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Shooting a Brochure for a Paving Manufacturer Malcolm Birkitt

Even the simplest shots can be rather complicated to set up. Take some photographs I took for a leading manufacturer of paving products recently. The objective was to create a new brochure that contained various 'dream' settings, to make parts of the house exterior and garden appear a perfect synthesis of paving and plants.

Pic A) Wetting the paving gives it a pleasing shine, as long as it's not overdone. A wooden arch was employed here to 'frame' the composition.	Pic B) Raising the camera to a higher viewpoint allowed the distant field to be included in this relaxed garden scene.

Long before the camera came out of the Tenba bag, a whole series of events had to be planned and co-ordinated. First the project was story-boarded by a designer, and each step or facet of product display agreed with the company and its advertising agency. Next the actual homes and gardens were recorded in detail, which was OK as they usually belong to employees, friends or customers. Then building work commenced, and once the various hard materials were laid, the selection of gardens or patios were 'dressed' with extras such as plants, lights and props suitable for each purpose.

Only after all this work was Fuji transparency film loaded into the camera - a Mamiya RZ67 together with a selection of lenses from 45mm wide-angle to 180mm telephoto. My preference is for the green box emulsions, as I can select Velvia to boost colour and saturation in soft or dull light, use Provia as a good all-rounder, or introduce Astia if contrast is too high. You often find yourself having to take pictures in bright sunlight - not my particular preference - and with time constraints there's no option but to go ahead with the shoot.

Taking pictures outdoors on a project like this invariably means keeping one eye on the weather, and not always taking the forecasts as gospel! In my experience they are about 60-70% right, which given the technology available isn't too impressive. For this particular application, there's nothing worse than showery conditions, as partly-damp paving looks patchy and not too aesthetic. Dry days are best, as this allows you to shoot the paving bone dry, then damp it slightly with a hose to give it a sheen if applicable - see pic A. The trick is to make it wet enough for even coverage, but not too wet as everything looks flooded. Before you know it the paving is drying out again, and the eagle-eyed photographer has to keep alert to dry patches forming on what is supposed to be a 'wet' shot.

Pic C) This 'dead' area between the new house and the garage was transformed by paving, pergola and planting. Here you can see what I mean by partly damp paving looking terrible - the actual shot used was taken dry.

Pic D) Working with models and pets brings further challenges, but keep your cool and take command while keeping things informal and the results will come. Aim for natural-looking situations that avoid wooden poses.

While you always follow the brief and try to give the client what they expect, inevitably you see things on the day that you want to add to the growing collection of pictures. You can never be sure when or where inspiration may strike. It's all about being prepared, and not having to say a shot can't be taken because you've unfortunately left an important piece of kit back at the ranch. My long-suffering estate car groans on its suspension whenever I'm involved in this king of project, because I bring absolutely everything along. Yes, even spirit levels, cleaning rags, dustpan and brush, bits of wire, flash slaves and the kitchen sink almost.

Pic E) Make use of anything and everything. The guy fettling the baskets for the trellis platforms was actually one of the set builders.

My portable tower is an essential piece of kit too. Basically a collection of bits of scaffold and some planks, it slots together swiftly and together with a ladder it enables me to climb up and take pictures from 12 or 15 feet up in the air. That may not sound very high, but it does give a useful raised viewpoint and helps include parts of a scene obscured by a lower camera position. For example the tower was instrumental in producing picture B. Adjoining roofs can sometimes be pressed into service, but I often find there's nothing high to stand on just where you want it, so the tower keeps getting an outing. If the client doesn't fancy wobbling up there, a quick Polaroid reveals the intended image area.

Shooting selectively is a key to success too. Where a location is prepared for pictures as here, you often find there's large piles of rubbish just beyond the edges of the scene. To the eye it looks a mish-mash, but most importantly through the lens all is tidy and serene. Again close attention to detail is essential to avoid unwanted elements creeping into shot. Another good tip is to produce a range of pictures showing different image scale sizes - some broad, scene-setting shots, some slightly tighter versions and some close-ups. The designer who puts your pictures on the page will thank you for these options.

Pic F) Little touches can make a big difference. This front door area has been transformed by an arc of paving, but it is the plants, seat and milkbottles that add the finishing touches.

Pic G) If you want repeat work, frame your shots so that they show off the manufacturer's product to best advantage. This small section of different paving sizes and finishes is softened by carefully chosen planting.

They say never work with animals or children, but I had adults to contend with on this project too. Again a mix of shots was desirable - some with the human element or a domestic pet, and some without. An individual model is the easiest to coax into a convincing pose, so when you have two ladies and their two dogs you really have to keep on your mettle. Often as one person's posture and expression starts to looks right through the lens, another looks decidedly awkward, but this scene for pic D finally looked convincingly natural.

Pic G) Waiting till dusk brings atmosphere to a garden scene. There's a magic twenty minutes or so when the failing daylight and the brightness of artificial lights works wonderfully together.

Being a photographer on a project like this is about being versatile, flexible and patient. Things can seem to dawdle along for ages, interspersed with frenetic bursts of activity. I try to get fully involved rather than just standing back and waiting for the scene to be prepared for a picture. Yes, you're there primarily as a photographer, and that is what you must attend to the most, but don't let that prevent you getting your hands dirty, unloading materials, sweeping up or just chatting away to keep the team in high spirits. The more you put in, the more you get out.

Depending on how long the job is, I process film in batches to make sure everything is going to plan. An occasional Polaroid is comforting to know the camera is functioning properly, and it's a great source of confidence to know the images you want are already in the can when an expensive and time consuming set is about to be torn down. It can be repeated, but the client won't thank you for it.

I always edit my processed films before forwarding the results to the client. Everyone makes mistakes, and the cleaner and more coherent your material looks the stronger the impression made.