unit 310 - materials and equipment

CITY AND GUILDS UNIT 310

With the choice of film or digital cameras these day’s my choice of camera has been the DSLR. Therefore, the way that I will be looking is the way the photographic image is produced and manipulated will be based on the way the digital world works.

Equipment and materials

I have in my possession Canon equipment, which I use for my digital photography. I do have a Canon EOS 5 film camera, but have not used this for several years now, and I still have my darkroom equipment. I may one day get this out again to see the difference.

The images at taking stage are via the camera sensor and are recorded onto the Compact Flash card contained within the camera. I then connect the camera, and with the relevant software, either the Canon software provided with the camera or another propriety software such as Photoshop (my choice of editing software), to my computer hard drive. I then immediately copy these to a separate hard drive as a copy, to avoid lose of images. When using the studio to capture images I also have my laptop tethered to the camera. This does increase the risk of tripping etc due to the extra cabling, but if placed in the right place this does not seem to be a problem. The big advantage of using the laptop, or PC, in this manner is that I can see larger image to judge the image, and also, if using a model, they can see how they are performing and can respond better to my instructions. There is also a facility that can be made where the images are immediately projected to a screen.

It is a little more difficult to use a tethered camera in the field due to the location and the need to adjust to different positions, and due account has to be made to the conditions on location, wind,sand, uneven ground, people etc.

I have a series of lenses which range from 10mm to 300mm, some prime, which covers me for most of my current requirements. I also have a spare Canon body, a 400D, which will come in useful should the main camera break down for some reason. I have located a local repair shop for Canon products and for servicing.

In addition I carry a light meter, both reflective and incident, and 2 Canon flash units with radio triggers, 2 tripods (useful for standing the flash units on as required), 1 mini tripod and a tabletop tripod, a remote control for the camera, and various filters (excluding ND and polarising at present).

I have a home printer but this really is not suitable for quality photographs, so I have to prepare these for printing elsewhere. This can be either at college (where studying at present) or printed online or at a specialist printer. I do have use of studio flash lights and use them either currently in the college studio or when I set up my home studio in my living room ( causes a few upsets- but in the name or art!) along with various backgrounds suitable for the subject matter, be it portraits or products etc.

The cost of printing an A3+ print at college is £3.50 each, but the monitor, printer and paper have been calibrated and the final print is to a good standard. I use an external printing source and for £1.10 each(plus postage so the more the cheaper the print becomes) and I can get an acceptable A3 print. The images is sent via the internet and is set to the profile of their printer, and is returned usually within 2 days of sending. There are many other alternatives though.

For the photo shoot of Emma that I carried out I used my Canon 5D with the 24-105mm lens as this gave me a good range to use, for not only the portrait part of the shoot, but also allowed me to get in close to get the shots within the car. In the event, this proved a wise choice as it enabled me to produce the images without constant changing of lens. However, given the opportunity to use prime lens then I would have made that choice, and then spent more time over the shots. As it was a cold day, I think Emma was grateful for the shorter shoot. I would have used a 35mm and an 85mm lens, along with a 105mm lens, and a medium format given the money. Cost is the biggest current restriction to my photography at the moment.

Health and Safety

Photographers also have to be aware of the environmental and health issues in Photography. Not so much now but many of the chemicals that are/were used in Photography can be and are damaging to your health. The 1974 Health and Safety at Work etc. Act needs to be referred too. Employees and public must take reasonable care. Risk assessments should be made for all activities, including fire precautions, using display equipment, manual handling and control of substances COSHH, either in the studio or out on location. The Photographer should have the appropriate current employer and public liability and vehicle insurance. The photographer should have a formal agreement with the customer.  In addition the Health and Safety guidance should be held with regard to working conditions when using computers and VDU’s. The workplace should be suitable for the work , seating should be comfortable and conform to regulations, and control of the environment needs to be attended to as well. When handling electrical equipment the relevant regulations must be upheld.

Studio

Setting up a studio eg means you must comply with the health and Safety Act, especially if you hire an assistant and have the public in. If you are using chemicals then proper ventilation must be in place, not annoy the neighbours with the smell, and have proper methods of disposing of the used chemicals. It is also important to have the proper insurance in place when running the business. The environment must be temperate and clean to work in.

In the studio trip hazards are a particular problem, with trailing cables etc. At Burton college studio for example the majority of the lighting is suspended from the ceiling which eliminates many trip hazards. Safety cables must be fitted to ensure that no accidental damage can be done. However, care must be taken to ensure the correct fixings are stable. Trailing cables should always be taken and routed away from the working area as much as possible. Props, backdrops and materials should always be put away when not in use. Models should not be asked to move props etc, nor adopt dangerous or uncomfortable poses. The minimum number of people should be in the studio, and all should be briefed on the potential hazards. Check all equipment is in good working order prior to your subject arriving.

All electrical appliances and equipment must be tested for electrical safety, and maintained by a competent person. Only trained person should use and move any electrical equipment. All studio flash units should be covered with a soft box or similar piece of equipment to help prevent burns from exposed flash units. Only trained persons to be allowed to operate the lighting system. Need to ensure that flash units do not get too hot so as cause ignition or burn anybody. No naked lights etc are to be used. Where flames of some sort are required for the shoot, then the necessary fire fighting appliances need to be available, to be used only by competent persons.

All persons need to informed of all the safety regulations, evacuation routes and shown where the fire exits , smoking areas, etc are.

Location

The photographer should visit the location prior to the shoot to establish any hazards, and carry out any risk assessments required. If in a public place then this has to be considered. Consult the customer on any location risk and decide what actions are required, and take any actions to minimise any identifiable problems. Comply with any reasonable requests or rules at your location.

Observe the countryside code in all aspects when out on location. When in the hills and mountains take special note of the weather conditions. Plan your trip so as to use the minimum of equipment to carry. Ensure you are aware of your surroundings and plan accordingly. Don’t take unnecessary risks, and if appropriate inform somebody of where you are going and when you are likely to be back.