the Photographer - Spring 2013

the PHOTOGRAPHER

The Magazine of the BIPP / Spring 2013

Spring 2013

Paul Walker

Working with animals is not for the faint-hearted

New gear at Focus The tech and trends at this year’s exhibition

Portraiture

Paul Moffat

The new black

His star is rising on the commercial scene

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Emma Duggan in search of the truth Image © Emma Duggan

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Spring 2013

The Editor / Comment 2 Cover story / Emma Duggan 4 It’s not the usual response to difficult economic times, but Emma’s shot in the dark has transformed her approach to business

Focus on Imaging 2013 16 Not everyone’s cup of tea, but Focus is the big chance to get hands-on with new gear and tech.

There was, again, lots on offer the Photographer is published four times a year by the British Institute of Professional Photography, The Coach House, The Firs, High Street, Whitchurch, Aylesbury HP22 4SJ. T: 01296 642020 E: info@bipp.com W: www.bipp.com President: Roy Meiklejon FBIPP Chief Executive: Chris Harper FBIPP Directors: Russell Baston FBIPP, Kevin Pengelly FBIPP, Graham Rutherford FBIPP, Malcolm Sales ABIPP, Frank Tomlinson FBIPP

Rising star / Paul Moffat 26 Recognition and awareness on the commercial scene can be a long road but Paul’s work is keeping him in the front of creatives’ minds Top dog / Paul Walker 32 Paul specialises in getting into the canine mind and so getting the best from animal portraiture

BIPP / News from the Institute 44 An update from BIPP Director Russell Baston; Awards information; Membership Services Advisory Board Suzi Allen LBIPP (South West) Russell Baston FBIPP (National seat) Tony Freeman Hon FBIPP (National seat) Richard Mayfield FBIPP (Yorkshire) Alan McEwan FBIPP (Scotland) Ian Pedlow LBIPP (Northern Ireland) Kevin Pengelly FBIPP (South East) James Russell LBIPP (North West) Graham Rutherford FBIPP (National seat) Malcolm Sales ABIPP (Midlands)

Tim Flach’s fellowship; BIPP company partners and benefits; plus regional events Revisited / Mackney Photography 54 The business model is working out nicely up in Derby

Copyright / Stop43 update 58 The campaign continues and Paul Ellis tells us where it’s at Business / Branding 62 Make the right impression Frank Tomlinson FBIPP (National seat) Kevin Weatherly LBIPP (North East) Bella West FBIPP (National seat) Stuart Wood FBIPP (National seat) Editor: Jonathan Briggs, editor@bipp.com Advertising: Tel 01296 642020 Email: alexander@bipp.com UK Subscribers £20, EU £40, Rest of the World £50 ISSN: 0031-8698 Printed and bound by Magazine Printing Company, Enfield

Neither the British Institute of Professional Photography (BIPP) nor any of its employees, members, contractors or agents accepts any responsibility whatsoever for loss of or damage to photographs, illustrations or manuscripts or any other material submitted, howsoever caused. The views expressed in this magazine are the views of individual contributors and do not necessarily represent the views of the BIPP. All advertisements are accepted and all editorial matter published in good faith. The Publisher makes no warranty, express or implied, that any particular product or service is available at the time of publication or at any given price. No part of this publication may be reproduced by any means whatsoever, or stored in a retrieval system, or broadcast, published or exhibited without the prior permission of the publisher. This magazine is the copyright of the BIPP without prejudice to the right of contributors and photographers as defined in the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. Registered at Stationers’ Hall, Ref B6546, No. 24577. © BIPP 2013

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The editor / Comment

No next ‘big thing’?

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he Spring issue of the Photographer – but right now there’s snow on the ground and folk have just spent the night stuck on Sussex roads – somehow we just can’t cope with a cold snap in this country. Let’s also face facts and admit that it’s not only the weather that’s been chilly in the past year – the economic climate has continued to be difficult.

Whilst national statistics say the economy is flat at best, in real life the money we do have in our pockets is not going very far. Pop to the supermarket and two wellpacked carrier bags can leave you £40 lighter, and the price of travel is, well, one-way traffic. All of which effectively pushes up the fixed costs of doing business so putting pressure on margins. All in all a rapid-fire survey of sole traders and small businesses would tell you it’s still really very hard.

I’ve been known in the past to use Mary Walker’s Focus On Imaging show at the NEC as an economic and industry finger in the wind, and so it proved once again. Elsewhere in this issue there’s a round-up of some of the new products that were at the event. But here’s a few headline figures: 34,397 visitors went to Focus; Canon brought no new products. Epson brought no new products but at least they managed a press release saying how great they were – respect. The visitor numbers were impressive – down by a touch, but the contraction was very much in line with that of the overall photo sector reported

Focus on Imaging has just been and gone – but what does this event say about the photography industry in the UK and globally? in this column last issue. See – Focus is an effective finger in the wind. What of Epson and Canon going with no new products to boast of? Well, no one seemed to really mind – Canon went all-out with an incredible stand that really was a show-stopper whilst Epson ran out basically the same stand with the same products. Certainly the product cycle is getting longer, which must mean that research and development funding is tighter globally, or certainly has been in the recent past since there’s an obvious lag before we notice it on the streets. As two of the three or four big-boys in the industry it was notable – as was Adobe’s continued absence. I ‘focus’ on these (groan) simply because they represent the capture-process-output cycle that is fundamentally what we all do, whether in-house or not. And what has always funded R&D into top-end pro’ products whether analogue or digital? That’s right – the domestic / enthusiast user. Hence the next time you come over all snooty about the big lens and technical jacket brigade, think again…

It could well be that two things have happened. First, the overall market for digital camera devices in all their various forms might have finally peaked – it was never going to be infinite. And secondly, there’s only so many levels of photographer and camera differentiation that are possible and that saturation point may have been hit. Note that Nikon’s new products were the D7100 (very top-end enthusiast) and the Nikon Coolpix A (highly capable compact). You can read more about these products in the round-up and ponder at leisure the fact that both are way more capable sensor wise than a firstgeneration Canon 5D. However, it could be that the race to make the best top-end D-SLR camera has come to a hault.

Jonathan Briggs, editor

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Contact the importer for full technical details, prices and list of dealers: info@flaghead.co.uk or tel: 01202 733123

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Emma Duggan / Portraiture

What you want to be Keen to avoid the standard high-key treatment of family portraiture, Emma Duggan embraced the dark side, rejecting one or two accepted photographic techniques along the way too.

For Emma, it all comes down to truth and honesty – being what she wants to be – then allowing her sitters exactly the same freedom

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ormulas are there to be broken; thinking is at its best outside of the box… and under blue skies; rules, rejected.

Possibly the hardest aspect of photography to accept is that it’s you, behind the lens, that makes the image – not in terms of your operation, technical knowledge or equipment but as a direct result of your attitudes, personality, understanding and empathy. There are many variants of the photographer breed – at the extremes the purely workmanlike, operating within a comfort zone often to the point of perfection; and then the celebrity photographer, for whom it’s actually all about them. The extremes and everything in between all use a camera, lights and subject but couldn’t ever produce the same image.

When it comes to portraiture, it’s down to what can be best described as ‘tension’. In fact it’s almost indescribable: a something that asks questions; draws you in; makes you wonder as to what’s happening in the subject’s mind, in their life, in their dreams and passions. The most damning critique of a portrait is the ‘they’re just standing there’ put-down.

That’s because there’s nothing on offer, no connection, no thing at all. One of the most wonderful pictures to make it into the NPG Portrait Prize a few years ago was of Barry Humphries at his desk, with his secretary poised to take dictation. A lifetime of Dame Edna references were scattered around the walls and surfaces, but it was the tension between the pair that challenged the viewer to make assertions about their relationship. It wasn’t a very big print (in an exhibition dominated by large-format work) and it was probably shot on

film – but once you looked, that was the end for most of the other work on display.

That’s our background sorted out. You now have a set of parameters within which to get cracking with Emma’s set of work here in the feature and also on this month’s cover. Look right and there’s no shortage of rules being broken: at points there’s little differentiation between subject and background; she’s looking down – you would think that’s a disconnect – but boy is she looking down. Then there’s the props, the riding attire – the slight awkwardness of one glove…

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It’s all about what can be best described as ‘tension’ – a something that asks questions; draws you in; makes you wonder what’s happening in the subject’s mind, in their life, in their dreams and passions.

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Emma Duggan / Portraiture

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but as a depiction of her that engages the viewer, it’s a winner. Emma comments: ‘This was intended to be a series that examined how people want to be portrayed. Traditionally, a parent would dress a child, brush their hair, or tuck in their shirt and this is not how children perceive themselves (it’s just not important to them). I asked everyone to either bring things with them that they loved or to dress how they wanted.

Each shoot was intended to be a true collaboration between the child and me without parental influence.’

There’s also the small matter of how it’s lit, something that makes every texture shout for your attention. Emma continues: ‘I was after a painterly “Baroque” feel and during the course of a year I visited galleries in London, Amsterdam and Berlin to get a feel for lighting and presentation.

Overall I wanted a classic and traditional look but with modern posing. I opted to do the entire series low key using simple lighting and regularly chose a strip soft box to give a harsher fall off. This was probably the most contentious aspect of the series.

Classically trained photographers want to see separation between the subject and background but it wasn’t how I envisaged the project. I welcomed the darkness.’

Rightly so. The idea of going for the Baroque feel in modern portraiture is nothing new, and over the years we’ve seen many a photographer try to claim the ground as their own. The inspiration includes artists such as van Dyck and Rembrant. In other words it’s quite a thing to say that’s where you were headed with a set of portraits…

‘I am dismayed by the amount of softening done to fashion and beauty shots in magazines. Pores, lines, darkness under eyes, hair lines, and more are all airbrushed. I kept all of these in as well as the various skin colourations on both faces and legs.’

But think mood and realism and you’re pretty much there.

The latter term is a big thing for Emma: ‘My assertion is that skin should be real and as it was. I am dismayed by the amount of softening done to fashion and beauty shots in magazines. Pores, lines, darkness under eyes, hair lines, and more are all airbrushed. I kept all of these in as well as the various skin colourations on both faces and legs. Nor did I tidy up props or clothing. Where you see an un-tucked shirt, holes in clothing or shoes, or scruffily arranged props I chose to leave them as they were (within reason). My view was that this wasn’t a series concerned with flattering my subjects. It was a project about purity and honesty. I think children in particular are perfect, just as they are, and we’d do well to leave them that way.’

It’s time, then, to get a little further into the mind behind the lens. Emma expands: ‘A studio portrait is in essence an act – people putting on a face to show the world. By encouraging them to bring a prop, or to dress how they wanted to, they felt truly protected in their guise and in turn revealed more about themselves. It enabled a wonderful communication during the sessions because I worked with them, asking them to explain their choices. Once I understood what they wanted to express (consciously or unconsciously) we worked together on a pose that reflected their personality. For example, an adolescent girl wanting to be invisible had her hair over one eye at all times. I decided to work with this and covered her face entirely bar her mouth (thus leaving her with a ‘voice’).

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Image © Emma Duggan

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Image © Emma Duggan

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Emma Duggan / Portraiture

She felt safe and in turn relaxed.

During another session a girl showed me her black hat, long black gloves and wand and expressed a desire to play a magician. Photographically it wasn’t grabbing me so I remained quiet, hoping she’d move on to something else – which I realise myself was judgemental.

When her mother told me that her daughter once decided to wear her long red fluffy scarf as a dress I lit up.

It’s exactly the kind of thing children do – they experiment, often just for laughs. Of course the red scarf-dress looked fabulous but it was missing something. Once the girl had the hat, gloves and magician’s wand she came alive. Another girl was very precise and brought in five items and laid them out in a neat line. They were all lilac.

The item that really didn’t do it for me was a plastic dream catcher. It became clear, though, that this was very important to her so right at the end of the session I quickly wound it around her shirt button and took some shots.

Each of these examples is about strands of personality being laid out before the camera. I simply asked them to be themselves and they responded to the lack of judgement.’

There are a great many ways in which photographers try to get children in particular to do ‘the right thing’ for a shot (that will sell to the parents).

Some go to tremendous lengths to make stuff happen, to get laughter and fun. Unfortunately, the net result is a whole lot of photographers seeking out the same thing and coming up with something engineered. Emma’s work is operating on a whole different train of thought, giving the subject

free-reign to be themselves – and the net result is something really quite surprising. Whilst there’s obviously a running theme of ‘dressing-up’ in this work, it’s absolutely real. Again, language fails us… What do we remember most often as families? Visual moments that meant something about our future selves or the time in which we were growing up. Here, Emma captures the fashion model in the making; the deep obsession with a hobby; a seriousness beyond years; a comicbook dream of Batman; and so we go on. Emma says: ‘A great many of the pictures reflect the parents in some way too, indicating the child’s wish to grow up and be just like mum or dad – I thought that this aspect was particularly powerful.

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Emma Duggan / Portraiture

We see dressing up as playful but it’s also serious, we’re casting deep into imagination and creativity where aspirations are revealed.’

So we’ve dealt with freedom of the subject, but what of the photographer? Emma clearly wanted to do something different, and this series and style came about when – on a whim – Emma decided to rent a studio and simply get in and do something creative as a response to the doom and gloom of recession. She says: ‘In 2010 I decided to rent a studio to focus on doing something more creative to carry me through the recession. I had never worked in a studio so I looked at the competition, all shooting high-key, lifestyle images and

Image © Emma Duggan

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determined to do something beyond that. Also I found myself rejecting classic things photographers say about working with families and children. I note that photographers often mention having their own children as a plus to being a portrait maker. Rubbish! I am still childlike because I haven’t yet had to be responsible and find it very easy to be on a level with children of any age. Parents often judge, compare and compete with each other. I like working with children because they are so honest and generous. They haven’t yet learned to have those adult preoccupations.’

Emma cites Yousuf Karsh, Arnold Newman, Horst, and Irving Penn as her photographic favourites – explaining: ‘They are all photographers who took time to understand their sitters.

Yousuf Karsh in particular would sometimes spend all day chatting before taking a single exposure. I love that notion.’ Indeed, if you were to talk to Emma you’d immediately understand how she is able to get all types of people to respond to her. She’s very easy to talk to and considers the experience of these sessions as something shared: ‘Each person has shared something very special with me and has added to my personal experience by being revealing and trusting in me.’

The path to this set of work has not been straightforward or commonplace. Emma spent far too many years than she cares to remember working in insurance and contemplating how boring her obituary might be – she left and embarked on a two-pronged attack on the future: a photography course and script writing diploma. Both appealed g

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Emma Duggan / Portraiture

to me.’ So where has all of this eventually taken Emma? She freely admits that a friend had to basically staple her to a chair and buy a web solution in her name. She’s also now putting together quarterly e-news missives for her client and contact base. This body of work and the Fellowship has changed her: ‘I now say “no”. There comes a point at which you have to realise that your business model is not up to scratch.

Doing anything and everything is not the answer; working for everyone you meet whilst walking the dog is not a long-term strategy. The honesty I found creating these images helped me face being honest with myself.’ tP

Image © Emma Duggan

to her love of telling stories, but it was photography that eventually got the nod. ‘I was asked: “Can you photograph my daughter?” The lady owned an amazing fairy tale of a hotel in London – we had full use of this most fantastic location and the pictures were quirky and funny, with a life of their own – it was a brilliant first job. For seven years I did that type of work, but nothing was quite like that first experience – though I get as much joy out of every job as I did that first one – I’m still as excited today.

But you could say work came to me – I said yes to everything, it was all referrals… I’d be walking the dog and get into a conversation with someone.

I can genuinely tell you I got upwards of £50,000 of work from dog walking. But that’s not how business works in the current climate. It all changed around 2010… You could say the market was bad and you could also say I should have put all my energies into PR and marketing instead of just relying on the dog walks, but being me I decided to take a year out and do something for myself, something different and challenging – I didn’t think then that I’d end up with a Fellowship. That was when I rented the studio and started this series of work, all shot on a Nikon D3 with one light and one lens. It was like day one all over again – and after only a couple of sittings I just knew how much I was enjoying it and that the images were coming out well. Hence I fitted in this series around other paid work. You could call this a personal project, but the main event was that in the end I had a body of work and it was a joy

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New gear / Focus on Imaging

The great gear-fest The first week in March must mean it’s time for Focus on Imaging – and whilst some moan and groan about the crowds and the push and shove, with some forward planning and a stiff resolve the show can yield the hands-on tech experience and some inspirational knowledge to boot

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t has to be accepted that getting around the floor at Focus on Imaging can be trying at times. Why visitors have to bring so much stuff with them is anyone’s guess. In the lift at our hotel we met a young guy on the first morning carrying a truly enormous back-pack… questioned on what it was

all for he countered: ‘You never know what you might see.’ Fair enough…

See beyond the crowds, the tenner to park your car and the cost of a sandwich and this year’s extravaganza had some very interesting aspects of photography to ponder over, a number of cracking speakers and, yes, some new kit and skills to absorb. And whilst the picture below is not very representative, there’s no doubt that a reasonable proportion of visitors had no sign of a beard in any way, shape or form…

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New gear / Focus on Imaging

First on the list we must visit the Nikon stand and report on what was actually one of the most interesting bits of ‘new’ tech we’ve come across in a while. Above their theatre area was an array of more than 40 D800 cameras, set up to capture what’s termed as ‘timeslice’ photography. In short this kind of massively complicated set-up can be used to create a frozen moment in time and navigate around the scene 3-D style. It’s 3-D ‘style’ because the degree to which you can ‘walk around’ the subject is naturally limited by the scope of the camera array – but in terms of what the future of photography (or really ‘image-making’) might hold, it was notable. Nikon were able to show an exclusive clip from the forthcoming ad campaign for the new Rolls Royce Wraith, bang on its release at the Geneva Motor Show which all added to the feeling that Nikon are right up there right now. The fact that the section of the ad, where the car is

stopped in time and then the ‘camera’ spins around it – all fluidly meshed into the video – was impressive, was curiously outweighed by the sense that it was all a whole lot of trouble to go to for something that’s pretty amazing… the first time.

Of more interest, perhaps, was the demonstration of camera array use in bringing full 3-D functionality to magazine apps and ipad editions. We were treated to Robbie Williams and James May in proper 3-D… If you’re still wondering about getting into video, hurry up because the game’s already moving on.

Of course it was actually Nikon that used the show to bring out two new cameras to the baying crowds – those being the D7100 and the extremely new Coolpix A. The former is a

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New gear / Focus on Imaging

DX-format camera, with a brand new 24.1-megapixel sensor.

Surprisingly light and compact at just 675g, it still has a professional-level 51-point AF system and is a major performance step up image quality wise compared to the out-going D7000.

As seems to be the current Nikon trend at the moment, there’s no optical low pass filter (OLPF), meaning the sensor can make the most of its megapixels. In fact, in this aspect, Nikon is taking a step further than in the flagship D800, where the OLPF was effectively cancelled out. The shutter mechanism has also been tested for 150,000 cycles under demanding conditions and all this in a body that’s not even seen as ‘pro’.

Priced at around £1,099 body only and judging by the highresolution images Nikon has released, this level of camera is going to prove a capable capture device for many. It says something when sample images (below is a section of one) from a £1k camera are 50x33cm @ 300ppi. Fair play, Nikon.

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Then to add to the Nikon-based excitement came the Coolpix A. It’s the first compact camera to have a DX sensor, being the exact same 16.2 MP unit from the D7000 – and the crossover with Nikon’s D-SLR technology doesn’t end there. The whole camera has been carefully thought out to easily fit into the workflow of photographers who are already using Nikon’s D-SLRs. Starting at the factory, the Coolpix A is made in Tokyo, in the same factories as their DSLRs, which signals the seriousness of the commitment to build quality with this new camera, and the screen on the back is the same screen as found on the flagship D4 and D800 cameras. Jeremy Gilbert, Nikon’s UK marketing manager, told us that the camera has been designed to be a compact for a serious photographer. The detail in the design goes down into the menu system and user interface which is exactly the same layout as their D-SLRs, and the same goes for the NEF RAW files it produces.

The camera offers a fixed 18.5mm/f2.8 lens – which is equivalent to 28mm in 35mm format. The fixed lens ensures higher image quality and also signals g M

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New gear / Focus on Imaging

The models we saw (black and silver) felt very nice in the hand – supersolid build and a very nice weight. The camera is expected to be available (in the UK at least) around about now and once again for around the £1,000 mark.

We’ll take ours in black. But in all seriousness, it certainly looks like Nikon has been paying attention to what photographers have been asking for on forums across the net – a fixed lens, D-SLR quality, no-nonsense compact.

Here you go. That’s enough Nikon, but you know these are important trends.

Another camera creating a buzz in the aisles at Focus on Imaging was the brand new Fujifilm X100S. It’s an evolution of the well-received X100, which was launched at Focus in 2011 – indeed if you fancied one of those there were some remarkable half-price offers going down. But the new version has some 70 tweaks and improvements, greatest of those being the newly developed X-TRANS CMOS II sensor, a 16MP APSC sensor which gives hugely improved files over the original, which had already set a pretty high bar.

The camera has dispensed with an optical low pass filter (you guessed it!) and video capability has also gone up to

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the target market of the more serious user. It can shoot at 4fps, and has a really easy manual focus override switch placed on the left side of the body. A hot shoe can be used to hold the optional optical viewfinder, or to enable the camera to be used with Nikon’s speedlites. Additionally there is a ring on the front that screws off which allows a lenshood and filters to be used with the camera.

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Full HD 1080p at 60fps. Retro fans will also appreciate the Digital Split Image viewfinder, which brings the old way of focusing a camera screaming into the 21st century digital age.

First announced at CES Las Vegas in January, and seen again in Japan’s CP+, Focus on Imaging was the first chance to get mitts on the camera in the UK. It was available for pre-order at the show, priced at £1,149.

So, if you’re now wondering (like we are) why we’ve all been using cameras with optical low pass filters when it’s suddenly so simple to just get rid, let’s look at the latest cameras from Hasselblad and PhaseOne that have never troubled us with the things. Hasselblad were at the show in force and had brought in the services of Tim Flach and Perou to engage visitors on the stand. Whilst Perou entertained with comments like ‘Lily Allen used to be my assistant’, Tim Flach got down to the nitty-gritty delving deep into compositional techniques, resulting in some lights-on moments for those listening. On the stand, Hasselblad had their brand new H5D system – an evolution that offers more accurate focusing with True Focus II, new Immediate Focus Confirm, print-ready Jpeg files, compressed multi-shot RAW files for faster and smoother workflow and an array of interface improvements, all aimed at making this top-end system more useable more of the time. It seemed that there were indeed serious buyers at the show for this level of camera and that was borne out g

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New gear / Focus on Imaging

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by their main competitor in the field using Focus to launch its new flagship range of digital backs – the IQ2 series from PhaseOne, at Focus under the Teamwork banner. Being at the very pinnacle of currently available technology, these backs are not at all cheap – coming in at between £25,000 and £30,000 depending on the version. The new backs all have wifi capability, and an increased dynamic range of 13 stops which on the 80MP IQ280 is due to upgraded software. The 60MP IQ260 boasts a brand new sensor which is capable of taking an exposure of up to an hour long. The PhaseOne engineers had studied where noise was coming from in long-exposure images, and found that most of the noise was coming from a particular area in each individual pixel well. In long-exposure mode, this part of the well is switched off, thus drastically reducing the noise. The long exposure mode is only available on the 60MP backs. The third back in the new range is the IQ260 Achromatic – a black and white only version – specialist indeed.

demonstrations from the likes of Stuart Wood and John Denton keeping the stand extremely busy. However, that was also partly due to the fact that some of the best deals around were to be found at The Flash Centre. At a show that was a little short on decent deals on new camera models, The Flash Centre had specials on everything from Elinchrom BRX 500 one head kits to Pocket Wizard flash controllers.

After 30 years of dazzling innovation from the inventors of the Wedding Book, Graphistudio officially launched the quite remarkable Digital Matted Album at Focus on Imaging – the aim once again to uniquely revolutionise the global photographic industry… Quite a claim. Digital Matted Album technology is, however, a giant leap forwards… with technical wizardry achieving new heights, every detail has been redefined

Meanwhile on the lighting front, The Flash Centre was a hub of activity, exhibiting the full range of multiple award winning Elinchrom products. In addition there was the opportunity to try out the latest in HD D-SLR rigs from Zacuto and Swedish Chameleon along with products from Sunbounce and the new Explorer battery packs from Innovatronix. As always there was a constant stream of 22 the PHOTOGRAPHER / Spring 2013

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from scratch in order to make this something else indeed. Graphistudio has constantly reinvented itself while keeping true to the unique style of the early days. Finding a way to revamp the renowned traditional matted album has been Graphistudio’s recent challenge.

Tullio Tramontina, CEO and President of Graphistudio said: ‘We knew that printing on high-quality cardboards would be very nice in theory but it wasn’t thought to be possible. Now we have developed a process which means we can print directly onto coloured cardboard which is indeed a dream come true! Creating strokes, elements, frames and textures with the selective transparent coating embellishes every page adding a unique, three-dimensional effect allowing for limitless creativity to be unleashed for the creation of everlasting masterpieces.’

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Jeremy Price, from Graphistudio UK, explained during a short interview we managed with him at Focus: ‘This new development of the enduring classic is the biggest thing to hit the album market since we launched The Wedding Book in

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New gear / Focus on Imaging

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the UK more than ten years ago. Using this new technology, photographers can create individual and professional albums that brides will find irresistible and that will only be available through the professional photographer who works with Graphistudio.’ In other words these are books that just cannot be replicated by anyone outside of the professional marketplace and so if you’re looking to maintain a USP, this could be the way to go.

Canon, whilst not having specific new cameras launching at the show pulled out all the stops with the huge and highly creative stand seen above. There was a wonderful lens gallery that visitors queued up for ages to get a stint on, little fluffy clouds, you name it. And the crowds they did come… making it pretty hard to easily look at what you wanted to look at, but then everyone would be complaining if it wasn’t the case. Attracting lots of attention was the EOS 6D,

featuring a newly designed 20.2 MP full-frame CMOS sensor. A native ISO range of ISO 100-25,600 (extendable to 50-102,400), a new 11-point AF system and the strongest low-light performance of any Canon AF system to date plus integrated Wi-Fi connect­ ivity are the major draws with this model. Also on the stand were workflow experts that were giving all who asked an A2 print of their own pictures whilst additionally providing demos of the whole wireless capture-process-print capability of Canon gear. It was nice to see how well colour managed the system was too. As we went to press,

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New gear / Focus on Imaging

Canon announced the £569 entry-level EOS 100D – one can only wonder why it wasn’t ready a month earlier.

One of the new bits of Focus On Imaging getting properly into its stride this year was the Focus Gallery – and on display alongside Perou’s pics and some accomplished commercial work was a selection from BIPP member Paul WenhamClarke’s ‘The Westway’ project. The prints

CAPTURE

went straight from closing the London exhibition at St Martin-in-the-Fields, Trafalgar Square to appear at Focus and Paul commented: ‘Any opportunity for this work to get seen by the widest possible audience is great, and the other work up in the gallery was excellent too. I was pleased to be invited to take part.’ Now let’s take a breath before it’s 2014… tP

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Rising star / Paul Moffat

Image © Paul Moffat

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anchester-based Paul Moffat has been working in the commercial side of photography for some of the major design agencies since 2001, after working as an assistant to Robert Walker. But even with such a good grounding in the commercial scene, specialising was not something he could afford to do: ‘When you’re up this way you can’t afford the luxury of being a specific kind of photographer – the market is different and you take what comes along, but I find it fits with my personality… I thrive on the variety that it brings,’ he says. ‘It makes every day really different. I didn’t set out to do a particular style of work – it’s an evolving process that in part comes through the personal work you do. Setting out by myself wasn’t clear-cut – there was a funny transition period with a bit of freelance assisting thrown in. Assisting means you get to see how different photographers work, understand their methods and then can gradually build up the commissions – word of mouth spreads from there.’

Paul decided to take his time when it came to switching from mediumformat film to digital: ‘It was the time factor that clients were demanding and I’m sure I lost work because I couldn’t meet that. But then I would have invested in cameras that would have been redundant now – those investment decisions can be make or break.’

Keeping your work in the minds of creative agencies is the crucial factor with this type of work and personal work helps drive commissions in this respect: ‘Personal work is important and contributes to a flow of work to be

sending out there to the market. The agency relationships are still very personal and you have to be getting out in front of creatives with your book one-to-one. Access to your work through the web is obviously immediate now but it’s the in-depth conversations that count. There’s a natural ebb and flow of work coming to you for a period but there comes a time when you need to show new work to maintain awareness of what you can do. Certainly you can never stand still. See more at moff.co.uk

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Image © Paul Moffat

The Jane Bown Exhibition was at The Lowry in Manchester. The advertising agency BJL commissioned Paul to shoot these concepts which were done on 4x5 film. They picked up all kinds of awards on their travels.

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Rising star / Paul Moffat

These Gamestation portraits were for one of their campaigns, the idea being to use their staff as the heroes. For this they sent about a dozen of their staff to Paul’s studio. He says: ‘In situations like this you are always a little nervous about who is going to arrive and what you can do with them. I was really pleased with the selection in the end, they all seemed to have an edge and convey a little of their own personality – the hair and make-up was used only to accentuate who they already were. I kept the clip lighting harder for more drama and the common theme of a red top made them feel like a united team for their company.’

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Images © Paul Moffat

Heart & Sold portraits are a collection of artists that have Down Syndrome.

It is a project initiated by my wife Suzie and with Design by Music in Manchester we are devoting our services to the worthy project. The website has recently gone live where you can buy the artists’ work online. I entered some of the portraits in the Taylor Wessing Portrait Prize and the image of the girl in the magenta dress was selected for the Portrait Salon this year.

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Rising star / Paul Moffat

This chair X-ray was a commissioned piece. Paul comments: ‘I like to photograph all kinds of subjects and find that the variety in my subject matter whether its commissioned or personal work keeps me interested – the jump from a shoot that has a large crew on location to a quiet still life shoot in the studio… both have different ways to approach these subjects and this work pattern helps to retain my focus. This particular image started as a soft request from an art director – “how can we achieve an X-ray image of this product?” A few phone calls later I had set it up. I’d never done one before but relish challenges such as these and love getting to the end product. An X-ray image is a very different way to capture your image – you have to switch off your camera brain and what you think you see and imagine the image as a shadow. Each plate you capture is a wonderful surprise.’

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Image © Paul Moffat

Images © Paul Moffat

Back to personal work: ‘The moth image is a personal study using my Hasselblad – I love the new digital ’Blads for their detail… I must have been one of the last people to move from film to digital which I did kicking and screaming and eventually I was pushed over the edge when the last lab closed in Manchester. I was glad I had waited as long as I did because for a long time digital came nowhere near the quality of film and I found it frustrating. I was probably losing out on work at times as clients were more and more concerned about delivery times rather than quality. The new Hasselblad, though, fulfils both of these needs for me.

The White Goods Challenge: ‘This was a concept to raise money for Help the Heroes by a group of Marines. I offered to shadow them on the challenge day which was to transport fridges and washing machines to the top of Scafell Pike. It was basically an interesting day out, the images also got into the national press which helped them raise more money for the charity.

I would have carried one of the units myself if it wasn’t for the fact I had to get a really heavy camera to the top of the mountain!

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Leader of the pack

There’s animal portraiture and then there’s animal portraiture – anyone who thinks it’s an easy gig to picture (particularly) man’s best friend is in for a shock.

Paul Walker has made a name for himself tackling just this specialism – in part because he’s treated it as such. Understand your subject, and the owners…

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Image © Paul Walker

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et’s get a couple of things straight. This isn’t going to be a pun-heavy article, but we have to make a few caninerelated admissions at the outset. Here at tP HQ we’ve been itching (ooops!) to talk to Top Dog (doh!) Paul for a very long time. Now that the opportunity has come around to get on the old Dog and Bone (stop!) we came over just a tiny bit star-struck. You see, if you’re one of the good people of this country who sponsor dogs who don’t – for any fault of their own – have a loving home you’ll already have Paul’s work adorning your fridge. With the Dogs Trust we sponsor two lovely woofers called Apples and Charlie. During the year and by some animal magic, they even send you Valentine’s cards – my count has gone through the roof!

That’s just one aspect to Paul’s work and in all seriousness illustrates that he is talented in working with all animals – whether they’ve had a hard life or been the most pampered of pooches. Here we’re concentrating on Paul’s canine work and he says: ‘All dogs present their own challenges, for example, the guarding types of dogs in their own homes can still be in that “protective mind set” and it’s important that if such an environment is to be used that the friendship bonds are made quickly.’

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Paul Walker / Dogs

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But it can’t all be a walk in the park even if you’re entirely at ease with animals? He continues: ‘Disobedience and selective hearing are the main challenges… most animals will respond to a stimulus.’ Indeed, owners are encouraged to bring along favourite toys and treats to a photography session but are under strict instructions to only bring them out at specific moments… You might imagine that producing the kind of pictures shown here takes a great deal of time, but Paul suggests otherwise: ‘I try and get a session done in an hour – that has speeded up with experience.

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In my view, if you can’t get it in an hour then there’s something wrong. Horses certainly need more preparation and with cats you get the work done in the home environment and have the pictures in the bag. Only then do you gamble and go outside… where the cat might just disappear!’

Paul has always been surrounded by pets and animals and enjoyed taking snaps as small boy. As an only child his world was made up of dogs and cats rather than brothers and sisters and there were guinea pigs, rabbits and a pet duck.

The duck was called Dilbert. Paul comments: ‘My father brought him home one day and he was following me around all of the time. We built him a little pond. That was my world and eventually I’ve managed to turn photography – that was a hobby – into a business.’ Paul got involved with dog agility and obedience training – something that’s now hugely

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Paul Walker / Dogs

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important – so much of his work being about understanding the animal.

‘I think at the end of the day taking a great photograph of a dog is about being a couple of steps ahead. On the one hand experience is a big help but you certainly need to be predicting behaviour and also be in charge.’ But Paul’s development as a photographer was every bit about following a subject that he loved and enjoyed: ‘I was tired of seeing the same high-key white background studio portraits. Even if they were beautifully lit I just thought that it wasn’t the essence of the animal.

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Often such portraiture is very well done indeed, but it’s not what the animal is about.’ Using friends’ pets as subjects, Paul set about experimenting to see if he could produce something a bit different. ‘I started getting jobs through my connection with photographing dog agility. People were impressed and enjoyed them and the line in the sand was the decision to start charging for those pictures. I began to be able to pick off reactions and positions of the ears and the legs – my timing improved, particularly with action shots, but it didn’t happen over night.’

Paul certainly takes the science of it all very seriously: ‘There’s been strategies and systems that I’ve set up myself.

Sometimes you are playing with the motivational hierarchy of an animal – why they choose to do things in a particular order – dealing with sight and smell, or their curiosity. I’ll use

Image © Paul Walker

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Paul Walker / Dogs

my own positioning and sometimes a specific noise or the pursuit of an object, knowing that these things work with respect to the other distractions that are in place. The trick is put yourself at an advantage in relation to what the pets are going to do next – relying on predictability as much as possible. Your results are based on the dog doing what it is supposed to do within the set of circumstances. This is opposed to waiting for that “magic” to happen – you would be waiting forever. Mostly the plan works out…’

Image © Paul Walker

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You could be forgiven for thinking that getting the pictures was the biggest challenge, but Paul disagrees: ‘The most difficult aspect has been learning that it’s a business you are running. You need good business rules to protect yourself.

Looking back, there might be a few clients that have demanded a significant proportion of time and it’s my own fault that I might have let that happen to me. It’s what goes on in the purchasing period and after the event that is important – selling images is what pays the bills and you must focus firmly on that and not let the business be distracted by major time demands. From a workflow perspective it’s better to be rigid in terms of the procedures you put in place – I used to travel a lot further without calculating the cost of my time… maybe I’ve lost too much time. But business is a learning process and here I would say you just must

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Paul Walker / Dogs

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learn from your mistakes and be brave enough to recognise your errors and move forwards.’

Of course, it’s all meant to be about the dogs, but it can be just as much about the owners. Paul explains: ‘Some owners are sentimentally attached to a specific look or mannerism that they see regularly in their pets. However that might not make the strongest image. There’s this balance,

Image © Paul Walker

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between sentimentality and the artistic side – those demands have to be brought together. It can happen that an owner loses confidence, aware of the fact that the animal might not do what they want them to. Often there is a magic time – just five or six minutes – when everything happens and that’s the reason they booked you. The rest of the time can be you getting in tune with the dog’s radio frequency, and also it might be that the owner needs the greater direction. I do apologise for sounding bossy before the shoot – so that I can get away with being so. I do absolutely love it, and that goes right back to being a child. I know that the dogs get a lot out

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Paul Walker / Dogs

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of it and enjoy it too. I look at some pictures you might see and I know that the animal is not relaxed even if it is a realistic view. Of course, you must do the clean and the dry shots before you get into the mud and water…’

Paul’s animal work is branded Paws Pet Photography. He says: ‘Paul Walker is an actor in the film The Fast and the Furious, so I figured another name would be better. There’s also something to be said for a no-nonsense name that says exactly what you do.’

The brand also translates to a good website: ‘The website has been very well ranked on google for about six years now, so my website is the first such site that people are seeing. However I’d say that word of mouth and repeat custom is massive, but the website plays a huge role. We don’t do much in the way of direct marketing and that’s not to say we’re never going to need it but the pets themselves drive repeat business as owners tend to want to show everyone the pictures.’

The animals work has been going since 2004 and at the time Paul did not have any particular long-term plans as a photographer. Considering he was ruled by his heart, he’s more than happy with how far it has run for him.

He says: ‘It has gone beyond my wildest expectations. In the beginning I just wanted to make beautiful pet pictures and have enough coming through to support myself and my family. It’s grown way beyond that.’

Paul was approached by Ilex press to write the book Pet Photography Now on the strength of the images on his website at the time – it was a pivotal moment in his career. Paul explains:

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Paul Walker / Dogs

‘The book definitely got me a lot of interest and created many opportunities. To be honest I was terrified about doing it, at the time I felt it was perhaps a couple of years too early for me – I hadn’t really fulfilled my potential but that’s not to say the text of it isn’t still valid. Ilex had a big team in place to make sense of it all with me and their support was fantastic. The upshot is that there’s been articles written about me almost every year since and that in itself opens doors and brings commercial work opportunities as your name stays current.’

Paul works for pet companies and organisations who have a need for bespoke pet imagery that is different to the common images often found in stock libraries. As well as the Dogs Trust, he’s worked for Blue Cross, Marks & Spencer, Sky Television, Captain Morgan and Panini plus various others. As well as holding a BIPP Fellowship he has gained the attention of Scottish Television and various BBC radio programmes including ‘Barking at the Moon’ to talk about crazy pet antics and the pursuit of a perfect pet picture. His work has recently been featured in magazines as far afield as China, Israel, Peru, Brazil, Germany and India. But despite Paul’s obvious success and global recognition, he keeps coming back to business practice as the key: ‘With any client I’ll first of all consider their location so I can be sure that my time is being paid for. There are so many hidden hours in doing this work properly. I then need to know whether the pet was a rescue or might have any temperament traits to make sure that they were going to be comfortable with

my approach, and to indicate how they might be with other people and whether a dog likes other dogs and so on.

I need an idea of their most logical characteristics and look to match up a suitable environment. Sometimes you have tighter limitations than others, with old dogs or with over-lively dogs but whatever the situation you must have that down in advance. Then there’s the client’s expectations and commonsense considerations like the weather. Past that point though, in generally the client is leaving it to me but the conversation continues all the way through the shoot. Sometimes they only tell you half of the story and the rest of it comes out as you proceed. Whilst not ideal in some respects, you often find that more character is revealed in the dog and of course the more character you can get into the image, the more saleable it is. tP Image © Paul Walker

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BIPP / Now and next

BIPP Director Russell Baston FBIPP provides a timely update on how the BIPP has structured itself to be more responsive to the changing conditions of the photography industry and sets out some of the Institute’s aims and objectives for the coming months

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everal years ago, the BIPP made a decision to reform its management structure and reorganise the Institute as a whole. In the context of today’s economic climate and that of recent years, this has proved crucial in providing us with the secure financial basis we now have. It cannot be underestimated how much our progression to a highly cost-effective management structure and organisation has enabled us to respond rapidly to changing circumstances and conditions.

The BIPP has a dedicated and resourceful staff whose contribution to the overall progress we have made is extremely valuable. And at board level, the directors work closely with the Chief Executive to clearly determine the policies and initiatives we need to progress.

In addition, directors have each taken on a ‘portfolio’ area of responsibility, aimed at further enhancing board involvement and bringing in-depth feedback to board meetings. With the fundamental infrastructure of the BIPP securely in place we have an entirely realistic view of where the Institute is now and what it can achieve in the future. We are able to engage in long-term planning thanks to our secure financial position and one of the BIPP’s core aims is to work within its means and look to the future with realism – with the benefit of a reporting structure that keeps all involved in touch with our current position.

We are ambitious to progress the Institute and improve the package of

services and benefits that is offered to the membership. We understand the key difference between spending and investing, but operating within our means has to be the priority for the immediate future. We have obvious constraints in terms of staffing and financial resources, and hence are continually examining how those resources are used – in a careful and considered manner – to ensure that we can provide the best service to our members and work to enhance our position within the wider photographic industry. The support and involvement of our company partners is greatly valued and illustrates the development of the links we have across the industry. It is true that we cannot do everything we would like to, but we are concentrating on directing investment into the most productive areas.

One obvious sign of redirecting resources was seen in the decision not to attend Focus on Imaging this year. The annual photographic show at the NEC was a significant cost centre for the BIPP and this was not an easy decision to make. The Institute has benefitted from using the exposure of Focus to increase the membership base, but the full costs of attending was a major draw on resources – both in terms of time away and on-site expense, whilst the benefit to the Institute in truth wasn’t felt to be enough to justify the cost. The decision was made by the out-going board of directors, and then fully

‘We have recently changed to a portfolio assessment system, replacing the panel presentations.

This makes the process more focused on applicants’ working practice and has proved to be a great success.’

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BIPP / Now and next

‘Qualifications are so much more than simply getting “the letters”, they often provide a clear and very real form of professional development.’ endorsed by the incoming board. The release of resources means the Institute is changing its view of new member recruitment – from a national to a regional perspective. We’re working to increase the variety and number of events – be that workshops and practical seminars or portfolio reviews and qualifications assessments – we can put on across the country. In other words we want to bring the BIPP to you, as far as possible.

Another aspect of this is the newly launched Awards which now takes place across the year. The headline is ‘Awards for all Photographers’ and we have recently gone live with its own dedicated website www.professionalphotographyawards.com where you can find all the information you need to enter.

It’s all new with awards spanning commercial, science and technology, wedding and portrait, visual arts, moving image, international fellowship, student and for non-members the BIPP Open Awards. The information is published in each issue of this magazine at the relevant time in the year, too.

Qualifications are at the very core of the Institute’s aims and objectives and we have recently changed to a portfolio system of assessment, replacing the panel presentations. This makes the process more focused on the applicants’ working practice and has so far proved to be a great success. It has the flexibility to accommodate and encourage individuality of presentation and expression and is a more realistic and practical view of a photographer’s work. With the new system it’s more about the candidate and in practice the evaluation goes into greater depth. As assessors we can now look at more work and have a better idea of whether the standard is maintained throughout – it’s about real-world jobs. The portfolio is looked at first by the assessors and then the candidate is brought in for discussion. We’ve also cut down the number of categories and expanded specialisms within those categories and the portfolio can be presented in the most appropriate form for the photo­grapher’s practice.

As a result, we are seeing a continuous rise in the quality and creativity displayed in qualifications submissions and the direct relevance the portfolio has to the photographer’s real practice means the credibility of BIPP qualifications is further enhanced. Qualifications assessments and portfolio review sessions take place both at the BIPP offices near Aylesbury and at special regional events around the country, and these outreach events will become more regular in the coming months.

BIPP qualifications are so much more than simply getting ‘the letters’ – we see that they often provide not only a confidence boost but a clear and very real form of professional development. The process itself forms a structure for photographers to accelerate their professional and creative development – this stimulus ‘to be better’ is probably the greatest benefit of our qualifications.

We are, of course, aware that the professional standards that the BIPP works with have to be promoted to the wider industry and photographic community and that is one of the key areas that we are investing in over the next couple of years. We’re looking to improve our press and PR coverage, promote to buyers of photography both commercially and in the public arena, increase our presence on relevant blogs and social media channels and provide BIPP photographers with tools to help them promote themselves. Under the banner ‘Always use a BIPP Qualified Professional Photographer’, we’ll be taking the standards we stand by to the people who themselves invest in our photographers’ services.

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BIPP / Awards 2013

2013 Awards calendar Further to its introduction in the Winter edition, the BIPP awards calendar is now well under way with both the Wedding and Portraiture awards, and the Student awards closed to entries. We now welcome submissions for the Art of Science and

Technology, Moving Image and Open competitions, alongside the International Fellowship Awards.

For full details on how to enter all competitions, rules of entry, judging procedures, prizes and a downloadable entry form please visit www.professionalphotographyawards.com THE BIPP ART OF SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY AWARDS Judging: 23 July 2013

Closing date: 28 June 2013 Presentations: 25 September 2013

The Judges Include: Eric Jenkins Hon FBIPP (Chair); David Crossley FBIPP QEP; Phil Grieveson FBIPP; Denise Swanson FBIPP; Tim Vernon FBIPP; Nick Hance The BIPP Art of Science and Technology Awards are specifically designed to cover images from the wide spectrum undertaken by the Institute’s broad-based, multi-disciplined membership. The judges assessing the entries for the categories within the awards will be looking for the very highest level of image-making. The successful images will illustrate the subject within the category with creative, technical impact; using appropriate selected techniques to achieve strong, informative visual communication. Submissions will be accepted from conventional or specialist image recording systems.

THE BIPP MOVING IMAGE AWARDS

Closing date: 28 June 2013 Judging: 16 July 2013

Presentations: 25 September 2013

For the very first time, BIPP is offering members the opportunity to enter their Moving Images into the Awards. The categories are weddings, portraiture, science & technology, commercial, visual arts and non-commissioned. We’re delighted that John Henshall FBIPP has agreed to chair these awards and look forward to some fascinating entries.

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THE BIPP OPEN AWARDS – FOR PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO ARE NOT BIPP MEMBERS Closing date: 30 September 2013 Judging: 23 October 2013

Presentations: November 2013

This is for photographers who are not BIPP members – it gives us an opportunity to view the work of people outside of the Institute. It gives an indication of trends within the wider industry and helps to benchmark the work of us all. We’re delighted that Paul Cooper FBIPP has agreed to chair the judging panel.

The BIPP Open celebrates the diversity and creativity of professional photographers from around the world. We look forward to seeing the work of photographers who have not yet made the leap into BIPP membership.

THE BIPP INTERNATIONAL FELLOWSHIP AWARDS

Closing date: 30 September 2013

Judging: 29 October 2013 Kevin Wilson Hon FBIPP will be chairing this inaugural awards scheme.

Having achieved their Fellowship, many photographers feel there is no way to further develop their photography. The BIPP International Fellowship Awards will highlight the work of the most highly qualified photographers in the UK and internationally. This competition will be open to all Fellows of professional associations across the world. It will involve judges from the UK and abroad and will showcase the very best photography from some of the most experienced photographers in the profession.

Entry is by a portfolio of five images (10x8 or A4), with the longest side being a minimum size of 8in.

How to Enter BIPP Members: £25 per entry +VAT (£30) Non-members: £50 per entry +VAT (£60) There is no limit to the number of portfolios submitted but an image may only be used once, ie it cannot appear in any other category.

Each submission should be accompanied by a high-res digital file on disc (multiple images on one disc are fine). Each entry should include a completed entry form (downloadable from bipp.com). At least one of these entry forms should include payment details to cover all your images.

For full details on how to enter all competitions, rules of entry, judging procedures, prizes and a downloadable entry form please visit www.professionalphotography awards.com

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BIPP / Tim Flach

London-based photographer, Tim Flach FBIPP, has received recognition for his excellence in Animal photography after being awarded a Fellowship by the BIPP. Flach was born in London in 1958 and studied Fine Art at Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design.

He is widely regarded among those within professional photography as being a pioneer in capturing the natural world, with unparalleled understanding of the nature and complexity of our relationship with animals. Flach’s work ranges widely across species, but is able to maintain a distinctive style for which he is known.

He is the author of three photographic books, the latest entitled More Than Human was published by Abrams in October of last year. His technical expertise and uniquely innovative approach have helped to define this arena of photography as we know it. Flach holds decades of experience undertaking commissions for clients such as National Geographic, The New York Times Magazine, The Sunday Times, Stern Magazine, Gore Tex and Hermès.

Tim said: ‘I am very privileged and humbled to have been awarded the fellowship from the BIPP. To receive this from not only my peers, but an organisation as highly respected as the British Institute of Professional Photography, it comes as a surprise and honour to be acknowledged.’

His work is represented in London by Osborne Samuel Gallery, regularly exhibited in international solo and group exhibitions, and held in the permanent collections of Miami Modern Art Museum and Citadel, Berlin. He has received numerous awards from the leading photographic organisations and publications.

BIPP President, Roy Meiklejon FBIPP, said: ‘BIPP qualifications are among the most rigorous in the world. We are fortunate to have photographers of Tim’s calibre as members.’

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BIPP / Company Partners

Photolease is an independent finance company, established for over thirty years, specialising in leasing equipment to the professional imaging industry. They help both aspiring photographers along their career paths and large studios with digital capture, output and lighting installations. Whilst they concentrate on equipment finance they also provide vehicle funding and leasing of virtually any product. www.photolease.co.uk

One Vision Imaging are one of the largest professional photographic laboratories to be found in the UK. For well over 30 years One Vision Imaging have been servicing professional photographers with the very highest standards of processing and finishing. As imaging specialists they also cater for many other sectors such as design and advertising agencies, graphic designers, Government funded bodies as well as keen enthusiasts. Not only do they offer the most comprehensive professional photographic services to be found anywhere in Europe but they pledge to ensure that their service is an unrivalled experience and that this is matched by their quality of product and product range. www.onevisionimaging.com

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BIPP / Benefits

CURRENT BIPP MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS INCLUDE:

Low-cost card payments with Payatrader

Discounted marketing leads with Nexus

Payatrader is a low-cost ‘pay as you go’ card acceptance service that allows you to accept card payments – without the need for a traditional terminal or any on-going financial commitment.

There is no monthly contract, no terminal, just the ability to take cards over the phone, by e-mail or on your ipad. The virtual terminal can sit on your desktop and you don’t need a merchant account.

Nexus Marketing provides responsive mailing lists for photographers looking to target new and mature families for portrait sittings. With no signing up fee, annual fee, long-term commitment, and prices less than half that of other providers, Nexus provides an easy and cost effective way to trial this form of marketing.

• • • • • • •

Low rates Pay as you go transaction fees Free virtual terminal Free payment button for your website No separate merchant account needed No physical terminal needed No monthly rental or minimum usage fees to pay • No minimum contract The initial one-off set-up cost is usually £99, however BIPP members can use a special code to reduce this to £69! For more information about the scheme and the processing rates available as well as to obtain the discount code unique to BIPP download the brochure and discount code from www.bipp.com

Their core offer is the New Parent List – a list of the names and addresses of new parents in your vicinity with children at the optimal 14-18 week age bracket. Members have total flexibility as to the promotional offer they wish to make to this key group of motivated buyers.

The BIPP is pleased to be the only professional photographic organisation associated with Nexus, and has negotiated a 25% discount off initial data orders for members, and ongoing preferential rates. This applies to all data supplies offered by Nexus including Mature Families, New Businesses as well as the New Parent List. To take advantage of this exclusive member benefit call Nexus on (01964) 551700 with your membership number, or if you have any other queries as to how Direct Mail can be used to help your business.

STAY IN TOUCH WITH THE BIPP The BIPP website http://www.bipp.com The BIPP Blog http://thebipp.blogspot.co.uk/

Twitter http://twitter.com/thebipp Facebook http://www.facebook.com/groups/46615645089/ Linked in http://www.linkedin.com Spring 2013 / the PHOTOGRAPHER 51

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BIPP / Regions

Midland David Taylor FBIPP david@chapelstudio photography.co.uk www.bipp-midlands.org.uk

North East Kevin Weatherly LBIPP kevinweatherly@mac.com www.bippne.com

North West Bernard O’Sullivan ABIPP info@insideoutphoto.co.uk www.bippnw.com

EVENTS & DATES COMING UP

SOUTH EAST

NORTH EAST

Portfolio Review Day Wednesday, 10 April 2013 10am-4pm The Tattershall Castle Victoria Embankment Whitehall, London SW1A 2HR www.thetattershallcastle.co.uk

Qualification Assessment & Portfolio Review Day Tuesday, 25 June 2013 10am-4pm Durham

Portfolio Review Day Tuesday, 14 May 2013 10am-4pm Brands Hatch Place Hotel & Spa Brands Hatch Road Fawkham, Kent DA3 8NQ www.handpickedhotels.co.uk/hotels/ brandshatch-place/ Ready for a challenge? Looking to go for your first, or next, BIPP qualification? Then join us on board The Tattershall Castle in London on Wednesday 10 April for a Portfolio Review Day between 10am-4pm.

Looking to go for your first, or next, BIPP qualification?

Then join us in Durham on Tuesday 25 June for a Portfolio Review & Qualification Assessment Day. Our one-hour portfolio reviews are ideal for anyone interested in discussing their work with an Approved BIPP Assessor, who will give constructive advice and discuss the criteria for qualification submission.

For more information, or to book, please visit www. bipp.com/portfolioreviews Alternatively if you feel you are ready to submit for qualification, please visit www.bipp.com/qualifications for more information or to book an assessment.

Keep an eye on your regional website or Facebook group for details of 2013 events in your area.

Our one-hour portfolio reviews are ideal for anyone interested in discussing their work with an Approved BIPP Assessor, who will give constructive advice and discuss the criteria for qualification submission.

For more information, or to book, please visit www.bipp.com/portfolioreviews Cost: £25+VAT (members) / £45+VAT (friends) / £50+VAT (non-members)

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Northern Ireland Denis Brady ABIPP info@denisbrady.com www.bippni.com

Scotland Mike Brookes-Roper FBIPP mike@brookes-roper.co.uk www.bippscotland.com

South East Chris Harper FBIPP chris@bipp.com www.bipp.com

South West Rachel Madden-Jones rachel@bipp.com

Yorkshire Stuart Clark ABIPP stuartclarkphotos@ talktalk.net www.yrbipp.co.uk

EVENTS & DATES COMING UP

SOUTH EAST An Afternoon with Paul Wilkinson FBIPP Wednesday, 17 April 2013 1.30pm-5pm Paul Wilkinson Photography 6 High Street Haddenham Buckinghamshire HP17 8ER www.paulwilkinsonphotography.co.uk Paul was awarded his BIPP Fellowship in January 2012 and has built a hugely successful business with a unique studio setup in the beautiful Buckinghamshire village of Haddenham.

Join Paul for a talk about his business, how he approached setting up the new studio last year (and lessons learnt…), work flow practices, and how key relationships have played a vital role in the growth of the business.

Best known for his environmental portraits, there will also be a practical outdoor session in the private garden on the studio doorstep. So remember to bring your camera!

As well as being the partner photographer to Le Manoir aux Quat’ Saisons, Paul spent last summer photographing with Cadbury for their Olympics programme and he will happily share some of the stories.

BIPP company partner, GraphiStudio, will also be present and displaying their new range of albums which were launched at Focus last month. £30+VAT (members), £36+VAT (friends), £40+VAT (non-members)

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Revisited / Mackney Photography

Image © Mackney Photography

I

t was back in the Spring of last year that we visited Simon and Wendy Mackney at Mackney Photography in Derby. They’d pretty much just opened the doors of their impressive studio space, part of a vast converted mill.

That was a big step forward, offering them a whole raft of new possibilities to provide new products and services across and wide and varied client base. No doubt it was scary for them, but all signs were good.

Taking such a step warranted a quick look back at what they’ve been up to since then – and we can see that their business model of creativity coupled with the very highest production values is doing really rather well. They were invited to an awards ceremony at the Houses of Parliament after Simon’s industrial work got them to the finals of the EEF Photography Awards, celebrating British design and manufacturing – in all they had eight images shortlisted.

And very recently, Wendy won Breakthrough Business of the Year at the Enterprising Women Awards.

In partnership with the Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire Chamber of Commerce, Mackney Photography was recognised for the changes brought in

by Wendy in a high-end photography studio with the ethos of quality, personality and of course stunning photography. As we noted at the time, there’s a drive and ambition about Simon and Wendy that goes a long way.

From the expanding client list illustrated here, they’re on the right track.

See more at http://mackney.com

ABOVE: For the GB Bobsleigh Team – they wanted a much more stylised and ‘hip’ image to grab potential sponsors’ attention, rather than the traditional brand of sports team portraiture. This was originally shot in Tamworth snow centre… but it’s all about the eyes.

RIGHT: Hair photography for Toni & Guy – this image won Mackney Photography a silver at the BIPP Awards last year.

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Image © Mackney Photography

Revisited / Mackney Photography

ABOVE: Hemlock engineering – showing how industrial photography can benefit enormously from creative lighting and considered post-production, making areas that were deemed ‘unphotographable’ look sexy… The colour tie-in was with the company’s own branding and this image was one of the finalists at the EEF Photography Awards 2012.

RIGHT: Jay Clarke is an under-16 England pro’ tennis player – this image was for his promotional material and used fast-duration Einstein E640 flash units and Pocket Wizard triggers. Jay is just 14 years old and after an incredible 2012 season, reached No1 in the European U14 Boys rankings. He is currently one of only ten boys in the 1998 age group worldwide to hold an U18 ITF ranking. Studio-based with digital background inserted.

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21/03/2013 16:37

Copyright / Stop43

Where are we now?

B

ig changes are afoot. If it is passed unaltered, proposed legislation in the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill will have immediate and serious effects on your ability to control and earn from the exploitation of your pictures. At the time of writing, we don’t know the Bill’s final Parliamentary schedule. If it is not yet law as you read this, shout at your MP! Please follow the guidance on Stop43’s website.

What is copyright?

First a quick primer, because copyright can be a little counter-intuitive and there is an awful lot of misinformation about it flying around.

If you create a ‘literary or artistic work’ such as a photograph, you automatically own it and it becomes your Intellectual Property. This automatic right is granted to you by Article 5 of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, which the UK signed in 1886. Your automatic ownership right is called ‘copyright’ and is yours alone, unless you’ve signed it away in writing: the Berne Convention Article 9 states: ‘Authors of literary and artistic works protected by this Convention shall have the exclusive right of authorizing the reproduction of these works, in any manner or form’.

The first five words of the Introduction to the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 are: ‘Copyright is a

The Stop43 campaign continues, seeking to prevent confiscation of your property and human rights in the UK Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill. You think you own your own photographs? Read on… property right.’ You can trade your copyright creations just like any other property, make your living from doing that, and leave them to your children in your Will. Your copyright lasts until 70 years after your death, after which your Intellectual Property enters the Public Domain (which means ‘no-one owns it’), and anyone can do anything they like with it.

Copyright exceptions For certain defined and limited uses, copyright can have exceptions. In other words, you lose ‘the exclusive right of authorizing the reproduction of these works’ and anyone can make use of them for these uses without first asking your permission, or paying you any money if you would normally require it. Exceptions to property rights are a really big deal.

In the case of copyright they are an even bigger deal because, as the European Court of Justice puts it, a copyright work is also ‘the author’s own intellectual creation reflecting his personality’ and represents its creator. This is why you have ‘moral rights’; why your copyright is your human right; and why your right not to be ‘arbitrarily deprived of your property’ is also your human right.

First, the good news. After a hard fight, the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill (now Act?) no longer has anything whatsoever to say about copyright exceptions. We won, for the time being. What does this mean?

Business Secretary Dr Vince Cable is proud that he once introduced a Private Members Bill which increased penalties against piracy. The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) knows this, which is why when last Summer it inserted Clause 58 (as it then was) into the ERRB, it said that the clause’s purpose

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Copyright / Stop43

everything it wants via the ECA 1975 2(2). A lot of very senior legal opinion disagrees, though, and the IPO’s plans may yet be subject to judicial review or other legal challenge.

was to protect penalties for infringement from being reduced if exceptions to copyright were narrowed as a consequence of using the European Communities Act 1975 Section 2(2) for this purpose. The thing is though, almost no-one anywhere is talking about narrowing or reducing exceptions to copyright.

Almost all the talk, and policy, is of widening and increasing exceptions, and Clause 58 was so open-ended it conferred upon IPO bureaucrats the power literally to abolish copyright – a power they are evidently very keen to have. Read on.

It is unlikely that this clause would ever have been used for its ostensible purpose. Instead, as Stop43 and others pointed out at the time, its obvious real purpose was to enable the IPO to implement all of the Hargreaves Review’s proposed copyright exceptions (and perhaps more in the future) by stealth. There were a lot of objections to this, and so Dr Cable instructed Ed Quilty, Head of Copyright and Enforcement at the IPO, to have Clause 58 redrafted to limit it to its stated purpose. The redrafting required was simple: merely add the words ‘With regards to penalties’ to the front of it.

Instead of carrying out the Minister’s clear instruction, the IPO redrafted Clause 58 in such a vague and obscure way that no-one could work out with any confidence or certainty really what the rewritten clause could or could not do, and then assured Dr Cable that they had done as he had requested.

More protests followed.

At the Bill’s Lords Report stage, without fanfare, the IPO finally withdrew the complex, vague and convoluted Clause 77 (as it now is) and replaced it with a new clause which does exactly what Clause 58 was purported to do: preserve penalty levels, no more and no less; clearly and simply. What took them so long? Why the resistance?

The threat of increased copyright exceptions hasn’t gone away. Despite losing Clause 58 the IPO insists it can do

Metadata Now a digression. An amendment to the ERRB was tabled and then withdrawn which would have provided extra legal protection for metadata.

But what is it?

Metadata is data about data.

It enriches the world. The addition, accretion and preservation of metadata adds value to a cultural asset by placing it in a cultural, historic, economic, ownership, and associated legal rights context.

Here’s an example. I was an avid reader of album sleeve credits. I followed the careers of session musicians, record producers, recording engineers and even recording studios. I wanted to know who had played what on each track, on which instruments, where and how. The 12” gatefold album sleeve had enough space to contain this metadata and many albums included full credits. Rather fewer CDs include full credits in their leaflets, but some still do.

Now check your MP3 file downloaded from Amazon or iTunes. All of these credits are missing. You would therefore never know (unless you consulted Wikipedia) that the fabulous bass guitar performance on the Michael Jackson song ‘Rock With You’ was played by Bobby Watson, with whom I was fortunate to tour Japan in 1988 when we were both session musicians backing Japanese pop star Epo.

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Original digital photographs contain metadata in the form of camera-generated EXIF data, and user-added IPTC data such as author, caption, copyright, and licence information, etc. Unfortunately it is very easy to strip a digital file of its metadata. Until it was named and shamed in the Hooper Copyright Hub report, the BBC did this as a matter of course to every image uploaded to its websites, effectively orphaning them.

Metadata stripping literally is asset stripping.

Unpublished works Because of the legislative definitions of the word ‘publish’, it transpires that most of the UK’s photographs have never been ‘published’. In 1988 an attempt was made to resolve the anomaly that as a result of their unpublished status, works as old as medieval illuminated manuscripts remained in perpetual copyright. A thoughtful and thorough investigation recommended that this perpetual copyright must cease, but rights owners of works which would as a result be ejected into the Public Domain should be granted time to deal with the consequences. Therefore, ‘transitional provisions’ were included in the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 preserving copyright until 2039 in all unpublished works of any vintage then in existence.

Then the Internet came along, new digital ways of exploiting copyright works were invented, and people became greedy and impatient. Clause 78 seeks to satisfy their greed and impatience by empowering the Secretary of State to implement regulations which could at some arbitrary point between now and

2039 eject unpublished works including private papers and photographs into the Public Domain. Potentially, most photographs in existence in 1989 could be affected.

There are two problems with this.

First, it appears to be a breach of Human Rights treaties and legislation. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights Article 12 says: ‘No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks.’

And Article 17 says: ‘1) Everyone has the right to own property alone as well as in association with others.

2) No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his property.’

The UK Human Rights Act 1998 says: ‘Every natural or legal person is entitled to the peaceful enjoyment of his possessions. No one shall be deprived of his possessions except in the public interest and subject to the conditions provided for by law and by the general principles of international law.’

And those principles of international law embodied in the Berne Convention bestow copyright upon creators and their heirs in title as an automatic right, without formality, which owners of unpublished works had expected to enjoy until 2039. Arbitrarily shortening this period looks very much like a breach of their human rights.

Second comes the problem of the little-known Publication Right. This confers upon the first publisher of a Public Domain unpublished work the exclusive right to exploit it for 25 years. In consequence, Clause 78 won’t actually eject unpublished works into the Public Domain for the public to use freely. Instead, they will immediately be scanned and ‘published’. The result will be a simple rights-grab transfer of what is effectively an extra 25 years of copyright from the original owner to the ‘publisher’, without permission or payment to the owner.

And who already possesses scans of much of this stuff?

Google. Those old family photographs you uploaded to Facebook? They’ll be Zuckerberg’s. The endgame will be the draining of the economic value of the UK’s pre-1989 unpublished cultural heritage out of the UK and into the pockets of a US corporation. Smart move, Dave. Well done.

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be under the table on champers; if not we’ll be crying into our beer. All that will be left then is to try to protect ourselves from the adverse effects of this legislation. To do that:

At the time of writing we did not know whether this ludicrous clause will be included unaltered in the Bill when it becomes an Act. Orphan works and extended collective licensing Like Clause 43 of the Digital Economy Bill, which photographers defeated three years ago, ERRB Clause 79 includes powers to set up orphan works exploitation and Extended Collective Licensing schemes. To recap: an ‘orphan work’ is one for which the rights owner is unknown or cannot be contacted; ‘Extended Collective Licensing’ (ECL) extends collective licensing schemes run by collecting societies for the secondary licensing of copyright works to include creators who are not members of those societies. In both cases, works such as your photographs will end up being exploited commercially without your knowledge, permission, or payment to you. Both kinds of scheme invert the normal operation of copyright and impinge on other laws and rights.

Amendments were tabled and then withdrawn which would have limited orphan works provisions to those in the EU Orphan Works Directive, and which would have included detailed ‘safeguards’ for rights owners in primary legislation (as they are in the Nordic countries’ ECL legislation, which the IPO claims to be using as a model for its proposals) rather than burying them in easily altered Regulations. This is important: China is talking about introducing orphan works and ECL, and it will be hard for the UK to object to China granting itself the right to exploit all of our copyright works for tuppence if we’ve already set a bad precedent.

Again, we have no idea at the time of writing whether our campaign to have this ridiculous, damaging, anti-growth clause removed from the Bill has succeeded. If it has we’ll all

• Make sure you embed your ©, name, ‘Moral Rights Asserted’, and phone number in every picture you make. Among others, Canon and Nikon D-SLRs can be programmed to insert it automatically; there is plenty of software around to embed it in your files after the fact.

• Register yourself with the PLUS rights registry and get a PLUS ID. Embed that in your images, too.

Go further: get a paid PLUS subscription and start uploading your most important images to their registry, when they make this facility available.

• Watch out for collecting societies (primarily DACS) applying to extend or introduce ECL schemes, and opt out from them. More detailed advice on these points will follow in another article.

Text and images © 2013 Paul David Ellis. All Rights Reserved. Moral Rights Asserted. ‘Girl in Pink’ photograph © 2008 Séamus Ryan. All Rights Reserved.

Moral Rights Asserted. Used with permission.

LINKS www.stop43.org.uk www.useplus.com ‘Google and the World Brain’ documentary. Look for it on YouTube Spring 2013 / the PHOTOGRAPHER 61

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Business / Branding

Make an impression I

t’s often said that people make snap judgements on character within seconds of meeting someone. While some impressions may be correct, many will be well off the mark. This means it’s imperative to ensure that anyone coming into contact with you or your business gets the right idea – first time. Second chances rarely come along.

Most think that building an image for a business requires the use of large design agencies and the costs that come with them. However, with a little thought you can do the job yourself and bring in the experts when you really need to.

Your image Before you can do anything, you need to establish what the image is that you want to project. By way of example, banks want to be seen as conservative, IT companies want to be seen as innovative while you, as a photographer, may well want to be seen as being creative.

Know your customers It’s important to have an understanding of your potential customers so that you can build an image that matches how they view themselves. For this you need to know who your targets are, who they presently use and their typical budget.

For example, there’s no point putting a high-end studio in the middle of a run down area, but on the other hand,

Coming up with business branding should be more than writing your name in bold letters.

It’s a process that starts with the very foundations of your business itself and the more seriously you take it, the better the long-term rewards if you’re aiming to be a fast turnaround passport style business there’s little point setting up where footballers live. The key is to locate where there’s enough business – and locate can mean bricks and mortar or on the web – to earn a good living and to create an image to suit.

Rivals You need to understand who your rivals are. Are they successful or struggling? Why are they in their position – what does their image say about them? Is it reputation, service range or price? Try and find the elements of their image that makes them successful and build on it, putting a unique spin on it.

So if your nearest rival focuses on, say, good wedding photography at a good price, aim to enhance what they do with perfect service that is good on turnaround. Also be as friendly as you can to get word of mouth sales. Certainly don’t attempt to meet the rival and their image head-on – you’re unlikely to win if they’re established and you’re a start-up.

Building your image With your position in the market established and the image that you want to create in your mind, you need to start building your image with a well-designed logo.

A good logo is the cornerstone of your identity as it’ll appear over all elements of your business, on your website, on your cards, on advertisements – everywhere. As a graphical device it needs to convey the image that you want to project and as such, you will need professional help.

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Business / Branding

‘Reds, yellows, oranges and other bright colours tend to suggest pioneering, trendsetting, and creative. However, it’s worth thinking about the colours you consider to be “expensive” and the colours you think of as “cheap” – it’s commonly a first response from customers.’

While some graphic designers are very expensive to work with – you can make savings. Although the large graphic design studios will cost more, there are plenty of freelance graphic designers that will work on either an hourly or per job rate. You’ll find plenty via Google.

Whilst it is an expense, don’t skimp on a logo. Saving pennies here will cost far more in the long run because of the poor image a badly designed logo will communicate.

Like any professional that you work with, be they an accountant, lawyer or designer, the better the brief the better the end result. In simple terms, this means taking time out to think about the brief and the message about you that the logo needs to give out. It’ll pay dividends in cost and time saved in avoiding redesigns. In particular, you need to think about tag lines, the use of colour, typefaces and the graphics employed.

Tag lines A tag line is a simple and catchy phrase that helps to set you apart from the rivals. Here you need to think about the key element of the image that is to be projected that will most appeal to your customers. If you emphasise a family element to your studio, your tag line might be something like ‘Not just a studio – a family studio’. A good tag line is a one-liner made up of six or seven words about the image. The tag line will help a designer with the rest of the brief.

Colour Most people aren’t colour blind and considering that photography is a creative art, good use of colour is critical to the success of your logo. Think about the colours themselves – blue, grey, darker greens tend to be quieter, more mature and conservative. On the other hand, reds, yellows, oranges and other bright colours tend to suggest pioneering, trendsetting, and creative.

However, it’s worth thinking about the colours you consider to be ‘expensive’ and the colours you think of as ‘cheap’ – it’s commonly a first response from customers. What colours are appropriate to the image you’ve selected? Take advice but don’t be swayed by colours that you might like personally but that contradict your intended image. A good way to begin is by thinking carefully about the sort of colours you certainly don’t want to use – this will be a great help to your designer. Be aware that if you give a misleading brief, you’re effectively wasting your money.

Typefaces The way the words are printed are important too. Consider the different and formal typefaces used on the web, in books and in newspapers – they’re very different to the simple alphabet handwriting typefaces used in party invitations, on tickets and in some adverts. The typeface you choose is one of the strongest image cues your logo can provide. A designer will be able to advise on appropriate typefaces if you don’t know what sort of image you want to project.

It’s standard practice to couple a serif font (with the curly bits on g Spring 2013 / the PHOTOGRAPHER 63

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Business / Branding

g

the letters) with a sans serif font (without) to communicate and separate different elements of your message.

Don’t for a minute assume that you know better than the designer you’ve commissioned… unless, again, you wish to waste your cash.

Graphics The role of a designer is to be very clever at producing good graphical representations of the message that you want to convey. If you’re using a (strong) graphic element in your logo, make sure that it is easy to understand.

Even more importantly, ensure that any logo used gets your message across even if customers don’t necessarily understand the graphic itself. The bottom line is that the graphic shouldn’t dominate the logo – it should only help to convey your image and message.

Size and shape The best logos are rectangular, either portrait or landscape orientated and are towards square rather than elongated.

It’s important to think about whether your logo will be readable from a distance and how much work the viewer has to do to understand it. Think about how it might look, say, amongst other logos – will it stand out, will it be memorable? Examples of logos that work well are Epson, Nikon, Adobe, Canon.

If you ask yourself what they are right this second, most of you will be able to recall the colour and the shape. All are simple and to the point – Epson’s is a good example of a name and tag line combined. Your name may well need to be more complicated, but using these as a point of reference is a good thing.

Use it everywhere Now that you have a logo designed it’ll be of no use and will communicate nothing unless it’s used everywhere. This means it must appear on signage, letterheads, invoices, business cards, envelopes and packaging, the list is endless and should include Twitter, Facebook etc. Many photographers use a miscellaneous image on social media to represent themselves and it’s not really a good idea. Facebook and twitter are full to the brim of icons that are just confusing. Look for all opportunities to use your logo in everyday situations.

Try to integrate your logo colours, typefaces and graphics into other less obvious parts of the business. If your main logo colour is blue, then it should be part of your clothing – say a tie or jumper, and even internal furnishing and decorating schemes. You need to subliminally use the image everywhere where your target customers might see it. If you have staff, make sure that they buy into the image you’ve created – what it’s trying to project, the values it represents and how it’s integrated into your business. If they don’t believe in it nor will your customers.

Start from scratch?

Of course you may already have an identity that you’ve been using for some time that hasn’t been entirely successful. While some elements may work – say the logo is well known – the entire package just hasn’t worked. If the logo is widely recognised it would be madness to discard it. If this is the case, you need to work out which parts of your old identity should be retained, and then put those elements through the process outlined above. It may not be as hard as you think to get a designer to rework what you already have and it certainly would be cheaper than starting out from scratch.

Until next time…

With the passage of time, tastes and designs change – as may the business (as it hopefully grows) and the customers that it targets. It will make sense to periodically revisit the image and logo to see if it’s projecting the image you want.

Remember – the image of your business is one of your most important assets. The investment of time, effort and money you make in it now will realise far greater returns long into the future. Invest in your image now and make a lasting impression.

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