The toughest writing job ever ~ The about you page

6 comments June 9th, 2013 01:54pm damien

Well, I’ve had a bash at writing the ‘About’ page for my ‘Passion Photography Experience‘ website it and I thought I’d share it with you here. I chose to write in 1st person because I so dislike writing from someone else’s point of view using 3rd person. I occasionally use 2nd person when I’m writing a how to blog post but as I’m no Hemingway I avoided 2nd person * for my ‘About Me’ page. The trouble with writing in 1st person is it is easy to sound big headed and self loving. I used a few simple questions as my basis for the project to try and avoid that problem. Here is (more…)

My Fujifilm X Lens road map. What does yours look like?

9 comments June 8th, 2013 10:09am damien

If you are not a Fujifilm X series camera owner ignore this post (more…)

Flash or Continuous lighting – Which is the best option?

Add comment June 4th, 2013 03:59pm damien

01. I lit Charlotte Roest Ellis with the Elinchrom Quadra at midday in June. The sun popped in and I replaced it with a splash of flash from the small bare faced Elinchrom head. I find hard light the most wonderfully rewarding to use. There really is no practical continuous light capable of this output without a team of sparks a gaffa and a genny to accompany it. Fujifilm X-Pro1 ISO 200, 14mm prime lens at f/16 for 1/125th second. Ideally I should have used a  2 stop (x4) ND filter to get the lens to f/8 where it is at it’s optical peak of resolution. This shot is still super sharp and will make wonderful prints. The 14mm Fuji lens is astonishingly good. Location: Berwick Lodge Hotel, Make up: Vicki Waghorn, Styling: Lisa Keating, Model: Charlotte Roest Ellis

Today’s cameras have (more…)

A mini guide to location photography lighting kit

6 comments May 31st, 2013 11:06am damien

One of the questions I’m most often asked is what lights should I buy for shooting on location? So here is my quick guide to location lighting kit for photographers.

01. This picture of bridal corsetry by Lisa Keating was shot on the edge of some woods with daylight illuminating Victoria from the left of the camera and a single Lupolux DayLED 1000 spotlight powered with the Lovegrove Li-Ion inverter pack was used both as kick light and to back light the leaves.

There are two key factors to consider when choosing lighting equipment for shooting on location: Power requirements and (more…)

Street fashion in Manchester with Carla Monaco

4 comments May 27th, 2013 11:22pm damien

01. The wall of the Hilton provided a great backdrop for our first shot of the day. I love the yellow lines at the base of the frame.

Model: Carla Monaco
Styling: Johanna Ormsby and Damien Lovegrove
Make up: Jemma Stokes

Here are a few pictures from a street fashion workshop I ran in Manchester earlier this month. (more…)

Adele and Jamie on the streets of Manchester ~ pictures

4 comments May 18th, 2013 08:30am damien

01. Wonderful energy, friendship and love are the perfect ingredients for a fabulous couples portrait.

Here is a collection of pictures from my recent ‘Passion on the Streets’ workshop in Manchester. I have popped a behind the scenes shot into the set to show you how I use a reflector. Enjoy (more…)

Dedicated Lee 75 filter holder adapter ring for X100/ x100s

Add comment May 17th, 2013 12:36pm damien

Lee Seven Five filter holder on the Fujifilm X100 via the dedicated adapter ring.

I’ve just received my pre production Lee Sev5n dedicated adapter ring for the X100. It replaces the Fuji adapter and allows the Lee filter to sit nice and close to the front of the lens. I recommend using the hard grad ND filters as they have a perfect (more…)

Urban Portraits in Manchester with Carla Monaco ~ pictures

10 comments May 12th, 2013 02:41pm damien

01. A single bare faced Speedlight was all we used for this set of pictures. We used it off camera here but later on you will see creative shots taken with the flash on camera.

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Fuji X100 and Carla Monaco ~ Creative shoot

19 comments May 7th, 2013 12:26am damien

I recently ran a workshop/ creative day exclusively for Fujifilm X series camera owners. We shot at the Hilton in Manchester and in the streets nearby on our way back from lunch. Here are 40 of my frames from the day. They are all taken on the X100 with or without the wide angle adapter lens.

1. Shot in the ladies loo in Cloud 23 bar on the X100 with a Nikon SB900 on camera set to 1/8th power. All flash guns with a foot work on the Fuji cameras. We synced the SB900 to 1/500th but could have gone faster if required.

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Emily Saron test shoot in Manchester

14 comments April 21st, 2013 09:53pm damien

In a quest to find new models and locations for my forthcoming workshops in Manchester this summer, I set up a test shoot with my friend and fellow photographer Aneil Sharma. We pulled together resources and here are a few of my pictures:

01. Emily was lit with four Dedo tungsten spot lights for this first set up in our Manchester bar.

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Kate-G Portfolio shoot

2 comments April 19th, 2013 09:13pm damien

01. Kate is one of those models that truly shines through any shoot. I used just an Elinchrom Quadra flash head for this simple shot.

I shoot model portfolios from time to time and here are 12 frames from a recent studio session. (more…)

Lisette Mibo wears corsets by Lisa Keating

4 comments April 11th, 2013 04:19pm damien

Here are a few frames from a recent test shoot. I was trying out a new workshop venue and practising with my Lupolux DayLED 1000 light. Lisette answered my tweet asking for a test model and our shoot was arranged. There were a few factors that nearly transpired to cancel the shoot but by lunchtime we were all good to go.

Model: Lisette Mibo
Makeup: Lisette Mibo
Styling: Damien Lovegrove and Lisa Keating
Shoot assistant: Charlotte Roest-Ellis

Camera kit: Fujifilm X-Pro1, 18-55mm zoom, 35mm and 60mm primes.
Lighting kit: Lupolux DayLED 1000, Lovegrove Scattergels™, Lovegrove Pure Sine wave inverter battery pack.

01. Lit with just one Lupolux DayLED 1000 on full power.

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Lighting winter weddings in castles with the Lowel iD and Lovegrove Gemini systems

6 comments April 8th, 2013 10:35am damien

01. Hopetoun House in all it’s splendour. I lit Siobhán with a Lowel iD light on a Lastolite Jupiter stand.

I am given various challenges as part of my day to day photography training business but none are tougher than this one. My long term clients Alan and Jackie Rankine flew me up to Edinburgh to give two days of 1:1 tuition in January. The theme was lighting winter wedding portraits and groups in castles and stately homes. I was faced with that classic combination of heavy rain on a bitter wind barely illuminated by what little daylight there was in January that far North. Here are some of the magical pictures we created at Dundas Castle and Hopetoun House (more…)

Julia Sophie Liela on the streets of Munich ~ portraits with the Fuji X100

14 comments April 6th, 2013 06:25pm damien

01. Both of these shots were lit with a pair of Nikon SB900 Speedlights firing into a 105cm silver parabolic umbrella mounted in a Lovegrove Gemini bracket on a Lastolite Jupiter stand. It’s my usual street kit for non windy days. Unfortunately it was windy and I could have done with a 50cm brolly instead.

Munich is colourful and vibrant when the sun is out. Radmila and I went to Starbucks for 10am in the centre of town to meet up with Julia, our model for the day. After warming up over coffee we exited the cafe by the back door and ventured into the park. Within seconds we were shooting. Here is a selection of the images I shot on my trusty Fuji X100 (more…)

Wlada Schuler in the studio with the X-Pro1

4 comments April 6th, 2013 09:52am damien

01. Creativity overflowing in Munich. I lit Wlada with a Lupolux 1200 HMI fresnel spotlight with a Lovegrove ‘Alto’ gobo gel clipped to the barn doors to add the dappled effect. Wlada wears a fabulous hand made corset by Lisa Keating. I provided the tutu skirt to complete the look.

Creating fun moments and capturing them with a good sense of timing is what it’s all about. In this post I’m sharing a few sequences that I shot last week in Munich from a 1:1 studio boudoir tutorial with Radmila Kerl followed by a studio lighting workshop for six delegates. Here is a selection of the images we created.

These pictures have only been through Lightroom and have not been Photoshoped. The beauty, love, and fun you see here is real. NSFW after the jump. (more…)

Carla Monaco in the landscape and ruins of Fuerteventura ~ nsfw

32 comments March 15th, 2013 06:19pm damien

01. Carla Monaco wears a sheer silk chiffon dress designed by Lisa Keating. I lit Carla with an Elinchrom Quadra and a Maxi Spot 40cm 29º Reflector. Fuji X-Pro1 with 18-55mm lens at f/6.4, 1/125th second using ISO 200. I used a three stop ND filter to keep the lens at a sensible aperture.

Model: Carla Monaco
Photography: Damien Lovegrove
Styling: Carla Monaco, Lisa Keating and Damien Lovegrove
Make up: Carla Monaco

NSFW after the jump (more…)

A fun studio test shoot with Vicki Blatchley and a Harley Davidson

6 comments February 22nd, 2013 11:01pm damien

01.

My studio is normally fine for head shots and mid length shots at a push but we filled it with a brand spanking new Harley Davidson straight out of the crate and there was not much room for anything else. Luckily I did manage to save a bit of floor space for my friend Vicki. Here are a bunch of pictures from our fab studio shoot. (more…)

Black Swan starring Raphaella McNamara

24 comments February 22nd, 2013 12:33am damien

01.

This Black Swan workshop was day two of my Passion Photography Experience event at Pipwell Hall. After a very successful Film Noir shoot a home cooked dinner together and a night of rest it was time for my delegates to become immersed in a styled art nude workshop. I used continuous lighting from Lupolux and Arri to light Raphaella. I shot all these frames on my Fujifilm X-Pro1 with the 18-55mm zoom lens and I fitted a Tiffen 1/4 Black Pro Mist filter to calm down the digital edge of the files. NSFW after the jump. (more…)

Film Noir ~ A Hollywood style reborn

32 comments February 17th, 2013 08:43pm damien

01. Chloe-Jasmine Whichello armed and dangerous. Film Noir calls for some dramatic acting and there is no better actress for this role than Chloe-Jasmine. Let the drama begin. I lit this scene with two Lupolux DayLED fresnel spotlights. There is no mains power in the cellar at Pipwell Hall so I used  lithium Inverters to power the lights. I used a prototype printed gel on the key light to break it into a pattern. These pattern printed gels will soon be available here and are equably suitable for hot lights and cold running spot lights.

The pictures in this post were shot on my recent ‘Film Noir’ workshop in Northampton. I’ve been researching the genre for some 4 months and I was generally unimpressed by the lack of great reference images on Google. It was upon this discovery that I knew I was onto something. (more…)

Chloe Jasmine Whichello in the studio ~ Pictures

13 comments February 4th, 2013 03:06pm damien

01. Classic looks and locks lit with crisp hard light. Priceless.

Here are a selection of my pictures from a 1 to 1 training session with my friend and fellow photographer Aneil Sharma. Aneil booked Chloe Jasmine, created the mood boards and styled the shoot. Vicki Waghorn designed the hairstyles and did the makeup and I was left to recreate the lighting looks from Aneil’s mood boards. This is what we got up to (more…)