photography PortfolioSEAN TUCKER

Contextual PortraitsHere are a selection of contextual portraits shot in outdoor settings. I enjoy earthy, rich

tones and use a variation of natural light and strobe, depending on the situation and the look I am going for. That said, I am able to shoot in a variety of styles. This sort of portraiture suits editorial work work very nicely. I take pride in my approach with a

subject; making them feel comfortable, coaching them through posing, and being able to capture someone’s character authentically.

STUDIO Portraits and HeadshotsHere are a selection of studio portraits, shot indoors using strobes. I prefer to use a neutral grey background for my signature headshots, but I also shoot comfortably with black, white or colour backdrops. I believe in simple, classic lighting because it doesn’t look dated in coming years, but I am very proficient in the use of studio lighting and I’m able to effectively create some more creative and complex looks, should the job require it. So whether you’re looking for actors headshots, business headshots, creative fashion portraits, or more classic portraiture, I can handle it all.

LIVE Event CoverageI have a lot of experience covering live events and gigs. Should you need a photographer to provide stills of an event for promotional material or editorial content, I can supply vivid shots which give a good feel of the event. I take pride in being discreet when shooting at more intimate events so as not to distract proceedings. Here are a selection of shots from recent events I have covered with musicians, including Jamie Cullum and Duke Special.

Lifestyle Product ImagesThe following are a selection of lifestyle images I have shot. The images

are a mixture of natural light and strobe shots but the goal in my own lifestyle product photography is to maintain as natural a feel as possible.Essentials for a decent lifestyle shoot are a good location and a variety of

props which will compliment your hero product. A location with good natural light will make things move much smoother on the day as the

lighting set up can be much smaller. It would be well worth employing a stylist on the day of the shoot with an eye for detail and solid sense of

style whose job it will be arrange elements within the scene so the setting feels natural and aspirational whilst not drawing attention from your hero element. Having worked with some great stylists in the past I

can vouch for the value they add.

Lifestyle Product Images

White Background Product ImagesShooting products and placing them on a pure white background is standard practice for a lot of ecommerce photography. To achieve this on site I will need a clear space, preferably in front of a white wall and beneath a white ceiling. There can be no walls or items of a strong colour near the shoot space because the strobes will pick up the colour and put it on your product while shooting. I will then work in post to cut the images out onto white, and add drop shadows where required. Hiring a professional studio space will always yield better results, especially one with a reflective white floor as I will be able to use authentic drop shadows. That said I can make most situations work if you are worried about delivery costs and need large items shot on site.

White Background Jewellery and glass ImagesJewellery and Glass photography is very technical but I have macro lenses and table top lighting techniques which will ensure maximum detail and colour rendition. This can all be done on site. All I require is a clear table and space surrounding it to place a few strobes. I will supply the white surface.

Food photographyI worked as a food photographer for a number of years and as such have a great deal of experience. I prefer to

shoot food with natural light as it gives the most realistic feel possible. If shooting on site I will require a table

space near a large window. I will rely on you to prepare and style your food according to the feel you are trying to

achieve. I am not a stylist but I am happy to provide advice based on my experience. As with the lifestyle

shots above, it may be well worth your while to employ a food stylist for the day of the shoot as their eye for detail

will add quality to the images. A good stylist will also come with a selection of table elements and props to

compliment the food you prepare. Having worked with some top notch stylists I can vouch for the value they

add. I will again ask you for a bit of homework before we meet to plan the shoot. I will ask you to send me links to

images you connect with online so it gives us some direction to plan in, and also helps me to think about

styling and lighting before the day of the shoot.

Food photography

Product Recolouring

If you have a wide range of products which you would like shot, and they come in different colour options, it may be more cost and time effective

shooting a smaller selection of your products and for me to recolour the remainder of the range in post production. I would shoot a dark, light, and

mid toned example of your item, and then shoot fabric swatches under the same lighting conditions. This way I have all the information I need to

recolour the rest and hand over a complete set of images for your range. Two limitations you should be aware of: I cannot replace texture so

different fabric options need to be shot, and I don’t recommend recolouring from very dark to very light, and visa versa, as you will lose detail. This is

why I choose to shoot a light, a dark and a mid tone.

CompositingIn some cases your product may benefit from being composited onto a background. I

have the Photoshop skills to be able to create a realistic composite for you with images I have already shot on white, without needing to hire a location and organise a second shoot. Again there are some caveats to this: the product’s lighting needs to

match the lighting of the background plate; the angle of the product shot needs to be roughly the same as the angle the background is shot at; and the product shot needs

to have a clean shadow created which I can use to blend the product into it’s surrounding. The easiest way to do this is for me to shoot your products on a white infinity curve in studio to make sure I have clean shadows, and that the lighting and

angle will match your chosen background plate.

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Promotional VideosFor me video is an incredibly powerful tool to get your message across. It’s been proven time and time again that adding a tasteful and brief video to your site sees huge improvement in conversion rates, turning more browsers into customers. The simple fact is that the average internet user is infinitely more likely to commit a few minutes to watching a short, well produced video than they are too sit and read through reams of text on your site. With over 10 years experience in video production I have all the skill and experience necessary to produce a high quality promotional video for your company. To see some examples of my work visit http://www.seantucker.photography/videos/ and for an example of a short product series I produced for Highly Sprung of Tottenham Court Road, click on the links below.

Highly Sprung Sofas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1SwxQz2Ayk

A word on Quality Sofa Fabrics: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkS7RJLnWfo

A word on Quality Sofa Frames: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlUbOBMDfvI

A word on Quality Cushion Filling: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=COtdVNkFM2U

Highly Sprung Sofa Beds: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bg0swfr5XfA

training Video Series on Shooting Large Products

Part 01: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsFNuTHaWOk

Part 02: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdElnlrODVo

Part 03: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVZhEh3Xr60

In early 2015 I shot and edited a training series teaching you the basics of shooting larger products and putting them on a white background. •In part one I teach you lighting and camera settings and show you how to shoot your product in studio. •In part two I show you how to cut out your product and place it on a white background, and then use the natural shadow you created to give your product context in the background. •In part three I teach you how to recolour your product to various fabric options.

These videos will give you a good idea of some of the more simple techniques I employ and give you a sense of how I work in studio and what goes into editing images to completion. View the videos at the links below:

Charity VideosI have shot a number of videos for Charities, especially back in South Africa.

iThemba Beach Camp for Under Privileged Children: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X1EWa8zITys

My Life My Africa Soccer Clinic:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UJ6rVGzLlSE

A New Bedroom for a New Family:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zX_fg7Vuln4

Gear and Software

In my work I use Canon DSLR’s for my stills work and a great deal of my video work as well. This includes a wide variety of lenses for all situations.

I am also an ambassador for Blackmagic Design and use their Pocket Cinema Camera in my workflow as well.

I have also recently added a DJI Phantom 3 drone to my kit, which enables me to capture dramatic footage from a variety of angles and situations which most filmmakers couldn’t hope to get.

My own personal lighting kit include both Bowens strobes as well as the Alien B 800 from Paul C Buff. I also have experience with Elinchrom and Broncolor strobes. For video lighting I use LED light panels.

Software I use in my daily work include:

Adobe Lightroom: RAW Processing

Adobe Photoshop: Complex Image Work

Final Cut Pro X: Video Editing

Da Vinci Resolve: Footage Colour Grading

Logic Pro X: Sound and Music Production

Aperture 3: Alternate RAW processing

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