I’m amazed at the number of photographers who do not stretch and challenge themselves or the model when they are shooting. Doing the same style time and time again may be in your comfort zone but really only makes for boring photos over time and certainly does not improve your skills. I’d had plenty of experience of photography having started when I was 17 shooting general topics such as landscapes and architecture, with a little street photography thrown in too, particularly around the city of York where I lived.  I went on to do weddings and more commercial work for clients but really hadn’t touched on working with models until probably about 20 years ago.  I look back on my photos at that time and think to myself, what the devil was I thinking.  Poses were wrong, ideas were lacking, lighting was rubbish and personally I thought my model photos were just generally pretty poor and certainly not to be proud of.  I gradually got a little better but it wasn’t until I met a wonderful young lady who I took on as my muse and, whilst she might not have recognised it at the time, she helped me with […]

Since the TV advert you probably know of the word “noseblind” – which according to Wikipedia means “The gradual acclimation to the smells of one’s home, car, or belongings, in which the affected does not notice them” Well, I’m sorry but I’ve gone photoblind. I really cannot “see” 99% of the imagery that pervade our social media, model and photographer portfolios, modelling sites etc. It all just seems that most photos are oh so bloody boring, lack feeling, imagination, have no excitement, no story and so does that mean that potentially they have no reason for being. Sure, they may be perfectly lit, exposed, posed, styled, post-processed, shot in a great location, obeys all the photographic “rules” etc. but really does it do anything for you … or me. And for many, as well as being boring, they can often be a repetitive clone of their own or others work. Rightly or wrongly due to the likes of instagram and tumblr particularly, I think that photography is so very different now than it used to be and for some people that’s a shock. Who cares if there’s big shadows, bright lights, the tops of heads cropped off, limbs cut off […]

Well, plenty of excitement for Nikon, Canon and Fuji photographers this week with their new camera releases. All very tempting whether it’s the Nikon D750, the Canon 7D Mark II or the Fuji X-T1 in graphite silver. Consider though, will your photos actually be any better once you’ve satisfied your GAS tendencies? Probably not. So if you’ve the urge to splash some cash, then go somewhere on a trip either at home or abroad and take photos like you’ve never taken before. Or book a great model or perhaps go do some workshops. All are very much more likely to improve your photography. And your pocket will thank you for it. ? Note: GAS – Gear Acquisition Syndrome

The Christmas holiday I find is always a good time to take stock on what has happened during the year and also start to plan the coming year in terms of what the priorities will be and what work I will be pushing towards. Over the past months I’ve certainly been working towards doing more fashion and commercial, but also moving into product photography.   Some avenues of photography that I’ve previously been in appear to be becoming almost what feels like a closed shop as a number of  photographers flood the market with cheap work and in so doing devalue the work of others and what the magazines are prepared to pay. So by exploring new markets, not only will it help channel my creativity in a different way, it may well open up new work if I build up the relevant skills and also make the right contacts with magazines and companies. I think also that sometimes we do work and/or styles because that is what people always expect us to do.  This year is going to be different, it’s going to be a year of what I want to do ….. so you’re either with me or you’re not.  And if […]

HYBRID – COMBINE TWO OR MORE ELEMENTS TO PRODUCE A BETTER SOLUTION We’re entering a new era in photography and video. For high quality results there have been SLRs but now there are Mirrorless cameras that produce great quality and in a much smaller and portable package. And whilst it’s nothing new, there appears to be a surge of enthusiasm for taking natural ambient light photos for professional work as well as the studio flash setups. So you can perhaps see that the potential to get the ultimate quality, often requires a mix or blend of using the best-suited tools and resources for the job in hand. Here at our studio in Grantham in the UK, we mix the best tools for producing great photo and video results using the latest Nikon DSLRs, Fuji mirrorless camera and the professional’s choice of video camera in a compact form, the Panasonic Lumic GH3. AND not only that, our studio mixes the conventional studio flash and background setup with some rooms that have fantastic natural light. So we’ve got it all. A world that continually changes though needs continual updates on how to get the best from everything. We pride ourselves on doing […]

The more I look, the more I certainly find what I like. I’ve always loved looking through the work of photographers whose work I particularly admire. Photographers (in no particular order) such as Lara Jade, Melissa Rodwell, Perou, Sarah Monrose, Ryan Handy, Jay Mawson, Chris Yates and Andy LeSauvage. I’ve also pinned some of their photos and others on one of my Pinterest boards. Take time to have a look at their work. Be inspired.