An inside look at the creative process
Portrait photography is a fascinating genre of photography that requires skill, patience and creativity. As a portrait photographer based in Manchester, my job is to capture the essence of my subjects and convey their personality through images. In this blog post, I’ll take you through my creative process and show you what goes into creating a portrait.
For a portrait client, the first step in my creative process is to get to know the person and the project as thoroughly as possible, whether this is an album for release, a theatre show or a simple headshot.
Once I have a good understanding of my client's needs, I move on to the next step of the creative process which is brainstorming and creating mood boards. During this stage, I sit down and work out the best way to utilise photography to promote their project. I’ll go through my own portfolio and sketchbooks that have ideas I’ve jotted down in the past, and I’ll go through the beautiful photography books I’ve collected over time. I’ll mull over what I’d like to do with the lighting, what poses I think would work well and whether we’d be best suited on a location or in the studio.
A huge consideration will be working out the mood and emotion that we want to convey through the photographs. Once I’ve made a bunch of notes and sketches, I’ll take these to the client and then we begin an open creative conversation, a back and forth chat about ideas until we come to a decision on the themes and styles we want to work with.
The third step in my creative process is preparation. This is a big step and involves gathering all the equipment that I will need for the photoshoot, such as any specific lenses, lighting and props. It might include visiting and choosing props from a props rental place, or scouring online marketplaces like Ebay for anything super specific. If we’re shooting on location as opposed to the studio, I like to scout the area ahead of time to familiarise myself with the space. This allows me to visualise the photographs I want to take, and plan out any poses and set ups that I think will work well.
Once I have all my equipment ready and the location and ideas organised, we move on to the photoshoot itself. This will either be at a location we’ve specifically selected, or at my Manchester based natural light studio. During the photoshoot, I work closely with my client to help relax them, help them select what to wear and how to pose, and in general help get the best out of them on the day. I’m always on hand to give direction on where to look and how to sit, while also encouraging them to be themselves. My experience as a photographer has taught me that people actually know best on how to pose themselves - as long as they feel comfortable to experiment and be creative! I strive to create a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere during the shoot to ensure that my clients feel at ease.
The last step in the process is after the shoot, the post-production. This involves selecting the best photographs from the shoot and editing them to bring out their full potential. I use various editing techniques to enhance the photographs, but try to keep it quite subtle. For my preferred aesthetic, less is more in the editing arena!
As a portrait photographer in Manchester, I love the challenge of creating beautiful and authentic portraits that capture the essence of my subjects. By following these steps above, I am able to give myself the best chance of capturing intriguing portraits that showcase the individuality and character of my clients and their projects.