Prison Time – Assisting on a Live Brief.

A live brief came up on the University Of Wolverhampton’s Canvas system that I subscribe to as a Level 6 Student. The brief looked as below:

I had added my name to the list by emailing Pete with the required details and even including the motivations behind my application. I received a reply saying that he thanked me for applying and was looking forward to meeting on the day.

In between the reply and the shoot I spent some time perusing his work on his website and instagram feed. There is some wonderful work on there and it is easy to see why he has won so many awards for the photography that he makes. He specialises in advertising, sports, portrait and commissioned works and a lot of them have some great lighting setups so I’m interested to see what happens on the day of the shoot.

The day before the shoot I was in Uni and discussing with the other students on my course who were to also join and act as assistants, Joel, Clare, and Nikki. We decided that it should be a good and useful opportunity to learn from a professional photographer during a real life photoshoot, not just a simulation for a lecture.

On The Day

I had booked the day off work and found myself driving to the Shrewsbury Prison, arriving there at around 8am, being allowed through the gate and then finding out I was early and there was nobody there yet from the photography shoot. I jumped out of the car and had a wander around the area looking at the buildings that we will be going into within the next half hour. I like to get to these things early to let the person I’m working with know that Im serious about their project and hope that it helps create a positive impression of me. Ian Gavan also expressed this in his top tips from the talk he gave us on Tuesday.

The next car that pulls up is an SUV with Pete in and he decamps to begin the introductions and the unloading of the equipment. Pete is travelling with Georgia who appears on the call list as an assistant the same as myself and my three coursemates from Uni.

We unloaded a large number of bags and bits of equipment and take them through the cafe in the prison into the ground floor of A Wing. I spot about five backpacks full of Bowens lighting and cameras as well as a small rucksack for batteries. There are about six small light stands and some even larger light C stands. There are other bags full of mysterious goodies that we’ll no doubt find out about soon.

Pete told me that the call sheet timings are correct and the models should be here at 10am, there are no other assistants here yet so I start helping him to set up some stands for fitting the lighting heads onto when they come out of the bags. We open the rest of the bags and as we do I begin asking him some questions about the shots he has planned for the day and how the day is scheduled.

First Shot Set Up

He has in mind, a number of photos featuring a prison officer and a few inmates in orange overalls. The first shot is on the ground floor of A Wing and he sets up the camera about two feet off the ground with me stood in the spot chosen for the officer. This way he can set up the frame before the models are there and then begin the lighting set up. He begins the lighting by setting up a large boom with a cordless, remote controlled head atop of it.

Pete, sat on the floor wearing shorts in a really cold building, can be seen setting up the lighting with Georgia in place of the prison officer character. The large boom can be seen in the centre of the shot with the brolly on top. In the photo above you can see another. remote head with a softbox and CTO Colour Temperature Orange gel in front of it. Pete also then had Nikki and I each take a mains powered Bowens light onto the landing above, which you can just see in the photo. These lights were pointed downwards to wall of open doorways on the opposite side of the ground floor. They had gels in front of them too, with CTB Colour Temperature Blue gel being used as he told me to bring an atmosphere of cool nighttime lighting in the area with minimal daylight entering. These CTB gels can be used to convert Light Temperatures too with. a full strength CTB converting warmer light of 3,200K to around 5,600K but it does have the effect of losing some light, on the full CTB it is around 1 2/3 stops of light lost. The CTO used on the ground floor would warm up the light hitting the people that would feature in the photo.

He also had a small honeycomb front on a remote head up on the catwalk (Simple Minds song) to light the side of the character/subjects faces too, removing some dark areas that he had seen in the test shots. Finally, the last flash he installed was the softbox that you can see Nikki assembling in the photo above, that he had placed behind him to throw light onto the front of the models. It was an extraordinary amount of flash units and it was interesting to see how he set them up one at a time to get the effect he desired from each unit before moving onto the next one. He was using a hot-shoe mounted trigger on top of his camera to control the remote devices and could dial different powers into the three channels A,B,C on the flashes. If he had two that were on channel B though they both had to be on the same power. The two mains cabled units on the catwalk were not high tech enough to be remotely controlled like this so these were triggered using the sensor on the flash to see when the other units were triggered and thus fire themselves. It seems like it could cause some delay in the process of firing all flashes simultaneously but the speed of light is quite fast and the electronics are primed to be super fast too, so latency is not a huge issue.

Tech Stuff

The camera Pete had mounted on the tripod was a Canon EOS R5 with an EF – 16-35mm L lens on the front of it. It appeared that the L lens was in an adapter to convert from the EF to an RF mount, and probably from his original kit bag when he would have been using Canon 5Ds or maybe even 1D, DSLRs. This 16-35 is a wide angle lens, one that I use for a lot of my architecture shoots and he was trying to capture the subjects in the environment of the prison. This lens does suffer from distortion for close ups though so portraits are not usually ideal with it. To overcome this issue Pete had a second R5 body with the 24-70 RF lens on the front and this was used for the more portrait like shots that would soon follow.

To better understand his technique I was careful to notice what he was setting his camera to for the shots. In the image above you can see the 16-35mm with adapter, the flash trigger and the fact that he was set in Manual mode, with an ISO set to 1000, the aperture held at f/8 and a shutter speed of 1/100th seconds. Whilst this might seem a high iso, the Canon RF cameras are great at low light with higher ISOs and hardly any digital noise appearing in the shots. In fact, my 5D MkIV is great at higher ISO photos and I use it rather than anything else for night time or low light shoots, a possible change to a R5 is coming at the Photography Show in March but we’ll see. The f/8 aperture is also a perfect spot on the lens and sees less distortion and other problems than if at the ends.

Beginning The Shoot

Once most of the lighting was set up a final roll call was carried out for personnel. Joel and Clare from my uni were unable to make it, and a model had phoned Pete to tell him he was stuck in traffic. I offered to climb into an orange jumpsuit if he needed another body and he took me up on the offer, so I donned the overalls and began to step in whenever he wanted a balding middle aged man in the shot with the others. The models that were here included Chris, a former prison officer turned actor, Zane a model turned actor, Glenn a worker at the prison turned actor and Marcus who was also previously a prison officer. Chris had his old uniform with him so Pete was shooting him in the front of the shot with the four prisoners behind him. The lighting was set up really nicely and whilst I don’t have the images from Pete, Georgia and Nikki were taking BTS shots so here is one from this set up. You can see from the image on the screen Chris (officer) was shot seemingly alone but you can make out the prisoners orange overalls on the catwalk above, and the four “inmates” stood behind Chris and then milled about up on the floor above. Pete explained that these background characters were not detailed enough to be recognisable but when “comping” (compositing) the shots together it would give the appearance of a busier prison. The lighting not changing between shots also means that there is a consistency to the series of images making the post processing editing easier.

Next Scene

With this shot in the can it was time to change to a wider view of the “officer” and inmates in a formation behind him, with the empty wing stretching out behind them. The lighting was altered ever so slightly for this with some slight power changes to the lights downstairs but everything else was left as it was to remain the same. Pete removed the camera from the tripod and knelt in front of the five subjects to give a sense of being overpowered by them. He shot this with the 16-35mm lens again but I think would have been at the 35mm end to remove some of the distortion affecting the people. A BTS photo can be seen below, thanks to Georgia. I am in the overalls second from left with my hands in my pockets and you can see that there are extra weights all over the stand for the boom arm to prevent it from tipping over. Pete said the most weight should be on the leg closest to the light to counteract the weight of the head and arm.

More Setups

The next shot was in the same place but featured the models on their own with the background of the prison behind them, for this though, Pete used the longer zoom lens to remove some of the distortion that the wider lens would produce.

Then it was a swift move to the staircase that led up to the 1st floor or the “twos” as the staff in the prison referred to them. Chris was photographed on the stairs and then the inmates individually captured too, before the group shot showing the officer at the foot of the stairs and the inmates to the right side of the stairs. Again, I helped move the huge boom arm with the head on it closer to the action, and it was tricky lifting it up as there are anti-jumping meshes overhead on every floor. A fill light was moved in from the doorway on the right side, still with the CTO gel on it. I stayed away from the shot until Pete asked specifically for me to enter it, as far as I was concerned I was there as an assistant and not a model, so didn’t assume I should be in every shot.

In-Cell

With these scenes on the memory card Pete decided to move to the cell on the right hand side where a bed had been made up in a cell that might pass for occupied. Zane was sat on the bed for a couple of shots of himself looking angry and down. We helped with the lights in here, the large boom was brought in and set up along with a CTO gel on the small honeycomb light modifier next to the wall on the right side of the picture. After a couple of shots of Zane were done, Pete brought in Chris and gave him a pair of handcuffs to hold in his right hand whilst standing over Zane who was still sat on the bed. It was a menacing shot and Pete asked Zane to focus on the cuffs but they kept spinning around so a side view was available but then this did not look like a handcuff. I stepped in to rearrange the cuff when it spun out of the right config and then stepped out so Pete could take the photo. In here it was mainly on the 16-35mm lens. After the shot of Chris and Zane was captured it was time to move to the next setup.

All the time these shoots were happening there were many groups of people moving through the prison, lots of schoolchildren on tours as well as regular self guided visitors wandering through with their dogs etc. It was wisely chosen to move the kit into a side cell whilst we were using the main parts of it, this way it kept it safe and stopped the tripping up of innocent bystanders, as well as reducing the risk of expensive gear going missing. Then it was time to move upstairs, so Nikki and I went up onto the catwalk to break down the lights that were up there. They were not going to be needed for this next setup so we took them all down into the ground floor and left them in case they might be needed later.

Up The Wooden Hill

We went up on to the first floor landing where there are picnic/school style tables and chairs near a fence of solid bars. Here Pete had said he wanted photos of the inmates around the bars, which are pretty essential when you’re in a prison so it fit perfectly that this would be an area to visit. He’d been the day before to scope out some areas to shoot and had mate notes on the scenes and setups.

At Pete’s instruction I helped set up the boom arm again to provide the overarching light with a CTB gel, then there was a small honeycomb light behind the camera with an ND gel on to capture the officer guiding an inmate through the gate, whilst there were other inmates on the other side of the fence. The boom arm was able to go a little higher in here but not much more, but it was high enough that it would hav ebeen out of the frame. There was some assisting to do here too as Pete wanted the cuffs visible on the wrists of Zane but his overalls were covering them up so I had to step in to tuck up some of the length of the sleeve on one arm then got Chris to hold the overall arm fabric up on the other. All went well and then it was onto the last set up.

Chess Fight

The inmates were photographed playing chess on the picnic table and then it escalated, at Pete’s instruction obviously, to a scene where one prisoner was unhappy and was threatening his competitor, whilst being held back by another inmate. The officer would be racing into the scene to recover control and reaching in to calm the situation down.

On this part of the shoot I was asked to carry the softbox out of the shot into a nearby cell where the CTO gel threw some warmer light onto the figures, making the orange pop, whilst the CTB on the boom overhead cooled down the overall scene. Nikki was in the cell opposite with the smaller honeycomb flash, also sporting a CTO gel.

With this shot wrapped up it was time to break everything down and get it squirreled away into the correct bags before loading it all back into the car. The larger lights on C Stands were the heaviest and most awkward but it all packed up quite quickly, and I took a tour around the cells, kitchen and other areas where we had been using the equipment to make sure nothing was left behind. Once it was tidied up we loaded it into Pete’s car and the only gear left was his video lighting which would be needed for the next part of the day.

Video Killed The Photographer

As part of the bargain for Pete to have the use of A Wing for the morning, Jordan from the prison was going to utilise Pete’s models and lighting in order for him to capture some video on a Sony Alpha 7 mirrorless camera, mounted on a small hand held gimbal. With a three page list of shots describing how the tour guide would be explaining things to a group of tourists, shots of the self guiding tourists and other short captures of actions that could be experienced as part of buying a ticket to the prison.

Pete busted out his LED video lights and connected the batteries but there was no illumination at all. It was exceptionally cold in the building and although he’d charged the batteries up on Tuesday, he thought it may have been cold enough to sap the batteries of their chemical reaction. Therefore, there were no lights, Jordan would need to use his own onboard LED panel if he needed extra illumination.

As Nikki and I had no lights to carry around for the video we were asked to become tourists on the tour around the prison with Zane, Markus and Glen for the purposes of the promotional filming. Pete followed the group around too with his R5 capturing a few stills too ensuring that the organisation running the Prison will have some great promo material.

We walked through many areas of the prison with Chris acting as a tour guide, even though he doesn’t know this prison. Whatever he said did not matter anyway so he was making stuff up and using his former experiences to pad it out, the sound would not be included in the video so we were asked to appear engaged and chatting to the guide. We visited the old Female Wing, the Execution room, the gatehouse where public executions also happened. We were asked to do a few shots of the escape room too, a shot of us filing up the stairs with our hands on our heads, into the escape room from behind, and from in the room. Shots of us reacting to clues, asking for help from the staff, getting help, working stuff out and then a couple of shots of escaping and failing to escape. There were many shots that we had to repeat from the reverse angles and it was interesting to see how these were done so that Jordan and the team can put them together in a final video or videos. We also had to visit the gift shop and interact with some of the items on sale in there and Sharon behind the till was explaining the stories of some of the ghosts that inhabit the prison. I’m very sceptical about supernatural phenomenon as I’ve never experienced it so it sounds a bit strange to me..

Me Time

As we walked around being videoed by Jordan and captured on Pete’s camera we were acting and I had my little mirrorless camera with me to capture some shots on so I was snapping a few as we went around. Tourists have cameras with them too so it’s only natural to have someone photographing as part of the guided tour. Some of these shots are in the gallery below.

Summary / Reflection

What did I learn on this job as an assistant to a very experienced professional photographer? Lots.

It’s a simple as that really, I learned that lighting can be utilised to make a scene go from good to great and it’s not as difficult as you’d think if you plan and organise the shoot in advance. It was interesting to see the kit that Pete used, the flash heads, the gels, the cameras and lenses, the stands, the props and the prep that had gone into ensuring it was all present and correct on the day. A small bag of crocodile clips for clipping the gels to the front of the modifiers was an essential too. He had paracord that he used as a safety in case the head came undone from the boom arm too, as a precaution to avoid it dropping an expensive flash onto the deck from height.

It was a learning experience to see the call sheet, the instructions for the day, the way he learned the names of the models and assistants quickly to ensure that he could guide everyone with clear instructions to get the jobs done efficiently. He was also very obliging when I was asking him questions about his methods and the reasons for using some kit and practices. He was keen to impart his knowledge and I was grateful for this. He and I spent some time chatting before everyone else arrived so I was able to make a connection that proved valuable for the day.

He didn’t show any frustration when he found out that two of my coursemates were unable to make it to the shoot and just got on with what he had. He was polite and kind, not at all diva-like as I can imagine some photographers being. He was very personable and understanding when I mistakenly moved the wrong flash head and stand, giving me a chance to prove that I am not an idiot. I was also offering suggestions to Pete so that he knew I was thinking ahead, also offering him the chance to tell me to shut up if it was annoying him. He said he was grateful for the proactive behaviour so that was a win.

I asked him about the CTO and CTB gels as well as the ND gel which he explained well, why he shot with the lenses he’d chosen, what his ideas were and how he would achieve them. I could tell he was also a bit annoyed that his batteries had failed for the lighting in the afternoon video shoot but he apologised to Jordan and then got on with making the best of the situation.

Pete explained too that the photos were mainly for his portfolio and would be shared with the staff at the prison management for their promo use and was a good example of still learning on the job as every shoot is an opportunity to learn.

I also learned the names of the models really quickly and kept the call sheet with me as a reminder, and I spent time talking to each of them finding out about their backgrounds and histories. It helps as Ian Gavan had said to be a little gregarious and whilst not being the centre of attention, keeping the mood or vibe going to prevent stale gaps in the conversations or the atmosphere as the shoots were being set up.

Nikki and I had a bit of a giggle too as we went about our assisting on the day and whilst I was lucky to get into a few pictures, she was not as it was a “men’s prison”. She made up for it in the afternoon with appearing in the video shoot too. I learnt that offering to don the orange overalls might have been seen as proactive and it did help in a couple of the shots that Pete had planned so I’m glad I did that too,

One thing I did learn was that it was bloody cold in the prison, and that I certainly wouldn’t have been able to wear shorts and t-shirt like Pete did, especially as he was sat or kneeling on the floor for part of the time.

It was a great day, keeping busy and learning whilst hopefully meeting some new people, networking and making a good impression on the same people. Pete told me that he often comes over Shrewsbury way as he gets a lot of work over here, so I offered my services should he require them in the future.

Left to right in photo: Bob, Georgia, Zane, Markus, Nikki, Glenn, Jordan and Pete.