Photo Shoot: The Debonaires

Having just finished recording their latest album, I got to meet up with the guys from ‘The Debonaires‘ this past weekend to shoot their new CD Artwork.

Now, to use one of today’s buzz phrases this shoot was very ‘organic’ as we’d not been able for all manner of reasons to meet up and talk through the shoot beforehand to get an understanding of what it was we were wanting to achieve. All we did know was that at the end of the shoot we had to come away with images that could be used for the front cover of the new CD as well as a booklet inside and a printed image on the CD itself. Drummer and Vocalist Mick Colley had scouted a location for an ‘indoor’ shoot and had also arranged for a Model T Ford, a classic 1950′s style car, to be brought to the location so that it could be incorporated in the outdoor shots.

When it comes to locations, I can honestly say I never would have thought that the Little Chef on the A14 in Kettering, Northampton would be suitable however before going there I found out that it was the very same Little Chef that Chef Heston Blumenthal had ‘re vamped’ and given a whole new look and a whole new menu; a look which incidentally had a decor very similar to that which you would have seen in the 1950′s…perfect!!

So, with the kind permission of the Manager on duty at the time I started taking some shots of the guys around the ‘Restaurant’:

Being very conscious that we had only just been given permission to take photographs inside and that there were paying customers present we didn’t spend too long shooting. We kept everything nice and simple using just available light, sticking to only a couple of areas and resisting the urge to bring in any kind of artificial lighting.

Having spent around 20 minutes or so indoors we then went outside into the Car Park where by this time, the Model T Ford had arrived.

The location wasn’t perfect but then saying that it very rarely is, as we had a steady flow of cars moving around the car park with customers leaving and arriving. Positioning the car and the guys in the ‘ideal’ spot was quite challenging due to the amount of cars in the car park and also it seemed like every spare piece of sky had something in it like a crane or pylon. It was clear that although I like to get my shots composed how I want them ‘in camera’ I was going to have to be a little more flexible on this occasion and go into it knowing that I would have to remove a few objects in Post Production to get the final image.

* For the lighting outside I used my Alien Bee R1600 but as the sun was so strong opted for no modifiers other then a reflector.

* In the next few days I’m going to add a walk though here on the blog to show you the complete editing process and exactly how I went about taking the image from Start to Finish which will include cloning out unwanted objects, adding contrast, and enhancing detail areas.

Meeting up with the guys is always a guaranteed laugh and this time was to be no exception, so a BIG thanks to Mick, Dave, Dave & Trudy for a great afternoon shooting, plenty of belly laughs and a gut busting Little Chef à la Heston Blumenthall ‘All Day Breakfast’ to accompany the debrief

You Guys Rock!!! (literally)

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