Spent yesterday finishing of my shoot with Merrisha in Bermondsey Village, London.  This is one of my favourite places to shoot because of the variety locations, architecture and colours in a relatively small area and it’s so quiet too.  Here’s just a few from the shoot.

Introducing Benaiyah, Keymn and Jay’s first born.  I’ve rarely seen a couple so happy and adjusting to family life so well, it’s a joy to see.  This was my first attempt at this type of shoot so I kept it very simple and relied on a window for my main source of light.  I loved the warmth between them when I was shooting so I tried to infuse this in the way I’ve been post-processing their images.  These are three I finished so far.

Merrisha is an old friend from college and when she phoned up asking to book a shoot I jumped at the chance.  We started the session shooting outside but when it got too cold we quickly made our way to the comfort of a local bar to grab a bite to eat and warmed up with some hot chocolates.  Not one to miss an opportunity I took some shots while we were there as the decor was so cool.  Anne-Marie, Merrisha’s close friend who joined us on the day was a huge help and ended up being a fantastic lighting assistant, thank you! Here’s a small selection of some of my favourites. 

Sit back and enjoy! This is a wonderfully engaging romantic story that follows a girl who misses her train to Milan and is set to wait overnight in Rome until Dawn.  Whats extraordinary about this short film is that it was made with 4500+ still photographs shot on a Canon 30D! (who needs a 5D MkII, eh? Lol!)  I’m always looking for new ideas, inspiration and avenues to explore and this little gem of a film provided it today in bucket loads.  There’s a certain purity about it.  I’m not sure what spurred the makers to use a still camera (as opposed to a video camera) but I think what they produced is an example of how we as creatives can always innovate from within the confines of restraint and that we should never limit ourselves.

Notte Sento! A Beautiful way to shoot. (If you can find the time!)

Ok this is long overdue! My last workshop of 2008 was in the beautiful Spanish city of Seville and the final leg of my Next Level World Tour.  I was actually travelling around Spain for a whole week before the workshop photographing many of the spectacular Moorish historical sites for a secret project I’ll be working on this year.  I was so worn out by the time I arrived in Seville for the workshop I adopted a relaxed approach to compensate for the gruelling schedule of the week before so my usual shooting frenzy was somewhat tamed which might have come as a relief to the models and the other attendees, lol!  I’ve still have a few images I need to finish from this amazing week but here are some of my favourites in the meantime! 

Many of you already know that these workshops have been the cornerstone of my development over the past year and a half.  They have provided me with the necessary tools and skills to elevate my craft to a level I thought would take me many more years to reach!  I’ve had the privilege of meeting so many great photographers along the way many of which have become good friends and find myself part of a fantastic growing community and network that offers the kind of support that will help you through those tough times and nourish you through the good.  I won’t be attending as many workshops this year, although Venice is a must (hey it’s on my doorstep, well kind of!) but for those of you who have the time and are willing to make one of the best investments in your photography career then look no further than Scott’s series of Next Level workshops which this year as well as Venice will include the destinations Hawaii and China!!!