Official: Pudsey Bear Works in a Call Centre!

Here is a photo I took in TNT's contact centre in Lount, Leicestershire for TNT's company magazine.  It shows Pudsey Bear "helping" to take calls - much to the amusement of the staff.  Let's hope lots of cash is raised for Children in Need today.  It's a great cause.


N.B. This blog covers just the PR, commercial, corporate editorial, architectural and aerial photography and videography side of my business.  Please see my Reportage Wedding Photography Blog for up-to-date news about the wedding and portrait side of my business.

Leicester Business Event

I will be exhibiting at Leicester Business Event LBE11 on Thursday 29th September at Walkers Stadium, Filbert Way, Leicester, LE2 7FL from 9.30am to 4.30pm.  


As this is a an event by the best businesses in Leicestershire for the best businesses in Leicestershire, I will primarily be showcasing the commercial photography and video for business side of my work.  However, I will also show some of my reportage wedding photography too, as I will have a couple of wedding albums on display.  It should be a good day for making new contacts, so if you are in business in Leicestershire, there is no better place for you to be this Thursday!  It would be great to see you there...

Aerial Photography in Nottinghamshire

I have just done some aerial photography of a pallet yard in Nottinghamshire.  My brief was to get as close as I could to the pallet yard and to photograph it from the air from all angles and to show its location.  On the face of it, that sounded straightforward, however, when I checked the location of the pallet yard, it was sited on the edge of Langar Airfield in Nottinghamshire which is a parachute drop zone and as such, is a no-fly zone for any aircraft other than the aeroplanes that drop the parachutists.  Being a private pilot myself, I knew the relevant people to contact to get the permission needed to enter the no-fly zone.


Having got the required permission (subject to fitting in around the parachute drops), I waited for a sunny day with good visibility and hired a helicopter and pilot.  I felt a helicopter was best for this job as they are far more manoeuvrable than fixed-wing aircraft and as we had to fit in around the parachute drops, we had to get the shots done as quickly as possible.  It would have taken longer with fixed-wing as we would have had to orbit the site for a lot longer.  I also ruled out using my 15m  ground-based aerial mast as it would not have been high enough for the shots required in my brief.  It is great for low-level wide-angle shots that can look really dramatic, but it was not high enough for this job.  Luckily it was a hot day as I always insist on taking the door off on my side of the helicopter as I don't want to shoot through the perspex window.  It was actually a really comfortable temperature, although I was glad I wore a wind-proof Goretex jacket!  I have done aerial photography shoots on cold winter days and despite wearing lots of layers, it can be absolutely freezing.


Anyway, we took off, let air-traffic control know what we were doing and that we had the relevant permission to enter the no-fly zone.  We then changed radio frequencies to contact Langar drop zone to wait for clearance to enter their zone.  As soon as all the parachutists were on the ground, we were allowed to enter and we found the pallet yard very quickly.  It is amazing how different places look from the air than from the ground, but this was a very distinctive site which made it easier for us.  I took lots of photos from all directions and heights.  We were able to fly low when we were over the airfield as we didn't have to worry about the usual low-flying laws that apply when not over airfields, so that as a real bonus.  All in all, a successful mission.

Rugby Supremo Sir Clive Woodward OBE

I have just been photographing ex-England Rugby team coach Sir Clive Woodward.  He was the guest speaker at a TNT managers conference held at Leicester Tigers stadium.  Sir Clive was coach of the England team from 1997 to 2004, managing them to victory in the 2003 Rugby World Cup.  He described the management methods that he used in his sporting career that can be used equally effectively in the world of business.  He is now the Director of Sport for the British Olympic Association, so I think the run-up to 2012 will be a very busy time for him.

Fab Reviews on Free Index

A little while ago I added Martin Neeves Photography to FreeIndex.co.uk and I have been overwhelmed by the fabulous reviews that have been coming in.  Here are just a few that have come in in the last two months.  Please CLICK HERE to see all my reviews and ratings on Free Index.


“Martin Neeves is one of the most professional photographers I have worked with in ten years in journalism and public relations. From the outset, Martin studied our brief and understood our needs and always delivered the photography we needed to promote our business. I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend if you want the comfort of knowing that the job will be done right and the images that come back are of the highest quality.”   Matthew Moore, PR Executive, Carillion Energy Services 20/06/11


"Martin Neeves Photography Ltd has been a supplier of excellent photography to the PR and Communications team at TNT Express UK for a significant time and always comes up with excellent work in support of our internal and external comms. Martin is always professional in everything he does, taking time to understand the brief, come up with ideas and put the subjects at ease before shooting the pictures. His photography really embellishes the words of stories and PR material we distribute to our own audiences and those outside the company. I would gladly recommend his services to anyone requiring photography for business or pleasure."  Fraser Thomson Communications Manager TNT Express Services UK & Ireland 26/06/11

 

 

"I approached Martin with a view to taking professional pictures for both my website and my profiles on various networking sites. Having seen his past work on his websites and in person I found Martin to be very professional and knew exactly what I wanted to be achieved. The results were exceptional and the fast turn around from shoot to preview was within 1 day. I have now picked the ones I want and look forward to the final set in due course. I would recommend Martin to anyone looking for high quality professional photos. Thank you Martin for all your hard work."   Paul Sibson, Merlion ABS.  01/06/11

 

 

"I’ve had both portrait work and a corporate video put together by Martin, both are of a standard well above what I had expected, and believe you me, I have high standards. The other thing that surprised me was the speed with which I received the finished article – even I realise that there’s a significant investment in time needed after the on-site work has been done.  For me Martin gets a 10/10 and if you’re after a quality finish, don’t waste your time going elsewhere, use Martin."   Rob Abell, Will Planning Solutions.  31/05/11 

 

With these fabulous reviews and the launch of my new lower prices in May this year, there really isn't a better time to give me a call to discuss a photography or video project.  I will be more than  happy to provide an estimate.

Video of Business Guru Nigel Botterill

I have just produced a video of high-energy business guru Nigel Botterill during his presentation to Leicestershire business owners last week at Leicester Tigers Stadium.  The video shows a few snippets of his invaluable advice as well as some testimonials from some audience members.

I was very busy that evening as in addition to filming this video, I set up my portable studio and took business portraits of many of the attendees.  I also had a display stand and a screen showing some of the photography for businesses of all sizes that I have done in the past.  It was make some new contacts and to re-acquaint myself a few contacts who I hadn't seen for ages.

Business Video for Leicester Will Writer

I have just produced a short business video for Leicester will writer Rob Abell of Will Planning Solutions.  Rob was great to work with as he is such a nice bloke with a great sense of humour.  I gave him some guidance on what was was required for his script and he wrote a perfectly timed and planned script.  He also put a lot of thought into the cut-aways that would be needed, which helped the filming day go smoothly.  This video will go on Rob's new website and will not only help to bring the website to life, but it will be fabulous for the search engine optimisation of his site too.

Business Portraits for Leicester Solicitor

I have just been commissioned to take some business portraits for a Leicester family solicitor and mediator, Glynis Wright.

My brief was to take a range of shots to to show the different sides of Glynis' business.  I took some softer shots to illustrate the mediation side of the business.  Due to client confidentiality, we obviously had to use models instead of a real couple!  The mediation room had soft furnishings and Glynis wore fairly neutral clothing.  I had to take photographs to make Glynis look friendly and approachable (which she is anyway!).

I then set up my studio lights and a white background to take take some modern business portraits.  Bright white backgrounds are very popular these days as they look fresh and they are ideal to use as cut-outs or on business cards and in publications.  Glynis changed into a sharp business suit to portray the legal side of her business.  I took a variety of serious, smiley and some in-between.

Lastly, I took some shots of Glynis at her desk.  I needed to take some shots that showed she was serious, but still approachable.  The inclusion of a plant in the background softened the feel of the photographs, but still made them look business-like.  I used differential focus to blur the background and to make the viewer focus on Glynis.  I felt a neutral expression was best for these shots as it portrayed the serious but approachable look that a is appropriate for a solicitor.  I also took some smiley photos (one of which is shown in black-and-white at the top of this article) as Glynis is naturally a very happy and smiley person, so I thought her personality shone though in those photos.

Hopefully, you will have now seen that I give careful thought to the exact look and feel of business portraits and this article illustrates that a business portrait session can be tailored to suit your needs.  If your business portraits are looking a bit tired or out of date and you would like some new ones, why not give me a ring on 07973 638591 to discuss your requirements.  You may also like to see my website to see more business and corporate photography: www.martinneeves.com

Fantastic New Review from a Happy Client

I have just fantastic new review of Martin Neeves Photography placed on Free Index by one of my valued PR clients.  This is what the review said: 

"We use Martin Neeves Photography to cover events for our clients when they have major events taking place and need high quality photographs for media and marketing purposes.
Martin always takes time to understand the brief, carries out exactly what we want him to do in a very professional manner and delivers excellent quality images on time to meet quite strict deadlines.
I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Martin to anyone, either commercial or private, who needs a first class photographer at reasonable prices."

I am very grateful for your kind words, Sue.

Food Photography

I have just finished another day of photographing food for a leading UK supermarket.  Unfortunately, a confidentiality clause in my contract forbids me of disclosing the name of the supermarket, but it is a very well-respected one!  The photos will be used on the supermarket's website.


I enjoy doing food photography and I love working with food stylists who make all the food look so scrummy!  It is an underrated skill, but they are absolutely essential in showing the food off to its best.  Not all the food is edible after the shoot, but a lot of it is, so I never go hungry on these shoots!  You have to be careful if eating sandwiches after a photoshoot as they may well have pins in to make them hold their shape!  Oops, I think I may have just given away a trade secret!

My Crazy Week!

What a busy week I have just had...


Tuesday: Studio Portrait Photography in Coventry


On Tuesday, I did a whole day of studio photography in Coventry of some students for their university's website.  I was working in a big studio alongside a video crew where I set up my lights and background on one side of the studio and the video crew set up theirs on the other side.  The students were being filmed to do some video testimonials about student life at their university.


My brief was to take some still photos of the students against an off-white / light-grey background to match the lighting and background of that used in the videos.  My photos are to be used as the full screen of each web-page, but I had to leave plenty of blank space to the left of the subject for text to be over-laid and for the videos to be inserted.  It was a long day of filming and photography, but it was also enjoyable as the students were fun to work with.

Wednesday: Public Relations Photography in Warwickshire

Wednesday was my day for doing PR photography in Warwickshire.  I was commissioned to photograph the whole board of the Environment agency (headed by Lord Chris Smith) on their visit to a cement works to gain an overview of the environmental impact of the operation.  

It was quite a tricky job as I had to react very quickly to the rapidly changing lighting conditions as the delegation toured the site.  It was a very warm and sunny day, which caused its own problems as bright sunlight can be very harsh as it casts deep shadows which often have to be dealt-with by the sympathetic use of fill-in flash.  However, as they were all wearing highly-reflective high-visibility jackets to comply with health and safety rules, this ruled-out using direct on-camera flash (unless I wanted them to look like glow-worms!)  The site tour moved very quickly, so after dealing with the bright sunlight, they went inside the plant and were plunged into darkness.  I managed to deal with the lighting challenges while keeping up with the tour and remaining as unobtrusive as possible.  All in a day's work!

Thursday: Corporate Editorial Photography In Leicestershire

On Thursday, I was doing corporate photography in Leicester as I was booked to photograph a staff conference for a housing association at the Walkers Stadium.  It was a large conference as there were around 400 delegates.  My brief was to photograph both the main presentations to the entire group as well as the smaller workshops.  The resulting photographs will be used in their internal communications, on their website and in their annual report.

One of the workshops was about time management and they used actors to highlight the mistakes that most of us make.  They started off with a very cluttered desk with paperwork piled up.  I wonder how many of the delegates thought it looked just like their desks - I know I was thinking just that!

Friday: Corporate Poster Photography in Surrey


On Friday, I drove down to Wokingham in Surrey to do some more corporate photography.  This time, I was photographing a heavily pregnant woman in her industrial workplace for a corporate poster which will be displayed in all of her company's offices and operations centres.  I had to leave space on the pictures for the text to be over-laid, so I was given the layout of the poster and was instructed to take photos that fitted it.  All went well and I was pleased that the excitement of the photoshoot didn't induce the woman's labour!

Saturday: Commercial photography in Derbyshire

On Saturday, I was commissioned to do some commercial photography in Derby by a logistics company who needed me to photograph some of their lorries and drivers at one of their depots.  We were very lucky with the weather as we were blessed with a clear blue sky and unlimited sunshine.  After the shoot at the depot, I was dropped off onto a flyover bridge to take some shots of both the front and back of a lorry on the road.  Thankfully, I was collected again so I could go home to enjoy the rest of the weekend sunshine!

Many people don't appreciate all the time that is spent downloading, editing and optimising photographs as they only see the time spent on the shoot itself, however many hours are spent on these activities in order to get professional results.  All this work has to be fitted in around the shoots, so as you can see, last week I was burning the candle at both ends to meet my clients' deadlines.

Hopefully this glimpse into my week will illustrate the variety of photographic work that I do and I hope you will see why I love my job so much.

Corporate Videography

I have just produced a short promotional video for a very friendly business breakfast networking group in Leicestershire.

Google is taking a lot of notice of video content these days, so if you you want to get higher on the search engine listings, it is essential to put some videos on your website.  If you want to portray a professional image to your potential clients, I advise you to have a professional video made.  Please have a look at my corporate videography page to see some examples of videos for businesses in Leicestershire and the Midlands.

Commercial Photography Video

I have just produced and short video (less than 2.5 minutes) about the commercial side of my photography and videography business.  It shows examples of studio product photography, staff portraits, corporate portraits, food photography, room interiors and photography in factories and at industrial sites in Leicestershire and Warwickshire.  So if you are looking for a commercial photographer in Leicestershire, an industrial photographer in Warwickshire, a corporate videographer in Leicester or a food photographer in Coventry then look no further!

Staff Portraits & Call Centre Photography in Leicester

I have just been taking some staff portraits at an office in Leicester.  These photographs are fairly typical of the style that many companies like to have of their staff.  They tend to like bright white backgrounds for a modern, fresh look.  I set up my studio flash units and white background in a spare office and once set-up, it is fairly quick to photograph each member of staff.  I normally show each person their photos on the back of my camera to make sure they are happy with their photos and if not, I take a few more until they are happy.  I need a reasonably large office in which to set up my equipment, but it is surprising how often I have been squashed into a small office with a huge table in the centre that I have to work around.  Anyway, here are a few examples.  I am regularly commissioned to take such office portraits.

After the office portrait session, I packed away my portable studio and took some photos of the call centre.  My brief was to not only show the large size of the call centre, but to capture the essence of the the staff and of the call centre.  The wide shot was quite tricky as the lighting was not only very low, but it was extremely patchy.  I prefer the closer-up shots as they concentrated on the staff's characters and expressions.  Here are some of the photographs from the shoot.  Again, this is fairly typical of the work undertaken by this particular Leicestershire photographer.

Fascinating job

I have just been photographing a 92-year-old Warwickshire man who used to be a press officer for Buckingham Palace.  His first job was for King George VI.  It was fascinating talking to him - especially after watching The King's Speech this week (FAB film by the way).  This is one of the reasons I love my job.  I just never know who I will be meeting next.

Photography Tender Won!

I have some FANTASTIC news!  After an arduous seven months tendering process  (encountering more EU red tape than I ever thought possible), I have just been named as one of just six photographers/photography companies in the UK to be given approved supplier status for photographic services for a VERY well known UK-based blue-chip company for the next three years.  The work will involve taking photographs for corporate in-house publications and websites as well as for external public relations use.  Some of the photos will be of office-based staff at work, but much of it will be out on industrial sites photographing engineers at work.  Frustratingly, there is a confidentiality clause in the contract (as is becoming more common these days), so I am unable to reveal the name of the company.  It's a shame, as I want to shout it from the rooftops!  Anyway, I just wanted to share my good news.

Snapper Snapped!

While doing some commercial photography in Birmingham today, I found myself on the other side of the camera.

I had be commissioned to take some photographs of a goods lift at the LG Arena which is based at the NEC in Birmingham.  This is fairly typical of a commercial photography photo shoot.  Glamorous- it aint!  However, the skills required of a professional photographer are to make mundane every-day subjects look interesting.  It was quite a tricky shot as there was not much room in which to work and the interior light wasn't working in the lift, so I had to add some extra lighting to help lift the shots.


Anyway, while I was working, I could hear the sound of another camera going off.  It was only later that I found out that I had been photographed working by the media relations executive who was accompanying me.  She kindly sent me her photos, so I thought I would put them up on my PR & Commercial Photography Blog along with a couple of my shots so you know what I am blathering on about.