Next Portrait Course

The next TFC Portrait Course is due to take place on September 27/28th in the beautiful village of Lacock in Wiltshire (the former home of one William Henry Fox Talbot and the birthplace of the Negative/Positive process).

Spaces are currently still available - you can download a booking form and get all the details from theflashcentre.com and tfccourses.com.

Future dates are October 10/11th and November 28/29th

New Videos on the way!

Last week saw us again filming another batch of 4 short videos for The Flash Centre's TFCtv page on their website. Plus one crazy very short advert!!!

We decided on the lovely Ramada-Jarvis Newton Park Hotel just outside Burton-on-Trent. The Hotel has lovely outside space and we also used their lovely conservatory as well. It also may have had something to do with the fact that it is 10 mins from the Producers house!

For the two main films we were using the new Elinchrom Ranger Quadra which is a battery powered studio flash system on a "wedding" shoot. Teaching how to mix studio flash with daylight. The sun shone just at the right time, in fact our poor model, Becky got a bit burnt! But we were able to show how to use flash as a fill in the full sun and as a main light with the sun as a fill when in the shade.

All the videos were again written and presented by Chris Burfoot and at the moment being edited. They will be added to the site and YouTube as soon as they are ready. Why not subscribe to The Flash Centre channel on YouTube then you will be notified when they are on line?

Wanted!! Customers to Test Drive Canon 5DMk2's

Interested in trying the Canon 5DMk2 & 24-105mm L IS U for a few days?

In conjunction with Canon UK, we are launching a series of test drives, previously called "Puppy Program", where clients are invited to collect a camera and lens, be taken through the technical aspects of it including operation and Canon software and then take it away!

Returning the camera at a later date, there will be an opportunity for Q & A's and image output.

Special deals for TFC customers participating in the event will be available on any subsequent sales.

Dates and pricing tba, but for more details contact Dave or Russ in Leeds and London respectively.

The Flash Centre to support the Richard Jobson Film and Photo School

Richard Jobson, the award winning film maker and keen photographer is throwing open the doors of his house and grounds for a brand new project which the Flash Centre are proud to be associated with.

The Richard Jobson Film and Photo School, based near Toddington, just five minutes off the M1 Junction 12, will start it's high end and varied training programs from August 2009.

Already confirmed is Adam Duckworth, a highly photojournalist with over twenty years experience who's rapidly gaining a reputation for producing stunning images indoors and out using strobist techniques from the simple off camera strobe to Elinchrom Ranger and Ranger Quadra packs and accessories such as California Sunbounce light modifiers. Adam will be running courses ranging from high fashion to saleable lifestyle images, from BMX photography to Wedding Images with style!

Richard will be holding regular Script writing and character development days plus his highly popular Director's Challenge which he toured with in 2009 with TFC support.

Dave Owen, an accomplished videographer and editor will be working in conjunction with Apple and Canon to run "Final Cut Studio for 5DMk2" This ground breaking 1080p HD slr camera has set the World alight with the video mode and over 80 lenses that can be attached to it. Richard and Dave have already produced several projects together using this camera and are currently at Shepperton filming a documentary called "The Journey" entirely on Canon 5DMk2. This day course is special!!

Equipment at the courses has been provided by The Flash Centre, Lastolite, Apple and Canon UK. More partners are getting involved with this project as the days go on.

More top names to be announced and dates soon to be on the web,For more information currently, contact dave@theflashcentre.co.uk

New Blog on the Block!

Long time customer and friend of TFC, Adrian Weinbrecht called me this evening full of himself as his website now has a blog!!

"I've got lots of videos on it mate and it's going to be really special......." Mmmmmm, I've heard that before, but having recently worked on a job with Adrian outside the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC, (I'm sure it'll be on his blog before I reveal it!!), and seeing our mate Dave Owen filming it all I was intrigued......

Check it out. Adrian's presentations are something fresh and it really is like spending time with the man himself. His humour shines though and it's one RSS feed I signed up for immediately.

Please do give it the once over. Please click here! I'm sure you'll be checking back regularly!

The Richard Jobson Film and Photo School

It's very strange how things turn out in life. In 1979, I was 15 and at one of the first gigs I ever went to, leaping around to a band who's first album, "Scared to Dance" had blown me away. My memories were of the the fantastic guitarist, playing with a sound, even then, that was referred to as "sounding like bagpipes", and the charismatic but slightly frightening front man whose vocals were almost poetic and had a kind of hidden deep meaning. He also danced about the stage a lot lot worse than I did. (Yes really!).

They was brilliant!!

That band were the Skids. The guitarist was the late Stuart Adamson.

Thirty years later, I'm sat with that front man, a wholly different guy to what I expected and discussing photography in Starbucks in The Brunswick.

I'm very excited about our collaboration with the award-winning Film-maker/Director, ex Skid and Armoury Show Lead Singer, Richard Jobson.

I first met Richard around the time of the Canon Eos 5DMk2 Launch and it was very clear to me then that he was so excited about the possibility that this new breed of camera offered the creative film makers and the change it would make to the whole industry.

We've been lucky enough to follow the work he's done so far and we are not the only ones to notice what he is doing. Canon and Apple are keeping a close interest in his projects and in next month's (August), Professional Photographer there is an interview with him about how he has been using the camera for his own projects and some film examples are on their website.

Richard is a keen photographer, a long time Canon owner who has a great eye for a photograph, I guess from his time in film, who is eager to learn more to enhance his photography.

With the help of our good friend, top tutor and award winning photographer Adam Duckworth he has agreed that we are able his house and grounds to run a series of masterclasses for small numbers of delegates who wish to get the very best results, improve their photographic techniques and earn more from taking high end images.

As well as Photographic days, Richard will be running his own courses covering Script Writing, Character development, Directing and other subjects.

With the 5DMk2 changing the face of the photographic industry, video is becoming a much more popular medium available to a lot more people. Handling and editing these files is a wholly different ball game and Richard and his talented editor, Dave Owen, will be running a series of day courses entitled "Final Cut for 5DMk2" Three of my colleagues have been on a taster course last month. It isn't to be missed.

Currently in the final stages, we will soon have a selection of dates and facilities to book any of the courses on The Flash Centre website. We'll announce them very shortly on the blog too.

Please email me dave@theflashcentre.co.uk for more info in the meanwhile.

Quite Possibly The Best Two Days of Photography and Learning Ever

A two day event featuring Mike Larson, covering all aspects of the business and practice of photographing people for weddings, portraits and editorial.

Split over two days, this workshop includes 4.5 hrs of seminars, 8 or more hours of shooting, a round table discussion, two lunches, dinner, breakfast and accommodation!

Set at the beautiful Studley Castle in Warwickshire, you’ll have the perfect environment to learn and practice new lighting techniques whilst being coached and encouraged by some of the best professional photographers in their fields.

We’ll have:-

Mike Larson - International wedding photographer.

Peter Geller - Winner of the “World Press Photo award” and owner of California Sunbounce.

Chris Burfoot - Host of TFCTV and owner of TFCCourses.com.

Adam Duckworth - 2008 UK Commercial Photographer of the Year.

Bjorn Thomassen - International Fine Art Photographer of the Year.

Also subject to availability:

Drew Gardner - Award winning advertising photographer

Jim Marks - Photographer to the stars.

Richard Jobson - Film Director who uniquely uses still images in his films.

TimeTable:

Day one:

10:00-11:00 Introduction & Inspiration (Develop yourself as a leader)

11:00-12:00 Shoot Right the 1st time - How to get amazing images from your clients (Developing relationships)

12:00-1pm Master your lighting - Reflectors & Flash - (Problem solve every lighting situation to get excellent images)

1:00-2:00pm Lunch

2:00-3:30pm Shooting (group1 Mike Larson, group 2 Chris Burfoot)

3:30-5:00pm Shooting (group1 Chris Burfoot, group 2 Mike Larson)

5:00-7:30pm Break and Dinner

7:30-9:00pm Evening/night shoot with Adam Duckworth (strobist style), CaptureOne with Eric Joakim

9:00pm onwards Bar!

Day two:

10:00-11:30am Business (Create a profitable, cash based business that is successful and fun, we’ll chat about everything from business systems to marketing)

11:30-1:00pm Round table discussion with all photographers, Q&A.

1:00-2:00pm Lunch

2:00-close Shooting with Mike Larson, Adam Duckworth, Chris Burfoot and additional invited photographers

If you're interested check out the flyer here or book it here.