Janis is a colleague from my days in television. It was time for her to update her CV and profile pictures so she came to me for some studio pictures.

As a kids’ TV director, you get to fill a lot of roles: boss, entertainer, creative genius, writer, cleaner and equipment hoist. We could have tried to create a single shot that said all of that, but decided a few different tops and a change of lights and pose were the best way to go. Directing kids TV is fun, but I thought you never know, she may just be desperate enough to apply for a producer’s job some day, so we threw in that standard producer look too – owning a chair.

We had a lot of fun running through them, with some simple off-camera main light, accent and fill, letting in a little flare for one or two, and going in close with some clamshell light for a more glamorous touch.

Janis was delighted and a little surprised with the variety we got so quickly and as she left, said the words I hear so often: “That was a lot more fun than I was expecting.”

It’s always fun in here.