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Greggs Jolly Genius Ho Ho Ho!

So it’s the talk of the town! Clever old Greggs has thoroughly entertained everyone who has been gazing into Fenwick’s window this Christmas. The display is tasteful and colourful, celebrating 40 years of the iconic Christmas character The Snowman in 2018.

Greggs is situated directly opposite Fenwick and had the fabulous and playful idea of switching it’s front of shop signage to reverse when the crowds flocked this Christmas. So currently when you look in the window or snap with your phone, the Greggs brand is there shining brightly back at you, the right way around!

It surprises you the first time you see it, makes you chuckle and it feels a bit naughty! Greggs and Fenwick are great pals so it’s all above board and people are loving it, sharing across social media, shouting about it in the press and so it’s around a little longer than planned. Very clever advertising indeed!

So here’s where I come in….. Greggs got in touch with a really interesting and fun branding project to create a portfolio of lifestyle shots in a documentary photography style. The aim was to capture real imagery of their diverse customers in Newcastle city centre.

Whilst I was chasing people with their pasties in the rain up Northumberland St it would have been rude not to have got some of this beauty for their archives! As a documentary photographer I thrive on this type of shoot, and working for such an established well known  North East brand makes me feel proud.

Many of you may have seen it either ‘in the flesh’ or even in the “RONIGAAAL” (Chronicle that is…) but those who haven’t you may like to see the effect in my photographs below. But those who plan to visit soon, please look away NOW!

Fenwick's window photography winter 2018 by Newcastle Photographer Fenwick's window photography winter 2018 by Newcastle Photographer Documentary Professional Photographer in Newcastle Fenwick's window photography winter 2018 by Newcastle PhotographerFenwick's window photography winter 2018 by Newcastle Photographer Greggs Photography on northumberland street in Newcastle city centre Documentary Professional Photographer in Newcastle Greggs Photography on northumberland street in Newcastle city centre Greggs Photography on northumberland street in Newcastle city centre

Träkol at By The River Brew Co

Träkol Food Photography
for Event Magazine Mail on Sunday
September 2018
If you are lucky enough to live in or near Newcastle and Gateshead you’ll have seen how exciting places to eat and drink are popping up in lots of new spots. As a bar, restaurant and food & drink photographer there’s suddenly lots of fresh opportunity to take interesting shots at attractive local venues. This year has been particularly lively with the opening of Route on The Side, Brinkburn Brewery in the Ouseburn and By the River Brew Co on Gateshead Quay to name but a fab few. I have been buzzing this summer as I’m a big foodie nerd outside of shooting hours and having all this choice and exceptional quality is just brilliant!
It’s not just the food that is amazeballs (Hawkers market at By the River Brew Co offers international street food, Träkol, Route and Brinkburn Brewery sophisticated small plates) it’s the venue locations that make them really exhilarating. Most are set within historic and very photogenic industrial Newcastle including terraced spaces within the Tudor architecture of the Side, a bar with an entrance to the underground Victoria Tunnel and river side under the 7000 tonnes of sturdy Tyne Bridge steel. So when the Mail on Sunday got in touch to ask me to take photos of Träkol restaurant I was pretty enthusiastic!

The brief from the Mail picture desk was to capture Träkol’s shipping container exterior sat between the beautiful bridges together with the interior design and restaurant’s open fire cooking. I was given a list of dishes Tom Parker Bowles had sampled the previous week to be reviewed in the Sunday supplement Event magazine on Sunday 23rd September. Träkol’s dishes of Surf Clams, Octopus Ceviche, Osado Cooked Lamb, Pig Tails and the Half Pig Head feast were prepared expertly and presented beautifully by the chef for me to photograph. The dishes were such a beautiful mixture of textures, colours and garnish that a week after I booked to go experience it for myself. I was blown away by the flavours, atmosphere, service and the high quality of the food. I really recommend a visit starting with an ale by the Tyne, then after a night cap in Hawkers Market. The location and views are exhilarating! Hurrah for these canny new businesses in the North East, giving us amazing new experiences and something to feel proud, show off and shout loudly about!

Food and interior photography by newcastle Photographer taken in Gateshead's Trakol by the river brew co Food and interior photography by newcastle Photographer taken in Gateshead's Trakol by the river brew co Food and interior photography by newcastle Photographer taken in Gateshead's Trakol by the river brew co Food and interior photography by newcastle Photographer taken in Gateshead's Trakol by the river brew co Food and interior photography by newcastle Photographer taken in Gateshead's Trakol by the river brew co Food and interior photography by newcastle Photographer taken in Gateshead's Trakol by the river brew co Food and interior photography by newcastle Photographer taken in Gateshead's Trakol by the river brew co Food and interior photography by newcastle Photographer taken in Gateshead's Trakol by the river brew co Food and interior photography by newcastle Photographer taken in Gateshead's Trakol by the river brew co Food and interior photography by newcastle Photographer taken in Gateshead's Trakol by the river brew co

Food and interior photography by newcastle Photographer taken in Gateshead's Trakol by the river brew co

newcastle photographer takes food images at restaurant by the tyne

 

Branding, Website and Studio Refresh

This year has seen some big changes at my photo studio and the way I approach my work. As I am now non stop with corporate photography Monday to Friday I have restricted my weekend work and ceased wedding shoots altogether. It’s exactly where I aimed to be so I’m delighted and have celebrated with an updated logo to reflect my focus on Commercial Photography. This all celebrates 7 years in business which feels fantastic!

London based Studio hb who had designed my original branding were briefed to update the typeface to something very ‘me’. A new fresher tone of green has replaced the old and we have ridded of the black and dark greys and switched to a fresher cleaner white. The new font Bella Regular has a similar friendly, approachable and creative feel to the last, but with a new simplistic SD and circular icon. I love its newness and to me it represents progression and celebration that I am still here 7 years on! Hurray! The new logo is now stripped though my website, my marketing materials and up on my studio walls so have a gander and see what you think…

SD Photographic logo 2018

As well as my branding refresh I have refitted my beloved studio with a built in desk space beautifully designed and fitted by A. Lister Carpentry and Joinery, a local lady who knows her stuff when it comes to bespoke office creations in uneven underground whitewashed caves!

Clients often visiting my studio at Clavering House for portrait headshots, comment on how my photo studio looks like a house in Santorini, the bar in an early Star Wars film or an igloo. Whilst young visitors here for family portraits often ask ‘do you live here?’ as it is so cosy and homely. Thankfully there is time after work to go to my real home!

The studio space accommodates website product photography, headshot staff profiles, fashion and family celebrations whether Graduations, Wedding Anniversaries or Bumps and Babies now with even greater ease and I have space for another staff member too! I’ll be updating you on this fab addition soon.

My website has also had a revamp (yes I was VERY busy this June & July!) and has a whole new set of professional/corporate portraiture galleries, featuring Studio Headshots, Staff at Work, Meet the Team and on location portrait photography. I also have afab selection of performer profiles and model portfolio images. Check it out on http://www.sarahdeanephotography.co.uk/professional-portraiture/ 

So here are the before and after- from store cupboard in 2015 to a glorious space in its 2018 newness. I am loving it!

Clavering house basement converted to photo studio

 

 

sarah deane studio refit in 2018 sarah deane studio refit in 2018 sarah deane studio refit in 2018

Life’s Robots Then and Now

Robots Then and Now

Life Science Centre has a new amazing exhibition! It is the story of robots progression from 16th Century mechanical automatons to the fascinating humanoids of today and the future. The exhibition was created by the Science Museum in London and after travelling to Manchester now us northerners are lucky enough to see it locally at the Life Science Centre Newcastle.

Last month Life promoted the new exhibition with a robot humanoid duo from Berlin being photographed in character all around Newcastle. It was my job to as event photographer to capture great PR and editorial shots of the robots as they mingled with perplexed shoppers in the city centre. They also travelled on the Metro to much amusement of commuters, shopped in the Grainger Market for their fruit and veg then relaxed and entertained on the Quayside Seaside with staff on their lunch breaks.

This type of event photography is so much fun and really keeps you on your toes as everything is so  unpredictable! The moving metro is a technical challenge as the light changes by the second but standing back and photographing genuine public reactions is what makes it so entertaining! Below are a selection of my images shared from that day by The Chronicle and the International Life Science Centre. Even an image of me shooting which was kindly sent to me via the press from a very kind Dariusz Brodowski who was trying out a new lens at the Monument!

Watch this space for more robot shots of the opening of the exhibition. If you havent been to see it make sure you make some time this summer!

Photographer newcastle shooting events in the city centrePhotographer newcastle shooting events in the city centrePhotographer newcastle shooting events in the city centre
Photographer newcastle shooting events in the city centrePhotographer newcastle shooting events in the city centre Photographer newcastle shooting events in the city centrePhotographer sarah deane in newcastle shooting events in the city centrePhotographer newcastle shooting events in the city centrePhotographer newcastle shooting events in the city centre

Photographer newcastle shooting events in the city centre

People in June, my top 5 shots

So this weekend I am on a residential training weekend with the Enterprise Agency and 40 other business owners from the North East. For three days I am intensively looking at my studio business, working process and new ideas.

Today is focussing on marketing and media platforms so a live task is to post a piece of content that may be of interest to my clients past current and future.

So with only 30 minutes to pull this post together I am (probably with many typos!) throwing out there 5 top photos shot in June. The theme is people in a documentary context, not posed and just naturally doing their thing shot with a shallow depth of field giving that lovely atmospheric blur. This style of photography is particularly helpful when the summer drinks shot was taken in the rain!

Having gained many new contracts this month I have met lots of new faces and so had a good variety of people to choose from. Below are a selection taken from commissions from Metro newspaper in conjunction with Jack Daniels and local businesses Adventures in Aude catering and Transcendit IT company.

I hope they inspire you to think about how the people in your business can be represented in photography and how this reflects the brand of your business in attractive imagery for editorial or website use. Happy working Saturday folks!