Tired, but it was soooo much fun

Finally I’m done – exhausted, but the last couple of months have been amazing!  Not only have I moved ShutterClass into its new home at Lightdrop Studios, but I’ve also just finished working on 3 different short film projects!!  Even better, I filled very different roles on each one:

  • Tropfest project – Director of Photography, responsible for all primary camera work as well as solving some of the more interesting lighting challenges 
  • Tropfest project – Gaffer, with quite a bit of 1st/2nd AC and Grip assistant work.  This was a great project, we even got to work on location in Melbourne CBD, closing down half a laneway to get the outdoor shots we needed
  • Footage for SFX project – I worked closely with a good friend who’s turned into an amazing SFX editor, and together we pulled together some very cool footage that he’s turned into a simply amazing little 3 minute short.

I wish I could say more about all of these projects, but they are being entered into competitions (Tropfest Australia for two of them) and I’m not permitted to say much.  Don’t worry though, as soon as they are announced to the world, I’ll be updating here!

I had the best time on all 3 projects, and I would work with all of them again in future without hesitation!  But in the meantime, I need to prepare for the Intro DSLR Filmmaking workshop that I’m hosting on Saturday, it’s booked out and should be a fun crowd.

New space, fun times

It took a little longer than expected, but it has definitely been worth the wait and we are SUPER EXCITED!!!  I’m pleased to announce that my studio business, ShutterClass, is joining the amazing team at Lightdrop Studios in Kensington.  After a lot of hunting for suitable locations, Lightdrop turned out to be perfect for a whole raft of reasons.  It’s not only a great place to shoot, but it’s perfectly suited to hosting workshops as well.  Also, I’ve been more involved in film projects lately, and this space is excellent for that as well!!

Check out the Lightdrop Studios space, and if you are keen to hire it for one of your projects, simply drop them a line – tell them I sent you, you’ll be sure to get a good deal!

Studio demolition

In order to move into a new space, first the old one needs to be dismantled and moved – and in the case of 600 meters of fitted out cycs, that means quite a bit of demolition is in order!  I had a great time building it when I first moved in, and I didn’t expect it to be so much fun pulling it down!  Cycloramas make a really interesting noise when they fall over, like a dull “whoomph” noise…

I’ve kept all of the gear as well as a lot of the useful fitout stuff (like the divider curtains), and expect to use these in the next space.

Anyway, here’s a couple of images before and after – I’m pulling together another timelapse and hope to get it out for your viewing pleasure sooner rather than later!

full_studio_800

studio_demol

Coming soon – news on the new space (a couple more ducks to line up and then awesome awaits!

Welcome to 2012!!

Where did 2011 go?? Such a hectic year, full of amazing shoots, great new friends, exploration of some very cool ideas, a gallery exhibition, the list goes on… but this year I don’t think I’ll do a reflective post – I was happy with much of what I achieved in 2011, and things are lined up for a really big 2012!! Onwards and upwards as they say, and there are always exciting and new things to look forward to… but there’s never enough time to get it all done!! Quick warning, NSFW images ahead…

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Snappy Shutters Fraser Island Retreat – Awesome!!

What a month!! Everyone knows me to be hectic, but the last few weeks have been a standout for amazing experiences, great times spent with current and new friends, and some seriously amazing photography (usually captured by others more talented than me!!). The gallery exhibition was exciting enough (and I recently posted the Behind the Scenes setups that I did), but this little post is about an amazing 4 days I had being one of the workshop presenters (and sponsors) of the Snappy Shutters Fraser Island retreat! Read on for more…

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The Flash Mob Gallery Exhibition – Behind the Scenes

Last month I was lucky to be involved in a gallery exhibition with the amazing talents of Keith Melder, Morgana Creely and Christopher Smith. The exhibition was held at 100th Gallery in Prahran, I definitely recommend you get on down there and check out the exhibitions, there’s amazing new stuff showing all the time!! A small snippet of my part in the exhibition is still listed on the 100th Gallery site. Read on for more info and some BTS images (and be warned, there are nudes in there!!)

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Camera Axe first tests

Finally got a chance to test out the Camera Axe I purchased (and built) a little while back. I’ve been itching to try out some commercial advertising style product shots using water splashes – the picture in my head was along the lines of this ad from 2009 (and I realise that Coca Cola spends a bucket load on editing in post!).

Liquids are good at misbehaving – they never seem to make the shape you want! But they do have the advantage of making other cool shapes you never expected! Read on for more!

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Ta Da!!!

Welcome to the new website – apologies for the long(ish) wait, but it took a whole lot more time and effort to fix the issues than ever expected! The new site is actually a complete rebuild, and the old functionality has been thrown out never to return! If you come across any odd behaviour or anything broken, please let me know so I can fix it!

But I digress – lots has been happening! ShutterClass Studios have been busy lately, with workshops from the Melbourne Photography Workshops happening with great success! In particular, the “Working with Models” workshop got some great feedback regarding our amazing instructor Claryssa, of Iska Photography.

I’ve even done a couple of shoots, with edits on their way. Shooting sunglasses and flying fabric with Ashley was a blast, and feathers with Meg turned out completely amazing! A couple of impromptu shoots with Viv and Kat turned into a collaboration bonanza and will probably turn into more shoots in the near future – and I’ve not actually even started my list of project shoots!

Expect more to happen over the coming days, including updates to this site here on the blog – now that this site is working again, I can get back into keeping things updated and running smoothly. So check back soon, always lots going on!

ShutterClass studio progress continues

It’s been almost 3 weeks since the last update, and quite a bit has happened (always busy, as you all know!!). We had quite a bit of rain in Melbourne recently, and combined with the heat it was a perfect recipe for really testing out the plaster and cyc curve stability! Guess what – cyc curves hate humidity! We had a little cracking and some lifting, we we’ve had to spend some time working on repairs already! On the plus side, repairs turned out to be pretty easy, and the end result is much more stable. Hopefully the heat and humidity predicted over the coming months will prove it’s a better result. And then we have winter cold to look forward to…

The studio has been quite busy lately, which has slowed down completion of the construction – today is the last day of a 3-day fashion/portfolio shoot. We’ve had around 20 people onsite every day, with lots of models coming and going as they attend their session. It’s been relatively smooth, although a small incident with a courier van driving into our front doors, and a modelling lamp exploding meant we had our fair share of excitement!

As we rapidly head towards Christmas, the studio will be closed from 23/12 to 4/1. In that time I’ll be getting organised and planning out the workshops I plan to run in January – at this stage there’ll be a couple of basic lighting workshops, along with some “play” workshops. I’m considering short sessions on using laser/sound triggers, paint/powder/water shoots, and maybe timelapse and lightpainting. I’ve also got a couple of shoots of my own I need to get organised, but more about those once I get the details sorted!!

Next update will probably be early in the new year – until then, I hope everyone has a safe and happy Christmas, and a memorable new year!

Studio build progressing well, first shoots done!

It’s been almost a month since the last update, and what a busy 3 or so weeks it has been. Floors are in and complete, we now have 2.5 cycs (the corner cyc 3 is still a work in progress, but the main half of it is functional). The portrait walls are done and came up really well with the chosen colours, but there are still more coats of paint required on the cyc curves (masonite is a resilient product, but pretty ordinary to get filled and painted). The biggest challenge has simply been time and the weather – hot humid conditions has not been ideal for plastering, sanding and painting, but we are getting there. We’ve encountered some cracks in some of the plaster and may need to revisit that if time permits.

ShutterClass Portrait walls

First shoots happened today in the studios, and they appear to have been successful – got some positive feedback, and hopefully we’ll see people back in the studios in future. It was great to get back in the studio and work with other shooters – while I like nothing better than having a great shoot myself, I also get right into helping others solve their challenges, particularly when it works out and they are getting the results they want!

BTS, checking out the lightingDid some light testing as well, initial tests to see what the cyc looks like under strobe – seems to produce workable results so far. As mentioned above, the cracking may be an issue depending on light angle, but in most cases it is not even visible (so perhaps I worry too much about it being perfect?). Here’s a candid shot of me taking a look, shot by the wonderful and supportive Morgana (of Morgana Creely Photography. Model is the ever talented Martin (of Martin Creely Photography) who’s also a great sport and event shooter too! Go check them both out!

More images to come, as the build wraps up! Thanks everyone for your support so far – feel free to check out the ShutterClass site, and drop past the studio or keep an eye on the upcoming workshops (announced via the ShutterClass Facebook page)

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