Have a look at some of the images from the night.

Louise recently filmed for In Cold Blood, the BBC NI series and Spotlight. She completed a residency with the famous Frantic Assembley through Prime Cuts theatre company and also studied under Bruiser graduate academy geting a crash course in their highly physical theatre style.  She is also a graduate of Irelands premier theatre school, the gaiety school of acting and has her own drama facilitation business, Time to Shine.

When I spoke with Rose about her new business it was clear to see why she had decided to open a shop.  It is a culmination of Rose’s experience of different cultures and natural flare in ’making a house a home’.  The store which is situated on the High Street of bustling County Down town Holywood is a destination for functional, decorative and genuinely guilt-free shopping for the home.

Softly decorated and naturally lit it, has an array of beautiful tableware, furniture, glass and soft furnishings, all sourced from France, USA, Spain and of course South Africa.

Rose was a real pleasure to photograph and I look forward to working with her again in the near future.

Catching Waves

I get out there and I catch waves and I have fun.  Jamie Russell attacks waves with such technical prowess and power and makes it look easy. Drawing power from a wave is a skill, but the intricate manoeuvres that Jamie Conjures up are the very reason Jamie is being heralded as Ireland’s next top surfer.

A man of many talents Jamie recently placed 3rd in young photographer of the year. I asked for a few tips but he kept quiet about his photography skills. I guess it’s his loss as I won’t be sharing my surfing techniques with the young star (which is a good thing!).

The Bat Cave

First off, it wasn’t easy getting permission from the caped crusader for the venue. Affectionately known as Mermaid’s cave, This wonderful location resides beneath Dunluce Castle in Portrush. With a bit of a climb down to the cave, it took a little while to get down and get set up.  Inside it’s a fairly steep incline and was a nightmare to move around, make lighting changes and generally pose in.  to make matters worse, the 5D’s inability to focus in dark areas made it almost impossible to use AF and this, coupled with the falling light made me switch into overdrive to ensure we got the shot.

I ran with two lights in this shoot.  The elinchrom ranger rx was my main light source and I used a 580 EX II for separation and this was gelled with a CTO for warmth.  Again, the ranger exceeded my expectations in the damp and dark conditions and the 30 sec lamp came in really useful when the ambient dropped completely.

Top Tips:

When possible, visit the location at the time you propose to shoot it to check light and accessibility.
ALWAYS pack a torch and be aware of light fall esp. when down a cave. (packing up and climbing out in the dark is not fun!)
Make certain of your flash settings when in difficult scenarios as it took nearly 5mins to climb down and make a change.
When you fall (and you will) make it look good.