FRANKINSELLA PHOTOGRAPHY: APRIL COVER

has the most amazingly perfect attention to detail for its gothic/fetish aesthetic, is a place I never tire of shooting at.

“Another place I have really enjoyed shooting at is the Nightingale Hotel on the Isle of Wight. I’ve shot there several times with Dani and Zara when they have been over there for parties, and had an absolutely amazing shoot there with Nikita when we had the whole place to ourselves.

“Finally for anything shiny, colourful and sparkly, Natasha Kalashikova’s Neon Dreams Studio is my go-to place.”

Remote shooting: lockdown and beyond

In response to the restrictions the pandemic has put on in-person photo shoots for the past year-plus, Fran has started doing remote shoots (which have a dedicated gallery on page 3).

In essence this means the photographer is in one location (usually home), linked via computer or mobile phone to a model, camera (or camera phone), lights etc that are all in a second location (eg another home or a studio).

In Fran’s case, what started as an attempt to maintain some creative activity during early lockdown restrictions has blossomed into a permanent broadening of photographic horizons, as he explains:

“During the first lockdown I did a few remote shoots as a sanity aid, to feel like I was doing something visually creative. Early on, each shoot seemed to use a different approach — anything from mobile phone apps to tethered high-end DSLRs.

“But the remote shooting scene exploded and evolved really quickly as a response to lockdown. Some people I know — both models and photographers — have done dozens of remote shoots in the last year.

“With the second lockdown I feel I saw a second wave of people starting remote shooting, and a bit more standardisation in how they were done.

“Lots of models now have DSLRs tethered to laptops so they can be remotely controlled by the photographer.

This is done with things like TeamViewer or Zoom and a separate video chat, so the ’tog can co-ordinate everything and get the bigger picture of the set, and of what’s happening at the other end beyond what can be seen through the camera.

“After the shoot the model uses WeTransfer or Dropbox to send the shots for editing. After a few shoots this feels quite familiar and works well.”

Fran reveals that remote shooting has got him thinking in advance more, particularly about the styling.

“I have found that having a really clear theme sorted ahead of the shoot helps get the best results, compared to normal shooting where it’s easier to be a bit more flexible and spontaneous.”

Recommencing remote shooting in the second lockdown, Fran initially worked with people he’d worked with several times before and knew well.

“That way, you already have good rapport, and communication is easy. Also, when people are familiar with your work, they know what you mean when you say ‘gothic’ — and in some cases know how to fuse their style with yours.

“That said, I have also had shoots with people I have never worked with or met, where we have quickly built rapport and got some fabulous results!”

For Fran, perhaps the biggest benefit of adapting in lockdown using remote shooting techniques is the international potential it has unlocked.

“I think the international aspect of remote shooting will continue long after Covid restrictions are lifted,” he says.

“This has been a bit of a revelation. I have shot with models in Holland and parts of the UK I could not readily get to, while people I know are regularly shooting with models in the US and Eastern Europe.”

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