Emma and I were in Antigua a bit earlier in the year.  It was a bit of a family holiday so we didn't do much in the way of latex photography, but there were some lovely opportunities to capture the natural beauty of the place.  I've added some shots to the "Places" gallery - please take a look! 

Here's a couple of examples as a taster!

This has been a very busy year, both photographically and with the "mainstream" business that I run.  So much so that I've fallen behind with my blog - but there's lots to write about so watch this space!

I've been experimenting with a number of different techniques this year.  The main one is an extension of the slightly hyper-realistic style that I've always enjoyed.  It involves, creating a slightly painterly, subtly cartoony effect.  I'm not the first photographer to do it by any means - Dave Hill in particular, and others like Joel Grimes are well-known exponents of this kind of a style.  However I'd like to think I'm working my way towards an approach that's at least somewhat distinctive, especially when it's coupled with my subject matter and shooting style. 

This first image is an example I'm particularly happy with.  It's actually a composite of an image of a friend's house, shot during the Club RUB flyer shoots, with a studio image of Emma.  Both images had a similar treatment and I learned a great deal about how to drop a character into another background in a way that feels like they're really there!   It's not the only style I want to pursue by any means, but it's influencing my thinking quite a lot at the moment.

This second image uses a similar technique - just a less attractive model :)  The lighting plays an important part in creating the effect you see here, as well as the post-processing.  Many people have tried to emulate this type of look without much success, and I'm not 100% where I want to be yet.  But I think I've settled on an approach that gives me roughly the look I'm after for myself.  It involves flattening the contrast slightly, then accentuating the highlights and shadows - in part through processing (adding overlays of the image with, for example, some desaturation) and in part through manual dodging and burning (photographer speak for lightening and darkening selective areas of the image). 

The result is a more 3D-looking image and feels to me more... created... than a straight photo.  And ultimately I think that's what is going to retain my interest and energy in photography.  There are any number of people that can record a scene, and a smaller but still sensible number that can light that scene well.  Creating and crafting all the elements of an image that stays in the mind - whatever those elements are - that's the trick.

Next up will be some more images that are definitely "created"!

Just after New Year, Emma and I decided to run away to a lovely spa hotel for the weekend.  We got a suite for a bargain price as the place was pretty empty, and it was an amazing location in which to shoot.  As a change from fetish, we decided to try more of a fashion style, and I love the results.

I worked out a few new techniques in post-processing these shots, including a far more sophisticated approach to smoothing skin without losing its texture - I'm really excited about this one - and creating a more gritty look to some of the shots.  I also discovered  few things about turning photo on their head - this example looks very cool in landscape format, but there's something about the same image just rotated that makes it a bit more "wow".

There's a new album up - please take a look; I hope you like it!  (We couldn't resist a couple of nudes as well, of course :)

As some of you know, Club RUB has moved from its old venue near the Barbican, to a cool new space called the Lightbox in Vauxhall.  I've been incredibly busy the last few months and haven't made it to as many RUBs as I would like - but Emma & I will definitely be there on Saturday (20th Feb).  I also have a BIG new photo project on the cards, and I'll be casting models soon, so come and say hi if you're interested!

This is the set-up shot for the red car image in my previous blog post. 

You can see two small flashes (SB800s) punching through a large skylite panel camera right - my attempt to light the whole side of the car with a fairly diffuse light that still gives specular highlights.  There's a SB900 into softbox camera left onto the male model.  And finally an older flash, SB600 firing up into the doorway - without this the background looked very flat & underexposed.  But it was a bugger to fire cos I couldn't get line of sight with my IR trigger!  (SU800 for other Nikon users out there!).

If you look closely on the left of the photo, you can just see Emma waiting in the wings with a reflector panel for good measure!

I thought it might be of interest to show some of the before and after processing I apply, using one of the recent Club RUB shots.  The "before" shot is as it came straight out of the camera. 

Most of the hard work on the lighting front was done in the shoot itself... I had two Nikon speedlights (SB800) punching through a large skylite panel to the camera right, to light the whole side of the car.  There was a SB900 into softbox camera left onto the male model.  Finally I had a SB600 firing up into the doorway - and this was a bugger to fire, because I couldn't get line of sight with my IR trigger.

However the original image still lacks a little punch, and I needed to turn the car red!  Most of the post-processing was done using Nikon's excellent (but very buggy) CaptureNX2.  The Club RUB numberplate I created using PaintShopPro.  If you want details on the steps, let me know!