Archive for category Commercial
The Opening of The James Figg Pub in Thame
Posted by Paul in Commercial, For Website on January 5th, 2010
I do like a good pub. ‘No,’ I hear you say, ‘really?’ with just a modicum of surprise.
Yup.
Call me old fashioned but there are few places I find quite so convivial. So comforting. So British. There is nothing quite like finding yourself on a lazy afternoon with a well-pulled pint and a roaring fire listening to the background chatter of one of this nation’s greatest legacies. Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you: The Pub.
That being said. I do lament the smoking ban in pubs and bars.
Now don’t get me wrong here, I have never smoked and, not withstanding a suitably apocalyptic midlife crisis, I probably never will. But the smouldering presence of tobacco smoke in a public house or bar always seemed somehow, natural.
I know, I know, I love not going home smelling of everyone else’s smoke and not having to wash my jacket every time. I love not having a sore throat. And I love being able to actually taste my beer.
But, and here’s the thing, I’m a photographer.
And I miss the light.
I used to get so excited about that familiar smokey, hazy, drifting light. Some of my favourite images have been captured so simply with nothing more than a basic camera, a good quality 50mm lens (the staple of all 35mm photography until the new digital formats emerged), some window light and a creamy pint of Guinness. And just a smidgen of tobacco smoke. Sigh.
Still, I digress slightly in that I meant to write about one particular pub I photographed recently: The James Figg pub. The pub (previously the Abingdon Arms) has been in the middle of Thame ever since I’ve lived here but was old and tired (not in a good way) and so it was with some excitement that I was asked by Peach Pubs, who also own The Thatch, amongst others, to create some images of their newest pub for its website and to cover the inaugural night.
And I was right to be excited. What they’ve done is pretty much perfect: a good English pub serving great beer and great food (of the pie’n'chips variety at least).
And I’ve been back since for a quick half and it is still fantastic. The service is truly friendly and hospitable and the place was seemingly full – both of people and of atmosphere.
But, sadly, still no smoke.
Ah, well it’s almost certainly for the better. I just need to find new ways of recreating that wonderful light!
Yervant Seminar at London Zoo for Graphistudio
Posted by Paul in Commercial, For Website, News on November 12th, 2009
If you’re a photographer you’ve heard of Yervant. If you’re not a photographer, you’ll still know his images. This is one of the world’s true ‘heavyweight’ (in a creative sense of course) photographers. And he was in London as guests of our album supplier, Graphistudio.
Martin Baynes (who’s an old friend of ours and the UK Sales Manager for Graphistudio – you might remember me raving about the books that Graphistudio produce for us, often under incredible deadlines that our other suppliers simply can’t match!) asked us to capture some images for them to use for press and PR which was a real pleasure to do.
Yervant is an absolute legend in the photographic world but this seminar was as much about his wife, Annie, as it was about him and his images (and they are both hugely engaging characters on stage!)
It is, in fact, she that has taken what he does and turned it into an international business at the pinnacle of the industry. It is her work and her business-like approach that has made the Yervant brand (both in terms of the name and the iconic images) what it is today.
This was possibly the most interesting seminar I’ve been to from the perspective as it reminded me of how our company works: yes, I capture the images; yes, it’s my signature everywhere; yes, it’s my ability to see and seek out locations and light; but it’s Sarah who picks out those priceless images for our clients (she sees the world differently to me – she’s only influenced by what a bride or parent would wish to see rather than a photographer’s desire for the dramatic or the moody. Don’t get me wrong, these are important too but you need a healthy balance.) It’s Sarah who talks to most of our clients, helping to understand what is required and make sure we provide it. It is Sarah who watches the numbers and makes sure we’re on track. It’s Sarah who manages our alarmingly complex diary. It is Sarah who crafts our amazing slideshows. Quite simply, I would not be in a position to create the images that I do if it wasn’t for the fact we run the business together.
And that’s the point.
Sometimes, when I’m desperately trying to capture a particular image or moment, it’s easy to forget that this is a business. I am lucky as it’s the business of memories. It’s the business of beautiful images. It’s the business of bringing joy (and, occasionally, poignancy) to our clients. But, and here’s the rub, it’s still a business. A very successful business with the most incredible clients that we are both hugely proud of.
And seeing Annie and Yervant side by side (and please forgive the pun here) brought that sharply into focus.
Brilliant.
Oliver Peyton in St James Park
Posted by Paul in Commercial, For Website on September 8th, 2009
It’s not every day you get to photograph a restaurateur. Particularly not a great one like Oliver Peyton.
I have to admit I wasn’t certain who he was initially but when you real off the fantastic restaurants he’s been responsible for (Mash, Coast, The Atlantic Bar and Grill, Admiralty, The National Gallery dining rooms, Inn the Park – the list goes on) that you know exactly who he is – and I have had many a good night in the venues he’s been responsible for. Ah, those were the days! He’s also one of the judges on the BBC Great British Menu programme so if I ever sat down to watch the telly…
Anyway, I met Oliver at his Inn The Park in St James Park to get some images for use in Owner Manager magazine – the official magazine of the Small Firms Association in Ireland.
Before I had met him, I knew his time was tight but when he arrived 15 minutes late, it rapidly became a shoot that we’d need to complete under a load more pressure than I’d hoped. Still, it was a gorgeous day in a London park so I just sat and soaked up the fantastic atmosphere. All good.
When Oliver bowled up we had an extremely rapid session (I think it lasted a total of 20 minutes) and we created 40 diverse images ranging from the cover image on a black background through to some really enigmatic images of the man himself on the balcony of his restaurant. Fast, yes, but creative. The images have turned out exactly as I would have wished (and they’re now in the magazine) even allowing for it being such a short session.
And Oliver is an absolute character – the man is a live-wire and very funny! So it was 20 minutes of photography with chat! And he seemed most pleased with the fact that I had only ’stolen’ 20 minutes of his valuable time.
And who can ask for better than that?
Let us know what you think!
Cheers
P.
Haddenham Youth Football Club Funday
Posted by Paul in Commercial, For Website on September 6th, 2009
Well, it’s been an early start this morning as I’ve just been over to grab some pictures for the guys at the Haddenham Youth Football Club Funday. I’m always amazed by the club – everything from the dedication of the all the coaches (and the lads who play) to the enthusiasm and support from the parents who are there with them. Also, at this particular funday, they do a rather commendable bacon bap and coffee!
A month or so ago, we’d persuaded three of the lads from the club to give us a hand grabbing a shot for the programme – with some fantastic results!
I’d had this idea of a shot of one of the lads scissor-kicking a ball over the top of the camera as I thought it would be really dramatic and eye-catching. So, having hauled ourselves in a suitable goalmouth in the pouring rain, we rigged a couple of remote flash guns to see if we could get the shot.
The shots we caught are absolutely fantastic (all three of the lads are exceedingly talented when it comes to the beautiful game) but it was at the very end when we grabbed just a quick image of the boys soaking wet and covered in mud that, and I have to say somewhat unexpectedly, the best photo of the day emerged. Funny how it happens that way sometimes. You work hard at getting the image you had in your head (and, in this instance we did get some great shots!) but so often it’s an image that sort of creeps up on you and takes you by surprise that is ultimately the killer picture. 3 lads, 3 footballs, a liberal coating of fresh goalmouth mud and a constant drizzle of August rain and you have the perfect image.
And that’s the one we used in the advert.
Let us know what you think.
Cheers
P.
PS. Should just add that the Funday was awesome – hats off to everyone involved in its organising and the running of the day. Just brilliant!
PPS. Should also add a huge ‘thank you’ to Ciaran, Tom and Evan for providing their not inconsiderable talent and skill to help us get the shot 
Crazy Bear, Crazy Summer
Posted by Paul in Commercial, For Website on September 6th, 2009
Blimey. This has been (and continues to be) one heck of a summer! I know, I know, the weather hasn’t exactly left us all reeling with heatstroke, but it has (so far at least) been warm and wet. Considering the cold and wet summer we endured last year, I’ll live with that. However, from a photography perspective, we continue to have an absolutely brilliant season.
For us, it’s not just about having lots of clients (though, of course, it helps) – it’s just as much about the type of clients we have and the opportunities they present for us to create beautiful images. And on both of those fronts life couldn’t be better. We have a wonderfully diverse client base that every single day brings new and exciting challenges – and on top of that, we get to meet the nicest people possible!
Anyway, I have to admit, I’m trying to catch up on some of the blogging that has been so woefully absent for the past month or two: please forgive me on that front as I am sure you will understand I would always choose to be creating beautiful images rather than writing my blog (though actually I love writing this thing – it’s just that I love photography more!)
So going back to one of our favourite clients – The Crazy Bear. We were lucky enough to be asked to photograph their new Members Only Club in Covent Garden, London. Once again the guys have created the most magical venue that is both a pleasure to be in and a pleasure to photograph. I can highly recommend a trip over there to anyone who loves their Sushi (as I do) as their chef is utterly fantastic!
Let us know what you think!
Take care
Cheers
P.
Isobel, Millie & Jemima for Little Italy Coffee Shop
Posted by Paul in Commercial, For Website, Lifestyle on April 18th, 2009
I loved this session as it is everything we’re about.
The whole session was full on from start to finish with the three girls I was photographing being exactly how you’d wish kids to be – funny, exuberant, energetic and spirited (oh, and incredibly polite and well-mannered – even when they were being cheeky!) This just makes for a fantastically creative location session for us to capture a really diverse set of images as the next candidates for The Little Italy Coffee Shop.
I do have to admit that this was one of those sessions in which I’m not entirely certain who was actually in control. I do, naively, like to think it was me but I can’t help but wonder if it wasn’t Jemima, aged two and a half. Even her own family affectionately called her ‘The Boss’.
The whole of this session was held at one of our more regular locations for portraiture – Wendover Woods. We started with the playground area up there. To be honest, I don’t think I had much say in the matter as the girls were off and running as they spilled out of the car! Still, as this fits with our approach to a shoot (i.e. to make it as much fun as possible – particularly with kids) that it worked perfectly.
Once they’d burned a seemingly boundless amount of energy there, we used every bit of woodland we could find that had good light – which is a lot at Wendover! Eventually we were unceremoniously swamped by a large number of Cub Scouts, at which point we retired to the cafe. I love outdoor photography but one should never underestimate the importance of a hot chocolate at the end! Particularly if it means you can grab an additional shot or two. Which I did. So the hot chocolate is almost an integral part of the shoot! That’s my excuse anyway.
The time just flies when we’re shooting and this was no exception. It felt like we’d barely started and we’d already spent nearly two hours running around and had a bag-full of images. I think we’d earned the refreshment.
So, if the next time you’re sitting drinking one Little Italy’s fantastic coffees and wondering who took the photos and how they were done – now you know!
Do let us know what you think as we love to get comments and feedback (good and bad – though clearly, we’d rather it were good!)
Cheers
P.
Cinnamon Tree Restaurant
Posted by Paul in Commercial, For Website on April 18th, 2009
As a regular visitor to the House of Spice restaurants it was fantastic to be commissioned to photograph their new restaurant in Fairford Leys: The Cinnamon Tree. The restaurant opened at the end of last year and offers a huge selection of exclusive Indian cuisine. Cuisine that includes a seemingly limitless buffet – which, incidentally, we had the pleasure of sampling after the shoot (just one perk of the job!)
The photographs needed to capture the feel of the new restaurant which is stunningly modern and quite different to our local Haddenham venue. The restaurant is full of colour with a private dining area (including its own HD TV – perfect for lunchtime meetings and presentations!) , water wall and a beautiful cocktail bar/reception. I think we caught all of that. Oh, and the food is absolutely delicious
Let us know what you think!
Cheers
P.
Emily for Little Italy
Posted by Paul in Commercial, For Website, Lifestyle on April 12th, 2009
Well if the rest of this year continues the way the first few months have been, we’re going to have another absolutey amazing season!
This particular session was one of a few we’ve been doing recently to create new images for our friends in the Little Italy coffee shop in Haddenham.
I love creating these images as we know exactly how they’re going to be used and, as it happens, they’re one of my particular favourite genres – classic black & white.
For this particular session we were photographing the most beautiful little angel, Emily, who proceeded to take complete control of the shoot from the minute she stepped into our studio right up until we’d finished and, grinning, she climbed back into the car with her mum and waved goodbye.
For the type of work we specialise in this works perfectly. And the images reflect it. They are all full of the life and vitality that kids have, from the excitement of having an entire pains aux raisins to be devoured just for the benefit of the camera to the exhuberance of leaping into puddles to create explosions of water. And all of it done with the biggest smile you can imagine!
And for me, this is what portraiture is all about – capturing beautiful images and still having the most fantastic time doing it. And Emily was wonderful. She was funny and engaging, intelligent and wilful – but always polite and well behaved. Oh, and gorgeously photogenic. Isn’t that what photographing childhood should be like?
I do hope so.
Cheers
P.
Fireworks at Carlton Towers
Posted by Paul in Commercial, For Website, Weddings on March 27th, 2009
Wow. Where do I start?!
This was just an amazing session albeit a gruelling one.
We have teamed up once again with the guys at Fuse Fireworks. For our regular visitors, you may remember that we captured some images for them down in a very inclement Bristol back in November but this was a very different shoot.
I always love creating images for Fuse as they have a really forward-thinking view of the marketing and PR images that they’d like. For this session, Ben and Brian from Fuse didn’t want the familiar explosions-in-the-sky type of image but rather wanted to create some images that show a little more of what it’s like to have fireworks as part of your own celebration or wedding. A little more tricky to shoot but brilliant!
We’ve been planning this session for weeks. Hasselblad kindly lent us a beautiful hi-res camera (more about this in another post) and we had hair & makeup, flowers, dresses, lighting, fireworks, models and the most unbelievable location all organised to create the most gorgeous images to cover everyone’s marketing. All of the suppliers involved are some of the best in the business which made it a real pleasure!
So a huge thank you to all the following:
* Once again we’re working with Sassy & Co in High Wycombe which I love. It was Claire and Connie who kindly joined us and we had a ball! Not only do they produce stunning results with hair and makeup – you only have to look at the photos to see that – they’re also just the loveliest people to be working around. They were absolutely at the heart of everything and there wasn’t a single glitch.
* Everyone at Maid in Heaven in High Wycombe for providing some utterly stunning wedding dresses. They were also hugely helpful given that it’s not every day that I get to go and pick out bridal wear!
* Carlton Towers for providing a location to die for. A huge, breathtaking Gothic mansion in the middle of the Yorkshire countryside. I can’t imagine a more glorious place to have as a backdrop
* Alison Tingey from Anthurium Floral created the stunning bouquets that you can see in the shots (you have to see these close up to see her exquisite attention to detail.) We’ve used her floristry for a year or two now and I am still always blown away by her work!
* The models – Anna, Ben, Coral, Danielle, Harriet, Mark, Natasha and Polly. What more can I say? Gorgeous! (even the guys)
* Fireworks – Fuse Fireworks who, as always, create the most sensational explosions! Oh, and you couldn’t ask for nicer guys to work with.
* The guys at EES Showhire provided the beautiful lighting that was the final icing on the cake. We bathed the building in a rich scarlet (for some Halloween publicity) but they had pretty much any colour we could have asked for!
I’ve included quite a few photographs for this blog to give you a feel for all the different types of shots we captured. Enjoy!
Cheers
P.
James Kessell Brand Images
Posted by Paul in Commercial, For Website on March 11th, 2009
We are frequently commissioned to take headshots (portraits I suppose in my world) of people for their own marketing material and websites. I take it as a very real compliment when someone uses an image we’ve created to represent the public face of their business. The personality that someone exudes through the imagery they use, whether it’s a website or a brochure, can make or break an opportunity and so it’s vitally important that we get it right – and I like to think that we do.
James Kessell runs an amazing web and brand design company call Scratch The Sky whose work I really love – particularly the use of photography on the different sites (obviously, anyone who uses photography in their design to such a great extent is always going to popular in my view!) so I was really pleased to be asked to capture some images of him to use.
I suppose, if you post-rationalise a shoot like this, I would say I was trying to capture the personality of the person I’m photographing more than just a simple portrait. At the time, of course, it doesn’t really feel that way. To be honest, it feels much more like we simply chat, drink coffee and capture images. This relaxed approached does have the natural benefit of creating a more ‘conversational’ set of images: not really photojournalism but not really posed portraits either – at least, not all of them – and this is exactly the type of image that I love.
This was one of those sessions, and it was brilliant! James is everything you would expect in someone who you’d trust to look after your brand or web presence and I hope a little of that character – the intelligence and creativity, as well as being a genuinely nice guy – shows through. I hate some people.
Let us know what you think.
Cheers
P.
Mandy & Melissa Headshots
Posted by Paul in Commercial, For Website on March 4th, 2009
I loved this short session.
Mandy & Melissa are both part of the incredible team that Kate Nicolle at Kidology has put together and the brief was to capture a few headshots of each of them that would both fit into the Kidology brand style and would also capture a little of the personality of each of them.
Nice clear brief, two really nice people to photograph (who both photography really easily!), a beautiful day, one happy photographer. And, given the images we captured, hopefully two happy clients!
Let us know what you think.
Cheers
P.
Sassy & Co. Hair Shots
Posted by Paul in Commercial, Fashion, For Website on February 14th, 2009
Well this has been a hugely productive week. At least I think it has been.
With four different sessions and a whole host of meetings, I don’t think we’ve ever been busier.
One definite high point has been the photography we’re doing with the guys over at Sassy & Co. and they came back the other day to complete the hair shots we started last week. This time the model was Becky who we’ve worked with before. Yet another fabulous model (not sure how Katherine and the guys do it) so you can see why I look forward to these sessions.
The hair colouring was done by Jody who did an awesome job and I think we’ve caught the subtlety in it beautifully – as well as creating some gorgeous images!
Though it is crucial that we get it absolutely right (the awards that these images are being entered for only come around once a year, so I don’t think I’d be very popular if we didn’t come up with goods) these sessions are always great fun and this was no exception. What heightened the pressure a little is the tight deadline on this particular brief and so we needed to turn around the shoot, the image selection and the post-production work all in the same evening. Blimey.
Still, we’re absolutely thrilled with the results – to start shooting in the early evening and hand over a completed, beautiful image just as the client needed on the same night is pretty good going. Not something I’d like to do every day but it’s nice to know we are able to when the need arises – though it did take several large pots of tea and a flagon of coffee to see us through. How very rock’n'roll!
Let us know what you think.
Cheers
P.
PS. I’ve uploaded a slightly larger selection than normal onto the blog to show what can be done with a great model, fantastic stylists, a well thought out vision and a generous pot of tea all in one session!
Snowboarding and Skiing in Chamonix
Posted by Paul in Commercial, For Website, Personal, Personal Projects on February 12th, 2009
A couple of days of sun and some of the best snow conditions the Apls have seen in decades. Stunning.
And we have a load of images for our stock library ranging from familiar piste images to the rawness of the glacier in the Vallee Blanche through to some beautiful scenic shots.
Oh, and then I got stuck in Geneva and so we also have a whole series of images from there – somewhat unexpected but still saleable images!
All good fun
Cheers
P.
Crazy Bear Images in the Sunday Times
Posted by Paul in Commercial, For Website on February 8th, 2009
Just a short one this one – some of the images (or at least one of them – haven’t got hold of a copy yet so i can’t be sure!) we shot of the Crazy Bear Hotel in Beaconsfield last year are in the Sunday Times today.
We always think our images are pretty cool but it’s still really nice to see them in print. You never quite get used to it.
The Crazy Bear Hotel is utterly awesome when you’re there but that doesn’t necessarily make it easy to photograph. The place is full of atmosphere, textures, aromas, reflections and the most amazing selection of materials. And, somehow, the images need to capture just a little of that ‘essence’. I think we did exactly that but let us know what you think.
Anyway, a version of the article can be found on the Times Online.
Cheers
P.
Sassy & Co. Fashion Shoot
Posted by Paul in Commercial, Fashion, For Website on February 7th, 2009
Ah, once again we’re working with the guys over at Sassy & Co creating hair and fashion shots for their stylists. Brilliant!
I love working with Kat and her team as they’re not only a very talented bunch but they’re also really nice to work with! Admittedly, Katherine did moan that my hair is looking decidedly shaggy but that somewhat serves me right for leaving it far too long since my last visit!
Anyway, the models this time were Stephan and Ashley. I am not sure how Kat does it but all of the models we have photographed for her are customers or friends of hers (rather than professional models) – and they all look amazing! I’d hate to be at one of her parties! Stephan and Ashley were no exception. Just beautiful.
We were working in our studio this time rather than in the salon which is where we normally hold the session. Possibly a little ‘intimate’ with 4 stylists, 2 models and me and Kelly but good fun.
Cheers
P.
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