Creative Light - Issue 27

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Master Craftsman - Charlotte Bellamy Black Heel Portraits - Fi Millington-Pipe successful craftsman panels Photoshop - Glyn Dewis Full Circle - Jaine Briscoe-Price Pink Lady Photography Awards - Hamish Scott-Brown Issue 27

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Contents 10 20 24 34 36 42 48 66 70 74 76 84 92

© TRACEY LUND - Craftsman

Tracey Lund Craftsman Ann Aveyard Craftsman PhotoHubs Coventry November 2018 Ed Burrows Craftsman Gold Awards July & August 2018

© IAN KNAGGS - Craftsman

Hamish Scott-Brown Pink Lady Photography Awards Fi Millington-Pipe Black Heel Portraits Charlotte Bellamy Master Craftsman Ian Knaggs Craftsman Mark Bannister Craftsman

© ED BURROWS - Craftsman

Glyn Dewis Realistic Skin Smoothing Rob Hill Marketing Jaine Briscoe-Price Photography - Full Circle

© ANN AVEYARD - Craftsman Issue 27

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Front Cover

hamish scott-brown

“The image on the front cover was captured in late Winter in the Himalayan foothill mountains high above Srinagar in Kashmir. These are Gujar people. Semi nomadic herdsmen and tribesmen who live much higher in the mountains during late Spring and Summer but come down to the lower areas in the cold of Winter. I had been in Srinagar and Dal Lake with my step son photographing the drought ridden Saffron fields and we took some time to travel higher and vist these lovely quiet and friendly people - We were invited in to the small ramshackle house of this particular family where they all lived, slept and cooked. I always return from these trips truly humbled having spent time away in the cold and exposed parts and realsing how lucky I am to have what I have in life. We ate home baked bread and drank local Kashmiri tea, sitting on the floor of the house.... the daughter, a shy girl took time to light a fire where the water was boiled for our tea.... the light and the gloomy smoke of the tiny house made a perfect shot - Fuji XT2 , hand held with an 23mm lens. I cant wait to go back. I love Kashmir.....the FCO deter any travel there and I cant think why....they are such friendly lovely people� - Hamish Scott-Brown

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Steve & Lesley Thirsk

The Guild of Photographers As we move into the Autumn, we move into an exciting time – the Guild’s 30th Anniversary of supporting photographers and encouraging their personal development! The Guild was started as the Guild of Wedding Photographers by Roy Doorbar and Ian Gee, who sadly passed away just over 18 months ago. To acknowledge their achievements and our 30th anniversary we are launching the ‘Founders Cup’. This will be an award given to one member each year for the strongest 3 image mini-portfolio (or themed Panel)…and entry will be restricted to those who are either Registered or Qualified members to encourage personal development of those yet to become a Craftsman or above. Those who have won Guild Competition titles will also be excluded from entering. To celebrate the 30th anniversary we are also adding several new services and opportunities for members – one of these being a Health Care package! That will not only save up to 40% on the usual price of this policy but will save members money as it a ‘cashback’ based scheme which recovers outlay on dental and optical expenses as well as more specialised services…all from just £5.36 a month. Another incredible new service to support our members! Perhaps the biggest change we are making, to take the Guild forward into the next 30 years is the introduction of 12 Guild regional groups. The aim of these is to encourage more local interaction, ranging from local support through to local training, and of course the social side for which the Guild is known. Going hand in hand with that is a local “buddy” scheme. There are many facets to the Guild, so when a new member joins us, it can be overwhelming … and let’s be honest, getting involved for the first time can be a little scary for some. To help with both these things we are introducing an approach where established members will help new members get a feel for the Guild in an informal and friendly way! We are also running competitions and opportunities to celebrate this anniversary (for example we have just given away 30 free tickets to the fantastic PhotoHubs Coventry event sponsored by Loxley Colour and Profoto as well as the Guild of Photographers). Speaking of PhotoHubs Coventry, if you have not already booked your ticket to be there on the 14th and 15th November, do so, before it sells out! There are 10 inspirational and highly respected speakers on the main stage over the 2 days in one amazing venue. There are also longer and more intimate workshops you can attend … and in all cases a fabulous lunch is included! The speakers are Sujata Seita, Chris Chambers, Lauren Bennett, Guy Gowan, Saraya Cortaville, Scott Johnson, Audrey Kelly, Glenn Norwood, Hannah Couzens and Linda Johnstone. There’s more about PhotoHubs on pages 26-31 of this magazine! Also, in this edition is an inspirational article about Fi Millington-Pipe and her desire to make women feel good about themselves, as well as one by Hamish Scott-Brown and his journey in the Pink Lady Food Photography competition over the last couple of years. There is also an open going ‘Full Circle’ article by Jaine Briscoe-Price, and an intriguing one by Rob Hill asking if photography has reached it’s next ‘tipping point’, as well as our usual editing advice section by Glyn Dewis. This edition is also packed with inspirational images by those who have either achieved Gold awards in the Guilds Image of the Month competition, or have achieved a new level of qualification with the Guild through a Panel submission, including one by Charlotte Bellamy from the Netherlands who has achieved Master Craftsman status with her stunning ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) based submission. Enjoy the read.. Steve & Lesley

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Editor Welcome to the twenty-seventh edition of Creative Light, incredibly it will be five years next April since the first edition was published in 2014. Five years! Wow, where has that time gone? In this edition, we feature an article from Guild member Fi-Millington-Pipe, who has empowered women to feel good about themselves through boudoir photography. Such a great story and a big thank you to the ladies who kindly gave permission to be featured in the magazine, but, more importantly, have enjoyed the experience; gained bucket loads of confidence and willing to have their photographs published and shared with you. Panel Member Hamish Scott-Brown who has entered The Pink Lady Food Competition for the last couple of years shares with you an insight to the competition and how he shoots and chooses his images. Finally, one of my images which was taken on a recent wedding, one of the hottest days of July! I could have ran forward, photographed the bride and her father’s faces or organised the bridesmaids in a tidy ‘posed’ group, but for me, personally, I love the narrative that this photograph evokes.

julie oswin

Have a great couple of months. Next edition is due out at the end of November in time for Christmas!

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Editors Choice Helen Woodland Awarded Silver - April 2018

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Colour management can be easy As a photographer, you are likely familiar with colour management. However, a recent survey conducted by Datacolor revealed that only 15% of the 400 photographers quizzed felt they

had a good knowledge of colour management. To help photographers master the art of colour management technology, Datacolor have produced an extensive colour management guide. ‘Spyder5 eBook: Color management can be easy’ is a free six-chapter guide providing practical advice to help any photographer or videographer understand colour management, from the basics to the advanced. Here’s a taster from the first chapter.

Why use color management equipment? High-quality color management that is time and cost-efficient is almost impossible to achieve without color management equipment. Anyone who has ever set up their printer for fine art prints and has ended up using an entire ink cartridge on high-quality paper for mere test prints will have plenty to say about this. The concept of color management involves coordinating systems so that once taken, the image on the output side (monitor, printer or other output medium) appears as close to the original as possible. This also includes deliberate changes made to image content. In other words, photographic processing needs to be reproduced on the output side as it was carried out on the monitor. Why? Depending on the make and model, digital cameras have different color characteristics that can be corrected using a color calibration tool. What’s more, lenses can also introduce color traits, while low-quality lenses even create clearly visible color casts and light falloffs. These can be almost impossible to modify. We can, however, influence the appearance of the digital image on the display. Without settings, we also see an interpretation of the image that may not be representative of its true colors. This is determined by the electronic components of the display and its age. It gets trickier when it comes to printing images on paper. When we convert the light colors, which have determined the process so far, into printing inks, it can cause distortions.

The competence of the eye is not enough In short, we are moving between physical worlds of color. We can work with several devices, which each individually interpret the colors for us. If you rely solely on the expertise of the naked eye and make adjustments according to your vision, you will very quickly reach your limits. Every additional device included in a color workflow will heighten the complexity. To add to this, color deviations don’t behave in a linear fashion, but vary according to color saturation level and the nature of the colors themselves. Finally, it is important to keep in mind the color constancy phenomenon. You’ll notice how fast your eye compensates color casts, when you change the color profile on your monitor. Regardless of whether the colors are right or wrong, our brain hides slight color casts within minutes. This phenomenon is called color constancy. This is similar to situations in which we quickly become accustomed to the brightness or darkness of our surroundings. Sign up at www.datacolor.com/ebema-tg to receive your copy of ‘Spyder5 eBook: Color management can be easy’. Chapters will be released in three-week intervals.

Issue 27 and - Spyder Creative Light Magazine : 9 © 2018 Datacolor Inc. All rights reserved. Datacolor are registered trademarks of Datacolor.


Tracey Lund

Awarded Craftsman September 2018

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congratulations Claire Osborn QGPP

Qualified Guild Photographer August 2018 12

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Digital FineArt Collection Turning Images into Art

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Demystifying of stock ph

We speak to successful Alamy c some light on sto

Keith! Other Photographers keep asking what y

A lot of hard work! But really it isn’t that diffcult ears open for every opportunity that comes you and try to expand the range and style of work y

What is your approach to shooting stock photog

I don’t travel anywhere! I’ve not been abroad sin Aberystwyth unless I have a paid-for assignmen there are images to be made anywhere and eve Aberystwyth, which is a small town of 15,000 pe much much more potential material than I have

How do you stay ahead of the stock photograph

Keeping one step ahead…! I’m not sure if I’m any but I’m pretty persistent in what I do and I have dark arts of captioning and keywording (or tagg my head “what is going on in this photo? What i be used?” As stock photographers we’re all look portfolios – images that are good repeat sellers

Like what Register with Ala 100% commission fo

Get st 14

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Creative - exclusive Issue 27to members of The Guild of Photographers * up to Light a valueMagazine of £500 - offer


g the world hotography

contributor Keith Morris to shed ock photography.

your secret is, but is there one?

t...just put in the hours, and keep your eyes and ur way. Keep on looking and seeing and learning you have to offer.

graphy? Do you travel far and wide?

nce 1987; and most of my time is spent in nt from a client. If you know what to look for erywhere. If I can make this work for me in eople, then really anyone in or near a big city has e.

hy competition?

y better at the technical side of photography a reasonably advanced understanding of the ging, as Alamy now describes it). I’m thinking in is the story it’s telling? How and where could it king to get a good number of ‘potboilers’ in our s and which have long shelf-lives.

you hear? amy today and get or the first 6 months*

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congratulations Lynne Harper QGNBP

Qualified Guild Photographer August 2018 Issue 27

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WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU LOOK AT YOUR WEBSITE? Not just a glance but a real hard look?

O

ne of the biggest things I hear from new enquiries is “I am not getting any business from my website and I have no idea why”? And then I look at their website and I have to wonder when was the last time they really took a good hard look at their websites through the eyes of their potential client!

More often than not the design is poor, slow to load and rather than showing just their best work, they have far too many images on the website that are badly optimised and slowing the website down and to top it all the website is not responsive and certainly isn’t mobile friendly!!

If this sounds like you, then what can you do? Firstly you need to look at your website as if you were a potential client and ask yourself the following: • Is my website mobile friendly? Remember most people will check your website out on a mobile device before they will look at your website on a desktop! • Is my website easy to navigate? There is nothing worse than trying to find a contact email or telephone number on a website, at the very least your contact number should be on the footer of every page. • Is my website quick to load? Look at your site incognito to see it as your potential clients will see it. • Am I showing my best work? If not update it and remove images that no longer reflect your style

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creating beautiful BRANDS & WEBSITES

Holy wow... my new website is flying! My old one was literally dead in the water as far as google was concerned, but a Guild member gave it a new lease of life! Can’t thank Yvette Craig enough. If any of you need a new site, you won’t go far wrong with her. Amazing job :) SCOTT JOHNSON - THE EDGE PHOTOGRAPHY IF YOU WOULD LIKE THE CHANCE TO WIN A ONE TO ONE WITH ME WORTH £250, THEN JOIN MY MAILING LIST https://lemonadedesign.co/ CLICK HERE> WINNER WILL BE NOTIFIED 1ST OCT, NO CASH ALTERNATIVE, PRIZE IS THAT STATED YOU MAY ALSO LIKE TO JOIN MY FACEBOOK GROUP

JOIN FACEBOOK GROUP “it’s an absolute dream working with a somebody who totally gets what a photographer needs.. because you are indeed also an amazing photographer with a wealth of wisdom, understanding and experience. You know what good looks like :-)” TAMARA “I’m absolutely delighted with my new website. Yvette is patient, easy to work with and speedy too! Thank you!” ALEX RICKARD “Yvette is wonderful. We had about two weeks to go live with a new website and she rock and rolled with the punches and created magic. She is so responsive, and it was wonderful.” MICHELE MALONEY “Outstanding service and help from Yvette from day one. Yvette didn’t mind me asking the daftest of questions, pointed me in the right direction when needed and spent a great amount of time afterward going through the site with me so I could alter text and photographs as and when I need to. Friendly, personable and 100 % professional, Thank you,” SARAH MORRIS

LEMONADEDESIGN.CO

YVETTE@LEMONADEDESIGN.CO T: +44 (1)233 642 733 27 - Creative Light Magazine M: +44 (0)7984 Issue 470415

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Ann Aveyard

Awarded Craftsman September 2018 20

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The first series of Cameracraft was a quarterly subscription-only magazine, covering three years of important developments in photography from 2012 to 2015 when it became part of f2 Freelance Photographer bi-monthly. A year later, from the November/December 2016 issue, Cameracraft returned as the main title for the magazine though you’ll still find the f2 logo there. Cameracraft has teamed up with The Guild of Photographers so all their members, professional and enthusiast alike, will receive a copy of the bi-monthly magazine. - David Kilpatrick

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© STACEY OLIVER

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PhotoHubs Coventr

Photo: Suiata Setia

Ten

Inspirational Speakers –

Two ‘Do Not Miss’

Audrey Kelly

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Lauren Bennett

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Days – One Great Location!

Chris Chambers

Linda Johnstone

Glenn Norwood


ry is back!

Sujata Setia

Hannah Couzens

Saraya Cortaville

Scott Johnson

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Photo: Glenn Norwood

THE SPEAKERS ARE: Sujata Setia Photo: Audrey Kelly

Photo: Audrey Kelly

Following on from the success of last year’s amazing event PhotoHubs Coventry is back on 14th and 15th November! Whatever your photographic interests you will learn, be inspired and have fun at these 2 ‘do not miss’ days.

There are 10 incredible seminars on the main stage and 12 potential workshops to attend, as well as great social opportunities and amazing lunches which are included in the very low attendance cost. Key Trade companies will also be there including the event sponsors Profoto and Loxley Colour. The subjects covered include Newborn, Children, Portraiture, Fine Art, Conceptual Storytelling, Fashion and Beauty, Weddings, Travel, Personal Projects, Branding, Pricing, Dog Photography, Editing and Post Production, Workflow, Natural Light and Studio Lighting plus more. There are some great Early Bird booking offers on the event and the number of workshop tickets available are limited so don’t miss out and book your place now. Find out more at the PhotoHubs website – www.photohubs.co.uk.

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An endless source of inspiration, Sujata Setia is a multi-award winning children, newborn, pregnancy /maternity and family photographer based in London. Arguably she is one of the most wellknown photographers in the world – all achieved in just over three years. Clients travel from around the world to be photographed by her and she teaches and influences photographers across the world too. She is also a professor of photography at Spain’s most reputable photography institute, and a member of the Guild of Photographers.

Guy Gowan Joining us from the Netherlands is Guy Gowan, one of the creative industry’s world leading solutions experts. In fact he’s regarded by many as an unmatched digital imaging guru! For over 30 years he was a trainer, consultant and presenter for Adobe, Apple, Nikon, Canon, Epson, HP and others but he is best known for his unique ‘Retouching Workflow’ which he has developed and refined for Photographers and Designers worldwide. This unique methodology and non-destructive technique has influenced thousands in the creative community worldwide.


Lauren Bennett As a photographer, Laurens unique editing style inspired many photographers around the globe, resulting in her launching ‘LSP Actions’ in early 2016 to share her unique gift for fast and perfect editing in Photoshop and Lightroom. Adobe is a "second language" to her and many well known photographers swear by her Actions over all other editing tools. These include Ana Brandt, Gary Hill, Russ Jackson, Claire Elliot, Tracy Willis and Melanie East amongst others, so do not miss this rare seminar and workshop opportunity.

Chris Chambers Yorkshire based Chris Chambers is one of the most admired photographers in the UK. Amongst his many accolades he has won Wedding Photographer of the Year, All Round Photographer of the Year and Overall Photographer of the Year with the Guild of Photographers. He has also been recognised by the SWPP as their Overall Photographer of the Year and their Wildlife Photographer of the Year. His training courses are always ‘sell-out’ events. One of the reasons for this is that they are full of real world advice and practical information which can be used day in day out.

Saraya Cortaville

Photo: Suiata Setia

Saraya is an award winning portrait and documentary photographer with a passion for travel. She was the first ever female photographer to obtain a studio portraiture Fellowship from the BIPP and she is currently one of only two women in the UK to have achieved 2 Fellowships – the latter one of these was also awarded the Peter Grugeon award for the best fellowship portfolio of 2015 Saraya is also a Master Craftsman, Judge and Mentor with the Guild of Photographers as well as author of the book Portrait Photography Art and Techniques.

Scott Johnson Scott photographs weddings across Europe and the United States. He also travels the world as a fun and energetic educator, speaking at major events such as the WPPI Conference. Amongst his many achievements, he has won the Guild of Photographers ‘Wedding image of the Year’, the SWPP’s Wedding and Documentary Categories and won the MPA’s Wedding Album of the Year for 2 consecutive years. He is also a Master Craftsman with the Guild and has Fellowships with both the BIPP and SWPP.

Photo: Saraya Cortaville

Photo: Glenn Norwood

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Audrey Kelly Mum of two Audrey Kelly, is a wedding, portrait and fine art photographer as well as the current president of Northern Ireland’s photography association (PPANI). The “dark beauty” of her thought provoking personal work, has led to many awards. She is the‘Overall Wedding Photographer of the Year 2018’ with PPANI and has been their ‘Overall Photographer of the Year’ many times. She has also won BIPPNI Photographer of the Year, SWPP Illustrative Photographer of the Year as well as international competition accolades including WPPI.

Glenn Norwood Glenn has been working in the professional photography industry since 1990.Based in Northern Ireland, he has worked in many disciplines from commercial to social photographic genres, but has specialised in Fashion and Beauty photography for the last 15 years. Known for how he pushes creative boundaries to capture unique images his work has won him many awards over the years including Northern Ireland Photographer of the Year and he has been a recipient of the Kodak European Gold Award on no less than on three occasions.

Hannah Couzens Hannah is a multi-award winning professional portrait photographer based in London who shoots everything from corporate headshots to families and celebrities.

Photo: Linda Johnstone

She started her photographic career young in life, opening her first portrait studio at the age of just 22 and in 2011 she became the youngest member ever to obtain an Associateship with the BIPP. She is known as a lighting specialist and is highly regarded as an educator and mentor, working closely with Profoto, and speaking at events such as the Photography Show.

Linda Johnstone Linda Johnstone is an award winning Animal Photography specialist based in East Sussex. She has an understanding of dogs nature and body language which helps to capture their unique character. She is happiest and does her best work when with animals, and with the people who share that love of these special companions. She is highly sought after as both a photographer and trainer in this specialist field, running excellent workshops where she generously shares her knowledge and practical advice.

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Guy Gowan


Photo: Hannah Couzens

More Info: PhotoHubs website

Photo: Scott Johnson

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NEW Custom Framing

Your frame, your way Custom sizing is now available across our entire award-winning frame range.

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Whether it be to suit the size of your image or to fit a space on the wall, custom sizes are perfect for making sure your framed prints look exactly how you want them.

• • • • •

Four frame collections 34 mouldings Single and double mount options Nine print finishes 5 working days

Very impressed with the quality of framed prints. Delivered on time and very protectively packaged. Love it” Shaun T

Discover more, visit loxleycolour.com or call 0123 686 2720.

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Ed Burrows

Awarded Craftsman September 2018

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... AND TIME “Shuttertax have a very straight forward and efficient way of working which requires very little effort from me.” We wanted to tell you what a fantastic online accounting service we provide for photographers but we decided to let Guild members tell you for themselves.

“The process of switching was painless and it has made me more productive, saves time and costs far less.”

INVALUABLE “I’ve found Paul's knowledge of tax issues invaluable, and he responds quickly to any questions I've asked. I've absolutely no regrets signing up with Shuttertax.”

NO ‘ACCOUNTANT JARGON’ “Any questions I had were answered fully without the use of 'accountant jargon'.” “He goes out of his way to explain things to me in a way that I will understand and answers my questions quickly.”

UNDERSTAND MY BUSINESS “They both completely understand my business, having "been there, done that!" themselves.” “Paul and his wife know the business too which he tends to keep quiet! They were excellent togs so know what hurdles we all face with running our business.”

PASSIONATE TO HELP “Paul is a brilliant guy, extremely helpful, understanding, and within minutes you will realise that you've found someone who's passionate to help other photographers.”

SAVED ME MONEY “Shuttertax has definitely saved me money in my first year and with Paul's help, I am sure my business will grow and grow.” “Paul took most of the tedium of accounting off my hands, and in completing two tax assessments for me so far, has certainly saved me more money Light Magazine - Issue 27 than36I've :paidCreative Shuttertax.”

NO QUESTION IS TOO STUPID “No question is too stupid, communication is excellent and my tax returns have been painless now for two years.” “Paul patiently and expertly answered every single 'daft question' I threw at him and due to his expertise and patience my self assessment return has now been filed in record time and with the minimum of stress on my part.”


TOP NOTCH SERVICE “Their customer service and professionalism is top notch too, after only a couple of months of working with Shuttertax I can see it has been a great decision and I can highly recommend them.” “Their professionalism and customer service speaks volumes about how they view you as a client.”

FRIENDLY “It felt like talking to a knowledgeable friend who's keen to help, rather than an accountancy firm who only see me as a commercial opportunity.”

UP TO DATE INFORMATION “Paul assured me that I would have up to date account information at my fingertips but without all the hard work getting there.”

ACCOUNTANT WAS CHARGING ME A FORTUNE “I recently switched from a High Street accountant who was charging me a fortune and had me typing up spreadsheets and labelling invoices every month - time consuming and tedious!”

EXTREMELY REASONABLE FEES “They have simplified how information is recorded through the use of QuickBooks Online, providing access to information and reports I didn't previously have.”

“As if their friendly, professional service wasn't enough, I think their fees are extremely reasonable with no hidden costs which have resulted in reducing my accountancy fees by more than two thirds.”

TRANSFERRING IS SEAMLESS “The process of transferring my accounts to Shuttertax has been seamless. I cannot thank him enough and hope he won't regret all the extra transactions I get in as I have more time to focus on the business!”

WOW! “Wow, I wish I’d found Shuttertax years ago!” “I am definitely a customer for life!!”

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july & august 2018

Natasha Ince

Judith Lawley Stacy Joyner

Sarah Wilkes 38

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Charlotte Bellamy

ances van der Merwe

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Duncan Graham

Ania Pankiewicz

Ian Knaggs

Scott Johnson

Ed Burrows

Joan Blease

Jason Allison

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Peter Woods


Jennifer Jefferies

Iain Poole

Laurence Sweeney

son Allison

JULY & AUGUST 2018

Claire Osborne

Mark Lynham

Tim Wilde

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Pink Lady Awards 2019

Over £20,000 prize pool, including a top prize of £5,000

Hamish Scott-Brown Pink Lady Photography of the Year Awards for 2019 celebrate the very best in photography and film. Creative Light talks with Hamish Scott-Brown who was a Pink Lady Photography finalist for 2017 and 2018 and shares with the readers an insight into this fabulous competition for all photographers.

Q: Why is it important to you to enter The Pink Lady Awards? Food photography in today’s world represents more than just the pack shots and food still life’s that everybody imagines and visualises when they hear the phrase food photography. The Pink Lady Food Photography Awards have very cleverly incorporated many different elements and genres into the annual celebration. World travel has never been cheaper and few photographers (both amateurs and professionals) nowadays would turn down an opportunity to travel, document and create narratives with their work given the chance. The Pink Lady Food Photography Awards embrace food production, its distribution, harvesting, the political, right to the growers , the sellers, cooks and chefs and final preparation experts including food stylists. It is a young generation that are keen to travel, explore and seek adventure. Armed with a camera as simple a smart phone you can enter the competition and be judged in categories that are specifically designed for the smart phone user and bloggers. With sponsorship coming from some of the biggest names in food and wine production along with photography judges and food celebrities.

Q: How many times have you entered The Pink Lady Food Photography Awards? I have entered the competition twice. In 2017 I entered 25 images and surprised myself with 5 images gaining finalist status, a 3rd place and 2 highly commended. In 2018 the pressure was on and I gained two 2nd places and a 3rd place across 3 categories. The entries in last years competition totalled over 9000 photographers and are judged over the course of a week by names like David Eustace and other movers and shakers. Coming 2nd place in any big major competition is frustrating but rewarding. Coming 2nd place twice is doubly frustrating but not doubly rewarding. I guess the pressure is on for next year! To be a finalist your work has to be of the highest quality, to be selected as a winner when entries total nearly 10000 is subjective and I think there is an element of luck. However, to get lucky you need to practice and the more you practice the luckier you will get.

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Q:

What are you looking for when you select your images for the Awards? I look for pictures that tell a story in a single frame, that are free from distractions, compositionally and geometrically correct and leave the viewer in no doubt that they are almost in the photograph. I like to try incorporate a sense of the desire to be there and in the picture even if it is a smelly fish market in the heat of an Indian summer. Not all locations I visit are “Dulce et Decorum Est”, in fact some of the best locations for documentary food photography have been the dirtiest and the smelliest. For sure the ‘Politics of Food’ category shots I’ve done have been quite morbid ..or desperate …or both

Obviously for the food still life’s consideration is given when judging to blown highlights, colour balance and distracting elements. For other categories, these considerations is less important (I think) and it is more about the content of the image. It is all too easy to become overly critical with some images and quite often what happens is you become emotionally attached to the memory of that shot. However, does that image contain the ‘moment’ Thorsten Overgaard calls it “The point of Emotional Impact’ , Roland Barthes called it “The Studium and Punctum” of the image. I simply refer to it as whether the image ‘moves you.’

Q: With 1000’s of images for the Judges to go through, and with your knowledge of photography what elements are of the utmost importance for your entry....

I spend days honing collections down and selecting with my wife who tries to help me become emotionally detached from series of pictures that take me back to the time, the place and the atmosphere. She may not have been there and I use her to adopt a distance and critical eye.

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The kit I use has also become smaller, lighter and more portable. The Fuji X series of cameras have replaced my larger heavy DSLRs and I’m now pretty much a convert to these beautiful little cameras and prime lenses. My entire kit of 2 bodies and enough prime lenses fit neatly in a sling-bag that is no more than 8.5kg. Why? Because Emirates have reduced their Economy carry on cabin bags to 1 item of no more than 8.5kg. The Jpgs out of camera are pretty much perfect and ready to go so there’s less time fiddling with raw files and I am all for spending more time seeing/photographing places than fiddling with images.

Q: Do you shoot for this competition each year or use images taken during your photographic year?

I do shoot for the competition each year and I have a specific agenda and I encourage those photographers that travel with me to consider entering a competition that allows them to shoot a wide gamut of work from the places that we travel to. I have always considered that farming, growing, rearing livestock and hanging around markets in places like Vietnam, India, Myanmar and of course Italy are perfect locations to capture the candid and documentary style work that I personally admire. - Hamish Scott-Brown


The winner of the coveted title Pink Lady® Food Photographer of the Year receives £5000GBP, 2 nights’ accommodation at the Inter-Continental London Park Lane in a double room with breakfast and will be reimbursed up to £750 GBP for the cost of a return flight to London travel to attend the Awards Evening Reception. (Terms and Conditions apply) The winning work will be seen in exhibitions throughout the year All Finalists’ images and films will be displayed at the worldrenowned Mall Galleries, London during April 2019. In May onwards the exhibition will travel across the UK and Europe to a variety of venues including France, New York and all finalists in the Errazuriz Wine Photographer of the Year category will have their work displayed for a year in a dedicated space at the Errazuriz Winery in Chile.

For further details - The Pink Lady Photographer of the Year 2019

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© Hamish Scott-Brown

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© Hamish Scott-Brown

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Š Fi Millington-Pipe

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Fi Millington-Pipe

Black Heel Portraits www.fionamillingtonphotography.com

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lack Heel Portraits has been a relatively new adventure. I started with Fiona Millington Photography in 2013, and I don’t mind admitting I was rubbish. I shot on auto and had no idea how to use my lights but still took bookings. I thought it would just be OK. I muddled through and eventually became competent, moved premises to where I am now – the fantastic Biscuit Studio in Coalville and started spending more time investing in training and learning. I’ve always photographed children and families and fell in love with the connection between the family. I dabbled in newborns but soon realised it wasn’t for me and then I photographed some maternity, which I loved! In the summer of 2017, I was on holiday in France and trying to be more present in my photographs and reminding myself that my kids love me for who I am. They aren’t bothered by the size of my arms, my double chin, my muffin top or anything else I don’t like about myself. They love me because I am me, their mum. My husband is in love with me, and so I realised I needed to start loving myself. I posted on Fiona Millington Photography posting a similar post asking women to be more present in their photos and demonstrating by showing myself in more pictures. I am a large size 22 lady, and I talk the talk of making other women feel confident but rarely feel it myself. It was a huge thing. The post generated lots of activity, and I had women from all over the country talking to me about their worries and concerns but most importantly showing me they were present in their photos. At the end of 2017, I was beginning to wonder where my photography was heading. I still enjoyed it, but I didn’t LOVE everything I was doing and realised, that while working full time, something needed to change. I needed to spend time photographing what I loved, which when I sat down and considered it carefully… what I wanted to do was make women feel amazing about themselves. I wanted women to see themselves as beautiful. I wanted women to look at the things we all see and not the perceived faults they see in themselves. I wanted to make women feel beautiful for themselves! Black Heel Portraits was born!

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After speaking to a couple of friends who were models, they mentioned that they needed some boudoir style photographs doing for jobs. I jumped at the chance, and slowly it grew. I set my page up and gave it a real push – to be perfectly honest, I didn’t expect any interest I wasn’t sure if in my location it would sell. But to be totally honest I wasn’t prepared for what happened next. Over the next few months, nearly every weekend booked out with a Black Heels shoot. I quickly realised that I needed to find a makeup artist so that the ladies would feel at their best. Chloe Maddin from Chloe Simone MUA came highly recommended. So we setup a shoot to see if we could work together. Chloe and I hit it off right away, and soon I was making 3-way bookings between myself, my incredible MUA (now friend) and my client. I knew Chloe was going to be part of the package as she was so natural with the clients and I needed to make my ladies feel empowered and strong. Chloe worked on a couple of shoots with me, and from there she decided to book for her own. Chloe said ‘I chose to shoot with Fi because the boudoir photography side has always intrigued me. I’ve always wanted to look at a photo of myself and feel sexy. At a time that my confidence had been shoved to an all-time low, we had the shoot. The same day Fi provided me with a viewing after working tirelessly to get them ready. I ended the session with tears in my eyes, but a fire inside that made me feel bloody invincible. It gave me a huge boost, and the opportunity to throw up the v at someone who had made me feel a bit pants! Thanks, Fi!’ I have photographed ladies in their 60s, 50s, 40s, 30s and 20s; brides to be, married ladies and single ladies. I have photographed size 8’s, size 16’s and size 24’s and everything in between! One thing I didn’t realised before was that EVERY SINGLE LADY was self-conscious, worried about themselves, disliked themselves in some way. Now that broke my heart. I made it my mission to make people leaving the experience of being photographed feeling sexy and fierce. I have a twin sister, and her photo-shoot was the one I was most worried about. I knew Jacqui lacked confidence, in fact, I rarely get her in front of the camera. When she wanted to do a photo-shoot with me, it had to be perfect. Another worrying aspect, for me, was that she would send me pictures of what she didn’t want to look like – frankly, the images were awful and not my style, but it ramped up my anxiety. Then she came to my house to speak about the shoot and broke down whilst telling me “I just want to feel pretty and beautiful”. The night before the shoot I barely slept. Chloe came to do her makeup, and Jacqui’s colleagues came to do her hair. By the time we had primped and preened she looked even more beautiful than usual. I encouraged Jacqui’s friends to stay for the shoot, something I encourage for really nervous clients. After a nervous start, we laughed, giggled and cried. At the beginning of the shoot Jacqui was mostly covered and, like with many of my clients, she was completely naked by the end! Of the shoot she said… “Fi, you have helped me to see myself differently, that just because I’m overweight, I still deserve to feel good about myself, the boost I had to my self-confidence was massive. I felt I looked terrific in the pictures and saw myself as others do”. One evening Chloe sent me a message. What if we got a group of women together and photographed them all together? So it began. We put out some feelers that evening, set up a Facebook group and started planning the shoot. Chloe’s thoughts behind the shoot was to “give women a massive boost in confidence, I love to make women see their true worth and to fall in love with themselves. Fi is an incredible lady that also works with the same goal. When I approached Fi with the idea I knew instantly that she was the woman for the job. Not only because her talent is endless in capturing women in their best light but because I knew the

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experience of my life and has reaffirmed for myself the importance of body confidence and building women up rather than tearing them down. I’ve had a lot of messages from my Black Heel Portrait ladies, mainly when I asked them why they wanted to do the shoot. Here is what they had to say...

meaning behind the shoot would speak volumes to her too. The result was powerful and I know it wouldn’t have been with anybody else”. We thought carefully about locations and finally chose the beautiful venue of Breedon Hall. We asked for volunteers, we opened up the day to anyone who wanted to be part of the shoot could be and we would not turn anyone away! If they wanted to take part, they were in! All sorts of ladies volunteered and inspired me with their strength and courage. One of the ladies was only a month post-mastectomy, one lady had Crohn’s, one lady had a disability, some ladies were comfortable in their skin, and some weren’t. The only thing the ladies all had in common was the want to take part in the shoot!

“At the end of last year at 30 years old I was diagnosed with the BRCA2 Breast Cancer Gene Mutation passed from my Mum who sadly lost her battle in 2010.. I struggled with the thought of my body changing again so dramatically but the reality of breast cancer remained so for me a double mastectomy was inevitable.. I made the hardest decision of my life so far as a young woman to have my healthy breasts removed. This was only 4 weeks prior to the shoot.. I messaged Fi to book my friend onto the shoot and explained I would love to do it too but would only be a couple of weeks be post surgery and wasn’t sure if I was the look she was going for to get this reply “YES YES YES YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY THE REASON WE ARE DOING THIS” so I came along with my two beautiful friends and it was the most inspirational experience.. such an incredible group of strong, worthy, beautiful women who came together for the same reason encouraging and supporting each other it was truly uplifting and I’m so proud to of been part of it...” Thank you, Stacey xxx “I chose to do the shoot because for years I have struggled with my weight as I have Crohn’s disease and I have also had major surgery on my tummy having part of my bowel removed. And I have had a child so never been at a point where I have been happy with myself until recently and I know how hard it is to get to a point where you’re happy. And wanted to help show people that no matter what scars you have or shape you are you are beautiful....”. Marie

I barely slept the night before! I felt sick. So I brought cakes and biscuits and arrived at Breedon Hall. We decided to set-up the shoot in the lounge, and the ladies used the dining room as a changing area. Everyone was very nervous of each other to begin with and very worried about getting undressed with each other. I said to them that by the end of the day they wouldn’t even be thinking about it and they would be running up and down the stairs in just their underwear. No one believed me! Chloe got started on the makeup, and we all got chatting. As each lady had their make up finished, I took them upstairs and photographed them individually. This gave them confidence in front of the camera and I was able to build a rapport. Apparently, I can be quite cheeky once I’m behind the camera but suffer from nerves and shyness without it. Once all the individual photographs were taken my Black Heel Portrait ladies started to relax. Next came the group shoots – I photographed them all firstly wearing white lingerie, the white lingerie and blue jeans, then black or dark lingerie and finally anything of colour. Once the white lingerie shoot was over, you could tell the ladies were getting into it as they decided to use the front steps and weren’t even phased when a groundsman was working at the front of the building! AND low and behold the ladies were running around in their lingerie without worrying about covering up! The whole experience lasted for approximately 4 hours but will stay with me for many years. It was by far the best

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Hannah Y.... “I have always had issues with my body since the age of 13 and since yo yo dieting from a size 24 down to a 12 and back up again my body confidence is shot! This was challenged for me by my 13 year old Daughter who already has issues with her image due to disability and is awaiting further scars from open heart surgery plus my best friend going through a double mastectomy it gave me the push to do it! Afterwards my daughter embraced every flaw and I learnt to love my body for more than what is on the surface! I also learnt that there are some incredible women out there “.

Amy… I’ve always worried about my body since secondary school. Hating how I looked in the mirror and that I was different to my friends- I had a physical disability. Anyway, So I agreed to this shoot earlier this year and it was the best thing I ever did! It was nerve racking and exciting at the same time but Fi and Chloe were amazing and made me feel so at ease. I felt awesome and I couldn’t wait to view my shots, to see myself in all my glory!! Wow.. I look hot, sexy and so fearless. I can’t stop looking at them and want to show the world. Also my friends and family loves them, and are so proud that I did it to inspire women and show them to love their bodies just the way they are” 52

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Hayley…. “I wanted to be part of something that w show women’s beauty at its best. I was enticed b thought that women would be showcased as ladies sass, attitude and beauty and this shoot nailed it! I proud of what we all achieved! Fi showed that all wo all shapes, all angles, are beautiful x

Annemarie…. “I have had body issues all my life. Been bullied for being the bigger person. I hated it and I lost weight. But after three children I gained over ten stone in weight and hated the way I looked and had no confidence whatsoever. I am now loosing weight but still don’t like seeing myself. I did this to give me confidence and to like me for me. It most definitely did that”


would by the s with am so omen,

Victoria…. “I’ve always had confidence issues and I chose to do this because I want to start pushing myself out of my comfort zone more often. It definitely did that! We are way too critical of ourselves but find it much easier to see the beauty in others. We all looked fabulous on the day! If I can get semi naked in front of a room full of strangers, why can’t I go for that job promotion or for some other opportunities that may come my way? Girl power!”

Kimberley…. “I decided to do this photo shoot as I’m a mum of 2 and my body has changed drastically since having my children. I’ve gained weight and lost weight quite a few times. I’m constantly surrounded around people that are slim and always look amazing and I never think I do. So I thought if I did this and was surrounded around people that also have their own Insecurities I would over come my fear of what every one else thought about me. After walking in and people starting off getting changed separately and then by the second change we all loved who we were and we were getting changed together. The confidence just grew within us all. I can now embrace who I am and love me for me and not what everyone else thinks. We are all human and we should all be happy with ourselves. We’re beautiful and unique in our own way” Issue 27

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Sophie... As someone who is quite overweight, I have battled with negative body image and mental illness for a very long time. However, I have been spending a lot of energy over the past 3 years working on my confidence and learning how to love myself for who I am. This project was announced at the most perfect moment. I do not believe in coincidences, I just knew I had to be a part of it. What better way to celebrate how far I have come on my personal journey than with a photo shoot which celebrates women, and all our wonderful differences? Thank you, Fiona and Chloe, for collaborating and arranging such a fantastic day!

Following the group photo shoot I can definitely say my own confidence has grown and Black Heel Portraits continues to go from strength to strength. Chloe and I are a formidable team and with more plans in the offing – watch this space! Now I just need to find someone to do my shoot”. - Fi Millington Pipe Black Heel Portraits

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www.creativitybackgrounds.co.uk 56

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Š NEWO Imagery

01384 485 550 sales@creativitybackgrounds.co.uk Issue 27

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https://www.nphoto.co.uk/folio-box-artwork-by-magdalena-sienicka

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© IAN KNAGGS - Craftsman 60 : Creative Light Magazine

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Ian knaggs

Awarded Craftsman September 2018

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Infocus Photography insurance present…

It shouldn’t happen to a…

newborn photographer Not many professional photographers come home from a day’s shoot covered in body waste, but for newborn photographers, a smattering of wee and poo is all part of the day job. It’s a hazard that comes with the territory; and for Sarah Wilkes of Sarah Wilkes Photography, it’s something you simply have to get used to. She said: “You take a nappy off a baby, and it’s going to poo on you. You just have to crack on with it, and make sure you have spare clothes.” Claire Elliot, a panel member of The Guild of Photographers and newborn photographer, agrees:

“The thing is once you get the nappy off and air gets to the baby’s bits. Well let’s say 95 per cent of the time you get a little gift from baby. Boys are worse than girls because they pee up in the air and over their own heads. They can be a nightmare. “I remember once I was wrapping a baby for a shot and the mother told me the baby was constipated. Well as soon as I lifted the legs up, it was a poo-nami! I was covered. The parents are usually mortified. But if you’re going to be a newborn photographer you can’t be squeamish about it.” Newborn is one of the fastest growing sectors in the photography industry. The shoots capture babies at just a few days old – usually between 4 and 14 – and it is a sector not for the faint-hearted. Bodily functions aside, newborn photography brings with it a unique set of challenges, from finding suitable props to manoeuvring babies into the perfect pose. And for results, you needMagazine a sleeping, -milk-drunk 62 the best : Creative Light Issue 27baby.

Claire Elliot


“I remember once I was wrapping a baby for a shot and the mother told me the baby was constipated. Well as soon as I lifted the legs up, it was a poo-nami! Sarah said: “Getting the baby to go to sleep can be the biggest challenge. I give parents a packed information sheet ahead of their shoot, but the most important thing is to try to keep the baby awake in the hours before a shoot and feed them as soon as they arrive. “I also make sure the studio is lovely and warm and play white noise – usually the sound of the womb – to encourage sleep.” Babies are easier to pose when asleep. And for anyone considering a move into the newborn photography, both Claire and Sarah agree the baby’s safety is paramount. Claire said: “There’s the safety element of putting babies into poses, and positions that are not completely natural. You must learn how babies can be manipulated safely without damaging their body parts. “When I began 18 years ago, there was no newborn baby training available. So I spoke to local medical people I knew – paediatricians, nurses – and learned from them the right way to move a baby’s limbs around, as well as what to look out for.” Like Claire, Sarah was one of the first newborn photographers in the UK. She discovered the industry when pregnant with her first child and was blown away by the images she was seeing from the US. She combined her experience in childcare – she was previously a nursery nurse – as well as her passion for photography to carve out her new career.

Both Claire and Sarah run training sessions for budding newborn photographers. Claire also works with the Newborn Baby Posing Company Ltd, in association with the Guild of Photographers. While Sarah coowns the The Newborn and Portrait Show. Claire said: “Watching parents as they see the images I’ve captured of their baby, who is so tiny and so young. The look on their faces is what makes it all worthwhile. Especially if they have special pose in mind and you achieve that for them, that’s the best. What we do as newborn photographers is produce memories.” Sarah agrees: “Seeing the parents’ faces when they look at the images of their child who, even two weeks later, has already changed. It is so rewarding, especially if they cry. More so when the dad’s cry.” Claire added: “Like everyone else, we need money for rent and for living, but it’s not a job you do for the money. It’s for that look, the satisfaction you get from seeing the parents. Otherwise, it would be too hard to put up with all the poo.”

For expert advice on all kinds of photography insurance, speak to one of Infocus’s friendly staff: 0161 925 5051 or visit Issue www.infocusinsurance. 27 - Creative Light Magazine :co.uk 63


SPEND MORE TIME SH HOW ZENFOLIO HELPED STREAMLINE MY BUSINESS by Ioan Said

HERE AT CELYNNEN PHOTOGRAPHY WE ARE CELEBRATING OUR 10TH ANNIVERSARY!

Over the past 10 years we have many changes to refine our busi we’ve tried different web solution trialed new camera systems, outsourced editing, brought it ba house, etc. But we had not mana to find a Web solution that work us — until Zenfolio.

This year we really wanted to streamline and expand our busin

Ioan Said is the BIPP North-West Wedding Photographer of the Year 2017, and two time North Wales Wedding Photographer of the Year. He is ranked among the TOP 100 wedding photographers in the UK on Fearless Photographers and recently served as Chairman of the North West BIPP region. See his site at: celynnenphotography.co.uk

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Like many wedding photographe we are busy with all the different we need to do — shooting, editi social media, blog writing, traini networking, selling, organising, finances, and more. These other are time consuming, and the wh reason we got into this business the first place was to take picture Plus, our little boy is now an am 2 year old, and I want to make s spend as much time with him as I can!


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Because of the time-consuming aspects of running a photography business, I constantly felt like I was missing out on maximising my database, missing promotions, getting through my blog posts, missing upsell opportunities…the list goes on. These are all areas where Zenfolio has really sorted things out for me. Partnerships with print companies who handle everything with suggested pricing including markups save me time. Free marketing campaigns that can ensure we make the most of our databases — many of them activated with a single click — are beneficial as well. Since switching to Zenfolio we have sold more prints in a year than we had in the previous five years combined! The blog is fully integrated, making it easy to source images and ensure Web traffic is optimised to one

website. Previously we had a separate blog, had to ensure it was kept secure, and optimise two websites… which was very stressful. Not any more. Our website is now fully responsive, and there are other smart integrations such as client apps that let our clients share their pictures on social media in a way that always promotes us. All of our photoshoots are stored within the Zenfolio system, giving us an easily accessible backup of our files, and with a few SEO tweaks, our site recently shot up in Google for most of our targeted keywords. We are delighted we made the switch to Zenfolio. It’s sorted out a lot of issues that were bugging us and has also opened up new opportunities for us to expand. We are looking forward to seeing where our new website takes us!

GET 30% OFF YOUR SITE USE CODE GUILD AT ZENFOLIO.CO.UK/GUILD Issue 27

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66Charlotte : Creative Magazine - Issue 27 Š bellamyLight - master craftsman


Master Craftsman

Charlotte Bellamy Introduction

I am a passionate photographer who will try my hand at any subject, but with a deep love of photographing the landscape. On moving to The Netherlands in 2012 from the UK, I initially developed my landscape photography interests due to my lack of Dutch language skills! My work is now developing with the use of ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) and double exposure techniques inspired by Doug Chinnery and Valda Bailey. I love the ability to express my creativity through my camera. I delight in the opportunity to portray what many to consider as a ‘flat and boring’ landscape in Holland, into images that intrigue and question that preconceived notion. Around 7 years ago I joined the Guild of photographers. I love to enter IOM and in 2012 and 2013 was named the Guild’s ‘multi genre’ photographer of the year, and ‘image of the year rural and landscape’ winner in 2017 and runner up in 2016. Working through the qualifications I initially qualified in weddings and open photography before specialising in landscape photography for my Craftsman and abstract landscapes for my Master Craftsman. I’ve gained much through working with the Guild’s mentors; Hamish Scott Brown and Lesley Chalmers over the last 5 years”

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“Take a moment to look at the normal; you might just see the incredible”

Why limit yourself to what your eyes see when you have such an opportunity to extend your vision?”

- Edward Weston

Presentation Brief for my Panel I’m lucky that I live in the Netherlands where we have such great landscapes. You know, I see the sunset, and I feel the warmth of the light as it falls on the leaves of the trees. As the rain drips, I see the grass glisten with vibrant intensity. As the wind blows, the movement captures my eye as a hidden branch is exposed like a shy individual. I notice that the vast blue Dutch skies and expanses of water are contrasted with the brown tree trunks and orange sunsets. Every colour and contrast captures my eye but only when I take the time to notice it. The impressionist painters have always inspired me, especially Van Gough. This school of painters were unconcerned with creating objectively realistic representations. Instead, they were seeking to capture the changing effects of light, weather and atmosphere to convey the dynamism of their new environment. I think that just as in paintings, it is possible for landscape photographs to show the emotions and feelings of the artist rather than just a view through a lens. My panel showcases my love of the outdoors. It has allowed me to explore my love of landscape photography while enabling me to create images that explore and expose the emotions I feel about the landscape around me. In the Netherlands, they say “I make a photograph” not “I take a photograph”. I love this concept. My images are more than just a snapshot in time; they are a portrayal of a feeling. I create my images using a combination of Intentional camera movement known as ICM and also double exposures. Some of these images have been created in a moment of spontaneity, while others have been carefully combined to replicate a memory. I love the ICM technique for the freedom it allows me from focussing purely on the technical aspects of photography. It’s fun to experiment and create something closer to art, stretching the envelope of photography in new directions. The use of double exposures allows me to explore the feeling further; adding softness, texture, contrast, depth and colour. Initially, I thought ICM was a chance to escape the need to consider any of the more technical aspects of photography; but experience and practice have taught me otherwise! I very quickly realised that the effect of light to be considerable in ICM images – it transforms otherwise flat pictures into those with depth and energy. Considering the subject matter and composition is also an essential part of ICM I take inspiration for my work the minute I look out of my window. The weather and the changes in season offering me ever changing wonderment. Having moved to The Netherlands 6 years ago, I was offered a fantastic opportunity to explore my new home through the medium of photography. I delight in the opportunity to portray what many to consider as a ‘flat and boring’ landscape, into an image that intrigues and questions that preconceived notion. The abstract ICM and double exposure work of Doug Chinnery and Valda Bailey offered me early inspiration and more recently I have been inspired by the photography work of Julia Fuchs, Kevin Marston and Robert Friel. 68

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Given my desire to create ‘art’ rather than photographs; I have fallen in love with the work of Joan Fullerton, Anthony Garratt and Kurt Jackson. The work of these painters portrays the landscape with a feeling of passion and power. Using colour and brush techniques to evoke depth and abstract style in their paintings that I aspire to replicate in my images. Just over four years ago I attained my Craftsman qualification with the Guild for my very traditional landscape work. I loved the journey of working with my mentor for a year to create the panel; the journey was as remarkable as the end qualification for me, and I learnt so much during that time that I still utilise every time I lift a camera. Initially, I assumed that Master Craftsman would be the next logical next step in a short space of time. But it was not until October 2017 that I decided I was ready to offer a selection of images to a new mentor to see if I was ready to submit. After our first mentoring session, we both recognised that just submitting a back catalogue of work with updates and additions would gain me no satisfaction. It very quickly became apparent that another journey was in order! Since starting work on my MC, the awareness I have developed of my strengths and weaknesses is immense. I have been challenged to research, explore and understand what producing a body of work looks like and found the research invaluable; recognising the importance of colour palette, orientation, the point of focus, standpoint, lens choice, and post-processing style amongst others on the resulting images. The journey has been an amazing one; I am incredibly proud of this panel and what I have achieved and amazed at my creativity and conviction that I love these images. During the last year, I have been encouraged to develop photography that displays my passion and creativity. So I am delighted to have been able to showcase my love of trees within this panel. For me, they portray a unique contrast in the flat and open Dutch landscape. I love their forms especially when you add a little camera movement to the image. Many of these images have been made just a short walk from my house, and prove that you need not travel to beautiful and exotic locations to create unique images. I find myself more often using my phone on dog walks, collecting images that provide ideas and inspiration, almost like sketches in preparation for a final painting. My aspiration for these images is that they are recognised as ‘art’ and not just photographs. I hope that my passion for the landscape around me is evident and that these images make you take a minute to linger and wonder about your location in which you live. What I’m aiming to do is to leave the viewer wondering if they are missing an appreciation of their immediate surroundings, because they are ‘just there’? Or maybe because they don’t allow themselves the time to look at the obvious? I leave you with a quote from Cecil Beaton, which inspires me to follow my heart with my photography. “Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play it safers, the creatures of the common place, the slaves of the ordinary” - Charlotte Bellamy Issue 27

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Š Sal Cincotta

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The world is my studio Profoto A1

We created the Profoto A1 with a round head that delivers light that’s both natural and beautiful both on camera and off. It’s also incredibly easy and to use, with superfast recycling and a longlasting battery, so you’ll never miss a shot. It might be the smallest light we’ve ever made, but the creative possibilities are enormous. Discover the world’s smallest studio light at profoto.com Issue 27

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Š Ann Aveyard - Craftsman

Mark Bannister

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© MARK BANNISTER - Craftsman

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TIP SHEET #6 Using a 50% Grey Layer for Flexible and Non-Destructive Dodging and Burning

Dodging and Burning has been around since, well‌Photography but I never ventured into the world of film so never experienced mixing chemicals in my own dark room, developing pictures and using them to Dodge and Burn. Now although we’re now well into the age of Digital Photography the art and process of Dodging and Burning is still as important as ever BUT nowadays with Photoshop, Lightroom and so on, there are many ways to do so.

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In this tutorial I’ll take you through a technique that makes use of Photoshop’s Dodge and Burn Tools but in a Non-Destructive way so as to give much more flexibility, so here goes…

Step 1: 50% Grey Layer Add a New Layer to the top of the layer stack by clicking on the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel. Rename this layer ‘dodge and burn’. The go EDIT > FILL and choose 50% Grey from the Contents Menu and click OK.

Note: Another way to add a 50% Grey Layer is by holding down the Alt / Option key and clicking on the New Layer icon at the bottom of the Layers Panel. This brings up a dialog box. In here name the layer ‘dodge and burn’, in the Mode choose Soft Light and then place a tick in the Fill with SoftLight Neutral Color (50% Grey) checkbox and click OK

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Step 2: Dodge & Burn Tools From the Tool Bar choose the Dodge Tool and then in the options bar at the top of the screen leave the Range set to Midtones (makes no difference as we’re going to be working on a 50% grey layer anyway) but lower the Exposure (strength) to around 5% and keep a tick in the Protect Tones checkbox.

Tip: It’s best to keep the Exposure setting fairly low so that you gently build up the effect because when dodging and burning, before you realize it, you can very easily do too

Step 3: Dodge and Burn Now you’re all set to start Dodging and Burning. Now there’s so much can be said about how but let’s keep it simple and say that the main objective here pretty much is to brighten the bright parts and dark the dark parts. Check out the screen grab to see the areas I worked on.

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Tip: To only see the grey layer you’re working on simply hold down the ALT / Option key and click on the eye icon of the Grey (Dodge and Burn) layer. This will turn every other layer off. To go back to normal view just hold down the ALT / option key and again click where the eye icon for the Grey (Dodge and Burn) layer would be. Step 4: Flexibility of Grey Some people choose to dodge and burn on the grey layer using a combination of black and white brushes and this works just fine. However the reason I choose not to is so that I can set up my foreground to 50% Grey by clicking on the foreground colour and setting the HSB to 0, 0, 50. Then when I’m dodging and burning, if I need to remove or reduce an area I can quickly dive over to a brush and paint with this 50% grey colour at whatever Opacity I choose.

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Step 5: Blending Another great reason to dodge and burn on a 50% Grey Layer is how we can blend areas together. The real skill with dodging and burning is making it look natural how the highlight and shadows areas you’ve enhanced blend into each other. On this Grey Layer we can do that after the fact by selecting the area we want and using Gaussian Blur.

Dodging and Burning can make such a difference to your pictures by highlighting specific areas to guide the viewer and adding much more depth and dimensions. But if I was to offer one final tip here it would be to take your time; do a little then step away from your picture and return a few minutes later. When you do this you’ll see your picture with fresh eyes and will instantly know if you need to do more or you went too far and need to reduce the effect; and that’s easy now when working on the 50% Grey Layer. 80

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CHECK OUT MY YOUTUBE PAGE FOR 100’S OF FREE TUTORIALS

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congratulations Stephanie Chapman QGPP Qualified Guild Photographer July 2018

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Has photography reached its next ‘tipping point’ – and what does it mean?

O

ne of the interesting facets of photography is that it merges art and technology together and, while art trends have changed over the years, the advancement of technology has continued unabated. In years gone by, technological progress was about improving film materials, lens construction and optical coatings. Then came digital photography where the primary focus was on sensor technology, seeking a level of quality that could rival (and eventually surpass) film. Many of these advances changed photography as a hobby and as a business dramatically. Digital technology eliminated film costs and made photography cheaper while the ability to see the captured image immediately made photography easier and simpler, opening up photography for the masses. It is 43 years since Kodak’s Steve Sasson invented the first digital still camera with a 10,000 pixel (0.01Mp) sensor. Since then things have moved on significantly with vastly improved sensor technology and feature-rich cameras, yet many believe that the next great revolution in photography is almost upon us, as artificial intelligence (AI) comes to the fore in many aspects of our lives – including photography. For those who think you have never seen or used AI, you may be wrong. It is at the heart of digital assistants such as Amazon’s Alexa, Google’s Assistant and Apple’s Siri. It is behind many of the automated call handling systems we navigate when we call large companies, such as banks. If you think AI has never touched you, in some ways that just proves how good it is. Any period of technological change is often met with concern, this is quite normal. Farriers were very worried about the advent of the motor car (a.k.a ‘horseless carriage’) and, while many farriers were put out of work, they soon retrained and found employment in the automotive industry. More recently, our high streets and retail industry are suffering at the hands of Internet shopping, yet there are many thousands of web developers and parcel delivery drivers who would not have jobs without this technology shift.

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Artificial intelligence and computational photography AI works by ‘training’ computers using a technique known as ‘deep learning’. In photographic terms, this means that computers analyze hundreds of thousands or even millions of images, learning what makes a great shot, and the settings and composition required to take it. All of the analysis is done on hugely powerful computers that consume vast amounts of power and the outcome is a small software model (‘algorithm’) that can be loaded onto cameras, making them ‘artificially intelligent’. As more analysis is done, so the algorithm can be improved and updated, enhancing the capabilities of the camera. One new term that AI has spawned is ‘computational photography’; essentially a digital image processing and improvement process that uses algorithms to replace optical processes. In effect, this moves some of the work traditionally done as post-processing to the camera, improving the image at the point of capture. One area of particular importance is skin smoothing where older techniques such as simply blurring the skin are replaced by more sophisticated and realistic approaches as a result of AI algorithms that are trained to understand the features of people’s faces.

over 200,000 ‘great’ images and, with the help of a smartphone that displays what the camera sees, the photographer can take the best photo possible without understanding technicalities such as shutter speed, aperture or ISO setting. There is clearly demand for this sort of technology; Arsenal set out to raise $50,000 in crowdfunding and they passed that goal in just seven hours, eventually raising $2.6 million. Clearly, DSLRs can still take better quality images than smartphones, and this is the market that Arsenal is addressing. However, AI is also able to make the very best of less-than-optimum hardware, such as the lenses found in smartphones. Perhaps this ability to enhance older technology is why the major camera manufacturers are avoiding AI – it could impact sales, as less people would feel the need to upgrade to the latest camera so often.

Computational photography is also able to replace optical effects such as shallow depth of field (‘bokeh’) with algorithm-driven processing. Although not yet quite as realistic as optically created bokeh, this will surely improve with time as the algorithms become more sophisticated. AI-driven cameras are already able to detect subject types and apply subjectappropriate post processing, including skin processing or enhancing landscapes.

Smartphones lead the way with AI What is very interesting about the research into AI as far as photography is concerned is that the companies that are leading the way are not Nikon or Canon, but companies like Apple, Samsung, Huawei and Google. In fact, there is far more AI-based technology available in the average camera phone than in a modern DSLR. Even the simple Google Clips wearable camera makes decisions about which photos to process, rejecting anything that is out of focus or obstructed by a finger as well as ranking photos that comply with the rule-ofthirds higher than those that don’t. Nikon are looking into AI, but it seems to be at the professional end of the market, tracking athletes in live sporting events being one example. There seems to be relatively little going on in their DSLR range, although Canon did recently announce their intention to open up a research and development centre in Silicon Valley where they will ‘actively adopt new technology’. The lack of AI-driven innovation by the larger camera manufacturers is creating a market opportunity for thirds parties. Arsenal is a crowd-funded AI-based attachment for DSLRs that has been trained on

AI in software AI is also entering the world of post-processing with the release of AI-driven post processing software. One example is Photolemur – Apple’s ‘App of the year – 2017’, which claims to be ‘the world’s first fully automated photo enhancer that makes all your images great automatically with the help of artificial intelligence’. Unlike traditional post-processing software, Photolemur has no buttons or sliders and simply analyses the image and applies whatever corrections it deems appropriate. continued... Issue 27

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Areas where Photolemur provides enhancement include sky improvement, colour recovery, exposure compensation, foliage enhancement and RAW processing (yes, it works with RAW files). The publishers, Skylum have just launched Version 3, which allows users the ability to control image style through preset styles. They claim 190,000 users (and growing) and have processed 57 million images, each and every one of which will, no doubt, have been used to improve their algorithms.

How will AI change photography? We are at the very early stages of AI development and, although AI is rapidly gathering pace, there is certainly much more in front of us than behind us. While there is much that AI can do, such as adjusting camera settings, automatically rejecting technicallyor compositionally-poor images, or post processing sympathetically based on the subject matter that it identifies, there is also much that it cannot do, yet. What early AI is doing is giving almost anyone with a modern smartphone the ability to create a decent photograph and, initially, it seems to be mostly addressing the bottom end of the market – making snapshots into photographs. At the moment, AI cannot look at a scene and tell the photographer how to compose the image and there is no button to create an award-winning photograph, yet. Although, LG’s ThinQ phone allows photographers to select a professional image via their Graphy app and then the same settings are then applied to the photo being taken. So, anyone can visit the US national parks and use the same settings as Ansel Adams. No guarantee of a masterpiece, but this is one more step in that direction. However, with every photo that is taken and put online, AI algorithms have one more opportunity to improve and hone their algorithms. There can be 88

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no doubt that in a few years, AI photography will be far more advanced than it is today and may be able to recommend composition, or at least tell you that a composition is bad – Google’s Clips camera is already on that path. It is a matter of opinion as to whether AI can yet produce images that would be acceptable to the average customer. However, it surely will in the not-too-distant future. This is not to imply that it will rapidly gain the ability to win awards, but more to execute ‘professional-level’ images in disciplines such as social photography or landscapes, as just two examples. This means that the barriers to entry for photography will fall even further and possibly more rapidly than during the shift from film to digital. As a result, more people will move into photography as a part- or full-time career, saturating the market further. Also, members of the public will discover their ability to take better photographs and see less need to hire a professional for images that they think they can take themselves (with some justification).

Implications for photographers Almost certainly, AI will impact all photographers to some degree and, if you are in business, this is an area that you must be keeping an eye on. Depending on the market you serve and the types of photography you produce, the impact will be different. Some photographers may see their customer base erode, or more competition enter the market. Prices may drop further due in part to market saturation and also to reflect that with AI doing a lot of the heavy lifting, overheads are reducing. On the positive side, some photographers may find AI delivers benefits to their business. If postprocessing software advances to the point that lower-end post processing can be entrusted to automated software, then they have more time that can be used to grow their business, find new clients or even take a well-earned break. Two things are for sure: firstly AI is coming to photography and it will have a huge impact and secondly, if you are in business you need to understand how your business may be impacted and develop a plan for the opportunities and threats that it will bring. - Rob Hill

About the Author - Rob Hill is a Master Craftsman with the Guild of Photographers and a member of the Guild’s panel of judges. He spent 25 years in global technology marketing and now runs a small but successful marketing consultancy writing marketing copy for high-tech companies around the world. Alongside his marketing work, Rob also has a growing product / commercial photography business - www.marketingshotz.com Issue 27

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Jaine Briscoe-Price

Full Circle www.jainebriscoe-price.co.uk

“I never want to be a wedding photographer”… a firm statement by Jaine during her two years at Southport Art College. Fast forward 30 years and Jaine loves photographing weddings; So what changed and what has she learnt during that long, varied and exciting journey? Soon after leaving college, ditching her “arty-farty” degree course at Manchester for a full-time job in Manchester, Jaine realised that she “could not make a spark plug look sexy”. Returning to her first love of horses, she soon became a successful horse dealer; travelling to Ireland and Belgium, viewing hundreds and selecting in an instant those which she could turn around into profit. This quick evaluation skill carried into portraiture years later. Lesson learnt. Go with your instincts and “read” every situation. The recession of 1990’s saw Jaine stuck with 36 horses and no buyers. Out came her camera (film) getting a job photographing four portraits an hour on housing estates where she sometimes had to put Vic up her nose to mask the smell and wipe her shoes after being in the house; a learning curve itself! However, it taught her to make the most of space, props to hand and to get it right in camera within three shots. Evaluate which child needed persuasion and who needed firmer direction plus the art of a pre-sell. Within three months she was the top-selling photographer, and the horses could eat again. Lesson learnt. There are always options and skills to use however dark the situation might seem. Jaine’s successful stint ignited her passion for continuing part-time and setting up a basic studio in an old chicken coop. This was eventually improved upon, with a slightly better shed following Jaine’s move to North Wales. Her determination didn’t falter even when foot and mouth struck with clients having to wash their shoes in disinfectant. Another lesson learnt. Location is not paramount to success if you offer the right style, service or product! Jaine quickly embraced the digital revolution (thanks to a patient Mike Williams who answered her many Photoshop questions) as she wanted black borders on her photographs, achieved by either printing at home (too time-consuming), double exposing at the lab (too costly) or printing digitally. Her relaxed style, quirky influences and hand-made “ripped paper” albums proved very popular at a time when wedding photographers were still mainly of the old school and as such she saw her popularity rise quickly. Lesson learnt. Offer something different at the highest standard possible to reach potential clients. Setting up a “proper” Photography Studio at a Craft Centre in 2001 gave Jaine a base with the studio, a viewing room and a gallery area to showcase her work. “I was intimidated by the studio and lighting and kept the studio door closed”. Eventually, I faced my fear and started to use the Studio daily. Surprisingly the Craft Centre only generated 5% of her client base, so another learning curve was made. Issue 27

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As a member of the BIPP and MPA Jaine soon acquired a host of regional and national awards including BIPP National Silver, Kodak Gold Commendation and Wedding Album of the Year. Lesson learnt. Always keep evolving to achieve goals beyond your expectations. During 2003 Jaine saw a massive change as she turned her back on horses, merely falling out of love with this lifestyle and went into photography full time. An increasing client base (she had wisely invested in a database some years earlier and something she cannot recommend strongly enough), referral schemes, strong photographic style and excellent customer/sales skills learnt from selling top-end competition horses to demanding customers. Lesson learnt. Listen to what your client does say and what remains unsaid to achieve significant sales.

Recession-hit again along with the eventual closure of the gallery element leaving Jaine with additional space but also double the running costs. Enjoying the makeover element introduced at this stunning studio, she saw potential in the gallery space as a Boudoir room complete with bed, bath, piano, sofa and some slightly chunky chains suspended from the extremely high roof! Her playful character, suggestive ideas and positive direction aided this new avenue and soon became her primary source of increasing sales with ladies who were coming for the experience and had no intention of buying but mostly left with wall art and albums. Keeping IT/production standards to the highest level possible with monitor calibration, daylight balance lighting to view/edit her work coupled with a supportive team trained from apprentice level, thus ensuring that customers had the very best experience from initial contact through to post-sale feedback call. Another lesson learnt and quickly, you should only offer what you want to sell and adopt the Goldilocks principle. Ten years since opening the barn in 2017 saw a change when Jaine sold her successful studio business to an aspiring photographer who had spent her gap year from university working with Jaine. Why may you ask? “I felt hemmed in by the studio treadmill. We were all white shirt/blue jeans and induced life-style out!�. 94

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Bizarrely she was now so confident with her lighting that she had to force herself to make shoots consistently individual, which is hard when an average week saw; four makeovers on Tuesday, three Boudoir on Wednesday, seven viewings each Thursday, two bumps and three babies during Friday and then finding the enthusiasm for a 10-hour wedding on a Saturday! Followed by five portraits on Sunday” Understandable I think you will agree! “I did try to employ another photographer, but at that point, I was too protective of the standards and reputation I had fought so hard to gain with insufficient time to train someone up to speed.” Lesson learnt. Don’t be afraid to invest in the right people to share the workload- no-one’s invincible. THE FUTURE’S BRIGHT Jaine has retained her business name, contact details, image rights and most importantly her endless enthusiasm for image making. She concentrates on her elements embarking upon new promotions for lifestyle imagery. Continuing her passion for Boudoir photography by relocating to the more challenging environment of Boutique hotels around the country and photographing weddings at beautiful venues surrounding her Cheshire/North Wales base. Photographic studios are wonderfully social places, yet they are also extremely isolating too! Often run by sole traders, joined by family members as the business grows, all of whom must learn the many facets of their business as required; often only learning by making costly mistakes. “I know, I may have made those mistakes too”. Jaine’s typical week is varied and somehow just as busy. But a good busy. Location lifestyle image making may take a new direction. With a new website planned to give an accurate reflection of her current work and style with influences to attract the right clientele for the stage of her career! Watch this space!

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Digital FineArt Collection Turning Images into Art

Making paper since 1584 The Digital FineArt Collection includes exclusive fine art inkjet papers which are designed to meet the requirements of photographers and artists. Choose from three different surfaces: Matt smooth, Matt textured, Glossy and Canvas. Available in rolls and sheets. TRIAL PACKS AVAILABLE IN A4 AND A3+ FORMATS

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THE GUILD OF PHOTOGRAPHERS Let the Guild help you with your photographic journey like it has done for many others! The Guild is suitable for those in business, contemplating a career in photography, undertaking photography related courses, or even those who simply love using their camera.

© Ian Knaggs 2018

Professional Membership costs £126 and Regular Membership costs £96

PHOTO: HELEN ROWAN

“No other photographic body offers what the Guild does... get an incredible package of business support, training and mentoring by some of the most respected names in the industry, insurance, legal protection and the rights to use our respected membership logos” EMAIL: info@photoguild.co.uk www.photoguild.co.uk Tel: 01782 970323 / 07982 613985 100

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