Ink: A Unique Photo Shoot Project Celebrating Art and Diversity

The "Ink" Project

Saturday finally arrived. By 10am I was pacing the living room like a Labrador who’s heard the word “walkies,” waiting to be picked up by three brave companions for our trip to Aberdare Golf Club for the Ink shoot.

The mission? A photo shoot project called “Ink.” Picture this: around fifteen models from all walks of life, some dressed entirely in newspaper. Yes, newspaper. The kind you’d normally use to wrap fish and chips. And there they were, strutting about for four solid hours of photographers gently chanting:

“Just turn slightly to the left…”
“Chin up…”
“Can you flick your back?”
“Yes, exactly like that!”

Absolute heroes, the lot of them.

Meanwhile, we photographers were muttering our own poetry under our breath:
“Wrong lens.”
“Bloody camera.”

“too much exposure.”

And before you think anything scandalous, I meant the camera settings. Purely technical frustration. Mostly.

This was my first proper photo shoot, so I arrived with equal parts excitement and mild terror. My greatest fear? Not artistic failure. No. Tripping over a light stand and taking out half a dozen tripods like a slow-motion domino rally. Gear everywhere. Insurance claims. My name whispered in photographic circles for all the wrong reasons. That's the trouble being visually impaired, others want share my space, buggers.

When we arrived, it was organised chaos. People darting about like caffeinated squirrels. Cameras to the right, cameras to the left, light stands planted everywhere like particularly aggressive street furniture on market day. For a moment I considered wearing a high-vis vest.

I took my camera out, switched on the flash, and did what any sensible beginner would do. I quietly attached myself to someone who looked like they knew what they were doing and leaned in their general direction for guidance.

I chatted with a few seasoned photographers who attend these events regularly. They spoke in mysterious phrases about aperture, depth of field, and “reading the light.” I collected advice like free samples at a camera show. Some of it I used. Some of it I nodded wisely at and immediately forgot. Standard procedure I’m told.

The next three hours were spent happily wandering about, chasing that mythical prize: the elusive “20” from a camera club judge. The holy grail. The unicorn. The number that says, “Yes, you have arrived.” Did I get it? Let’s just say the jury is still out and will be for a while I guess.

But honestly, it was a cracking day. Great company, plenty of laughs, and I even debuted my new flask and treated myself to hot soup for lunch. Very civilised. Nothing says “serious photographer” quite like sipping soup between shots.

I came home absolutely knackered, with a memory card full of photos and a head full of ideas. Now comes the editing marathon, where good photos become great… and some quietly disappear into the digital abyss.

A special thanks to Kev for letting me know about the event and helping me book it, and to Dai, who claimed "it wasn’t his sort of thing" and wasn't going attend but somehow managed to find his name on the list of attendees and ended up by driving us there, and secretly I think he had a brilliant time.

All in all, not bad for a first shoot. No equipment destroyed. No models harmed. And only minimal confusion about camera settings. Can't wait for the next one, and oh aleady booked.