The blue hues, strong eye contact, overcast subdued lighting and shallow d.o.f  are strengths to this image and help compliment the model; something which I almost always aim to do. The diagonal leading lines of the building draw your eyes towards her. 

One of the photos I took during my A-Level Photography. I like how the surrounding graffiti actually connects with the model. There is very little PP in this photo; I feel as though it's main strength is this relationship between model and background. Photographing from across the road, I cropped in to avoid all distractions.

Through my portraits I enjoy showing people in the best light (pun intended), at their happiest moments. Her expression shows how happy she is with her puppy. By shooting in direct sunlight, and through my PP technique, the golden tones were captured to give the photo a warm atmosphere.

I like to use saturated colour to enhance a scene and unique angles to add drama. Understanding colours and how red, yellow and blue contrast, combined with the joy on the models face, makes this a strong image to my eyes.

While I do like to get everything "right" in the camera, I am exploring techniques in Photoshop (and other mediums - I wish to expand into videography) and other programs to enhance my work, as I feel I should always be progressing. The split toning techniques I used in this photo helped to create atmosphere, the sepia tone visually representing the warm bond between mother and child. 

I incorporated the LED ring-light into this photo partly because it wasn't bright enough to illuminate her when positioned further away. Through positioning it the way I did, I feel it spreads the black more evenly throughout the photo, helping balance the composition. Through retouching and PP I left no imperfections on the model, allowing the viewer to be drawn into her colourful makeup, white teeth, and long eyelashes; the highlights bringing out detail. The artficial feel and blue hue gives the photo an almost futuristic feel.

Natural sunlight can be over-empowering, but in this snap I was able to use the suns rays to highlight only a partial side of the model, leading to a nice gradient of light that was flattering to her feminine features.

Through taking this photo at a long focal length (using my 70-300mm F/4 - F/5.6 lens) I was able to make it appear as though the stag was closer to the model, bringing him into the frame as the unique feature of the image. This image represents the beauty that I find in nature.

I like the simplicity of this photo. With the strongest contrast between the models top and her skin, attention is naturally drawn to her. Since the wall is intersected by a wooden board, it makes the viewer focus on the bottom or top half of the image, adding a subtle element for the eye to explore. Strong eye contact is something that I frequently look for when taking portraits, and I feel it helps the viewer connect with the model in this photo.

Through split toning I brought out the unique textures and colours of the tree, which had matching tones to the the model's hair. I feel this relationship makes the model seem suited to her surroundings. Through positioning her arm bent at her side, it helped balance the composition in this tight crop.

I love to capture people "in the moment", some of my favourite photos are from the Holi Festival of Colour celebrations that I photographed at. Shooting almost wide open blurred all else from view, apart from the couples brilliant expressions. The catch-light in their eyes helps to enhance the eye contact.

Photographing at live concerts with a camera that performs terribly in low light (Sony A33), I realised that I wasn't going to be able to match other photographers on pure image quality. Through my understanding of Photoshop RAW I was able to enhance this scene, changing the colour palette to rich oranges, reds, and blacks, turning the artifcial smoke into a fire-y illusion; perhaps in itself representing how he was playing.

I like this photo of a guitarist because of the varied colour palette, and his semi-silhouetted
appearance. I also feel that the tight framing gives the photo a strong composition.

In an effort to be pro-active in the photography community I photographed at the London Fashion Show. By fitting all the models, wearing different attire, into the frame, I feel their is plenty for the eye to explore. The diagonal line formed by the models heads helps to lead your eye up and down the frame. While my main focus is now on portraits, weddings and events, I do still enjoy developing and exploring my own projects...

This photo was taken using my portable studio setup, using external flashguns, for Halloween. I love the detail that can be captured using strobist techniques. I like to photograph the abnormal and extreme; yes, that is a real pumpkin. I have many planned photoshoots for the future that are based on unique themes and structured set-ups.

During A-Level photography I captured images of a barn owl in flight using my digital camera, and photos of it perched with my film camera. I feel that they juxtaposed each other well, showing two different viewpoints of the bird. In this photo I added a strong vignette to hide colourful distractions and draw attention to the barn owl. As a photo I took years ago I feel I could improve on this a great deal, however I feel it is strong, especially when combined with other photos of the owl.

A scan of a page from a sketchbook from traditional A-Level Photography, showing my test print of 2 second intervals, and final adjusted print, which was a candidate for my final boards. I chose a dark background for the barn owl to contrast and stand out against, while the negative space to the left of the owl helped to enhance this effect even more so.

One of the "Brainstorms" that I used to explore ideas for my high-speed water droplet photos. As a result of some of this exploration, I won a photography magazine competition with one of my water droplet photos. I often use brainstorms as a starting point when exploring a subject or genre.

An example of one of just one of the ways that I research, through magazines (scan of a sketchbook from A-Level Photography). While I produced some good photos from the water droplet-bubble-illusion technique ( shown bottom right), "light painting" is something that I wish to explore in greater depth. To streamline my research, I now compile all of my notes on 'Evernote', which acts as a hub where I can access all my research at any time.

Without an infrared or motion trigger, these shots were achieved after much trial and error and many attempts! By using the "multi" function on the flashgun, I was able to capture the hammer at two different points in time, in the same image. 'Toastmasters international' used a different high speed photo of mine for some of their "breaking the ice" flyers. 

See my website of facebook page for more:

www.oamphotography.com

https://www.facebook.com/olliematthewsphotography?ref=ts&fref=ts