Professional Photographer in Stockton on Tees - Great place to live and work!

My job as a North East photographer takes me all over the region, photographing everything from businessmen to brides, and celebrities to community champions.

One of the ways I judge my success as a professional commmercial photographer is when clients come back to me time after time. A recent three-year contract from Stockton Borough Council (my second long term contract with them) made me reflect on what a vibrant, lively place Stockton is, and the diverse range of photoshoots I’ve done around the borough lately.

The images that I returned with from the launch of the £7m restoration of Preston Park Museum and Grounds,near Eaglescliffe, Stockton on Tees, were amazing. Over 1000 tickets were sold and the crowd was entertained by a spectacular 3-D light show arranged by Novak Collective that took people through the long history of the hall. 

Changing colours and tricks such as butterflies coming out of flames made this a visual treat to photograph, even in the dark conditions. I was joined by several photographers from regional and national arts magazines, and former colleagues from my press photography days, as eager as I was not to miss out on some fabulous pictures.

Christmas shopping and festive fun were on the agenda for December’s Stockton Sparkles, promoting Stockton High Street’s independent shops and its Christmas market as the perfect shopping destination. This was another night time shoot where I was glad of my Canon 5D Mark III camera, and its ability to photograph with pin-sharp clarity in even the most inky conditions.  

When her Majesty the Queen carried out the official opening of Stockton's £6.4 million international white water course at the Tees Barrage International White Water Centre near Thornaby on Teesside, I was very pleased to document the event and add it to my list of ‘royal’ jobs. My set of long lenses were essential for this event, giving me some lovely clear shots of the Queen and Prince Philip that made the next day’s papers.

One of my annual favourites is Stockton International Riverside Festival, Europe's largest free open air festival, and now in its 25th year. A five-day programme of outdoor theatre, street entertainment, circus, music and dance transforms the centre of Stockton and is an event not to be missed – think of Edinburgh Festival and you’ll be somewhere near. 

It’s certainly a commission that keeps me on my toes, with pyrotechnics, giant figures roaming the streets and all kinds of activity going on it’s a good job I’ve developed a knack of being everywhere at once!

 Working with local councils is not just about photographing the big events though, a lot of the day to day photography work is very satisfying too. One day I might be taking pictures at a roadshow in Yarm to encourage people to live more healthily; on another I might visit a community housing project in Thornaby to photograph residents for the Stockton News; and in the same week I might visit a Billingham school to get pictures of children at play for a press story. 

The sheer variety of the job takes me back to my days as a press photographer based in Middlesbrough, and it’s partly the range of different jobs I go out to on a daily basis that keeps my work fresh.    

Developing a long term relationship with clients helps me to really get under the skin of what they are looking for and how they want the images to be used, whether it’s for brochures, the side of a bus, in the press or online. 

As well as being able to think up a fresh angle and a different approach, I pride myself on being available and professional, delivering the photos on time and always paying close attention to customer service.

Whether I’m doing sport, press, documentary wedding, commercial or advertising photography, my one aim is that my clients are delighted with every image. Every time. 

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Direct Website Link to Dave Charnley Photography

North Yorkshire Commercial Photographer: Why Hire a Professional Photographer?

As a North East photographer with many years of experience I’m saddened by the rise in the number of people calling themselves photographers, but failing to deliver the fabulous images that the client should be able to expect.

While I’m genuinely not having a go at keen amateurs or anyone trying to develop a hobby into a living, I’m going to stick my neck out here and say that saving money on professional photography – whether it’s PR, commercial or wedding photography - is almost always a false economy.

I learnt my trade as a press photographer and have spent 25 years as a professional photographer, carrying out thousands of jobs across Teesside and North Yorkshire, Durham, North andSouth Tyneside, Sunderland and Northumberland and it grieves me to see people value photography services on price alone. Have a think about it for a moment – are there many other areas in your life where you always go for the cheapest or the DIY option? We all like a bargain but while you can happily get away with buying cheap baked beans, I’m guessing most of us don’t buy the cheapest possible car, do our own dentistry or our own legal work to save money.

Everyone has digital and phone cameras these days. They are smart tools, but they don’t turn someone into a professional photographer. When you hire a pro you are hiring not just top of the range camera kit worth thousands of pounds, but also creativity, confidence and years of skill and ability and a back catalogue of shots full of life and energy.

Some organisations turn to stock libraries, mistakenly thinking this will meet their photography needs. As we edge out of recession branding is one of the tools businesses are using to get ahead.  And brands keen to differentiate themselves from the competition know that good photography gives them a unique and distinctive edge that stock shots can’t match.

Using an image that thousands of others have access to can give out the wrong message about a brand, and anyone who has just paid to use an image across 10,000 brochures doesn’t want to see the same pictures across their competitors’ marketing too. Only a bespoke image can really reflect the mood of the organisation - see what I mean by comparing Apple’s imagery with Poundland’s - both are perfect in their own way. It’s madness to spend money getting the design and marketing right, and then let the brand fall over by using poor photographs.

And don’t even get me started on wedding photography, the press is full of sad stories about couples who used a cut-price or inexperienced wedding photographer and are broken hearted with the results. I really feel for them, expecting beautiful mementos of their special day and instead it turns into a shambles.

Reportage wedding photography that builds up a storybook of the day needs tact, sensitivity and speed as well as technical ability. You need to be everywhere at once, anticipating those precious moments - one chance is all you get and woe betide the photographer who fails.

With a professional photographer you are paying for the skill and experience behind the camera in putting everyone at their ease too - being a bit of an entertainer if you like. My informal, natural style photographs can only come through when people are relaxed and comfortable.  I want them to feel special and be themselves, because that’s when the pictures are easy.

 Obtaining consent, especially when photographing children, is also an area where non-professionals get caught out. I am CRB checked and always carry my British Press Photographers Association (BPPA) card – it’s something police and security people often ask to see. You need to be so careful in this area and for those who don’t have the experience it can be a minefield. 

Almost all my work comes through recommendation or from people who have seen my work on www.davecharnleyphotography.com and many of my commercial clients such as councils, PR and marketing agencies, businesses and charities come back time and time again.

They know they will get shots that meet the brief, on a fast turnaround and that their images will be high resolution so they can be used in marketing brochures, magazine adverts, online and even on the side of buses or on giant outdoor posters. I can’t stress strongly enough that people should think long and hard about making sure they book the right photographer for the job.

 While I’m not knocking or discouraging amateurs, I believe that if you want the best possible images, then quality, experience and service should be the deciding factors when hiring a photographer.

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Direct Website Link to Dave Charnley Photography

North East Freelance Photographer: Getting The Most From Your Photoshoot

Great images will reach millions of people with the story of your organisation, so you need them to be exactly right for your purposes. In these cash-strapped times councils, schools, charities and commercial organisations all need to get the best possible value for money out of their photoshoots. Based on my 25 years as a press, PR and commercial photographer in the North East of England I’ve put together a few tips for a successful photoshoot, to help you make sure your photo library works as hard as you do. 

How do you want your images to work for you?  Where do you want to use them and who are you trying to reach?  Do you want them for print and online purposes? Will you use them in brochures and newsletters, on your website, in social media profiles or on sites such as Flickr and Facebook?  And how about news stories for regional, national or trade magazine titles – different publications want different photo styles and formats and resolutions. And some might want black and white portrait layouts, while others want landscape and full colour. With some clever planning you can get enough shots to run several differently-angled news stories aimed at a range of publications. 

Choose your photographer carefully. To get someone who is right for the job take a look at their work and quiz them on where it has been used. You need someone with professionalism and personality, and if the photos are for a news story you definitely want someone with a press background. Newspaper and magazine picture editors can be very choosy about the photographs they want, and how they want them delivering. If your photography involves children book a photographer who is CRB approved, experienced in that area and can put them at their ease so your photos are fresh and engaging. And make sure your photographer understands how to take photos that are timeless – you don’t want to end up with pictures that quickly date and are unusable.

Make sure you are happy with your chosen photographer’s manner and presentation, remember he represents your organisation while he’s on your job. Would you be happy to send him out to photograph royalty, for instance, reassured that he has the confidence to observe protocol but still get the photos you want? 

How would he handle problems - can he react on his feet?  None of us can predict weather conditions or VIP illnesses, so it’s important to be able to adapt to circumstances.  I’ve been out to photograph launches or take crowd shots only to find low turnout numbers, but there are ways and means of making the best of the conditions and taking photos that make an event look like a sell out.  

Decide on a location. How you want to use the shots will dictate whether you need to do the session at your premises, out on location, or in a studio set up. An experienced freelance photographer will have a portable studio of high performance lights, reflectors and other tools of the trade so he can quickly turn a spare office into a studio if necessary. If you’re going out on location, plan ahead and check you have the right permissions set up for your photographer.  This is essential if you want to take photos at an airport or railway station for instance, or on the top floor of a building with panoramic views. Your commercial photographer will be able to advise on suitable locations if you are not sure where to choose, whether you want a backdrop of Newcastle’s busy Northumberland Street or an iconic landmark such as Darlington’s famous clock tower. In my years as a professional PR, press and commercial photographer I’ve worked at locations in and around Darlington, Sunderland, Durham, Newcastle and pretty much everywhere in between, so I’m never stuck for location suggestions for a client. 

Prepare a brief.  This gives your photographer a check sheet with the ‘who, why, where, what and when’ details.  This is a ‘nice to have’ but not essential for experienced photographers, who will be used to doing last minute jobs with very little direction from the client. I sometimes get a call at 9am asking if I can do a shoot at 11am which is usually no problem, but thankfully I usually get a bit more notice. If you have a particular ‘feel’ in mind for your photos help your photographer by including some descriptive words - such as lively, traditional, atmospheric - in your brief, words that sum up the look you are expecting.    
Confirm how quickly your photographer can get the photos to you.  If you need a news story photo within minutes of the shoot, such as the Olympic Torch relay coverage I did in Saltburn recently, make sure your photographer will have the right kit with him to wire the photos straight back (same day service) from the photoshoot. Press deadlines wait for no man!

Establish the cost. Remember that you are not just paying for a couple of hours of your photographer’s time, you are paying for years of experience behind the camera. This is why it’s useful to establish what shots you want and how you will use them, so you get the best value out of your session.  I used natural light to take a simple but very effective shot (pictured below) for the launch of accommodation booking website www.bedsearcher.co.uk, which combined with a press release and a good PR consultant saw the company gain over £14,000 worth of regional and national newspaper and magazine space. PR’s professional body the CIPR (http://www.cipr.co.uk/) rates editorial as having three times the credibility of advertising space, showing how a one-hour PR shoot can be worth many times its cost. 







Getting the right pictures is about getting good value. With some careful planning and a professional, experienced photographer as your ally, you will have a set of stunning images that get your message across to a range of audiences and promote your organisation and its values for months to come.

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Direct Website Link to Dave Charnley Photography