One to One
Masterclass with pro maternity photographer Kitty Clark
Of the many and various creative benefits that Mother Nature bestows on photographers, golden light has to be one of the most highly prized – adding drama and texture, it can help transform many promising scenes into amazing images.
And the quality of light is what Kitty Clark is here to harness, on a hillside halfway between Bath and Bristol in south-west England. We’ve joined Kitty, a photographer who only works with natural light, as she shoots some new maternity images for her portfolio – a strand she added to her photographic offering during the pandemic.
But while the gorgeous lighting and a blue sky overlaid with dappled clouds are creating an aesthetic to definitely reward the long walk up here, it’s actually pretty chilly – and especially so when you’re standing around barefoot in a mere slip of a dress. Fortunately, Kitty’s model Catherine is a true professional, and hasn’t even mentioned the low temperature.
“Sometimes it gets into your bones,” says Kitty, as Catherine jogs on the spot to keep warm. Responding to directions from Kitty, Catherine throws her head back and clutches her bump, the backlight adding a pleasing halo around her body and streaming through the white material of her dress. Kitty asks for a couple of extra variations – a trailing arm so that the dress looks like a sail flowing behind Catherine, and then an arm resting on her hip.
“Amazing, I think we’ve got it now,” Kitty exclaims. “You must be so cold, Catherine!”
It’s a good conclusion to the afternoon and evening’s work – earlier on, Kitty shot a couple of different setups in a field half a mile away. People taking their afternoon walks in such a bucolic setting would have counted on seeing sheep grazing in the distance, but not someone wrapped in a flowing white dress posing for a photographer.
Starting on a hillside just outside the village of Weston, Kitty placed Catherine among some fallen tree branches. 37 weeks pregnant with her first child, Catherine
is a model with 16 years’ experience, including four years working in the US, shooting fashion and travel assignments across the country.
“I love the look of this tree,” says Kitty, composing her frames on her camera’s rear screen while Catherine tenderly cradles the top and bottom of her bump.
Kitty’s camera setup is noteworthy: she’s using a Canon EOS 5D Mark III DSLR and a Sony Alpha 7 III mirrorless, with 85mm and 35mm primes attached to them. With no light stands or flash units to set up, Kitty is free to work briskly and quickly change things around, swapping perspectives instantly thanks to the dual camera harness she’s wearing. The only other accessory Kitty has brought with her is a stool, for giving her some extra height over her subject.
“I want to make it look like she’s stuck in a wilderness,” Kitty replies when I ask her what kind of vibe she’s trying to capture. And this is certainly how it’s coming across; Kitty’s clever placement of Catherine makes it look like she is fully enclosed by a thicket of branches.
Shooting in burst mode on her Alpha 7 III so she doesn’t miss anything – its maximum rate is 10fps – Kitty uses the rear screen as her viewfinder. Shooting so many frames does mean that there will be misses and hits as she blazes through memory cards but, as the images gracing these pages confirm, the hits are impressive.
The A7 III’s burst mode certainly comes into its own on the next setup. Stepping some 60 yards away, Kitty asks Catherine – who has switched her black outfit for a white dress – to stand in front of a grassy backdrop, with some bushes providing visual extra detail.
Kitty is looking to capture the dress billowing around Catherine, but the wind conditions are pretty calm, so the movement will need to be induced. Step forward Digital
Camera’s technique editor who, having photographed a few weddings in his time, knows instinctively what to do in this scenario.
Picking up the bottom of Catherine’s dress, Alistair shouts: “1, 2, 3 – go!” for Kitty.
“That was a bit high,” says Kitty. “And
I don’t really want a big clump of dress.”
“It doesn’t always work,” laughs Alistair, as they work the same routine a couple of times before eventually nailing it.
Model maintenance is very important, and especially so when working outdoors. Kitty has finely tuned antennae for how Catherine may be faring in her thin outfits
A big part of my job is to help ‘normal’ women find comfort in front of the camera and to access their free spirit
and is constantly checking that she’s fine, and not too cold to carry on with the shoot.
As we start the 20-minute walk to get to our second location, I discover more about Kitty’s photographic journey.
“Having started off as a ‘mum ’tog’ when my daughter was born, I started doing doorstep shoots as the first lockdown progressed,” she explains. “These became really popular, and I began taking paid bookings. I was quite against shooting maternity at first: I would characterise my work as quite free and unposed, and the standard maternity work I saw was the epitome of static and set up.
“Some of my peers inspired me to try doing things a bit differently, so to test the waters I set up a couple of model call shoots [where models work in return for getting images for
their portfolios]. I would say that maternity is one of my favourite things to shoot now: I relish the challenge of bringing out the personalities of the women in front of my camera.”
While most of her maternity shoots feature paying clients who approach her, Kitty won’t ask too much of her clients. If she has a specific creative vision in mind (involving nudity or semi-nudity, for example) she will put a shout out on Instagram – hence today’s session with our experienced model, Catherine.
“A big part of my job is to help ‘normal’ women find comfort in front of the camera and to access their inner free spirit – everyone has one, you just have to be patient enough to bring it out,” Kitty explains.
“And this is where my personality helps to bring out the best in women. I’m very open and honest, and like to think I’m the right kind of cheerleader to help women feel empowered enough to really engage with the shoot, and produce the kinds of images I strive for.”
For a relative newcomer to this kind of photography, Kitty has certainly aced handling a model, as today’s shoot proves. Four setups, two locations, three outift changes… and five exceptional new images for her portfolio.
“With a model that experienced and professional,” Kitty smiles as we start packing up, “you don’t really have to direct them.”