North Yorkshire Industrial Photographer | Lotte Chemicals in Wilton

I was pleased that clients DTW agency in North Yorkshire chose me for some industrial photography near Redcar recently.

The job involved an Industrial photography shoot at Lotte Chemicals on the Wilton International Site. Wilton is just 10 minutes from Middlesbrough and is a major process industries complex where security and safety is paramount.  As an experienced commercial and industrial photographer I’ve visited Wilton many times so I’m familiar with the detailed safety and security arrangements that every visitor must comply with, and arrived 30 minutes early to go through the briefing.

Chemical plant photography means being around volatile substances so I also had my camera equipment, including a portable, foldable flash kit, gas tested for safety.

The job brief included taking pictures of the directors and senior staff, the operation itself and a series of shots to celebrate the company’s commitment to young apprentices, and help it recruit more young people. Lotte Chemicals is a long-standing supporter of apprenticeship schemes, being named North East Medium Employer of the Year 2011, and counted among the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers of that year.  

I arrived at the job kitted up with a range of different lenses and lights. I’ve got the lighting and equipment to accommodate any type of job, including a high powered lighting kit that can light up a large factory floor, gymnasium or school hall.

Although I carry a range of lights so I’m ready for any conditions, I prefer to shoot using a mix of natural light and reflectors to keep the images real, over the years I’ve found this always gives the best results.

With the help of people who kindly held reflectors and the flash for me, I was escorted around the plant so I could get a series of shots of apprentices at work in a live environment, studying plans, putting kit away in the lockers and operating machinery and equipment.

A branded pop up banner provided some colour and contrast to the clean white environment. A photographer’s job is to tell the story, and I always like to include some branding and interiors shots to help to explain what a business is about, and give the people shots some room to breathe.

The shiny steel pipework outside gave me a chance to bounce light off it, and in some cases use reflections to frame shots.  Inside, the factory floor colour palette was great, with the blue of the machines contrasting with the pipes. And where I needed a splash of colour, a bright yellow hard hat worked a treat.

Lotte’s meeting rooms presented a light, clean background against which to photograph senior figures in the business. Corporate portrait photography is not always about getting the subject to face the camera square on and smile, if a company’s PR agency is issuing sober news, they need pictures that reflect the tone of the story so I was careful to get some serious as well as smiling shots.

Switching to the close up product shots was fascinating work. I used the back of a whiteboard as a base on which to arrange differently shaped glass containers and some products in the form of tiny  white beads. A member of staff wearing a hint of pink nail polish was happy to act as my hand model, adding some colour contrast to the pictures.

The client was very happy with the three sessions, which generated a good set of pictures flexible enough for a wide range of uses, and I’m looking forward to seeing the photos being used in the media, marketing material and across the internet.   

Early Dawn Industrial Photography on the River Tees in Stockton

In the course of my career as a North East Commercial and PR photographer I’m used to working odd hours to get the right pictures, and a commission to photograph some maintenance activities on the River Tees between 1am and 3am whetted my appetite for some night time photography.

The job involved taking night shots of a huge crane on top of the Tees Barrage on Navigation Way, in Stockton on Tees. This was part of some planned maintenance by the organisation responsible for the barrage, the Canal and River Trust, which is based in Little Venice, London.

Tees Barrage was the largest civil engineering project in the UK when it was built 20 years ago, and controls the flow of the river, preventing flooding in the surrounding area. It also controls the flow of water to the Tees Barrage Water Centre, which is a popular spot for white water rafting, sailing, rowing, powerboat racing and other water sports.

The Trust needed the crane in place to lower a huge temporary dam into the river so the water could be pumped out to allow access to staff carrying out vital maintenance work to the four huge 50 tonne 'fish belly' flood gates. The work was being done at night to cause minimum disruption to the flow of traffic and to the David Lloyd Health Club, the pub and other businesses in the immediate area, hence the night time photoshoot.

The large crane against the backdrop of the night sky made for a range of dramatic pictures and as the sun started to come up on a beautiful July morning, the soft pinks and blues of the dawn melted into some stunning colours as the area started to come back to life.

I was pleased to see the industrial pictures distributed by the Press Association and picked up by regional newspapers such as the Middlesbrough Gazette, make national titles such as the Guardian, and get used in BBC and ITV website news items.

The Dave Charnley Photography byline on the photos led to a crane company getting in touch about future industrial photography commissions, saying they worked with a lot of photographers but ‘hadn’t seen many like you, who’ve got it’, which was very flattering.

The Tees Barrage is an impressive feat of engineering which took four years to build and contains 650 tonnes of steel, and it was a privilege to see it up close and from a viewpoint most people would never see. If you missed the special open day in August for the public, keep an eye on the Canal and River Trust’s website at www.canalandrivertrust.org.uk for next year’s maintenance schedule and you just might get the rare chance to go down 40ft and walk on the bed of the River Tees – a tale to tell the grandchildren, for sure.

Leeds Event Photographer | Teach First Summer Conference in West Yorkshire

The brilliant Teach First organisation aims to address educational inequality in the UK by training and supporting young people to help them become brilliant teachers. My latest job was in Leeds, to do the conference photography for the welcome ceremony at its 13th annual residential training event, Summer Institute, followed a commission earlier this year to track a young Teach First teacher at Thorn Academy in Cardiff and relate a day in her life through pictures. 

The Summer Institute’s Impact Conference is the UK’s largest and most ambitious teacher training event and hosts over 3,000 delegates including Teach First 2014 and 2015 participants, university tutors and school and business leaders. The last two years have seen the event contribute a £5.5m investment to the city of Leeds.

In my work as a North East commercial photographer I work across a patch from Yorkshire up to Northumberland and Leeds is just a short car ride away from my Stockton on Tees base. I arrived early at the venue, Leeds Beckett University, introduced myself to the client contact for the day and did the all-important task of checking the brief hadn’t changed since the booking was made. Clients sometimes surprise me with a change of speaker or running order, and I like to make sure I’m fully up to speed with any new developments before I unpack my camera gear.

The audience was enthralled by a range of speakers, including Teach First’s Founder and CEO, Brett Wigdortz OBE; John Lloyd, the television producer behind Blackadder and QI; and Nicky Morgan MP, Secretary of State for Education.

My brief was to capture the engaging spirit of the launch of the two-week event, with shots of the speakers and audience. Speaker Dave Bunting is an experienced Everest guide and gave a particularly interesting presentation about teamwork and building relationships and trust, all vital skills that teachers will need as they progress their career.

I had taken several camera bodies and some fast lenses so I could work at slow speeds to cope with the dark lighting conditions in the hall, and get a mixture of crowd and individual shots. I’m always looking to add longevity to a photoshoot and as the delegates filed out of the auditorium I used the light flooding in through the open doors to get some generic ‘leaving’ shots that will come in useful to promote next year’s conference – a kind of ‘it’s been great, see you next year’ theme.

Set just off Woodside Lane in the heart of Leeds and close to the First Direct Arena, the campus has some great outdoor spaces for group shots and I even had a bit of fun taking pictures of people taking the obligatory selfies that are now part of every occasion.  

The students were a good-natured group and keen to join in the fun. And of course no student photos would be complete without a picture of everyone cheering so I was happy to add that one to the portfolio.  

Around 1700 delegates were at the welcome ceremony, and everyone left feeling invigorated and inspired. I was glad to have played my part in recording an event set to continue the good work of Teach First and to further its aim to combat educational inequality.

North East Creative Photographer | Corporate Photography Neednt Mean Dull

With a dash of creativity, corporate photography needn’t mean dull, stereotypical shots. I often start by thinking about where the pictures will be used. An annual report or press interview shot can require a very different feel to those used on the web or in e-DMs (e-mailshots).

Another consideration is whether to shoot in landscape or portrait. An upright shot would be no use for a web banner, although if I’ve done my job the designer can often use part of a landscape picture by cropping it. Some pictures are ideal for converting into gritty black and white shots, for a band or fashion marketing for example.

Whether I’m doing exhibition photography at the Harrogate International Conference Centre, arts photography at the Sage Gateshead on the banks of the Tyne or a networking event at a small venue I try to use my years of experience to bring something fresh to a picture, illustrating something like a speaker on stage quite simply, but in a different and engaging way.

From a designers point of view I also put some thought into how they might want to use the pictures in page layouts, and often include some space around the subject so the picture can be overlaid with words if necessary. For instance the shot where someone is reflected in the table surface would be ideal. This is a good example of a multi-purpose shot, with its fresh blue colouring and light feel making it ideal for a summer newsletter, even though it was actually shot in winter. 

Although I always carry a portable lighting set, the light conditions I’m presented with when I arrive at an event can deliver a very different look, as evidenced in the back shot taken in a dark room with the Evolution branding highlighted on the wall.

The picture taken through some vertical blinds was a group of people looking round a new building, and because I was careful to frame this visually very pleasing shot you wouldn’t know the building wasn’t finished. It’s a generic shot with many potential uses. 

At the MIMA gallery in Middlesbrough the spotlighted framed piece with vienneted edges created a striking shot that showcased the artist’s work. You could even have some fun with this style, using a client’s own picture in the same frame.  

Taking creative corporate photographs is not about getting the tight, bright shot of PR photography that newspaper and magazine picture desk editors want. For instance the shot taken from behind the man facing out towards the crowd at a Middlesbrough Business Forum event gave the viewer a bird’s eye view of proceedings and while it probably wouldn’t be used to illustrate a news story, it’s perfect for a range of other purposes and I’ve seen it used several times. 

My aim is always to take a thoughtful look behind the actual event and spot picture opportunities as I work. For example the shot of Ranulph Fiennes’ name badge was taken as part of a set to cover a talk at Crathorne Hall in North Yorkshire, for a petrochemical company based in Aberdeen.

I’m really pleased when I get comments from client and designers, who appreciate pictures that give them flexibility of use and I like to think the reason I get so many enquiries coming in from new and existing clients looking for creative corporate photography is that people can see how my pictures have a lot of mileage in them.

A professional photographer must be able to read each client, they are all different and have different expectations from a photography shoot so it’s important to add value to every single job I do.

North East Commercial Photographer | Middlesbrough Creative Marketing Agency The Creative Alchemist

I am asked to do commercial photography for many North East PR and marketing agencies, and I was pleased when long-time contact and managing director Lisa Holt chose me to take the photographs to publicise her new company, Teesside-based The Creative Alchemist.

Based at the Boho One building in Middlesbrough, Lisa needed photos to help launch her new brand across the web and in a range of marketing materials, designed to put the company on the map. Experienced marketers who know the value of strong imagery are a pleasure to work with and the team had brought along a change of clothes so we could create a portfolio of images that would give maximum variety and longevity.

The company’s strong and memorable brand identity runs through the stylish offices and includes a bright yellow wall that from a PR and marketing photographer’s point of view was an absolute gift for the interior shots.

Playing to the brand’s strengths I spent some time documenting a creative planning meeting, as the team forgot about the camera and became engrossed in creating the best solution for their client. 

The same room had a series of framed images on the wall which proved useful reflectors from which to bounce images off. I was working closely with designer Kerry helping me highlight key areas like the frames, seating and the modular bookcases, giving me a chance to create frames by shooting through them from the back.  

As we moved outside the weather was kind to us and not too sunny. Although you wouldn’t think it, sunlight can be very harsh to work with, in contrast to a slightly cloudy day with its softer light.

We did a mixture of exterior shots using the building as a backdrop. It’s a joy to photograph at Boho One as it’s the flagship building of Middlesbrough’s new exciting Boho Zone, which forms the digital, creative and business hub of the Tees Valley. 

Designed by xsite architecture, the £9m building stands on Bridge Street West in central Middlesbrough and presents great opportunities for commercial photography, with its mixture of textures and colours plus branded doors, windows and interior partitions.   

Doing some of the commercial portraits outside gave me the chance to incorporate some greenery into the shots too, and a use a bright red wall and grey clapperboard cladding to add some background contrast.  

I like to approach corporate portraiture slightly differently, preferring to get people to look sometimes away from the camera to achieve a more thoughtful shot that captures the personality of the subject.

Some of the pictures were done on a covered walkway, and as with most photography shoots there were some comical moments. These occurred when the girls’ high heels were occasionally getting stuck in the wooden floor slats, generating some genuine laughter.

The Creative Alchemist crew were a fantastic team to work with and I hope their very real passion and positivity shines through their new image library and helps them grow their client portfolio across the North East.

The Creative Alchemist Website Link