North East Stock Library Photography: Stockton on Tees in the Snow

When we are all so busy doing our jobs, looking after family, seeing friends and dealing with whatever life throws up at us, it’s easy to forget to kick back and just have some fun with no deadlines. 

 At the start of the year the snowfalls here in the North East gave me an irresistible chance to grab my camera and go photograph the beautiful countryside near my home base in Stockton on  Tees, and around Teesside. I took my biggest lens, the Canon 400mm, which I’ve had for a while. It’s mega powerful and the quality of photos it produces is amazing. It’s the sort of thing you see royal photographers or sports photographers using, as it’s perfect for when you can’t get close to the subject.  

It was lovely to be out in the fresh air, with no pressure and no brief, just observing life through my lens. I took a mixture of generic shots, picture opportunities that caught my eye, plus photograph some iconic North East landmarks with a few quirky shots thrown in just for fun.

 Armed with my big lens I was able to get some photos of a flock of geese in flight.  Back at the studio the detail on the feathering was pin-sharp and made me feel I could reach through the picture and touch them. The stark black steel of a set of giant electric pylons against a pale blue sky presented a dramatic shot. Even though pylons are not generally regarded as things of beauty, I loved the resulting picture and its clarity.

The day was cold but bright so there were plenty of people out. Runners, cyclists and dog walkers on Castle Eden walkway were all wrapped up against the weather, kindly providing me with some splashes of hot colour against the snowy conditions. I’ll be using some of the shots for my new service offering, which will be a photographic stock library of images for mainly north east designers & agencies to use.  I’ll be offering a mix of North East landmarks such as Roseberry Topping, the Angel of the North, the Transporter Bridge at Middlesbrough and many others.

If you’ve seen the latest bridge over the Tees, the Infinity Bridge at Stockton, you’ll know that thisand other regional sights have been photographed to death, so I’m always looking to get something a bit different, whether it’s for my clients or my own portfolio.

My new photo library will be available in various formats - low resolutions for web use, medium resolution for brochures, leaflets and press work, or high resolution for large format work such as boardroom pictures, vehicle signage and billboards.

Designers will be able to use the same secure online ordering system that clients who come to me for portrait and wedding photography use, and download their chosen images instantly. I’m hoping to offer something the big stock libraries can’t match and I’ll be constantly updating my library too.

Having spent 25 years as a press, commercial and wedding documentary photographer in the uk, I know the little touches that designers appreciate when it comes to buying commercial photography. For instance, I’m careful to arrange the shots so they can have some clear space where they can drop words on top of the image if it’s vital to the page layout. Things like this may only be small details but it’s the sort of thing that designers want, and that means they will become regular customers. 

Being out and about was great, as a busy North East photographer it’s not often I get the chance.  But having no particular aim in mind except to have some fun with my camera keeps my work fresh, so I make sure I do it whenever I can find the time. 

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Direct Website Link to Dave Charnley Photography