Planning a portrait photoshoot

I find it useful to meet up with a prospective photographic model before a photo-shoot just to make sure that you both know what you want out of the shoot, are able to communicate well, and are not too crazy! I also just like hanging out in cool cafes, meeting creative people.

Before my shoot with urban designer and mother Robin Balles, we met up in Choc O Pain in Hoboken, and exchanged ideas for shoots, and links to inspirational images by email. We settled on a strong profile portrait and silhouette, both using natural lighting provided by Robin's Jersey City Heights big bay windows.

As well as the planned shots we were able to try out a couple of other ideas, shooting through a "rainy" window and using a large mirror.

I have finished work on four images and have uploaded them to my fine art print website.

Visible thoughts

Waiting

Triptych 1

Triptych 2

Full English

My favourite London fry-up can be found as Nico's Cafe 299 Cambridge Heath Rd, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, E2 0EL, United Kingdom, near the Bethnal Green tube station.

Run by a Greek Cypriot guy called Theo, they still serve real chips and strong brown tea made from loose leaves,‎ not frozen processed nonsense and weak tea bag tea like most places. Even this picture makes me hungry, mmm look at those caramelized tomatoes.

This rare example of real east end workers cafe is a gem. Expect to meet locals and regulars with accents straight out of an episode of Eastenders, mixed with the very odd tourist. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1263778/Why-British-fry-healthiest-breakfast-.html

Thinking inside the box

I keep my precious bits in old plastic egg boxes, my pens in cut down shampoo bottles (stuck to the side of my office furniture with magnets), and woolly hats in an old 2.5 gallon water bottle.

It is fun to re-purpose old plastic containers.