http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/ Jonny's blog of some of his projects, thoughts, equipment and influences. en jonnypardoe@gmail.com Copyright 2012 2012-04-25T23:24:51+00:00 http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/corporate_traini/ http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/corporate_traini/#When:22:24:51Z I took some corporate images for a trainer in Jobcare who had been working alongside Accenture coaches. They wanted the shots for in-house publicity related to corporate social responsibility. I got Laura to work away teaching the ‘Jobnet’ course to professional jobseekers while I took the shots. Some of the people on the course were happier not to be readily identifiable in the photographs so I used a very shallow depth of field with a wide aperture of F1.4 to F2.8. When you select apertures with lower numbers it reduces the field of focus and is sharp at the point of focus and objects and people behind the plane of focus tend to be blurred. In fact objects in front of the plane of focus are also not as sharp. You can see this in photographs that pick out a flower in a field of wheat and pretty much everything except the flower is that kind of ‘dreamy creamy’ out of focus or Bokeh look. I wanted to respect peoples wishes for their privacy at this training event and yet I still needed to put Laura in a context of training people. Even though something is out of focus in a picture it remains an important part of the story that the picture is telling. Last year there was a photograph of a couple lying in the street during riots in Vancouver http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/17/vancouver-kiss-couple-riot-police the couple are in sharp focus but the events in the background are out of focus. The reason the picture got so much coverage is because of the context of the couple in what seems like a romantic embrace in stark contrast to the very non romantic street violence that was all around them. So this is something that always needs consideration when framing a shot. Being aware and seeing the whole picture is so important. Context means everything. So I took my shots of Laura delivering the talk and leading the event without much interference! But for a couple of the shots I did position her in such a way as to put greater distance between her and the course participants to make sure that the shallow depth of field had greater impact on the background. During the break I grabbed a couple of shots of her by the window to get the natural light and I had a helper hold a circular bounce reflector to get the light even and to kill off the shadows created by lighting from one side. These were for a profile picture. She seemed happy anyway! If you want to enquire about corporate head shots like the ones I took of Laura then get in touch and I would be able to discuss your request and give a quote. 2012-04-25T22:24:51+00:00 http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/charlotte_and_ollie/ http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/charlotte_and_ollie/#When:20:58:13Z Here is just a handful of shots from Charlotte and Ollie’s wedding. As far as couples go, I couldn’t have worked with friendlier people than Charlotte and Ollie and their extended families and friends. Mountain running and road running are a big part of their lives and they had a great bunch of friends from their clubs to cheer them on. Charlotte had a tandem and we had planned to photograph the happy couple cycling up the drive of Johnstown house where the wedding and reception were held. The Irish weather had different plans though so we had to take those shots inside! I am very grateful to have been part of Charlotte and Ollie’s big day. Weddings 2012-04-18T20:58:13+00:00 http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/rade_film_today/ http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/rade_film_today/#When:20:59:46Z I have photographed filming in progress on a number of occasions for RADE as they were filming for short films. I have also taken some actors headshots for them before. You can see their website here… http://www.rade.ie/ They work with professional artists, producers, directors and many other types of industry leaders to produce their work. These shots are from the filming of ‘Today’ a short film shot across various locations in Dublin 8. Here’s what the website said about it… A short film written and directed by Pom Boyd in collaboration with the RADE participants. The film was shot against the backdrop of Dublin 8 “TODAY” tells the story of Patrick who is sent by his eccentric doctor to find an arts project in Dublin’s inner city. Patrick perceivers with his journey through the streets, overcoming the various impediments that happen on his way. An engaging, funny and moving short film that introduces both Patrick and the audience to the colourful characters that have found a home in the ‘Art Row Workshop”: But Patrick arrives on the day the programmes funders are visiting…. http://www.rade.ie/showcase/showcase-2009/ I really enjoyed working with RADE and I would like to thank Mick, Eoin, Sine and Averyl for being so easy to work with. The last 8 photos are of the premiere in the Irish Film Institute in Temple Bar opened by Minister John Curran TD where cast and crew spoke about making the film. 2012-04-11T20:59:46+00:00 http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/dirty_old_town/ http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/dirty_old_town/#When:20:44:43Z A derelict piece of land in Dublin 1 was transformed over the last few months by volunteers and was featured on the recent episode of ‘Dirty Old Town’. In the program, gardener Diarmuid Gavin inspires and motivates people to clean up and rejuvenate derelict sites to change them into place of beauty. You can learn more about the project here… http://www.rte.ie/tv/dirtyoldtowns/ I was lucky enough to get in and photograph the first day of clean up last autumn and then to be at the grand opening in April. Trevor Nugent, the local man with the big vision who brought the project from a thought into reality, had been assisted by volunteers from lots of different organisations including Jobcare. It was great to see how Diarmuid Gavin really got stuck into the work and spent a lot of time with the volunteers. Scroll down to see photographs of the first day and then further down to see the opening day. I think you will agree it is quite amazing! 2012-04-06T20:44:43+00:00 http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/andrew_deane_headshots/ http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/andrew_deane_headshots/#When:22:51:06Z Andrew Deane got his headshots done with me recently. You can see Andrew’s Linked in profile here… http://www.linkedin.com/pub/andrew-deane/36/203/360 I used my 105mm 2.8 lens and shot most of the photos were taken at F16, 1/200 shutter speed and ISO 100 to get as much detail into the picture as possible. Andrew was a pleasure to work with and is very committed to his profession. This was the second time I used my ‘super black’ lastolite backdrop and I am quite happy with the results. It is a great fabric for absorbing the light and leaving a crisp black background. Keep an eye out for Andrew in the future…. Headshots 2012-04-04T22:51:06+00:00 http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/fun_in_the_woods/ http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/fun_in_the_woods/#When:21:36:28Z Fun in the woods There is something very refreshing and liberating about getting out into nature especially if you spend if you spend a lot of your life in an urban setting. There are only so many automated check outs that I can go through before I have to get out and get some fresh air in my lungs and a bit of dirt on my boots! These photos were taken at a place in the Dublin Mountains called the “Hellfire club”, I know, it’s a lovely name. It’s a short walk up through mixed forestry to an open clearing at the top with an old building and some great views. The kids wanted to build a ‘house in the mountains’ after watching Bear Grylls @BearGrylls on the discovery channel, where he tries to survive in the wild. They watch his program every night and shout “we want to watch the man who lives in the mountains!” So we built a lean to out of branches… We met our friends completely by chance and so an impromptu photo shoot occurred! It was a very sunny day but at least there was some shade in the trees. I was using a polarizing filter on my 105mm 2.8 lens on the D700. I was glad to be able to get these shots as our friends are moving back to the States in a couple of weeks, but we will always have these pictures of them. 2012-03-28T21:36:28+00:00 http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/dollhouse_film_premiere/ http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/dollhouse_film_premiere/#When:22:51:59Z Dollhouse film Premiere Dollhouse is an Irish film by Kirsten Sheridan http://www.thefactory.ie/dollhouse/ and I had the pleasure of taking photographs at its Irish Premiere at the 2012 Jameson Dublin International Film Festival on 26th February 2012 in The Factory on Barrow Street. It had its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival http://filmireland.net/2012/01/04/kirsten-sheridans-new-film-dollhouse-to-receive-world-premiere-at-berlin-film-festival/ earlier this year. I was there to take photographs on behalf of bespoke furniture shop ‘Lost Weekend’ http://www.lostweekend.ie/ as they had supplied The Factory with a really cool ‘Egg chair’ that had appeared in the movie, ‘The hitch hikers guide to the Galaxy’ as well as some other designer furniture pieces. I got to meet actors such as Jack Raynor, Shane Curry, Ciaran McCabe, Kate Stanley Brennan and Seana Kerslake. Unfortunately actor Johnny Ward was not able to be there on the night. I really enjoyed the whole buzz around the film festival and it ended up being quite a late one as I stopped taking photos shortly after 2am! The cast and crew were really lovely and down to earth and the film itself, which will be on general release this summer in Ireland was in my opinion very well produced with quite a brave and challenging plot. It deservedly got an applause from the audience at the end of the screening. 2012-03-21T22:51:59+00:00 http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/stephen_mullan_headshots/ http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/stephen_mullan_headshots/#When:21:14:43Z Another photoshoot with Actor Stephen Mullan. I am really pleased that these headshots have turned out well. Stephen was recently finished a nationwide tour with the Druid Theatre company in the brilliant production of the John B Keane play, BIG MAGGIE. I had the pleasure of seeing this fantastic play, which was directed by Garry Hynes in the Gaiety Theatre. The Irish Times wrote this review of the play…. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/features/2011/1117/1224307697883.html Stephen is a great guy to work with, partly because he knew exactly what he wanted. We spent a good deal of time ‘chimping’ (a photography slang word that describes the way people look at the LCD display on the back of the camera!) and then tweeking the next shot. Afterwards we went through the shots on the mac and he picked out his favorites from the shoot. In the end there was over a hundred photos! I put them on a disc for him and he then went to his agent and they selected 10 shots that stood out. I edited these ones and converted them to black and white also. As usual I gave him the full resolution versions of the photographs and he can print them as often as he likes! I have to say that Actors headshots are very enjoyable especially when people are laid back and the conversation flows. This photo shoot was with my studio lighting kit at home. Contact me for more details of my Actors headshots packages as I am doing some really good deals at the moment. You can follow Stephen on Twitter @StephenJMullan Headshots 2012-03-14T21:14:43+00:00 http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/iacp_open_day/ http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/iacp_open_day/#When:21:50:43Z IACP Open Day 2011 The Irish Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy have asked me to photograph both their AGM’s and Open days in the last couple of years and because they always have really interesting speakers and exhibitors it has been a pleasure! With guest speakers such as the Lord Major of Dublin Andrew Montague and Former Governor of Mountjoy Prison, John Lonergan as well as many experts in the area of Counselling and Psychotherapy it is not hard to come away from the days very well informed. IACP are a charity that do really great work promoting awareness of both the need to talk and also helping people find professional services of a high standard. These photographs are taken in the Mansion House in Dublin in October 2011. 98FM were there in force to help promote this event. If you feel the need to talk to someone then the IACP website is http://www.irish-counselling.ie Here is a little more information on IACP: Established in 1981, the IACP identifies, develops and maintains professional standards of excellence in counselling and psychotherapy through education, training and accreditation.In promoting best practice and the professional development of its members, IACP holds at its core the protection of the public. IACP is a registered Charity representing over 3,500 members. They provide a comprehensive telephone referral helpline to potential clients throughout Ireland. This service is for individuals, couples, children, teenagers, families, professionals, and organisations and involves providing the caller with the details of the Counselling / Psychotherapists service that is provided by Accredited Counsellors / Psychotherapists nearest to them. 2012-03-07T21:50:43+00:00 http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/bespoke_handmade_jewelry/ http://www.jonnypardoephotography.ie/blog/post/bespoke_handmade_jewelry/#When:22:21:08Z Bespoke Handmade Jewelry This is the second photoshoot I have done for Noirin McManus the expert Jewelry maker and tutor. Getting the lighting right is key for product shoots as shadows in the wrong place can ruin the shot. I used my Bowens 750 studio head with a soft box with baffle and shot across using a disc reflector as a fill ‘light’ to make the lighting soft and as even as possible. Once I had set up the camera in manual mode I dropped the ISO to L1 (the lowest ISO on the Nikon D700 and shot at shutter speed 1/200 and an aperture of between F16 and F20 to get the detail and wide depth of field. I used my 24mm – 70mm F2.8 lens as it gave me a little bit of room to play with although I never shot lower than 35mm to avoid distortion. I did a perspective crop in Photoshop CS3 which allows you to change the perspective as if you were looking straight on at the shot. I wasn’t shooting straight on as the way I had the softbox set up I had to come at it from a slight angle. Photoshop does such a good job of the perspective crop though that you would not notice. I really love Noirin’s Jewelry and while we are shooting I often ask her how she made some of the particular pieces. She has so many tools and some of work is so delicate and precise. It is quite beautiful. You can see some of the shots below. They are copyright but if you are interested in the Jewelry or in finding out where you can catch a class with Noirin I can pass on her details to anyone that is interested. As always the images on the blog are lower resolution to protect the images so they appear a lot sharper in the full size images which the client gets. Art 2012-02-29T22:21:08+00:00