London

Something a bit different

The other day I was asked by a friend of mine if I would shoot some products of hers for her online portfolio / store. It’s not something that I would ordinarily shoot, however is sounded a bit different from the norm.

Leia runs a business called Don’t Do Dainty. She makes awesome bespoke jewellery and also metal floral displays and wedding bouquets which are something to behold and it was these beautiful pieces which she needed photographing.

It was an interesting shoot which took quite some time as metal f course is or can be quite reflective which causes issues for us photographers with the way that we light objects. On top of this little challenge, Leia also wanted to shoot some of her beautiful creations inside glass containers - another nightmare, not just for reflections but also refraction - where light is bent and warped bu the glass itself. All good fun really - it made for interesting challenges not just for the actual shoot, but also for the retouching afterwards.

Below are a selection of my favourite shots from the shoot. Let me know what you think!

Leia is currently refreshing her website and updating it with the images which I shot for her, so if you’re interested, head over there and check it out! www.dontdodainty.com



Professional Photo Magazine Interview Feature issue 137

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The phone rang the other day and when I answered, it was Lisa (Deputy Editor) from Professional Photo Magazine.

The call came as a surprise to me and was totally out of the blue, however, Lisa had head about my talk at The AOP's Starting Out Conference a few weeks previous and was interested in interviewing me for a feature about starting out in the photography industry for her magazine.

The topic of getting started in the industry is one which is close to my heart and one which I think is unnecessarily shrouded in mist. It's hard enough trying to start a new career in the creative industries anyway, especially when there's a distinct lack of information available for people wishing to move into photography. This is coupled with out of date information being supplied by universities offering photography degree courses, and an industry which likes to maintain an air of mystery. It's time some of the hot air and mystery is lifted and replaced with more useful information, tips and inside industry knowledge: this is what I aimed to do in speaking at the AOP Conference and to Lisa.

Below you can read and download the interview and have a laugh at some of the ridiculous things I came out with. Enjoy!

Divided Soul Live in Farringdon

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I love shooting live shows and it's something which I haven't done now for a while but last weekend I was asked to shoot my friend's band, Divided Soul at their gig on Saturday night in Farringdon.

Live shows are great fun to shoot, specially if you can get in amongst the band and get some great shots and interesting angles. I always try to capture the atmosphere of the gig together with the personality of the band which can be tricky to do at times. One of the most challenging elements to shooting live bands is lighting, as often you can find yourself in very low light situations which call for high ISO, and wide apertures.

Thanks to Jez and the Divided Soul boys for a great night. If you want to check out their stuff follow them on social media here www.facebook.com/dividedsouluk/

 

My latest shoot: Baxters 'Deli Toppers'

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My latest shoot: Baxters 'Deli Toppers'

The other week, I was commissioned to shoot some stuff for food company Baxters (known for their soups and pickles etc) who were shooting a new TV commercial for the new Deli Toppers range.

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Recent work: a venture into the bespoke world of Savile Row tailoring

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Last month I had a couple of commissions which gave me an interesting look into the traditional world of bespoke tailoring in London's Savile Row.

The shoots were commissioned to produce images for use on the companies' websites and for PR purposes. In particular they wanted images which show details of tailoring work in progress including close-up shots of the tools being used. They also wanted images of some of their products for e-commerce purposes and atmospheric staff portraits for 'About us' pages. Below are a selection of a few of the images..

LFW 15 - Ethologie by Jasper Garvida SS16

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Yesterday was my first encounter with London Fashion Week, as I was invited by handbag designer Brix & Bailey (brixbailey.com) to photograph their new handbags on the catwalk.

Of course I jumped at the opportunity and toddled on down to Essie Persian Carpets on Piccadilly where they were being showcased and then taken down the runway to compliment Jasper Garvida's new SS16 range at his Ethologie show. Here's a few of the shots for you to ogle...