Braver Than Britain, Occasionally
At the very end of last year my lady & I were at the cabin. It’s while we were there that a very unassuming spider set Spadge off on a new challenge — facing Britain’s top ten fears all while writing a book about it.
She tells this books origin story better here (plus I sound like an absolute hero). Fast forward less than 10 months and it’s here, it’s real, it’s an actual book! ISBN number — the works.
Of course every book needs a few promo images and she knew a guy with a camera. We set up a shoot at Withamside House and despite it being a dull day a couple of strobes along with massive windows giving us the best of the available natural light resulted in some awesome shots.
Not only has she taken on Britain’s most common fears, she’s conquered them! I’m so incredibly proud of her dedication to this project, she’s faced some of her biggest personal nightmares with a level of stubbornness I didn’t know existed — all the while keeping a sense of humour pinned to her chest.
If you read her blog you’ll be familiar with her funny/honest writing style. If you don’t this is the perfect introduction and insight into her slightly unusual but still beautiful mind.
Order your copy right now from braverthanbritain.com! £2 from every book sold is going to Sarcoma UK – The bone & soft tissue cancer charity.



Colour Temperature
The slightly overcast day meant that the flashes and natural light were the same colour temperature. No gels required.

Behind the Scenes
Just 2 strobes were used for this shot, probably from a counter intuitive side too. But lighting from this direction stopped the shot looking too flat.



A New Angle
These shots were taken using a very similar setup to the ones above. I just brought the ISO down a few stops and the flash power up a few stops to balance out the natural light directly behind.

Behind the Scenes
The biggest challenge when shooting into a window is always the reflections. Lots of angle adjustments and a bit of photoshop is the answer.


Lighting Diagram

Equipment
- Camera: Canon 5D MkIII
- Lens: Canon 50mm F/1.4/Canon 135mm F/2.0
- Flashes: 2 x 600ex-rt
- Accessories: 2 light stands, a RoundFlash Beauty Dish, a Westcott Rapid Box Duo and a Canon ST-E3-RT
Camera Settings
- Shutter Speed: 1/125th
- Aperture: F/4
- ISO: 250
Braver Than Britain, Occasionally — A book by Spadge Whittaker. Order your copy right now from braverthanbritain.com!
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