Working instinctively during a portrait shoot is often better than trying to create images to fit pre-set ideas, says Harry Borden
![Rosamund Pike](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/618/203468/5874baf69cfed/Rosamund-Pike.jpg)
For me, improvisation is a vital part of the creative process. When I’m shooting a portrait, I enjoy looking for something that hasn’t been done before and ending up with images I hadn’t anticipated. Tampering with the instinctive approach and plundering pre-existing ideas is likely to produce images that are contrived and hackneyed. I believe it’s better to react to what’s around you and riff off things, because then you get the unexpected.
That’s what happened when I did a portrait shoot of the actress Rosamund Pike in September 2006. I had been commissioned to photograph her for the Sunday Telegraph magazine, to illustrate an interview. At the time, she was 27 and in the early stages of her successful screen career, following her debut in the Bond film Die Another Day four years earlier.
The shoot took place in Jasmine Studios, which was a studio complex in Shepherd’s Bush, West London. It was a great location which had really good daylight, which I generally prefer to use, and was equipped with lots of other light sources. There was nothing chintzy or retro about the studio, which is much more the fashion these days; it was just a cold, empty and very functional space.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 14,2017 من Amateur Photographer.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة January 14,2017 من Amateur Photographer.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
![Zanele Muholi](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/618/1748283/2TcA3nm0x1720094295421/ZANELE-MUHOLI.jpg)
Zanele Muholi
Visual activist Zanele Muholi's work is important and acclaimed. Back at the Tate after being cut short by lockdown, it's a must-see this year, says Amy Davies
![KEKS KM-Q light meter](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/618/1748283/XlJfQOETq1720093858319/KEKS-KMQ-LIGHT-METER.jpg)
KEKS KM-Q light meter
This tiny light meter is perfect for vintage film cameras, says Andy Westlake
![Lensbaby Sweet 22](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/618/1748283/Ae583bt641720093574036/LENSBABY-SWEET-22.jpg)
Lensbaby Sweet 22
This wideangle pancake lens produces a central spot of sharp focus surrounded by dramatic blur. Angela Nicholson has had some fun with it
![XCD Hasselblad 25mm F2.5 V](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/618/1748283/NcugtE6bQ1720093250697/XCD-HASSELBLAD-25MM-F25-V.jpg)
XCD Hasselblad 25mm F2.5 V
This ultra-wideangle lens is built for Hasselblad’s medium-format mirrorless cameras, such as the X2D 100C and 907X 100C. But how does it perform? Joshua Waller finds out
![AF NIKKOR Film supremo](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/618/1748283/5j50EQa7V1720092887088/AF-NIKKOR-FILM-SUPREMO.jpg)
AF NIKKOR Film supremo
Interest in film photography is growing, and the Nikon F100 could be just the camera to help you explore it. John Gilbey explains why
![Couple exposure](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/618/1748283/5o7AmRT-11720092467026/COUPLE-EXPOSURE.jpg)
Couple exposure
If shooting a wedding isn’t enough pressure, try adding film to the mix. Hollie Latham Hucker speaks to two wedding photographers who love capturing the celebrations of a big day with their analogue cameras
![A vital insight](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/618/1748283/blYU-fd9P1720092100710/A-VITAL-INSIGHT.jpg)
A vital insight
Overlooked for decades, the archive of one of Britain's greatest photographers is being brought together in a new book. Peter Dench finds out more
![Film favourites](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/618/1748283/7MR4gw49K1720091166284/FILM-FAVOURITES.jpg)
Film favourites
We spoke to the passionate Analogue Wonderland community to find out what their go-to films are and why they love shooting with this classic medium
![Taking snapshots seriously](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/618/1748283/dXW6qAIsO1720090210726/TAKING-SNAPSHOTS-SERIOUSLY.jpg)
Taking snapshots seriously
The humble snap can provide as much of an insight into time, place and culture as any award-winning war photograph or epic landscape. John Wade explains how and why
![Expired? You're hired!](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/618/1748283/dkhriPbhZ1720088305632/EXPIRED-YOURE-HIRED.jpg)
Expired? You're hired!
If the relatively high cost of film is putting you off analogue shooting, what about trying expired film? Miles MyerscoughHarris discusses the appeal of expired film with Geoff Harris (no relation)