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I had a busy time last week taking photographs for my friend and fellow musician Rowan.
Rowan is a fantastic singer and I wanted to try and take some photographs for her that she could use both promotionally and personally.
I have been practising for the past few months using natural light indoors, so that I could work without studio lighting or expensive kit. (I posted about that here.) Rowan was amused to discover that I had been practising for her shoot with figs, gooseberries and teddy bears!
I was aiming with these to capture several different moods, making use of different looks and angles of available light. Here is a selection of each.
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If I was trying to create a series to run together I wouldn’t have experimented so much with different effects, but as these shots will all work for separate situations I felt free to work quite experimentally. With time, I would probably start to work a little more creatively with ideas, but as it was a first try we aimed to keep it fairly simple.
I wanted to enhance Rowan’s natural beauty but not create something unreal, so I have kept editing to a minimum. This was quite a challenge for a first attempt but I am quite pleased with the results and am excited to continue learning.
I have in my possession the most beautiful track of Rowan’s..but I am not allowed to share it yet..! As soon as she has it recorded officially though I will do, as her voice is a beauty to be heard..
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Settle and Chase 
These are all great, Cath – I particularly like the B&W – that would be the broadsheet interview shot (?)
Thanks Richard! Yes I have a few with that mood – think it’s my favourite..it’s always nerve racking trying something new!
It is, but you’ve pulled it off beautifully. I think the lighting in all of them’s great, and there’s a nice sense of Rowan playing to the camera, which is really engaging.
Great collection of images! If this is your first portrait shot, bring on some more! 😀
Haha! Thanks very much – I really enjoyed it, definitely hoping to do some more!
Phenomenal! What beauty, and what art capturing her essense in photography. Superb job, in absolute awe!
“Rowan was amused to discover that I had been practising for her shoot with figs, gooseberries and teddy bears!” Ha, ha, the artistic process.
In love with this post, these photos! What a glowing personality, and such wonderful energy- and what friendship one can feel between photographer, viewer, and subject, all come together as old friends in these photos, so natural, and vividly stunning. I can just imagine the wonders of her voice and hope to have a listen soon, too exquisite!! Love them all!!
Wow that’s quite a comment, thankyou very much!
Well done! The last 4 images especially are really interesting and engaging on a number of levels. Good job with the lighting!
Thanks Sydney, I actually prefer those myself, though I think Rowan prefers the first two – funny how that goes! Glad you liked the lighting, it was a challenge but great experience..
These are lovely! I particularly like the last one, it’s beautiful. Her personality really shines through, and I love that you have kept it simple. Can’t wait to hear her voice!
Thanks Emily!
Cath, these are very beautiful! Great work with the lighting and compositions.
I’m looking forward to hearing her song!
Thanks Karen, it was great fun..I will certainly be sharing her music as soon as it’s done..
these are wonderful. I like the first one, the way an S shape is created when she turns her head in the opposite direction to her body, it’s very lively and she has a great smile. Including the red flower was a nice touch! well done!
Thanks Lisa, yes luckily the begonia came out just at the right time! I am fascinated by the difference that a pose makes to a photograph, I particularly liked that curve too, would probably try that again..
Very intelligent use of your depth of field in both sessions with this model.
Thanks very much John!
normal lens?
Yep! just my 50mm 1.4G..
Smooth!
You have some very fine shots here. Quite impressive. The portrait is an area of work that stands on its own; something that photographers and painters have studied for years. Many photographers consider it the most challenging of all photographic work.
Thankyou so much Shimon – I am most definitely at the beginning of this kind of work, but I really did enjoy it, and would love to do more..people are so endlessly fascinating to study..