Concrete and Light

Photographer

Bob Foyers

Location

Base Business Park, Rendlesham

Status

Open for casting

Hard light on bare concrete

What this shoot is, and what the day asks of you.

My studio sits on a former Cold War air base, and the ground around it has never been tidied up. Concrete, roller doors, painted line markings and rust. It is a set no other photographer in Suffolk can offer, and it suits hard light far better than anything soft.

We shoot either in full midday sun, which most photographers avoid and which is exactly what this needs, or after dark with a single hard light and the buildings going black behind you.

This is a graphic set. You will be small in the frame as often as you are large, because the scale of the place is part of the picture. Expect strong, simple images rather than flattering ones.

Wardrobe is structural and plain. Long coats, boiler suits, one block of strong colour against all that grey. Nothing patterned. The shoot runs in any season, though overcast days do not work. It needs hard sun or full dark.

We work on the part of the base I have access to. There is a hardened aircraft shelter elsewhere on the site that I have photographed in before. If it can be arranged for your date I will tell you, but it takes organising and it is not something I can promise in advance.

The building is the co-star. If the light goes flat, we move the date rather than shoot it badly.

Mood reference

Frames showing the look I am going for, taken from my own previous sessions.

  • Band photographed against concrete at the former RAF Bentwaters air base in Suffolk by Foyers Photography
    Not a Chance, shot at Bentwaters
  • Hard light on concrete during a band shoot at Bentwaters, Rendlesham, Suffolk
    Not a Chance, shot at Bentwaters
  • Band portrait session at the former RAF Bentwaters air base, Suffolk
    Not a Chance, shot at Bentwaters
  • High contrast band photograph shot at Bentwaters in Suffolk by Foyers Photography
    Not a Chance, shot at Bentwaters
  • Concrete and hard shadow at a Bentwaters band shoot, Rendlesham, Suffolk
    Not a Chance, shot at Bentwaters
  • Band photographed on the old air base at Bentwaters, Suffolk, Foyers Photography
    Not a Chance, shot at Bentwaters
These are my own frames from a band shoot at Bentwaters, shown here for the light and the concrete rather than the subject. The TFP shoot works on the part of the base I have access to, so your session may not be in this exact spot.

Shot list

The frames I am aiming for. It gives you an idea of how the day runs.

  • The Long Shot
    Figure small against a hangar door or blast wall. The architecture does the work and you anchor it.
  • Hard Shadow Portrait
    Midday sun raking across the face, with the shadow cutting a clean diagonal through the frame.
  • The Line Markings
    Using the painted markings on the concrete as a graphic element running through the composition.
  • Doorway Frame
    Standing in a dark opening with light falling on one side only. Simple and strong.
  • Texture Close
    Tight crop with rust, peeling paint and concrete sitting just behind the shoulder.
  • After Dark
    One hard light after sunset, everything behind you going to black. The most dramatic frame of the set.

Where and how to take it

Where the shoot happens and what to do if you want it.

Base Business Park, Unit 5 Allied House, Rendlesham, Woodbridge, Suffolk, IP12 2TZ

This is a TFP shoot. Nobody pays anybody. We both put in the time and we both come away with images we want to use.

If it is a fit I will send you the full brief and we will sort a date. If it is not, I will say so rather than leave you waiting.

Every shoot on this list is SFW. If you are under 18 I will need a parent or guardian to confirm they are happy and to be present on the day.

Take Concrete and Light

Message me on WhatsApp and the shoot name is filled in already. Attach a recent photo of yourself so I can see who I am talking to. A phone selfie is fine, it does not need to be a portfolio image.

Message me on WhatsApp

07884 366 342