David Wagstaff-Myers Photography

Mannequin Hall near Newark is one of those places that straddles the line between surreal and extraordinary. Picture this: a yard sprawling with 15,000 display mannequins. It’s a scene straight out of a dream—or perhaps a fascinatingly eerie film. This unique location became the backdrop for an unforgettable photographic shoot featuring the talented models  Elle Baldwinson   and  Darcie Binsley . Setting the Scene Arriving at Mannequin Hall, the sheer volume of mannequins is overwhelming. They stand in rows, lie in heaps, and are stacked in bizarre, almost sculptural forms. The initial impression is a blend of awe and curiosity. As photographers, we live for such moments where the setting itself provides endless inspiration. Ellie and Darcie were equally captivated. Their energy was palpable as they moved among the mannequins, transforming the static, silent figures into dynamic elements of our shoot.  Ellie Baldwinson: Grace Amidst Stillness Ellie Baldwinson has a p...

Fashion photography is a dynamic and exciting field that combines the art of photography with the glamour of fashion. At DWM Photograpghy, we pride ourselves on delivering stunning fashion photography that not only captures the essence of the clothing and accessories but also tells a compelling story. In this post, we'll take you behind the scenes of our fashion photography, showcasing our techniques, sharing client testimonials, and highlighting some standout projects that demonstrate our unique approach. The Art of Fashion Photography Fashion photography is more than just taking pictures of models wearing clothes. It's about creating an atmosphere, evoking emotions, and bringing a vision to life. Here are some key elements that make our fashion photography stand out: 1. **Creative Concepts and Storytelling** Every successful fashion shoot starts with a creative concept. We work closely with our clients to develop ideas that align with their brand and vision. Whether it's ...

                                                                                                             Catchlights are the lights reflected in a subject’s eyes. I normally use strobes to capture them. Catchlights add life and sparkle, while their absence can result in dull, lifeless images. There are no hard and fast rules, and sometimes you may want dead and lifeless. It’s all about knowing what you want, why you want it and how to create it. But portraits are almost always better with catchlights. Single vs. multiple catchlights Regardless of the light source used, the goal remains the same: replicating what exists in nature. In nature, we have only one light source, the sun, and there’s only one....

I have worked my ass off building a successful business. But it hasn’t been easy. The last year has been enough to break the strongest-willed person. So, what do you do? I am sure as you read this you can relate on some level. You have had things go wrong in your life or business. We all have. I don’t have all the answers. All I can do is share with you my lessons learned and how I have managed turmoil, adversity and negativity in my recent past. Roll with the punches. One thing I have come to realize is that you just have to roll with it. I don’t know, maybe it’s just experience that has led me to this conclusion, but what are you going to do? Give up? Whatever you are doing in life or business, it is going to be met with some level of friction. It’s impossible for it not to. I stress this to myself and my team constantly: “If it were easy, everyone would do it.” That’s not just some cliché line. Think about it. The people who are successful are there not because they are ...

Inspiration The most exciting kinds of artificial lighting are those that mimic natural light. It’s not easy to recreate nature’s subtle, atmospheric qualities. Beginners make the common mistake of throwing way too much light at what they’re shooting. Whether you’re shooting people or products, less is more. The more focused the lighting, the more interesting and visually compelling it becomes. If there’s light everywhere, there’s no direction for the viewer’s eye to follow. If there’s a scarcity of light, the areas that are illuminated become the focal point. We see this kind of subtle light in nature. Lighting geeks like me love nothing more than watching the way sunlight behaves as it streams through a narrow opening, moves across the sky or scatters into beams of light as it breaks through clouds or strikes the leaves of a tree overhead. It results in unique shapes and patterns. These magic lighting moments give me pause and remind me how powerful light and shadow can be in...

After 12 years working as a professional photographer, I realise now more than ever the value of having working relationships with industry vendors. We all have a job to do, we all want to be successful, we all want to make money. I see a lot of businesses take an isolationist approach, which can be detrimental to the success of your business. Instead, I find ways to foster mutually beneficial relationships with vendors. Recently I was looking at where my fashion portraiture referrals were coming from when I noticed that a venue I used to shoot at several times a year had completely fallen off my radar. We had not shot a wedding there in almost five years. How could that be? We picked up the phone, scheduled a meeting with their team and did something about it. Below is how we went from an afterthought to front-runner—and rebuilt a relationship and our portfolio along the way. Know what you bring to the table.  We are creatives. All businesses need creative talent. They need g...

QUICK TIP: USE TENT PEGS TO STOP YOUR LIGHT STANDS FALLING OVER ON LOCATION One of the most common questions I see on social media, especially just after somebody’s posted an image shot on location with flash, is “How do you stop your light stands from falling over?” – which isn’t an unreasonable question to expect. When it’s just you and your subject, how do people stop their light stands from falling over? Well, you could carry a bunch of heavy sandbags around with you, or make sure to hire an assistant for all of your location shoots, but photographer Wayne Speer has another idea – especially when shooting in locations with soft ground. He uses tent pegs and rope. It’s a great way to keep your stands pegged down – quite literally – so that they don’t fall over due to being top heavy or during a bit of a breeze. I’ve been using this technique myself for about a decade now, although I strap mine down slightly differently to Wayne. You can see in the images above that Wayne ties his...

The Key to Basic Beauty Lighting Let’s talk about the word “beauty” for a second to get our journey off on the right path. The definition: “A combination of qualities, such as shape, colour, or form, that pleases the aesthetic senses, especially the sight.” Seems pretty straightforward—we see something beautiful, and we admire it because of those elements mentioned above. As a photographer, ask yourself this question: how often do you break down a session into those key elements? Our creative path is usually inspired by other images we see, images that evoke the desired adjective of “beautiful” and also conjure the phrase, “I want to shoot something like this too!” You get all the necessary components together and start photographing. But are you replicating what you saw as your inspiration, or are you returning to the basics of beauty—the definition of the word? SHAPE To define shape, we can, of course, think about the pose of the subject, but the lighting patt...

There is a recipe in everything we do as human beings, one that incites some type of emotional response no matter where we are and what we are doing. It involves the senses—whether a single one or multiple at the same time. In the artistic realm, part of the goal is to generate a response based on a recipe that engages sight. This requires a process that will make your vision come to life—from formulation to actualization in creating images that inspire and elicit joy when viewed. The creative process and the steps we take to achieve a goal are similar across many genres. In this case, they are similar to the process of a chef who specializes in a specific set of culinary delights. This is how I approach creating my images, whether in a studio or out on location. There is more than one recipe, of course, but I will go over the five key steps that structure how I approach creating my own imagery. There are several factors to take into account: Location, Lighting, Colo...