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INTERVIEW
TRAYNER
IAN
Photographer
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The aim was to capture simple images that are striking and beautiful.
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My name is Ian Trayner and I have my own studio in Kingston upon Thames, England. I haven’t always been a photographer. I turned to my camera after several decades of cancer related research. I have a PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology.
My photography is deliberately eclectic. Historically most of my income has come from family photography and commercial photography, with a bit of fashion photography thrown in. Now I have reached that stage in life when I am getting a pension(!) so I have more freedom to experiment. I enjoy doing personal projects in my favourite genres which are beauty and fantasy.
I am actively looking for like minded people to create these kinds of images for publication in magazines. I am looking for models, designers, stylists, MUAs, etc, because I can’t do it by myself.
What’s your signature as a photographer? How would you describe your visual style in 3 words?
The question of “style” in photography is interesting. Many photographers cultivate a recognisable style in order to attract clients who want that particular style. I think this makes commercial sense.
However I view the word “style” as a polite word for “limitation”. I love the extraordinary variety in photography, and I want to be free to explore it all. Not in order to satisfy clients, but to experiment and continue my own development. Of course it isn’t possible for one person to explore ALL of photography because it is so vast. And I definitely have my own limitations!
So my three words might be something like “never stand still”? Or possibly “experiment, experiment, experiment”? Although “loves dramatic lighting” would also be accurate.
I would get bored if I was always doing the same thing. An internationally known photographer who specializes in baby and maternity photography was looking at some of my fantasy photos and she said “I am bored out of my brain photographing babies”. I don’t want to end up like that (chuckles).
Walk us through your creative process—from concept to final edit.
All my photography is influenced by the final purpose. What is it for? Who is it for?
If I am being paid my job is to understand what my client needs and supply exactly that, to the best of my ability. I get satisfaction from rising to that challenge.
If it is my own project it will inevitably involve other people because first and foremost I photograph people. So even if I am initiating the project it has to be a collaboration. And unless I am paying people money I am not here to dictate anything to anybody. I enjoy the very human process of listening and communicating, and trying to put myself in someone else’s shoes.
I believe good communication is essential for the success of all projects that involve more than one person.
Having said which my release forms say the images will be edited “in the photographer’s chosen style”. But my aim is that everyone will be happy with the final images.
One is of course influenced by images one sees on the internet. When I feel inspired I experiment. For example I have been experimenting with smoke and movement and weird lighting, lens filters and other things.
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Tell us about the inspiration for this series of pilates photos.
Mehret Hope is a good friend who runs The Hope Centre in Streatham, London. She is an expert in pilates and physical rehabilitation. So I talked to her and she introduced me to Olivia Chanice who is one of her students and a recent graduate of the The London School for Performing Arts & Technology, more commonly referred to as The BRIT School. After the photos have been published in "Bold and Beyond" they will be used by all of us as promotional images.
I wanted to create a set of images that are very clean and simple but also striking and beautiful. In fact this type of image (by which I mean high contrast black and white images that usually have a black background) is one of my recognisable limitations (oops, I mean “styles”, ho ho).
The photos were taken in Mehret’s pilates studio and her expertise was essential for making sure I captured Olivia doing the postures accurately.
What’s something unique about how you shoot or approach a session?
I don’t know if anything about me is unique. However I am the only “me”. So I guess that is my “unique selling point” (chuckles). And in fact I have made that argument.
What’s a photo you’re most proud of, and why? And tell us the story behind it.
I don’t think I can answer this without showing you the photo so here is a link to it.
https://www.circleoflifephotography.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Ian-Trayner_photographer-kingston_Phyll-McPhyll_DSC0104_2010.jpg
The title of the photo is “a study in symmetry and asymmetry”. I chose Phyll McPhyll because her face is beautiful and very symmetrical. I wanted a gradient of brightness on the background to run from right to left, and the lighting on Phyll’s face to come from the left towards the right. I also wanted Phyll’s eyes to be really sharp, but for the photo to have quite a shallow depth of field.
The image was more difficult to get right than I anticipated. In fact it took me 2 hours to get the background how I wanted it (before Phyll arrived). And when I stood Phyll in front of it I discovered I had gotten the scale all wrong! So I had to ask Phyll to keep walking further and further in front of the background so the gradient on the background became smaller relative to the width of Phyll’s head. This photo hangs as a large framed picture opposite the front door of my studio, with nice lighting on it. So it is the first thing you see when you come to my studio, and the next time Phyll came to my studio she was confronted by this photo of her face. It took her by surprise and it was worth it just to see her reaction. She was delighted. Her face was a picture.
I am proud because the photo was difficult to capture and it turned out as I wanted.
What gear do you swear by?
Obviously there are lots of really good cameras, and really good lenses, and really good lighting modifiers. The item of equipment I find most useful is my light meter. I can use it to capture a perfect exposure in the first shot even when using multiple strobes, and (assuming I have done a proper white balance) everyone looks correct no matter what skin tone they have.
My favourite lighting modifer is a beauty dish plus grid - although I wouldn’t use it to light someone who has a round face. It would not be flattering for them.
Legacy & Impact What do you want your work to say about you, even when you’re not in the room?
I hope my body of work will show my versatility. That is to say, I have more than just one style or “limitation”. In fact I have numerous “limitations” and I want to keep experimenting so I can accumulate more “limitations”!
I wish all readers of this magazine well.
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