Sometimes beauty can be seen in the simplest of things. Here is a selection of flowers that I have shot. All the shots below were captured using a Mamyia M645 medium format film camera. The monochrome shots were taken on Kodak Tri-X and the colour shots on an out of date roll of Fuji Provia Slide film. Shooting out of date film has given the film a strange washed out look, along with a strange but interesting colour cast.
I mentioned in my last blog It was a pleasure to work with Paul in his studio for this shoot, and a little surprise in this blog, as I'm sure you have guessed for the title, these are the analog film photographs from that day.
I think these shots capture the mood and atmosphere in Paul's studio much better then my digital shots could have. To me the shots below feel much more alive and human. For those interested I shot these on my Mamyia M645with an 80mm ƒ2.8 lens using Kodak Tri-X film. The grain and tonality of the film was perfect for capturing Paul at work. While the lighting was low and I had to compensate this with some slow shutter speeds, this gave another human element with the motion blur of his movements. Non the less while we chatted, we both worked away, Paul painting and working on a few of his paintings and me carefully taking shots. In the few shots below Paul is working on part of his 1916 set of paintings.
While I was over at the Mill House shooting with Paul, I took some time to Also Shoot Pauline at work, crafting another one of her designs. A small insight into the Mill House Design Studio's creative process. First designing that pattern, then working out the stitches andThe setting up and of the machines are arts in themselves which Pauline made look exceptionally easy. Then it begins the actual knitting, with a loud clicking of needles as the machine comes to life and a design emerges.
While shooting I decided to take some analog shots on my MamiyaM645 using some Kodak Tri-X monochromatic film, the results of the film shots have a much nicer feeling then the digital equivalents. Below are a few of the shots both analog and digital
Recently I had the chance to get a rare glimpse and some behind the scenes shots of Paul working on some of his newest paintings. I spent a few hours chatting to him and working side by side with him, as he pained I continually took shots. I focused on not only the larger details of his studio but, small details such as his side table. I went to this shoot wanting to try out some different ideas, but due to the space some of these didn't work but this forced me to think and move around getting some shots that were completely spur of the moment.
After working with two fantastic ballerinas back in late 2014, I decide it was time to revisit the idea and project to shoot with dancers. This time I wanted to be a bit more free with ideas, I went into this shoot thinking I'd like something more moment based and dynamic.
Choosing a location to suit this shoot was an easy task to do, this was because I wanted to continue a common theme through from my last shoot of. The area we chose to shoot in this time was Smithfield in Dublin city center. I found that the city architecture in this area really helps contrast the many of the aspects of the clothing, along with the shape and form of the dancers poses and movements.
This time I also decided that I wanted the dancers to tell their stories and why they started to dance and what they love about it. I set out to capture their love for the art while showing how strong but elegant they looked at the same time.
I first started ballet at the tender age of three in Myrtle Lambkin School of Dance. There I was trained in ballet, tap and jazz until the age of 19 when I completed my professional ballet grade with a distinction. It wasn't until I started college in DCU that I began choreographing both ballet and contemporary, the most recent success coming third in Ireland in 2015 after choreographing a piece with my contemporary squad.
Ballet, and dance in general, is a huge part of my life. It sounds so cliché, but it really is a form of escapism for me. When I dance, the music just takes over me and I'm able to express myself in the most personal way. For me, dancing isn't about showing off what you can do, but telling a story through calculated movements of your body. The strength of a great dancer not only has to do with physical aspects, but also the ability to tell a story while looking graceful and poised at all times. As the saying goes, it takes an athlete to dance, but an artist to be a dancer
I started dancing at the age of 4 and was extremely lucky to have had Shawbrook School of Dance located right on my doorstep in Legan, Co.Longford. My dance teacher Anica Louw contributed largely to my love of Ballet, Dancing and Performance. She was amazing and offered her time to provide intense training to all of her students. We were always kept motivated to dance and all of her students were included in every production. We were taught never to compare ourselves to other dancers and to set personal goals instead of following others. This has stood to me both in dancing and my personal life to date.
Ballet has opened my doors for me and it continues to do so. It was through my love of dance that I happened to meet Conor, whose fantastic photography skills have helped to open a new avenue for me. By participating in Ballet photoshoots Conor has given me the opportunity to portray my love for Ballet through pictures.
Dancing provides you with a new context for meeting people which gives you an opportunity to make life-long friends. Dancing helps to keep me focused on goals. It is a great outlet which keeps my head clear and helps me stay healthy and keep fit. Dancing has provided me with a different way to express myself and it has improved my confidence immensely over time. Dancing is instrumental in relieving stress which is exactly what's needed after a long day at work or college. It helps build self esteem and provides a positive outlook on life.
If you're not a dancer you will never fully appreciate the hours of practice and dedication that go into one performance but it is always worth it when it's time to go on stage. I am delighted to be a member of the dance society in my college now too which has given me the opportunity to continue dancing and to have met new people from different walks of life through our mutual love of dance.
I could never thank my parents enough for sending me to dance classes from such a young age. It is an absolutely amazing, rewarding past time to have that has been a major influence in my life to date. I genuinely couldn't imagine my life without it.
The underlying them of the shoot was an autumn winter theme to help shocks the pieces designed and hand made by Naoise. Shooting on location fashion always poses a challenge, for the look myself and Naoise were going for to show case her clothing designs created a few extra challenges. However using some amazing kit from Elinchrom these were over come. The weather in Ireland at this time of year can be desperately poor, so shooting out doors would be a problem. With this in mind the location was chosen indoors, to give an urban feel and contrast with the clothing.
Each shot was taken using a single Elinchrom Ranger Quadra with a Portalite 56cm octabox for lighting. During the shoot we shoot Three looks most of which were shoot indoors at out first location in powers court shopping centre, while other were shot outside on the surrounding streets.
The first look was made up of a white shift dress with hand beaded japenese shibori detailing, a grey polo neck jumper under the dress, along with a pale pink fur scarf and the same shade pink swollen gloves. The neutral toned shoes were picked to finish the look but not detract away from the dress.
The second look was made up of a custom hand printed puffball skirt and a matching quilted crop top with knitted details, the look was finished off with some suede boots. This Look was a complete contrast of elements. The environment, the vibrant and intricate patterning on the dress and the hard, dishevelled walls of the building we were in really wok well together, all these element really helped make the dress really stand out from the backdrop.
For the third and final look we moved on to the streets. For this we also decided to shoot with two models to show how the clothing can fit a verity of body shapes. This Look was consisted of a maroon wool V neck dress with handmade japanese shibori detail on the shoulder and a custom printed panel. Paired with lilac trousers with a maroon stripe detailing on the side.
I am finally getting around too finishing this blog post, I have been so busy since then i just didn't have a chance. During the week of the 12th of August people around the word were treated to the pressed meteor shower. After the first night I went out to have a look I decide it would be a nice time to try out some Astro photography.
This was one of the funnest type shoots I have done, the cold, clear August night really helped letting us all see this wonder. Capturing the stars alone isn't easy, but capturing a meteor streaking across the sky is a whole other ball game. The meteors are only in the sky for a second or two and in random locations around the sky making it even more tricky to capture the shots. I hope you enjoy looking at these photographs as much as I did capturing them. All the shots below are available as fine art prints, simply use the contact form at the bottom of the page to get a quote for a once off print.
Behind the scenes of a photoshoot with Conor Palin-Stewart Photography last week Stylist: Carina Cunningham Models: Ally Archbold Ben O'Beirne Siofra Cleary Assistants: Lauren Thomas Mark Crabbe Conor's Website: http://www.photocps.ie/ The song is 'Young and Beautiful' by 'Lana Del Rey'
Video By Colin Tonge
Please Head over to Ondine Magazine and check out the full published set in the latest October edition of the magazine.