Park studios
March 2021
I’m used to doing photoshoots in parks and I often, after shooting indoors, take my subject outside for a different shoot. But current lockdown regulations have imposed that Everything in now shot at ‘Park Studios’.
It presents a challenge, as my subject are all very different and the stories we are telling and tone of the pieces vary wildly. When I ask “Where can we shoot?” its always a local park, or outside space, at a safe social distance and wearing PPE. This could make for the shoots all looking slightly the same, but I have been focusing on controlling the lighting and the colours to try and infuse each portrait with its own individual, tailored mood and feel.
The Stuart Lawrence, brother of Stephen Lawrence, shoot at the top, was shoot for The Times Magazine, who like light controlled studio portraits, so the park was really not their thing. I wanted to make a portrait which showed both the pain of what the family have had to endure over the past 28 years and also his pride and strength, and the tangled growth I think helps with that. While the portrait of Dr Matt Lodder which was for the Guardian Magazine and was about identity theft, was shot in a more naturalistic way with punchier colours, straight lines and reflections.
These last two of Jody Thompson and Kelly Fairhurst are again shot at parks and gardens, the story info is in the caption, so see if you think the lighting and setting suit the story.
Park Studio is actually becoming a nice challenge - a challenge to rework and reimagine a familiar space.