Beyond Just Photos: What Really Happens When We Work Together
People often focus on getting good-quality photos when they think about professional photography. But there's more to it than that. Let me share what happens when we work together on your business photography.
Making Things Simple
I can handle everything, from finding the right locations to setting up equipment. You've got a business to run, so I make sure the whole process is smooth and efficient. After the shoot, I select and edit the best images, saving you hours of sorting through photos.
It's About Feeling Comfortable
Most people aren't natural in front of the camera - and that's completely normal. I'll help you feel relaxed and guide you through poses that feel like you, not like a rigid corporate headshot. When you're comfortable, your true personality shines through in the photos.
Planning Makes Perfect
Before picking up a camera, we'll chat about what you need and plan the shots that will work best for your business. This means we use our time effectively and get photos you'll use.
Getting the Details Right
Twenty years of experience have taught me to notice the little things that make a big difference. From lighting to backgrounds, every element matters in creating genuine and professional photos.
Choosing the Right Setting
Whether I'm capturing you at work, in a studio, or somewhere that shows what your business is about, location matters. I'll help you find places that tell your story naturally.
Photos That Work Hard
You'll get various images that work across all your needs - from your website to social media. Each photo will be selected because it shows something real about you and your work.
Building for the Future
These aren't just photos for today. We'll create images that continue to work for your business over time, giving you a library of professional photos you can use whenever you need them.
Working Together
After the shoot, I help select the images that best represent you and your work. Need tweaks or adjustments? That's all part of the service. Many of my clients come back regularly as their businesses grow and change.
Ready for photos that show you in real life? Let's chat about what you need.
Based near Ipswich, Suffolk, I work across England, Wales, and Scotland, including the Highlands.
Inverness, Caithness & the Highlands
I might be based in East Anglia, but it does not mean I don't step over the border. I travel covering anywhere in the UK as I live close to links down to London and the Midlands. Most notably, my second local patch is at the end of the British Isles in the Scottish Highlands.
I have family in Thurso in the far north, which makes Inverness, Sutherland, and Caithness very familiar. So don't be surprised if you bump into me. Maybe drop me a line, and we can grab a coffee.
A Legacy of Hospitality: The Macdougall Clansman and Its Family Roots
The Macdougal Clansman in Inverness is a hotel that, after the first time I stayed there, I knew must have a story to tell. Iain and Lucy are always so welcoming and provide friendly personal service.
They are partners in the business, along with their mother. Iain works primarily on the managerial side, and Lucy works on a practical day-to-day operational level.
However, as it's a family business, you will have both front and centre at different times.
I spent some time chatting with Iain about the hotel and its history. The business dates back to his great-grandfather.
His great-grandparents had been shopkeepers; they moved into a guest house on the opposite side of the River Ness in the 1890s, then in the early 1900s, moved into 83 Church Street just a few doors up from the current hotel. His grandfather and grandmother ran the hotel where Iain's father grew up. The first hotel was known as Macdougall's, and his father ran this hotel along with the Clansman from the late 1950s a few doors down the street. He expanded the Clansmnas several times, met Iain's mother, and married. They continued to run both hotels until the mid-1970s when they sold Macdougall's as they felt the number of alterations required to conform to fire regulations would be too much for them.
Iain described Macdougalls' as "a tall, deep hotel with a big garden at the back, lots of stairs, lots of nooks and crannies, and I think it was a challenge. It was a difficult hotel to run."
The Clansman, now known as the Macdougall Clansman, dates back nearly 400 years. Iain's father extended the building in the mid-sixties and again in the late sixties. When discussing the building's age, Iain noted: "It's not altogether obvious from being inside the place that the original part is that old. I think on the outside it does; the extension does look a bit obvious on the outside. It was a sixties extension, so it's not very glamorous. But yeah, that's the same situation as you that we have here. It's an old building that's been extended, so it's not obvious apart from when you're trying to get a wifi signal. And these four feet sick walls play havoc with the wifi."
Iain has experience from outside the family business, which he said he "grew up more or less realising that I would want to go into a career like this," where his sister does enjoy it, but it's not really her "big thing."
They grew up in hotels, and he has a hotel catering and administration degree. He has only worked in hospitality in his family's hotels and others, which has given him industry experience.
Iain described the current hotel as a "big B&B", but they used to do much more in the past.
His father trained as a chef in London and Westminster; when he returned to the Clansman in the late fifties, he "went in big for meals", doing dinners, high teas in the winter and small parties. The hotel used to host regular small coach parties, providing dinner, bed and breakfast.
In the late nineties, they started to wind down the evening meal service, only offering on a limited basis. The demand was not strong due to a good choice of restaurants in the city. When travelling there as a tourist, you're more likely to want to go out and try new places than stay in your hotel for dinner.
He explains, "You really have, well, at this level, the level that we are at owning and running a place, you have to put in a lot of time while we're open. You have to be here virtually morning, noon and night. Somebody has to be here morning and night for arrivals and certainly overnight. And there's a big commitment in terms of presence, so you don't get a lot of free time."
Like many small businesses, the pandemic had a big effect. "It was very, very challenging. So in a way, I mean, the lockdown changed lifestyles for a lot of people, but it certainly gave us a different perspective on how we run the hotel here."
Iain stressed that he "knows it was difficult and challenging for a lot of people," but for some, it resulted in long-term positive changes. The lockdown provided an unexpected opportunity to reassess their work-life balance and make positive changes to their operation schedule.
Now, when you visit the hotel, you notice an interesting variety of items in the reception lounge. Iain explains that they have been accumulated over the year, and some are from the original MacDougall's hotel.
He still has the original iron gate from the previous hotel by the side of his house. Two propellers were made by his uncle, a carpenter who worked at the current hotel in the early days.
Some items are gifts from previous guests. When I arrived recently, I found Iain had been reupholstering some chair seats. A guest had given him the fabric, saying it would match well with the hotel, and it did very well.
What of the hotel's future? May be his niece and nephew? Iain tells me they are too young to know if that is what they want to do.
"When I was growing up, I mean, I did a lot of work here when I was a boy, even a young boy, 12, 13, 14, 15. I did a job, jobs, all sorts of jobs here, and it kind of became obvious that I was probably going to head into this kind of career. But my parents always made a point of making sure that I knew, I personally knew that I was not expected to go into the family business just because I was born into it that they let me have a choice to do something else if I wanted or to explore different things."
When I spoke to Iain on the phone before the summer, he thought it would not be too busy. Still, when I returned to visit him in October, he was "frazzled" after a busy summer with an unplanned departure of a summer staff member who needed to leave during the peak season.
The hotel and its history were fascinating to delve into. They showed how the family business had been running for so long and adjusted to the challenges that had faced it over the years. The pandemic had also imprinted itself into its history, providing the opportunity to consider improving work-life balance.
I thank Iain for his time and the pot of tea we shared while we chatted. Iain shared so many fascinating stories about the hotel, the family, and items within the hotel, which I will share in the future to keep this read from getting too long.
Steve's 2024 Highland Meetup
Last weekend, I had the pleasure of meeting with other talented photographers in the industry for a tour of the Scottish Highlands around Inverness.
Steve Campell, who was heading up the event, attended with some inspiring people from the industry.
They included Heather, a Fine Art Pet Photographer based in Switzerland; Rob Johns, who has a background in photojournalism and has previously lectured on the subject; and Jeff Brown and his girlfriend Gaynor. Jeff is known as the Photographer's Mentor and is currently the President of the BIPP.
Although I regularly visit Inverness and further north, there is a lot I have not explored. When you travel north, you drive past many locations, landmarks and visitor attractions.
Steve Campbell was the guide and organiser of the event. He is a local and knows the area very well. He is an outdoor photographer who works with brands using his in-depth local knowledge of the highlands.
We visited Donrobin Castle, stopped for coffee and Chocolate at Cocoa Mountain in Dornoch, and then headed back to Inverness for a tour of Uilebheist Distillery and Brewery.
The next day, Steve took us on a trip west to Applecross on the west coast of Scotland.
Before I returned the next day, I called in to chat and photograph Iain, who runs a hotel in Inverness City Center, with his sister. The business dates back to his great-grandfather, and I will write about its history in a subsequent post. I always love meeting up and chatting with others in the industry.
This event is like a work social: time to chat about work, learn new things, visit new places, and enjoy great company.
Heather - Fine Art Pet Photographer: www.montblancphotography.com
Steve Campbell - commercial photographer specialising in outdoor lifestyle, tourism and travel photography: www.somewheresky.com
Rob Johns - Photographer & filmmaker: www.robjohns.info
Jeff Brown - The Photographers’ Mentor & President of the BIPP: thephotographersmentor.com
How Lockdown Made Alice’s Gardening Wonderland.
I visited Alice and her fantastic garden in the heart of the Suffolk countryside. We all have one, may look after one or at least past them. Gardens are a favourite British pastime of varying sizes, shapes & types. Some of us prefer low maintenance, others can never find the time, and for some, it’s far more than just a way to spend their spare time.
Originally from the valleys of County Durham, the roots of her interest in plants goes back to when she was a teenager. She would help her father with the veg patch. There was plenty to do as he would grow duplicate and triplicate of everything, so they had a well-stocked larder. He had been through the war hungry and experienced a lack of food provisions he didn’t want his children to endure.
As a student, she missed the garden. Growing veg was an enduring childhood memory, but this would not become a passion.
Alice explained that she was genuinely interested in flowers, most likely because her mother didn’t find them interesting.
Then things changed with her move to Suffolk from South London, Alice’s parents passing away & and her daughter starting primary school, leaving her as a stay-at-home mum, not knowing how much she needed something new. Alice decided she was “Finding something for me.”
So, a call to Otley College was made to inquire about a gardening course; however, the funding was pulled before being accepted due to the financial crises. She was speaking to the receptionist about what else was on offer. Landscape design was an option, but feeling her drawing skills were not up to it, they suggested City & Guilds in Floristry. Alice completed the course and became a freelance florist. This allowed flexibility compared to being employed, and she discovered it was a therapeutic occupation. She did not know before but quickly realised it made her feel a lot better after so many recent changes in her life.
Then, one day, a friend said, “I am off to Writtle College to learn gardening.” Alice jumped on board and also attended. She “absolutely loved it”, really enjoying & soaking up the course.
The COVID-19 pandemic arrived during the course, delaying the design module & the exams.
For some, this change of events may have spelt disaster; however, it was to turn into a real boost for Alice.
Alice spent lockdown days in her greenhouse, having WhatsApp video calls with friends, and engrossed in gardening. She explains, “I didn’t get bored.” she was in her element, “I was probably the happiest person at home during the lockdowns.”
The six-month delay was the perfect opportunity to put extra time into studying for the exam.
She had to learn the Latin names of the plants, not an easy task with so many and not using the names day to day. So Alice went to work at Perrywood Garden Center, a quarter-hour drive from home.
This allowed her to learn the Latin names of the plants & was also able to pick up many of the names for the different varieties as she was reading them & talking about them every day.
Alice completed level 2 of her course and part of level 3, a success that probably would not happen without the pandemic.
Alice takes me on a tour of her garden; she explains working at Perrywood’s allows her to chat (another passion) with clients, passing on the knowledge she has picked up and learning new things from them.
Her clients are constantly bringing new challenges & knowledge with them. Alice tells me, “You know why they garden? It ticks a box deep in their soul.”
Alice shows me her current challenge (not knowing there is a new one around the corner). She insists I get a shot of the Box Blight, which has arrived as an unwelcome guest. Without treatment, the Box will die, turning brown visibly quickly. She has Box Cones along her front garden path, all with Box Blight. Treating it may clear it up, but it will come back and may only help it spread more. The best option is to replace it with an alternative, which she has in a bed on the patio at the back of the house.
You notice talking to Alice about her passion to pass on this knowledge to others, to share her experiences to help others with their garden challenges.
We walked along the front of the house to find a fig tree with leaves eaten and small woven web-like areas. This was new to her garden yet not wholly unknown to her. Just the day before, a client had contacted the garden centre to ask her about the same problem with their fig tree. At the time, she had no idea she would encounter the same issue in her garden the next day.
“I don’t think you ever know everything in gardening”, she explains, “you can’t possibly know it all.” this shows how gardening provides Alice with endless interest.
Walking through the rear garden, even in late September, you can see the love of flowers with large mature trees and many well-cared-for plants.
A river winds along one side of the garden, with a large pond in the centre; this provides further variety and challenges to work with.
The evidence of previous family fun is hidden at the end with a tree house, zip wire & rope walk. Just beyond the end of the garden is a field with cows helping to remind you you are still in rural Suffolk.
Alice warned me before I visited that plenty needed doing to the garden; I can confirm it was a wonderland of plants packed with pockets of variety and small hideaways.
Compared to my own, this was a far higher standard, but for Alice, “you never finish a garden,” and now looking to downsize, there was a new pressure to get it to the highest standard possible.
One thing was clear: wherever there is a garden, Alice would be there caring for it whilst helping others with theirs in a way we should all aspire to.
Sloightly on Th’ Huh in Elephant and Castle
skew; slant
Arriving in Elephant and Castle for the first time, I felt a little on th’ huh. It’s what we say in Suffolk when something is a skew on the slant. It may take only a few hours of travel, but it is like visiting a foreign country.
Suffolk has 520 people per square mile; with so few, you may have met them all. In the borough of Southwark, with Elephant and Castle in the North West, there are 28,000 per square mile! You would only see that many people in a mile when Ipswich town play at home.
It is evident when you arrive it is different, not just the tall buildings, transport links and the number of people but the change the area is going through now and in the past.
My destination is the London College of Communications for a photojournalist course. It’s a short walk from the tube station. A primarily grey, stereotypical-looking college complex with a tower & maze of corridors.
We are tasked with producing a photo assignment, and it has to be based in Elephant and Castle, with the tutor Terri making clear it’s got to include people and quotes. She also said the task was supposed to “push us out of our comfort zone.”
That won’t be hard; the entire place is out of my comfort zone. It was challenging when I stood outside trying to pick a story from the constant flow of people, cars, buses and construction. When you start researching the area, it doesn’t get easier. The rate of change has caused countless effects on the local community; as you dig into the past further, it becomes evident that it’s not even a modern-day issue.
Something that had been present for a long time was the church next to the college. The metropolitan tabernacle only has its original facade remaining, with its most recent incarnation from 1941 after it was bombed in World War II.
I arranged to meet Ade on a Friday lunchtime to talk to him about the church’s history and get some pictures.
Ade is the bookshop manager, a welcoming guy who grew up in northern England. He found his way to the Tab after attending a service. He explains, “We have people visit from all over the world, mostly Brazil, USA & Holland” due to the church’s previous highly influential pastor, Charles Spurgeon.
Ade explains that the bookshop serves as a way of supplying books and teaching in an accessible way. It was first started due to the lack of material available in the UK market, so they started importing material from the USA. However, it has not been immune to the modern-day changes. Even located in a Church with a thousand-strong congregation & live streaming in seven languages, “We have been trying to find our place for the last 20 years”, Ade explains. It was a leader at one time in selling books by mail order & online, but its customers have dwindled as the congregation move to competitors like Amazon.
The shop extends to the street outside on Saturdays, where a small group meet & greets passers-by to talk to them about the church. They also have a selection of books for sale.
I find Mark, Debbie & Victoria outside. Mark explains he only moved to the UK a year ago with his family from Texas in the USA. They are the only American family attending the church. He also found Elephant and Castle a very different experience from where he used to live.
I have found a story, the bookshop within the Tabernacle. I also found that my experience with Elephant & Castle is another story I am telling now.
Mona & Mark, fellow students on the course, also added to the experience as they had the challenge of creating a photo assignment. Tackling a new challenge that put them out of their comfort zone.
Elephant and Castle, at first glance, was full of people passing through on their busy days. Once you scratch the surface, it’s packed with individuals with depth & many different backgrounds.
It’s nothing short of fascinating & inspiring.