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John Denton - Speakers' Corner - part 1 of 1

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By John Denton

Making History - John Denton

I thought long and hard over the title for this article and eventually plumped for one that not just described my feelings at presenting the inaugural Members Day for the Societies but also described my approach to wedding photography.

When Phil and Juliet asked me to work with them on the Members Day programme I was honoured. When I realised I was working on the very first, I was terrified!

It's a fantastic new innovation for the Societies, getting out into all the regions and offering inspiration and training to the members on a regular basis. The sessions are designed around a specific photographic genre with a top practitioner in the field providing their views, advice and expertise.

So it was with no little trepidation that I drove North on the Wednesday prior to the session. I teach a range of workshops, one to ones and bespoke programmes but this was an entirely new format for me. Two four hour sessions ranging around one specific subject.

The A1 is always a mixture of pleasure and pain. I love the fact that the old name of this highway is the Great North Road. It conjures up a spirit in me of romance and travel, stagecoaches and adventure. That spirit isn't often recognised as I progressed through roadworks and rain with one striking exception.

Every time I approach the Angel of the North do I experience a leap in my heart, a surge of working class pride and a recognition that artists can make a huge impression upon their audience.

Anthony Gormley did that to superb effect with this piece and serves to remind me of the impact our images make on our wedding clients.

Their landscape is one of happy hearts, group shots, food, drink and big white frocks. Our landscape, as creative artists, is one of beauty, light and relationship. We, as professional image makers, have to draw on every tool available to make each wedding link these elements, enjoyable for the couple and artistic in the final imagery.

So when I drove into Perth and found a gorgeous town in a magnificent setting I was instantly assured that this was going to be a good session. Furthermore I drove into the hotel and found a venue that offered a superb range of architectural and lighting possibilities. The only issue at 5pm on that Wednesday evening was that the sun was shining to the max. What, I thought, was the point in teaching Scots Photographers the techniques required to work in the sunshine??

After that brief episode of racial stereotyping it was my pleasure to enter the hotel, book a room and straight away explore the venue with a view to shooting in different areas. I was impressed and excited at the range of options available, limiting them to a four hour shooting session would be the challenge!

Paul Taylor is of course the man who has taken on the challenge of arranging all of the Members Days and it was great to meet up with him and walk around the venue. He has such a wealth of experience in the photographic world it's an education in itself talking to him.

So after a good meal, a couple of whiskies (after all we were in Scotland), a good kip and a cooked breakfast it was time to launch into the very first Members Day 2010.

From the off it was clear that we were going to have a good Gang. Wee Joe Lundie and Matt Cain are two guys I've known since Business School last year and it's always good to see friendly faces in the crowd.

The morning session was to be an examination of my photographic style and techniques followed by a practical demonstration shoot around the hotel. One of the biggest things I try to put across in these sessions is that every creative artist is unique in their style and vision of the world. That's why I enjoy sharing my techniques and ideas with other photographers. This business can be a lonely one to be engaged in as so much of our work is solitary. That's why it's important to be part of a Gang and is why the Members Days, forum and competitions are so vital.

We were then joined by Kirsty and Tristan, our couple for the day. I've worked with Kirsty before but not with Tristan and it's always a relief when the model looks as good as Tris!

Together we worked through a range of situations which reflected the flow of a wedding day. Bridal preparations, grooms preparations, mother and father shots with the bride and ceremony. All this was shot tethered to the laptop, which is always a challenge to me as invariably I manage to disconnect myself or drag a piece of kit off the desk. My usual style is very fluid and fast moving so being tied down to the computer is frankly dangerous, but it is great to show what I'm shooting. Going to have to investigate some of those WiFi memory cards ahead of Convention 2011 before I hurt myself.

Thankfully I survived this episode and dived into the part I love best on any wedding day. It's the time I get to spend with the Bride and Groom on their own, walking around the venue and using as many different areas as possible to create beautiful images. I love looking for the lighting and creative possibilities on offer and really stretching my creative muscles. If anyone else shares this spirit of adventure then join me on the Hotel Safari Superclass at Convention 2011 and we'll discover areas of the Novotel nobody has photographed in before!

Anyway back to the Members Day and we spent and hour exploring a range of techniques to deal with strong sunlight, low light, off camera flash, flash modifiers and video lighting. Kirsty and Tristan were great, interacted superbly, looked gorgeous and were a lot of fun to work with.

Back to the seminar room and there was just time for a debrief of the mornings events, question and answer and a quick sandwich before the start of the afternoon session.

The second part of the day proved no less intense than the first. Together we explored the marketing and branding of the contemporary wedding business. How to get clients and how to sell to them. I also took the images from the mornings shoot and showed how I use Photoshop and Lightroom to give that polish to my pictures that helps lift them above the average. After all it's one thing to take the best picture you can in camera but every great photographer in history has always had a great darkroom finisher and we cannot ignore this aspect of our workflow.

The Gang were on top form and asking loads of pertinent questions. As a trainer I love this as it focuses me on what's important to you guys and pushes me to consider all aspects of how I work and present my images. It also makes the whole event so much more interactive than me just sat at the front waffling.

By half past five it was all over. Hugs and goodbyes and a promise that I will be back to Scotland for more seminars and members days very soon.

Paul and I loaded our gear and set off. He to Dublin and me back to Yorkshire. Fortunately we were both driving and not flying as the Icelandic dust cloud was in full flow and all flights were cancelled. The only advantage that came my way from the dustcloud was that I was driving and looking at the most fantastic sunset I've ever seen. The colours were so rich and intense and made the Scottish landscape look absolutely stunning.

At midnight I staggered through my front door, tired but extremely happy. I'd had a fantastic time with my photographer friends and together we'd created a moment in the Societies history.

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