A Tough Job with SSAFA (Armed Forces Charity)

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I've left it a week before I wrote this blog because it's taken me this long to come to terms with the assignment I have just completed with SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors & Airmen's Families Association), who have just become a new client for my professional photography business.

If you haven't heard of SSAFA, you can follow this link to see who their charity helps.  They were formed and designed to help the armed forces, Veterans and their families with a number of issues.

They support the British military at home and abroad and are the oldest and longest running military charity.

The assignment I was given, was to make a photographic reportage documentary about an event where the Parents and families of the fallen military men and women, come together to remember them and to help provide support for each other.

It was a very difficult assignment because it felt like being a photographer at a funeral.  The families were sometimes very emotionally upset and to point a camera at the parents of a fallen soldier didn't come naturally.  I truly felt their woes and shed some tears for them the following day, once what I'd done sank in.

I'm a firm believer in the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words, so no more from me, have a look for yourself...

Click on images to enlarge.

Thanks for reading and looking through this project.  As you may have noticed; it was very emotional for the families and difficult for me to document.

I welcome any new enquiries about working with me on any assignments, so if you'd like to discuss any future photographic projects with me, please follow this link to get in touch.

Jewellery Quarter

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I was invited to talk to a photography club in Birmingham earlier this week.  I spent a few days organising my presentation about my own photographic journey and especially around my documentary photography.

It was nice to meet so many pleasant photographers showing an interest in my work because lets face it, photography is an industry where your work is created from the heart.  Recognition and being able to show your work is what it's about for the most part.  

I think the majority is more to do with understanding yourself and your own practice.

Prior to doing the talk, I spent a couple of hours walking around the Jewellery Quarter making some photographs.  I did some Street Photography and made a few Urban Landscapes.

Click on each image to enlarge...

In other news;  I've picked up a fantastic new client that I'm really proud of.  SSAFA is the Armed Forces Charity and have requested that I cover some very emotional events for them and the families that they support.

Sir David Attenborough & The Attenborough Arts Centre Documentary Film

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A team of four people; Paul Hands, Kate Rendell, Lydia Wood and Ανδρέας Πολυκάρπου created and produced a short documentary with Sir David Attenborough on behalf of the Attenborough Arts Centre at Leicester University.

We're sharing this now at an appropriate time with Sir David Attenborough's 90th birthday being on Sunday 8th May, 2016.

Attenborough opened a newly refurbished arts centre on Lancaster Road in Leicester on behalf of his late brother Lord Richard Attenborough who worked so hard during his life for the arts and helped to form Attenborough Arts Centre in his name.

Please click on the image below to watch the short documentary and then follow this link to visit the website for Attenborough Arts Centre.

Gorman's Fight Club Documentary Film

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Following on from my recent book 'Behind The Gloves', This short documentary film is about a Gypsy Traveler, Jerry Gorman and his group of hardened unlicensed boxers, set in the middle of England.

The entire production from start to finish has been created by myself but with verbal guidance from Senior De Montfort University lecturers; Nick Lockett and Laura McGregor.

Please click on the image to play the film and leave a comment for me afterwards (beneath).

Professional Public Relations & Commercial Photographer, Leicestershire, Midlands

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Paul Hands is a qualified and experienced public relations and commercial photographer.  He has crafted his photographic techniques with a very wide variety of commercial high end clients like Coventry City Council, Mode Transport Planning in Birmingham, Worldwide PR agencies - Citizen Relations UK and Hill Knowlton Strategies, Hinckley Island Hotel, Cineworld - Hinckley, Lloyds Pharmacy, North Warwickshire & Hinckley College, Midland Studio College, Tyre Medics, Jury's Inn, and G. Seller & Co.

The list of prestigious clients grows as Paul delivers a quality of photography that is so good, his clients repeatedly re-hire him.

All businesses need to fashion themselves a professional image so that they can attract the right clients for them.  I can work creatively with your organisation to really show your clients why they should be using you.  Show them what you think of your business and don't settle for an image that isn't representative of what you offer.

If you need a professional photographer in the United Kingdom and specifically around Leicestershire, Warwickshire and the Midlands, follow this link to contact Paul with your enquiries.

Also you can view some examples of his work here...

Paul uses high end expensive Nikon equipment and has a delicate nature with regards to a post production service, that truly enhances the imagery for all commercial clients, giving them a solid and professional image.

Marco Pierre White, Hinckley Island Hotel, Jury's Inn PR Photography

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It was a pleasure to be commissioned for a commercial public relations photography shoot for Marco Pierre White and his visit to one of his prestigious restaurants based at Jury's Inn, Hinckley Island Hotel. 

If you're conversant with Whites personality, you'll understand that the shoot didn't go to plan and I worked with the staff from Black and White promotions (one of Whites companies) to get the best photography from the evenings dining and book signing event.  After showing the list of required photographs to the people running the event, they said to forget some of the photos because Marco does what Marco wants!

Knowing that's how he works, I worked him to the best photographic advantage.  As a professional public relations photographer, I knew to make the best of all situations that arose that evening and here's a selection of some of the photographs.

 

If you'd like to visit any of the websites for the companies involved with this event, please click on the logos below.

UBL 14, The Athena, Leicester, Boxing Photography teaser

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While I'm working hard on editing, there's so many good photos that are gonna take me a week to work on.  I've managed to get through a few this evening.  Here's a few teasers from the first batch of post production and hang fire while I work on  some assignments for my commercial photography business.

Click on each image to enlarge.

Advertise your business with click through links directly to your website on one of the UBL 14 Boxing photographic posts.

Click to request a quote.

Commercial Photography and Wedding & Portrait Photography

Commercial Photography for Local Businesses - Leicestershire / Warwickshire

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Tyre Medics Ltd. are a mobile tyre repair company who now have a new solid depot on Upper Bond Street in Hinckley, Leicestershire.

They hired me for professional commercial photography services because they are having a brand new website built for them and needed excellent quality photographs to help show off their expanding local business.

Their initial requirements would have required 4 days of work to create the images and put them through post production but this put them over their budget.  Tyre Medics knew they needed the images producing, so they worked with me to help reduce their costs.  We negotiated the assignment and managed to shorten their requirements to the core of what they actually needed.

Through helping them to achieve their goals professionally, I won the assignment and here's just a few examples of the results.

Cineworld, Hinckley, PR Photography

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I was commissioned to produce the public relations photographs for the brand new cinema at the new Crescent development, Cineworld, Hinckley yesterday.

It was quite exciting to see behind the scenes of how a cinema works but also to see how the development was coming along after spending the last 12 months watching them demolish the old factories at the site of the old bus station in Hinckley.  Then watching the new shopping and entertainment centre spring up out of the ground.

Here's a small selection of photographs from behind the scenes and the pr photo shoot in Hinckley, Leicestershire yesterday.

Click on each photograph to enlarge.


Saturday The 14th, The Silent City of Paris.

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My wife (Lisa) and I sat in a restaurant just 1500 metres away from a truly frightening scenario, where three teams of radicalised gunmen set out on a rampage, shooting automatic military grade weapons at innocent civilians, who were simply sat outside a cafe, eating their dinner just like Lisa and I were doing. Bombs were being detonated at The Stade de France a few miles north of our location and hostages were taken and massacred in a nearby concert venue.

The noises were horrific and terrifying as the constant blaze of police, ambulance and military sirens shrilled through the district.  As the news of what was happening hit us and also learning that the gunmen were still on the loose and couldn't be traced or tracked easily, we didn't know whether to hide or evacuate.  The streets were almost empty with the exception of the few people that were braving evacuation.  It didn't feel safe and every movement of people or vehicles created terrifying anxiety.

Eventually, we made it back to our hotel on the western side of Paris and hopefully far away enough from the militants.  It was impossible to sleep well, knowing what had happened and not knowing if any more accomplices would spring up at any other location in the city.

The day after ISIS attacked humanity.

It was a day of emptiness, of mourning, sombre feelings and harrowing memories of the night before.  

We awoke in the morning and tested the streets.  Some Parisians were going about their lives as normal as could be hoped for but it was clear the atmosphere had changed.

People walked around the city in silence.

Beneath the Eiffel Tower was less than a quarter full of tourists, than usual.  The monument had been closed indefinitely.  Armed Police and the Military patrolled the city.

The pain designed for the people of Paris was bestowed upon the human race as a whole.

This series of pictures are based on my reaction to the aftermath of a silent city, now in mourning.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.