The Process

From the very beginning of my journey through the world of commercial photography, I’ve preached one thing: production at the start brings you the image you hope for at the end. Let’s produce a job the right way from the very beginning and I guarantee everyone will be happy. A recent client took this to heart. I think you’ll agree, as they have, that there’s no trading great production.

The following set of images takes you through a bit of the process. The first image is from my website. It’s the reason I was chosen for the job. The second image is a test, keeping in mind the criteria set by the client. And finally, the last few images are from the shoot.It’s all about the process. From start to finish, the most important thing in mind was great imagery.

Sharan

Sharan told me that her father was the reason her name was spelled with two a's. She told me that her father did it so she would learn to stand up for herself and not take crap from anyone. As a father, I think that's a pretty good idea. We,as fathers, want our daughters to be strong. Tough even. We want them to succeed and be beautiful people.I met Sharan at The Light Factory Shoot Out. We were both volunteering. At first sight I thought to myself, I have to photograph this girl. She's different. Just the way she carried herself caught my eye. SO, thankfully she accepted my offer and here are some of the images.

I shot nearly 300 exposures. It was tough to narrow it down and select these but I did it with much thought. Also, I rarely release images straight out of the camera, but these have not yet been touched. I think I like them this way. Just Sharan. No retouching.

Thanks Sharan. Brilliant job.

-- Mike

My First, Lucy

This little child changed everything. Thank goodness. My wife and I now have two, Lucy and Ella. When I moved the studio to its new location, our house, it gave me the most wonderful gift of all. At any point I can stop what I'm doing and capture the three greatest gifts of all, my lovely wife and two incredible daughters.

I know, sounds sappy but it's true.

This past Friday I was photographing a friend for his portfolio cover as Lucy watched from behind me. She just sat there patiently and watched. She's almost 3 (August 18th). When my pal, Jeff, and I got an image that we were happy with we both said, got it. Lucy said, my turn. So, this is Lucy's shot. She's such a fantastic subject.