Sibling Photoshoot
My brother, Ben, and I went into the Photosynthesis studio with the loose idea of wanting a few headshots, a full-body picture and album art for Ben's upcoming music releases. It was our first time taking photos in a studio so we were both excited to try something new. We’ve both got some experience of modelling in a studio, but not being the photographer nor doing it together. Ben is a performer, with music being his main passion, and I’ve taken headshots for him in the past but not in this environment
It took us a while to set up, but I had prior knowledge of all the equipment through being a part of the development process of Studio101: Basics Workshop. Ben mentioned it would be good if there was something for beginners before launching straight into shooting by yourself and that’s what the Basics Workshop is all about. Our previous UC intern, Justine, created the workshop for people who are new to photography or studio equipment. It’s now on every second Thursday of the month if you, like Ben, would find this helpful.
Ben channeling his model skills for the camera.
We tried different poses that we imagined an agent might be after, some of which I thought were hilarious, which resulted in great candid photos. From serious and mysterious to playful and fun, we captured it all laughing as we went. Ben mentioned how he thought it was a vibey place and loved the space. We switched between background music to calm us when things were going wrong and Ben playing singing and strumming his songs so we could represent the songs better.
There is so much for me to learn, especially with shadows and the positioning of lights. Many of the shots I took have prominent shadows in the background which wasn’t my intention so moving forward, I would like to improve this. Once I got the camera settings right, Ben had a go at taking pictures of me as I wanted a headshot for the anthology I am creating. He guided me till he saw the light reflecting in my eyes, and we worked together to make the vision come to life.
The result of me laughing at his serious model pose.
In the future, we would like to try videography in the studio for one of Ben’s music videos. Before that happens, I want to use the Photosynthesis studio to practise and develop my skills so we get a great result. I have learnt so much about photography since joining the team nine months ago and I know I will continue to.
We had a great time developing our skills and know you will too, whether it be at the Studio Basics 101 workshop or renting the studio in your own time. Now is the right time to try renting the studio as we’ve dropped our standard and membership prices by up to 40%. The Photosynthesis studio is the perfect place for anyone to develop their photography skills: whatever that looks like for you.
