I have finished the day two of a new filming project consisting of two interviews and a background story on Dave Shrimpton, a Cambridgeshire-based analog photographer. 

Last year I participated in two workshops that Dave organised in his studio. During these workshops the participants are deep diving into the old photography techniques using vintage equipment and creating photos on sheets of tin or glass. It's a truly incredible experience and I got hooked from the start, photographing both objects and portraits with this unique approach. 

At the video set I worked on setting-up the visual and audio equipment, lights, additional microphones on Dave's clothes hidden behind the material. I also moved a few elements around his studio to remove the obstructions and have a good, undistracted frame ready for you, the viewer. 

I had a file prepared with interview questions in advance to ask him for this documentary and we also added a couple of questions during shooting. What you see on these mobile and camera pictures are the scenes that happened while recording the material - some are from the studio, the ones with the wall of displayed photos are from the darkroom where people develop the photos and leave them to dry. 

We recorded some of the takes inside the house as well - the photo with two gorgeous black frames on top, where further art is displayed and participants are having their theory part of the workshop, as well as are coating the photos with protective materials to keep the tins in a good shape for longer. It was a full-on day with focus and adrenaline in high quantities, as well as workout-like qualities, when moving the hefty cameras and equipment around and squeezing into various spaces for good angles. 

I learned that comfy shoes, energy bars and arm stretches are must-haves. I am now working on organising, transcoding, editing and matching the visual part of the material to music and sound design gathered on set over the course of two days - from the sound of steps, water flowing, flashes blasting to delicate sound of paper when moving the pages of the books. 

Thanks for reading and stay tuned, I'll be publishing the material on my as well as Dave's website: www.daveshrimpton.co.uk and YouTube channels when ready.

https://www.katciemiega.com/post/filming-a-documentary-behind-the-scenes