North Yorkshire Commercial and PR Photographer | Behind the Scenes Providing Top Quality Service

As a North East commercial and PR photographer people often ask me what goes on in the design studio, Stockton on Tees. Over 25 years as a professional photographer I specialise in commercial, editorial and PR photography I can tell you it’s added up to thousands of hours of work checking and refining images one by one. I can sometimes do nine jobs in one weekend, and that’s a lot of editing when you consider one hour’s photoshoot can sometimes equate to 2+ hours in the studio.

I’ve invested thousands in top of the range cameras, lights and video equipment - that paired with my fast 27' iMac and professional editing software so I have the best tools for the job.  I use Dropbox or Hightail for image sharing, coupled with a super-fast 50G broadband service, all backed up onto 3 terrabyte hard drives (x2 backup folders)

Editing photographs can be highly technical and I like to keep my skills updated, so each year I set aside some days in January/ February as my training and update months. That might also cover customer service training, business advice, technical training or an update on issues such as copyright and intellectual property – there is always something new to learn and I apply that same approach to my photography, to keep my work fresh.

In the studio I might carry out 20 editing commands on one image alone. I never batch process for example, which basically means dropping a set of images into one folder and telling the iMac to ‘sort the colour’, it’s just not my style as a professional photographer. Every one of my images are hand finished and assessed for quality.

When it comes to what and how to edit, a good commercial and PR photographer will be respectful of personal things such as birthmarks. It’s important not to tidy the personality away, although if a self-conscious subject with teenage acne asks me to smooth away their skin tone a little I would probably oblige! Seriously though, if I’m on a shoot such as the one I did recently photographing several Subway branches across Northumberland,Tyne & Wear and County Durham, I’ll edit out things like a stray piece of litter blowing around the street because my client wants crisp, clear shots that promote the brand and can be used in brochures, advertising and online and nothing can be allowed to spoil that.

Fashion photoshoots and food photography are just two sectors where retouching is demanded or at least positively encouraged in order to show the product off in the best possible light. The fashion shoot I did for a Teesside marketing agency needing a series of unique, high impact fashion photos to promote Middlesbrough Fashion Week’s ‘Fashion Rules’ events took many hours of painstaking editing back at my Stockton studio.

Many amateur photographers buy themselves a copy of Lightroom and let the plug-in software do the work for them, but there are many pitfalls for the unwary. Blowing out the whites in a shot such as a wintry snow picture is a common mistake made by people without experience and training. Once a shot has been over-exposed you can’t restore it so the picture is spoiled. 

It’s also possible to over brighten or add crazy saturated colours which is my pet hate. This might be just what you want if you are trying to create an artwork based on photography, but it’s not acceptable in areas such as corporate portraits or reportage photography where the colour and the image must be true as possible. The trick is knowing which detail to retain and which to ditch, and that all depends on the client and the assignment.

There’s no doubt that editing is a time consuming job but it’s part and parcel of being a professional photographer. I pride myself in turning jobs around quickly, but I’ve heard of people who take 10 days to deliver a simple 1 hour job.  That’s unacceptable in my book, particularly for commercial and PR shoots when images are often needed the same day for the north east press. 

Going too far by cloning and retouching is banned by most of the big media owners and publishers, who need their news photography to be completely authentic. Readers trust them to deliver honest images, and I know of no titles that would compromise the faith readers place in them for the trust and accuracy of their photography.  

Global newswire Associated Press recently fired Pullitzer prize winning freelance photojournalist Narciso Contreras for removing a rival photographer’s video camera (pictured above) from a Syria war image.  Narciso accepted he had done wrong but maintained he was doing his duty as a professional photographer by removing an item that could have distracted the reader but AP maintained that the cloning violated its ethical standards and cut its ties with the photographer, removing all his previous images from its database.

It goes to show that even in this weary world, there are still areas where when it comes to photography, editing  is not always required, and standards of truth and honesty apply.

Durham and Middlesbrough Editorial Documentary Photographer | Reportage Commissions

In my work as a North East photographer specialising in documentary photography, sometimes also called reportage photography, people often ask me what those terms mean.

The best way I can describe it is photography that records events and moments as they happen, rather than them being overly-directed or staged. Reportage is much more than simply strolling about with a camera, an event has to be able to flow and the photographer should adopt a fly on the wall approach to get the best results.

I’ve done hundreds of royalty and VIP photography photo-calls  and it wouldn’t do to be ordering people around in order to get the photos my client wants, instead I have to work with what’s in front of me and be quick and experienced enough to see the shot coming. There’s a saying in photography circles that goes ‘if you can see the shot, you’ve missed it’, and it’s very true.

Event photography over the north east is particularly challenging, with so many off the cuff moments going on simultaneously, plus a list of people who must be on the photos. Sometimes I’m asked to squeeze in a few head shots and corporate portraits of particularly key business people. The results are often used to promote future events so it’s important to capture the feel and atmosphere so that the photographs are equally at home in brochures, newspapers and magazines, annual reports, newsletters, online and a host of other uses.

Recent reportage photography commissions included a job at Durham's Gala Theatre, for Harlands Accountants. Another photography commission was in Middlesbrough Theatre documenting a stage dress rehearsal. All three clients had the same aim – to get a selection of good quality photos of events and performances that they can use to celebrate or publicise future events.

Middlesbrough’s Myplace centre provides leisure, social, advice and learning facilities for young people. The historic Custom House stands in the shadow of the Transporter Bridge over the Tees and has stood empty since the 1980s, but a £4m transformation by Middlesbrough Council has resulted in a world class youth facility and created a gift of a location for a photographer. The Council asked me to photograph the opening of the centre (pictured below), on North Street in Middlehaven, as well as library images of ‘feel good’ shots showcasing the refurbishment and the wide range of facilities, which young people helped to plan and design. 

Another commercial photography job with a completely different flavour was a VIP presscall and stakeholder event at Durham Tees Valley Airport. A large audience from Teesside and the surrounding area came together for the launch of the 'A world on your doorstep' marketing drive, to promote KLM’s three flights a day to Amsterdam and its connections from there to 80 destinations across the world.

My brief was to capture shots of the key speakers and circulate among the audience to get a set of photos that summed up the success of the event and could be used with press releases, online and in marketing materials. 

Every event demands a different focus, and for documentary photography the idea is to be unobtrusive and blend into the event, so I rarely use flash. I don’t want to get in the way of the action, particularly if I’m photographing key speakers on stage. I will often move around so people are comfortable seeing me before I pick up my camera and take a few shots. The only time I consider flash is if I have to photograph a big line up of people, say at an awards ceremony where I need more light, but even then I turn the setting to low light to minimise disruption.

At networking, or meet and greet, photography jobs I would use a wide angle lens and take long shots. The last thing people at a business event want is a camera in their face.

I enjoy being able to do things with today’s high-tech camera equipment that just were not possible five years ago. I’ve learned an awful lot in my 25+ years of professional commercial and PR photography in the North East & Scotland, and invested in thousands of pounds worth of gear because I want to get the best possible shot every time, for every client.

  

REFOCUS in Stockton on Tees, Cleveland | Freelance and Editorial Photography Coverage

As a North East freelance editorial photographer I am blessed with beautiful locations and landmarks, so it was a pleasure to be asked to photograph a stunning artwork created to celebrate Stockton and the surrounding area.

Arripare is a large scale photographic work styled around a mythical island, which shows an alternative version of some of our region’s best loved landmarks. Unveiled late last year, Arripare was the centrepiece for the launch of REFOCUS, the new biennial Castlegate mima Photography Prize.

Keen eyed visitors will spot many of Teesside’s best known sights in the 38-metre wide piece, which sits on the outside of Stockton’s Castlegate Shopping Centre. Renowned international artist Gayle Chong Kwan created Arripare by focussing on Stockton on Tees photographic landmarks and scenes taken from around the region, including Stockton, Thornaby, Norton, Yarm, Seal Sands, Billingham and Ingleby Barwick. 

She then used a combination of documentary photography, collage and sculptural construction around Stockton to create this amazing piece of work that is constructed to encourage the viewer to see the island as either sitting in the clouds or out to sea. I made several visits to Arripare, to make sure I covered all the angles and in a range of light conditions. Close up, it is full of vivid colours, with extra tiny details becoming apparent at every 

viewing.

It’s an amazing piece of work from any angle, and I photographed it from the Millennium Bridge,Riverside Road and the River Tees. Using my monopod allowed me to shoot it from low and high angles, some of which would have been inaccessible without the monopod.

The resulting set of photos are being used on large format display boards, in marketing literature and press articles and on a range of online sites.

I also covered the official launch in October, which was held at Joe Rigatonis behind Castlegate Shopping Centre, and saw a number of speakers praise Arripare and welcome the effect it will have on tourism.

The launch was a packed event, drawing Journalists, video journalists and photographers from the Middlesbrough Gazette, the Darlington Northern Echo, TFM radio and other media, all as keen as me to get the best shots. I was pleased to be the only North East editorial photographer allowed to go out on a river boat on the River Tees with Gayle and a video news cameraman, and we got some unique shots.

If you get the chance do go along and view the piece and see how many local sights you recognise - it is well worth the trip and really cements Stockton’s position as a thriving arts scene.

Darlington Commercial and Food Photographer | The Tuns, Sadberge - Website, PR and Marketing Package.

My commission to photograph The Tuns pub at Sadberge near Darlington and produce a range of commercial photographs suitable for PR and marketing came about via colleagues PR expert Anna Addison from Stokesley and web guru Alan Foster, based in Newton Aycliffe & Gateshead. 

Last year we joined forces (Ignite Media NE Link) to offer small and start up businesses a complete photography, PR and website service, and The Tuns job came about through that route.

A Grade II listed building standing on a busy corner of the pretty village of Sadberge, The Tuns was re-launched just before Christmas 2013 by its present owners, following a six-month refurbishment.

Landlord Ross Serino, whose family run the popular Santoro’s restaurant in Yarm, presides over a team working hard to create a friendly, traditional village pub atmosphere, serving delicious food made with local ingredients.

My job was to use my decades of press and PR photography experience in the North East to capture the clean, contemporary look of the interior, complete with its cosy woodburning stoves and gleaming, well-stock bar, and of course the much-praised menu.

Food photography, especially when you are doing it ‘live’ in the busy kitchen, is tricky, and you need to work quickly and with confidence. Head chef Helen Todd from Darlington made it look effortless as she kept service running smoothly while I darted round the kitchen taking close ups of delicious prawn towers, hearty pies and a range of mouth-watering desserts destined for the hungry diners.The dark colours and shiny textures of the mussels were probably my biggest challenge, but I was pleased with the results when I got back to my studio in Stockton to process hundreds of shots.

Outside the pub, some amazing chainsaw sculptures on the green, plus a clever pub sign designed to look aged and shot against the blue sky lent some atmosphere to the exterior photos and gave a real feel to the place.

I came away from the Tuns in Darlington, having created a photo library of the clean professional photographs that can be used for PR, in marketing materials, advertising and on new website, and which will stand the owners in good stead for some time to come. 

I was pleased to see my press photography coverage used by several local newspapers, including the Middlesbrough Evening Gazette, Darlington and Stockton Times and the Northern Echo, who both gave the pub a glowing report (link). It was good to see a formerly neglected pub given a new lease of life, and I’m sure Ross, his partner Becka and his family will make sure the ‘new’ Tuns will become an essential part of local life.