on assignment : Sir Brooke Boothby
December 31st, 2008 | Published in on assignment
I was assigned to photograph Sir Brooke Boothby, owner of Fonmon Castle in the Vale of Glamorgan, for a magazine feature. I had no idea what to expect from a knight who lives in a castle but he was a lovely bloke who showed me all around the castle and we stopped to shoot in various locations around the property.
My favourite shot by far though was a simple portrait in the gardens. The castle was lit perfectly by the sunshine and there was an interesting sky (a boring, flat grey sky can kill a picture). I liked the combination of blue sky, green grass and red ivy on the castle walls.
However, I needed to stand my subject in the shade, out of the harsh sunlight, and then light him separately from the background. So we found a really big tree and stood him under that. A single light in an umbrella was all that was needed to light him up. I let the light fall off towards his legs so the emphasis was on his face and positioned him in front of the shadow side of the castle.
