MONDAY
Post my interview with Lucy Laucht and my phone is lit up all day with happy listeners. I’m so so thrilled you guys are enjoying the interviews I’ve been doing and the positive feedback on this one kept my inbox full all day (and the rest of the week). This is a direction I really want to build on going forward as I think hearing from other people brings so much value to this channel. I’m all ears for suggestions for who you want to hear from.
Following a few busy months, May was actually a little quieter, with lots of post-production, family time and generally gathering myself after a crazy Spring. So with that in mind, I’ve been saying yes to a few smaller shoots that I might have passed up previously; not because I think they’re below me or anything like that, but because I go through phases where I want to leave space in my diary, and phases when I just fancy doing a few more jobs, big or small, to boost the coffers and hang out with fun people. I can’t really explain why/how these phases occur but this month i’ve got a half day portrait session with a sportswoman, via a great fashion PR I’m in touch with (the photos from which are going in UK Vogue so it’s totally worth it for that credit even if sportswomen aren’t in my usual repertoire), a studio shoot for a UK fashion behemoth that churns out about 100 shoots a month, an event (which I haven’t done in ages), and potentially a magazine cover for a UK weekly. It’s a real mixed bag!
Today is the portrait session, and it’s so nice to just bolt down to London for the day instead of jumping on a flight for a bit of a change. Simplicity is so wonderful when you’ve been up to your armpits in complicated productions. Today it’s one subject, one light (Aputure 600 with a lantern), 5 hours, 8 looks. Done. It was really great. Plus the subject was a wonderfully interesting, beautiful and funny woman with a totally different life to mine which is just a great way to spend a day at work.
TUESDAY
I stayed at a friend’s in North London yesterday to put myself 10 minutes away from today’s shoot in Park Royal which is a vast industrial area north-west where one of the UK’s biggest brand owners have multiple studios; all are massive and part of a machine that shoots hundreds of collections across the multiple brands it now owns. Remember when I met someone from a brand on the train? This shoot is for that brand, and where these jobs have come from. The studios are vast and when I arrived there was a whole set build inside the studio with two fake rooms being dressed to look like a sitting room and bedroom. I haven’t shot in studio for a while so felt a tiny bit rusty but much like yesterday, remembered how relaxing it can be as a change to a location shoot. No scrabbling around with your kit moving from place to place. You’ve got multitudes of lights to choose from and acres of space to move them around; a great Art Director on hand who’s really guiding the shoot, so you don’t really have to problem solve or think too much creatively as someone is essentially telling you what they want or don’t want and has a very specific shot list, and three assistants to sort lighting and digi. Plus - all post production is handled in house so at the end of the day, I signed off the colour grade, and walked out the door with no retouching to do. Job done. Yes, I wouldn’t want to do it every day but it is a nice breather every now and again.
WEDNESDAY
Back home and in the dark room hand printing the remainder of the brand shots from the Lanzarote shoot. We shot two small collections over there for June/July so i’ve been able to deliver them in two batches which def helps in terms of splitting time. I’m using this project to add up all my costs for a full handprinted shoot, so i can be more accurate with my rates going forward. The deliverables are 30 images, short iPhone videos and a few short Super8 clips featuring one or two looks each, for advertising. I’ll also do a longer form video but that’s not in my deliverables so i’ll do that under my own steam.
So far, for 15 looks, I’ve added up 22 rolls of film (mix of 35mm / 120mm), about 20 litres of chemistry, and two Super8 rolls. So far I’ve used 3/4 of two boxes of paper (one 8x10in for testing, one12x16in for final prints) but that’ll be at least full boxes or a bit more by the time I’ve completed all the prints. I’m documenting everything I’m using so I can use this as a yardstick for future projects and make sure I’m not losing anything on material costs going forward. I’ll likely print quite a few extra frames as well for my portfolio so I’ll factor those in as well.
Whilst waiting for prints (each one takes around 6 mins to come through the processor) I do a first edit of Monday’s pictures ready to turn around for Vogue by Friday, send my receipts to my new accountant, chase HMRC for some VAT I accidentally overpaid (nightmarish admin which I could really do without cash flow-wise) and put the feelers out for a London meet up with the UK Picture Papers. readers. Let me know if you’re around week of 22nd June and can join!
Didn’t get the cover shoot, but weirdly didn’t feel gutted (which is odd for me… I feel disappointment quite keenly). I have this feeling we’ll work together on something else soon. A few roads are leading to that particular magazine at the moment so I think it’s going to happen, just not this time.
THURSDAY
Yesterday morning I suddenly noticed that there were some strange floaty bits in the bleach fix tank in my paper processor, which usually means that it’s started to sulphurise. This happens when it’s been sitting around for a while, and even though I recently decanted it into bottles when I was away, and then re-filled the machine, it had started to turn; it leaves a yellow powdery residue in all the bottles and inside the tank, which then means you get a light powdery film on the print. You can it wash off with water if you have to, but it’s a nightmare for streaks and needs sorting pretty asap. I’m up against a deadline printing the last of the photos from the Lanzarote fashion campaign. I really need to be able to print all day today to finish, and all the spare blix (bleach fix) I have has also turned, so I ordered some fresh chemistry to arrive before 10am this morning. I get up super early and leave my husband to do kids school drop off so I can be in the studio printing early doors, but at 9.30am I get a message to say chemistry has been delivered… to the wrong address.
I hate this sort of crap. I spend three hours trying to find out where it is, trying to hold my patience with various ‘computer-says-no’ type people who wont give me any information because of GDPR, which makes me want to punch a wall. There is a silver lining to this boring story I promise; in amongst it all, when researching if there is anywhere else I can get some chemistry in the next 24 hours, I find that the wholesaler, who distributes the chemistry around the country is based in… Leicestershire!? What!?! I suddenly feel incredibly lucky to have had this mishap as now I’m in touch with a direct distributor, have set up a trade account and will now get chemistry, photo paper (they sell by the roll which is so much cheaper and all my favourite paper stocks), and best of all FILM - with 45% off. They don’t sell Portra 400, before I get an avalanche of requests, but there are some great options for personal work and all my favourite black and white film stocks, and I would never have figured any of this out unless Parcelforce were utterly crap. At 1pm, just as I’m heading out the door to pick some new chemistry up 30 mins away, the Parcelforce driver comes back with the box anyway, so I can get cracking on the printing. End the day with only 3 frames to print tomorrow, a new trade discount and an enormous sense of satisfaction. Plus a renewed pledge never to use Parcelforce.
FRIDAY
The Vogue selects from Monday’s shoot come through so I retouch those between prints.
Finalise all the Lanzarote project imagery, de-dusting the scans and exporting the Super8 clips. This time I’ve decided to export the imagery with the edges and without, so there are two files of finals, one ‘cut’ and one ‘un-cut’, just in case the brand want to use the negative edges.
Check in for my flight on Monday to Menorca, where I’m staying for two nights in a partnership with the same hotel group I stayed with in Lanzarote. When i’m away for a short amount of time I like to make every drink, walk, meal count so do a lot of research and book most things in so I don’t have to think when I’m there - some people might find this a bit structured but for me it allows me to relax. Wandering the streets and stumbling across hidden gems is for longer stays, this is a shorty, so I like to make every minute count. Will come back to you with a short guide on here asap, and add things to my Amigo account in the mean time. Book rental cars, book airport parking, and head off for the week.
A x
P.S. Do you have any assisting opportunities you need to get great photographers for? Or are there jobs you can’t do that you want to pass onto someone else? To list them on our Job Board and tap into this amazing community of creatives, just send the details to studio@aliciawaite.com.
P.P.S. Picture Papers. is now on Instagram! Join us over here.
Hi Alicia! Just catching up and, as always, enjoying how detailed you make your weekly accounts. Thank you :) It's funny how much little things can resonate and feel helpful.
One quick question I have is, where can we see the job board?
Amber. x
Love your diary (as always). I’m hiring an Aputure 600 for a job in couple of weeks and I’ve never used continuous lights. Any suggestions tips on what a nice set up is would be great? Or do you just point directly at the subject? Xx