Showing posts with label photographer Thames Valley. Show all posts
Showing posts with label photographer Thames Valley. Show all posts

Bryce Aime @ LFW and making friends with the enemy...

Being ill sucks.  It does. Not only does the drone of Jeremy Kyle, Loose Woman and 60 minute makeover offer a torture only known by those sitting long enough to endure them but you also, as I have found out, miss out on some great opportunities....so far for me these have included the Venue and Event show in London, lunch with a lovely friend / client and a job offer.  This is where knowing other quality photographers that you would be proud to recommend are vital.  Knowing your business competition not only helps you in terms of your marketing and general business planning but it helps your business, I tend to get the feeling that some freelancers avoid their peers...I say get up close and personal!  Know them, love them and build alliances!


On a different note before the cold managed to produce a sea of tissues in my otherwise tidy bedroom, I had the pleasure of attending the After Party for Bryce Aime this London Fashion Week.....Pics to follow and for the moment, some of his lovely designs!






Recent Events - The Battle Proms & Folk by the Oak....





Postings have recently been lame, more than lame.....awful!  Thankfully this is due to me being busy however apologies all round for rejecting a vitally important part of what I do.  This apology acts more so as a kick up the backside for me!  So above is a sneak preview of some recent event photography and to come will be some images from the Grant Barnett Fashion Shoot which I am doing tomorrow - a 4am start...nice!

Blogging to improve....

What a Mission...Advertising shoot & Fashion Editorial pics

Tomorrow see's the Mission Hair shoot and a 5.30am start - should be illegal on a Sunday - but looking forward to it and working with a whole team of people I have never worked with before.  Model releases   printed, batteries charged and cards at the ready.  Also the first real shoot I am completing with the new camera - exciting stuff ladies and gentleman let me assure you!

So one thing which has taken a while to get posting on the blog is the Limited Ink pictures, a fashion editorial shoot for a cutting edge t-shirt design company providing limited edition tee's with an array of individual graphics and illustrations.  Below are some pics and when I get some time I think I am going to have a play with the saturation levels on Photoshop, up the yellow a bit or something.  Anyway, for the moment enjoy.

Next week......Mission Hair preview pics, client research project and a tog review!






Expose yourself....

How dare I go away and leave the blog residing on its own, terrible.  Anyway here I am back and with a bang!  Not only did my sparkly new camera arrive today but I have worked some on the new website and it is looking fab I must say.  As soon as the logo is redesigned I can really start moving things forward and one of the things I am looking forward to most is my new promo card!!! If you don't know what a promo card is check out this link.
I also have a new exciting format for my interviews, quick, fire filled and just 60 seconds long!  Welcome to EXPOSED!  I am really feeling this new style and hope to be speaking to various people from the creative and events industries.  Our very special first Exposed is brought to you by The Pineapple Parlour, a high end events agency creating truly memorable events by stepping outside the boundaries of expectation.  Welcome all pineapple lovers.




Being exposed: 
Tom Dee from The Pineapple Parlour
Links: 
Web | Twitter | Facebook


In three words my company does...
Events + Events + Minor Miracles


If my company was an item found on a desk it would be...
Something functional but non-banal, probably a paper weight or envelope opener.....From Paris, circa 1910.  Or a Pez.


Not many people know...
Originally Superman didn't have the ability to fly, just very powerful legs for extremely high jumping


The last client Pineapple had the pleasure of doing business with was...
A social enterprise group called I-Genius.  We're helping coordinate events for the future and we are really chuffed as we like working with charities and good causes.


One thing I wish I knew more about is...
Astrobiology, purely because anyone who claims to know too much about it is making it up!  Genuinely interesting speculation though.


Photography to me means...
A chance to 'eternalize' that which we have tried so hard to get right, and very often the only remaining memory of an occasion, a person, a place etc.  This the world would be altogether less human without it.


I likes Pineapples because...
"Funky looking fruit, tough on the outside but delicate inside."  Sounds a bit dodgy but probably sums it up!



Thrifty Thursday....to pro or not to pro?


Thrifty Thursday again and I have been doing various research on using professional photographers and how images effect things like visitor experience of web pages and receipt of marketing material etc.  Not only does this help me to understand my services and products better but also the views of my potential target markets.  
I found some of this research interesting and for those of you rebuilding websites and thinking about using images this might give you some tips.

 - Commissioning a photographer rather than using stock images...are there advantages?
 - Why use a pro?  Everyone (almost) has a digital camera these days so why can't it be done without.  Well everyone has excel and access to some accounting packages, it doesn't mean doing your accounts yourself is a good idea. Kelly Gillam in this article asks one to think about the benefits before writing a pro off.  
 - Here the AOP a professional Association of Photographers writes a short piece on the False Economies of using Maureen in the office who owns an SLR, but also includes some useful pointers on copyright.
 - Getting your text right in your marketing material is vital so complimenting this with effective imagery can make those words resonate.  Download this blueprint for 5 effective tips for marketing material and how to get those images right.
Cliche but true...a picture paints a thousand words.  How many words would you have to write to say what that one image portrays in under a second?
 - Research in psychology and communication show that a visual display has many advantages in comparison to typical language...this is a detailed study completed in 2009 of the case for Graphic representations.  Read this if you have some time...interesting though!

(Image courtesy of loyalkng)


Looking to the sun...

I don't normally write about this but thought, hey why not.  It also fills a space that an interview doesn't...sorry about that, hopefully coming soon.

Anyway, Carli-Art is very proud to be working alongside Solar Plaza to provide full coverage of their UK PV conference, an event discussing the details of the new feed in tariff and exploring market opportunities. Not knowing a huge amount about Solar energy myself I did some digging and was intrigued to learn about the government solar incentive scheme which was introduced in April.  I am looking forward to covering this packed event and of course....getting to use the new D5.  (Which hasn't actually arrived yet after ordering 8 days ago!) 

If you wish to learn more about this fab event or check out the unique and historic venue.....click here.

Thrifty Thursday....writing copy

The blog sees its first Thrifty Thursday, an accumulation of various handy tips, news and bits of interesting chit chat that I stumble across on the web be it useful or useless!  Today it will be useful as my brain is all geared up preparing these portfolio's and strengthening my brand by having a consistent few paragraphs of copy that I use in printed media and online that clearly and effectively let you guys know what I do.  Far more complicated than I first thought I went on the web for inspiration & came up with the following.....

  • Make your audiences pay attention; make them respond in some way. Our content uses the language and messages that we identify as being appropriate for the people you want to engage. Thanks to Resonate as this is one of their five C's!
  • Your copy also needs to be found by search engines and someone said to be the other day (thank you Andrew from Direct-to-Market) that people using two words in Google are looking to educate themselves, those using 3 or more are looking to buy.  Therefore I was thinking maybe brainstorm what those keywords are, being more specific than you may have first thought, then try and fit one of them into your copy.  More SEO copy stuff - try this link.  You even get a free downloadable booklet. Thank you Brian from Copyblogger
  • Focus on the reader – make an important promise early on (with your headline and opening paragraphs) that tells the reader what’s in it for her. Never allow readers to question why they are bothering to pay attention.  Again, thank you Brian from Copyblogger.
  • Diagram your words.  Diagramming keywords that you want people to know about your business or which represent your brand will help organise your thoughts before you put your fingers to the keyboard.  Think about how much information you need and how to present it.  Thank you to All business for this snippet! 
  • Add a strong call to action at least twice. Like bookmarks, a strong and concise call to buy should be placed early in your promotional piece, as well as near the end. Be clear in how customers should contact you and always give your website address if you have one.  Thank you to Entrepeneur.com for this beauty.
  • People buy the sizzle, not the steak. Features are only a means to an end. What do the features of your product mean to the lives of your consumers?
  • Keep your voice personal, professional but personal.....be you!  Read more courtesy of Excess Voice.
Right....now to write some copy that works!! I will be back with the results.....hopefully something worth smiling about!