P2 HEALTH & SAFETY ISSUES OF A PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO
– Health and safety issues of a photographic studio.
-Steps in the preparation and management of studio photographic shoot.
-Importance of lighting for a studio photographic shoot.
HEALTH & SAFETY ISSUES OF A PHOTOGRAPHIC STUDIO
Health and safety
To prevent any accidents or hazards all people in the studio (photographer, assistants, models) will comply with health and safety requirements. It is everyone’s responsibility to work safely and to take immediate action to prevent accidents and warn others of potential hazards and dangers so an incident does not happen.
Make sure the doorways and exits are marked clearly and not obstructed especially fire exits at all times. Everyone is familiar with the fire safety evacuation procedures.
Studio specific Health and Safety
Only people that need to be in the studio should be there.
In a studio environment the common major risks are:
Slips, trips and falls caused by people falling over equipment.
Issues concerning the use of electrical equipment.
Less frequent risks:
Issues of manual handling, the lifting and moving of heavy equipment.
If in doubt about the use or safety of any of the equipment or health and safety ask the studio technician, support staff or the designated health and safety advisor for advice.
Identified hazards and actions that can be taken to minimize the risks:
Sharps – The use of scissors and utility knives are often required to cut cable ties, gaffer tape. When these are not in use they should be stored safely with blade covers on in a place where they will not be accidently knocked.
Suspended equipment – ensure all suspended equipment is securely fastened and where necessary with secondary safety chains to stop items falling e.g. suspended studio lights, heavy backdrops.
Above head height working -Equipment or stored items that requires above head height working or, access to these items to be made by appropriate step ladders, kick-stools or scaffolding as necessary. The access to comply with agreed safe working practices e.g. Step ladders requires someone to hold and stabilise the ladders all the time someone is using the ladders.
Risks of Trips Slips and Falls
Keep the studio clean, clear and uncluttered. – All the equipment in the studio is to be stored in the correct and safe way when it is not in use. Items to be stored in designated areas around the sides or outside of the studio, no equipment or empty boxes are to be left in walkways or places that people could trip over items.
Make sure all unused equipment is put away before you start your shot to minimise the equipment that could get in the way. Make sure all bags, boxes and equipment trunks are moved to a safe area at the side of the room so there are no trip hazards.
After the shot put all the equipment that needs to be put back away is safely stored.
No food and drink – is to be taken into the studio. This is to prevent food or drink being split destroying or damaging the equipment, giving electric shocks from the wires. Also food or drink on the floor could be a slip hazard. There is a possibility that photographic chemicals might be in the studio, if so they could contaminate food and drinks.
Tripods and Light stands – Make sure all of the legs on tripods and light stands are pulled opened to give the greatest stability. This reduces the risk of equipment toppling over on top of someone or damaging the equipment.
Electrical Equipment Risks
Trailing wires and leads – All wires to be taped down or run through rubber cable floor trunking protector. This is to stop people tripping over the wires and hurting themselves. Also to prevent damage and ware to the cables that will shorten the cables life. It is good practice to tape the cable to the bottom of the stand, this is because if a cable is pulled it will tug the light at bottom of the stand so that it is less likely to be pulled over. Keep the use of extension cables to a minimum. If socket bars are used, check to make sure that the combined electricity is not exceeding the socket bars allowance.
When plugging and unplugging electrical equipment switch of both the equipment and the plug socket before putting the plug in.
Check all the electrical equipment is up to date with PAT testing. A visual check to be carried to ensure there are no exposed wires, damaged leads, plugs are firmly pushed into sockets, no cables are stretched and the equipment looks to be in good condition and works as designed.
Lamps – Never touch lighting bulbs, even when cold. Incandescent lights work at high temperatures. If handled the finger marks and traces left behind can cause localised hot spots that will cause a bulb to blow, or even explode.
Make sure you give the studio lights plenty of time to cool down after use. The lights and the housings get very hot. You don’t want to burn your hands picking up something that is hot and then drop it. Hot lamps the filaments are also more fragile and prone to breaking if moved when still hot.
Any power packs are located immediately next to the light or in a position where it is least likely to cause a trip hazard.
https://09slyounghusband.wordpress.com/2016/05/16/health-safety/
STEPS TO PREPARING FOR A PHOTO SHOOT
How you prepare for your photo shoot will essentially depend on the type of shoot that you are doing that day.
To make the preparation process for the shoot as easy as can be, simply create and use a cheMENT
The day before the big photo shoot, you will want to gather up all of the equipment that you will be bringing with you.
It is very important to make sure that your camera batteries are changed or charged up so that they do not die during the middle of the shoot. Depending on the shoot, you may opt to bring either one or two different camera bodies with you. Larger events may call for two cameras while portraits may only require one. Select the lenses that you would like to use for the shoot, including wide angle lenses, a prime lens and more.
CLEANING YOUR EQUIPMENT
While you may not think that your camera, accessories and other equipment really get dirty, it is easily for dust to build-up over time. To prepare for your client photo shoot, you will want to clean your equipment effectively. Clean the end of each lens as well as the lens cap. You should also clean the camera sensor to remove any dirt and dust for the best quality photographs possible.
VISUALIZING YOUR LOCATION
Depending on the type of event or lifestyle portraits that you are shooting, you may be working at different locations and venues that you are not entirely familiar with. A few days in advance, you will want to visualize the location that you will be shooting at, the type of people that you are photographing and if there will be any type of theme to go along with the photos. This will enable you to come up with some great ideas of pictures and moments that you would like to capture in certain areas of the shoot location. You may visualize what lenses you would like to use to best capture a certain shot, if the lighting will be sufficient enough and at what angle you should photograph your subjects.
MEMORY
As a photographer, it is likely that you fill up your camera’s memory cards quite quickly.
However, you will want to be sure that enough space is available on your memory cards in order to complete your shoot for the day. To prepare for the shoot, download your memory cards content to your computer in advance to back up the photos that you have taken. Once backed up, you can format your memory cards so that they are ready to use for your upcoming shoot.
GETTING TO KNOW YOUR CLIENTS
It is important to make your clients feel comfortable and special during their photo shoot. You will not want them to simply feel like a test subject and as if you have no real connection with them. When planning the shoot, get to know your subjects on a personal level. Carry your notes with you to the shoot so that you are easily able to remember their names and small details about them that can truly help you out during the photo shoot.ck list that helps you to prepare mentally and by gathering up the essentials that you will need for the day.
IMPORTANCE OF LIGHTING FOR A STUDIO PHOTOGRAPHIC SHOOT
Lighting is a key factor in creating a successful image. Lighting determines not only brightness and darkness, but also tone, mood and the atmosphere. Therefore it is necessary to control and manipulate light correctly in order to get the best texture, vibrancy of colour and luminosity on your subjects. By distributing shadow and highlights accurately, you can create stylized professional looking photographs.
Positioning Light
The source your light is coming from has a huge impact on how it falls on your subject. Light originating from behind the camera, and pointing directly onwards gives you very flat lighting. It will also cause shadows to fall in the background of the image. Side lighting produces a far more interesting light, as it shows the shape of the subject much more and cast it in partial shadow giving it a more dramatic look. Rembrandt lighting is an effective common example of this lighting type. Lighting sourced from the back of your subject gives an alternative effect. This time most of the light is hitting the side of the subject making it brighter, which creates a more distinctive and dramatic photo.
Shaping Light
Adding a diffuser to your light source can reduce glare and harsh shadows and also diminishes blemishes on your subject. It gives your artificial light a softer more natural looking result. You can diffuse light numerous ways. Using soft boxes, umbrellas and sheer heat proof material work really well to achieve this result.
Manipulating Light
Light can be manipulated to fall on a particular area of interest on your subject. This can be achieved through the use of diffusers and reflectors. Collapsible Reflectors shape sunlight or bounce flash light with on area you’d prefer to highlight. Spot lights can also be covered in light shapers that enable you to have more control over the direction the light will fall and how broad the light spans.
This is not a blog 