A month or so ago, you may have read our interview the Style Editor of Good Homes Magazine, Jess Taverner (read it here). She gave us the low down on what it’s like being the one behind all the magazine cover shoots. She’s basically a trend setter! This time though, for our ‘Behind The Scenes With’ series, we’re sticking with a similar theme. We chat to interiors photographer Andrew Boyd! We met Andrew on the set of a Good Homes shoot and were really impressed by his passion for the job and ability to create the perfect shot. So we’re picking his brains to find out what makes the perfect interior photo and finding out who’se in his Little Black Book.
To give you a little bit of background info, Andrew left college a long time ago to become a photography assistant to David Montgomery. Being one of the best photographers around, it was during this 6 year period that Andrew learnt everything he knows today whilst enjoying travelling the world! Now though, Andrew has been a freelance photographer for 17 years and has watched the industry change. Namely from shooting on film to switching over to the digital age. It perhaps explains his talent in creating some of the industries most beautiful interior and lifestyle shots for big name brands. Think Heals, Bright Bazaar, Good Homes Magazine, Tesco, Boden etc.
What is the first thing you do when you arrive on set to prepare for an interiors shoot?
The first thing I do on any interiors shoot is get the computer and camera out and turned on. Then make sure that it is all working, computers are there to make life easier but I find that most of the time they have there own agenda! It doesn’t matter how much you prepare, there maybe a tech issue first thing. Then I start drinking coffee. Shoots revolve around coffee.
What makes 3 key things to create the perfect shoot?
1: Having a great team to work with, without a good team nothing will get done.
2: Having a great assistant with me. I am very lucky that my assistants are really good and I can trust them with whatever they need to do. I have always thought that the photographer and assistant are a team and together. Together we can sort out any problems that turn up!
3: Having a good time, laugh and smile. Shoots can be very stressful! From how many shots to do to the lighting I need to sort out. I think it is very important to stay calm and not loose it.
What advice would you give to an amateur wanting to take some interiors shots at home?
There is only one light source in the world and that is the sun, the rest is reflected light. So first think where do you want your main light source to be coming from? Once you have decided that you can use other lights or reflectors to fill in shadows and move light about. Secondly try and make the background nice and soft with a shallow depth of field. This will give a much softer feel and makes the whole shot much nicer. Remember you don’t need to buy all the gear, a camera and a lens is all you need to get started.
A big thanks to Andrew for taking the time to speak with us! Keep up with her work by following his instagram.