The blog of Charlie Clift Photography

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Olga in the snow

2012-02-14T12:25:00.001Z

Last weekend it snowed in London and the light was beautiful when we were out for a walk in Richmond Park.

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Photographing Life

2012-02-06T18:34:00.000Z

I spend a lot of my time planning and organising specific photoshoots - often with certain themes, briefs, ideas, or concepts behind them. I love doing this - it really gets my creative juices flowing.

However, it's still really nice to get away from that and just record life sometimes. Loads of interesting moments happen around me, and they can often spark great ideas for the future. Here are a few images from the recent past...

Christmas Brunch on the Beach

Regent's Park Stranger

Snowy Outing

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To see the whole series so far click here.

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A few more

2012-01-31T08:05:00.002Z

I photographed a few more hand shots for my project last week and wanted to let you all know about them. These two pairs are from my fine grandparents. Grandfather is a keen gardener and uses his hands a lot outside, and my grandmother has kept her hands in brilliant condition considering that they have seen many years of hard use.

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Laura Schofield

2012-01-22T17:05:00.002Z

Keeping things simple can work so well in photography. I discovered this again whilst photographing the presenter and model Laura Schofield a week or so back. The aim was to play with expressions and personality. A simple intimate set up meant that I was close to Laura, and could interact with her easily and she had room to move and be herself without damaging the way the lighting worked. I shot handheld and could experiment with cropping and angles in any way I liked. Basically we had fun and photographed it - the best way to capture genuine expressions.

Big thanks to Christelle Pellecuer for the hair and make up: www.makeupbychristelle.com

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The Best of 2011

2012-01-04T12:04:00.000Z

It always nice to look back at the end of a year and see what you got up to. This year has been a big one for me - I have moved to London, gained loads of exciting new clients, photographed in some amazing places and met stacks of brilliant people.

Most of all I made many images that I am really proud of...

Personal Work

People and Animals

I started my People and Animals project with Monika and Patryk and their many cats. Since then I have shot a load more people for this project and it will be continuing into 2012 as well. If you know of any people who spend their life alongside animals then please do put me in touch.

I have also photographed the following for the project:
Holebrook Farm - breeder of dogs, riders of horses and some very cute pigs.
Bristol Mounted Police - horses that are not afraid of a fight
Kasztanka Stables - relaxed Polish stables owners

Silent Portraits

I also spent a crazy afternoon not speaking to my subjects for my Silent Portraits project/experiment. This was totally fascinating and taught me loads about people and how to interact and play with them when taking their photograph. Check out the blog post for more about what I learned from it: click here.

Awards

Digital Camera POTY

I've placed highly in a couple of awards this year. Recently I came 3rd in the portrait category of Digital Camera's Photographer of the Year award thanks to Jim from Holebrook farm and his cute pigs.

Red for Heart

I also was highly commended in the Red for Heart competition run by the British Heart Foundation. My grandparents having a damn good kiss can now be found in all of the British Heart Foundation calendars.

Assignments

Crew Clothing

I photographed the Mount's Bay gig rowing team for Crew Clothing in Cornwall on a beautiful day and got to have great fun with a load of lovely people, ride along in some fast moving rowing boats and run around on a beach. Basically my perfect assignment: interesting people, a pretty place, the sea and a beach! Massive thanks to Crew for the great job.

University of Bristol

I also walked around most of Bristol for the University of Bristol photographing students for promotional material. This was awesome fun as I love Bristol, plus it was great to give back to the University that gave me so much whilst I studied there. See more here.

The Green Magazine

The Green magazine has recently published a lovely shoot of mine with Leanne Cole a top ballet dancer. We photographed her at the Royal Ballet School in Richmond Park. This was such a fun location to work in with so many great photography opportunities, I would happily go back their another 10 times and don't think I would ever run out of location ideas.

And finally...

How could I forget photographing Olga against a plain white wall and getting such a fun set of pictures from it.

Many thanks for such a fun year. Bring on 2012!

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3 generations

2012-01-03T09:42:00.002Z

Faces are totally fascinating to me. Members of the same family sometimes look really alike and sometimes very different. I recently had the chance to photograph 4 women from 3 generations of the same family. Looking closely at the photos you can see certain features running through this family whilst other parts of their faces are very individual and tell us much about their experiences.

This was an unusual photoshoot for me as I normally look to get a reaction and an interesting expression from the people that I photograph - but in this series I wanted to study the faces and did not want any expressions to get in the way of that message. It was difficult to get people to look calmly into a camera without laughing, smiling, or pulling a silly face, and took just as much effort to draw out these calm emotionless faces as it does to get a genuine smile on other photoshoots.

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Leanne Cole for the cover of The Green

2011-12-24T00:42:00.001Z

Just after I arrived in London I had my first commissioned shoot for The Green magazine. I photographed the highly talented Leanne Cole who trained with the Royal Ballet at our location for many years. She is currently playing Clara, the lead role in the Christmas production of the Nutcracker. The location itself was the gorgeous White Lodge in Richmond Park and I had unrivalled accessed to any part of the Royal Ballet School's premises there. After a good search around I had a few locations under my belt - we ticked off a variety of shots over the course of a couple of hours.

The last place we shot was the wardrobe department's store room and it was full of so many fascinating items and brilliant textures. I fell photographically in love with the tones in that room and I am so pleased with the image that I ended up with from there.

Here are a few more images from the day:

Massive thanks to The Green for commissioning me for this fun job and to Leanne and the team at White Lodge for being so helpful during the shoot.

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Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T13:10:00.005Z

Ola and Isa

2011-12-18T22:20:00.000Z

Guest blog post by Olga Dziewulska. Olga has helped me on many of my non-commissioned photoshoots and has a great passion for animals and photography - particularly useful when I am photographing animals.

There is nobetter time of the year to reminisce about the summer holidays than the middleof the winter. Charlie and I have been in a number of interesting places forhis People and Animals project and have met some really fascinating people.Last summer he flew all the way to the middle of nowhere in Poland to takephotos of Marta and Krzysiek, the owners of Kasztanka Stables. And as we werethere we thought we could make some money towards our return flights byoffering photo-shoots for the people who keep horses at Kasztanka’s livery. Andthis is how we met Ola and Isa.

I have beenadmiring Isa, a stunning jet-black Friesian mare long before I met Ola. Isa isthe epitome of her breed: her draught-horse past is clearly visible – she islarge, muscular and when in motion – absolutely breath-taking. You wouldn’thowever want to be on her path when sheis galloping towards you. Actually, I bet you wouldn’t even want her to trot atyou. She is an impressive beast. I was therefore thoroughly surprised whenafter a few phone calls about the details of the shoot I finally met her owner.A petite blond, so small she looked like she could easily be blown away on awindy afternoon arrived with a car-full of outfits. Both for her and herbeloved pet. Physique notwithstanding, there is nothing small about Ola. She isa doctor with multiple surgeries to tend to and patients all over the region.She is always on the go and applies herself fully to everything she tries. Andfrom what it seems she likes to try things and was really excited about theirvery first photoshoot.

I had thepleasure to help out with preparing both of the models. Ola brought most of herwardrobe and quickly chose three different outfits for three different sets ofphotographs we were aiming to get. Then we prepared our four-legged model – ashower and multiple doses of multiple hair products later both of the ladieswere ready for their shoot.

What wasmeant to be an hour turned into a whole afternoon and if it wasn’t for the sundeciding to set on us we would have gone on. Ola was a keen and cooperativemodel and very soon her and Charlie had no need for my interpreting skills andmanaged fine on her own. Isa, the horse, was a bit nervous to start with, which actuallysuited us well. A nervous horse is a tense horse and a tense horse is tallerand much more eye-catching than a lazy one. We got the shots showing thecontrast between the owner and her pet early on and then focused on therelationship between the two. Ola had no problem controlling her horse barebackand in stilettos. She was a cheeky cowboy in her western shoes and never lost any of her elegance in the cocktail dress. Isaalthough a bit more stubborn than her human, also made a good model. Horses canbe very temperamental – they don’t like being on their own in places they knowas a group, they don’t like their owners walking away and they definitely don’tlike reflectors. Isa however after initial introduction with Charlie, me andthe reflector seemed to be cool with us. She even withstood calmly theever-present flies, so annoying and potentially painful for horses in thesummer.

Ola wanteda full set of photos – some portraits and some riding. Friesians areexceptional animals (though I may be a bit biased) – their gait is really highand therefore has great potential to deliver spectacular shots and not less ofa spectacle for the people watching. Ola dressed Isa up in pink and changedinto her casual riding gear. They took it to the dressage ring and werecantering in no time. Charlie, as it turns out, knows no fear and was happy tohave Isa ride straight at him until he got the right shots. Isa also seemsunmoved by her human’s desire to ride into a person. And you could see how muchfun they were all having. Ola – completely relaxed in the saddle, Charlie withhis monopod in the middle of the ring and Isa – gathering speed with everycircle she did. We then took Isa’s saddle and bridle off and caught the lastfew rays of sunshine of Isa trotting and cantering around. Ola by that pointhad to chase her a bit, as Isa was well past her feeding time and hold a bit ofa grudge against us all. You should have seen how happy she was ten minuteslater when we let her back into her box to the fresh hay and some carrots.

I have tosay it was one of my favourite of Charlie’s shoots. I sincerely hoped one ofthe livery’s Friesian horses would want some photos taken. What I didn’t hopefor was meeting such a great person with so much passion for her horses (shehas more) and life in general. Being surrounded by people who like to enjoythemselves is surely the best way to spend an afternoon. And if you add anamazing animal and some sunshine to it then asking for more would just begreedy.

Thank youOla for ideas, attitude and company. I look forward to our next ride. Thank youCharlie for the willingness to come to Poland. Though I am sure you know it isworth it.

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Digital Camera Photographer of the Year - 3rd place in Portraits category

2011-12-15T11:23:00.000Z

'Jim and his pigs' - by Charlie Clift

It has just been announced that I came third in the Digital Camera Photographer of the Year Portraits Category for 2011! The winner in this category also went on to win the whole competition so I feel that I am in good company in the portraits selection.

Thanks so much to the judges for selecting my photo, it is amazing to be chosen in a large international competition.

Find out more here.

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Fun in the Park

2011-12-13T13:05:00.000Z

Having photographed some great assignments for clients such as Crew Clothing and the University of Bristol I know just how much I enjoy shooting lifestyle images. The basic idea of a lifestyle shoot for me is to go out and have a great time with people and capture this feeling with my camera. I am looking for relaxed images that make the viewer feel like they are part of a fun experience.

I recently organised a test shoot to expand and update my lifestyle portfolio. I gathered together four great models who were after fresh images for their books, Kinsie - a stylist who's work impressed me but I had not worked with before, and Christelle Pellecuer a great make up artist who I have got to know and trust over the past year. We all got together one sunday and headed out to a local park hoping that it would not piss it down with rain as it was forecast to do. As normal on my shoots I got people doing fun and silly things to break through any worries in them and just get them relaxed. We climbed trees, rolled about in the grass, played ball games and threw leaves all over Danny. To summarise: we had fun and I photographed it.

Massive thanks to everyone involved, it was a fantastic team to be part of:

Aaron Moloney - Model

Danny Gray - Model

Anoo Kapil - Model

Alina Fedynyshynets - Model

Christelle Pellecuer - Make up and hair

Kinsie Sidolle - Stylist

You can view my lifestyle portfolio here.

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London Europeans

2011-12-09T12:24:00.001Z

I was warmly welcomed into Europe House in Westminster recently to photograph Mike Shackleton and Paola Buonadonna who work at the European Parliament Information Office in London. Both Mike and Paola work tirelessly to promote the European Parliament in the UK and make sure that it doesn't get misrepresented in the press.

The shoot was the commonly faced challenge - make an office look interesting. But I like a challenge! I soon found an interesting backdrop in the form of a white wall intersected with a dark blue streak: the perfect place to frame my subjects. With a couple of lights (one bouncing off the white wall behind me as a fill and a softbox as the main) I turned the rather stark office lighting into something a bit more dramatic. All that was left then was to have a good old chat with Mike and Paola and find out all about them whilst gently coaxing some different expressions out of them.

The second set of images were much easier - embracing the wonderful sun made finding nice light on the roof terrace much easier. It was a gorgeous, but cold day, so I kept the roof terrace session quick and fun. Moving Mike and Paola around a bit to get some different looks and finding my best angles.

A big thanks to them both for being so great in front of my lens.

Enjoy!

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See my image and many others over on the Digital Camera website

See more shots of Jim and Holebrook Farm

Shortlisted for Digital Camera Photographer of the Year

2011-12-09T09:29:00.001Z

How exciting! My picture of Jim with his pigs has been shortlisted in the portraits category in the Digital Camera Photographer of the Year Competition. This competition is one of the biggest photography competitions out there - last year there was over 114000 images entered, so it's pretty awesome to get picked to be amongst the shortlist.

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Nik Darlington in the park

2011-12-06T17:03:00.000Z

Last week I went with the writer and journalist Nik Darlington into a non-disclosed park in London to have a chat and take some photos. We thought that taking a battered old leather chair would make things more comfortable for Nik whilst I lay in the mud with my camera - the glamorous life of a photographer.

Nik is a freelance journalist and writer living in Richmond, and an all round top bloke. You can find out more about him here: www.nikdarlington.comHe also has a rather interesting twitter feed: @NikDarlington

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Nicky can lick her elbow

2011-12-03T14:37:00.001Z

I recently had the pleasure of spending a weekend with our great friends in Hull. Being a definite Southern boy with little experience of the North I fell rather in love with the area, York is totally beautiful, the countryside around it was amazing and even Hull itself had a certain charm however much I've heard people putting it down.

Nicky and Chris have two cats and I was for some unknown reason determined to get a picture of Nicky with a cat on her head. There was beautiful sunlight on the Sunday morning streaming through the window - far too nice to ignore, so we set up a chair in the sunbeams and snapped away at Nicky and her cat, plus Chris joined us too for a few pictures.

Massive thanks to both Nicky and Chris for such a lovely weekend.

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Norton Radstock Ladies Circle - For Somerset Life

2011-11-30T09:04:00.001Z

Sometime's it's hard to know how to photograph a subject and make it look visually interesting. This is a social club of ladies and grabbing the viewer's attention with some images of people chatting wasn't going to work for me. So we settled on covering their faces with chocolate instead.

Thanks so much to all of the club for being so much fun.

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Olga has awesome boots

2011-11-13T20:46:00.000Z

This weekend we headed out to Richmond Park - the countryside expanse that has somehow found itself a home inside the M25. Olga was wearing awesome boots. Enough said...

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Jolyons number 10

2011-11-02T11:26:00.000Z

Sorry about the lack of posts recently - I've been crazy busy out shooting so there should be lots more to post about in the near(ish) future.

A short while back I had a fun week in Cardiff photographing a next hotel that's just opened up there. It's run by the rather eccentric Jolyon who's crazy personality has meant its a bit of a unique place. From a few bright pink seats to funky hand altered furniture it was a rather different place to photograph, which of course was a good thing. Here's a few shots, and please do take a look at their website: www.jolyons10.com

Update: Joyon's Number 10 had a great review in the Guardian, both in print and on their website. This included some of my images: link

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Getting to know Acton

2011-10-17T22:55:00.000+01:00

What better way of getting to know somewhere new than going for a wonder. He is a few shots from around my new home in Acton, West London.

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Digital Camera Hot Shots

2011-10-03T13:03:00.000+01:00

The above image is featured in Digital Camera magazine this month. Head out, grab a copy and turn to page 14 to see a nice big picture of Olga flicking her hair all over the place.

Massive thanks to all those who helped out in the shoot:
Olga Dziewulska - you throw your hair so beautifully
Alex Sheppard - awesome assistant and general helper
Sophie Bourke - great make up artist and hair stylist

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I'm in London!

2011-10-03T10:28:00.000+01:00

I've moved away from the gorgeous city of Bristol to hit up the capital and see what it thinks of me. If you know of anyone in London would might like to meet up for a coffee and a chat then let me know. I'm well up for discovering the city and making loads of new friends.

Bristol has been awesome to me, and I will certainly miss it, but it's not too far to travel back to say hello to people. And I'm sure I'll also be back for work too.

Turn the camera on yourself

2011-09-22T17:34:00.001+01:00

A few days ago I turned the camera on myself. Being on the other end of the lens was an interesting experience for me. Even though I had Olga next to me to tickle me and be silly with I didn't find the whole experience exactly an easy one. I don't think having to wait 10 seconds each time I pressed the shutter button helped, and I worked out after a while that only giving ourselves 2 seconds seemed to be much more fun. Normally I would make a shoot like this fast paced and silly, but it's really difficult to do that when you're also one of the subjects. I've gained a new respect for self portrait photographers.

Olga should definitely take a load of the credit for these, it's just as much her set as mine. Thanks Olga!

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The anatomy of a shoot - People and animals Kasztanka stables

2011-09-13T10:58:00.002+01:00

I thought it might be interesting to talk people through one of my most recent people and animals photoshoots. In case you missed the series you can see what I've been up to here: link. Read on for more details on the shoot...

Read more »

Silent Portraits - what I've learned

2011-09-01T17:04:00.000+01:00

So all of the pictures from my silent portraits have been shared with the world and I thought it was worth saying a few words about the project as a whole...

Just to recap - the thoughts behind it all:
When shooting portraits I normally talk a lot, and I encourage others to talk too. This generally gets people to relax. However, sometimes I find the best way to get a good expression or feeling from someone is to stop that chat, and just wait. They start off not quite knowing what to do, they look shy, smile, laugh, pull an amazing awkward face, or give you the best silent look. So many interesting things occur when I stop talking.

This got me thinking: what if I didn't talk at all during a photoshoot. From the moment my subject enters the room to the moment they leave I wont say anything - I'll just stay quiet and see what happens.

So I put out a plea to the world for some volunteers to take part in an afternoon of photography. Seven people agreed to take part and gave me their time for free in return for an interesting experience.

What I've learnt:
Getting people to commit to an idea means that you will get better images from it. I warned all those involved what I was going to be doing with them and they were totally ready for it. If they had not been then I doubt I would have got images that look anyway near as intimate and interesting as those I took during my shoots.

Doing something different together makes people closer. It took maybe 5 minutes max to break down the awkwardness in each of the sessions. This is a way shorter time than when people can hide behind polite conversation. I also found that when we finished each session we left feeling like the best of friends, or at least a whole lot closer.

You can say so much without even talking. I could still direct and suggest ideas to the people involved the shoots. I could gesture, act, copy, smile, frown, move about and shake my head. There were so many other ways I could encourage and coerce people that didn't involved talking. It was really interesting to see how well they worked.

Keeping it simple can often mean the best images. I took one simple idea and expanded it to a whole shoot - I couldn't talk. I didn't have fancy lights, I didn't have a fancy set, I didn't have fancy props, I didn't use fancy processing. I just photographed in a small plain room with a chair and a table using the natural window light. This meant that there was nothing to distract me and my subject from one another. I think this shows in the intimacy of the images.

Here are all of the images for you to enjoy:
See the first person into the room here: Will
See the second person into the room here: Paul
See the third person into the room here: Keir
See the fourth person into the room here: Sophie
See the fifth person into the room here: Emily
See the sixth person into the room here: Olga
See the seventh person into the room here: Katy

A massive thanks to all those who took part in this project. It was totally fascinating to be part of.

Enjoy!
Charlie

Kasztanka Stables - people and animals project

2011-09-01T14:19:00.000+01:00

I got back a few days ago from a fun trip to Poland. This was partly to see my girlfriend and her family and enjoy the Polish countryside, but it was also to shoot another day for my people and animals project. In case you're not up to date I have now done 4 separate and great fun shoots for this project.

Here are the others:
Koc-pol cat*PL blog post - renowned cat breeders
Holebrook Farm blog post - horses, dogs, and some pigs
Bristol Mounted Police blog post - horses that are not afraid of a fight

The idea behind the project is to concentrate on the interesting people who decide to spend large amounts of their lives with animals. They are often great fun people, who aren't just like everyone else - they have a passion that they pursue constantly, often working far more hours than the norm, but doing something that they love. And as well as all this they have some beautiful animals that make wonderful props in a photo.

Krzysiek and Marta are no exception to this - they are two exceptionally passionate people. Krzysiek got on a horse for the first time about 15 years ago and loved it so much he moved on from running a shop, bought a large amount of land, built some stables on it and has worked in partnership with horses ever since. Marta works for Krzysiek at the stables and seeps excitement to all those around her. Whilst I was taking her photos I could see just how much she loved horses and riding. I said to her at one point:
"You look like this is exactly where you belong Marta?"
"Yes," she said, giving a smile that proved exactly what I thought. Hopefully I've managed to show this in my photos.

As keeps happening in this project I find myself awash with picture ideas and possible photos. The hardest part of a shoot like this is deciding which images to concentrate on and which to pick as my final few. I want to show you everything, but ultimately I need to pick four for my project that grab the essence of what I'm searching for in these shoots. Those selected images are seen in this post.

However, wait a few days and I will be posting a little bit more about this shoot, telling you the ins-and-outs of what I get up to arranging shoot like this.

I love being a photographer, and shoots like this are why.

Visit the stables website here: www.koniekasztanka.pl
Huge thanks to Krzysiek and Marta for all their support, and also a massive thank you to Olga for her constant help.

more to come...

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John Rankin for BBC Countryfile Magazine

2011-09-01T13:18:00.000+01:00

BBC Countryfile has just hit the shops with a 3 page feature on John Rankin. He's a progressive school chef in Penair School in Cornwall. Through a great amount of enthusiasm and determination John has turned the school's kitchen around massively. It used to cook untasty and unhealthy meals for 30-50 kids a day, now the kitchen cooks 400 plus gorgeous locally sourced meals. He's turned the school kitchen into an independent non-profit organisation that has amazing links with local farmers, fishermen and suppliers. He butchers his own meat to save on costs and even encourages the children to get involved. As you may of guessed he was a great fun guy to photograph...

Massive thanks to Countryfile for the fun job and to John and the school team for making my day much easier than it could have been.

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Silent Portraits - Katy

2011-08-31T09:53:00.002+01:00

A little while back I put out a request to the world for some people who wouldn't mind me trying out a new idea on them. 7 agreed.

The thoughts behind it all...
When shooting portraits I normally talk a lot, and I encourage others to talk too. This generally gets people to relax. However, sometimes I find the best way to get a good expression or feeling from someone is to stop that chat, and just wait. They start off not quite knowing what to do, they look shy, smile, laugh, pull an amazing awkward face, or give you the best silent look. So many interesting things occur when I stop talking.

This got me thinking: what if I didn't talk at all during a photoshoot. From the moment my subject enters the room to the moment they leave I wont say anything - I'll just stay quiet and see what happens.

Katy was the last person into the room...

See the first person into the room here: Will
See the second person into the room here: Paul
See the third person into the room here: Keir
See the fourth person into the room here: Sophie
See the fifth person into the room here: Emily
See the sixth person into the room here: Olga

A massive thanks to all those who took part in this project. It was totally fascinating to be part of. Most of all I learnt about people and interaction, and the fact that the way I behave, move and direct on a shoot is just as important, if not more important, than what I say. I also learnt that being with someone in a strange and unique situation can instantly make you feel like friends. You've shared something together and have something to connect you more than normal polite conversation. This is how a portrait shoot should be, I want to learn about others and get closer to others and show this in my photographs of them. The better I can get to know someone the better photos I can take of them.

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Monkton Elm Knit Club for Somerset Life

2011-08-28T23:38:00.000+01:00

Another fun shoot following a similar theme to the last one I shot for Somerset Life at Monkton Elm Garden and Pet Centre. This time it's for the knitting club they run from their craft centre.

A massive thanks to all the ladies who brought a huge amount of knitwear and craft items for me to use as props in the shoot. Also thanks to the furniture department for lending us the space to take the photo and letting me move around all the furniture that was on display.

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University of Bristol promotional images

2011-08-24T11:45:00.000+01:00

A few months ago I put out a plea - I needed people to model for a photoshoot. The shoot was for the University of Bristol, taking images for their postgraduate marketing. I had a surprisingly good response and gathered together about 10 friends, grabbed a few others from the street and had some fun. It was a long hot day which took me around most of this lovely city on foot and left me totally shattered, but we got some nice images and enjoyed ourselves.

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Sarah and James got married

2011-08-21T17:15:00.000+01:00

Bristol Mounted Police - People and animals project

2011-08-12T10:30:00.001+01:00

A bit of cheek and persistence can gain you access to many interesting places as a photographer.

Having seen the Mounted Police riding around Bristol whilst I go about my life I could not help but think they were totally fascinating and quite unusual in this modern world of cars, motorbikes and hi-tech transport. Moreover the people who spend their time working in the mounted section must spend a very large amount of their life amongst animals - the exact focus of my people and animals project.

So after a few phone calls, and emails, and back-and-forwarding we finally arranged a Sunday afternoon when I could travel down to the stables in Bower Ashton. I photographed Tracey (a mounted officer) and Natalie (someone who looks after the horses, but does not ride them into riots and drunken city centers as part of her job).

After the horses shoot I wanted to take a few pictures in the locker room...Tracey got into the locker...

A massive thanks to the Mounted Police in Bristol, in particular to Tracey and Natalie.

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Silent Portraits - Olga

2011-08-11T10:46:00.001+01:00

A short while back I put out a request to the world for some people who wouldn't mind me trying out a new idea on them. 7 agreed.

The thoughts behind it all...
When shooting portraits I normally talk a lot, and I encourage others to talk too. This generally gets people to relax. However, sometimes I find the best way to get a good expression or feeling from someone is to stop that chat, and just wait. They start off not quite knowing what to do, they look shy, smile, laugh, pull an amazing awkward face, or give you the best silent look. So many interesting things occur when I stop talking.

This got me thinking: what if I didn't talk at all during a photoshoot. From the moment my subject enters the room to the moment they leave I wont say anything - I'll just stay quiet and see what happens.

Olga was the sixth person into the room...

Number 38 Clifton

2011-07-29T15:25:00.000+01:00

Check out the very pretty Number 38. It's a guest house that overlooks the downs in Bristol and has the most gorgeous interior design that I've seen in a while.

I was kindly asked to photograph the hotel for it's launch, taking shots of everything they could need for all their media. It took about 3 days plus a few early morning and late evening visits to get just what they were after and I'm really pleased with the results.

Almost all the pictures on their website are mine so please head over and take a look. And spread the word as it is an amazing place to stay if you are after a luxury night in Bristol:
www.number38clifton.com

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Silent Portraits - Emily

2011-07-28T13:47:00.000+01:00

I recently put out a request to the world for some people who wouldn't mind me trying out a new idea on them. 7 agreed, we shot a little while ago.

The thoughts behind it all...
When shooting portraits I normally talk a lot, and I encourage others to talk too. This generally gets people to relax. However, sometimes I find the best way to get a good expression or feeling from someone is to stop that chat, and just wait. They start off not quite knowing what to do, they look shy, smile, laugh, pull an amazing awkward face, or give you the best silent look. So many interesting things occur when I stop talking.

This got me thinking: what if I didn't talk at all during a photoshoot. From the moment my subject enters the room to the moment they leave I wont say anything - I'll just stay quiet and see what happens.

Emily was the fifth person into the room...

Silent Portraits - Sophie

2011-07-20T10:31:00.000+01:00

See the first person into the room here: Will
See the second person into the room here: Paul
See the third person into the room here: Keir

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Mike Crawshaw - on the cover of The Green

2011-07-18T10:32:00.001+01:00

One of my pictures of Mike Crawshaw which I shot in for Somerset Life's June edition has been used on the cover of The Green magazine in London. Copies now in shops, it looks really nice in print.

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Silent Portraits - Keir

2011-07-15T16:33:00.002+01:00

I recently put out a request to the world for some people who wouldn't mind me trying out a new idea on them. 7 agreed, we shot two Saturdays ago.

The thoughts behind it all...
When shooting portraits I normally talk a lot, and I encourage others to talk too. This generally gets people to relax. However, sometimes I find the best way to get a good expression or feeling from someone is to stop that chat, and just wait. They start off not quite knowing what to do, they look shy, smile, laugh, pull an amazing awkward face, or give you the best silent look. So many interesting things occur when I stop talking.

This got me thinking: what if I didn't talk at all during a photoshoot. From the moment my subject enters the room to the moment they leave I wont say anything - I'll just stay quiet and see what happens.

Keir was the third person into the room...

See the first person into the room here: Will
See the second person into the room here: Paul

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Silent Portraits - Paul

2011-07-07T12:03:00.000+01:00

I recently put out a request to the world for some people who wouldn't mind me trying out a new idea on them. 7 agreed, we shot on Saturday.

The thoughts behind it all...
When shooting portraits I normally talk a lot, and I encourage others to talk too. This generally gets people to relax. However, sometimes I find the best way to get a good expression or feeling from someone is to stop that chat, and just wait. They start off not quite knowing what to do, they look shy, smile, laugh, pull an amazing awkward face, or give you the best silent look. So many interesting things occur when I stop talking.

This got me thinking: what if I didn't talk at all during a photoshoot. From the moment my subject enters the room to the moment they leave I wont say anything - I'll just stay quiet and see what happens.

Paul was the second person into the room...

See the first person into the room here: Will

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Silent Portraits - Will

2011-07-05T09:39:00.000+01:00

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Silent portraits

2011-06-23T11:57:00.001+01:00

I am after 5 or so people to try out a new idea for portrait photography and I want to shoot you.

The thought's behind it all...
When shooting portraits I normally talk a lot, and I encourage others to talk too. This generally gets people to relax. However, sometimes I find the best way to get a good expression or feeling from someone is to stop that chat, and just wait. They start off not quite knowing what to do, they look shy, smile, laugh, pull an amazing awkward face, or give you the best silent look. So many interesting things occur when I stop talking.

This got me thinking: what if I didn't talk at all during a photoshoot. From the moment my subject enters the room to the moment they leave I wont say anything - I'll just stay quiet and see what happens.

I want to see how people collaborate with me on an unspoken level. Instead of getting distracted by chat, I want you to be distracted by the quiet.

If you are interested then just give me call, drop me a text or send me an email, I want to get 10 or so people together in Bristol for an afternoon of no-chat photography followed by tea and cake at my place with as much talking as you like.

What will you get in return for your time? An A4 sized print of your best/most interesting silent portrait moment, plus tea and cake.

Phone/text: 07871175627
Email: info@charliecliftphotography.com

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Rees Family

2011-06-20T11:01:00.000+01:00

A few months back I had the joy of spending an afternoon with the Rees family. We set off from their house and spent a couple of hours running around a wood swinging on ropes and looking into ponds. Then another 30 minutes back at their home in the garden and the session was done. Cheers guys!

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Family Portraits website

Commercial website

Holebrook Farm - People and Animals

2011-06-07T13:39:00.000+01:00

To continue my people and animals project (previous shoot) I recently took a trip down to Holebrook Farm near Exeter. This project is focusing on the interesting individuals who spend their life with animals.

Jim and Penny own and work on the farm alongside Angela. They keep and breed loads of different animals: furry pigs, goats, ponies, donkeys, chickens and Crufts winning Bernese Mountain Dogs. They love the animals and have a great connection with them all.

Talking to Jim you can tell he has encyclopaedic knowledge of Bernese dogs - even if, like me, you know very little about dog breeding. He and Penny are proud and dedicated to their breeding and produce gorgeous dogs which are friendly and fun. And they look totally stunning.

Penny and Angela love their horses too. Unusually for an English farm they ride in a western style on quarter horses that they breed on the farm. Western style riding is more laid back and chilled than the typical English style I'm used to. I knew nothing about it before visiting the farm but after a bit of investigating I thought it sounded pretty cool - apparently in competitions people can often be found swirling a lasso. Part of this riding style also seems to be the clothes they wear and both the ladies dressed up for our shoot looking great in their western outfits - tassels and all.

A huge thanks must go to Penny, Jim and Angela. They were so cooperative and up for trying out anything. Also a massive thanks to Olga for helping out all day and smiling constantly throughout.

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Luca Marseglia - an interesting person

2011-05-30T11:28:00.002+01:00

Meet Luca Marseglia an Italian studying for a PhD in quantum computing at the University of Bristol whilst campaigning against the corrupt Italian political system.

A big thanks to Luca for a fun couple of hours and being up for a random photoshoot.

See more hands here: hands project

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In Bristol - want to model for the University?

2011-05-27T13:54:00.002+01:00

Would you like to help market the University of Bristol to new students? Then let me take photos of you!

Where: Bristol - on campus and in the city

When: Tuesday the 14th of June 2011
How long: 1-2 hours.
What for: University of Bristol marketing material
What will I make you do: Have fun, stand around and chat with others.

I have been asked to shoot some images for the University of Bristol that will be used in their marketing materials such as prospectus', leaflets and on their website. And I need lovely people to photograph, just like you. You don't have to be Britain's next top model for this, just up for having a laugh. I need all kinds of people to have a good old natter whilst I snap away.

The shoot is scheduled for Tuesday the 14th of June and I am looking for 10-15 people aged 18-45ish to be my models. All I will need is for you to chat away and have fun whilst I snap shots for a couple of hours at most. I'm after relaxed informal pictures of you on the campus and in the city. You do not need to be a student at the University, as long as you look like you could be an undergraduate or postgraduate then all is good.

If you are interested then please give me a call or drop me an email. I will then sort people out into groups of twos, threes or fours for 1-2 hour sessions throughout the day.

Phone/text: 07871175627
Email: info@charliecliftphotography.com

Looking forward to meeting you!

Just to give you an idea here are a few shots with a similar feel to those I'm aiming to take on the day...

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Mike Crawshaw for Somerset Life

2011-05-25T11:18:00.000+01:00

A few months ago I had the pleasure of spending 30 minutes with Mike Crawshaw. He's currently singing his heart out as part of the vocal harmony group The Overtones. Having recently gone gold with their record sales, they are off touring and recording like no-one's business and enjoying the highs of success.

Somerset Life asked me to take some images to accompany his interview in this months edition of the magazine (page 56). And he's some of the images that I took.

Many thanks to Mike for a fun time and arranging tickets for their show in the evening - this job has some nice perks sometimes!

You can find out more about The Overtones on their website: www.theovertones.tv

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Ben and Cat get married

2011-05-23T11:06:00.000+01:00

A few months ago I photographed Ben and Cat's wedding in Bristol. A great couple and a great day.

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Against the wall

2011-05-20T11:32:00.000+01:00

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Being creative helps get you work - Monkton Elm Garden Centre

2011-05-06T08:53:00.000+01:00

This is a story of how being creative and going the extra mile got me loads more work than I was expecting...

Shoot 1: Somerset Life
A few months back I was asked to shoot a group portrait for Somerset Life magazine at Monkton Elm Garden and Pet Centre. I was to be shooting the Pet Centre team and I needed to make it interesting and tell a story. The people who work there bring in their own pets once every week or two to show others the animals and teach them a bit about them. These vary from the fairly normal dogs and rabbits to the less normal snakes and lizards.

After a chat with the Liz, the lady in charge of the pet centre, I decided to go the extra mile and do something exciting. I wasn't getting paid loads for the job but my thought process was ""why not make it fun and get an image that I am proud of out of it". Plus the added bonus was that it would be published for many people to see.

After a bit of thought I realised that something similar to my personal work with Koc-pol cat*PL would look good. I arrived at the location and tried to pass on my idea to the people I would be photographing. They seemed interested and enjoyed the fact that I was doing something different from the usual kind of photography they are used to. In fact I seemed to impress the lady in charge of the pet centre so much that she introduced me to the management team.

Shoot 2: Spyder's Web facebook page

So I cracked on with my shoot and got all the frames I needed to create the composite image above. But that wasn't to be the end of this job as I thought. The pet centre manager then asked me if I could photograph some images of her dog to be used on the Monkton Elm facebook page: Spyder's Web. I obliged happily and spent another 30 minutes taking some fun photos of the manager's dog following her instructions for the type of image she wanted.

Shoot 3: Andrew Pitman

Just when I was about to pack up the lady who manages the whole garden centre arrived and asked if I could take some portraits for an advert they were running in a couple of regional magazines. I said "yes, of course" and was lead off to meet the person I was to photograph. I then spent a further 40 minutes or so getting some happy portraits of Andrew Pitman. He is a gardener who has been at the centre for many years. He regularly wins prizes for his gardens at the Taunton flower show and loves gardening. The management felt that some great pictures of Andrew would add the personal touch to their adverts that was currently missing.

So after two more shoots than planned I packed up and headed home. But that is not the end of the story...

After the shoot
The original image of the pet centre team has just been published in article in Somerset Life and it looks great. Better than that the manager at the garden centre loves it so much that she called me up to purchase usage rights to the image for advertisements and promotion.

The moral
If you have the time put in the extra effort. Being creative and enjoying your photography leads to more opportunities, new clients, more money and happier people. So next time you have to shoot a 'small job' approach it just as you would a big job or your personal projects and do your best.

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Street photography - Clifton April 2011

2011-05-05T10:35:00.000+01:00

Sometimes you just need to get away from it all and go for a walk with your camera and see what happens. I do this randomly (e.g. link) and recently I was bored of sitting inside so I headed out around unknown parts of the area I live in to find new things and new people...

film and material

2011-04-20T08:53:00.002+01:00

I recently had the pleasure of doing a photoshoot on film for the first time in my life. I guess I wasn't particularly old school as I used a digital camera to set it up and do some of the shooting. But after I thought we were set to go I used a medium format film camera for the main shots.

My concept for the shoot was to work with loads of interesting textured material and turn it into an outfit for Elle from Mustard. I bought a good 15 meters of this stuff in a couple of different colours. It was picked for it's texture as I knew I'd be shooting it in black and white on the film camera. Huge respect to Ashley Cover who was styling the shoot and made a dress out of the mass of cloth with just a few pins and a damn good head for fashion. Make up and hair was done by the awesome Christelle Pellecuer, and it looked great as always. These two are starting to become my go to team for shoots - they are really chilled and love getting involved. Just as importantly they tell me when things are good and when they are not.

I really enjoyed shooting on the slow and clunky medium format film camera, it made me slow down and analyse everything I was doing. It made the shoot more planned and a bit less spontaneous, but I still found it great fun. I also loved printing the images in the darkroom the next day - it's impossible to show online how good these look on 8x10 matt paper with the awesome deep blacks and shadows detail that it gave.

A huge thanks to Niall and Matt for being my film technical assistants, I couldn't have done it without you.

Here's some of the digital versions that I took in a prolonged set up.

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Mount's Bay Gig Club for Crew Clothing

2011-04-19T23:46:00.101+01:00

A few months ago I had an awesome commission to shoot lifestyle and portrait images in Cornwall for Crew Clothing. It consisted of a two day job with the first day travelling and scouting and the second day shooting. The images have just appeared in an advertorial piece in Coast magazine and they look great in a double page article.

I travelled down from Bristol on the Friday, looking out of the car window at the sunshine and praying that the weather gods would keep things the same for the Saturday. My brief for the shoot meant that I had to shoot outside and if it was raining - well I would just have to cope. I arrived in Marazion in Cornwall at lunchtime and checked into my hotel, which had the amazing location of being about 20 metres from my meeting spot the next morning with my car parked somewhere in the middle of the two places.

I spent the afternoon with Helen Bowkett who was to be my guide for the shoot. We talked about my brief and the location. I was to shoot members of the Mount's Bay Pilot Gig Club, both whilst rowing in scenic action shots and also in a more relaxed lifestyle setting. Crew Clothing is their main sponsor and this was primarily to feature in Coast magazine to help promote Crew's involvement with the coastal community.

The next day I awoke at 6am to get the first light and when I got outside I realised we were going to have beautiful weather. There was a slight misty haze but otherwise a clear day. So we quickly got the boats out and headed onto the water. Thanks to Helen's organising I had two rowing gig's and two teams at my disposal. So I sat in one and got both boats to row exactly where I wanted making sure that the boat I wasn't in stayed at the right distance and in the right place by shouting at them across the quiet morning water.

After a damn good early morning session I headed back ashore and downloaded files whilst waiting for my contact from Crew to turn up with the clothes for the rest of the day. I was feeling great about the rowing images and knew that I had some stunning shots in the bag.

When everyone had changed in to their branded Crew clothes we headed off over the sand towards St. Michael's Mount with the aim of getting some lifestyle-fashion images. My idea was for relaxed group shots and portraits of the gig club members showing the new line of Crew's GBR Atlantic Series at its best. With about 30 people to look after I let them chat away whilst pulling a few people out of the group to take their images. We wondered around on the beach, played silly games and generally had a laugh. I snapped away, grabbing various helpful people me to assist me by holding my spare camera and reflector when I didn't need it. To put it simply I had great fun running around enjoying the fact that 30 people didn't mind me taking their pictures.

After a big lunch and more file downloading we took a selection of the rowers who we felt had got on particularly well with the camera to grab some more images. We headed off on the beach for a bit to start with. I got my feet a wet because the tide was coming in so fast it caught me whilst I was concentrating on taking pictures and not where the water was. To finish the day's photography we all went to the Terrace of the Godolphin Arms that looks right out over the bay, got a round of drinks in and had a good old chat.

After a good 10 hours of shooting I finished the day and could relax. The 3 hour drive home felt like nothing because I was high on the great feeling of an awesome day's photography.

A big thanks to Crew Clothing for the fantastic job and also to everyone in the Mount's Bay Pilot Gig Club who were wonderfully helpful and understanding when I kept asking them "can you do that again please."

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Family Kiting

2011-04-15T09:01:00.000+01:00

Sometimes you need to do a test shoot to prove to a client that you're up to their task. This is exactly what I did recently for a kite company and although I haven't heard back form them yet, I still thought I'd share the pics with you. They wanted me to show the fun family side of recreational powerkiting, so I hooked up with a kite-flying family and headed off to the beach.

When people are at the handles controlling a kite it's basically impossible to show their faces and the kite in the same shot. So I needed to try and find compositions that would show the fun and emotion involved in kiting, whilst still suggesting or showing the kites themselves. I found that I could either leave the kite out and put the lines and handles in frame - this way I could show the happy faces of the awesome Way family. Alternatively I could get my happy family to show me their excitement by doing quite large gestures - this meant I could shoot from behind them and include the kite whilst still demonstrating the emotions involved.

I like a challenge and this shoot certainly got me thinking, but I'm pleased with the results, particularly considering the gusty wind that made flying the kites a whole lot harder than it should of been. You can see more from the shoot on flickr.

A massive thanks to the Way family who were totally at ease with me asking them to do all sorts of crazy things whilst still keeping the kites flying.

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Tricia Gilliam

2011-04-12T19:19:00.001+01:00

I recently did some work for Tricia Gilliam, who is an interior designer just about to relaunch her career. She's a fantastic lady who is always up for a laugh and so full of life that I doubt anything will ever stop her getting where she wants.

If you are interested in Tricia's design then drop her an email or hit up her website. Her style is traditional and grand, but with a lovely homely feel to it.

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An afternoon with Jimmy Galvin - part 2

2011-04-05T12:23:00.000+01:00

This post is the second part of a 2 part piece about my photoshoot with the Bristol based artist and musician Jimmy Galvin. You can find the first part here: An afternoon with Jimmy Galvin - part 1

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After a good few hours taking photos in Jimmy's front room the light outside started to turn golden and delicious. So I headed out on a walk with Jimmy to see what we could find.

After a few shots on the crescent where Jimmy lives we went to look for other locations. Jimmy got excited about somewhere he knew and lead me to a great location with crazy lines all over the place and a nice urban gritty feel to it. The sunlight did the rest as we ran around finding the best spots to take photos before we lost the golden rays...

A massive thanks to Jimmy for all his cooperation and ideas. To find out more about him please head over to his website: www.jimmygalvin.com

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An afternoon with Jimmy Galvin - part 1

2011-04-04T13:47:00.015+01:00

After my quick and fun shoot with Sebastian Smith he was meeting with some people to discuss displaying and selling his paintings. I was just packing my kit up and briefly introduced myself and handed over my card. This is something I so often do and rarely leads to much, but is still worth doing because sometimes it does.

A few days later I get an email from Jimmy Galvin, one of the men I met briefly, who is a Bristol based artist and musician. Jimmy loved my images of Sebastian and wanted to spend some time with me taking photos. He paints massive abstracts and lives in an awesome flat on Royal York Crescent - an impressive architectural terrace overlooking most of Bristol. It sounded like a perfect place to have some creative fun and see what I could do with the opportunity.

I met with Jimmy the week before our shoot and discussed briefly what we could do - I came up with loads of crazy ideas including dangling paintings from the high ceiling on wires so that I could play with layers in my images. This meeting meant we both had a good idea of what was going to come, but we didn't plan too much as we were both up for messing about on the day - probably the best way to be creative.

The shoot it self happened on a beautiful day with the sun streaming in through the large windows of Jimmy's front room filling the space with beautiful glowing light. But as well as using the light I found I also messed around and tried out loads of different looks bouncing light all over the place. Taking control of the light like this meant I could concentrate the viewers eye on certain parts of the image enabling me to make Jimmy stand out that little bit more from his background.

At about 4 o'clock the light started turning golden and gorgeous so I took one camera and one lens out on a walk with Jimmy. But you'll have to wait for those images which are coming in second post sometime soon...

A massive thanks to Jimmy for all his cooperation and ideas. To find out more about him please head over to his website: www.jimmygalvin.com

[UPDATE: part 2 can be found here]

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Shoes!

2011-04-01T14:37:00.000+01:00

Olga has a lot of shoes. We've been meaning to make a picture involving them for quite some time now. This one involved Olga throwing a lot of shoes into the air and trying to capture them at a good point in their fall.

It's also Olga's birthday today, so I got a big print of this done and framed it for her.
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East Somerset Railway

2011-03-24T18:48:00.000Z

A short while ago Somerset Life gave me the opportunity to head over to the East Somerset Railway and take photos of the volunteers who work there.

I didn't really know what to expect and thought that the job would probably take me an hour or so. However, when I turned up I found a great bunch of guys who are totally engrossed in a passion and love spending their time mending and shaping old trains into tip-top working condition. Of course as a photographer I also found many wonderful characters, faces and hands to take photos of. So four and a bit hours later I had just about finished and was packing up to head home.

Whilst I was there I had the chance to add a few more images to my hands project - lovely dirty railway worker's hands covered in oil and soot.

To find out more about the East Somerset Railway check out this months Somerset Life magazine or head over to their website.

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Sebastian Smith

2011-03-03T12:04:00.004Z

The nice thing about being out and about in interesting places is that you often bump into interesting people. I was recently down in the gallery of the Royal West of England Academy in Bristol and bumped into a really interesting man named Sebastian Smith We went there because there was a big photography exhibition on, but on the way out I spotted an interesting poster advertising an exhibition of abstract paintings. So we thought why not check it out.

The exhibition was by Sebastian and he was sitting in the room and happy for a chat. As always in situations like this I end up having a chat, I can't resist a conversation with someone who looks interesting. So after a good natter about anything and everything Olga and I left the gallery and started to walk down the road on our way to another photography show.

The thing was, all the time I was chatting with Sebastian I kept thinking what an awesome face he has and what a great character he would be to photograph. So about 20 meters down the road from the gallery I stopped and told Olga that I had to take his photo. I turned around, run back to the gallery and asked him if I can do so. He said "sure", so we arranged a time.

A couple of days later I arrived at the gallery with my camera gear. I had an awesome time taking portraits of and having a chat with Sebastian.

The moral of the story is, if you want to take a photo of someone, always ask. The worst thing that could happen is that they say "no" and the best thing that can happen is that you get to spend a little bit of time taking photos of a fascinating person.

Please check out Sebastian's website, he's a fantastic artist, amusing writer and a really nice bloke.
www.sebastianjsmith.com

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Gambling around

2011-03-03T11:23:00.000Z

I'm continuing to push myself by shooting self funded work with a team of individuals in Bristol who all want to expand their portfolios. This is an awesome way to shoot as it means I have total creative freedom plus help and inspiration from others as well.

Most recently I planned a shoot based around a 50's gambling theme. We shot this in Bristol over the course of half a day. What with a pretty stressful time when we thought none of the wardrobe would show up plus being unable to get any models until a few days before it all ended up being quite a stressful shoot. However, with a bit of luck and a lot of hard work it all came out great in the end.

I like to push my models out of their normal comfort zone and stop them throwing their standard poses if I can. I find that this way you often capture much more genuine moments. In this shoot that meant getting Charlotte and Sal to act as the characters I had outlined for them. They both got really into it, shouting at each other, throwing playing cards around and giving cheeky smiles all at the same time.

I have to say a huge thanks to everyone who enabled this shoot to be pulled off.Robert Baker did all the hairstyling in exchange for some photographs that we took in the afternoon for a competition he's entering. Ashley Cover sorted us out with some great outfits that really set the scene beautifully and made my character ideas come to life. And Christelle Pellecuer created stunning make up that really helped give that 50's feel. Also thanks to Mustard modelling agency for finding us such great models at the last minute.

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L'Oreal hair styling competition

2011-03-01T09:25:00.001Z

A friend of mine Robert Baker is a top class hair stylist, and all round good bloke. He contacted me to ask if I would shoot some photographs to enter into a hair styling competition run by L'Oreal. It sounded like great fun to me so we went ahead and started arranging the shoot. About a month later with many changes of the plans all was set to go. We shot an idea of mine (post to come soon) in the morning and then concentrated on Rob's hair shoot in the afternoon.

I had a great team for the shoot, which meant a lovely atmosphere in the room. This really helped relaxed first time model Lily who seemed a bit nervous when she arrived but soon got really into it.

It took us a little while to find the best lighting for the style, I tried with a couple of warm rim lights and a light grey background, but as is so often the case we ended up using the simplest light possible. Just one big light with a pretty hard feel to it (made by putting a bare bulb through a softbox without any baffles in it).

A huge thanks to the team involved who all gave their time for free to aid their portfolios:
Hair styling: Robert Baker
Fashion styling: Ashley Cover
Make-up: Christelle Pellecuer

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Join our Club for Somerset Life

2011-02-11T17:16:00.000Z

For a few months now I have been photographing a feature for Somerset Life magazine called Join Our Club. This is a challenging but fun task as I get sent off to group meetings to take photos of many people in (normally) a very short amount of time.
Read more »

Italy 2010

2011-02-10T14:27:00.004Z

Last summer Olga and I worked our way around Northern Italy, it was the best holiday I ever had. Warm weather, great wine, wonderful food, brilliant scenery, so many photo opportunities and by far the best company ever.

Loads more after the jump...

Read more »

Highly Commended in Red for Heart Competition

2011-02-07T12:41:00.000Z

The above image of mine has recently been highly commended in the British Heart Foundation Red for Heart photography competition. Out of more than 800 images submitted mine was chosen as one of 15 selected photos. It should be appearing in exhibitions around the country as part of the celebrations of the British Heart Foundation's 50th anniversary.The competition helped raise over £3,500. You can find out more about the competition here.

The image is of my grandparents and was taken as part of their 60th wedding anniversary present from me. It is titled '60 years together'.

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Street Portraits: a Clifton walk

2011-01-26T13:04:00.000Z

For a while now I have been heading off for a walk with my camera around the streets. When I do this I only have one aim - to take photos of things that I find interesting. More often than not I find people the most interesting thing out there and I often end up taking portraits. I don't do this in a stand-off candid way, I much prefer to approach people and ask for their permission and cooperation. I tend to take a couple of minutes with them just asking them to do a few different things and then say thanks and move on. I'm always surprised how few people say "no" when I ask them "excuse me, but would you mind if I took some photos of you?" If someone doesn't want me to take their photo that's fine and I move on to find another interesting looking person to enjoy a moment with.

The photos in this post are from a recent walk around Clifton in Bristol, somewhere I know very well but I still find produces many interesting sights.

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Beauty test shoot

2011-01-24T14:18:00.000Z

I am currently doing loads of test shoots and personal work. The most recent example of this is a studio shoot I did with two models from Gingersnap in Bristol: Hannah Pepperall and Edyta Kuchna. A big thanks must go to Christelle Pellecuer for stepping in at the last minute to do the make up and hair.

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A Clift Family Christmas

2011-01-21T17:07:00.000Z

This is a little late I know, but still thought it'd be nice to post...

On Christmas day my family normally head out to a quite spot somewhere away from others and cook breakfast over a fire. It's a great way to spend the morning and makes Christmas day that extra bit special.

So many cats: personal work with Koc-pol cat*PL

2011-01-10T09:57:00.000Z

I've been in Poland recently, and one of the reasons I travelled over there was to spend a day shooting some personal work at a cat breeders. Monika Koc and her family breeds ragdoll cats and they are totally stunning animals. These are by far the most chilled out cats I have ever met - you can dangle them upside down and they just look around with a totally relaxed expression.

It was a real challenge taking these photos even though the plan for the day was only to take two images. I had to make sure that my composition and lighting set-up was just how I wanted it before I started shooting. I was planning to stitch together quite a few frames to make the final images and it is much easier to do this if the camera doesn't move. Monika's shot was made especially challenging as I had to communicate with Monika via others - she does not speak English and I don't speak Polish. And to top it all we were working with animals, and although ragdolls are very chilled they don't always do what you want them to do. But we seemed to manage and get across my ideas in a haphazard sort of way. The whole shoot was great fun and I loved how involved and enthusiastic everyone was, it's great to be surrounded by such a passionate bunch of people. Monika and Patryk were wonderful subjects, who were happy to try out anything I asked them to do. Everyone there helped greatly by preparing the room sets and making the cats looks beautiful for me to photograph, plus of course persuading them to look in certain directions or do certain things for me.

Below are some behind the scene shots that Monika took during Patryk's photoshoot when she wasn't moving cats around for me.

Olga watching the tethered laptop whilst I take pictures.

Photo: Monika Koc

I adjust my snooted speedlight: I tend to use black card rolled up and stuck with a bit of duct tape to make my snoots. They cost 10-20 pence each time I make one, and work very well.

Photo: Monika Koc

Patryk sits with a very relaxed cat whilst we take photos of him.

Photo: Monika Koc

A huge thanks to Monika and her family for letting us invade her home, to Joanna for her help throughout the day, and to Olga for being not only a wonderful assistant but also a co-driver, animal handler and translator.

Please take time to visit Koc-pol cat*PL online at either their website or facebook page.

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Thanks to Lou!

2011-01-09T15:41:00.002Z

Sometimes certain photographers, less or more well known, have a big influence on me. One of the photographers I keep a close eye on is Lou O' Bedlam, his relaxed and personal portraits have gently seeped their way into my photographic mind affecting me without me really noticing. But some pictures really show this influence, like the one above of Olga on a cold beach in Salcombe in December.

You can see many of Lou's awesome pics over on his flickr page.

Thanks for the inspiration Lou!

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Victoria and Griffin

2011-01-07T18:11:00.000Z

I recently did a shoot for Victoria with her horse Griffin. It's great fun doing photoshoots with horses. Trying to encourage them into the right position and pose is not an easy task, but it's really rewarding when it works out. Many thanks to Victoria, James and Sharon for their help.

If you are interested in having a similar photoshoot then contact me:
Phone/text: 07871175627
Email: info@charliecliftphotography.com

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Happy Christmas!

2010-12-21T16:02:00.000Z

Have a great Christmas time everyone!

See you in the new year

Charlie

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More from Olga and Nina in the studio

2010-12-08T19:14:00.000Z

Following on from my previous post of a shoot I did with Olga and Nina, I wanted to post a few more images that I did at the end of the day that were less about experimenting with tones and more about just having some fun.

Hands project

2010-12-03T16:10:00.000Z

This is the most recent addition to my personal project looking at hands. I find that hands often say loads about people and their lifestyle, and thus when taking photos of them you get highly descriptive images. Please do take a look at the whole of my hands project on my website.

Give someone an amazing picture of their family for Christmas!

2010-11-30T14:00:00.000Z

Give someone an amazing picture of their family for Christmas!

Buy them a print credit voucher with Family Portraits by Charlie Clift.

I am selling print credit vouchers over the Christmas period so that people can give their loved ones great family pictures.

If someone has a voucher they are entitled too:

- A fun, friendly and free photoshoot at a location of their choice.

- Print credit up to the amount on the voucher: the owner of the voucher can get pictures from their photoshoot beautifully presented in canvas wraps, framed art prints, or in any way they fancy.

Vouchers come in the following amounts:

- £15 (the price of a 9x6 inch print)

- £30 (the price for a 12x8 inch print)

- £40 (the price of an 18x12 inch print)

- £65 (the price of a 30x20 inch print)

- or more, just contact me to discuss the best option for you.

To order any vouchers or book a free photoshoot of your own just contact me:

Phone/text - 07871175627

Email - info@charlieclift.co.uk

To see some example photoshoots and find out more visit my website: www.charlieclift.co.uk

Olga and Nina in the studio

2010-11-23T10:35:00.000Z

I recently did a photoshoot with Olga and Nina in the University of Bristol PhotoSoc studio. I was trying out a few new lighting techniques with my main aim being to play with tones and to shoot for black and white conversion.

More to come...

Mike Atfield for Devon Life

2010-11-18T09:41:00.000Z

An article of mine is in the December edition of Devon Life that is now in the shops. These pictures are just meant as a sneak peak...

The pictures were taken as part of a project of mine where I went to meet craftsmen in South Devon who did interesting things with their hands. I have done three other shoots, but I must keep them under wrap as magazines tend to prefer to keep the first view to themselves.

Family Portraits by Charlie Clift

2010-11-03T12:05:00.000Z

Today marks the launch date of my new family portraits business. Based in Bristol I will be doing fun and relaxed portrait sessions for families, kids, teenagers and couples. I will shoot at your home or at a location that suits you. The session is free and all you pay for is the artwork that you want. Your pictures will look great in the many ways they can be presented - framed prints, canvas wraps, acrylic prints and many more. Let me know what you are after and I'll sort it out.

I hope to make every photoshoot a truly enjoyable experience. I capture stunning images that show the real side of people, not the formal poses that most family portrait businesses aim for. If you are interested in arranging a shoot or just want a chat then please do not hesitate to contact me:

Phone/text: 07871175627

Email: info@charlieclift.co.uk

Website: www.charlieclift.co.uk

To check out some example photoshoots and find out more head over to the website: www.charlieclift.co.uk

Gallery 2c

2010-11-02T19:27:00.000Z

A top photography gallery based in Bristol named Gallery 2c is now selling prints of my art images. The gallery is a brilliant set up allowing the customer to choose exactly how they want their images - you can get them printed in totally custom sizes and on a wide variety of mediums. If you are ever in the Clifton area of Bristol be sure to drop in as the photography on display is top class.

Click on the logo below to head over to their website:

Shiny New Website

2010-11-01T12:45:00.000Z

Today is the launch of my shiny new website. Designed by Justin Staple of Elpats Design it's aim is to be totally image centred. Take a look by heading over here: www.charliecliftphotography.com

Hairdresser's Hands

2010-10-24T08:21:00.000+01:00

Whilst I was helping out on a recent photoshoot at the Farm Studio for JAS Salons I noticed how knarled some of the hairdressers' hands were. This is a shot of Terry's hands.

Constancia Stud Farm

2010-10-08T18:12:00.000+01:00

I was recently commissioned to photograph Constancia Stud Farm in East Devon. They wanted some promotional images for a new website that they will be getting soon. This stud farm is wonderful with so many beautiful horses, including an Olympic dressage stallion called Relevant who is an amazing beast. My brief was to photograph for a day capturing images of their lovely horses, gorgeous surroundings and the general feel of the place.

If you are interested in hiring my commercial photography services then please don't hesitate to contact me:
Phone - 07871175627
Email - info@charliecliftphotography.com

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Celebrating 60 years together!

2010-09-29T14:09:00.000+01:00

My grandparents recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary! A wonderful achievement, and it's truly touching to see how much they are still in love. As my present I took some portraits of them together and also captured some of their family celebrations.

Horse shoot

2010-09-22T12:22:00.000+01:00

A few days ago for the first time I did a photoshoot with a horse as my model - Emma. It's not quite the same as having a human model, as horses don't understand English very well, so communicating with your subject is made a fair bit harder. However, with the help of her owner Helen we got Emma relaxed and it turns out she's a bit of a poser.

Fancy a photoshoot with your horse? Just contact me to arrange a shoot.
Phone: 07871175627
Email: info@charliecliftphotography.com

Try something new

2010-09-20T23:51:00.000+01:00

It's always good to try out photographing a subject that is new to you. Whenever I do this I always learn loads of new things and find that this helps improve my skills deeply. So I recently decided to try photographing some houses interiors as I am often really impressed by architecture and interior images that I see in magazines and online. So I asked a few friends if they would let me loose with a camera and tripod inside their houses...

Sailing in Salcombe

2010-08-31T23:05:00.000+01:00

My father runs a sailing business called Salcombe Sailing Days taking people sailing on his yacht Tinushi. He took me and my uncle and cousins out for a sail today - the weather was great and the wind was nice. Fun times were had by all.

Fore more information about Salcombe Sailing Days follow these links:
www.salcombesailingdays.co.uk
www.facebook.com/salcombesailingdays

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