Blog | London Fashion, Beauty And Commercial Photographer

DOES GEAR MATTER?

29 May 2020 In Genel No Comment

Throwback to this editorial, Red Memories, for House of Solo Magazine

page 1 2 Ekin Can Bayrakdar https://ekincanbayrakdar.com/blog/

Every starter photographer or already established photographers are asking themselves if their equipment is enough or do they need to update their equipment, the question is does gear matter?

I shot this story back in 2017 with my old camera, Canon 60D with kit lens, 18-135mm. Anyone who used to have or use these camera and lens knows these are not the greatest kit for fashion style photos ever. Lens is not sharp enough, besides its really blunt, blurry and my dear old camera, 60D, creating lots of noise over 400 ISO, so I was trying to keep the ISO lower than 400 and the lens is not wider aperture than 3.5. As you know or guess this is ok for day light but in any indoor or night shoots this is a disadvantage.
Was I not using my camera inside? Of course I was using. In a point I realised image quality yes, it is something but creative eye and my point of view or my idea is more important than my equipment, so I decided to use higher ISO taking risk to have noisy photos. To be honest I even liked it in a certain level, it added a texture on the photo which one of the things why I admire film cameras, photos come with the natural texture.

I can ensure you this was not the greatest kit especially for fashion photography, but I would like to show on this post your equipment does not matter about your creativity. Yes, it can be harder, yes you are not able to do some specific things because lack of technical equipments, but this did not stop me to create however I feel, this did not stop me to improve myself. If I can do some great things with this camera and lens, and those images are good enough to be published by some magazines, that I can make you sure that you can do that the same and even more than I do, I did.

page 3 4 Ekin Can Bayrakdar https://ekincanbayrakdar.com/blog/

page 5 6 Ekin Can Bayrakdar https://ekincanbayrakdar.com/blog/

Nowadays, we are all discovering facetime photo shooting due to pandemic, those photos are not the greatest quality but lots of photographers or creatives keep trying, creating with their ability whatever equipment they have, and it’s the best feeling ever.

PS: I forgot to mention this earlier and would like to add this on this update, I am adding extra grain to my images to look more natural and the color are blending each other which give me more film camera effect. I suggest you to try as well.

Photographer : Ekin Can Bayrakdar
Stylist : Chloe Bosher
Make up : Cuneyt Ozketen
Hair Stylist : Toni Hristov
Model : Chanel @ Elite London
Assistant Photographer : Ersin Er

Who Does Not Like BTS?

20 May 2020 In Genel No Comment

Who doesn’t like behind the scenes?

I like when photographers are sharing their workflow and behind the scenes pictures, well anyway, who does not like bts right? However I always forget to post them most of the time.

It helps to learn more of what creatives can do, how they think etc. and on this post I’d like to show you there was nothing additional equipment except my camera, and my great team to make this images perfect! The rest of it my direction, communication with the model and my experiences both on the field and on post production.

I shot this story for Grazia Magazine with beautiful Bella from Elite London, my friend Dana styled this story as always and Meg did the hair and make up.

I shot this story with Canon 5d Mark III with 24-70 2.8 lens, managed all the colors on Capture One and retouched rest of it on Adobe Photoshop with Wacom retouching pad.

Photographer / Retoucher : Ekin Can Bayrakdar
Stylist : Dana Verri
Hair and Make up : Meg Koriat
Model : Bella @ Elite London
Assistant Photographer : Ersin Er
Assistant Stylists : Giorgia Sanna & Damyana Krasteva

Dress by Flow The Label
Stockings by Elissa Poppy
Earrings by Feihefeihefeihe
Shoes by Malan Breton

Creating a Rooftop Photoshoot in the City of London: A Behind the Scenes Look

29 April 2020 In Genel No Comment

As a professional photographer, the idea of capturing the bustling city of London from a rooftop perspective always intrigued me. I knew that the unique vantage point would allow me to showcase the city in a new and exciting way, highlighting the impressive skyline and the hustle and bustle of the streets below. I reached out to my friend, Natalie Wilkins, a renowned celebrity stylist who has styled artists such as Dua Lipa, Alt-J, Birdie, and Alice Chapter, to discuss the possibility of shooting on her rooftop. I was thrilled when she agreed and even sent me some preview photos of the space to give me an idea of what to expect.

The initial concept was to shoot on a rooftop amongst skyscrapers, but as we developed the idea further, we decided to switch the location to Natalie’s rooftop. This provided a more intimate setting and allowed us to focus on the model and the clothing rather than the cityscape. I reached out to several model agencies and creative agencies to secure the perfect model and team of makeup and hair stylists for the shoot. After much consideration, we ultimately selected Omoh from First London Management as our model. Omoh was the perfect choice for this shoot as he has a unique look and a great attitude. He was able to bring the clothing to life and help create the mood we were aiming for. We also enlisted the talents of Amy Conley from Stella Creative Artists as our hair and makeup artist. Amy is a true professional and was able to create the perfect look for the shoot. Alina Travis was also present to film the entire shoot, providing us with a behind-the-scenes look at the process.

Our goal was to create a Spring/Summer 2020 photoshoot, despite the typical cloudy and rainy conditions of London city. We wanted to capture the warmth and energy of the season, and showcase the clothing in the best possible light. To achieve this, I utilized a speed light with a color gel, without any diffusers or light modifiers in front of the light source. This allowed us to create a beautiful sunset scene, even though we were shooting indoors. We began shooting outside on the rooftop but had to move indoors when it started raining. To create a warm and gloomy ambiance, I bounced the light off the corner of a wall. This technique allowed us to achieve the perfect lighting for the shoot, and the final images turned out beautifully.

I always ensure to bring all of my equipment with me on set, as you never know what might be needed. My shooting kit for this photoshoot was basic and straightforward – I used a Canon 5D Mark IV and Sigma 24-70 2.8 Art Series lens, along with a one-speed light flash and color gel. For one look, I switched to the Sigma 20mm 1.4 Art Series lens as there was limited space to achieve the desired angle. This lens allowed me to get a wider angle and capture more of the model and the clothing in the frame.

The entire team had a fantastic time on set, and despite expecting to finish the shoot in 7-8 hours before sunset, we were able to complete it in just 4-5 hours, leaving us all happy but exhausted. As with most of my photoshoots, I personally retouch and color-grade all of my photos. This allows me to ensure that the final images are true to my vision and that they meet my high standards. I will be sharing more in-depth information on my retouching process and workflow in a separate post. This will provide a behind-the-scenes look at my process and will give readers an idea of the amount of work that goes into creating a professional photoshoot.

In conclusion, this rooftop photoshoot in the city of London was a challenging but rewarding experience. The team and I were able to work together to create beautiful images that truly capture the spirit of Spring/Summer 2020. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to work with such a talented team, including Natalie Wilkins, Omoh, Amy Conley and Alina Travis. The final images showcase the city of London in a new and exciting way, highlighting the impressive skyline and the hustle and bustle of the streets below. I hope that this behind-the-scenes look at the photoshoot has given readers an appreciation for the amount of work that goes into creating professional images. I look forward to sharing more of my work and process in the future.