Creative Light - Issue 11 by Guild of Photographers

CRAFTSMAN PANEL - IMELDA BELL DIGITAL MARKETING - LAURA HAMPTON LAUNCH OF PHOTOHUBS DOCUMENTARY WEDDINGS - KERRY MORGAN

ISSUE 11 - DECEMBER 2015 1

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

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Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Contents features

Kevin Pengelly Chairman of Judges

10 14

24 Days of Christmas The Guild of Photographers

Lesley Chalmers, Photohubs - Hinckley

Laura Hampton Digital Marketing

52 40

Imelda Bell Craftsman Panel

Kerry Morgan Documentary Wedding Photography © Julie Oswin

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The Guild of Photographers W

here did 2015 go? We can’t believe how quickly a year can go! It was certainly a busy and exciting one for the Guild.

steve & lesley thirsk

We have seen just over 1000 new members ‘sign up’ to the Guild this year which is just incredible and we cannot thank members enough for recommending others to join our Community!

Steve Thirsk

We have also seen the creation of member run regional Guild groups as well as new interest groups such as the Digital Imaging one. In order to support these groups with local ‘socials’ and to ensure training is delivered around the country we launched the first regional PhotoHub in November. These 2 day training, social and trade events are open to all photographers and you can find more details about that first event in this edition of the magazine as well as a taster of what is to come at others are now scheduled around the UK throughout 2016. The ‘Pro’ membership support has proved invaluable during 2015. Most people in business get ‘issues’ of some sort from time to time so it’s great to have the simple reassurance of knowing you can pick up the phone and get 24/7 legal or PR advice every day of the year! Unfortunately, during the year a few members have needed more than advice and now have pending legal cases where they do not have to pay a penny towards their legal expenses as our experts will be dealing with everything for

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

the Cheshire countryside, complete with stained glass windows and a contemporary wing boasting a high quality spa. As well as the Awards night itself there will be a PhotoHubs event which will be offering some great training opportunities on the Friday and Saturday. Following that, the rest of 2016 is destined to be another exciting year! As well as the Awards night and new PhotoHubs events we have a trip to Iceland, scheduled for March, and are planning one to Venice and GraphiStudio’s Castle soon after that. Plus there are one or two surprises we will

Lesley Thirsk them. This week alone, we have dealt with an issue regarding image quality, customer contract issues, mobile phone contract issues and even a personal injury based motoring claim following a road accident – all of which we helped with!

announce in the New Year! - Steve & Lesley Thirsk

We are also aware that members have saved £££’s during the past 12 months. With up to 12% discount at the Apple Store and 7% off at many High Street names including Argos, Curry’s and PC World, many members have saved more than their membership costs with just one purchase! Add this to this the free back-up service we offer and it really is possible to save £100’s (if not over £1000) a year as a member … It’s always good to save money! To finish the year in style we have run an Advent Christmas Draw. Every member was in the draw and around c£15,000 of prizes from our friends in the Trade were distributed to the lucky winners. Our Image of the Month competition has just finished for the year, and the judges are currently reviewing all the Gold and Silver awards in order to choose our Image of the Year finalists for multiple genres. The winners will be announced at our amazing Awards night on 6th February 2016, as will our Top Ten Photographer’s of the Year for the different genres (ie those obtaining the most points during the course of the year). We are returning to the magnificent Crewe Hall for the Awards night. It is a grade 1 listed Jacobean mansion in the heart of

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Editor

On a recent trip to South America earlier this year, I visited the fascinating neighbourhood of Barrio Brasil, located in the city of Santiago, Chile. The houses are all individually painted, each house having to have a different colour to their neighbours. The artwork, colours, flaky paintwork and designs were just brilliant. So typically South American! It was one of my favourite areas of the Chilean capital. Taking lots of photographs as we photographers do, one of my personal favourites from this area is the image opposite, taken on my iphone. I just loved the washing line and especially the pair of socks! Impossible to believe that this will be the eleventh issue of Creative Light. The readership is up, membership to the Guild of Photographers has hit record numbers and I am proud to be the Editor of Creative Light and bring to you the people behind the photographs. Front cover is by the very talented Gillian Lloyd. If you have a story you would like to share to be considered for Creative Light Magazine then please get in touch with me - julie@photoguild.co.uk.

julie oswin

Wishing you all a Happy Christmas and a successful 2016. Live, Laugh, Love and have FUN.

“

No matter how much crap you gotta plow through to stay alive as a photographer, no matter how many bad assignments, bad days, bad clients, snotty subjects, obnoxious handlers, wigged-out art directors, technical disasters, failures of the mind, body, and will, all the shouldas, couldas, and wouldas that befuddle our brains and creep into our dreams, always remember to make room to shoot what you love. It’s the only way to keep your heart beating as a photographer.” ― Joe McNally

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

ÂŠ Julie Oswin

Painted house, Barrio Brasil, Santiago, Chile - May 2015

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Chairman of the Panel I

t is that time of year again when the time runs away as you are all busy with your orders for Christmas and finishing off all the editing. So much has been happening within the Guild of Photographers since my last article in the last edition of Creative Light. It was so good to see that the hard work of the staff at the launch of Photohubs in November. It was such a successful couple of days. My wife Sabrina and I spent our time talking and catching up with so many Guild members old and new. It was great to see so many of the trade supporting Photohubs, and my personal thanks go to them. So many people attended the Live Judging of the Print Competition and to see the Panel judge the images first hand and to witness the process of Judging. Many congratulations to the winner, a superb print and image. Imelda Bell handed in her panel for Craftsman, which was due to be judged later on in the month, but as the Panel was in attendance a Photohubs we decided to judge the successful Digital Art Panel. Congratulations to Imelda. Image of the Month sometimes causes the controversy and a lot of posting on the critique page, as always I undertake a great deal of my time along with others to make sure we as judges get the scores correct, but I would like to mention a few things that we see on a regular basis.

kevin pengelly

Dust spots! Time and time again images that would score highly are being let down by dust spots. Please remember to take the time to view your images at 100% and look closely.

Sharpening. Images are often over sharpened. Be very careful how much sharpening you apply to your image. Remember when all labs apply sharpening to an image when it is printed. Lighting. Photography is all about painting with light. Therefore, light is the most important ingredient to a successful image. The light you use, no matter what genre of photography, has to be applied correctly. Invest in your time, understand light ratios, and how to meter your lighting. You have to understand the principles of light before you can be creative with lighting. Posing/placement, we see so much poor posing and placement of subjects in the frame irrespective of genre. Even with â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;documentary styleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;, as the photographer you have to put yourself in the position to capture the images using the correct lighting, exposure, and composition. Finally, I would like to wish you all the compliments of the season and a Happy, successful and prosperous New Year. - Kevin Pengelly, Chairman of Judges & Panel Member

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

www.datacolor.com

Getting Studio Quality Images Part 1 - What you see is what you’d really like to get... please? So we’ve all been there. We’ve seen a picture of ourselves / a friend / your Mum / someone you admire in the Newspaper. We realise that much as it looks washed out, grainy and overly saturated, we know that the original shot probably wasn’t as bad as all that. Let’s face it, Newspaper paper has always been renown for its cheap and absorbant qualities - why else would we wrap fish and chips in it? So we know it’s low grade and we therefore don’t expect to see any image looking great in it... So if you’ve ever said ‘Compared to how I see it on my computer screen my image has come out looking nothing like that on my printer, or in this magazine, or from that album company...’ then maybe you should think back to the Newspaper situation. If you have printed out your images on more than one type of paper you probably already have an idea of what works well for your types of images. This can of course be subjective but generally it’s accepted that perhaps a silk / satin stock is excellent for creating velvety blacks and soft whites for landscapes, a pearl / lustre stock can be great for high contrast black and white, and a gloss really helps with colourful fashion work. So why when we go to print our images out do so few people actually soft proof the end result first to check this output effect?

The same image on different papers can appear vastly different

Soft proofing is your means of emulating what your images will look like when output in different situations. It’s a feature built into most accepted imaging softwares and simply allows you to simulate the output conditions and particularly the colour capabilites, of your intended printer or viewing device. Sounds simple? It is!

Probably the easiest to use software for this is the now almost ubiquitous Adobe Lightroom. With the full computer based version you only need to go into the Develop Module (i.e. the image retouching part) and click the tick-box marked ‘Soft Proofing’. Invariably I find, when I ask the question at live events, that very few if anyone has done this or if they have, they don’t know what it does. If you do click the button a dialogue box appears under the Histogram (the graph) in the top right had corner of the Develop window. You can then choose what output to simulate in the new ‘Proof Settings’ window. Chances are, if you haven’t chosen any output profiles before then you’ll have this set as default to sRGB and hence probably won’t see any difference before or after ticking the box unless you are on a screen that can show Adobe RGB (e.g. an Eizo or Wacom Cintiq 27”). If you click on ‘Profile’ then you get a list of any profiles that are already set up to use in Lightroom or you can choose new ones that you have on your computer by clicking ‘Other’ and ticking those you want to see from the list. A profile is a very small file (c. 1-2 MB) that contains details of the colour space of the relevant device. 12

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Soft Proofing in Adobe Lightroom shows end print effects

In the case of profiles of printers, this includes the effect of paper, ink and the print device and allows this visual emulation of the end-result (colour only, not grain of stock etc). This is the key part to Soft Proofing in Adobe Lightroom shows end print effects getting your output (in particular in print) looking as near as you can to what you see on screen. Any effects on colour due to the paper, ink and printer are emulated so if you have a combination that will give a more contrasty or softer or more washed out effect, you should now see it. The simple choice for you then is to decide if you like it or if you want to adjust the way the image is appearing in Soft Proof, which ultimately will effect the end output. The benefit of Lightroom is that any corrective adjustments to get your images looking the way you want them to as opposed to how the soft proof initially shows the end result, can be saved as a Lightroom Preset and then easily applied with the click of a button to any other images you choose to be output to the same device and therefore most likely needing the same adjustment.

Create your own profiles to Soft Proof with Datacolor SpyderPRINT

Hopefully this has now unlocked a major step in getting your images looking the way you want at output and most hopefully (depending on the quality of printer), as near as possible to how you saw them on screen in the first place. If you have a software that allows soft proofing the only additional element you need to achieve this is a means of creating the profile files (i.e. the small description files). The most accurate Calibrate your screens and easy way to do this at an affordable price (c. £299 list price) with a Spyder is via the Datacolor SpyderPRINT. This device allows you to print out test charts from its accompanying software (Mac or Windows) and then use the USB based device to read the charts. Reading is made easy with the included positioning frame, allowing you to click once at the start of each printed line of test patches and simply slide across to read all the patches in that line. Once you’ve worked your way through each line of the charts the software does the rest of the work, calculating the Colour Profile of the output that you are reading and creating the relevant profile file and even saving it straight into Lightroom or Photoshop etc for you to select for Soft Proofing. Each nuance to the image colours due to different papers, inks or print devices is captured in this way and ready to emulate. Of course, when you are soft proofing your results to see the emulation of the end results the other key element to consider is the screen you are looking at. This needs to be showing you the ‘True Colour’ of your images. Fortunately this is not a subjective measurement as the International Colour Consortium (consisting of representatives from Apple, Adobe, Microsoft and other colour focussed companies) have set a standard to calibrate your devices to. The Profiles that the SpyderPRINT create are already calibrated to this ICC standard, so all you need is a screen calibrator like the SpyderPRINT’s sister product, the ubiquitous Spyder (recently updated to version 5 to handle 4k, 5k and curved screens), and you can calibrate your screens and other devices driven by your computer (TVs, Projectors etc) to allow you to retouch and soft proof to your heart’s content, knowing that ‘What you see really is what you get’. Images are courtesy if Tigz Rice Studios (www.TigzRice.com). To find out more about soft proofing in different softwares, see how to easily calibrate your screen even see a recording of a Burlesque Photo Shoot with photo, retouching and colour management sessions from Tigz Rice and Richard West with model Talulah Blue please look out for Webinar broadcasts at http://spyder.datacolor.com/webinars/

20% “Members of the Guild of Photographers receive a special 20% discount on purchases via the Datacolor Webstore. Please visit http://spyder.datacolor.com/orders/ http://spyder.datacolor.com/orders/?afftid=70116000000sYWJ DISCOUNT and input code photoguild at checkout to have your discount applied. Only one discount code per order.” CODE Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

the guild of photographers

The ‘24 Days of Christmas’

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

“The Guild really does appreciate the support of it’s members for making our association something rather special with its strong sense of community. To thank members for their support the Guild runs a ‘24 Days of Christmas’ draw. On each day of from the 1st - 24th December at least four members win a prize, and on the 24th December there will be 10 prizes. It’s a free random draw and every member is automatically entered into the hat. On top of what the Guild of Photographers has given there are some superb prizes being given away by friends of the Guild - Steve & Lesley Thirsk

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the sponsors â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Guild of Photographers would like to thank all of our friends for their generosity of spirit in supporting our 2015 Advent Calendar The 24 Days of Christmas.

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Making life easier for

you & your clients L

ight Blue is software to help photographers get organised, keeping track of jobs, contacts, finances and more. Thousands of photographers around the world use it to run busy and successful businesses – and the development team has just introduced some great new features to save more time and make it even easier for you to work with your customers. We caught up with Light Blue Software’s Tom Catchesides to find out more about all the new things…

Photographers already love Light Blue, so why the update? We’re always listening to what our customers say, and coming up with ideas ourselves to make people’s lives easier. What we wanted to do was make Light Blue even more helpful – both for photographers and their clients – as well as faster and more intuitive, fitting in with our overall goal of helping photographers spend less time on admin and more time on shoots. It’s been out for about a month now and people are telling us they’re loving the new version!

So what big new things are people getting excited about? First of all there’s a facelift, which makes Light Blue easier to navigate, and faster, too – we’ve really improved the user experience for both existing customers and new people taking a trial for the first time. As for features, we’ve got lots of new things in Light Blue 6, but the things which are getting the most praise are our new online forms, online invoice payment, and text messaging. They’re all helping people be more efficient!

hamish symington

Online forms – are they so customers can get in touch with you?

Exactly that - you can use our new forms as a contact form, but you can also create forms that gather all of the information you need from your clients when they confirm a booking with you. These forms can be included as part of an online contract, or you can simply send a standalone form to your client. When your clients submit a form to you, it’s easy for you to update Light Blue without typing everything in yourself. They’re also designed to be really convenient for your clients to use. Any information that you already have about your clients or the shoot, such as the clients’ names and contact details, is already included in the form - it means that your client can simply confirm that what you already know is correct and fill in any missing details.

Online invoice payment sounds really convenient, but isn’t it difficult to set up? Not at all! All you need is a PayPal account, which is simple to get, and then you tell Light Blue the email address associated with that account. You can also directly accept card payments using a brilliant card processor called Stripe – and their fees are just 1.4% + 20p per transaction in the UK, so they’re great value. It’s really easy to get an account with them, too. Once you’ve done that, sending invoices to your customers for them to pay online is just a few clicks – and it’s so convenient for your clients because they won’t have to fiddle around setting up a bank transfer to pay you online.

And what about text messaging? Our new text messaging is great because it makes it easy to send appointment reminders, and that has a direct effect on no-shows. Light Blue makes it really easy to send text messages to remind your customers about their appointments and shoots – and because they look like they’re sent from your phone number, your clients can reply, too, so if they can’t make it for whatever reason they can let you know. Sending a text message is cheap, and if that means you’ve not got a wasted hour when a client doesn’t turn up but doesn’t tell you, it’s a no-brainer. Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

And I presume there’s lots more? Oh yes – these are just the big new things! We’ve got improvements to appointments, so you can pencil them in and confirm them later, a year view in our built in calendar so you can plan holidays or find out when you’re getting busy, the ability to brand your invoices with PDF letterheads, some great new finance features (including a really simple export feature, so you can give your information to the accountant at the end of the financial year), beautiful new Retina graphics, and lots, lots more.

And what about tech support? We know that good tech support is crucial for such a business-critical piece of software, which is why we’ve got lots of short, helpful video tutorials on our website; we run regular webinars on all sorts of things within Light Blue, and we’re really hot on our email tech support. It’s why we were voted runners up in the ‘Best Customer Service’ category of the Societies’ Awards in 2015!

So how do people find out more? There’s a full introduction to our changes, plus a ten-minute video, at www.lightbluesoftware.com/v6 - that’s a great start. People new to Light Blue can take a free, fully functioning 30-day trial at www.lightbluesoftware.com - and as part of that we offer a free half-hour one-to-one screensharing session to help you get started, too. For existing users of Light Blue 4 or higher, if you’re subscribed to our online services, the upgrade’s free, otherwise there’s a charge – there’s full info on the pricing at www.lightbluesoftware.com.

Case study: Helen Bartlett, children’s photographer Light Blue makes things so much better both for me and for my clients. My absolute favourite new feature – and the thing my clients are raving about – is the new online contract, forms, and payment system. When a client books in, I can send them an email with a link to a booking form and contract (and the contracts can be adjusted on a case-by-case basis if necessary, which can be important when working with celebrity clients who require confidentiality clauses). They can sign this contract online – no more printing things out, or struggling to find a printer. No more hunting for a stamp and then realizing the contract has been lost under a pile of Postman Pat books and toy trains. My clients are busy people, and removing the need for a printed paper contract has met with universal approval. We have a booking form attached to the contract, where clients fill in all the information I need for their shoots – their address and contact details, names and dates of birth of the children – so I know what to expect when I arrive (as the equipment you bring to a newborn session can be quite different to that you need for photographing teenagers on water skis). I discover the names of other people who will be there so I can learn these beforehand, and clients are able to fill me in with anything else they think I should know. It’s lovely to be prepared The best thing about these forms is if it’s a repeat client – and I’m lucky enough that I see a lot of my clients regularly, particularly at this time of year. Light Blue is clever enough to populate the forms with the information I already have so that my clients don’t have to type everything in again but can simply add in the details for new babies or changes of address. When the form has been filled in, at a touch of a button the information is sucked into Light Blue, attached to my shoot and I’m ready to go.The last part of this trio of wonder is online payment. Using Stripe (a card processing service that’s really easy to set up and use) clients can type in their card details and they are done. No more logging into PayPal or setting up a new payee on online banking. No more hassle of sending a cheque or remembering to bring cash on the day. In a matter of minutes everything is done, the shoot is booked in, I have all the information and we are good to go. This is brilliant for both me and my clients. Since I’ve been using Light Blue 6, not a shoot has gone by when a client hasn’t commented on the ease of use of the new booking system. Repeat clients are thrilled with how quick and easy it is to get everything sorted out, and new clients say how simple the process was for them. www.helenbartlett.co.uk

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photohubs - the launch event H

inckley, November - and the first ever PhotoHub. It was a blast! People came not only from across the UK but also from other countries - and some also braved a semihurricane - making the PhotoHubs inaugural event a great success.

lesley chalmers

So what is a PhotoHub? The idea came from listening to feedback over a good few years from us photographers at events all over the country. We say that we value getting together with other photographers, that we like talking and learning together, and that it’s good to check out what the trade can offer - but we want to control the experience so it fits our businesses and our way of working. On top of that, most of us really enjoy the social side, and in particular a social evening.

That’s what led the Guild of Photographers to commission the PhotoHubs team to get cracking on the design of regional meet-ups. These were specified as being open to everyone (in or out of the region, Guild member or not), combining a number of “pick your own” elements over two days, with a social evening on the first night. Thus PhotoHubs were born, offering a menu of free and paid-for training opportunities, some bite-sized, alongside a couple of focussed seminars running over the whole 2 days (one a Boot Camp). There’s also the chance to visit a small number of key suppliers and see the latest on offer, like at a normal trade show - but uniquely, at a PhotoHub you’re able to book to see them on a 1-2-1 basis. Add to that a print competition, judged live and in public, and a high-quality venue spacious enough to allow use of both interior and grounds for very practical wedding and lighting workshops. The first PhotoHub was at the Hinckley Island Hotel in the Midlands, a big hotel that gave us great service, comfortable rooms and lots of space at a very good price. The team sorted out Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

an all-inclusive package to cover accommodation, food and drinks, bolting on individual training choices. That’s not only bespoke, but fully taxdeductible! Lots of people had wondered about a Christmas gettogether, but the run-up to the holidays is always so busy that mid-November was more practical. There will be more PhotoHubs in other locations in 2016 - the first at Crewe Hall in Cheshire alongside The Guild Awards weekend in early February. That too is open to everyone and is very special indeed. It’s a great party and the once a year dress-up opportunity! No two locations will have quite the same training opportunities - they’ll be mixed up as PhotoHubs move around, combining new talent and new directions with more established trainers and suppliers. At Hinckley, you could join Kate HopewellSmith’s intensive 2 day boot camp on building and maintaining a successful business. Sarah Wilkes did, and was fully immersed for two whole days. She said “it was an intensive, inspiring awesome bootcamp! Thank you Kate for sharing so much and for being a great inspiration!” Guy Gowan’s series of image processing workshops ran across both PhotoHub days and was both down-to-earth and revelatory. It was unsurprisingly well-attended, not least as it was a rare excursion out of his Sligo hideaway for legendary trainer Guy - perhaps due to the pull of the social evening - he really had a ball! So too did another photography industry legend, Catherine Connor of Aspire, who delivered two great sessions - running a ‘growing-up’ business and enhancing customer service. She also attended a couple of the other classes, and shot a couple of videos as well as joining in the dancing in the evening with immense energy. Maybe she was limbering up for her wedding a couple of weeks later. Catherine said “An amazing weekend and incredible celebration! Big salute to all those that came, lived the moments and enjoyed the vibe.” Catherine will be at Crewe Hall in February too - more wise words and lots more dancing! Some people came with friends, some came alone, and everyone made new friends - in the workshops, over coffee, at the trade stands. The Friday night social was amazing! Starting with lots of chat and laughter over drinks, it was relaxed and informal even with a proper sit-down dinner. We had a brilliant after-dinner entertainer in singer Lea Martin, who was just totally fab-yoo-luss! (Oops! Channelling Craig Revel-Horwood there.) And then the dancing what moves! So much energy! Extra seats had to be found for both of 3XM’s Jenny Johnston’s talks on using Facebook advertising effectively. One delegate put a few tips into practice on the very first night and got Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

two bookings before breakfast as a result. How’s that’s for immediate direct value from an incredibly practical presentation? No empty chairs for Nina Mace either, as she talked eloquently about using colour in outdoor children’s portraiture, with advice based on her tried and tested approach and sound experience of both organisation and planning and troubleshooting (a must with fast-moving outdoor child and family shoots). She set out a very practical approach to achieving beautiful results, answering lots of enthusiastic questions at the end. “Interesting and inspiring” said Charlotte Bellamy. There were a couple of great talks from Claire Elliott - getting started in newborn photography and photographing sitting-up babies and toddlers. Unexpectedly but deliciously, a baby in the audience (brought by a delegate who couldn’t get a babysitter!) was pressed into action as a smiley, happy little model, showing both Claire’s love of children and their wonderful response to her and her techniques. Martin Baynes from GraphiStudio demonstrated contemporary album design, combining art and aesthetics with technical know-how to stunning effect. Pete Bristo’s session looked at shooting for competition and qualification, using helpful reallife examples. Julie Oswin made full use of the hotel inside and out for her session on improving wedding photography skills. With Siân Lewis as her gorgeous volunteer bride and the evening entertainer, Lea Martin, as her dapper groom, she mocked up key points of a wedding day, using the light and locations to hand, showing how to be fast, fluid and effective. When Lea had to leave, Siân simply became a (workshop) bigamist as another lovely man stepped in for the group shots. Andrew Appleton was super-busy. His concept to completion workshop was inspirational, and he also used public areas of the hotel for two great sessions demonstrating practical flash and lighting skills - ‘be confident with flash’ and ‘playing with light around a venue’. On top of that, he also put on an impromptu workshop in the trade hall in the lunch break on photographing water splashes, using a glass bowl from the hotel kitchen, a coffee carton and lime segments from the bar. The trade hall was light and spacious and arranged so that both people and products had plenty of space - it was so good to be able to have useful discussions with trade representatives and chat with other photographers without being in a sweaty scrum. Filling an entire side was Viewfinder Photography, who zipped over from their base in Leicester, only half an hour away, with loads of equipment to try and to buy. Graphistudio’s new albums and HD prints looked sensational and attracted a lot of attention, and

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Folio’s lovely books were sighed over and admired. Rachel from One Vision Imaging must have had no voice left by Saturday night. There was great interest in The 3XM Solution’s fantastic system to excite clients and boost sales, and their stunning range of USBs - jewelled, crystal and beautiful woods. Comfortable seats were provided for 1-2-1s with suppliers, not least talking through insurance issues with InFocus. Good new relationships and collaborations were made. The final event of the Hinckley Hub was the wellattended live print judging, with some excellent entries. There were two competition categories. A beautiful portrait by Sarah Wilkes won the ‘People’ category, and then faced ‘Open’ category winner Charlotte Bellamy’s stunning landscape in the final. Charlotte, who’d flown over from Holland with her prints for the PhotoHub, scooped the award and had to get her Icelight prize back to Holland as a result! One of Connie Doull’s images made it to the final selection stage. She said she was “…pretty pleased with that. It was great to hear honest feedback on the others. Silly errors! The actual judging process is interesting to watch. Great insight into how it works.” The Hinckley Hub was a great start to a new approach to regional get-togethers. PhotoHubs allow photographers to combine business, learning and pleasure in one place, either through an allinclusive and tax deductible package, or just to dip in here and there. Crewe Hall in Cheshire will be the next stop - well worth a look, and different to other PhotoHubs in that training opportunities (and cream teas and a spa!) will sandwich The Guild’s annual awards dinner, one of the most popular events of the year - it’s a great celebration of hard work and talent, huge fun, and open to all. As we go forward into 2016, the PhotoHubs team will announce more regional locations with yet more opportunities to get together and boost our learning, confidence and businesses. Keep an eye on the PhotoHubs Facebook page or the website www. photohubs.co.uk. Meanwhile, the team wishes everyone a very happy holiday and looks forward to seeing you next year! - Lesley Chalmers

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spotlight Congratulations Liz Roberts Gold Bar September 2015 26 Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

New albums available from January

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

m 16 fro 20 lid ry Va nua a hJ

Classico

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Fine Art

Showcase your photography with our Bellissimo Albums. Display your samples. Show more, sell more.

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Visit loxleycolour.com or call 0845 519 5000 29 Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

PhotoHubs Local photographic Trade Shows and Seminars with a difference!

A Hub - “The effective centre of an activity, region or network” 30

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Next event Awards Weekend - Friday 5th and Saturday 6th February, 2016

Crewe Hall, Cheshire

ack by popular demand, and with a slightly different style, PhotoHubs will be rolling in and being part of The Guild of Photographers awards celebration in February.

After the success of the inaugural PhotoHubs in November in Hinckley, we have decided to take over Crewe Hall on the Friday the 5th and Saturday the 6th of February and offer training and presentations from some of the industry’s ‘must see’ speakers, in a location which is second to none, and with pricing starting from as little as £25.00, we know that this PhotoHub will be one to remembered and a great way to kick start your portfolio and motivation for 2016. We have scheduled full and half days training on site at the hotel, using the seminar rooms, and for the live demo’s this hotel offers a mix of Jacobean and contemporary architecture giving you the chance to create some really stunning images for your portfolio. The names we have ‘confirmed’ at present include the below:-

Catherine Connor | Andrew Appleton | Guy Gowan | Julie Oswin | Gavin Prest | The Guild Judging Panel The accommodation costs £143 per night via the hotels website, or you have three special Guild rates we have arranged with Crewe Hall (subject to availability). To take advantage of these you simply call their Reservations line and quote “The Guild of Photographers Awards Night, 6th February” when reserving your room(s); 1 x night stay on Saturday 6th from £125.00 bed & breakfast (based on double occupancy) 2 x night stay for Friday 5th & Saturday 6th from £220.00 – inc. dinner on the Friday & breakfast on both mornings (based on double occupancy)……….THIS IS THE ONE FOR YOU I WOULD THINK 2 x night stay for Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th from £205.00 – inc. dinner on the Sunday & breakfast on both mornings (based on double occupancy) Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Guild Awards 2016

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

LIMITED TICKETS

The Highlight of the Year

ollowing on from the success of the last awards night at the magnificent Crewe Hall, a grade 1 listed Jacobean mansion in the heart of the Cheshire countryside, we have decided to return there this year. Not only is it stunning but it’s equally accessible from the North or South (eg it’s about 90 minutes from London to Crewe by train, and about 3 hours by car from either Kent or Glasgow). A tree lined drive takes you to the majestic building where you will find stunning marble fireplaces, intricate carvings and stained glass windows and a contemporary wing boasting a high quality spa. We will have a fabulous 3-course meal in the Continental Suite, complete with wine, after which the 2015 Photographer of the Year results will be announced and awards presented to the Top 10 in each genre, as well as to those who win our new Image of the Year awards. After that will be music and a party, which will no doubt carry on into the early hours for some. The tickets including your meal, half a bottle of wine per person and entertainment are £49 each plus VAT (a total of £58.80) and are limited in number, available on a first come first served basis. Partners and guests are, of course, welcome. This is an utterly stunning venue befitting a unique event to celebrate success and friendship - Do not miss it! We are expecting a sell-out event so do contact lesley@photoguild.co.uk as soon as possible to reserve your place! We do have limited tickets available so reserve your tickets now by getting in touch with Lesley Thirsk. Rooms can be booked direct with Crewe Hall and we have arranged a special Guild members rate including 2 night breaks so you take advantage of the Spa facilities there and the training we will be scheduling. These cost from just £51.25pppn and are subject to availability • 1 x night stay on Saturday 6th from £125.00 bed & breakfast (based on double occupancy) • 2 x night stay for Friday 5th & Saturday 6th from £220.00 to include dinner on the Friday & breakfast on both mornings (based on double occupancy) • 2 x night stay for Saturday 6th & Sunday 7th from £205.00 top include dinner on the Sunday & breakfast on both mornings (based on double occupancy)

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

LOVE AT FIRST TOUCH:

Leica â&#x20AC;&#x201C; one of the most iconic brands within the photographic world â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and one which many aspire to. The cherished little red dot would be considered an â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;investmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; for most of us, so Wilkinson Cameras talks us through why the Leica T & Q systems are serious contenders for the social photographer.

WILKINSON CAMERAS TALKS LEICA

The Leica T Camera System, with its interchangeable lenses, is described by Leica as â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;photography in its purest formâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; - and we can certainly see why. Hand-crafted in Germany from a single block of solid aluminium, the Leica T combines exceptional, minimalist design with outstanding versatility and photographic quality. This iconic camera features a huge touchscreen display on the back that clearly sets it apart from other models on the market. With the T, Leica has combined a specially-developed, highperformance processor with a 16.5 MP APS-C CMOS sensor designed to deliver outstanding picture quality in a whole host of photographic situations.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;

)ROORZLQJ D UHFHQW Ä&#x2020;UPZDUH XSGDWH WKH /HLFD 7 QRZ IHDWXUHV HYHQ faster autofocus, and an improved Live View mode which starts up in a fraction of a second, making the system perfect for shooting weddings and portraits where a smaller, more discreet system is advantageous. The system performs especially well in low light situations, making it ideal for capturing those candid bridal prep images, where discretion is key â&#x20AC;&#x201C; or street and travel photography when again a less obtrusive FDPHUD LV RI EHQHÄ&#x2020;W 7KHUHĂ¨V D JUHDW YLGHR VKRZLQJ MXVW KRZ WKH /HLFD 7 LV PDGH ĂĽ and itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s nice to see such a famous and desirable brand still has a VHQVH RI KXPRXU KWWSV YLPHR FRP

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rare these days to encounter a product that offers a genuinely new way of doing things. The Leica T most certainly doesâ&#x20AC;ŚLeica deserves praise for being bold Dpreview.com

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A minimalistic masterpiece Wired

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Andrew Higgins is the store manager at Wilkinson Camerasâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; Liverpool branch â&#x20AC;&#x201C; which is the Leica 3UHPLHU VWRUH ZLWKLQ WKH :LONL EXVLQHVV â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Leica has always managed to make the experience of using their products feel like a special occasion. The T feels like a bespoke hand made product,â&#x20AC;&#x2122; said Andrew. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;The T is remarkable. It manages to offer Leicaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legendary performance, but with a new and exciting user experience. It offers professional standards of image quality in a radical and innovative package. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a true classic.â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

HOOKED ON FULL FRAME? However, if youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re hard set on full frame, then the award winning Leica Q may be for you. With the fastest lens in its class, teamed with a full frame sensor, the Leica Q will deliver even in the trickiest lighting situations. Its 28mm Summilux f/1.7 ASPH lens, combined with a specially designed 24MP CMOS sensor, provides detailed images of unsurpassed quality â&#x20AC;&#x201C; right up to ISO 50,000. 7KH LQWHJUDWHG YLHZÄ&#x2020;QGHU RQ WKH /HLFD 4 LV OLYH DV VRRQ DV WKH FDPHUD LV brought to your eye, with a resolution of 3.68MP it surpasses all other HOHFWURQLF YLHZÄ&#x2020;QGHUV Ă§,WĂ¨V WKH EHVW YLHZÄ&#x2020;QGHU DQG WRXFKVFUHHQ ,Ă¨YH VHHQ RQ DQ\ FDPHUD Ă¨ VDLG David Parkinson, Wilkinsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s MD. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;We see many pro wedding photographers shooting Leica Q, alongside their DSLR systems â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with many commenting on the life-saving low light performance of the Leica, especially those shooting winter weddings!â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Stay connected With the free Leica app for iOS devices, integrated WiFi connectivity makes sharing work extremely quick and simple. Pictures and videos from both the Leica T & Q cameras can be wirelessly transmitted straight to a smartphone, tablet or computer, and can then be shared by email, or on social media platforms. Using the appropriate Leica apps, both cameras also be operated remotely, with the added to record video in Full-HD and web friendly MP4.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC; â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;

7KH EHVW Ä&#x2020;[HG OHQV IXOO IUDPH FRPSDFW HYHU PDGH Ă¨ $ZDUGHG 3RFNHW OLQW &DPHUD of the Year 2015 Pocket-lint

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Leica Q is a game changer. One of our favourite models of 2015 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; TestBench Gold Amateur Photographer

T Accessories & Lenses

No Leica camera would be complete without a selection of premium accessories, and the T is no exception. Users can personalise their camera, choosing from four unique colour â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Snap Tâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; covers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; yellow, red, black and white â&#x20AC;&#x201C; providing protection against knocks or scratches in everyday use. 7KH QHZ /HLFD 6) Ä&#x2021;DVK XQLW ZLWK DGMXVWDEOH Ä&#x2021;DVK UHÄ&#x2021;HFWRU SURYLGHV DGGLWLRQDO RSSRUWXQLWLHV IRU Ä&#x2021;DVK H[SRVXUHV RU Ä&#x2020;OO LQ Ä&#x2021;DVK :KHQ required, the unit can also be used as an LED light source for video recording. Another practical accessory is the Leica M-Adapter T, which allows users to mount and use Leica M-Lenses on a Leica T. This fully supports Leica T functions such as exposure metering, aperture priority mode and manual settings. Last but not least, an optional high resolution EVF with integrated GPS and tilt/swivel action ensures unlimited creative possibilities for the adventurous photographer, allowing the user to shoot from unusual viewpoints and angles.

Exclusive Guild Offer

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;

T Lens Range Developed by Leica optical designers, the Leica T lens range offers the exceptional precision and outstanding picture quality for which Leica lenses are eminently famous. The superb, high-performance T lens portfolio has been VWHDGLO\ JURZLQJ DQG QRZ LQFOXGHV Leica Vario-Elmar-T 18â&#x20AC;&#x201C;56 mm f/3.5â&#x20AC;&#x201C;5.6 ASPH Leica Summicron-T 23mm f/2 ASPH Leica Super-Vario-Elmar-T 11â&#x20AC;&#x201C;23 mm f/3.5â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4.5 ASPH Leica APO Vario-Elmar-T 55â&#x20AC;&#x201C;135 mm f/3.5â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4.5 ASPH Also compatible with the T Camera System are the brand new Leica SL lenses, including the Leica Vario-Elmarit-SL 24â&#x20AC;&#x201C;90 mm f/2.8â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4 ASPH (available now) Leica APO-Vario-Elmarit-SL 90â&#x20AC;&#x201C;280 mm f/2.8â&#x20AC;&#x201C;4 and the Leica Summilux-SL 50 mm f/1.4 ASPH (both due in 2016).

For any Guild member purchasing a Leica T before 31st January 2016, weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll give a ÂŁ200.00 Part Exchange bonus. This means weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll give at least ÂŁ200.00 for any camera taken in part exchange. OR weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll add ÂŁ200.00 to any part exchange value we quote, when buying a Leica T with a lens. Offer ends 31/01/16.

Tempted? Join us for our Leica event in the new year! For more information visit www.wilkinson.co.uk or visit/call any of our 10 stores.

,I \RXĂ¨UH WKLQNLQJ RI PDNLQJ WKH FKDQJH WR /HLFD EXW ZRXOG OLNH WR WU\ EHIRUH \RX EX\ WKHQ ZK\ QRW MRLQ WKH WHDP DW RXU Liverpool store on 11th March, when we are hosting a day of Leica loveliness! Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll have the Wilki & Leica teams on hand to offer advice, plus the T, Q and Leica SL cameras and range of lenses & accessories available for you to try.

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

newborn baby props & bundles

e v i s u l c Ex

SPECIAL OFFER for the New Year, Newborn Baby Posing would like to offer

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exclusively for members of The Guild of Photographers a free newborn baby Shusher* with every deluxe bundle purchased.

* (The Newborn Baby Shusher is a sound device that gently and effectively ends a distressed babyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crying cycle by relaxing, calming babies so that they are no longer upset and able to sleep naturally. This is a fantastic addition to any Newborn Photographerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Studio).

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

here is a huge choice of newborn props and accessories on the market.

Where Newborn Baby Posing differs is that they offer you tried and tested props and they create bundles of products in colour palettes that all work together. Hours of your time will be saved trawling through various websites, online shops and sole traders to find products that will work together. Newborn Baby Posing have done all the hard work for you! Newborn Baby Posing â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Bundlesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; start from a simple beanbag, a fabric backdrop and a perfectly coordinated wrap to deluxe bundles that include everything you will need for your first photo shoots. Choose from basket bundles, beanbag bundles, boutique bundles and many more. Visit the website for details. [Website]

Deluxe Bundle 3

Guild Basket Bundle 2

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

spotlight Congratulations Julie Moult Gold Bar November 2015

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

the year ahead: digital marketing trends for 2016 Digital Marketing Manager for Impression and will be writing articles on Google for us. Impression based in Nottingham has a team of 15 digital marketers, website designers and web developers and serves clients across the UK and beyond. Their services include SEO, PPC, content marketing, digital PR and website design and development.

s 2015 comes to a close, many businesses choose to take this opportunity to review their digital marketing strategy for the coming year.

For the photography industry in particular, 2016 is set to be an exciting year as digital marketing trends sway more toward the visual. Here are the key trends for you to be aware of as we head into the new year:

1) The rising importance of digital assets

laura hampton

In pre-internet days, an advert or leaflet was here one minute, gone the next. But in an online world, assets have a much longer shelf life and things such as videos or images can be stored in Google’s index for years to come.

This means businesses will be investing more in the quality of their assets in 2016. From e-commerce businesses looking to improve their product photography, to service providers incorporating more human photos into their designs (see www.impression.co.uk/seofor an example), to companies creating visual assets to share on social media, there will be lots of opportunities for photographers and videographers to gain new custom. This is also true for your own website. Obviously your images are your biggest asset in this industry; don’t neglect them on your own site on the basis that you’re ‘too busy’. More than ever, your site will be judged on its assets. Also be sure to add an ‘alt tag’ to every image so Google can understand and index it.

2) The year of the ‘buy’ button The long anticipated Pinterest ‘buy button’ looks set to arrive in the UK in 2016, while Google has already announced its ‘buy button’ on the Google Shopping results (https://www.impression.co.uk/blog/1766/googlebuybutton/). Look out for more e-commerce brands (those who sell online) taking advantage of this feature by investing more in their Google Shopping ads and Pinterest Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

accounts meaning an investment in their product photography as well as descriptions and technical mark ups. The increasing use of Pinterest will also inform a wider product photography remit, as companies seek to showcase their products in different environments and in different trends (reflected in different ‘boards’). Look out for opportunities to up-sell photography clients by offering to photograph their wares in different settings.

3) Email marketing is still worthwhile! Email is at risk of feeling a bit outdated but that needn’t be the case. Businesses of all shapes and sizes can still benefit from this channel, which delivers offers, information and content directly into the in-boxes of people who have expressed an interest in what you do. Platforms such as Mailchimp are great for managing email marketing campaigns. Of course, the success of any email marketing rests on the content within; having an active blog on your website can provide you with some great content to share via email newsletters, and consider the use of seasonal promotions to encourage your audience to buy from you.

4) Personalisation is key

If you have any budget, paid advertising in the form of re-marketing through Google AdWords or Facebook is brilliant because it allows you to segment your audience and deliver adverts which are specific to them.

5) Mobile first 2015 was the year that Google updated its ranking rules to give priority to mobile friendly websites. If your website isn’t mobile friendly, it will struggle to rank highly in the Google search results. You can check whether your site is mobile friendly using Google’s ‘mobile friendly test’ (just Google it). If your website isn’t mobile friendly, now is the time to invest in updating it. The best approach is to use a responsive website design which changes depending on the size of the device on which it is being viewed. As always, digital marketing will continue to evolve and if you are investing in it, either doing it yourself or using an agency, it’s important to stay up to date with new techniques and trends as well as continuing to use those proven channels too. Best wishes for the new year. - Laura Hampton

As our audiences become more savvy, they expect more from us in the way we market to them and standardised, mass approaches simply won’t work any more. Particularly in the photography industry where there are so many competitors, marketing that differentiates you from your competition is essential. Personalisation is a great way to achieve this, as your focus is on delivering content and messages which are relevant to the people you want to speak to. This happens at a strategic level. Consider how you might use personas (https:// www.impression.co.uk/blog/2041/ personacreationguide/) to help you better understand your audience segments and create content such as blog posts or social media updates that appeal to them.

Laura Hampton Digital Marketing Manager Impression, Nottingham www.impression.com. w

Within your email campaigns, using platforms like Mailchimp or Cheetah Mail enables you to use the recipient’s name. Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

spotlight Congratulations Julie Fraser Gold Bar November 2015

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Craftsman Imelda Bell originally worked in broadcasting, after getting a B.A (Hons) in Drama, Television & Theatre Studies from King Alfred’s College in Winchester. Working as a Broadcast Engineer and Studio Manager for several companies, including Meridian and Channel 4 Television. Married with two daughters who are aged 13 and 14 and she lives near Leeds Castle in Kent. Although Imelda is originally from Cape Town, South Africa. My Craftsman was in Digital Art but I specialise in newborn and children’s portraits. I do love to capture photographs of almost anything! .

he hardest part of the putting my panel of images together for Craftsman in Digital Art was deciding on which images to use. Due to the nature of digital art, I often only shoot with one final image in mind which resulted in shooting a lot of images that were individual creations cumulating in one final image. It took a lot of planning. When I had decided on an image I would then have to decide how to develop it, work out the elements and I needed and how they were going to fit together. I constantly look at the world around me and think about how to create an image that is a bit different. Sometimes this results in a ‘wacky’ image, but fun to create.

imelda bell

With digital art, the photography is just as important as the post-production. A lot can be done in Photoshop but if the subjects are badly lit, have poor lighting and overall poor quality you cannot make it look good. All the elements have to be congruent, have the same light patterns, depth of field and exposure for the final image to work and come together.

One of my favourite images is “Child of the Phoenix”. When my daughter was watching Harry Potter, there was a scene where Fawkes, the Phoenix catches fire. I started thinking

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

about how I could use this element of fire in my digital art. Fire can be as cleansing and healing, and I wanted to include a child, who would follow the Phoenix on its’ fiery journey. Fire is usually harsh and strong, so the child’s posture is in contrast to the fierceness of the flames. I posed the girl in the studio with her arms crossed, hugging her body in a protective manner, to make her appear vulnerable and give softness to the image. The Phoenix image from taken from a shot I took of a Hawk at a falconry display, and then overlaid with flames. “Ophelia” is another image where the idea is based on the character of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Ophelia is a frequently used figure in many artworks, and I wanted to create my version of her. In the play, Ophelia fell into a brook and drowned. Many artists portray her death in a romantic style. I went for a slightly softer appearance that could pass as sleeping, especially as I used a child for this image. The child was dressed in a white dress, to lie down in a mosaic pond, which created an attractive background. Natural light was used for the shot. Although it was very cold, I shot the image quickly placing several flowers around her in the water. It was very cold, so I had to shoot quickly! I placed several flowers around her in the water. Additional flowers added in Photoshop. There is a lot of post processing in this image but I wanted it to take on the appearance of a painting, reminiscent of the many paintings of Ophelia.

Child of the Phoenix © Imelda Bell

Ophelia © Imelda Bell

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

“Fairy Lantern” was fun to create. The two main images of the child were shot in the studio. I set the photograph by getting the child to hold a jar, and slightly up-lit her to give the impression of light coming from the jar. Although this is technically not the correct way to light someone, it works in the context of the image. She then changed into a tutu and we tried a few poses, thinking of how she might feel if she was trapped in a jar. I asked her to stand as if she was leaning on the glass. The fairy dress was based on the tutu she was wearing and created in Photoshop, and the wings were from a dragonfly. Further lighting effects were used to enhance the image and the reflection was added to the outside of the jar to give the appearance of her being behind the glass. - Imelda Bell CrGPP

www.digitalartphotography.co.uk

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

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Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

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Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

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ÂŠ Imelda Bell CrGPP Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

documentary weddings © Kerry Morgan Kerry has shot weddings all over the world. She’s written a best-selling book on documentary wedding photography and her work has appeared in numerous national and international magazines and blogs. She’s a London wedding photographer who mixes documentary story-telling images with beautifully arranged groups and portraits. Her focus is on her clients and their weddings. Kerry shares with Creative Light Magazine her documentary wedding photography and her thoughts and stories behind her imagery.

kerry morgan

What equipment do you use to photograph your weddings

I’m really not a gear person. I shoot with one body (Canon 5d MK3) and a 24-70L 2.8mm MK2 for 90% of the day. I pull the 70-200mm F.2.8 out for the couple portraits and groups and occasionally when the vicar decides to stick me at the back of the church! I have back up stuff that stays in my bag. I carry two flash guns with triggers and again, hardly use them (especially in summer).

Favourite camera and lenses?

I just use what works. I like the Canon 5d MK3 because it’s quick and the focussing is excellent. I like Canon’s skin tones too. The 24-70L 2.8mm MK2, it’s as sharp as a prime lens and very quick. I love it!

Q: What have you found the most

challenging about being self employed and the benefits? I have never been a very good employee; I’m much better working for myself. I like that my hard work directly impacts me. However, it’s certainly scarier than having a regular job! The Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

most challenging thing is trying to work on your business and opposed to in it. You can easily get bogged down in the day to day without lifting your head up to actually see where you are going.

How many weddings do you photograph each year I shoot between 35-45 weddings per year.

What is your pet hate at weddings?

It’s a really obvious one - guests that step out into the middle of the aisle with their iPads when the couple are exiting, they completely block my view and seem to have no idea they’ve done it. I’d rather people just enjoyed the experience of the wedding rather than spending the whole day trying to capture it and share it on social media. I banned phones and iPads at my own wedding. The idea of exiting the church with my new husband under a tunnel of iPhones was not something I wanted at all.

What tips and advice would you give to someone wanting to become a documentary wedding photographer? Practice at every opportunity. It doesn’t even have to be at a wedding. Find a local business and spend a couple of days shooting what happens there. Then look at your images and the story you’ve created and see what you could have done to improve it. Being a photographer is 10% shooting and 90% other stuff – you also have to like all the other stuff to be a success. Accounts/ bookkeeping, marketing, client management, processing, blogging and SEO. The list seems to get longer each year. You are running a business, not just taking pictures.

Q: What would you have done differently

in your business if you could start again?

I think I’d get some sales training. Selling is so important and I’ve never been particularly great at it.

How important is post production in your final images? Very important. I’m really fussy when it comes to processing. I learnt how print in both colour and black & white and this is the foundation of my processing now. I like clean, punchy images that will look great in 20 years.

Are you self taught or did you study photography at College? I studied photography for 7 years and graduated from Bournemouth and Poole College of Art.

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Kerry, what is your favourite editing software and can you share the reasons why? Lightroom. I do hardly anything in Photoshop now. It is so fast and a really excellent piece of software. I will pull stuff into Photoshop for retouching only.

Which Wedding Album manufacturer do you use and the reason you use this company? Having tried lots of them, I now use Sim Imaging exclusively. I wanted to work with someone in the UK; that was important to me to support a British business. I use their coffee table books and matted albums which are gorgeous. Their printing is really consistent and their customer service is fab. If there’s ever a mistake, which is rare, they correct it quickly and that’s all you can ask for. Good customer service to me is not what you do right; it’s how you handle it when it goes wrong. They still don’t give me a discount for being their biggest fan though!

How did you start building your brand Kerry Morgan Photography? I looked at what I liked shooting. I then thought about the kind of clients I wanted to

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

uphill struggle. One can dream!

you?

Which three individual words describe

Hardworking, fun-loving, observant

Q: What/Who inspires you? I guess I there are a few things. My need and want to improve certainly inspires me. The idea of shooting the “perfect” wedding keeps me going. I’m yet to shoot one but each time I head out for another one, that’s what I aim for. I am continually inspired by magazine editorial and fashion shoots. I have been since I was a teenager. I’m a studier; I always look at images and think how I could use that in a wedding. It could be a billboard I drive past or a painting. Probably my favourite book for inspiration is “The Society Portrait - Painting, Prestige and the Pursuit of Elegance.” I have lost count of the amount of wedding images that have been inspired by this book.

Q: Before you became a full time

photographer what was your working background I was a TV reporter.

Who or what started your journey as a photographer and how did you become a documentary wedding photographer? attract. I did things like had a small focus group of brides to come up with three words to describe my service and photography. This was really helpful and pointed me in the right direction. Once I knew what I was and who I wanted, it was much easier to market myself. I adjust this all the time, I’m consistently refining.

Importance of SEO and social media to you and your business?

I shot a few weddings for friends. Their friends saw the work and that’s how it snowballed. At the time only 7% of photographers were woman and hardly anyone shot in a documentary style, so I stood out. Nowadays though I’d say I’m a mix of documentary and editorial styles. I’ve moved and changed to adapt to my market and to stand out in a crowded market.

Your proudest moment so far?

It’s essential. We’re in a visual industry, our businesses rely on being found and seen. I would also say through that whilst SEO and social media are hugely important you shouldn’t ignore other avenues that bring you work. About 60% of my work comes from referrals and not from Google.

Becoming an Amazon Best Selling author for my first book “Wedding Photography – A Guide to Photojournalism”. I wrote it during a very busy wedding season and I still don’t really know how I managed to carve out the time. I’d love to update it with a new book.

When you are photographing a wedding how many images do you like to take?

Can you share a hilarious moment at a wedding?

Probably between 1800-2500 per wedding on average. There’s no point limiting what you shoot. Often I’m just sticking with a subject to see what happens. I may shoot ten images of one thing. I know what I’m after. I’m just watching to see if all the elements align and the magic happens.

Tell us about something you are working on at the moment to perfect? Currently trying to get on page one of Google for London Wedding Photographer! That’s one hell of an

I was shooting the dancing and I love to get right in the action. I climbed on stage to get a shot from above but lost my footing. I came crashing to the floor. It was so embarrassing but the funny thing was that some of the guest just thought I was just a bit crazy and I had attempted a stage dive!

Your favourite place in the UK (doesn’t have to be photography related)? That’s easy. London. My home town. Best city in the world. I’ve lived here for most of my life and I still have only scratched the surface. Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Q: Your favourite food? Spaghetti Carbonara (made with egg not cream!)

Q: Can you tell Creative Light about

something memorable that happened at a wedding? I shot the wedding of a West End star that played one of the leads in Mamma Mia. During the ceremony the entire cast and chorus line got up and sung “All you need is love”. It was a total surprise to the bride and groom. Their beautiful voices filled the church and there was not a dry eye in the house. I was lucky I had a big camera to hide behind, it was quite something.

Observation, timing and control is some of the key elements to your style of photography can you expand or add to this and tell the readers about your thought process, lighting, compositional elements and placement of the subjects in the frame and of course where you would choose to be to get those moments? OK, the first thing I do is look for the action in the room. What’s happening? Then I’d choose my position based primarily on the quality of light. I am looking for good expressions. I’m looking for a story. Don’t necessarily look for the obvious. Could you shoot through something to get a better composition? Stick with a subject, don’t simply snap and walk off. Be patient, the elements may get better. Move around the subject and wait. Getting lower often cleans up a messy back ground and gives you a purer image with less distraction.

- Thank you Kerry for sharing with Creative Light your thoughts, photographs and insight into your Documentary Wedding Photography. We wish you all the very best for 2016.

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Kerry’s tips on getting the shots!

© Kerry Morgan When a bouquet is being tossed, you have decisions to make. What are you going to shoot? For me the most exciting part is who catches it. Bride was only small but she had a great arm on her. She threw the bouquet over the heads of 15 girls all trying to catch it and it landed in the hands of a guy! I wasn’t in a great position but I saw him being lifted up. So I held my camera above my head to get a better angle of view. Just being that little bit higher meant I got the action and the great expressions in this picture.

© Kerry Morgan One little trick I have for getting natural couples pictures is to have a close friend tag along. They have to be the life and sole though. No point dragging someone along who is miserable or who might start taking over and directing. In this picture, I start chatting to the bride’s older sister and we were having a bit of banter. I don’t really remember what she said but it resulted in a very natural picture of the bride and groom laughing. 60

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© Kerry Morgan For some reason, the job of posing a couple by a cake has become “the photographer’s job” at a wedding. Why? Don’t pose people cutting a cake! They will just pose and look at the camera. By not posing them, getting lower (so they are not interacting with me) and which also cleans up a messy background, they are interacting with their guests. This leads to better expressions and a more natural shot of let’s face it, a pretty boring event!

- Kerry Morgan Website: www.kerrymorgan.com

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https://www.youtube. com/watch?v=l_7-9kqidvs

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http://www.graphistudio.com/TradeNew/landing/form/new_hdfineart_survey.php

https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=XBrMhtDufLE

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ÂŠ Kerry Morgan 64

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Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

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spotlight Congratulations Gillian Lloyd Gold Bar November 2015

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Simplify Your Life with Zenfolio The ultimate solution for the busy photographer

Meet Tiree Dawson. Lake District-based commercial, food, portrait and wedding photographer, marketing executive, caterer and mother of two, shooting 72 weddings just last year. And as busy as she is, the talented multitasker isn’t the least bit tired. “Rather than being exhausted doing these things, I actually get more energy from it,” she says. Her secret weapon? The photo industry’s no. 1 voted photo hosting and e-commerce solution, Zenfolio. She relies on the platform as her go-to solution to beautifully display her images online and keep things organized. “I literally could not run my photography business without Zenfolio,” she says. So what makes this online platform such a success for professional photographers? It’s the all-in-one solution to present your photos, keep everything in one place and sell more. Here’s how Zenfolio helps grow the photo businesses of 100,000 photographers worldwide.

It helps you market your business with ease. Once you have the look and feel of your website how you want it, it’s important to have a marketing strategy in place, and Zenfolio helps with that. The service offers several ways to market your business without having to hire staff or read up on how to do it yourself. When uploading galleries, the feature suggests SEOfriendly keywords and automatically sends your site to search engine site maps, so it’s easy for others to find you using Google and Bing. It also comes with a visitor sign-in feature to capture people’s contact information, and a list generator and email campaign tool to send promotional or newsworthy emails out to your list. And of course, social media buttons and links are directly enabled. “Social media hasn’t changed my business; it made my business,” says US-based wedding and portrait photographer, Mike Anderson. “I was nowhere before Zenfolio, period,” he says. After finding his calling in photography and leaving the corporate world, Anderson signed up for Zenfolio so that he could have a consistent and seamless way to showcase his work on his social media channels as well as his website. Zenfolio allowed him to build a brand and message on his website that interacts with all of his social media networks, and as a result his business exploded. “I went from shooting four weddings a year to 47 weddings in 2013, 28 in 2014, 44 booked this year so far, and 22 booked already for 2016,” he says. Anderson now has worldwide followers that he attributes to Zenfolio and social media.

“I literally could not run my photography business without Zenfolio.” -Tiree Dawson 72

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It allows you to build your brand online.

It’s the best solution for photographers on the go.

Zenfolio comes with dozens of design templates and customizations so that you can build the website that best reflects your brand. It also allows you to create your own watermarks, logos and custom pages such as an About page, blog, pricing page and private pages for specific clients—no need to redirect people to an additional site. US-based fashion and glamour photographer Lou Freeman says that Zenfolio serves as the public storefront for her business. “The process of setting up was made much easier with the Zenfolio plan. It is easy for me to work with my clients and share images,” she says. Everything can be done on your dashboard or on the Customized Visitor View, where you can see things how they will look in real time, and can make as many changes as you want before hitting publish.

Zenfolio has not missed a beat when it comes to mobile. With every account comes two free apps: one for you to edit and showcase images to clients—perfect for in-person proofing and sales—and the other, Photo Moments, made specifically for your clients to use. It allows them to instantly gain access to their digital photos, view them in a beautiful presentation, download to their device (if allowed by the photographer) and share them with the world. Mobile shopping is also available, so that clients can shop on the go without having to be on a computer. Zenfolio truly is the one-stop shop for your photography business. Sign up now and get an exclusive 30% off with code ZENGUILD30*.

It allows you to sell the best quality products. Zenfolio partners with One Vision Imaging, the UK’s premier lab, so you have the option to sell the best quality products at prices you set. “With more than 500 products to choose from, my orders increased dramatically to three-fold what I was selling before,” says documentary wedding photographer, Kevin Mullins. Mullins had been frustrated fulfilling his own orders so he began using Zenfolio and saw a dramatic increase in sales and hours saved from using the service. “I would perhaps get one or two large-format orders per quarter, and now I get around seven or eight.” And, for those who don’t want to part with their favourite lab, self-fulfillment is always an option with Zenfolio. You can build your own price lists with an intuitive shopping cart so that the ordering, selling and shipping process is done behind the scenes without the photographer having to lift a finger; unless you want more control over orders, which is an option as well.

Websites: tireedawson.co.uk, susieandwillpictures.com/portfolio

30%OFF With code

ZENGUILD30 zenfolio.com The 30% discount off is for NEW accounts only, and is applied to the first subscription fee charged. Enter code ZENGUILD30 at checkout to get the discount. Cannot be combined with other offers. This offer expires 31 December 2015.

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

spotlight Congratulations Mark Lynham Gold Bar November 2015

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

spotlight Congratulations Mark Lynham Gold Bar September 2015

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spotlight Congratulations Gavin Prest Gold Bar September 2015

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

THE GUILD OF

PHOTOGRAPHERS Let the Guild help you with your photography 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!

JOIN US Professional Membership costs £120 and Regular Membership £90

www.photoguild.co.uk

“No other photographic body offers what the Guild does ... get an incredible package of business support, training and mentoring by some of most respected names in the industry, insurance, legal protection, 1000’s of discounts and much more, including the rights to use our respected membership logos”.

www.photoguild.co.uk Tel: 01782 639 500 Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

spotlight Congratulations Kevin Whyllie Gold Bar September 2015

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Hempstalls Lane, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs, ST5 0SW. t: 01782 753304 e: westcott@johnsons-photopia.co.uk w: www.johnsons-photopia.co.uk

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

Join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/johnsonsphotopia

Hempstalls Lane, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffs, ST5 0SW. t: 01782 753304 e: pocketwizard@johnsons-photopia.co.uk w: www.johnsons-photopia.co.uk

Join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/johnsonsphotopia

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

spotlight Congratulations Mark Lynham Gold Bar September 2015

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

infocus photography Insurance

We’ve got you covered

“

For the same quote as my previous insurer and more, Infocus Photography Insurance have saved me over £120! Very easy to deal with, efficient and I was insured within minutes. I can’t thank them enough” - Julie Oswin

ere at Infocus we’re always coming up with new ways to make insurance better and we’ve even enlisted the help of our mascot Flash to try and make insurance fun and understandable for you. Take a look on our website, under the policies section, to find out more: www.infocusinsurance. co.uk

Insurance Policies: • Interest Free Instalments • Underwritten by Hiscox Insurance • Worldwide cover for Photographic & Technical Equipment • We are the only Photography Insurance Specialist to offer ‘Crisis Containment’ cover, so if you ever need PR help, we’ve got it covered

Also Available: • Home Insurance for Photographers & Video Makers working from home • Underwritten by RSA Insurance • Interest Free Instalments • Working from home automatically included • Low Excess • No Claims Discount up to 25% • Home Emergency & Homecare included as standard • Free Legal Expenses cover • Contact us today for a quotation – 0161 925 5051 • Critical Illness Insurance • Income Protection Insurance Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

“

Just a line to thank you all for the most professional way you handled my claim. I was delighted with the attitude of yourself and your staff and was grateful for the advice given regarding the procedure and particularly the speed and efficient way you handled the whole thing and kept me informed throughout. Many thanks, Keith Parkes

“

While I was in Iceland I had a disaster while shooting near Jökulsárlón. I had been on the beach for about half an hour and the sea was calm when a massive wave came out the blue and flattened me like the icy hand of god. My camera was swept out my hands and my bag was flipped and filled with sea water. All told I lost £7500 worth of gear. Infocus have been fantastic from the start, they have been swift to respond, given me a dedicated handler and settled the claim yesterday. If you are looking to renew your content cover I can whole hearted recommend them. Also Iceland is amazing but be careful with your camera. A local photographer told me that “camera manufactures love Iceland, it is the graveyard of gear.” Adrian Spencer 28.2.2014

‘In Focus Photography Insurance’ is the trading style of The Alan Stevenson Partnership Ltd for General Insurance. The Alan Stevenson Partnership Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority no 305785. Registered Office: 34 Victoria Street, Altrincham, Cheshire, WA14 1ET. Registered in England No 4320605

Issue 11 - Creative Light Magazine

Printed on bright white 350gsm satin card

Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fun to be square! Ten Squared - the contemporary little box of prints for the

Boudoir

gs Weddin

Lifestyle & Portra its

Instagram and Polaroid generations! Now you too can offer your clients beautiful square

27 prints per box

prints... Each box contains 27 high quality prints that can be used for a whole host of up-selling opportunities for the working professional. Ideas include: Wedding Portfolio or Gift set for Brides A stylish set of Boudoir prints A Lifestyle Portrait shoot box

4-colour digital litho

Pet/Animal Portfolio Box

p um

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bi Ba

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Holiday Themes or Travel Memories Create Marketing & Training information Great for fine-tuning any portfolio to a client Targeted carefully, with a combination of marketing offers, branding pages and high quality images as your 27 print mix, the Ten Squared box can be utilised for just about anything - including having the option for your own branding on the outer box!

Holiday s

& Trav el

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Eleven box styles to choose from!

FROM ÂŁ8.33 EACH Events

350gsm satin card, matt laminated

9 pre-set layout styles for images and copy

HOW TO ORDER:

Download our FREE One Vision

Creator software to your Mac or PC, start a new Project, click on

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drop your images or copy into the 27 pre-set print spaces.

Download the Linkreader app and watch our video

Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

www.onevisionimaging.com

spotlight Congratulations Sarah Wilkes Gold Bar November 2015

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“may the force of the guild be with you...” 92

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the boys ÂŠ 2015 Mark Lynham http://www.marklynham.com

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Creative Light Magazine - Issue 11

ÂŠ Keith Yallop