport photographer. I think that he tends to shoot Charlton his favourite team for fun now. To which is income would now be his commissioned portraits, lifestyle, interior and wedding work. However he still had to enter the sports industry. A very different entrance to what I and Michael Hulf had.

I don’t think there will be enough room to fit in a 3rd photographer to my essay, however I might contact one more just to hear another opinion. However I think I have two very good case studies for my essay.

Phase One

Phase One

Today I had a fantastic experience both in front and behind a 100 mega pixel Phase One camera.

We had to shoot in a film noir style. So strong B&W contrast with harsh shadows. We had a few props for our shoot. I had an overcoat. Kareem brought in a fedora. We had a fair amount of ideas but most of them depending on the amount of light that we had at the church. We like every other group wanted to try a backlit image of myself in an overcoat but that wasn’t going to work because the sun wasn’t in the correct place for a full body shot.

Mafia II

So we decided to spend our time trying something else. We were set on using a piano. When I heard we were using a piano I cast my memory back to Xbox 360 game Mafia II. Which I think would’ve taken inspiration from film noir. To which they had some in-game posters of the main protagonists.

In the end the character wasn’t on a piano. But I felt we could try to follow the same principal of the shadow from a high angle, casting a shadow on this mysterious figure. I also liked the reflections. It gives a feel that these mafia gangsters have both a good and a bad side.

 

 

Image: Kareem Burton

So we made use of the Grand Piano. We had me in my overcoat and the fedora on my head casting a shadow on my eyes only revealing my jaw. I love the abstract reflection at the top of the frame. Some people will notice that it the reflection of myself. However I think more people will think that its the smoke from the cigarette.

I really enjoyed being the model on this shoot. It’s something that I’ve never really thought about. I tend to say that I take photos because I don’t like my picture being taken.

 

 

 

Lighting wise, we had two Elinchrom 600’s. One on the left of the subject from a high angle. We put this slightly in front so that this strong shadow was casted over my eyes. However the mouth was still in focus. We had a Honeycomb Wheel modifier on this light.

On the right of the subject we had a Snoot adapter to direct the light onto the piano. We were intending to add a bit of depth to the image.

We decided to add another prop to the shot in the form of a cigarette and a ashtray. Julian said that he liked the look of this set up, all we needed was something like a cigarette or even a glass of whiskey.

I’ve really enjoyed this weekend away in Cambridge. It’s been a fantastic experience to use these top-of-the range cameras which can most likely only be rented. It also gave me an insight into what it’s like being on a large scale shoot. Moving lights to different angles, trying different backdrops, different modifiers.

 

Michael Hulf Responses

Michael Hulf. Ex-club photographer for Crystal Palace

Below are the responses that I received from ex-Crystal Palace club photographer Michael Hulf. I wanted to hear from him because he went through years of hard work shooting with his favourite team at Palace. He finally managed to get enough money to buy a 500mm lens. Then he decided to temporarily stop his sport photography career. Hopefully this would give me an insight into why he decided to take a step back from sports photography.

 

 

 

How Did You Enter the Sports Photography Industry?

• Through a mix of interest and curiosity.
• Picked up my first DSLR in 2012.
• Fell in love with what I had captured on it and when I returned I looked to see what I could make of it.
• Tried my hand at multiple subjects … football fell the most naturally and I simply pressed on with that, starting out with my local club and finishing with Crystal Palace

Do You Think Assisting is a Good Way Into The Industry?

• Absolutely!.
• When you start out making money should not be a factor.
• Work as much as you can, listen to as many people and as  much advice as you can.
• Some people are happier than others to get help.
• Assisting, or ghosting as such is a great way to learn first hand.
• My biggest tip is to take in as much as you can and create your own journey with each.
• Everyone’s story and experience is different.

In Today’s Age of Social Media, do you feel it’s important to have up-to-date social media feeds?

• Most definitely.
• We live in this crazy social media lifestyle now that every aspect of out lives are out for the world to see on the different platforms, business’ and companies also now.
• If you look at any club, sportsman and so on, each all have social media, in this current day and age it’s a platform like never seen before.
• Years ago it was less of a need, now it’s essential.

Which Social Medias do you think photographers should take most advantage of and why?

• For me personally Instagram and Twitter.
• A word of warning for any social platform though, regardless of what you produce or anything you may create. There will be people who like your work, hate your work, care none the less. It’s the same with every aspect of life, we can’t please everyone.
• So just focus on what makes you happy and try not pay too much attention to anything negative.
• Though it’s hard not to at times, we’re only human!
• As for the platforms, Insta as it’s all visual, Twitter as it’s your voice essentially.

If not too personal, what do you think is the best way to be paid as a sports photographer, image usage or paid to cover an event?

• Theres no right, wrong or best way really, it’s different for everyone.
• I prefer security and a set wage rather than trying to sell images.
• It really is different for everyone.
• It’s one of the many things you will come to learn what your prefer really.

In your opinion, what is the best way to be a sports photographer. Freelance, agency, staff photographer?

• Each has it’s own pro’s and con’s.
• Freelance you’re free to do as you please, but it leaves going month by month.
• Agency gives you a variation to what you do and where you go, but they take cuts of what you earn.
• Then staff you have the security and set wage but you’re restricted as to what you can do when you work and outside of work.

What advice would you give for someone trying to enter the sports photography industry?

• Capture as many different sports as you can, learn the basics of each one.
• Contact as many local sports clubs, ask to do experience and if you can come along.
• Virtually 90% of non league football teams outside of the National leagues will be happy to help.

Finally. What would you say has been the biggest challenge of the sports photography industry?

• When you get the point of crossing over into a full time role.
• Establishing yourself enough to become a professional full time photography earning a living.
• It is hard, takes years to achieve and you’ll have to make a lot of sacrifices in your personal time.
• But with enough hard work, dedication, luck, talent, professionalism and a general good friend attitude and reputation it is achievable.
• If someone like myself can go from never owning a DSLR or knowing  a single thing about photography in May 2012 to going a full time professional with a Premier League club only three years later, it is possible.

Double Indemnity

Double Indemnity

Tomorrow I’m off to Cambridge to shoot some film noir style images. So I’ve decided to take this chance to have a look at Double Indemnity. A 1944 film noir directed by Billy Wilder. The film was listed 4th in the Guardian top 10 film noir articles. I didn’t have enough time to what the full movie. So I’ve decided to watch chunks of it and focus mainly on the cinematography and clothes/props.

 

 

 

Double Indemnity. 1944. Billy Wilder

This shot that was in the opening credits is what I consider to be the classic Film Noir shot. A strong defined shadow/silhouette of a mysterious figure.

A shot similar to this is at the top of my personal list for Cambridge. Clothes wise. We can see that the character is wearing a suit, potentially an overcoat. We can also see him wearing a hat. Most likely a fedora. There is a reason why the Guardian said “Guns, dames and hats: you can’t have a film noir without them, can you?“.

Double Indemnity. 1944. Billy Wilder

Another shot that I really liked was this one. This is how I want to recreate the first image. The figure is an overcoat and maybe a hat that is being silhouetted by a doorway or a light source inside a building.

 

 

 

Double Indemnity. 1944. Billy Wilder

This is another very common lighting set up that tends to be used in this film genre. The old trick of firing in direct light threw some open blinds. It results in this very direct and defined shadows on the character. It would be interesting to try a shot like this but we won’t know if we can attempt this. Not only do we have to look at the location but we also need to look at what modifiers we have.

Double Indemnity. 1944. Billy Wilder

One final shot from the film I liked is this one. I really like the strong vignette around the frame. It really gives a feel that Walter Neff is a bit of a shady and ominous character. This is complimented further by the strong shadow of Neff on the blinds.

 

 

Double Indemnity is critically acclaimed. Film director Woody Allen declared it “the greatest movie ever made”. Some people consider it the birth of Film Noir. Saying that the routes of visual style were forged in this film. The Guardian said “there can be no disputing that it is the finest film noir of all time, though it was made in 1944, before the term film noir was even coined.“

Charlton Athletic 2-1 Rochdale

Charlton Athletic 2-1 Rochdale

Jake Forster-Caskey celebrates his and Charlton’s 2nd

Yesterday I covered my 25th football match of the season for the Newshopper and Charlton Athletic. It was a case of right place at the right time. Not only for Jake Forster-Caskey with two goals but also for me to capture this cele shot of his 2nd goal in front of the jubilant Covered End.

 

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Photo Uses:

Unfortunately, KAG is the new scapegoat at Charlton. I thought he made a huge difference when he came on yesterday. KR has 'tremendous' belief in him https://t.co/Sxj8gVO5pa #cafc

— Jake Bacon (@JakeTBacon) November 22, 2017

Report: Charlton 2 Rochdale 1 – Jake Forster-Caskey brace rescues Addicks https://t.co/GtZ6oR2Q92 #cafc

— News Shopper Sport (@NewsShopperSprt) November 21, 2017

Player ratings from Charlton’s win over Rochdale https://t.co/9B0elwQcxB #cafc

— News Shopper Sport (@NewsShopperSprt) November 21, 2017

Karl Robinson believes Ezri Konsa is best young centre-back in country https://t.co/15Zm83FECq #cafc

— News Shopper Sport (@NewsShopperSprt) November 21, 2017

'He does things that are magical… I believe in him' – KR gives his backing to Karlan Ahearne-Grant https://t.co/9pCuNQKm3h #cafc

— News Shopper Sport (@NewsShopperSprt) November 22, 2017

A touch of class from Robinson – started his press conference by paying tribute to football agent Gary Lloyd, who suddenly died on the weekend. He represented Rochdale boss Keith Hill and many of their players https://t.co/ByA8jzPvA3 #cafc

— News Shopper Sport (@NewsShopperSprt) November 22, 2017

📸 | The story of the first half…

A slow start in SE7, but Forster-Caskey's goal ensures the Addicks head into the break level. #cafc pic.twitter.com/5sYo2NQdl7

— Charlton Athletic FC (@CAFCofficial) November 21, 2017

📸 | Jake Forster-Caskey pokes home the equaliser…. #cafc pic.twitter.com/OkMizUq6ub

— Charlton Athletic FC (@CAFCofficial) November 21, 2017

📸 | JFC digs out his, and the Addicks', second of the evening… #cafc pic.twitter.com/Yhd8YEcxMx

— Charlton Athletic FC (@CAFCofficial) November 21, 2017

Our league form at The Valley since the middle of April…

WWWWWWLDWWDW

9️⃣ wins
2️⃣ draws
1️⃣ defeat

👌 #cafc pic.twitter.com/0Q0A0DeH1h

— Charlton Athletic FC (@CAFCofficial) November 21, 2017

📝 Miss last night's win?

Read our take on our 2-1 success over Rochdale in SE7 👇https://t.co/d0r9Q5OYdd #cafc pic.twitter.com/PSJXotBph8

— Charlton Athletic FC (@CAFCofficial) November 22, 2017

Contacted Photographers

Contacted Photographers

I’m about to receive two responses from professional photographers for my “Becoming An Industry Professional” essay.

Tony Mitchell. http://www.facestudios.net/

I’m about to receive responses from Tony Mitchell [Architecture, Lifestyle and Interior, he also photographs his favourite team Charlton]. I’ve been shooting alongside him for the last year. When I emailed him, he said “no worries but not sure I’m the right person, I’m really more of a general photographer mainly shooting interiors and architecture“. To which I expected him to say that but I feel it would be nice to hear from someone who shoots sports, but not as there primary genre.

 

Gareth Copley Jones

The other photographer that I’m about to hear from is Gareth Copley-Jones a Getty Images staff photographer that primarily shoots England Cricket. He had a short video made about him by the ECB when he photographed his hundredth test match.

I will summarise the responses when I get them.

 

Here are the photographers that I’m both waiting to hear from and also contact. I feel that it’s important that I make contact with at least one, preferably two female sport photographers. It would be great to hear if they had more obstacles than the males that do the exact same job.

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All Out Cricket

All Out Cricket

This morning we were told to give the name of a magazine that we would like to be commissioned by. Naturally with me being a sports photographer, I would like to be commissioned by a sports magazine. I didn’t want to say Match Of The Day for two reasons. Firstly, that is very obvious. The 2nd reason why is because they most likely get there photographers from PA Images or Getty so the chances of them actually commissioning a photographer is minimal at best.

So I decided to pick All Out Cricket instead. I was not prepared for the next step. We had to find the phone number of our magazine. Ring them up and find out there daily commission rates. We also have to find out if they cover expenses. I could only find one phone number on there website. 020 3696 5732. I wasn’t expecting much from this because the email underneath was comments@alloutcricket.com. So I thought the phone number would be for feedback. I also did expect anything because it states on there website Photography: Getty Images, unless stated.

So I got through and I asked if you could let me know what your day rates for commissioned photographers are. I found out that All Out Cricket had changed it’s name. The man who answered the phone passed me to the editor Phil Walker. He said it was an “unusual request” because they have a deal with Getty Images [which I expected] and they “really only have two trusted photographers that they would commission” they also “don’t have a massive budget for photography” He gave me his email address and asked me to email him directly, but I said could I just have a basic breakdown.

The magazine pay per picture. £50/picture. Sometimes its more depending on image quality and size. They also cover expenses.