Down On The farm

Towards the end of my Friday photoshoot with Sian at The Nene Valley Railway (story here), I mentioned that it began to rain that turned within minutes into a deluge.  Whilst sheltering from the worst of the downpour we discussed the day, and Sian mentioned that she had some availability the following week because of a cancellation.  I happily jumped at the chance of working together again, and booked her for a Monday session.

Fortunately I had a plan ready to go as I’d had to postpone the farm shoot from Friday due to poor weather, and this was why we had ended up filming on the railway.  It was fortuitous indeed as I was on duty at the Nene Valley all weekend; so one phone call was all that was required to reinstate the shoot.

Monday dawned with clear skies and conditions were bright, despite the forecast, sorry, guesswork by the Met. Wombles stating it would be hazy sunshine with showers.  If you don’t know what the weather is going to do, just say so, for God’s sake!  (Sorry, but it really annoys me, as you might have guessed).

I made my way to the farm via the Oxfam shop in Grantham, where to the amazement of the old dears inside I marched in bang at opening time to purchase some ladies’ summer hats.  I like hats as accessories, they offer so much potential – and if nothing else, keeps bright sun out of your model’s eyes in between shots.  I try to think ahead!

Sian and Spike arrived a good half hour early – I’ve read that models are notorious for turning up late to shoots, but Sian was prompt and reliable on both occasions that I worked with her.  They were impressed by the farm, which is located in South Lincolnshire and set in a beautiful undulating valley.  I’ve known the owners for years as I created and currently maintain a website for their self-catering accommodation at Witham Barn – indeed it was they who suggested the farm as a location in the first place.  The original stone barns have been converted into an apartment complex for up to six people, and a further conversion is underway to create a smaller apartment for up to four people.  The Witham Barn website has all the details, but please note that the farm itself is off limits to the public as it is a fully functional working establishment with livestock and machinery on the move all day.  And you wouldn’t want an angry bull chasing you round the paddocks, now would you?

I like to begin a session with a coffee and a chat as it provides an informal start to the day and an opportunity to plan the shoot.  I briefed Sian on the scenarios I’d got planned, and then out came her suitcase, several bags of clothes and a host of accessories in order for the ‘what to wear’ part of the day.  I’m extremely impressed that Sian works this way; she brings a fantastic selection of clothes to choose from and is full of suggestions as to what will work at each point of the shoot.  She even brought some long evening gowns with her – and would you believe that even on a farm we were presented with an ideal opportunity to use them!  That’s the beauty of working with Sian; she never lets an opportunity pass her by.

I had four basic scenarios planned, and just as I’d done at the railway I wanted Sian to take on character roles for the shoot.  This may seem an odd way of working, but I like my shoots to tell a story through pictures.  Therefore the model will interact with her surroundings and become part of an overall scene.  I also believe that this kind of interactive shoot is fun and challenging for the model, and Sian certainly seemed to enjoy herself undertaking her various roles.  I have to say that until I discovered modelling I’ve never gone a bundle on going through a woman’s wardrobe, but I found myself digging deep and going into raptures over some of her outfits that would fit in perfectly with the scenes I had planned.

The first and most obvious shoot was that of ‘Farmhand.’  This involved Sian clambering in and out of tractors, tinkering with machinery, checking up on the cows in the barns and sitting on obligatory bales of hay.  For this she wore a simple white dress that fitted in naturally with her surroundings.  It was a fun shoot, especially when the dog turned up and demanded to be included in proceedings!

The next set would be The Junkyard – every farm has an area where old machinery, vehicles and general clutter is dumped.  Areas like this provide great backdrops and props for photography, and whilst I’d been shooting Sian in the farmyard Spike had been scouting round the scrap area sorting out props.  He noticed some superb features that worked incredibly well and created some fantastic photos. To provide some dramatic contrast in these pictures, Sian dressed up into a black and white floral print blouse and skirt with black ankle boots, all topped off by a straw hat featuring a pink ribbon to add a splash of colour.  A final touch was a cream rose hair accessory.  This outfit looked very elegant and worked well with the rusty and broken machines and junk used as props and background in the set.  I particularly liked the partially scrapped lorry that stood forlornly in the yard minus wheels, seats and most of its fittings – Sian really enjoyed herself pretending to drive it!  We went for a variety of expressions here, and as I threw scenarios to her she reacted accordingly.  When I tried her with the trucker’s daily nightmare of, ‘A bimbling Peugeot driver on the school run has pulled out in front of you at 18 mph,’ she responded not only with an angry look, but accompanied it with such ferocious language that I can only assume she has been a trucker in a previous life.  And to look at her you’d think butter wouldn’t melt ….. That’s what I mean about interactive modelling shoots!  I thought that this set worked very well, and Spike noticed some great features that added real zest to the shoot.

We broke for lunch at this point (thanks to Maria for organising a wonderful buffet) before resuming the shoot with a new outfit and new scenario.  I’d planned on the simple premise of depicting a ‘Girl in the Countryside’ shoot, but with the added challenge of filming with horses and paddling in a stream.  As I mentioned earlier, I like models to get involved in the shoot in every sense!  Sian dressed in a gorgeous outfit for these scenes; a swirling white gypsy skirt topped by a corset and of course, white heels and a straw hat.  It provided a lovely rustic and timeless atmosphere to the sequence, which I have to say, was my favourite of the day.  To work off lunch, I asked Sian to play on the swing while I took some action shots.  Well, that was easier said than done!  Her hat kept blowing away, and then we discovered that the swing, whilst substantial, wasn’t bolted into the ground and wasn’t quite up to Sian’s aeronautical acrobatics!  Still, we persevered until I got some shots I was happy with.  Then straight onto the next challenge – photos with horses.  I wanted a shot of Sian feeding a horse, and had brought a bag of apples for this scene.  And now I know why they say never work with children or animals!  The horses loved the idea of getting apples; they just didn’t see why they had to pose as well!  It took some time, but eventually I got a feeding the horse shot, as well as some lovely natural shots of Sian with these magnificent animals.

You’d think I’d asked enough of Sian by now, but I was just getting started!  Oh dear.  So the next stop was the stream, where I asked her to go for a paddle.  Yes, the water was cold, judging by her expression!  Spike very kindly made me some stepping-stones so that I could go into the stream myself and take pictures without getting wet.  Very thoughtful, although I’m not sure that Sian agreed.  I was after some specific shots here, as water is a wonderful natural prop.  By seating Sian on the bank, she could gently kick her legs in the stream as I wanted to capture the flying drops of water on film for effect.  She got into this task with relish, and I got some shots ranging from a few drops to tsunami!

Once Sian had dried off we progressed into the undulating valley, heading for a strange brick chimney of some description.   I have no idea what it does or why it is there, but it made a useful base for some lovely seated shots with Sian using the flowing skirt to great effect.  There were also some small trees here that made for some pleasing shots as I could have Sian peering in and around them.

We returned to the farmhouse for the next phase of the day, which would be in total contrast to everything that had gone before.  Witham Barn has a terrace that overlooks the valley, and is a lovely spot to relax in if you’re staying at the apartment.  I wanted some elegant photos for the Witham Barn website from this spot, and Sian came up trumps with a beautiful black dress with purple polka dots.  It was the perfect dress for an evening shoot and Sian looked terrific in it.  Then it came off to reveal a bikini, because the terrace features a hot tub!  I really do look after models that work with me.  Spike had already discovered the tub while I was shooting the terrace scenes, and had made himself quite comfortable!  He’d certainly earned a dip after all the location and prop hunting.  However, he had to vacate it so that I could shoot Sian for a set of pictures that were partly for the Witham barn website, and I also wanted to try my hand at filming swimwear in an appropriate setting.  Sian responded with some terrific poses that matched any Hollyoaks calendar!  I’d brought along a bubble machine, and these added a great deal of fun to the shoot at one point.  Once again Spike helped out here by operating the machine at just the right moment.  I don’t know what I’d do without him.

I wasn’t finished there, as I had another technique to experiment with, and boy, was Sian up for it!  I wanted her to take a bottle of water and slowly pour it down her front so that I could capture the water pouring out of the bottle and splashing off her body.  These were great shots and more successful than envisaged.  That was that, or so I thought, so Sian and Spike relaxed in the hot tub together – which offered new photographic opportunities.  They produced some amazing pictures – so hot I thought that the tripod would melt.

And that was that.  Until Sian spotted a pair of chaise longue with some vintage glass fronted cabinets in a room in the farmhouse.  We got permission to shoot, and Sian posed in two full-length evening gowns, one red and one black to match the red and black furniture.  In one set she tantalises and teases whilst eating a strawberry; this was a real naughty-but-nice set and worked well as she recreated some elegant and recognisable poses in a Cleopatra-esque style.  Amazing!

Our nine-hour day ended there, with everyone shattered but knowing we’d produced some great work between us.  I cannot emphasise enough the team effort that went into the day.  We’d established a good rapport and that provided a light and easy feel to the whole shoot.  The mood of the day shows up clearly in the pictures, and I was pleased with the photosets that emerged as a result.  Whilst the pictures are not technically brilliant and don’t compare to the amazing work of some professional photographers I’ve been admiring online, they are nevertheless pleasing to me (and hopefully Sian and Spike).  The various techniques and gimmicks I’d tried out had all worked, and remarkably well in most cases.  Sian had willingly tried out all my madcap ideas without hesitation, and said she'd had a great time.  And to me, that’s the idea here.  Have fun, enjoy the shoot and come home with great photos.  What more can you ask for?

The sets from the day will shortly be added to my Fashion Modelling Portfolio.