Lou O'Bedlam, a blogger writes….
May 19, 2010
As you know we have had Lou O’Bedlam here at Garage Studios teaching some workshops and doing a talk, as you may also know we are huge fans of his work, and subsequent to meeting him huge fans of him as a person, so we thought we’d turn to one of our regular bloggers Kris for some words on the course. Just so you know Kris pays for his own place on any course, not just because we are a bit tight but because we like to keep as an unbiased review as possible. So Kris is free to say what he wants, both good or bad about the course. Its better for us that way, and we hope its better for you. Not to spoil the ending but we have definitely have more plans for these types of Guest Speaker courses….
so over to Kris… oh and as far as I know all pics below are shot by Kris, and there is a link to see more of his work. Because at Garage we dont just chase the dollar, we like to encourage, promote and hopefully inspire others into Photography…
Like a bad rash, the guest blogger is back. And Kris has something he’d like to talk about.
Hi, I’d like to talk to you about portraits. (bad rash? Really?)
They’re the type of picture I really enjoy taking. I find that unlike landscape, or abstract photography, portraits engage the viewer, they make it personal. I spent nearly a year doing a self portrait a day in order to better understand my camera and learning how to get comfortable in front of the lens. (I’m now doing a self portrait a week, but that’s a whole other torture process)
But taking portraits of other people? Friends? Models? STRANGERS?! I’m afraid I’m a bit rubbish at it actually. Not so much the technical aspect, but the interaction with the subject.
Enter Lou O’Bedlam.
I came across his portraits after Kevin Mason mentioned them to me. The man takes some fantastic portraits. They have an incredible personal and authentic feel to them, very few of his images feel “High Concept” or posed. So imagine my joy when Garage Studios said they were bringing him over from LA to lil’ old Brighton for a presentation AND workshop?!
Friday evening arrived and the Studio was packed. I don’t think I’ve seen the space that full before, and then Lou arrived, fashionably late thanks to Southern Railways stellar service. It didn’t matter much though, as he went right into the evening, talking about who he is, what his process is about, using the a series of portraits to pepper his ramblings with anecdotes about that particular shoot.
The evening was a fairly relaxed affair, owing largely to Lou’s own personality, which I’m sure has been permanently set to “Chill”. This continued into the workshop the next day. Lou recapped on how he works with the direct sunlight that is a constant in the LA sky, how he interacts with the models, getting them to relax and establishing a connection between the photographer and the model. After taking a few questions, we were let loose to shoot Sally & Rosy, the two victims for the afternoon.
With everyone getting a chance to direct, shoot and generally make fools of themselves (in the best possible way). The highlight was having the work critiqued afterwards. It’s not often we get to have our images broken down in a constructive manner but it’s a key ingredient to improving your craft. While I may not have agreed with Lou on some things, because frankly, my style is not his style, it was refreshing to have an outsider’s view of what things were good and what could be improved.
Unfortunately, his time in Brighton was too short and his flight back to LA came far too quickly. Thanks to the guys at Garage Studios for bringing him over and putting him up for the duration of his stay. Hopefully we’ll start to see more workshops like this from the guys in the future. If the response to this one is any indication, I’d say it’s a good bet we will.
Gratuitous Plug:
You can find me at http://www.flickr.com/photos/amooseabroad/
Or
http://krismitchell.zenfolio.com/
Thanks for your time.
Kris
Cheers Kris, and if you want to see more shots from the weekend go over to the Brighton Flickr Group.
Responses to Lou O'Bedlam, a blogger writes….
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kevin says: yeah thats true, he was here pressing the flesh and schmoozing the models…
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Avangelist says: I am sure Lou
I reckon you were busy chasing ambulances, it’s so hard to get into the holiday spirit and stop thinking about work hehe.
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Kris Mitchell says: HA! I know - it’s all about the showmanship. Show up early but keep the crowd waiting that little bit. Gets ‘em salivating.
Thanks for the presentation/workshop Lou, hope you enjoyed your time in Jolly old (and cold) England.
FOR THE RECORD:
I wasn’t late! We just gave it an extra few minutes for the late-comers to arrive. I’d been hanging around the studio for a good 45 minutes.
L