Elle Je Creative Camera Club
At Elle Je Studios we wanted to provide a creative environment for enthusiasts
and amateur photographers to improve their skills and learn new techniques. Hence the birth of Elle Je Camera Club. There are many excellent camera clubs around, fortunately we have the perfect environment to allow the members enjoy a practical club. How many times have you wanted to experiment with lighting techniques but don't have the equipment or the facilities to do so. Your option being to hire a studio then what happens? Answer: You stick to the lighting set-ups that you know work and you are in your own comfort zone! At Elle Je Camera Club we encourage the members to break the rules, experience the difference between harsh direct lighting compared to soft wide distributed light. What happens if you light through a venetian blind, you light your subject from above, does the image come alive creating shadows................????
There are many budding photographers out there and
like all of us tend to keep in their ‘comfort zones’ often avoiding or not
having the opportunity to try new things. The club encourages the members to try out new techniques and become more flexible in their image creation. New skills are being taught such as studio
lighting, portraits, still life. Photoshop and Lightroom is being introduced to
beginners and the use of Mac’s available for the more advanced editors.
One of our previous meetings involved photographing a
motorbike. All members had to create their own mood boards and follow briefs, as
opposed to just ‘snapping’. As a surprise to the members we supplied a model so
that they also gained some education on portrait shots.
(image by Steven)
There was a lot of focus on composition and using studio
lights to highlight the areas of importance. The challenge of stainless steel
and mirrors were initially overlooked until some of the members realised that
without care and consideration they would end up with their own reflection in
the image.
Using a black background also created a steep learning curve
for several of the team, until they understood the importance of flagging the
background to prevent light ‘spilling’ onto the backdrop.
A lesson was soon learnt when the wheels of the bike were
too dark, yes lights are movable and directing a low light added the right
amount of light and ambience they were trying to achieve.
(image by Catherine)
There were many challenges for the beginners and amateurs of the group but they all
throughly enjoyed the experience as you can see with the images in the blog.
Our next Camera Club meeting is Thursday 10th October at 7pm where the
members are all working on a fresh project, festive images for calendars or Christmas
cards. A prize will be
awarded to the best image.
(Image by Chris)
If you are interested in joining the club then do contact us on 01949 844166 or email:
lesley@elleje.com
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