photographer newcastle Archives - Page 4 of 18 - Sarah Deane Photography Studio Newcastle

YMCA Portraits

11 May 2020/0 Comments/in Commercial, Portraits, PR and Editorial /by Sarah Deane

Just before lockdown I worked with the YMCA in Newcastle on their Urban Mushroom project, capturing photos of the grow-your-own kits they sell made from recycled local coffee grains. It’s a genius idea and more mushroom images will be shared when they go live. Part of the photography brief was to capture urban portraits in Newcastle city centre of the local youth that the scheme employs.

The YMCA are an exciting new client for me and one of the fist things I discussed when meeting Calvin, the Marketing Officer at YMCA Newcastle, was the infamous song! I was curious to know whether it felt relevant to the work they do now. I’d thought the memorable 1970’s Village People’s flamboyance was worlds apart from what the charity does today but did you know that the song was celebrating the YMCA help given to young gay men who were rejected by family and turfed out of home? The YMCA charity gave accommodation to those homeless young men and so Calvin explained the history of the organisation was well respected in this song. Now the YMCA supports both young men and women in all areas of life and Urban Mushrooms is an important employment scheme in Newcastle’s YMCA.

My main focus for the portrait shoot was the amazing Wilton who is employed by the Urban Mushroom scheme. He was a super star and surprisingly tolerant of me pointing a camera in his direction for several hours! I got some atmospheric shots of him and YMCA staff too by simply crossing the road from their premises and using the alleyway next to the Tyneside Cinema. So many brick textures, backdrop colours and lighting styles in that one street!

The brief was to capture a more relaxed expression, so not necessarily smiling as this can appear unappealing, staged and possibly unrealistic to the younger target market the YMCA want to attract. We also discussed the use of dimension and angles to fit with the YMCA style of photography and branding currently on their website. It was a clear and creative brief (the best of course) and the mood and expression needed to be just right. It was also a different type of shoot for me as I usually encourage people to smile although I did get a few smilers at the end though. Obviously!

For more information on the YMCA Newcastle and it’s work click here

Science Museum’s ‘Robots Then and Now’

29 April 2020/0 Comments/in Commercial, PR and Editorial /by Sarah Deane

Robot Faces: Exhibition Photography

This exhibition at the Science Museum explored the 500 year history of humanoid robots. It opened in 2017 in London, and in 2018 Life Science Centre in Newcastle was lucky enough to host it before it toured internationally, this year in Berlin.

If you love a robot face, particularly the 1970’s 80’s toys like me, then you’d have been in for treat at this exhibition! It was a joy to capture these photos for the Life marketing team, the colourful lighting, cartoon style designs and the amazing interactive technology of the moving and talking machines!

The exhibition graphics are the design work of the amazing London based Environmental Graphic Designers, Studio HB, for whom I have captured images for the David Bowie, Winnie the Pooh, Dylan Thomas and most recently the Corbridge Hoard exhibitions to name but a few.

These colourful robot photos are the perfect antidote to a grey day or a crazy pandemic lockdown…. just look at their funny googley eyes! If you wanted to find out more about the fantastic PR stunt that I captured to promote the exhibition’s visit to Life then you can read a blog I wrote in 2018 on this link here.

English Heritage’s Corbridge Hoard

22 April 2020/0 Comments/in Commercial, PR and Editorial /by Sarah Deane

Corbridge Hidden Treasures

You may know this already but until I was briefed for this shoot, I had no idea that Corbridge, just outside the pretty cobbled town centre, has an excavated Roman settlement managed by English Heritage. As well as the architectural remains to walk around there is a display of the largest of Hadrian’s Wall’s collections. Its exhibited together with a 2000 year old ‘hoard’ of buried treasure. The excavation here in 1964 found one of the most significant historical findings; a Roman soldier’s belongings including armour, tools, weaponry, wax writing tablets and papyrus, (an ancient writing paper). Essentially it was a Roman time capsule!

These discoveries were found buried in an iron-bound, leather-covered wooden chest which was likely to have been left by it’s owner to collect at a later date but never was. Instead the well preserved items are exhibited at the English Heritage Centre in Corbridge in a colourful, interesting and atmospheric exhibition.

Studio hb, a London based Graphic Designer, created the exhibition’s design concept using detailed spot lighting, careful symmetry, dramatically suspended heavy stone work and a colour scheme inspired by the orange and blue-green beads of the Roman jewellery exhibits. I was briefed by Studio hb’s Helen to capture the design detail of coloured lined timescales, debossed typography (echoing roman etchings in stone) and the story telling layouts of tiny and delicate artefacts.

For anyone interested in finding out more about Hardian’s Wall or the Corbridge Town Roman settlement information can be found on The English Heritage website here

Behind the scenes with Yoshi Muto

17 April 2020/0 Comments/in Commercial, PR and Editorial /by Sarah Deane

Have you ever wanted to see what the Newcastle United Premier League see as they pass through the player’s tunnel? Or maybe the dressing rooms with new graphics and updated interior where the team prepare before a match? Below are a selection of images that I took behind the scenes at St James’ park late last year with Yoshinori Muto and Newcastle United Foundation’s Melissa Scott.

Last year I was thrilled to begin working with Newcastle United Foundation, the official charity partner of Newcastle United Football Club. The Foundation uses the local passion for football to help support disadvantaged children, young people and families by teaching healthy lifestyle, fitness and employability across the region. They are currently fundamental in supporting food banks, NHS and vulnerable communities in Newcastle during the debilitating Covid-19 pandemic.

The Foundation team are based at St James’ Park and have their own in-house NUFC photographer Serena, but I pick up when she can’t be in two places at the same time. I get such a buzz when I approach the ginormous towering grounds and it’s always such a privilege to be pitch side or behind the scenes outside match times. Having free rein of the stadium feels incredibly special!

Last Autumn I documented Newcastle United player Yoshinori Muto meeting excited young Japanese football fans who had travelled more than 5,700 miles form Shinshiro to visit Newcastle and St James’ Park. The school children were part of an initiative linking towns and cities named ‘Newcastle’ across the world which, Melissa Scott the Foundation’s Community Coordinator was involved with. She had travelled to Shinshiro the year before, playing in a Japanese sports day event with countries from all over the world and left a signed shirt from the club’s premier players at the school. My images of the excited faces meeting Yoshi were for an article published in the Chronicle here

After Yoshi posed for pictures and received gifts from fans he wanted to learn more about the charity’s work. I captured documentary photography in the sparkling newly refurbished NUFC changing rooms whilst they discussed Melissa’s role. She explained she was involved with many staff, children and teenagers at Newcastle’s Great North Children’s Hospital on the paediatric oncology ward as they receive cancer care. Melissa’s work is only possible thanks to a special partnership between Newcastle United Foundation, Sir Bobby Robson Foundation and People’s Postcode Lottery. More about the charity’s work can be found here

Mothers Day Online Gift Ideas

17 March 2020/0 Comments/in Commercial /by Sarah Deane

Earlier this year I shot a series of photographs of jewellery for Pretty Serendipity in my Newcastle Photography studio here in the city centre. I thought it might be nice to shout about them on the run up to Mothers Day as these are gifts that can be made and posted to your Mumma direct- no shops, no risky business, and certainly no forgetting about her in these crazy times. My Photo Gift Voucher packs can also be purchased as a Mothers Day Gift to use when all isolation settles down and you feel safe back in the outsidyways world! More info on various packages on my pricing pages here

Below are a selection of shots used on the updated website and a screen shot showing how my new jewellery product photography images look on the model and side by side with their own product shots. The products are beautiful and these new model shots help give a sense of size and scale that Pretty Serendipity needed. I loved working with their team, their gorgeous products AND they gave such kind feedback. I shall be looking forward to working together again in the future. Their products can be seen here

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