龍先生的攝影日記: 英國攝影師台灣生活點滴紀錄

又見面咯，希望你們一切都好。如果你看過我上一篇 “時間都跑到哪了”（如果沒有，那麼去看一看，文章不長，一兩分鐘就能看完），你們就會對我目前朝向時尚攝影方面發展有所瞭解。你也會看到我在時尚拍攝及圖像創作過程中不斷探索，嘗試創新的樂趣。總體來說，整個過程我很開心，同時盡了最大努力推進自己, 讓自己和團隊發揮到最大的學習潛能。然後龍太太對我說了一句話我覺得蠻對的（經常她說的都是對的），“沒參加這個課程前你的作品比較優秀。”她的意思並不是指我的攝影技術問題，而更多的是我有所改變的審美問題。儘管我覺得我對燈光、攝像機和團隊協作的掌控有所進步，但是我嘗試了不連貫的路線。這樣的嘗試本身而言是沒有害的，但我是一名專業的攝影師, 這些實驗並沒有產生實際的價值。所以，雖然在技術上我進步了，但是我把很多事情複雜化，迷失了一點方向。

Hello again, I hope you are well and all that good stuff. If you read my last blog (I hope you did, and if you didn't, well off you go, read it and we will see you back here in a minute or two, it's short don't stress.), you will be kind of up to speed with my move toward the fashion world. You'll have seen I got experimental and enjoyed myself exploring my capabilities and understanding of image making. Basically I had been having fun and pushing myself, my team and my learning curve close to the max. Then Mrs. L said something to me, and she was right (as is often the case). She said, "your work was better before you started this course.". She didn't mean technically, more aesthetically, I had veered somewhat. Although I felt my skills with lighting, my cameras, and directing my team were better, I had drifted off down some path of incoherent experimentation. In itself, this is no bad thing, but it doesn't bring the bread in, and I am a professional after all. So, yes I had grown as a photographer, but I had also been over complicating things, and loosing direction. 

既然決定了要多拍攝商業性時尚攝影，我知道我必須考慮產品及其代表的時尚流行。當然，我也不會放棄了人物肖像拍攝，因為我喜歡與人一起工作，並為他們拍攝。當然拍實驗性質的創造作品也是不錯的， 但應該是在我有時間, 不然就是當一個具有創造性刊物允許我這樣做的時候吧。

Having decided I want to shoot more commercial fashion, I know I must think about the product, the fashion. Of course I will continue with my love of portraiture, I guess I like to work with and photograph people. It is also good to shoot more experimental creative work, but on my time, or when a more creative publication allows me to really go for it.

我想這樣生活也會比較簡單點吧...

Well, make it more simple I thought...

為這次拍攝我們用了幾個專業模特兒與Fe Dolly（來自臺北的設計師）的特製服。

Fe Dolly (a designer from Taipei) created some outfits and we booked a couple of models for the shoot....

這樣工作看起來似乎比較簡單了，但我發現我又錯了。我太過於注重地點的選擇而忽略了服裝，在鏡頭中服裝與拍攝地點有違和感。在拍攝中，我認為還可以同時錄影。我準備多放一些時間在時尚影片錄製，錄製時尚攝影的拍攝過程影片應該也是一個很有趣的領域（在後面的文章我會提到更多），這次拍攝我也很開心，但是我覺得還可以做得更好，從中我學會了很多，我看到了自己一路走來的成長，也變得更加成熟了，能成為一名更好的時尚攝影師了。

Now it looks more simple, and I guess it was, but I had made an error again. My focused was too much on the location and not enough on the clothes, they are fighting each other in the shots. I had also thought it was a good idea to shoot video at the same time. I am moving toward adding video making to my arsenal, shooting and produce fashion video is a very interesting area, more on that in another blog. Overall I am happy enough with this shoot, but I do feel it could have been better, I learned a lot from it, saw that I have come along way and am more mature and aware as a fashion photographer now, a lot more mature.

我們選擇了一個對拍攝沒有任何幫助的地點，那裏沒什麼光線。一般來說，化妝師需要光線。我們最好就是選擇靠光線最近的地方拍攝。手裏拿著LED手電筒照射出來的光線，雖然已經過濾成比較柔和的光線, 但對化妝來說不是最好的。我可憐的化妝造型師掙扎的在這樣的環境下挑戰。一般我後製不會修模特兒的體型，但是必要時我會修飾他們的膚色和妝容。通過對比修改後和修改前的照片，你們也可以看出我這次後製工程比較大...

We got ready for this shoot in a poorly lit place, that didn't help. Basically, Make Up Artists (MUA) need light. The closer to the light we will be shooting in, the better. An LED torch, although diffused nicely and even is not the best. My poor MUA struggled and I had a hell of a lot of work to do. Now I don't make my models thinner, but I will work on their skin and make up if I have to. So here is a after and before example, you get an idea of the work I have to put in...

所以你可以看到後製修改的浩大工程, 這次拍攝雖然熬夜了很多晚上後製, 但最後只選出12張照片. 然後平均一張照片花一到四個小時不等. 修片過程中沒有什麼時候樂趣, 但至少我有很多時間可以思考…

As you can see quite a lot of work, and I ended up with about 12 frames of each model, it was a lot of late nights. To get to the finished image was taking 1-4 hours depending, not much fun, but lots of time to think.

從這次拍攝自己的經驗總結是, 一定要隨時記得每個拍攝主題要代表的的整體時尚、服裝、表情、包包、鞋子、帽子還有配飾。當然，地點是很重要的，但是絕不會比服裝的選擇更重要。然後我還需要買一個電池供電的 LED 燈板,可以應對光線昏暗的拍攝環境，同時也方便我錄製影片。

My conclusion was to remember it's about the fashion, the outfits, the look, the bags, shoes, hats and accessories. Yes the location is important, of course it is, but it can't be more important than the clothes. Also I need to buy an LED light panel that is battery powered, this will help in poorly lit prep areas and also with my video making.

又要準備下一次拍攝了，組織團隊並且使任務簡單化是我的工作計畫。Rong Chen 是我們這次的出色模特，也很適合這次拍攝任務，我們命名為《岩石上的白色熱浪》（簡稱WHR）...

Time to get another shoot organised, getting a team together and keeping it simple is a plan I stuck too. Rong Chen was our wonderful model and perfect for this shoot, we titled it "White Hot on the Rocks"...

我們把這組照片叫《岩石上的白色熱浪》，是因為當時確實熱得像蒸籠，而 Rong Chen 剛穿著白色衣服，其他的我想你們也猜到了。這次選擇的地點我很滿意，我的團隊都都很開心。這次任務簡單、直接。Rong Chen 與我們合作非常順利（她現在在米蘭，你們趕緊預約她和她一起拍攝吧，我都等不及她回來再拍了），短短幾個小時我們的拍攝就完成了。我很開心，直到現在想想也還很開心，我感覺的方向對了，找到了自信。（每次拍攝）讓任務簡單化、圖像乾淨，注意服飾，與時尚密切相關。

We called it "White Hot on the Rocks" (WHR), because, well it was really bloody hot, Rong is wearing white, and I think you can guess the rest. I was finally pleased with where I was heading and over the moon with the team on this one. It was simple, straight forward, Rong worked well with us (She is in Milan currently, book her and work with her if you can. I can't wait for her to be back so we can shoot again.), within a few hours we were done. I was really happy, and still am, I feel confident I know I am heading in the right direction, the direction I want to head in. Keep it simple, keep it clean, keep it about the clothes, the fashion.

那這次就寫到這裏了，在結束之前，我上傳了幾張拍攝WHR之后的花絮照片，你們可以看到我們當時真的好開心...

That about wraps up this blog, before you go though here are a couple of extra shots from the WHR shoot, see how much fun we have....

唯一可惜的是我當天的助理Michael Geier為了拍一張日落的照片跑上山去了，不然的話他也會出現在鏡頭裏，這是目前我拍下的最喜歡的團隊合照。照片上有我的髮型師兼化妝師，Anna Tian，我的Fujifilm X-Pro2 和我，還有美麗的模特 Rong 。

Sadly my assistant for the day Michael Geier had buggered off to find a sunset photograph up a mountain, or he would have been in this, which is my favourite post shoot team shot ever. Wearing the glasses Hair and MUA, Anna Tian, on Fujifilm X-Pro2, Me and looking gorgeous, Model Rong.

是的，發現一小溪，太熱了，讓我們一起戲水吧.....

Yep, found a river, it's hot, lets paddle..... 

在山上我們恰好遇見並拍下這一刻，很神奇,你不覺得嗎？我真的很喜歡臺灣這樣的風景。

Who needs to go up a mountain to get a dramatic shot, the light came to us, and we loved it, don't you. I really adore it when Taiwan gives us a view like this.

下次，我要重點說說三角架，分享一些技巧，或者還有別的。

Next time I am going to address the issue of a Tripod, and some technique advice, maybe some other bits too.

在那之前, 請參觀我以下的網站follow我最近的活動, 及留言. 如有活動或需報價也非常歡迎你與我聯絡. 

愛你們呦!