Cherish the Dress™ 2 ~ pictures and technique
June 17th, 2009
Our second shooting workshop under Chris Hanley’s ‘Cherish’ banner went without a hitch. When putting together a ‘Cherish The Dress’ style album it is wise to shoot detail and passion pictures alongside the full length dress pictures. Here is a very small selection of the pictures Chris and I shot on the day. The first 9 or so are mine and the last 9 or so are Chris’s.
The setting is the fabulous Hilton bar on floor 23. The lighting is all Speedlight mastery using infrared remote TTL control.
This is what you get without flash.
And here it is again with Speedlights on stands with Lovegrove brackets of course.
It’s all about application. The orientation and direction of the flashes are critical. The power of each unit is set using the ratio function and the exposure is determined using the aperture and flash compensation. It really is quite easy to grasp when you are shown exactly how to do it.
“Once you’ve done the workshop you feel liberated” said one delegate after the last ‘Cherish the Dress’ workshop.
This was one of the simplest shots to take on the day. The framing is everything.
I used a bit of dingle, dangled in front of the Speedlight to create the dappled light. A small aperture did the rest of the work in adding contrast and punch to the picture.
A little bit of fun and a lighter moment can put a smile on your face. I showed the delegates how to shoot and light a couple on a staircase. It's a skill that will transfer to just about any hotel or wedding venue. Prom dresses look good too and the Cherish brand is not exclusively directed at wedding dresses.
I was umming and ahhing about weather to bring out my friend Arri or not and I'm glad I did. My Arri is a 300w Fresnel lensed tungsten spotlight. It is a very simple bit of kit to use and makes the most wonderful pictures when you know what you are doing with the flood and spot controls.
Another Arri picture. We worked on manual exposure mode all day and I had the chance to use my favourite ISO 800, 1/60th second at f/4 settings.
A white wall and window make such a simple background to this image.
I love this style of close up. A simple one light shot that has advertising grade written all over it. The key light (my Arri) could have been a bit further to the right but this moment was created with a bit of interaction and I captured the look instantly.
Chris Hanley is a master of perspective and captured this naturally lit shot with the minimum of fuss.
There is so much opportunity in a corridor like this to shoot using natural light, by flash or with tungsten light. Chris's pictures like this one have a more gutsy look than mine. It's wonderful to see a photographic style emerge that will be instantly recogniseable as a Hanley within a year or two.
Work it girl. Chris used a combination of a long lens and a slow shutter speed to capture this sublime image.
Making gorgeous pictures like these is a privilege not a job. Chris makes light work of capturing the big picture.
High key or silhouette? the choice is yours when shooting into frosted glass.
Here's another of Chris Hanley's long exposure tracking shots. Between Chris and I we shot enough new techniques to keep all the delegates inspired for some time to come. Italy will be inspiration on yet another level.
An absolutely mad shot of a mad dress. How wonderful is that. Chris at his best is just a bit off the wall 
Simple reveal pictures like these require imagination to 'see'. The Manchester skyline through the fine fabric curtain looks like an oil painting.
I just love this shot. It's a great one to finish this post on because it is beautifully simple and says so much. Another Chris Hanley masterpiece.
Our next Cherish the dress workshop is already full, however Chris has some places left on the workshop he is running solo at the Manchester Hilton on Tuesday 21st July.
Please comment on your experiences if you were a delegate or feel free to comment on the pictures.
24 Comments Add your own
1. Mary | June 18th, 2009 at 12:16 am
Beautiful images…… so many new ideas…..
2. Nick | June 18th, 2009 at 12:24 am
Top class photos they’re just wow!!
3. Richie Carter | June 18th, 2009 at 1:16 pm
Very inspiring…
Very beautiful…
Very Lovegrove!
4. Stuart | June 18th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
And very Chris Hanley?
Really great imagery, thanks for sharing as always.
5. Richard Roscoe | June 18th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
A beautiful series of images Damien!
6. Cat Yarnold | June 19th, 2009 at 12:51 am
Hi Damien,
Great set of images & I’m loving the work of Chris Hanley. Just a quick question what form of lighting did Chris use for images 16 & 17 the dress in image 17 looks amazing great light!! x
7. Chris | June 19th, 2009 at 1:50 am
Hi Cat and Stuart,
Shot 16 where stacey is “catwalking” is natural light. I got Stacey to walk briskly like a “can can” dancer. Cloud 23 is the bar in the sky, 23 floors up. The light is fabulous and in this area is very directional, cutting through lots of sumptuous black velvet drapes. I just made sure she kept looking into the light. Shot 17 is a recess next to the elevator. Normally it houses big ornamental floristry display, lit by a single 55w downlighter. Remove vase, replace with bride, get her to “own” that space and look up at the downlight. Add a sprinkle of post production and you get shot 17:) Hope this helps…….We have only one more Cherish workshop bookable so don’t miss out if you want to shoot with me in the bar in the sky;)
Thanks for the nice words
Best wishes
Chris Hanley
8. Cat Yarnold | June 19th, 2009 at 7:14 pm
Thanks Chris, I never would have thought that kind of light could be produced from a single downlighter, that was very helpful, thanks for the inspiration!!
9. Cat Yarnold | June 19th, 2009 at 10:23 pm
Just one more question, in image 16 how have you managed to keep her head & shoulders so sharp whilst she is moving? thanks again. x
10. Chris | June 20th, 2009 at 12:15 am
Hi Cat,
Shot 16 is around 125th sec at f5. On a 70-200 lens at iso 800 its enough to freeze the action on non moving parts……all the movement was on the wrists and skirt
Chris
11. Ziggy | June 21st, 2009 at 6:19 pm
Sublime! Love them all.
12. Ziggy | June 21st, 2009 at 11:58 pm
Damien. Forgot to say earlier. Images 1 and 3 look like stills from the set of a 60s show like ‘The Persuaders’. Not surprising, considering your background. Still awesome though.
13. karl | June 22nd, 2009 at 10:55 am
Awesome……
14. Chris | June 22nd, 2009 at 11:48 pm
you’re right ziggy, i thought it was very ocean’s 11 (the original which of course D will remember only to well :]
15. Crash Taylor | June 24th, 2009 at 9:15 am
Keep up the good work fellas.
http://www.crashtaylor.com
16. Allister Freeman | June 25th, 2009 at 11:32 am
The black and white ‘reveal’ image is absolutely stunning, beautiful tones with a timeless style. It’s all inspirational work, really enjoy reading the posts.
Allister.
17. Liam Crawley | June 30th, 2009 at 10:50 pm
Amazing work guys, you are both a fantastic resource and an inspiration to aspiring photographers and seasoned pros.
Liam http://www.cgweddings.co.uk
18. Chris | June 30th, 2009 at 11:49 pm
Thank you everyone for your kind words and encouragement………they are truly appreciated.
Chris H
19. Darren Bell | July 1st, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Great Images (as ever)… can’t wait till the 21st July when I am on the course myself!
You’re my inspiration!
Darren
20. jean Dawkins | July 1st, 2009 at 11:31 pm
a spectacular set of photoes lots of new idea,s well done jean d
21. Ashley Pomeroy | July 11th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
This blog makes me feel inadequate, but that’s good. I’m intrigued by the headline shot, of the couple standing in front of a glass window – did you have trouble with reflections of the flash in the glass?
22. damien | July 16th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Hi everyone thanks for your kind words.
Ashley, I had to move the flash stands very wide out of shot to avoid reflections. My biggest problem was the reflection of delegates and other people in the room.
Damien.
23. Adrian Wood | April 1st, 2010 at 7:36 am
Love shot 16 and explanation on shutter speed freezing the action …Good work, great models and location. Will have a look at you main website….
regards adrian
24. damien | April 2nd, 2010 at 12:20 am
Thanks Adrian.
Chris and I are shooting more Cherish workshops this year. The days are full on and such fun. We’d love you to join us on this creative adventure.
Damien.
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