Commercial Photography in Leicestershire.
Can the skills gained whilst making personal work be transferred to a commercial client brief?
YES!
The end!
Well, not actually the end, this is the beginning and that was a bit gimmicky!
Phillip Hammond and Sajid Javid visiting a Morris Homes building site in Leicester.
The image of Hammond and Javid above was a picture that I made while on a recent PR photo shoot for The BJL Group and Morris Homes. It involved working closely with The Treasury and working to a brief. This was the cover image used for a blog written by Morris Homes and wasn't really on the brief they gave me.
As an avid Street Photography fan and practitioner, this was a naturally easy type of shot to get for me. The rest of the press group were a good 20 feet behind me. I had a brief to work to and they were just collecting imagery, so I had a free run. The government ministers walked very quickly and it was a cold February morning. You can even see Phillip Hammond breathing out some misty air. The shot isn't perfect but in this kind of situation, perfection isn't what's required, it's the story that counts and with the Morris Homes flags waving around in the background, it was just what they wanted but didn't know about that at the time.
The SFB Group, Leicester
This picture above is of the building for one of my regular clients The SFB Group a nationwide firm of accountants. It's all too easy to make a picture looking straight on at the building. I wanted to create something that fitted with their branding which was quite dynamic, hence the acute angle. This is loosely where landscape photography skills come in useful, I positioned the composition acutely to create a more interesting view of something usually very ordinary. The angle has given the building form and made it look more three dimensional.
David Treddinick meeting with the owners of Enchanted Bell Tents
The above picture uses Street Photography skills because it's candid and the people in the picture are unaware of my presence. My intention was to follow my brief and collect natural looking pictures of the MP David Treddinick meeting local business owners at the launch of the new Bosworth Visitors Map at a special event held at Royal Arms in Sutton Cheney.
A Street Photograph made in Leicester city centre.
Street Photography in Leicester
Mirror Man, Street Photography in Paris.
Commercial Landscape Photography
I've shared a small selection of my street photography to show the similarities to shooting reportage and PR work. Also the landscape picture that I've included is more of a contextual play with the words and space in the frame. The sign on the right reads 1 million square foot, so I've framed the image to include lots of space to insinuate that you can see 1 million square foot in the frame.
Giant Chicken Tree, Leicestershire
I've included the picture of the giant chicken tree because I think it's cool.
I've crafted my skills over a long period of time, been judged, examined, won awards and gained a level 3 qualification, HND and a BA Hons in photography through creating this style of work. I've figured out a way to transfer my skills to a growing client base, who are using me more and more regularly.
My clients keep coming back to me and won't use anyone else now. Assuming I can keep this up, yes, street and landscape photography skills are very transferable to a commercial client,.
The trick is to get deep in the minds of the commissioners to learn what they want and to identify with the brief. Once the purpose is established, I can easily determine what kind of pictures to make and which style to use.
My images now appear on many company websites, marketing literature and newspapers online and in print.
You can enquire with me about my availability or to get a quote for your business here.
