Evolution Rebrand | North East Commercial, Portrait and Editorial Photography

I was delighted to be asked to take commercial photographs around Hartlepool, Gateshead, Sunderland, Middlesbrough and surrounding areas for accountancy firm Evolution LLP recently.

As well as being a photography partner to many marketing and PR agencies, I also work directly for clients and this commission came via Evolution’s marketing partner. A brand refresh meant some new advertising photography over the north east and involved a lot of careful planning and several meetings to establish the look and feel that would work best.

As well as using customers to tell Evolution’s story, we opted to go with a technique known as de-saturating the colour, to give a stylised, almost black and white look. This fitted well with the colour palette used by the web designers and lines up with the company’s new brand identity and push to promote its dynamic accountancy practice.

Being involved with the planning process for a photoshoot is really useful, it means I can get to grips with what the client is looking for, and suggest some appropriate approaches. 

Several meetings with Evolution staff and its marketing and web experts led to a schedule of commercial photography at six client locations including Hartlepool, Middlesbrough, Gateshead, Brotton and Skelton.

Each location involved taking photographs of Evolution’s client in their natural habitat and included shots on a factory floor, at a creative agency and even a rally school. I gave the client several variations of shot at each venue, to make sure the photos would be suitable for a range of print and online uses. 

The clients are all highly successful business people and I went for strong, engaging shots with subtle backgrounds - what I call ‘hero’ shots. Having my mobile studio equipment with me meant I could dismiss the use of flash in favour of using all the natural light available and making the shots gritty and ‘real’.

As well as the portrait shots I was asked to cover the rebrand launch event for 150 invited guests. The event had been booked at Crathorne Hall in North Yorkshire but a huge fire there the night before saw a last-minute switch to photograph the event Wynyard Hall in County Durham and the event organisers did a great job of swapping venues without a hitch. 

As I moved round the room photographing key speakers and guests I was pleased to see how well my shots had worked on pop up banners and in large screen format as the audience were treated to Evolution’s new brand film. 

I was very happy to have been entrusted with producing the imagery to sum up Evolution’s fresh, engaging and contemporary new look, and I wish the firm and its clients all the very best for the future.

Gadget Show Jason Bradbury launched Tees Valley 'Get Your Head into Digital' Event

The Tees Valley ‘Get your head into digital’ campaign scheme aimed to boost digital skills in North East businesses, and when award winning Cool Blue Brand Communications wanted a North East PR and commercial photographer to cover the launch events in Middlesbrough and Darlington, they booked me to do this job.

The morning event saw me do a two-hour photo shoot at the Thistle Hotel in Middlesbrough, before covering the second event at Teesside University campus in Darlington. Channel 5’s Gadget Show presenter Jason Bradbury was a guest speaker at both events, where the audiences had gathered to hear more about the free digital skills workshops that are being held for businesses in Stockton, Middlesbrough, Hartlepool, Darlington and Redcar and Cleveland.

Jason was a great speaker, demystifying digital and informative about how using digital tools will help businesses grow and be more effective. He was joined on the speakers panel by Bob Coff, Managing Director of the Middlesbrough Gazette, a good speaker and very down to earth; and Michael Ryding, Director of DigitalCity, who spoke about the economic benefits to businesses of all sizes and sectors. 

To fit with the theme and get some freshness and originality into the photos I asked Jason to take a selfie with his iPad and then turn the screen towards me, so I could get a shot of him behind the screen and match up the images. I was really pleased with the results, which Jason declared to be ‘awesome’ and he even liked my tweet about it, which was subsequently retweeted over 600 times.

I used the same technique to photograph members of the audience, and I was pleased to see the photographs used across North East newspapers and online media.

A couple of weeks before the events I had also been out to take some case study photos of local employer Terry Goldspink of freight and international shipping company Evolution Forwarding, which is on track to achieve a £1m turnover, with 90% of its business coming from the internet.

It was my pleasure to cover the launch of a scheme that could benefit thousands of businesses in the region. To find out more about the scheme visit www.headintodigital.com and see how your business could benefit from adopting digital tools. 

From the Cold Store to Firestation | Yorkshire Commercial and Advertising Photographer

As a North East and Yorkshire photographer with decades of experience in press and commercial photography, if I had a pound for every time someone told me that today’s news is tomorrow’s fish and chip paper I’d be a very rich man.

The phrase really came to life for me with a recent advertising photography commission to produce a range of photos for Wraggs in Leeds, a Collins Seafood company dating back to the 1950s, which supplies ‘Frozen at Sea’ fish products to an impressive number of fish and chip shops throughout Yorkshire and the East Midlands, as well as to wholesalers and smaller businesses.

The brief was to produce a range of PR and marketing photos that can be used across print products such asbrochures and posters through to the company’s website and social media feeds.

The day started at 5am when myself and Olly from Harvey & Hugo, Darlington-based PR agency, set out for the first shoot. When we arrived in Leeds there was a fleet of vans already loaded up with frozen food so I could get some product and vehicle shots – complete with cheery drivers - done before the vans went out on deliveries.

I’ve photographed in most locations over the years but working in a cold store with temperatures of -22 degrees was a new experience for me.  At that temperature the brain – or certainly my brain – definitely works more slowly so I had to get a move on before I froze like the fish I was photographing. Fortunately my cameras are capable of shooting in low temperatures so I had no worries about the resulting pictures.

It was certainly a treat to move from the cold stores into the toasty warm offices and switch to getting some shots of senior management in meetings, and some of the staff working at their desks, incorporating the striking blue and white logo where I could.

A two hour drive down the A1 to South Yorkshire saw us take a series of ‘finished article’ photos at a former fire station in Doncaster, which has been converted into an award-winning fish and chip shop – from the cold stores to the fire station as it were.

Freshly cooked food was beautifully plated up for us and I got some mouth-watering shots of the fabulous Yorkshire fish and chips and accompanying side dishes on offer. The big bonus of the day was that we actually got to sit down and eat some of the lovely food I had been photographing – what an absolutely great perk of the job!

I actually learned quite a lot about the humble dish of fish and chips too, for instance that there is typically less than 10% fat in a portion of fish and chips, making it healthier than a burger, pizza, kebab or a curry. 

The client was very happy with the resulting shots and I’ll look at fish and chips with a much more discerning eye in future, now I’ve documented the journey from freezer to plate.

Redcar Commercial & Advertising Photographer: North Sea Sunrise at South Gare, Teesside

A recent 4am start saw me pack my camera gear and head out of Stockton on Tees to do some early morning North East commercial photography, at a well-known beauty spot, South Gare, near Redcar. This is an area of reclaimed land and breakwater on the South side of the river Tees, and is a popular spot for fishermen and walkers, as well as offering a safe harbour to any ships caught in stormy weather.

Skipping breakfast doesn’t really agree with me, but I was anxious to catch the pre-dawn light. I’ve got a useful phone app called Sun Scout that tells me when sunrise is and in what position – a handy gadget when I’m doing commercial photography or architecture, and need to know exactly where the sun will cast its shadow on a building.

 I’m a big fan of what we professional photographers call the ‘golden hour’ – the time when the sun is rising and setting. The quality of the light is fantastic, particularly in the morning when it has an purple tinge that gradually turns orange, and looks fantastic with a blue sky. I have to work quickly though, in lighting terms so much can change in just 15 minutes.

As the sun comes up it adds a richness that lights everything up and the colour is so intense. And sunrise on a cold, crisp day has such a clarity that in a seaside location like this I would be able to see right into ships’ cabins out to sea.

As I walked to the end of South Gare I could see some fishermen had beaten me to it and were already setting up, presenting dark silhouettes against the sea. A drift of cobwebs hung with dewdrops were sparkling, and I managed to get quite close to a group of seabirds which were sunning themselves on the wet rocks as the day came to life. 

The views here are spectacular, and no two days are the same. On the South side the view is towards Teesside a well photographed location and a lovely sight when the sun is setting. And looking with a really long lens in the opposite direction you can just see Redcar and even get a glimpse of Sunderland too if you look up the coast. 

In my 25+ years as a North East editorial, corporate and commercial photographer I’ve learned that a good shot doesn’t always have to have the obvious ‘aah’ factor, there’s a lot of beauty to be found in an industrial landscape too, particularly when it’s shot in black and white. People often slate Teesside for its industrial setting, but the juxtaposition of industrial and natural beauty can throw up some really amazing shots.

The pictures I took at South Gare were for my own pleasure, I have approach shipping companies, commercial businesses and stock libraries with my early morning pictures and looking at using them in a callendar. 

I had a much-needed breakfast at McDonald’s in Redcar on the way back, before heading off to Rockliffe Hall in Darlington to do some corporate portrait photography for a large corportate business.

As I passed people heading into Middlesbrough on their way to work I reflected that as their day was starting, mine was almost half way through. I don’t mind the early starts and late finishes though, I don’t charge my clients extra for unsociable hours - they are well worth it in my quest for the perfect shot. 

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Direct Website Link to Dave Charnley Photography

Facebook Black and White Photography Challenge | Solway to Saltburn

As a north east professional photographer I like to keep my work fresh and I belong to many groups and forums to keep up to date and challenge myself. A York-based press photographer Mike Tipping recently challenged me to join in a Facebook five-day black and white challenge. The idea was to post a black and white photo every day for five days, and nominate other photographers to do the same.

I used a mix of photos I had on file and new ones. It was great fun to take part in and a good reminder of how powerful black and white photos can be. When you remove colour, you’re distilling images down to shape, form and contrast to tell the story and it was interesting to see such a wide variation of shots and what other photographers had done.

Day 1 – this was a photo I took in Portling, on the Solway coast during the worst snow in Scotland for 30 years.  I love the moody feel and the way the rock face is silhouetted against the sky, and how the black and white format really makes the dripping icicles stand out. 

Day 2 – I spotted a huge flock of Starlings feeding in a field between Marske and Recar, and when they flew off I jumped in my car and followed them until they landed at The Stray, a 2-mile long strip of grassland bordering the beach at Redcar. Shot against the light, you can see the amazing detail on the birds’ feathers, which I thought made up a visually very pleasing shot.

Day 3 – for my third day I chose a photo of a chap jumping in the air on Saltburn Pier. He is comedian Victoria Wood’s brother and a very colourful character who was in the town that day to promote the region, and was easy to work with. His straw bowler and pinstripes gave him a great ‘going yachting’ look, and the shot of him with his arms outstretched and mirroring the shape of the pier meant that several photos from this shoot appeared in the Middlesbrough Gazette. 

Day 4 – this was taken at the Stockton Light and Sound Festival in Thornaby, next to the University campus. I used a remote flash to photograph the performer using the firesticks, which also perfectly framed the couple snatching a kiss behind him. Black and white made for a very atmospheric feel to this night shoot.

Day 5 was one of my favourite shots, a picture taken in Preston Park showing Britains Got Talent motorbike and rider flying through the air. Shooting upwards gave me a plain white background and a perfect contrast between the rider and his disconnected bike. The two were reunited at ground level without any injuries, you will be pleased to hear.

I found the five-day black and white challenge very useful, and in turn I challenged my cousin Kevin Henderson in Scotland, Stu Bolton and Tom Banks from the Darlington-based Northern Echo, and Katie Lynn from the Middlesbrough Gazette. All of them produced some impressive shots, and contributed to a great challenge for professional photographers.

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