Styled Photoshoot On 85mm - Clovelly, North Devon

How did I discover this photoshoot?

Many moons ago I bought my first camera, 2017 I think it was and from here I was all self learning and looking for inspiration. An old friend of mine who is also a photographer recommended me about a styled photoshoot, being hosted by a lady called Nicola Dixon who is now based in Majorca as a photographer. Now, looking at her website she is flying and is now hosting some amazing workshops that I could only dream to attend, but the one I joined in Clovelly I will always remember well. The photoshoot took place July 2017 and I have always made sure these photos have been stored safely on my computer.

The location.

Clovelly Village is an absolute gem a location hidden away on the coastline of North Devon, and I can see why it was chosen as a location for this styled photoshoot. It was the first time I had been here and I have returned many times since on days taking photos. The fishing village is privately owned and sits on a 400ft cliff. It is well known for its cobbled streets that has no vehicles access. Donkeys were traditionally used to pull goods up and down the street, they don’t do this anymore but they can still be seen the near the entrance in a small paddock. You’ll see 14th century cottages, a museum, some amazing floral gardens, a pub, a hotel and the harbour. This was perfect for this photoshoot as we had no modern clutter to deal with in the background's of our images.

The kit that I used.

Being a new photographer at the time, in all honesty I didn’t have much on me and I think that was what helped me enjoy the day more as I didn’t become bogged down with gear fomo. These images where taken a Nikon d610, my second ever camera body, but my first full frame. Now the part I will never forget is I only had one lens on me, my Nikkor 85 1.8 D. It was something that had only turned up in the post a few days before so I was really wanting to use it, and on the day I had no choice as I left my kit lens at home. You’ll see how the short telescope lens has created a nice compression look that is close to how the human eye sees, and also a lovely bokeh in the background. Wide angles can give a barrelled distortion and also bring too much into a photo. At the time I wasn’t even thinking about this, I just made the best out of what I had. I still have this lens today and I use it at weddings on my second camera body. Great for capturing photos of people individually.

How we approached getting the photos.

Still do this day, its the only styled photoshoot I have ever attended, and yes I would love to be able to get to more, they are great for confidence building, getting portfolio and learning how to use your equipment. On top of this learning to be around a couple and directing them for posing is something that can be gained, as other photographers will be at the events and they can have some great ideas. The village as mentioned is on a 400ft cliff, so it’s steep and heads down to the harbour at the bottom. We started at the top and stopped in different areas along the way to get as many compositions as we could. The couple “Florin & Luiba” who are married were amazing. They literally played the cameras so well we only had to give basic directions, you could see they were very comfortable together and in front of cameras geeks. It was the first they had ever done something like this also but they hid it well. The shoot lasted around 90mins, and this was plenty of enough time. On this day we had over cast weather and also a sea mist, it was very atmospheric and it couldn’t have been any better.

What I learnt from this day.

The first thing I know I have learnt ( and more so in hindsight ) is the equipment you have really doesn’t matter. I had one camera and one lens and I got on with it. Photographers can be so consumed with tech and needing the best gear and it can cloud the joy of photography. Secondly, that attending this styled photoshoot gave me some confidence and great portfolio. Nicola did an amazing job with all the planning and I can image that a lot of effort goes into events like this. I actually wish there where more of these available to attend and Im considering going to one of her events in Majorca. Thirdly I learnt of a place called Clovelly in North Devon, if you haven't ever visited go and check it out, and don’t miss out on the waterfall on beach!