Creative Light - Issue 40 by Guild of Photographers

QUALIFICATION SUBMISSIONS DURING LOCKDOWN THE TOY MAKER - PETER ROONEY ROTARY YOUNG PHOTOGRAPHER - WINNERS NEWBORN PHOTOGRAPHY - EMMA JANE MATERNITY PHOTOGRAPHY - NATASHA INCE

Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

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: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

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Contents 16

Rotary Young Photographer 2019/2020 Winners

IOM Gold Awards September & October 2020

30 44

Peter Rooney Portrait Photographer The Founders Cup Finalists 2020

Emma Jane Newborn Baby Photographer

Philip Yale Being an Ambassador

64 74 80

Charlotte Bellamy From Guild Member to Panel Member

Qualifications Successful Panel Submissions Natasha Ince Maternity Photography

Kevin Morgans

Wilkinson Cameras Ambassador Photographer For more information about our Ambassadors visit wilkinson.co.uk/blog

kevinmorgans.com @kevmorgans

: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

Steve & Lesley Thirsk The Guild of Photographers

We can’t believe this is the last edition of Creative Light this year … and what a year it’s been for all of us! Sadly we lost some great personal friends, and friends of the Guild this year. Without doubt the personal and business demands for all of us have been challenged to the limit during 2020. That said, there have been many positives too, many of which we will appreciate as we move forward – which we will! The value of families and simple pleasures have come to the fore! The Guild is a professional body, but as you know it’s also a family, and when things got tough, the tough got going! We used the original lockdown positively, running 2 webinars a day, creating a focus point for those that needed it - a focus to use the downtime wisely to learn. A HUGE thanks has to go out to all those giving their time freely, sharing their knowledge, experience and inspirational work. We worked hard to deliver this, but we couldn’t have delivered what we did without the generous gift of time and knowledge our speakers gave. When these strange times are over, do not forget this … please support all these wonderful people that supported you! All these webinars have been retained so can now be watched on demand. The Webinars were that popular we have continued with them, and will be finishing the year in style, with ‘Creative Light – The Event’. A full days online training event involving 10 great speakers which takes place on 27th November. There’s more about that in here, and you can get tickets here - [book] Another positive thing from the first lockdown was been the number of people who took advantage of our in person ‘mini-mentoring’ sessions, using them as a launch pad to submit for Qualified Status. Over 100 members achieved this over the Summer. This was so popular, and so successful, that we are running these again from the 25th November through to 2nd December. If anyone wants one of these great 1-2-1 opportunities they simply need to contact sabrina@photoguild.co.uk. The Guild’s regions have also adapted to these unusual times. In-person meet-ups have not been possible, so there were online ones, and now there is an Region V’s Region photography challenge taking place, which will take us into 2021. Our Image of the Month competition has had its biggest year to date, with an average of over 1600 images each month. That has been truly inspirational and has kept our fabulous Judges and Guild staff very busy this year. Speaking of staff, we are so grateful for how they have worked tirelessly to help everyone from their homes since March. In short, we would like to thank everyone for their support of us, and each other, during this unprecedented year. New Webinars and Training opportunities will be arranged by us in 2021, and as soon as we can, we look forward to meeting you all at an in-person event once more, combined with a celebration – and what a Guild party that will be! Enjoy this final edition of Creative Light for 2020, which includes winning entries from the Rotary Young Photographers competition we supported, as well as some other great articles. We wish you a safe, healthy and Happy Christmas and New Year period! - Steve & Lesley Thirsk Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

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Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

Editor Julie Oswin

The last edition of Creative Light for 2020! For my Editors Choice I have chosen this wonderful winters scene by Steve Oldfield. Love the colours of the houses and the icy cold water. The image was awarded a Silver in the Guild’s Image of the Month competition for May 2020. Congratulations Steve. We have three ‘Guild Spotlight’ features in this edition covering a wide range of genre’s from Emma Jane, Natasha Ince and Peter Rooney. Don’t miss the fabulous behind the scenes video of ‘The Toymaker’. The image scored gold in the Image of the Month. The Founders Cup finalists and the last of the Image of the Month Gold Awards for 2020. If you know or are inspired by a photographer’s work and would like to see an article featured on them, please get in touch. {Email me julie@photoguild.co.uk and in the subject write Creative Light Magazine 2021]

Mam Tor is a 517 metre high hill in the High Peak area of Derbyshire and is one of the most famous walks in the Peak District National Park. The views are fantastic whatever the time of year. Mam Tor meaning ‘Mother Hill,’ sits on the edge of the Dark Peak and the White Peak and is the main link between the eastern end of Rushup Edge and the western end of the Great Ridge, making this one of the most-loved ridge walks in the Peak District National Park. The local village of Edale marks the start of the iconic footpath of Pennine Way. The above image was captured in freezing fog, on a cold winter’s day! Taken on film with a Hasselblad Xpan Panoramic Camera.

: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

Editors Choice Steve Oldfield Awarded Silver - May 2020

Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

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: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

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Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

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: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

Front Cover The Ice Queen “his image entitled “Ice Queen”- like many of my images - was the result of gathering together props from around the house and making it up as I went along. The skirt was a piece of white tulle wrapped around the subject to create a skirt and The leaves were sprayed white to match. I changed the skin colour to white in post just leaving the shading on the eyes and lips red to draw attention to the face. Shot with Canon 5d MKIII, Canon 70=200mm f.2.8, f9, 1/125, ISO 100“

peter rooney

- Peter Rooney

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Rotary Young Photographer 2019-2020 Winners

Rotary International (GB & Ireland) “ Rotary International (GB & Ireland), an amazing organisation, where people unite and take action to create lasting change, arranged a photography competition for young people from the ages of 7-17 years. The Guild of Photographers and Olympus were asked to assist with the judging process, which we both did,of course. Everyone involved was delighted to be involved in the judging process, and see the talented work from younger members of the photographic community and Rotary International. Thanks to everyone who entered, making it a pleasure to be involved with - there were some tough choices to be made in the judging process! The initial idea was to display the winners work at the 2020 Volunteer Expo held at the NEC, but for obvious reasons that could not happen, so instead we have posted some of the winners’ work here. Huge congratulations to the winners! “ - Steve Thirsk, Director, The Guild of Photographers

We are People of Action, ready to turn our ideas and vision into lasting change, by creating opportunities, supporting those who need it most and transforming their lives. There others see problems, we see solutions: tapping into our professional skills, expertise and knowledge to make a difference. People of Action use their time, energy and passion to mobilise their communities to get the job done.

There are so many projects and activities for you to get involved in as part of Rotary. Our impact starts with you. Join Us 16

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Senior 1st Emily Bunce

Intermediate 1st Wilfred Laney-Hubbard

Emily Bunce

Wilfred Laney-Hubbard

Emily Bunce

Wilfred Laney-Hubbard Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

Junior 1st Sophia Eschbach

Senior 2nd Nora Osmani

Sophia Eschbach

Nora Osmani

Sophia Eschbach

Nora Osmani

: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

Intermediate 2nd Sophie Goggs

Junior 2nd Elliott Taylor-Catherall

Sophie Goggs

Elliott Taylor-Catherall

Sophie Goggs

Elliott Taylor-Catherall Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

Senior 3rd Anna Willison

Intermediate 3rd Amber Clews

Anna Willison

Amber Clews

Anna Willison

Amber Clews

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Junior 3rd Sam Mathias

Sam Mathias

Sam Mathias Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

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: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

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Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

September - October 2020

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Barrie Spence

Claire Norman

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: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

Claire Norman

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Lynne Williams

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Morag Forbes Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

Mark Harris

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Emma Campbell

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: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

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Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

GUILD SPOTLIGHT Peter Rooney

“

I was born in Fulham, London, in the 1960s. Although my father was an amateur black and white photographer and had a darkroom at home, my own photography journey – regrettably - wasn’t to happen until many years later. I used to help him in the darkroom; the whole process of developing the film was fun and exciting, but I wasn’t convinced of the actual image-taking at that point. I do remember buying a Minolta camera and Macro lens in the early 1980s. I fired off an entire roll of 36 frames of 400 ISO colour film in the garden in about 5 mins. Then I took it to be developed at Boots with their 1-hour processing. Convinced I had made the next cover of National Geographic magazine. As I walked home looking through the prints, I soon realised that there was a lot more to taking a photograph, so when I got home, I donated my camera to my father and didn’t pick up another camera until over 30 years later. Having lived in Asia for 3.5 years by 2014 and realising I wasn’t going to be returning to the UK for a long time, I had to change careers, so that’s when I decided to pursue photography. But this time, I decided to take the proper route and educate myself first. - Peter Rooney www.peterrooneyphotography.com

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Q: What is a typical working day for you? If I have a client shoot, it’s about the preparation for the arrival. The concepts, outfits, and looks have all been pre-planned and discussed. The shoot may take anywhere between 1-3 hours, depending on what we are doing. Afterwards, I go through the images with the client and chose the finals. I leave the photos a good 24 hours before I start to edit so that I’m looking at the pictures with fresh eyes and not when I’m tired from the shoot itself. Other days are education and ‘personal projects’ days. These usually start with a long walk and thoughts on how I can push myself further out the box than the last time.

Q: Your Characortraits are inspirational. Could you give an insight into how you set about the design element to bring it all together? The Characortraits was a concept born from when I was going for my Licentiate with the MPA. I wanted to bring my whole panel into a single story. The idea was each image would represent a character from a Disney or Fairytale movie. Each character is going for an interview for the role in their respective story, hence why the table (which is supposed to symbolise the boss’s desk where they’re being interviewed) is key to each shot. The challenge was composing an image that would suggest something of the story and the fairytale character’s personality, but without being too ‘busy’ as an image. I look at them now and realise I would have approached it differently today, but it got me the Licentiate I was after at the time.

Q: What part of your photography do you personally find most satisfying? And the most challenging? The most satisfaction comes when a finished work looks as I imagined. I’m terrible at drawing, so most of my ideas are in my head, so if I can relay them to all involved and end up with the result I was after, then that’s a great feeling. To then go on and win a competition with an image is the icing on the cake. The most challenging thing is my next project because I always seem to make it much harder than the last! My wife would say the most challenging part about what I do is dealing with my’ imposter syndrome’ and accepting that I’m quite good at this game.

Q: Lighting equipment, what is your preferred choice? I currently have 3 Elinchrom BRX500’s, which have been incredibly reliable and an excellent light source. I have several modifiers like Elinchrom, Litemotiv 120cm, and the 175cm Rotalux, which are my main workhorses. But I also have several Phottix modifiers, which I’m a big fan of.

Q: What motivates you to get up in the morning? Motivation has been hard to come by over the last year with the COVID situation. But I am planning ahead to my next project, and further projects after that have kept me going. I tend to pick projects that involve learning new techniques and changing direction to keep things fresh and my education going.

Q: One piece of equipment that you couldn’t do without? I think most photographers could relate when I say,” Every time I buy something, I’m convinced at the time it is something I can’t do without.” But apart from the obvious kit like cameras, lenses, etc., it would be my dry box. Living in a very humid country like Malaysia means that lens fungus is a major problem, so that I couldn’t live without my dry box here.

Q: What is your favourite go-to lens for your photography? I have several lenses, but two workhorses are constantly in my bag. For portraiture, I use the Canon 70-200 2.8, and for wider composite work, I use the Sigma 50mm Art, which is an amazing lens. 32

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Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

Q: Your preferred choice of camera equipment? I love my Canon 5D MKIII Full Frame for most of my work, along with the two lenses mentioned above. I also have a Canon 7D, a crop sensor, and I used that for closer macro work and the Canon 100mm Macro lens.

Q: What is your turnaround from shooting to proofing your client’s images? My process is a little different, I think, from how most photographers may work. I like to shoot tethered to a MacBook as I’m particular about getting my lighting spot on during the shoot and to catch anything my old eyes might miss on the small screen on the back of the camera. Once the shoot is complete, I go through the images with the client, and they choose which they want to be edited. I’m aware it can be risky to share out of camera images with the client, but I prime them that what they are seeing is just a RAW file; plus, they have seen enough of my finished work to know what they will get as a finished result. By the time they leave the day of the shoot, I know which images the client is keen on, and I make my own final selections from those. Editing can take a couple of days or a couple of weeks, depending on how many I’m doing, and printing usually takes around a week.

Q; Do you use a tripod? If so, how important is it to your work? It depends on what I am shooting, but I mostly use a tripod. If I am shooting a composite, then a tripod is an absolute must; I need to keep the distance, height, and angle exactly the same between each shot. If I am shooting a portrait, I will switch between the tripod and handheld, especially if using the 70-200 2,8 as it’s a very heavy lens.

Q: Post-processing your images, do you use Lightroom or Photoshop, or both? And, how important is it to your creative work? I’m not very organised if I think about it. I tether to Capture One, Import into Lightroom, then export and edit in Photoshop via Camera Raw. So all my editing is done in Photoshop with a Camera Raw tweak. The nature of much of my work involves more than Lightroom can offer. Still, I must start to put more effort into learning Capture One as I know it has some incredible benefits, especially in colour grading. That’s to be my 2021 resolution.

Q: What job do you dislike the most in your photography business? Trying to source the props, costumes, and elements I need for my more complex shoots. I never use stock images in my work - everything I use I photograph myself, so sometimes getting the right elements here in Malaysia can be very difficult. Finding creative makeup artists and stylists is also difficult as there isn’t a big industry for that here. So definitely having to compromise is the hardest and most frustrating thing for me.

Q: Who inspires you? I have had several photographers that have inspired me over the last few years. But at the start of my journey, I have to say it was Sue Bryce, who got me to take photography seriously. As I changed direction, so I was inspired by others in whichever genre I was in. Currently, it would be Richard Wood.

Q: Interesting facts about you? I’m a collector of stray animals. I have lost count of the number of kittens I have stopped to pick up from the side of the road and take home. We were even adopted by an abandoned baby Macaque monkey while living in Brunei, who lived with us for six months sleeping with the dog until some male Macaques adopted her from a troop. When we arrived in Asia in 2010, I made it clear that we were not having any pets. Now we have a zoo. Guess I’m not as in charge as I thought. 34

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Q: Favourite place in the world and why? My favourite place in the world is a small island off the East Coast of Malaysia called Lang Tengah. The water is crystal clear, and you can swim with baby sharks in the shallows. It’s only about 5 hours’ drive from our home in KL, and we try to head over there at least twice a year. But we are very lucky to have access to many beautiful places in this region– well, when we can travel, that is.

Q: Could you give an insight into your personal projects? My personal projects are usually born from ideas to enter into competitions. This is where my creative thoughts can be unleashed. It will usually always be story-based, and the inspiration may come from a TV show, a movie, a piece of art, or a random thought. Some have even come from finding random items that people throw out, like my mannequin shot. Once I have an idea, I then set about thinking about how I can tell the story with a single image. I also like to give makeup artists I work with the opportunity to create things they have wanted to develop but don’t get the opportunity to do so in everyday work.

Q: What do you look for in creating a new image? “The Story.” The one thing I have learnt over the years was that your images need to tell a story to draw the viewer in and get them wondering and wanting to know more about what they’re looking at. At the same time, it’s got to make sense but not be too complicated. So the first thing I think about before anything else is the story, what am I trying to tell the viewer, and how can I do that in a single image with just enough elements to not distract?

Q: Three words that describe you? 1: Adaptable 2: Dedicated 3: Resilient

Q: Favourite food? Living in Malaysia, food is practically a religion, life is about food here, and the choices are endless. As a westerner, I still love my traditional style foods from back home like bangers & mash or fish and chips, but I’m equally keen on a Katsu Curry or a Nasi Lemak.

Q: Where next on your photography journey? I have a number of personal projects lined up for the next few months, and I have had a great interest in my recent satirical style of a family portrait, for which I have a number of commissions in the pipeline. I’m also looking into a new portrait concept idea to do with supercars (of which Malaysia has a large number). I do need to invest more time into further education as well. I have joined the Guild of Photographers, gained my Fellowship with the MPA in 2019 and the BIPP earlier this year, and these goals are important incentives to push yourself, so I will be aiming to achieve more. And lastly, competitions: these are the real motivator to push on. - Thank you Peter for giving an insight into your life and photography journey - Julie Oswin, Editor

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Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

Behind the Scenes Video Peter Rooney - The Toymaker

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Peter Li is an award-winning photographer based in London. His architectural artwork received 1st place in the Architecture Category at the Epson International Pano Awards 2018 and was Commended at the Sony World Photography Awards 2018. His work has been featured in The Times, Time Out London and in various photography and art publications.

How did you get your start in photography? I started shooting with a DSLR camera back in 2013 when my first child was born. Like many dads out there, I wanted to document my growing family. Having a wife who studied art, she has a very artistic eye and I am very lucky to have someone who would give me an honest critique. In the early days, I was independently studying/self-teaching photography every day and practising on a daily basis.

What type of photography are you shooting and what motivated you to focus on that genre? In 2015, I met two aspiring photographers who shared their passion for architecture photography with me. Through their inspiration, I have learnt to be attentive in achieving symmetry and am mindful in my composition and line work. Living in London, we have all sorts of architecture; we often find a classic gem nestled amongst modern skyscrapers. I owe London for fuelling my passion for this genre.

What has been your biggest achievement or obstacle along the way? One of the biggest challenges is to photograph a space completely empty, and often it’s the hardest thing to do, so to prep for the best conditions I try to plan my visits on the days that are least busy, and getting up early to be the first person there. In London, interiors can be tricky because often they would not allow the use of tripods. But on the positive side, photographing around London I had trained myself to have a steady hand for a slow shutter exposure. 42

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‘Megamind’ Royal Albert Hall, London. The auditorium of London’s Royal Albert Hall during lighting preparation for an upcoming show. It is fascinating to see the hall from floor to ceiling in such flying colours. The stage spotlight cast such dramatic shadows across the seating area and transforms the space into something quite otherworldly. It is a difficult scene to photograph, but challenging conditions often make great photos.

Who and/or what inspires you most? I often look for inspiration from paintings, movies and games. I started gaming from a very young age, and I think it has impacted my photography more so than any other art form.

What is your approach? Is there anything in particular you try to achieve during a shoot (for example triggering certain feelings, etc.) or are there any specific techniques you use? My work sits between realism and fantasy. Historical buildings such as Cathedrals or music theatres are often reminiscent of our history - they are intrinsically timeless and, in many ways, otherworldly.

‘Chessboard’ St Paul’s Cathedral, London. St Paul’s Cathedral is one of London’s finest Classic architecture gem, a masterpiece from Christopher Wren’s creations. My St Paul’s series has 3 parts, each section of the Cathedral has its very own style but marries seamlessly together. The chandeliers brighten the space evenly across the Nave, while the lack of deep shadows creates a minimalistic elegant scene.

With vertical panoramic photography (Vertorama), we are able to observe a three-dimensional space in its entirety, giving us a view/perspective beyond what the eye can see. It breaks us from reality, plays with our perception of shape and form and creates a sense of another world. Through my photography, I hope to impart fragments of fantasy to the viewer and encourage them to take a momentary step out of their reality

Why is accurate color important within your workflow? I print my work regularly, colour accuracy is very important, having a screen that could accurately render the colours will make the process much easier to manage. The subtle tonal difference of an image can convey a very different mood and message. https://amzn.to/2wDin8e Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine : 43

s t s i l a n Fi

The Founders Cup 2020 The Guild of Photographers started life in 1988 as The Guild of Wedding Photographers. Its founders were Roy Doorbar, and Ian Gee and their aims for the Guild was to support photographers and raise standards in the photographic industry by encouraging personal development. They achieved a huge amount, including the introduction of something all photography businesses take for granted today – Public Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance. Both Roy and Ian sadly passed away in late 2016. The Guild of Photographers introduced The ‘Founders Cup’ in 2017 and is a prestigious photography award which acknowledges what Roy and Ian started and celebrates one of their aims which was to encourage members to push themselves. - Steve & Lesley Thirsk, Directors

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Finalist Emma Campbell

Finalist Tracey Main

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Finalist Miriam Manners

Finalist Nigel Proctor

Finalist Nikki Goodeve 46

: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

Finalist Shaheen Ali

Finalist Sharon Bolt

Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

Prints as good as it looks The Epson SureColor SC-P700 and SC-P900 photo printers are as pleasing to the eye as the prints they produce. These professional-level, compact A3+ and A2+ printers produce sharper detail and smoother gradations using the deepest blacks and superb blue tones. For more information on how Epson has redefined the design and output of professional photo printers, visit www.epson.co.uk/professional-photography

: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

Finalist Sara Sadler

Finalist Vicky Norton

Finalist Lorraine Dale Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

Tackling The Problem Of Image Theft In The Digital Age Professional photographer Paul Reiffer discusses the problem of image theft and offers his solutions.

Leading image protection service Pixsy talked to Paul about the problem of Image theft.

How much of an impact has image theft had on your professional career?

What challenges do you face as a photographer in the digital age?

“

Having an end product which is of a digital nature, can make it scary when you see your image “in the wild”.

Introducing Paul Reiffer Paul Reiffer is a multi-award winning professional photographer. He has traveled to over 60 countries capturing people, landscapes and commercial images. His work has featured in exhibitions all over the world, from Times Square in New York to the Royal Albert Hall and Houses of Parliament in London, with gallery installations in Europe and Asia. Much of Paul’s photography has been commissioned and used by some of the finest brand names and companies worldwide. He is sponsored by and works with, some of the top equipment providers in the industry. 50

I noticed a few publications had used my images without permission. I started “dipping in” every now and then, using products such as TinEye to reverse search for where my images had popped up across the internet. The problem with that is I have thousands of images, some licensed, some not, and keeping a track of all of those became a task that would have taken a week out of every month to monitor. Beyond that, even though we could inform the image user or send a takedown notice, we were still missing the licensing revenue that should have initially come from its use – and I didn’t have time to work with different legal teams in different countries on hundreds of cases at any one time.

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The relative ignorance that still remains out there when it comes to image theft and copyright infringement is quite scary.

Even my own friends would often say to me “but it’s OK if I found it on Google, right?” or “Yeah, but I’m only a little business, they won’t mind, it’s good for them to get their image out there”. We now actually teach people, as part of our workshops, not only about trademark and copyright infringement but also about how to protect their work.

How did you find out about Pixsy? Initially, a friend pointed Pixsy out on social media, and I was initially unconvinced. I mean, here’s a company who will take a big chunk of any “recovery” money that they receive on your behalf when they didn’t even take the image, right? But then, as an experiment, I loaded a small sample of my work into their tool and the results were shocking. We had hundreds of cases, from the very outset, including some very

large companies and brands who had been using my work for years without any permission, license or payment. On the one hand, I thought “I could get my own team to chase this and cut out the middle-man”, but on the other, the task of chasing, negotiating, and if necessary taking the infringer to court just seemed too daunting when I was looking at the volume of cases and countries they spanned across on just that small sample. So, I gave them a try.

anecdotal successes when I check back with them. Indeed, some previous infringers have also now come to me for advice on the correct approach to licensing images in the future, so it’s not a one-way street.

Which forms of active protection would you encourage photographers to take in the fight against image theft?

What result has using Pixsy had on your problem with image theft?

To be honest, in the age we live in there is very little that can actually be done to prevent your image being stolen.

We’ve had three big results.

Watermarks can be removed easily (indeed, Adobe actually make this easier with every release of content-aware fill!)

1. We’re now being recompensed for unauthorised use of our images. We don’t apply any outrageous “damages” claims, just our standard corporate licensing rates to ensure the user pays the same as others would have done for the same usage. 2. We’ve had images removed from sites all across the world with the automated tools and chasing that Pixsy does on our behalf – ensuring our brand is maintained. 3. It’s helped to educate other photographers and image users that I speak with – I’ve recommended Pixsy to many others, who’ve had

Digital watermarks, while better, can still be obliterated (I’ve seen it done). Copyright Metadata can be easily removed by freely available programs. Social media (and screen resolutions) are demanding higher and higher resolution photos – and so are customers – so the old trick of “low res for web” really no longer applies.

Instead, I’d recommend to everyone that they register their work with the US Copyright Office. Even though I’m very much against that way of working (as a British photographer, I shouldn’t need to do that, as we’re lucky that copyright is granted automatically in the UK), for any US infringement it makes life so much easier should it need to go through any legal process.

“

Definitely invest in some form of “Reverse Image Search” technology. There are many out there – some free, some paid.

There are services other than Pixsy that offer similar solutions too, but having tried their major competitor with appalling results, I wouldn’t personally switch to anyone else. Save your files with copyright metadata, and a filename that includes not only keywords but the copyright owner. As above, it won’t stop a thief intent on stealing your work, but it can help a legitimate customer find you from your image. And while I don’t like watermarks on images, sometimes a visual clue as to who to contact should someone want to purchase the photograph can often help!

More about Pixsy Pixsy is one of the leading legal-tech services for online image protection. Founded in 2014 by Daniel Foster, Pixsy is an award-winning startup with over 25,000 visual artists in its community. Pixsy has processed over 40,000 copyright infringement cases and works with over 26 law firms across the globe. www.pixsy.com

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GUILD SPOTLIGHT Emma Jane Little Love Photography This ‘Guild Spotlight’ interview focusses Emma Jane, Newborn & Baby Photographer and member of The Guild of Photographers.

“ My journey into photography was very organic and actually quite unexpected. I was a primary school teacher and assumed I always would be, and then I had my son, Jack. After Jack was born I started capturing him simply using my phone, which then progressed to an interest in getting, and learning how to use, my first ever camera. It kind of spiralled from there- my friend had a baby and I offered to take some photos of him for them, and from that day onwards I had the bug. I now couldn’t imagine doing anything else! I started in my conservatory and shot there for a year or so before finding my first ever shop. I am now currently renovating a cottage which will in a week or so be my new studio, with a shooting and IPS room which is very exciting! I have now been a newborn photographer for just over four years and I also teach newborn photography across the county and further afield. I love meeting new people and helping them grow in confidence and seeing that spark ignite. It’s very rewarding when you see a fellow photographer’s work improving, it makes my day! “ 52

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Q: Post-processing and Photoshop, how important is it to your work? Very. Under studio lighting, babies skin can look very harsh, with lots of hidden colours and textures. I, therefore, use post-processing to bring the image back to how parents see their little ones. Milk spots, furry shoulders, and the typical newborn traits all stay firmly put, but anything distracting or temporary, such as scratches, are removed.

Q: One piece of equipment that you couldn’t do without? Probably my kettle! I work long hours, so I need my caffeine. Equipment-wise I’d go with the obvious answer, being my camera. I jumped on the mirrorless Sony wagon two years ago and never looked back- it’s sharp, quick, and never lets me down, and the screen helps no end with tricky shots which would otherwise be impossible.

Q: What’s the favourite place/subject you’ve ever photographed and why? My favourite subjects are hands down other photographer’s babies. To know that someone who knows the field well trusts you with their memories is honestly the greatest feeling. I have photographed countless photographer’s babies, and it’s such a huge honour.

Q: What is your favourite go-to lens? My 35mm. I never, ever back up away from the baby. From the first pose to the last, the baby is within easy arms reach of me to guarantee their safety at all times.

Q: Which do you offer to clients - IPS (in-person sales), or do you prefer to sell online gallery? IPS hands down. A couple of times, I have temporarily switched back to galleries for various reasons, and each time it’s riddled with chasing clients, almost begging to be paid, and being ghosted. It turns what should be an enjoyable experience into a nag. During IPS, you see the emotions you’re creating with your work and how important these are to the families you are shooting for. It’s one of my favourite parts. And creating stunning pieces of wall art for clients is so exciting!

Q: How do you and your business benefit from being a member of the Guild of Photographers? Being a part of a community is SO important when you effectively work on your own. When I first started out, it was a lonely job, but now I’m surrounded by like-minded people, and it’s such a wonderful community to be a part of. It’s also great knowing that, if you should need it, there is help and support available, such as legal advice. We never want to be in a position where you’d need to ask, but it’s there if you do.

Q: Your personal preference - colour or black & white images, and why? Colour. I love the vibrancy of baby skin against simple, neutral backdrops. That’s not to say I don’t like my bold colours, but there’s something about a popping skin tone that makes me happy, and I want my subjects to be centre stage in every image.

Q: Who in your family inspires you? Tough one. My Mum has been my biggest ever supporter and gives up a lot of her own time to help with childcare through to washing my newborn blankets… she’s basically my silent partner. I recently lost my Dad this year, and he was hugely supportive and proud. He would show his work colleagues every image I ever posted on my business page… when we looked through his phone shortly after losing him, he’d saved them all. So going forwards, when times are tough, or things feel too much, he’ll be in my head pushing me on. 54

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Emma Jane

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Q: Favourite quote? “ Buy cheap buy twice. Very apt in our line of work! “

Q: If you could give yourself one tip on business before you started, what would it be? Learn about tax. Learn about how to run a business, not a hobby that makes money. Work out your cost of business and start there, not below. It’s shocking when you work out profits V turnover, and although it’s not the reason we become photographers, it is what we do to feed our families. Business is super important and very overlooked.

Q: One tip you could give your younger self on learning about photography, what would it be? Stop crying. You WILL crack Photoshop eventually! It took a few weeks, but once it sticks, it sticks!

Q: Is all your work carried out in the Studio? If so, what are your plans for re-opening to the public? Pretty much. Plans from now on and currently, are very simple. I am really not doing much differently. Newborns are vulnerable to pretty much everything. They do not have immunity to anything like we do. Flu, whooping cough, even a common cold can be horrendous for babies, so I have always maintained a clean studio, I have always sanitised far more than I need to, and I have always postponed when I have had symptoms of illness. The additional measures I have put in place (social distancing where possible, compulsory mask use for both myself and clients, and only one client a day) are to protect the parents and any vulnerable members of society they may contact.

Q: The best prop you have bought for under £50? Under £50… (see the previous answer!), that’s tricky as most of mine are over. I would have to say any layers I have bought from Cwtchi Coo, and they’re so easy to add to an image and completely change its feel.

Q: Can you recommend any photography books? Lindsay Adler’s posing guide is basically the bible for anyone who struggles with portrait posing.

Q: Your preferred choice of lighting? Strobe- I use Paul Buff Einsteins and Elinchrom D-Lite 1s.

Q: Interesting facts about you? I have a phobia of badgers and clowns; I hate mushrooms, eggs, and peanut butter, and I sleep about 4 hours a night. I also used to be on the GB team for tennis, although looking at me now, you’d never guess!

Q: Do you use a tripod? And, if so, how important is it to your work? Nope, never have!

Q: Developing your marketplace, how important was it to create your brand? So important, and I’m currently in the middle of considering a rebrand. Just colours, but even that seeps into everything from your logo through to your thank you cards and the lab you choose to print your work, so it’s super important.

Q: Favourite colour palette, and why? Not grey. I’ve had enough of grey now! Probably neutrals or burnt orange. I love neutrals for skin tones, and anything earthy, muted, dark, moody tones are my favourite.

Q: Do you provide your customers with a ‘what to wear’ itinerary, especially for family shoots? I ask them to wear plain colours with no patterns. I want to capture them naturally; I do not want them looking different from normal or wearing clothes they bought for the shoot, never to wear again!

Q: Online marketing. Do you spend a set number of hours per month to keep on top of blogs and social media? I am one of the guilty ones. No… Luckily, for now, at least word of mouth for both clients and trainees is keeping the momentum going.

Q: Have you found it difficult for your clients to agree to use their images on your website/blogs and social media? Not often, I get the odd one or two, but there is generally a reason behind it (family issues, for example), and I always respect this.

Q: Do you photograph on location? Not really; I have done (and enjoyed) a few outdoor shoots, and I would like to branch into this a bit more. 56

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Q: Instagram? Do you use it in preference to say Facebook or YouTube? I post on Facebook, and then my Mum copies it over to Instagram! She is more of an expert with Instagram now than I am!

Q: What motivates you to get up in the morning? The alarm going off for the 10th time usually- I am not a morning person. But being able to make a living by genuinely making people happy and creating life-long, lasting memories for them absolutely helps.

Q: Apart from sheer hard work and dedication, what would you say is the main ingredient to your success? Reputation. Rapport with your clients and building trust. Word of mouth accounts for 90% of my bookings for both clients and trainees.

Q: Favourite place in the world, and why? New York, because despite it being big and busy, it was the safest I’d ever felt (and I’m not too fond of cities). The subway makes sense to me, buildings in blocks make sense to me, and the shops are open till really late, which suits my sleep/wake cycle to a tee!

Q: Three individual words that describe you? Scatty, loyal, hard-working (I know that’s two).

Q: And finally, where next? Who knows! The future is very uncertain right now, but I won’t be going down without a fight. My business, apart from my family, is my absolute everything. I am SO lucky to do what I do, meet the people I meet, and teach the people I’ve taught. I just want to continue doing exactly this because I love it. - Thank you Emma Jane for giving an insight into photography and sharing your journey with us - Julie Oswin, Editor

https://www.withlovephotography. co.uk/

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Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

AMBASSADORS ARE LAUNCHED Think back to the end of 2019. Happy times involving Christmas and New Year, the excitement of looking forward to the February awards night, and no awareness at all of words such as “lockdown” and “isolation”. In the December newsletters, the first announcements were being made of a new Guild initiative – the creation of a new Ambassador role, intended to encourage and assist new members. The Guild recognised that for a many less-experienced photographers, joining The Guild could seem like a very daunting prospect indeed because the standard of photography displayed by many more experienced photographers could be exceptional. Furthermore, understanding the intricacies of entering competitions such as Image of the Month (IOM) and knowing what the judges look for could seem like a complete minefield. Then there were questions like: Which of the many Facebook groups should they join? Should they join regional groups? What on earth is a Buddy Group? And so many more questions … Ambassadors were intended to fast-track new members through all this uncertainty by acting as a First Contact – a welcoming figure within The Guild who could reassure people and answer any questions they may have during the early weeks and months. It was felt that by directly assigning Ambassadors to individuals, those individuals would find it easier to ask questions, rather than posing them in the Big Bad World of the main Facebook groups.

DECIDING TO APPLY As soon as I saw the announcement of Ambassadors, I knew I wanted to be one. There were several reasons for this, but the two main ones were: 1: I love helping people when I can. Passing on knowledge to others gives me a huge amount of satisfaction, largely because I tend to have to work quite hard to understand things myself (it can take a while for the penny to drop!), and when it does I find I’m in a better position to explain it to others who might also be struggling because I’ve gone through the same process. Having overcome my own anxieties about joining The Guild some time ago, it seemed like time to help other people overcome theirs. 2: I wanted to reassure people that they had made one of the best decisions possible by joining The Guild. The Guild, quite genuinely, is one of the most helpful, positive, encouraging, non-judgemental group of people I have ever encountered. I wanted to share that message with new members, because it helps them to overcome the biggest hurdle they’re likely to face – fear of asking for advice or critique. So, I duly sent my application off to Aimee at Guild HQ and was really happy to receive confirmation of acceptance in early January. Time to welcome the flood of new members!

FIRST ASSIGNMENT To be fair, it wasn’t quite a flood. In fact, for six weeks nothing happened! What was going on? Was I too inexperienced myself? Was I not yet well-known enough within The Guild to be a first choice for an Ambassador nomination? All nonsense, of course, and I don’t know why I expected to be inundated with assignments … there were other ambassadors, too, after all! Finally, Carly got in touch to ask if I’d take on my first assignee – a lady called Andrea who, it turned out, happened to live in the same town as me! Perfect. I got in touch with Andrea and suggested that we meet at a local coffee shop for a chat, which we duly did. Andrea was lovely, and we hit it off straight away. 60

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As well as living in the same town, our photography genres overlapped, too (dogs), so that was even more to talk about. I wasn’t quite sure how to structure my “talk”. I didn’t want to lecture her, but at the same time I didn’t want to just throw in random facts that didn’t really form any sort of logical story, or else they’d be hard to remember. So, I started by asking about Andrea’s own photography and why she’d wanted to join The Guild. This got the conversation going and made it easier to segue into a list of features and benefits that The Guild had to offer. Once I got going, it was surprisingly easy. Getting enthusiastic about The Guild isn’t difficult, and that was the main message I wanted to convey – it can be so enjoyable! Also, we’d very recently had the annual Awards Night at Crewe Hall, so that provided lots of material with which to sell the fun and the camaraderie that Guild membership brings with it.

TAKING IT FORWARD Since then, I’ve been paired with seven new members, hopefully with more to come. The introduction format has had to change slightly, partly because Ambassadors aren’t necessarily from the same location as members that they’re assigned to, and partly because of the lockdown restrictions, both of which make meeting in person impractical. So, introductions are now done with a phone call. I’m very guilty of talking way too much during these, and they typically last for at least an hour, often longer. However, my defence is that I have so much to say and to explain about The Guild that I can’t do that in less time. I love getting an email to say that I’ve been assigned a new member to help, and during the phone call I assure them that they will get a huge amount of support and encouragement from existing members. Whenever I introduce them in the main Guild Facebook group, that promise always comes good as a huge number of people give them a warm and generous series of welcome messages. Right now, I’m starting on a “6 month catch-up” process with my earlier assignees, where I contact them again for a chat about this and that, and about how they’re getting on within The Guild. This allows me to get some feeling for how they’re progressing within The Guild, and, more importantly, how well they feel that the Ambassador programme helped them when they first joined. This, in turn, is invaluable feedback for Guild HQ, and I keep Katrina appraised of any comments that are passed to me. Here are a couple of testimonials that members have been kind enough to give: “ Only a minute or two into the call, I felt at ease. Phil chatted (I say chatted as it was like chatting to a friend not a formal talk) about the Guild, its benefits, the support that would be on offer and on how friendly all the Guild members are. We also chatted about ourselves and little get to know each other chat. By the end of our call, I felt at ease, Phil had reassured me that I was now part of photography family, so to speak and it was going to be an exciting journey.” - Lisa Ruscoe “ Everybody at the Guild is so welcoming and helpful, but I really think that having Ambassadors for new members is a fantastic idea, to have that first point of contact with all the information you need to make the most out of being a member. I think it would have taking me a long time to find all that information on my own. I also found Phil being a great support and cheerleader, I would never have started entering IOM straight away without his encouraging words or dared to be part of a buddy group for that matter, two things I feel really has improved my knowledge and photography skills.” - Andrea Aseby

JOIN US! If you think you could become an Ambassador yourself, do volunteer your services. All that’s needed is for you to have been a Guild member yourself for about a year, and to have a good working knowledge of all the benefits and competition rules, and where to find those topics on the Guild website. Details of how to apply are at https://photoguild.co.uk/members-ambassadors To me, it’s an opportunity to sell the virtues of being a Guild member, and I love doing that. - Philip Yale Ambassador The Guild of Photographers Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

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: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

My Journey Charlotte Bellamy, Member to Panel Member Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

Charlotte is a landscape photographer and captures her images through the medium of abstract and fine art photography. A move to the Netherlands in 2012 triggered her interest in landscapes and her love of abstract photographic art with ICM [In Camera Movement] and double exposure techniques. ICM allows Charlotte to focus purely on the technical aspects of her photography. She says, “It’s fun to experiment and create something closer to art, stretching the envelope of photography in new directions.” Inspiration for her photography starts when she looks out of her window: the weather and the changes in season, offering an ever-changing environment. Moving from England to The Netherlands has allowed her to explore her local landscape. She uses her vision to change a flat, monotonous landscape into photographs that question the preconceived notion. Charlotte proves that any location can inspire and intrigue if you take the time to see it; many of her pictures are captured within a short walk from her home. Charlotte was awarded her Master Craftsman qualification in 2018 with The Guild of Photographers for her panel of numerous exposure/ICM fine art images. She is now a very valued member of The Guild’s Panel and Judge. Her photography work has been featured in various photographic publications.

“A

round ten years ago, I joined the Guild; I was starting my photographic career and learning how to use Lightroom and a Speedlight, which was an exciting challenge. It was a panel member on a training course that suggested I join, and I have never looked back and nor has my photography. Roll on to 2020, and I was honoured this year to become a panel member for The Guild. In the last couple of years, I’ve been working towards that moment, but nothing prepared me for how proud I was when it happened. Throughout my time as a member, I gained so much knowledge through interactions with panel members. I held them all head and shoulders high and was a little bit in awe of them, to be honest. To think I’m part of the esteemed panel now, I still have to pinch myself a little bit, but I can’t tell you how delighted I am to be here. As I mentioned, I have had much involvement with panel members throughout my time with the Guild. Most notably, Lesley Chalmers for guiding me and mentoring me through my Craftsman qualification in 2014, and Hamish Scott Brown for his guidance and mentoring through my Master Craftsman panel in 2018. When I started working with Lesley and Hamish, it was to gain qualifications; however, the journey to these qualifications was undeniably the most valuable thing I could ever have gained from the experience. Today I utilise skills from all my mentoring, and I am passing on these skills I learned in my mentoring and teaching many of my online courses. For me, the individuals in my photographic journey that stand out are the ones I have gained inspiration from and are not only great photographers but also those who share their knowledge freely with a desire to help others. Yes, of course, you can pay to learn on courses and workshops, but there are those individuals that will answer your endless questions or share their techniques because they want to share their knowledge with no financial reward. For me, that is what a panel member stands for. I can’t tell you the number of times my teddies flew out the pram as I failed to achieve what I thought my Image of the Month entries should have done. But the valuable, positive, helpful, and above all calm and non-confrontational feedback via the critique page, my mentor, or via the individually purchased feedback/critique sessions made me look at my images through new eyes. Light bulb moments and face plants – it is amazing how valuable a second non emotionally attached pair of eyes can be. I love being that second pair of eyes now.

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Having entered the IOM for around six years with much success, I thought I knew everything there was to know about what makes a good Image of the Month image. However, the journey to judging the ‘IOM’ each month has been a fascinating, enjoyable, and uphill learning curve. I am utterly amazed at the background activity that happens between the last day of the month and the 21st. Each month I enjoy receiving the album of images I’m going to judge; every month, I am privileged to judge around 400 images. The excitement at seeing an image that literally jumps out of the page at you or the admiration at the creativity or technical skill make my judging job most enjoyable. So what makes me proud to be a panel member, and why do I do it? – I am proud to be a panel member because Steve and Lesley have built the most wonderful organisation based on supportive values. You only have to look at the FB page to see the support and community that we as guild members are part of; it’s very special. Although I’m one of the Panel Members now, that doesn’t stop me from being humble and acknowledging that I still have things to learn. Not for one moment do I think my creativity is any more important than any other member’s. What I do believe, however, is that I have built up a massive folio of experiences and knowledge in the last ten years as a member and through my photographic journey, and this is what I endeavour to share as a panel member. Why do I act as a panel member? Easy – I want to share my knowledge and help members be the best photographers they can. Helping you to be proud of your own work and being involved in your photographic journey’s is my goal. My payment – it’s not financial- it’s your lightbulb moments, your next step on the ladder of the qualification scheme, or the fact you have picked up your camera today because of something I have said or suggested. That is why I love being a Panel Member.

- Charlotte Bellamy Panel Member & Judge The Guild of Photographers

Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

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Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

Regional Meet-Up Who: East Midlands & Lincolnshire Group Where: Bradgate Park, Leicestershire When: October 2020 Author: Spike Hanman

“ I took a gamble back in March 2020 that the COVID restrictions would be well and truly over when I planned the Next East Midlands and Lincolnshire Group meet. How wrong was I! The weekend before the Meet, I visited Bradgate to see what restrictions were in place and was pleased to find that all was ok, just a max of 6 People as a group. Two walks were planned at 6.30 am for the early birds, and 10 am to meet for the not-so- early birds. I put on my bright orange hat as the location meet beacon. Andy Cooper, Andy Howe, Jason Eastope, and Martina Hardiman arrived. Camera gear was gathered, and we set off into the park in the morning gloom. We followed the path by the stream to the main green at the side of the house ruins; my heart sank only 2 Deer were there. There are normally 20 deer at this spot. Today’s quarry quickly moved off to the trees. We climbed a few rocks for a better view, and we were rewarded with a couple of stags. While everyone was shooting these, I was scanning for the next deer group. After a short walk uphill, we found a stag under a tree and was able to get quite close. We came across two more stags in the main area on walking from there to the main path. As we got there, one trotted right by us; the other was asleep in the grass after all its night activity. We walked past the house and stumbled on a peacock. Hey, why not shoot that too. On the other side, there was a small group of Does, but we could hear loud bellowing to the right of us in the house ruins, that you cannot go into. Andy Howe, the tall one of the group, perched at the lowest part of the wall Jason Eastope like a gazelle, leapt up the wall wedging just one foot in a hole where I gave him extra support, as his one-foot assault did seem a little sketchy. The smaller and less agile group peered through the wooden slatted gate at the few Deer in ruins. We turned around and saw a few deer making their way to the HA-HA, which I knew they were going to jump. Luckily three Deer made the leap. After this, we had a steady stroll back to the car park as it was getting close to 10 am and coffee time. We all had a chin Wagg around the back of the cars till about 10.30; then all made our way home for Breakfast. Many thanks to Andy Cooper, Andy Howe, Jason Eastope, and Martina Hardiman for making the day a bit of fun. “ - Spike Hanman

: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

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: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

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Guild of Photographers Successful Qualified Panels October | November 2020 “An excellent reason for joining the Guild is to submit your work for assessment and progress through our membership levels. It is a way to measure and evidence your skill level, as well as show your customers that you are committed to providing them with the very best service. Whilst photography-related qualifications have always been a controversial issue, how do you judge an art form? Our ‘Qualified’ status aligned to the standards of competence that reflect a level where the customer should be ‘pleased with the results’ when employing the services of a skilled tradesman (the photographer). In other words, ‘Qualified’ indicates professional ‘competence’ to a level where the Guild is willing to recognise the photographer as an ambassador of the association, so those who achieve that level should be proud of doing so”. - Steve & Lesley Thirsk

(Please note that when joining the Guild, Qualifications from other respectable organisations are transferable at ‘Q’ or ‘L’ level. They may also be at higher levels, but this is not guaranteed as it is subject to a review of the relevant submission or members work) Ref: The Guild of Photographers - Qualifications 74

: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

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Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

GUILD SPOTLIGHT Natasha Ince

“M

y name is Natasha Ince, I am from Dudley in the West Midlands, UK, and I specialise in Maternity, Mamma & Me, and Newborn Photography. I have had my own business for nearly eight years now, and it’s become my life. I have had a video camera since the age of 11. My Mom always took lots of videos and photos of us as children to capture our lives, so naturally, when I could get my hands on one, I began my creations. I especially loved making films with my sisters and cousins to direct them and write the scripts. I started using My a little digital camera ofwhen my Mom’s photography started I was a young boy. I rememb when I was around 12 years old. I was always that only childainfew theyears school to goI too enjoyed taking pho agothat that used I realised around taking photos of everyone (and never actually be in any myself) then airbrushing them really badly as I had no idea how to edit properly. While I was at school I loved food and cooking, so that was ing All with thepaths legendary I was always going to be a singer, songwriter, or actress. the lead toGary thatRhodes career to being lucky enough

for me. I had been entering talent shows up and down the country, on and off television Aviation Photography was where my photographic journey since I was four. I received a singing scholarship to one of London’s best theatre schools August 2001. were recruiting for chefs at the time (Sylvia Young Theatre School) when I was 12. I left my family and They friends to also pursue my Afghanistan, Cyprus and the Falkland singing and lived with different families across London, traveling to and from school on Islands. I have been Globemaster, C130K, C130J, Hercules, Puma and Chinook the tube and trains; I had to grow up as I had to do this on my own without my parents. gave meinsome fantastic moments. I would go to auditions, be in shows, appear in filmsalland sing cabarets andphotographic it was a dream come true believed that would be my life! The people who attended the school Over the couple of years, my interest has changed cours were all very much like me; big personalities, theatrical, andlast commitment to making have in theofFalklands something of themselves. Hard work and dedicationtours wereIat thedone forefront our lives.and a few Portraits. Phot My style of photography very much follows this trend of theatrics. The dramatic Awarded the distinction of being a Qualified Photographer lighting, the styling, the posing, and everything about my photography scream ‘The have been awarded The Photographer’s Bar. Stage.’ Performing has always been my life. I might not have been lucky enough to make it into the recording industry, but somehow I have found an even bigger calling... my RAF Coningsby, home of the Battle Of Britain Memorial Fl mission to empower women. lent photographic opportunities coming my way with the L I started my own photography business when a failedting recording contract forced meairshow crowds every ye the Typhoon fasthad jet that wow to leave my job, and I had no money coming in to pay my bills. I set up in my Mom and Dad’s living room, and within 2/3 months, I was so busy I had to find a studio. I shot maternity images right from the start, but there was nothing out there that gave me a buzz when I got pregnant myself. I suddenly realised something was missing within the genre… glamour, drama, and power, all the things I personally love. I was fed up with trying to create images people did over and over again and decided to try and start something new. “ - Natasha Ince

www.photographybynatasha.co.uk

: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

ber sitting and watching my Grandad take pictures. I was fascinated. It was otographs and capturing memories.

s the path I ended up going down, I had some fantastic times from workto cook with the Jaguar Formula One Team.

y started, and part of the reason I enlisted into the Royal Air Force in e. During my eighteen years in the RAF as a chef, I have been to Iraq, n so lucky over my time to fly in various aircraft from a Hawk Trainer, C17 k Helicopters as well as VC10, Tristar and most recently the Voyager. They

se. I now photograph Landscapes, Wildlife which is thanks to the many tography is a big part of my life, and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s great fun! with The Guild of Photographers in 2018 and this year I am delighted to

light, is where I am stationed now. I know that there will be some excelLancaster, Spitfire, Hurricane, Dakota and Chipmunk Aircraft, not forgetear on my doorstep. I am fortunate.

Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

Q: A little bit about yourself and your photography journey? I am very much a feminist. I believe in equal rights & equal pay for everyone. Anyone who knows me will say I am dramatic and love to perform, and with not being able to sing and act on a stage, photography was the next thing I could do to be a creative being. I had always done Maternity photography since starting out in 2013, but when I got pregnant with my 1st child, the fact that women didn’t really want bump sessions struck a chord with me. It was the same old, same old, throwing some bits of material into the air, baby shoes on the bump, and cheesy partner photos.. something I didn’t want for myself. I wanted to look glam and beautiful, so I brought a few dresses and went from there. Over the next few months, I claimed a style that I hadn’t seen before. I took inspiration from magazines, musicians, and actresses. I wanted something as original as possible, but mainly to give the Mother an incredible experience. Being pregnant myself, I knew there was a calling to feel beautiful. I couldn’t be the only woman in the country who wanted to feel good. I just knew other Mother’s wanted that, too; I just had to find them. My mission is to find the Goddess in every woman. It’s hard for me to put into words how passionate I am about this. For hundreds of years throughout the centuries, women have been suppressed and seen as second to Men in some societies. In other cultures, they are celebrated. The incredible, courageous women of the past inspire me to keep pushing for equality and to show the world how amazing the female body is. Birthing babies is seen as something small, like the pain is nothing, like what our bodies do is easy; well, it isn’t. As women, we are amazing, and this is what motivates me during every single session to create images that empower and inspire.

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Q: You have become known for your style of Maternity and Newborn. How did you develop your style of editing to create these effects? I have tried every preset and action in the book, but none of them gave me what I truly wanted when it comes down to it. I had a vision in my end of the kind of images I wanted to create, so over the years, through trial and error, I finally found an editing style I loved... my own. I mainly hand edit my images and make my own actions. I love using a few LSP actions for removing reds and things like that, but primarily I do my own thing. I edit all my images exactly the same, from Newborn to Family, to make sure my style is consistent and recognisable.

Q: Post-processing and Photoshop, how important is it to your work? I am very passionate about ‘getting it right in camera.’ I am highly critical of my images, but I believe striving for perfection is why I am always reaching for higher awards and better photos. I don’t believe in having to fix a photograph. I only ever want to enhance it. The images always look good before I do anything to them. I pride myself on that. The lighting, posing, and styling has to be spot on before you click that shutter. However, without Photoshop, I probably couldn’t create such magic with the hair and the material. I love manipulating the dresses, fabrics, and the client’s hair to give my images that ‘wow’ factor.

“ MY MISSION - TO EMPOWER WOMEN “

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Q: One piece of equipment that you couldn’t do without? Probably my camera!!

Q: What’s the favourite place/subject you’ve ever photographed and why? It’s honestly so hard to give you a favourite. It changes every month, usually. I strive to be as creative as possible and fulfill my urge to make something beautiful. One image that always stands out to me is the one that won ‘Maternity Image Of The Year 2019’ for The Guild Of Photographers. The lady had stretch marks on her belly, but they were so beautiful; I told the client that I wouldn’t be editing them out because I loved them so much. I wanted her to be proud of her stripes, proud of the house she gave her babies, and she told me that she had never felt so beautiful in her life. She said that I had helped her to start loving her body. That, to me, is priceless.

Q: What is your favourite go-to lens? The lens I use mostly in the studio is my 50mm Sigma Art 1.4. I would love to use a longer lens, but I have a small studio, so it’s not possible.

Q: Your preferred choice of lighting? I only ever use one light now. I use a D Lite 1, Elinchrom with a 135cm Octabox. I use this for all my sessions, only sometimes swapping down to a smaller softbox in Maternity sessions if needed.

Q: Which do you offer to clients - IPS (in-person sales), or do you prefer to sell online gallery? At the moment, I am all-inclusive. The clients pick how many images they want before the session and pay on the day. I then only shoot and edit that amount of photos. I am hoping to start IPS from January 2021.

Q: What do you like most about being a member of the Guild of Photographers? I love that it feels like a family. My first experience at the Awards night in February was absolutely fantastic. Everyone was so supportive of each other, and it was so amazing to see.

Q: Your personal preference - colour or black & white images, and why? I love black and white images, but I only ever share colour on my Instagram. I try to keep my social media consistent at all times. Colour photographs always seem to get more attention. In all my galleries, clients receive both the colour and the black & white versions of every image. There is something so timeless about a black and white photo; I absolutely love them.

Q: Who inspires you? I mainly get inspired by my own thoughts, bits of fabric, songs, or movies.

Q: If you could give your younger self one tip, what would it be? Learn your craft. Photograph everything until you realise what you truly love. When you are young, it’s hard to know what makes you tick, so you have to search until you find it. 84

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Q: Best bit of kit you’ve bought for under £50? I haven’t been able to find any equipment under £50 that I use in my sessions, but bits of fabric are always useful in the studio, so I spend some nights on Etsy, eBay, or online Fabric stores, finding little treasures that don’t break the bank.

Q: Do you use a tripod? And, if so, how important is it to your work? I only use a tripod if I don’t have the client’s partner there to help me throw the dresses. I use the timer on my camera so I can have a few flown style images, which I can’t do if it’s just the lady and me.

Q: Developing your marketplace, how important was it to create your brand? I have always been quite passionate about giving my clients and followers a strong message about empowering women and capturing women in their beauty, so they exist in their family portraits. I am very personable on my social media platforms, and I think that helps clients and photographers relate to me as it’s never just about photography; it’s about the person who takes the photos. I have tried to make my work as consistent as I can so my images are recognisable. I am happy for people to get to know the real me. I won’t pretend to be someone else, put on airs and graces, and change my style to make someone else happy; I do what I love and make sure everyone knows how much it means to me. This is my brand.

Q: Online marketing. Do you spend a set number of hours per month to keep on top of blogs and social media? I very rarely write blogs because I am so busy, but I do post a lot on social media. I don’t have a particular routine or schedule for it; I just do it when I can.

Q: What motivates you to get up in the morning? The thing that motivates me the most is achieving something. Whether that is making pregnant women feel like a Goddess, whether that is me working out at the gym and lifting a heavier weight than the week before, whether it’s getting a to-do list done or a gallery edited, achieving something is the thing that drives me. I want to be a good example for my children. Working hard is one of the things I value in life.

Q: Apart from sheer hard work and dedication, what would you say is the main ingredient to your success? Honestly, having a desire to make a difference in someone’s life is one of the reasons why I do this. I am so passionate about empowering I make sure everyone can have a piece of it. Photography isn’t just a job to me; it’s my life.

Q: Any books you would recommend? The only book I read is Vogue.. and you can’t really class that as a book! Haha.

Q: Three individual words that describe you? Theatrical, Passionate & Generous.

Q: Instagram? Do you use it in preference to say Facebook or YouTube? I mainly use Instagram now, along with Facebook as a second.

Q: Favourite place in the world, and why? One of my favourite places in the world is Perranporth in Cornwall. My family and I have been visiting there since I was a baby, and it always feels like our second home. I now take my own children there. My other favourite place in the world is my home. I love to sit on my sofa and edit my images.

Q: And finally, where next? I don’t know where my crazy life will take me. It’s exciting not to know what the future holds. I will continue to grow as a photographer and as a person, hopefully inspiring and motivating young girls, teens & women worldwide to be passionate about something and love what they do. Life is too short to do anything else. - thank you Natasha for sharing with Creative Light Magazine your thoughts, photography and direction. - Julie Oswin, Editor Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

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Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

TIP SHEET #8 How to Create Fake Shadows

As well as the colour, it’s the shadows in a picture that help to give it mood and atmosphere so in this tutorial I want to show you how you can add in extra shadows. In this example we’ll create a shadow that looks as though it’s coming from light shining through a window frame and casting the shadow onto the background. This technique makes use of shapes that come pre installed in Photoshop and with the combination of Smart Objects for flexibility and giving the option of making adjustments at a later stage, a Blur Filter and Layer Mask they can be quickly and easily transformed.

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Step 1: Blank Layer Begin by making sure that your Foreground and Background colours are at their default of Black and White by pressing D on the keyboard. Then click to add a new blank layer to the top of the layer stack and rename this layer ‘window’

Step 2: Custom Shape Tool Now choose the Custom Shape Tool that you’ll find in the Tool Bar and then in the options bar that appears at the top of the screen there is a Shape drop down menu. In here there are lots of different shapes preinstalled in Photoshop and one of them is a 3 x 3 grid of squares; this is what we’ll use to create our window frame shadow. Choose the 3 x 3 Grid by clicking on it and the also in the options bar ensure that ‘Pixels’ is selected.

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Step 3: Place the Grid Now click in the upper left hand corner of the image and drag out the grid shape. Note: holding down the shift key at the same time as dragging will ensure that the grid remains proportionate. Once you have the grid in place weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll now make it appear slightly thicker so that the final effect looks more realistic by pressing CMD/CTRL + J to duplicate it. Then, with the Move Tool (V) and the RIGHT arrow key on the keyboard press to move the duplicate to the right 4 times and then press the UP 4 times. Repeat this process one more time.

Step 4: Smart Object With the upper most copy of the window layer active, hold down the shift key and click on the first window layer so that now all three layers are active/highlighted. Then go to the fly out menu in the top right of the layers panel and choose Merge Layers or go to Layers > Merge Layers. Then go to Filter > Convert to Smart Filter because weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be using a blur for this effect and having a Smart Filter will enable us to adjust it quickly and easily at a later stage.

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Step 5: Gaussian Blur Now that we have our window layer converted into a Smart Object go to Filter > Blur > Gaussian Blur and because we want this effect to be quite subtle, add in a Pixel Radius of around 150. This will blur and soften down the window frame / grid. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s your choice now whether you want the shadow to be on the male subject or not. If you wanted to remove it then simply add a Layer Mask and paint with a Black Brush over the male subject. To reduce the shadow falling on the male subject as opposed to removing it completely, paint with a Black Brush but with a reduced opacity amount.

Step 6: Warp If you wanted to make it appear as though the window frame was slightly misshapen due to it being cast onto the wall from the side, we can add a little Warp. To do this first of all click on the chain icon between the layer thumbnail and layer mask to turn it off / unlink them both. Then click on the thumbnail of the window frame and go to Edit > Transform > Warp. This temporarily reveals the grid without any blur so we can easily see what we are adjusting. To warp the frame simple click and drag inside the Warp adjustment.

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Step 7: Finishing Touches At this stage the only finishing touches I apply here are to firstly with a soft edged round brush and a black foreground colour, paint around the outside edges of the frame to help it blend in much more natural with the environment. Also we can now use the layer Opacity to control how subtle, or not, we want the effect to appear.

Bonus Tip: Colour As well as shadows giving a picture mood and atmosphere so does the colour / tone. In this example a warm to cool gradient has been added to give the impression there is a warm light source from outside the right hand side of the image. To create this effect a new gradient was added using Layer > New Fill Layer > Gradient. From the various gradient presets I used the Violet/Orange (5th gradient) and adjusted the colours then changed the blend mode of this gradient layer to Soft Light.

CHECK OUT MY YOUTUBE PAGE FOR 100â&#x20AC;&#x2122;S OF FREE TUTORIALS 94 : November | December 2020 - Issue 40 www.glyndewis.com

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iles Christopher is very much a classical commercial photographer, who has made his name working for blue chip clients from a large studio in London. While some other photographers say they can’t get the budgets or find the clients, he definitely can because he’s offering them superb facilities and high-level technical skill. He is a true example of how thinking big – and shooting bigger – can really pay divides. Having spent the first twenty years of his working life in the film industry, Giles and his partner, Abi Cockcroft, set up Media Wisdom Photography in 2001 and have gleaned enormous experience and gained huge success working in large spaces. “We used to have a 700 square foot studio, which was inside a much larger film studio near Shepperton. When we needed the big film studios, we would rent those for furniture shoots. The film studios closed down and so we rented a 1,000 square foot studio. It has a kitchen unit in it, and we do a lot of food and drink photography, as well as small furniture, and big product shoots here”, he explains.

3: Media Wisdom – a studio built for big commercial clients

Giles and Abi with a still life set-up in progress.

Giles got his first camera as a thirteenth birthday present from his father, a film producer who was very interested in photography, and his mother who was a film production coordinator. “My father always saw the value of taking family photographs, and

I loved the fact that he took so much care over them. He would often take me to the publicity stills department in the film studios, where he would have them developed. I have had a fascination with stills photography ever since”.

William has now moved home to Thailand, so his immediate plans include “getting our house in order over here” and updating the studio after the process of selling up in England – “the container with our belongings has only just arrived and I’ve got things in boxes that I haven’t even opened yet”. In addition, he has exhibitions in June and July, and more work for hairstyling awards amongst many other plans. Whatever the future holds for this incredibly talented and successful photographer, it’s going to be big.

Silver

Printing for the look and feel – classic papers Cameracraft May/June 2019 29

David Kilpatrick looks at inkjet media which come close to matching silver darkroom printing and historic processes. From the fragile softness of Amalfi hand-made paper to premium Permajet FB Pearl and Fotospeed’s Legacy Gloss fibre-based, your choice of paper can give your work lasting value.

After spending his earlier years “hanging around studios and film sets”, Giles went to Watford College of Art to study illustration, graphic design, fine arts and photography. While there, he took up photography on a larger scale than he had as a boy. He was inspired by a particular lecturer at college who encourage the students to find their own unique style, while simultaneously being fascinated by ground-breaking landscape photographers of their day, such as Faye Godwin. “I never thought I could make a career out of that, but I did go back into the film industry, with a plan to go on to a career in graphic design. I started working with the film publicity stills department, with David James and David Farrell as mentors. It was the era where you had to be an assistant to learn anything, rather than nowadays when you learn everything online”, says Giles. This was a period when movie film stock was improving in quality at a rapid pace, making it possible for stills to be framegrabbed from film stock, rather than have the images shot separately. This, coupled with depleted

A large studio space makes shooting with people, props and sets possible and gives room for expertly controlled lighting.

budgets, reduced the need for stills photographers. Giles moved into the movie camera department. Here, he worked his way through the ranks, as a clapper loader, focus-puller and assistant cameraman. Giles and Abi began building up Media Wisdom while he was still working in the film industry and she was working in television. “It was difficult at first, but yearon-year it’s got better and better with bigger and bigger clients”, he says. Because Giles and Abi were, as he puts it, “both never scared of film sets” they focused on ‘big production’ style photography. “We both had contacts in the

A typical large roomset built at the Shepperton studios where Giles was familiar with the space, and with movie and TV industry methods and costs. Below, stages in transforming a hangar-like space into a bedroom furniture interior. The finished composition is partly an illusion – note how the chandelier hangs in front of the suspended ceiling flat.

film industry and with film studios and so being given a 7,000 square foot stage or even bigger, didn’t concern me. I knew that I needed more light and more equipment to work in such a large space, but I had the contacts in the industry; we just didn’t have the budgets at the time. We started getting steady work, but not the big stuff I was craving for”, he says. A lot of networking brought them bigger clients and eventually to the attention of Made.com and an Irish furniture company called Easy Living. It is likely that Giles’ work with Made.com contributed to the company’s increased sales figures (this definitely applied

Trevo r & Fa ye Yer bury

30 May/June 2019 Cameracraft

Top quality printed 68-page bi-monthly magazine, £8.50 cover price, included with your Guild of Photographers subscription. Back issues and non-member subscriptions are available from: www.iconpublications.com email editor@iconpublications.com for advertising and editorial enquiries IN ASSOCIATION WITH

The big move

CAM ERAC RAFT PORT FOLIO

Cameracraft 2019 1 PHOTOGRAPH BY WILLIAM BARRINGTON-BINNS • ISSNMay/June 2514-0167 • £8.50

Kabuki Seasons – Winter and Spring, from a new series of work. Director and photographer: William Barrington-Binns. Creative Director: Tia Oguri . Stylist: Dandy Kimono of Uber. Set , First Assistant and Technician: Rob Youngson. Lighting: David Levy and Lee Romney of Arri Lighting. Hairstylist and co-stylist: Mamiko Sato of Kimono de Go. Makeup: Anastasija Potjomkina. Models: Filantropi Lu and Nange Magro. Assistants: John Gabriel Lopez and Mai. Collaboration with ARRI PCA and Phase One Photo, thanks to Drew Altdoerffer.

“There are still female Kabuki artists and may this continue. Though all-women troupes, or at least troupes having a female leader, are becoming more common in Japan they are still looked down upon. They will never be able to reach the same status as that of an all-male cast if the strict tradition of the onnagata is to continue. The doors of big theatre in Japan, especially on the National stage, are barred and locked to women. “In conclusion, although women are not held in the same status as they were held when Kabuki was first born, they still play an important part. From being the cause of a long tradition of the onnagata to slowly trying to ease their way back onto the stage, feminine presence never really left. The story of Kabuki must continue on, and women may just have to be the ones to pick the torches back up and carry it. They are still evolving.”

his test started out with an experimental order to Italy for two A3 packs of Amalfi paper by Amatruda paper mills. The superbly packed, sealing-wax fastened papers arrived in under a week in perfect condition with heavy card used to ensure it, and a generous protective wrapping. The cost was £42.15 by credit card including shipping for two packs of 15 sheets, 150gsm. This weight is deceptive, as 150gsm can be a fairly stiff photo paper but handpressed fibre is much softer. The mould edges are not all the same, one side looks more ragged, and it’s not identical to a ‘hand-torn’ effect. Ideally any print made on this paper needs mounting to show all the edges, with a matte overlay and perhaps 2cm of space all round. It’s also good to see the paper itself, and it does not take kindly to bleed printing on an inkjet. Using my trusted and now ancient ColorMunki Photo device, I produce my own paper profiles using Marrutt bulk replacement inks in an even older Epson Stylus

Pro 3800 printer. It’s fourteen years since I visited the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris for the launch of the Epson 4600 which followed the 3800. Used in bursts of activity, the 3800 nevertheless keeps going well. Since the Amalfi paper really doesn’t work well with conventional colour images, the profile was hardly needed. Just using Epson Colour Controls works fine for the sepia, blue-tint and line art tests which really suited the paper. It’s not the same as Amalfi paper when used by Graphistudio for albums even though it comes from the same maker. With two new papers on the market from British world leaders in the field, I also decided to test Fotospeed Legacy Gloss 315gsm and Permajet FB Pearl 300. These are updates on earlier materials, not surprising when you remember that Epson, Marrutt and others have all been revising their ranges as the European mills and converters introduce new substrates. These tests follow.

AMATRUDA AMALFI paper – a single weight, warm parchment coloured, handmade paper with a laid texture and the hand-torn effect of mould edges. This paper is not sold through photo dealers and doesn’t seem to appear in craft shops either. It’s made in the Italian town (which can be seen in the cyanotype-effect print, central of the samples from my printing here). It seems best printed using the Singleweight Matt setting for Epson, as the paper is under 0.1mm thickness (on this setting, it transports and prints well). It works best for engravings and line art, sepia or antique effects. 46 May/June 2019 Cameracraft

Nikon Z6

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Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

Does every enquiry you get start with “What do you charge for...?” By Ronan Ryle

Do the enquires you get always start with the question

The Newborn woman, in our example, does precisely the same. She

“What do you charge for..?” Did you ever wonder Why?

opens her phone and goes straight to Google to search. She searches

Well, let’s discuss your website. When was the last time you had an enquiry from your website that a new client that did not open the conversation with “What do you charge for...?”

to discover what’s involved, who are the Photographers in her locality, and any other question she may have about what is involved. Searching for these enquiries is why many Photographers spend so much of their marketing efforts appearing on the first page for that

The reason is that when your potential client-leads visit your

Google search. They spend time Blogging, SEO, Google Adwords all

website, they are already aware of their need and are well

designed to create these enquiries that start with "What do you charge

through the pre-purchase stage of their buying process.

for...?" Then you have to be a ‘Sales Deflection Expert’ and move this client from the logical side of their brain asking about price into the emotional side of their brain where cost is no longer the determining factor. While this is a skill all Photographers need to learn for what we call those ‘Pyrite Enquiries’ (Pyrite also known as 'Fools Gold'). You do this in order to get some return from all your marketing efforts. There is another way to find your ideal ClientGold. Let’s discover what this is.

Their buying process mirrors your selling process. However, I always encourage you to look at your business wearing your clients’ shoes and seeing your business through their eyes. Why should this be any different from how you do your marketing? If you agree, then you should ask yourself this question "Where is my client in their buying process when they search for a Photographer on Google?'' The answer is they are at the 'Knowledge stage', or they have already progressed to the 'Consideration' stage. What does this mean exactly? It means your client is aware they need a photographic service, and they have started their search for their perfect Photographer on Google. Let us take an example. Let’s say you are a Newborn Photographer and a pregnant woman in your locality sees an Instagram influencer having a Newborn Photography session. They may probably say to themselves, WoW, that’s a cool thing to do. What do you think they might do next? If you said, go straight to Google to search, then full marks. Like any of us who become aware of a new need, we go straight to Google search to build our ‘Knowledge’ about our newly aware requirement.

: November | December 2020 - Issue 40

First, let’s return to your Clients buying journey and see how we might be the trigger for making her aware that ‘Newborn Photography’ as an offering. The goal here is to capture her interest when she is in a 'Blissfully Unaware State'. The solution? Enter, Social Media Marketing Funnels. Here you get to make your client aware of how crucial Newborn Photography is by stopping her scroll as she catches up on her friends and families activities on social media. You attract her interest, bring her into your world and get to build her knowledge of your offering, close the booking without her ever needing to check out your competition with the dreaded Google search. How great is that?

Does every enquiry you get start with “What do you charge for...?” By Ronan Ryle

I hear you shout, But Ronan I’ve tried to make Facebook work,

While 95% of your competition are spending their marketing

but it doesn’t. Well, it does, It’s just that Facebook has evolved

resources, targeting 5% of those who are aware enough to make

and what used to work years ago does not today. Facebook is

a Google search. In BSA we call ‘Pyrite Enquiries’ that starts with

now with us for 16 years and is, therefore, now a young adult. Just as Human’s evolve, so has Facebook marketing. What worked in 2014 with boosted posts and organic reach when Facebook was a pre-teen (10 years old) does not work today. It has evolved, and so has Facebook Marketing. Your challenge is to get up to

the question “What do you charge for ...?” Instead play on a different field that requires learning a skill that the Photographer down the road who gives everything away for nothing will neither have the time, money or energy to learn.

speed with these developments. Does this mean you have to

In my next article, we will deep-dive into how you can approach

learn something new, but is it worth it?

this. If you wish to fast track, your success then why not join us

If I had to choose one marketing activity to fill my studio with

for a 14-day FREE trial and discover how Photographers from

higher-paying clients, is this what I need to do? If you do this right,

all over the world are successfully panning for ClientGold

it will be worth it. It allows you to compete on a field that 95% of

leads every single day.

your potential competitors don’t know how to.

Click Here

Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

Regional Meet-Up Region: South East Region Where: Warnham Nature Reserve When: November 3rd 2020 (Pre lockdown 2.0) Who: Brian Dandridge, Chris Waddell, Linda Johnstone, Jen Matthews-Bright and Helen Teresa Farlow.

“It was back at the beginning of October Chris Waddell sent me information about the Guild and the benefits membership has to offer so, here I am, a newbie, starting to find my way around. I have been taking photographs since 1959 (a Box-Brownie!!) but really only started to take photography seriously during the past few years, so it is great to join a group with so much to offer. I was delighted when Chris let me know that Linda Johnstone was arranging a group outing to the Warnham Nature Reserve for the 3rd of November and grabbed one of the six available slots as a golden opportunity to meet a few fellow members for the first time. Apart from Chris and Linda, we were also joined by Helen Teresa Farlow and Jen Matthews-Bright. After all the recent bad weather we were blessed with a very pleasant day, a mix of sunshine and passing cloud. For those not familiar with Warnham Nature Reserve, it is a facility located just off the A24, to the west of Horsham. It features a reasonable sized lake, a number of strategically placed hides and a well-defined series of pathways. Sadly, in these difficult times of Covid-19, the hides are all closed, which restricted any opportunities to photograph the variety of birds out on or by the water, but this didn’t spoil our enjoyment and allowed us to look for other photographic opportunities around the reserve. I have visited Warnham many times during recent years and had the opportunities to get good images of many different bird species, a variety of fungi and a few deer. Sadly, no deer spotted on this visit, but one of the viewing points offered us some good opportunities to photograph several species of small birds and there were still several colonies of fungi on rotting fallen trees. All in all, very enjoyable outing and great introduction to the Guild and good to meet a few fellow members. Many thanks Linda.”

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The Guild’s Partners & Membership Benefits ALAMY

The leading online photographic library for stock images. Guild members arn the first £500 commission free. www.alamy.com

APPLESTORE

Save up to 10% in store or online, as well as on refurbs and offers. www.apple.com/uk

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The largest European producer of photobooks is now available int he UK pro market. Guild members get an exclusive 20% off any CEWE photobook and wall art. www.cewe-photoworld.com

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A full product range and sample deals available, plus a special schools photography service. www.colourworldimaging.co.uk

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Digitalab deliver high quality printing, frames and presentation products. They offer Guild members 50% OFF any sample products. www.digitalab.co.uk

EPSON One of the largest manufacturers of printers, projectors and much more. www.epson.co.uk HAHNEMUHLE FINE ART One of the oldest paper companies in Europe that lives and breathes paper. 10% discount for Guild members. www.hahnemuehle.com

HANDEPAY Guaranteed savings for Guild members on card processing fees. Discounted quotes for Guild members. www.handepay.co.uk INFOCUS PHOTOGRAPHY INSURANCE

nPHOTO

Special deal exclusively for Guild members of up to 60% discount. www.nphoto.co.uk

ONE VISION IMAGING

30% OFF your first order. Special offers for Guild members. www.onevisionimaging.com

PIXSY - ACT AGAINST COPYRIGHT

Special Guild member offer worth £350 per year. www.pixsy.com

PHANTOM FLIGHT DRONE SCHOOL

Brilliant Guild discounts of up to 20% OFF Drone courses, lessons and holidays. www.phantomflightdroneschool.co.uk

PHOTO-SENSORY

Pre-School Education Service which offers five different class types. Guild members can be official photographers to Photo-Sensory. Contact Guild HQ

PROFOTO LIGHTING

10% Guild discount for members from Wilkinson Cameras. www.profoto.com

PLUTUS HEALTH

Healthcare Insurance from only £5.36 per month. Contact Guild HQ

SIM IMAGING

Guild members only discount 10% www.simlab.co.uk

SHUTTERTAX

The online accounting option for photographers with 20% discount for The Guild. www.shuttertax.co.uk

SYTNER AFFINITY (Auto Dealers)

Guild members get 10% discount on service/parts/ accessories + new/used vehicle offers. www.sytner.co.uk

Unique savings for Guild members with this highly respected insurance company. www.infocusinsurance.co.uk

VISION MEDIA DESIGN UK

Scottish professional imaging lab with worldwide reputation. www.loxleycolour.com

WILKINSON CAMERAS

10% discount on The Photo & Video Editing Console for photographers and videographers, for faster and more creative editing. www.loupedeck.com

3XM

LOXLEY COLOUR

Websites that Work for You. Guild Members discount - SAVE £95 on all websites www.visionmediadesign.co.uk

LOUPEDECK

Large range of photographic equipment and Guild members exclusive retail offers. www.wilkinson.co.uk

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Guild Members receive double points on every product order. www.3XMsolutions.com

THE GUILD OF PHOTOGRAPHERS “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”

Professional Membership costs £129 and Regular Membership costs £99

www.photoguild.co.uk

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. EMAIL info@photoguild.co.uk CALL 01782 970323 / 07982 613985 Issue 40 - Creative Light Magazine :

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BACK PAGE BRONZE - Cameron Scott -

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