Anna Saverimuttu's Photography Blog

Photoshoot for Florist

As it's currently wet and grey outside and blowing a gale, I thought I'd blog this shoot to brighten things up a bit!

A couple of months back I photographed some floral displays for a local florist who was updating her website.  She has some beautiful designs and naturally wanted to show them off in the best way possible.  I found it easiest to shoot from above, and take a mixture of shots which showed the whole bouquet and also highlighted some of the details, by using a large aperture and therefore a shallow depth-of-field.

Here are some of my favourites.

A bus ride with Lord Mandelson

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to photograph Business Secretary, Lord Mandelson when he visited Guildford, along with Energy & Climate Change Secretary, Ed Miliband and transport minister, Sadiq Khan.

After being met at Guildford Station, the three were then taken by a special bus to the Alexander Dennis factory, which was launching its fleet of new environmentally friendly vehicles. 

This was the second time that I have taken photographs on a moving bus and despite a few unsteady moments going round corners, I secured the shots I needed!

Following a quick tour round some key areas of the factory, and a chat with staff, the visitors completed a series of media interviews and posed for photographs, before boarding the bus again and heading back to London.

The available light in the factory was quite dim in some areas, so it was a case of dragging the shutter slightly for some of the shots.

Nearer to the entrance, I was able to use available light only.

I wasn't going to miss this one!

Food Shoot - Guildford

It's not often I get to photograph food, so doing these shots for a local deli last week was great fun and unlike people, food doesn't move or answer back!  The Fooderie in Swan Lane, Guildford is a great place to buy real food; it sells handmade sandwiches, gorgeous cakes, salads and lots of other treats.

These were shot mostly using natural light, with the occasional bit of diffused flash in darker areas. 

 

Wrong Trousers Day in Guildford

Last Tuesday was Wrong Trousers Day for Guildford's BEST business networking group, who very sportingly attended their breakfast meeting in a variety of inappropriate legwear, to raise money for charity.  They even agreed to be photographed for the occasion!

Quick Corporate Portraits

Sometimes (or make that more often that not), as photographers, time is not on our side.  If you're a wedding photographer, the bride is invariably running behind schedule, if you're photographing families, you have to be quick off the mark before the children get bored/hungry/tired, and if you're a corporate photographer, it's a given that the person you're photographing will be fitting their portrait session in between two important meetings.

When I know that I will have very little time for a corporate portrait, my preparation beforehand is of the utmost importance.  I'll arrive about an hour before my subject is due to appear, scout the location for suitable areas in which to photograph, clear the background, check the light, open blinds etc, and do some test shots with my lighting setup.  This means that when they arrive, I am not messing around with cables, light stands and the like, and can give all my attention to the subject and coaxing the best expressions from them.

This session called for some head shots plus some "in conversation" pictures.  The latter always take a little more time, as when there are two or more people in the frame, the chances that both will be displaying the perfect expression/gesture simultaneously, are much lower.  I had exactly half and hour to do all of these shots, so every minute was crucial.

 

What Makes a Professional Photographer?

I came across this quote the other day, and its relevance to the practice of professional photography really struck me.

"Quality is never an accident; it is always the result of high intention, sincere effort, intelligent direction and skillful execution; it represents the wise choice of many alternatives." William A Foster

This post is linked to several categories in my blog - Photographic Equipment is not one of them :)

Who else does your photographer know?

How many other people does your photographer know who could help you run your business or your home more efficiently?  Do you ever ask them?  If, for instance, you need a designer, a printer, someone to run an event, or simply some help with stuff around the home, why not ask your photographer if they know someone?  Because these are the sorts of people we are more than likely to come across in our own line of work. 

As a small business, helping my clients doesn't just extend to taking their photographs - I work (and network) with all sorts of people, and if I can put them in touch with each other, then to me, that's as much a part of my job as my photography.

So, here are a few of my recommendations for starters:-

Need some new leaflets or business cards?  Or how about some marketing and branding advice to improve your business performance?  Then speak to Fiona, Caroline and the team at Guildford Printing.com for all your marketing, design and printing requirements.  Don't live in Guildford?  Printing.com have many other branches throughout the UK and Ireland.

If you've got any kind of event coming up, whether it be corporate or personal, have a chat with Heather about booking one of her wine-tasting sessions.

Garden need sprucing up?  Then talk to Claire and her team at Plant Passion about the range of gardening services that they offer.

After all, isn't it more reassuring to work with someone who has been recommended to you than to just pick a name at random from the internet or the Yellow Pages?

Re-energise Your Brand in 2009

What will 2009 bring for your business?  Well, we all hope for more work from existing and new clients, but how do you go about winning that new business?  We also know that people buy people, and that they are more willing to buy from those that they know, like and trust. 

So, when a prospective client goes to your website or brochure to find out more about you, your staff or your products, what do they see?  Portraits of confident-looking, professional individuals who look ready and willing to help?  Or maybe some well-lit, well-composed shots of your products that show them off to their best advantage?  Good for you if they do. 

However, the reality is that many businesses are doing themselves a great disservice by not presenting themselves in the best light possible.  Okay, so you may have a digital camera and think that you can cut costs by taking your staff or product shots yourself; and you may feel that the arguments for doing this have become even stronger now that the economy's not in such good shape.  However, there is a big difference between cutting costs and cutting corners and the latter will not do your business any favours in the long term.

Cutting corners shows - have a look at these examples of good and bad corporate portraits and ask yourself which category your business portraits fall into.  If a prospective client sees your chairman or a member of your sales team photographed as in the first example, is this really going to inspire them with the confidence to do business with you?  And it's the same whether you're selling your people or your products - you need to demonstrate to your clients that you are worth their money; using the services of a professional photographer will make that very clear to them and as such, should be looked on as an investment in your business and not a cost.

So, if your website's looking a bit lacklustre and your corporate portraits are past their sell-by date, speak to a professional photographer today about how they can help you to enhance your business image, and put you ahead of the competition.

Why keep a dog and bark yourself?

If right now you're thinking that your company website or brochure is in need of some photos and that you could save yourself a few pounds by taking them yourself, you might want to think again.

Now, more than ever, every element of your business image needs to work that little bit harder for you.  And tempting though it may be to cut corners, if pictures form a big part of your communications with your existing and prospective clients, and the message that you're sending out to them about the quality of your products and services, is it in your interests to try the do-it-yourself approach?  Sure, it may save you some money in the short-term, but in the long-term what will the damage be to your business identity and your brand? 

And are your clients really going to be impressed if the first thing they see when they go to your website is some less-than-perfect snaps of your products or your people?  Will they think of you as a professional outfit who can deliver, or will the impression they receive be that you don't much care about how you present yourselves and so, therefore, why should you care about them?

Good photography needn't be complicated or costly. Not all businesses need the full works.  So, whether you are using a professional photographer at the moment, or have yet to go down that route, talk to them about ways in which they could help you invest in your business image - after all, it's one of your most precious assets.  Click here to read more about how a professional photographer can help you create the right image for your business.

What message does this photo send out about you and your company?

"We don't care", "Take us or leave us", "We've got more important things to think about".

How about the message this one conveys? 

"Let's do business"

Thanks to my partner, Richard, for being my guinea pig!

How to brief a professional photographer

Once you've found your photographer, how well you brief them is the next crucial step to getting the results you want, and the importance of the photographic brief should not be under-estimated. For instance, it's no use just saying you want some portraits taken of your staff, or that you need some photos of an event, and then leaving it to the photographer to do the rest. 

Don't forget that when you book your photographer, the brief you supply will serve as a guide for them to follow, and that in some ways, the photographs will only be as good as the information that you've provided.

Portraits, for instance, can be shot in many different ways, and you need to think about how the style of portraiture you choose will reflect and enhance your business image.  For example, do you run a very traditional business, where formal head-and-shoulders shots of your staff would be most suitable?  Perhaps your business is aimed at a younger, more dynamic market where a relaxed and informal style, maybe shot in black and white, is more appropriate.

Here's a list of things which could be helpful to your photographer, and which I always ask my clients to supply.

WHO?/WHAT?

The names (and job titles, if relevant - if I'm photographing your chief executive or senior partner, I need to know) of the people to be photographed, or details of the event you wish to have covered.

If you need photographs of an event and have a press release, it's always a good idea to supply your photographer with a copy if possible.  And if you have any VIPs turning up to make presentations or speeches, do make sure you let the photographer know in advance.  Remember, there are many people who are famous faces within their particular industry, whether that be banking, law or retail, but this doesn't necessarily mean that those outside your industry will recognise them!

WHY?

The purpose of the photographs, e.g. are they for press use, your company website, brochures, newsletters etc?

WHERE?

Venue address and contact telephone number. And do check that security and reception know that there will be a photographer arriving. This is particularly important for events - on one occasion I arrived at an event to photograph a series of presentations, only to find myself locked out.  Eventually, after a lot of door-banging, I gained access via the back doors of the kitchen!

Don't forget that for portraits your photographer will need as much space as possible for setting up lights, and also rearranging any furniture if necessary. 

WHEN?

I always make sure that I arrive at events with enough time beforehand in which to do a quick tour of the venue and check where everything is taking place.  

For portrait sessions extra time should be allowed for the setting up of lights. I usually allow an hour for this, as it is the most important part of any session and is vital for obtaining good results.

Do make sure that you get advice from your photographer about how long the photography is likely to take, rather than making an estimate yourself.  It's all too easy to think that a few quick shots will suffice and that five minutes will be sufficient.