Bloomsbury - Olivia Annabelle Photo Shoot

It’s been a while since I shared a blog post! I’ve recently had some of my work featured in Issue 1 of Bloom Magazine, I had three photographs from this photo shoot alongside a written piece by Claire Edwards, you can view the magazine online for free here! There is incredible work by fellow photographers, artists, writers and poets.

As some of these photographs are now published, I thought I’d do a blog post to show more from the photo shoot.

Last Summer I organised a collaborative photo shoot with Olivia Annabelle, it was my first fashion shoot after the first lockdown - I was beyond excited to get shooting! I had been getting inspiration for this photo shoot when we were in lockdown, I was inspired by the changing of seasons and unapologetic femininity. The Pre Raphaelites were also a strong point of inspiration for this photo shoot as well (I’ll be honest, it is for a lot of my work).

We headed to Didsbury Park for the day where we went over plans, the models got ready, and Olivia and Hattie worked their styling magic! Olivia sourced beautiful jewellery from Wolf & Moon, and deliciously dainty gloves by Sophie Cull-Candy.

I had so much fun working on this photo shoot, photography based work started to slow down a bit with the UK going back into another lockdown over the Winter, so this photo shoot was such a joy to work on! I was over the moon when I saw three of my photographs from this photo shoot in the pages of a magazine.

I’m still ecstatic that three of my photographs got featured in the first issue of Bloom Magazine. I cannot wait to work on more photo shoots and get creative!

Golden Years - Shot on 35mm Film.

I promise there will come a time when I stop blogging about this photo shoot, but it is not this day. When I was planning Golden Years, I saw it as a chance to well and truly experiment with not just digital photography, but also with film photography. I told myself that I needed to begin again with using film, it’s good practice for any photographer - whether you’re a professional, student or enthusiast! I truly believe that film photography helps hon your skills with photography.

It’s a strange concept to think that photographers back in the day fully relied on their knowledge of film types, camera settings, and the lighting situation… Without having a preview on the back of the camera to make sure they got that shot. This is why I think film photography is great practice, you have no idea how that image is going to turn out until it is developed, this causes you to think more about the photograph you’re taking, and to rely on your knowledge of the craft.

For this editorial, I used the Ilford HP5 Plus 400 Black and White, and Fujifilm Superia X-TRA 400 colour. I sourced my film fairly locally from Cambrian Photo in Colwyn Bay, I like to try and support local camera shops for my equipment. However with the current situation of Covid-19, you can order film and other products online from one of these stores:

• Analogue Wonderland - explore their products by film format, type of film or by brand. I just noticed they sell home developing kits, and now I’m daydreaming on where I could have my own dark room…

• West End Cameras - this is where I got the film developed for this photo shoot, I cannot recommend their services enough!

• Film Camera Store - they also sell film cameras on here too, with great recommendations for beginners in 35mm photography, and other funky looking cameras!

An alternative is checking out if your local camera store has an online shop, and see if they sell film online! Hopefully, we can all start shooting again soon when it is safe to do so. If you wanted to give film a go, what better time to begin by experimenting safely at home!

When I was photographing Emma wearing Olivia Annabelle Apparel, I wanted to create a similar aesthetic to my digital work. I wanted to focus on the warm tones, the Autumnal colour palette, and to try and make some colours pop against each other. When shooting with the black and white film, I wanted to create quite a dark and moody atmosphere within my imagery, and to show a haunting presence.

I would love to photograph an entire editorial solely using film photography. I think being in lockdown has motivated me more than ever to take action on these ideas. I have been planning for when it’s safe to work creatively. I haven’t worked in my sketch book this much since I was in university!

I originally had some photo shoots planned for earlier this year, they are currently on hold so I may get my film camera out for when the time comes to work creatively!

When I was writing up this blog post, I asked on my Instagram Stories if you had any questions about film photography, I had a few good questions that I’ll answer below!

Q. Any advice for someone who would like to start?

A. Brace yourselves, this is a long answer… the advantages of our time, is having so much access to learn new things! We are a very privileged generation where we can pick up a new skill at the tip of our fingertips by going online or going to a library. You can pick up a decent 35mm film camera from any of the links mentioned above, Camera World, or even from eBay and Facebook market place. There are so many options online!

I’d even recommend asking a family member if they have any old cameras that they want to get rid of. If you don’t feel 100% confident in ordering online, or none of your family members have a film camera to give away; I would wait until the shops are safe to open. I find shop assistants in camera shops can be so helpful, people who are passionate about photography tend to get hired in these stores, so they will be more than happy to give you guidance! They may also know of local up and coming workshops too. This will be a great chance to meet like minded photographers in the area and learn together!

When you have selected your new pride and joy, one thing you need to remember is this: keep practicing. Skill will always shine brighter than having the most up to date camera. Is it frustrating when you shoot an entire roll of film that you didn’t realise was over exposed? Yes, but will you learn something from it? You betcha (looking at you, Amelia from first year in Uni!).

In the theme of keeping up with practicing, remember to always keep learning. You have never learnt everything, because the world is ever moving forward. That includes photography and techniques - they are constantly changing and evolving! If you stay put where you feel comfortable, you’ll start to effectively move backwards.

If you’re unfamiliar with camera settings, there are so many resources that can help you! I’ll link some useful videos below with great advice on shooting with 35mm film:

Samuel Elkins - Learn The Basics of Film Photography

Mango Street - Get Started With Film Photography

Matthew Sergeant Photography - Introduction to Aperture & Shutter Speed, Part 1

KingJvpes - 5 Important Tips for Beginner Film Photographers

Jessica Whitaker - Film Photography for Beginners | How to Use a 35mm Camera

There are also great resources online with wonderful websites like Skillshare, and blogs like I Still Shoot Film.

Q. What do you like most about shooting with film?

A. There is so much I love about shooting with film, I think the unpredictability of it all is what keeps it interesting. It’s so much fun having an experiment with film and not knowing what the outcome will be until you see your images developed! I also think there is something about film photography that you just can’t capture with digital. I love both film and digital photography, however film is just timeless!

Q. Are you using HP5?

A. I sure am! I do love working with black and white film, it reminds me of my college and university days! However, I am eager to try out different brands of film, just to see what they are like to work with. If anyone has any recommendations, feel free to leave a comment below!

My only regret for working with 35mm on this photo shoot, is that I wish I had more film to shoot with! I think that is one lesson I’ll take away from this photo shoot, always bring a bit more than what you need, just in case.

I hope you enjoyed this post, I am going to make it one of my goals to shoot with film more often once we get our freedom back. I hope you’re all keeping well and safe in this weird time. Leave a comment and say hi if you fancy, I’d love to see who’s reading!

Amelia xo