Friday 28 January 2011
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.
Thursday 20 January 2011
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.
Friday 14 January 2011
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.
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.
Wednesday 5 January 2011
15 Years and Still Going Strong.
Welcome to my new PR & Commercial photography blog.
I can't quite believe that I have now been running my Leicestershire photography business for 15 years.
I don't know where the years have gone, but it only seems five minutes ago when I nervously handed in my notice at the Coventry Telegraph before stepping into the murky world of being self-employed. Until then, I had always had a job as a staff photographer, so it was very scary to have to stand on my own two feet and sink or swim by my own efforts.
My background in press photography stood me in very good stead for doing PR work as I knew what style of photos to take to get published in any particular publication. More importantly, I knew what style of picture NOT to take as I have lost count of the number of inappropriate PR photos I had binned when was deputising on the picture desk. It never ceased to amaze me what awful photos some companies had submitted, expecting that we would publish them. Some photos were technically bad as they were taken by amateurs, but quite a lot of them were technically OK as they were taken by professionals, but they were either just boring as they lacked imagination or they were simply not the right style for our newspaper. That's when I saw a gap in the market as I felt I could get a much better "hit-rate" of publication for the PR companies. This has certainly proved to be true over the last 15 years.
Over the years I have expanded from press and PR photography, into editorial photography for annual reports and for corporate and national magazines, commercial photography, industrial photography, food photography, architectural and aerial photography as well as wedding photojournalism. My work has even taken me to Buckingham palace a couple of times. I love the variety of subject matter and I think I have the best job in the world, so ROLL ON THE NEXT 15 YEARS!
Thanks for viewing my new blog. Over the coming weeks, months and years I shall keep you up to date with all my latest news.
I can't quite believe that I have now been running my Leicestershire photography business for 15 years.
I don't know where the years have gone, but it only seems five minutes ago when I nervously handed in my notice at the Coventry Telegraph before stepping into the murky world of being self-employed. Until then, I had always had a job as a staff photographer, so it was very scary to have to stand on my own two feet and sink or swim by my own efforts.
My background in press photography stood me in very good stead for doing PR work as I knew what style of photos to take to get published in any particular publication. More importantly, I knew what style of picture NOT to take as I have lost count of the number of inappropriate PR photos I had binned when was deputising on the picture desk. It never ceased to amaze me what awful photos some companies had submitted, expecting that we would publish them. Some photos were technically bad as they were taken by amateurs, but quite a lot of them were technically OK as they were taken by professionals, but they were either just boring as they lacked imagination or they were simply not the right style for our newspaper. That's when I saw a gap in the market as I felt I could get a much better "hit-rate" of publication for the PR companies. This has certainly proved to be true over the last 15 years.
Over the years I have expanded from press and PR photography, into editorial photography for annual reports and for corporate and national magazines, commercial photography, industrial photography, food photography, architectural and aerial photography as well as wedding photojournalism. My work has even taken me to Buckingham palace a couple of times. I love the variety of subject matter and I think I have the best job in the world, so ROLL ON THE NEXT 15 YEARS!
Thanks for viewing my new blog. Over the coming weeks, months and years I shall keep you up to date with all my latest news.
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