3 November - Music Music Music

Started collaborating with Push Puzzle Record Label based in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.  Working with individual musician's and bands to record their gigs and also provide images for advertising and marketing for forthcoming; singles and album releases including album covers etc.

This is a selection of a number of bands auditioning for the label.

See also: https://www.facebook.com/PushPuzzleRecords

27 October 2014 - Incident Room - Oh là là là là !

Another assignment this time under the title "Incident Room".  Not of course in the emergency services sense but more related to reading what is happening in the image (Incident.)

Had great fun with friends putting this together.

In this image it portrays innuendo and a twist to the more historic practices once said of the Lord of the Manor and the servants!!

Thank you to the Count, Countess, Butler and House Maid at The Towers!!

Please note the characters are fictitious and has no bearing on real life!

20 October 2014 - Weightless

This latest brief required an image of a person that appeared to be floating in air and hence defying gravity.  The strap line was "Leap into your future" which has been removed along with the logo as it identified the client .

This is a work-in-progress image and requires a little more refinement. (Low Res version)

If you would like to comment on what you believe it is necessary to alter for the final image then please let me have your observations!  (Please ignore my Logo (top left) and copyright as this wouldn't be on the final image given to the client.)

Unfortunately there are no prizes for your input but, you may find it useful in testing your observation skills when looking at and reading an image.  The remaining tweaks also show the extent to which professional photographers need to manipulate images to satisfy clients!!

August 2014 - Reflection on the 1st year of my Photography Degree - To be or not to be!

Twelve months have now passed since I started my Photography degree and I can say that overall I've enjoyed the experience.  I have met many like minded students (albeit many are teenagers or are in their early twenty's) but there are also a few mature students on the course all with similar desires to eventually turn professional.

It must be said, there have been a few up's and down's as you would expect as life is not perfect but, you have to make the best of what you have and are presented with.  It's part of human nature to solve problems and find solutions and if you're not stretched in body mind or mind then you might not feel entirely satisfied or alternatively you may just be a sloth!! Nothing wrong with that, if it floats your boat!!

It would seem that the academics here are well connected to working photographers (mostly former students) who are operating in the North East which does provide a ready source of industry speakers and the odd internment and quite often businesses will contact the Photography Department to offer photographic opportunities (on the cheap under the pretext of providing experience to budding togs!!)  That said you have to get experience somehow!!

However what does seem to be missing in the photography profession and is unlike many other professions is the overall industry/business support for those wanting to enter the trade which is a shame and is no doubt why most photographers end up being self-employed.

It would also seem that many businesses do not value the worth of a photographic image and its contribution to their business although an image is apparently worth a thousand words! More words than most marketing campaigns.

That said, successful business marketing and advertising is what helps to promote products and brings in customers with images playing a very important role in this process.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_picture_is_worth_a_thousand_words

So why you may ask are photographers so undervalued by businesses?

Please feel free to comment!