Posts

Sage Group Treasurer John Swift

This month’s edition of The Treasurer features local Sage Group’s John Swift. Think Publishing in London who manage the design asked me to capture John at the impressive Sage building in Newcastle to assist the copy. The portraits were to reflect a relaxed and professional John with a variety of posed and in a natural working environment for a centre spread and cover option.

The challenge of corporate portraiture is finding good sources of light and making sure that the subject is relaxed. Commercial portraits need show the individual to be approachable and professional and reflecting character can also be a great addition to the image. John was really genuinely jolly and a willing subject which made the shoot run smoothly and enjoyably. The setting offered so much natural light that there were several options for backdrops and a few incorporating the strong Sage branding. Some shoots are tricky but this really was a dream! See the results below currently on The Treasurer website.

John Swift Treasurer SageJohn Swift Treasurer Sage portraitsJohn Swift Treasurer Sage 057John Swift Treasurer Sage 035John Swift Treasurer Sage 005

The Big Cheese Making Kit

Big Cheese Making Kit has been created by Ailsa Proverbs and her team offering an amazing product for those who fancy the idea of making cheese at home. It has exploded so fast that originally the kits had instruction manuals with quick phone snaps. With the demand increasing for Christmas from stockists such as Debenhams and Harrods, Ailsa wanted to replace the temporary shots with professional ones. I was commissioned to capture well executed illustrative photos of the key stages in the cheese making process for Halloumi, Goats and Mozzarella. As food and drink photography is one of my specialities I was delighted to get on board!

The day was lots of fun learning about cheese making as I worked and Ailsa’s beautiful new kitchen was a fantastic backdrop for the imagery. For anyone interested in these kits, have a look at thier website as they make a perfect pressie for any cheese lovers!  http://www.bigcheesemakingkit.com 

the big cheese making kit 2The Big Cheese Making KitThe Big Cheese making Kit 3the big cheese making kit 4The Big Cheese Making Kit samplesthe big cheese 167

Food Nation Photography Workshop

I recently held a fantastic food photography workshop at Food Nation’s premises in Heaton, Newcastle upon Tyne. The team wanted me to teach them how to use their kitchens and prep areas to take great shots of their food on their phones and company camera. The idea was to experiment with different backdrops and available lighting to promote the food they produce at their cookery workshops.

The team cooked a series of recipes from one of their sponsor’s Jamie’s Ministry of Food all with different photographic challenges, whether it be shooting whilst food is steaming, eggs sinking into stews or colour corrections once plated up. We had a mass of props and once each dish was cooked we experimented with angles, colours and close ups to get new attractive approaches to photographic compositions.

We had lots of fun and the team took away great tips for their future social networking images. To view recipes, cookery workshops and general news here is their website http://www.foodnation.org

food nation food photography workshop Jamie's saladFood nation photography workshop with jamie's ministry recipesfood nation food photography workshop

Newborn Portraits at Home

The newborn portrait shoot is always a good deal easier for all the family when its captured at home. Life is a bit of a whirlwind with a new arrival so I am always happy to bring my camera to your house and capture your family there. Whilst I love my Newcastle studio work, there is something lovely about capturing a family in their home using soft furnishings as backdrops and scenes that will be so familiar in years to come.

Sarah came to me through a recommendation and wanted her newborn daughter Freya photographed at her Low Fell home in her first few days with brother Noah. She was super sweet and Noah was really gentle with her making the newborn photos of the two of them easy to compose.

The results were atmospheric and homely. If you are interested in any of my packages for a home shoot for yourself or for a gift to a new mum all my studio deals can be offered at home too. Just drop me a line!

newborn portraits at home in low fell gatesheadnewborn family portraits at home in low fell gatesheadnewborn and brother photos at home for portrait shoot gateshead9 tile design of family portraits of newborn family shot

The All Seeing Eye, Fluid Group Newcastle

The All Seeing Eye opened two weeks ago by owner Oliver Vaulkhard of Fluid group in Newcastle. Heineken’s Star Pubs and Bars have invested in the refurbishment of what was The Blackie Boy’s rarely used function room upstairs. The historic features have been exposed with the roofs rafter’s, rustic red brickwork and 30’s satined glass windows creating a cool New York feel together with ornate Moroccan tables and velvet furnishings adding a laid back vibe.

The brief was to capture PR portraits of Manager Dave Walker and his staff along with photography of the bar interior design showcasing the large atrium, the light features and the relaxed low ceiling snug area. The lighting and colours created dramatic compositions perfect for PR & marketing photography for todays Journal to promote this fantastic new late night bar in Newcastle city centre.

The article is in today’s Journal on this link http://www.thejournal.co.uk/business/business-news/popular-pubs-receive-240000-makeover-7120118

The all Seeing Eye Newcastle BarASE Newcastle  016ASE Newcastle 022All Seeing Eye Newcastle Fluid Bar