Documentary Photography of the Positively Stockton on Tees (Psst) Campaign

In my work as a North East commercial and PR photographer I know how lucky I am to live in such a beautiful region, among people with warmth, a great sense of humour and tons of community spirit, and the news that the next series of Channel4’s Benefits Street was to be filmed on Kingston Road on the Tilery estate in Stockton saw feelings running high here in the region.

All of which meant I was delighted to be asked to cover the Positively Stockton on Tees (Psst...) campaign, the world’s biggest ever game of Chinese Whispers, designed to spread positive messages about the town.

Fronted by Wildcats of Kilkenny’s Mike McGrother and world and European champion sprinter Richard Kilty, the event ran over March 13^th and 14^th and saw colourful clowns from the Urban Kaos street dance group escorting the message along a human chain using transport ranging from buses and bikes to rowing boats and jet-skis, and raising money for Comic Relief along the way.

Weeks of planning went into the shoot to make sure we were in the right place at the right time to capture pictures that would generate positive PR for the town.

I was kept on my toes shooting documentary photography in venues including shopping centres, schools, a care home, a bike rally and a bowling green, plus the organisers had publicised a handful of spots where locals could take part, such as Infinity Bridge and Ropner Park in Stockton, and Preston Hall at Eaglescliffe. These drew crowds of people all keen to join the chain and pass on the secret that Stockton on Tees is a great place to live and work.

All ages took part, from children through to people in their 90s, and included everyone from hairdressers and traffic wardens to police officers and passers-by, all very happy to have their photos taken and making the my job easy.

My biggest challenge as a photographer was to stay on the move while editing the photos and sending across to the client so they could be out via social media streams as the event happened.  I prefer a combination of a lightweight laptop for flexibility and speed without sacrificing the quality of the images. 

Finishing off on Saturday at Wynyard Hall, the event was very well received and a lot of fun to be part of.  All credit to the organisers – the whisper campaign was a perfect way to celebrate community pride in the face of a series seeking to paint Stockton in an unfair light on national television.

The first series of Benefits Street generated huge national controversy around its portrayal of people living on benefits, and the airing of series two has been delayed due to General Election restrictions so it remains to be seen how it portrays our town.  But I was proud to play my part in the ‘Positively Stockton on Tees’ campaign using positive images that will help to counteract any negative publicity generated by the series.

North Yorkshire Commercial Photography | How to book a freelance photographer

My years of experience as a commercial and press photographer in North East England and Yorkshire comes in useful when I’m working with clients who are not familiar with booking and briefing a photographer. I often get asked the same questions so I’ve put together a few points that should help you draw up a briefing sheet for a successful photo shoot.

Date, time and location should be the starting point, plus contact details on the day in case of any problems. If it’s an event, detail the names and titles of any VIPs, and the running order so the photographer knows where he needs to be at what point.

Remember to think about whether he needs a security pass, or protective clothing. I’m used to taking commercial photographs at many of North East and Yorkshire’s chemical and pharmaceutical plants, factories and production environments so I always take my own protective gear with me, just to be on the safe side.

Uses: think about where you want to use the images. Your primary purpose might be to get some press photography for newspapers, magazines and in newsletters, but you may also need them for large format print such as banners, in bus shelters or on the side of vehicles, and on your website where landscape format and the ability to place text over the image will make life easier for your designer. All of these uses might need a different approach but an experienced commercial and PR photographer will guide you on that.

Style: your photos might need to fit with your existing corporate style. Give your photographer as much guidance as you can on what style you are looking for, for instance is the feel you want to achieve fun and funky, or serious and corporate - Coca Cola style or IBM?  I’m not suggesting you ask your photographer to copy anyone’s work, but giving them a flavour and feel of what excites you is useful. If you find that hard to put into words why not create a mood board on Pinterest. I’ve turned up on jobs in the past to find the client still establishing what style they want, and that can be a waste of everyone’s time and the client’s money.

Liability: check your professional photographer has the right public liability and professional indemnity in place. See my earlier news story (link), about the importance of having the right cover. Consent forms are something else to consider. It depends on the type of shoot but it is always wise to make sure you have people’s consent, for instance particularly on shoots involving locations such as care homes, schools, etc. 

Delivery:  I usually deliver the photos between one and three days after the shoot, unless the client has specified an urgent press or print deadline, which I’m happy to meet. A shoot with up to 200 shots can take quite a while to process properly and I like to take the utmost care at this stage. Tell your photographer what format you want your pictures in. Large format print work might call for large TIF files, but for most uses a high-resolution image of around 4MB will be fine. I use three platforms to send the results to clients - Dropbox, Hightail and We Transfer . Or I can deliver via email or drop the images onto a memory stick or disc if that’s what the client prefers

Invoicing: Make sure your brief details who should be invoiced (include post and email contact details), and whether your photographer needs an order number.

A little planning at the outset will help your photographer get the best possible results from the photoshoot. And when my clients are happy, so am I.

Teesside Freelance and Press Photographer | Redcar and Cleveland New Leisure Centre

As a North East freelance photographer I’ve documented the creation of many of the region’s new buildings, and it’s been a particular pleasure to photograph Redcar and Cleveland’s Leisure and Community Heart building from the laying of its foundations to the present day.

The building stands at the heart of Redcar, near the railway station, and my first commission was in October 2011 from builders Wilmott Dixon, who asked me to take some shots of the sod cutting by world champion triple jumper Jonathan Edwards, along with the mayor of Redcar and Cleveland at the time. It’s what photographers call a ‘shovel shot’, where we have to find a fresh and media-friendly shot of all the parties involved, celebrating the start of the build.  

In November 2012 I was back to photograph children from Redcar Primary School, who were very excited about being invited to sign the steel beams making up the skeleton of the building. The Middlesbrough Evening Gazette reported that most of the steel for the building’s frame has come from the Teesside Beam Mill at Lackenby, famous for providing beams for the likes of Canary Wharf, Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 and the new World Trade Centre in New York.

Two thirds of the way through the build I visited again to photograph progress, giving Redcar and Cleveland Council a library of photos from around the site that they could use in newsletters and press releases, to keep local people and the media informed about progress.

Around the same time, Wilmott Dixon asked me to document progress from a construction company’s viewpoint, and I was happy to be given access to all areas of this busy site. The £31m building has some beautiful features, such as the wood that has been incorporated into the design. It was good to see everything taking shape and I was able to get some good shots of work in progress, which the client could use to showcase their work in case studies and other marketing material, and on their website.

This was a really busy day, in addition to doing some shots at the Heart building, Wilmott Dixon asked me to take some photos at other projects, including a refurbished police station in Newcastle, St Benedict’s Hospice in Sunderland and the Redcar Beacon in Redcar.

A week before the official opening of the Heart building I was invited in to take some shots for the presentation that would be given to the VIPS and guests on the day, to introduce them to the building before it opened its doors to the public. With equipment and furnishings all in place it was really starting to come alive, and I took a series of shots at various locations around the interior to give people a feel for its wide range of facilities. 

Because the shots were needed for the presentation on the opening day, this job needed a quick turnaround at my Stockton photographic studio so I could get the photos back to the client within hours.

The official opening day saw 300 people, from VIPS and councillors to some of the construction company staff who had worked on the building, gathered together to watch the presentation.  Everyone was impressed by the tour of the building, which includes swimming pools, a wave simulator, café, fitness suites and conference facilities.

I’ve photographed many constructions projects in my years as a commercial and PR photographer in and around the North East and Yorkshire, but it was quite a privilege to document the building from the first groundworks right through to its launch.

I’m sure Redcar and Cleveland’s Leisure and Community Heart building will, as its name suggests, quickly become a building at the heart of the surrounding community.

Scotland Corporate, Editorial and Freelance Photographer | Worlds Biggest Passenger Jet A380 Emirates Airbus in Glasgow

A commission from Saltburn commercial photographer Cal Carey saw me heading back to my Scottish roots recently, to photograph the world's biggest passenger jet as it landed in Scotland for the first time to celebrate a 10-year link between Glasgow Airport and Emirates airlines.

An early 5.30am start from Teesside saw us arrive at the airport at 10.30am, in plenty of time to set up. The local and national Scottish press photographers were out in force, and it was good to see a couple of familiar faces from my press photography days, Colin Mearns from the Glasgow Herald was amongst the pack who I remembered from a couple of years back. 

Press photographers and reporters from Edinburgh Scotsman, Glasgow Herald, Glasgow Evening Times, Daily Record, as well as the BBC, Sky News and ITV were just a handful of media gathered to greet the £248 million brand new A380 airbus, which with its shower spas, passenger lounge and bar, is able to take massive 517 travellers.   

This was a very important moment in the airport’s history and understandably, the client wanted to make the most of photo opportunities of the visit, and when they asked Cal if he could recommend a photographer who would work with him as a team, he kindly suggested me.

A good press and commercial photographer can work fast and be in several places at once, but the high profile event matched with airport security made it difficult to quickly move around all areas of the venue as we usually would, hence the need for a team.

While Cal started off airside to cover the plane’s impressive arrival and cover the passengers and VIPs alighting, I was in the airport photographing the guests gathered to watch speeches by Emirates' executive Hubert Frach and airport boss Amanda McMillan. As part of the celebrations the pair exchanged ‘high quality’ model aircrafts and also cut what looked like a very tasty cake.

At any event like this it’s important to cover the assembled guests as well as the VIPs, to give a real feel for the event. Although the hall was packed I was able to move around discreetly with my camera and get some natural corporate photography shots of the Glasgow guests without interfering with the proceedings. Although it was mainly a business audience dressed in dark clothing, the uniforms of the cabin crew added a splash of red that matched the stunning standard rose displays in the entrance.

After the ceremony I was delighted to be able to join Cal airside to take some shots of the aircraft’s interior and go into the cockpit and meet the pilots, particularly Iain Weir, who grew up in nearby Clydebank.

Hubert Frach showing people round the plane and chatting with cabin crew, many of whom had been hand picked as coming from Glasgow and surrounding areas. The tour presented me with some good interiors photography opportunities to show off the attention to detail that has been put into this very impressive aircraft and the distinctive Commonwealth Games logo on its fuselage, marking Emirates’ sponsorship of the games. 

Media interviews ran slightly over schedule making the plane slightly late taking off for its return trip to Dubai, but I think everyone there would agree it was well worth it, and a great day for Glasgow, as the first Scottish city to welcome this super jumbo aircraft.

Cal was staying over in Glasgow so while I was on the train back to Teesside I took the chance to edit the photos so that as soon as I landed back at my Stockton photography studio I could download over 100 shots to Dropbox for the client to view that evening. 

A good day’s work and one that I hope Cal and I can repeat in the future.