Walkabouts

So....I had a message on Facebook yesterday 'What on earth is a Walkabout and can I came and play!' I love that - they have no idea what we do but have seen the images and want to come too.... so I thought I would let you know a little bit more......are you sitting comfortably - then I will begin!

About 18 months ago a small group of budding photographers and a couple of gorgeous models decided to meet in Southport to practice portrait photography, it was cold, dark and we only had the local McDonalds to head to for coffee and for the models to get changed but after it had finished I started getting requests to do another one....and another one! By the end of the summer the small group had grown to nearly 50 people - models, make up artists, stylists who got together for a crazy day of photography and cake.... cake is always a feature of the Walkabouts...it appears to help with creativity!

 And so the Walkabouts have evolved over the year and now they are more structured and smaller groups so that every photographer who comes along always gets plenty of time an opportunity to work with each of the models. I  start the day by chatting to the group and getting a feel of their levels of experience and then splitting them into small groups. If a group feels that they would like some tutoring then I will spend some time with them looking at camera settings, use of natural light and an introduction to portrait photography.
I also try and challenge the delegates to set themselves a goal for the day - it might be working with a model, experimenting with camera settings or using natural light.

Dan had brought some cards and spent ages flicking them in the air for us to capture....Dan is now Mr International Liverpool and has a Facebook fan page - I would really appreciate it if you would pop along and say hi...he is signed to a model agency and has some amazing portfolio images on his page - well worth looking at

This is Tomas a talented model and performer.... who can jump higher than anyone I know !

Claire and John were amazing - they only came to the farm yesterday to but some fruit and veg and were willing models for us! Claire was a little nervous about having her photograph taken without any make up on but I am sure that you will agree that she did not have anything to worry about!

Luke .... what can I say about Luke - he never stops smiling - until you ask for the mean and moody look and then he looks amazing - he is hoping to do some modelling work in the future and if you are interested in working with him then give me a shout and I will pass your details to him

Corinne, who is an extremely talented make up artist came up with this idea, a poker game in one of the barns - I have to say that the acting talents of all the models were put to good use here!

So here are a few more details, I charge just £30 for the day - this is not a teaching workshop, it is an opportunity to spend the day trying new things, sharing skills and experiences and making new friends. I am based in Lydiate  on a lovely farm. Lydiate is about 6 miles from Southport and the postcode of the Farm is L31 4HD if you want to start planning your trip! There is a gorgeous cafe next door for lunch and refreshments and the Scotch Piper pub is next door - the oldest pub in Lancashire!


I am planning more Walkabouts and events - I have had requests for organising a day with a small group and a very experienced model and have also had requests for stylised photoshoots..... hopefully I can arrange something over the summer. I am also planning another trip to the Victoria Baths in Manchester and there is a previous Blog entry about our last workshop there.

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who came along yesterday - the models were fabulous, the group had so much energy and enthusiasm and the lovely Corinne worked her make up magic again - if you are ever looking for a make up artist then I can highly recommend her - this is the link to her facebook page where you can see her portfolio Corinne Make up artist

I also want to thank everyone who has ever been on a Walkabout - I have made so many friends, learned so much from everyone and have always been amazed at the level of talent and the willingness to share

If you would like to keep up to date on events - the best way to do this is via my facebook page Jo Rutherford Photography. I hope to see you soon!!

Gabrielles modelling portfolio day

Gabrielle Louise is a model.....she has a great portfolio and has worked with amazing photographers......no pressure there then for me to add to what she already has! Luckily I got the chance to work with  an extremely talented and creative make up artist - Donna Graham who seems to be able to create anything out of bits of paper and sticky back plastic!

We spent the day working together to get a range of images for Gabrielle.....we started with simple beauty make up to get some strong headshots

We then wandered along the track behind the farm, with a ton of props - my idea for the next images was Gabrielle hitch hiking along a bleak highway....I watch far too many movies!

We then really got the creative juices flowing and the girls loved using the props and outfits that I have collected to create a new twist on an outfit I have used in a previous photoshoot - Donna suddenly turned the skirt inside out..... scrunched up a section into a flower and also donated her fabulous Dr Martins boots to add to the outfit - marvellous!

We wanted a darker edgier feel to the last set of images, so Donna worked her magic and my clothes rail was raided again - and of course there had to be balloons - they have not featured in any of my photoshoots recently and I was missing them!

We finished the day with some more headshots and I love looking at the contrast from the original images at the beginning of the day to these, I think they really show Donnas skill both as a Make up artist and a stylist. 

Now I know what you are thinking ...... you are wondering how you could have images like these either for a modelling portfolio......or as a present for someone???? Its really really easy - drop me an e mail at jo@jorutherfordphotography.co.uk or head over to my Facebook Page - Jo Rutherford Photography and leave me a message.

A fashion style photoshoot would be the ideal present for school leavers this year - have you got teenagers in the family - exams have finished....Proms are being planned - how about a Photoshoot as a fantastic leaving present ????? 

Now don't forget - don't just click and run - leave me some love - the girls worked incredibly hard yesterday and would love to know what you think of the results. 

Pretty in Pink

I had the pleasure of photographing 2 gorgeous girls this morning at the Farm. Apparently they had been so excited about getting their photograph taken they had been planning outfits for a week! 

The weather threatened to spoil the day with threats of rain  but the girls didn't seem to notice as we went for a walk around the farm  looking for peacock and ducklings and sneaking into the farmers fields to find the poppies although Jessica was more interested in the dandelion that she found which had to be put into water when we got back and then wrapped carefully for the trip home!

It was really lovely to watch these two together, they were sweet and kind with each other and after a shy start they very quickly loved having their photograph taken - I love photoshoots like this - the photography is just part of the fun that they are having.

Cute as buttons!

My lovely photographer friends have been keeping a big secret from me .....photographing children is the best fun ever! When I started the business I was sure that I was going to be working mainly with teenagers and adults and I will never stop that...but I have recently been photographing the cutest kids and its been a challenge, shorter attention spans, negotiation skills tested to the limit but most of all its a chance to try and see the world through their eyes, to be excited by the smallest of things.

These 2 cuties are cousins and the best of friends, I promised that they could play with bubbles after we had finished.....note to self.....DO NOT mention bubbles until the very end!!!

If you have children and would like to book a photoshoot just give me a shout and if you are really really good then I will let you play with the bubbles too!

Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on it. Danny Kaye

Tomorrow is the 2nd Walkabout of 2011.... an event which has grown and grown over the past 18 months, has evolved into an intense day with a very loyal group of photographers attending, a challenge for me to make things different every time, to stretch the delegates, to make them think about what they are doing...... to learn

Learning.... this is a topic very close to my heart - I have always loved to teach and was very very lucky to have been able to spend the last 5 years teaching before I jumped into photography. I love to see people being able to learn in a 'safe' environment...where they never feel stupid, overwhelmed or that they have to stay at the back of the group because everyone is better than they are - I know exactly what that feels like and I also know what its like when someone nurtures your skill and allows you to work toward your potential. Tomorrow evening I will sit with a glass ( I mean bottle) of wine, laptop on my knee and watch for the first images from the day appear on Facebook - that's when I know the day has been a success - when everyone feels able to share their images 

I will have a stupid smile on my face all day tomorrow, watching for the excitement that builds as the day progresses, sharing of kit, ideas and experiences, but I do have something to ask of you all....... I want you to start thinking about the way in which you learn new skills, do you read the instruction booklet first or are you like me and dive straight in and look at the book later when something does not go right? Are you an activist - wanting to get straight in and have a go or are you more of a reflector, wanting to take everything in first - weigh up all the options and only then will you make a decision? So why I am I asking you to do this? Well, if you truly understand how you learn.... then the acquisition of new skills will be faster and more rewarding, don't be put off by the people who will be like Tigger on drugs tomorrow , that's the way they work best..... and don't be put off by people who sit back and are quiet - they may just be assessing the situation.

So when you are thinking about tomorrow, try and set yourself a goal for the day, and at the end of the day sit for a while and reflect on whether you have achieved the goal....if you have - fantastic, if you haven't...well you will just need to book on the next Walkabout and do it all again!

Have fun tomorrow, because that's what its all about.... oh and cake....there is always cake

Victoria Baths photography workshop

When I was younger....much younger I loved to swim and was pretty good at it, I loved the smell of the pool and that gorgeous feeling of being the first one in the water. When our local pool in Salford was being repaired our school took us to a very different pool....with changing rooms all around the side and a balcony, with stained glass windows and a separate entrance for men and women. This was a beautiful place to swim, the light flooded through the windows in the ceiling so you could lie on your back and watch the clouds floating by.

So, I grew up.....I don't swim as much anymore but I still remember that pool......and then last year as I was looking for a location for photo workshop I was planning I came across the website for the Victoria Baths, it talked about how the pool had closed down, fallen into disrepair and had then won the TV programme 'Restoration' and was now being restored by a committed team of volunteers and the memories came flooding back  - this is where I had swum with school! I jumped at the chance to go back and booked a date to hold a workshop there.

I booked the most amazing models , Sarah, Stacey, Zana, Michelle, George, Rebecca and Florence and the best Make up artists....Sian Faulkner and Corinne and we had a fantastic day.....

The location was even better than I remembered, 3 pools, 2 of which were empty and allowed us to photograph the models in them, the old Superintendants quarters upstairs with peeling wallpaer and original features, stunning green tiles in the main lobby and a maze of underground tunnels and rooms where episodes of 'Life on Mars' and 'Bedlam' had been filmed.

20 photographers came along for the day, some were professional, some were landsacpe photographers who wanted to try something different, but all of them were enthusiatic and adored the location as much as I did....

I want to say a huge thank you to everyone involved, I love organising events like this, I love to see the confidence of the photographers build as the day progresses, and I adore the way everyone helps each other, sharing equipment, skills, and cakes....lets not forget the cakes! There are not many training days you can go to where the delgates bake cakes....thank you to Caroline Freeman!

The models worked so hard, working with the photographers so that they could get the best images possible, a very special thank you must go to Flo, on her first photoshoot, you were amazing!

The biggest thank you has to go to Neil and all the volunteers who are so passionate about this building and its history , thank you for allowing us to take over for the day....we will be back!

Head over to the Victoria Baths website for more information http://www.victoriabaths.org.uk/ 

If you are interested in coming to any of the workshops I arrange....head to my Facebook page and keep an eye on upcoming events  Jo Rutherford Photography

Victoria Baths photography workshop

As you may be aware I love to run workshops - I love to get photographers, make up artists and models together and see what they can create , I thinks its the teacher part of me loves waiting for the 'lightbulb' moment when the squeals of excitement start because someone has got 'the shot'!!

So when I got the chance to use this amazing location and work with fantastic models and make up artists I jumped at the chance Victoria Baths. The building was the winner on the BBC Restoration programme a few years ago and a keen band of volunteers a working hard to bring the building back to its former glory

"For 86 years the Victoria Baths provided both essential and leisure facilities. Private baths and a laundry were housed there along with three swimming pools and the Turkish Baths. The main swimming pool was floored over in the winter months to hold dances. In 1952 the Victoria Baths installed the first public Aeratione in the country." (taken from the Victoria Baths website) 

 

 

 All images taken from  Victoria Baths

Pop along to the BBC website for more amazing images. Gallery

Gok Wan has used the baths as a location for his Miss Naked Beauty series and episodes of Prime Suspect and Cracker and Life on Mars have also been filmed here !!!

The workshop will start at 10 with coffee and a chat about the plan for the day - we have full use of the building until 4pm. You will have the chance to work with experienced models who will work with you to create amazing images for your own portfolio using the surroundings of the pools, the changing rooms, the Turkish baths.....the choice of locations goes on and on!! 

This day is perfect for almost any level of photographer - you will need to have a basic understanding of your camera but there will always be someone on hand if you have any questions or need a helping hand. On previous workshops I have organised the groups have worked together and learned so much from each other and sometimes suprised themselves in what they have been able to achieve!

Here is some feedback from the residential workshop I organised in February - I hope that this gives you an idea of how we do things!  Claire Penn Photography

And here are some of the fantastic images that Claire produced on the day.....

So ....the details...... the day will run from 10am until 4pm and costs just £115. You will have the chance to work in small groups with the models. This can be a little daunting at first if you have not done this type of photography before but I will be on hand throughout the day to help and support you if needed - on previous workshops I have started off by photographing and directing the model so that the delegates can ease into the day!! I am a strong believer in being able to learn new skills and practice old ones while having fun....and I can certainly see that this day will be fun!

At the end of the day you will have memory cards full of fantastic images that you can use for your Facebook page, website and promotional material and more importantly you will have learned news skills and made new friends......networking and support are vital and its always fantastic to see the connections that are made after any of the workshops that I have run - we have even had the occasional romance blossom.....now I cannot promise true love on the day but I can promise a cracking day out.

So....come along, stretch yourselves a little and try something a little different.......contact me as soon as possible for booking details and I will see you soon!