The World's Strongest Man

A booking this week at a Charity Auction attended by Geoff Capes, twice winner of "The World's Strongest Man" competition, and a former Olympic Shot Putter. The auction was organised by The West Midlands Show, and I was kept busy taking photos of the event itself and of guests wanting to be photographed with Mr. Capes.
The lots being auctioned ranged from Easter Eggs for local children to signed England football shirts, Kylie Memorabilia and dinner at Gordon Ramsey's restaurant, which eventually went for well over £1000.00

I've had a number of calls from people wanting home shoots. This is popular where young children are involved and the thought of getting them ready, putting them in the car and driving across town to a studio just doesn't appeal. No problem - I'll bring the studio to you!

I'm happy to attend anywhere within reasonable distance, set up studio lights and backdrop and charge only for prints which are chosen from a sheet of thumbnail prints supplied a few days after the shoot.

This week's star was undoubtably this little charmer, who made my job relatively easy by smiling non stop for the whole of the time I was in attendance. Those photographers that shy away from kids (too much trouble, a nightmare etc etc) are missing out on the sheer joy of capturing a shot like this and then presenting it to her delighted parents. Call me on 07855 741368 if this service is of interest.

I finished the week with another equestrian show, this time at Rodbaston College in Penkridge. Facilities here are excellent, there is an indoor ring and covered warm up facilities as well as a Cafeteria with an impressive menu. We stayed for the morning pony show and did brisk business selling shots from the showjumping at £10.00 each. See the website for shots from the event.

BUCS, Balls and a Fashion Shoot

A varied week saw me covering the British Universities and College Sports Championships in Sheffield, 2 Charity Balls and a Fashion Shoot in Shrewsbury.

BUCS Championships, Sheffield

The British Universities and College Sports Championships is held annually in Sheffield. A total of 24 sports take place over 4 days, and I covered Hockey, Lacrosse and Football. There's a terrific atmosphere at these games which are well supported by non competitiors - most of the games are finals, the culmination of a seasons games leading up to one deciding match, so there are joys and sorrows on display - the photographer's job is to try and capture these moments as well as the usual action shots.

There's a selection of photos from the games on my website - look under "Sport"

Two Charity Balls

I've attended 2 Charity Balls this week - The Mayor of Stafford's Brittania Ball at The County Showground on Friday and Wellington Town Council Ball at The Buckatree Hall Hotel on Saturday. The Stafford Ball was a very grand affair, with a "who's who" of Staffordshire folk in attendance. Due to the sheer numbers at the event I was unable to set up any lights or backdrop, but instead had to rely on "on camera" flash and a conveniently lit water feature as a backdrop. My youngest son David assisted ably, and we had an enjoyable and successful evening. Thanks to all those that helped us and bought photos.

Wellinton Town Council's Ball was on a smaller scale but no less impressive for that. A brass band entertained the guests during dinner and an excellent vocalist by the name of Ricky Jones took to the mike later and proved the old showbiz adage that "the show must go on" by completing his act despite a heavy cold. Thanks go to the staff of the Buckatree Hall Hotel and all those that had their photo's taken.

Photos from both evenings will be available via the website shortly.

Fashion Shoot - Elizabeth's Bridal and Evening Wear, Shrewsbury

Sunday morning took me to Elizabeth's Bridal and Evening Wear in Shrewsbury where I'd been asked to provide 2 models for a fashion shoot to showcase this season's range of evening wear. Emma and Michelle spent the morning modelling some spectacular dresses, all of which are currently in stock. Call Elizabeth or Terry on 01743 366 477 if you're interested.

Networking, Passports and a Charity Ball

NETWORKING

Networking is said to be one of the most powerful tools for growing your business. The more people you know, the more the word can be spread about the service you offer, and as a referral is always better than an advertisement, networking cannot be ignored.
There are numerous networking groups around the county, and having tried a few I've decided to join INC and Business Friends. Both groups meet fortnightly in local hotels, and the meeting consists of each member giving a one or two minute summary of their business and the services it provides. A more in depth 10 minute presentation is then given by one member per meeting, and the rest of the time is spent "Networking" - talking to other businesses about what they can offer you and vice versa. The meeting last no more than 90 minutes and are usually held at breakfast time in order not to interfere too much with the working day.

NO SMILING ALLOWED!

Passport Photos may not seem to be a particularly lucrative or attractive area for a professional photographer to be involved in, but this is often not the case. The technical requirements for passport photos are now more demanding than ever before - there are strict guidelines covering facial expressions, size of image, background colour etc. Most people get by with the kiosks you see dotted around the town, but for young children and senior citizens these are not always an option. Youngsters are often unable to sit on their own for a photo (sitting on Mom's lap is NOT allowed!) and the elderly or infirm may not be able to make it to the local kiosk. On a number of occasions recently I have attended peoples homes, taken passport photos and delivered them a day or so later - all within specification, and no need to leave the house! Let me know if this service is of interest.

NEWPORT ROUND TABLE CHARITY BALL

Saturday night took me to the Holiday Inn Telford, where Newport Round Table held a Charity Ball. I was kept busy for most of the evening and met some great people. There was a marvellous atmosphere at the event, everybody clearly having a good time, and importantly for me, buying their photos. Once I've taken and printed photos at these events there's no obligation for the guests to buy them, so quality control, both in photography, printing and mounting is paramount, otherwise I'd be in trouble. Saturday was fine - sold more than I'd anticipated, and I've posted a few examples on my website (click on "Events") for those that didn't have time to buy on the night.

Focus at the NEC

Last week I visited "Focus on Imaging" at the NEC. This is the industries major exhibition of the year, and all the major players were out in force.

Whilst there I decided that as only the best is good enough that I'll be using Queensberry albums for all weddings that I shoot from now on. They are based in New Zealand and widely regaded as the best - the quality is out of this world, and given the cost of even a modest wedding these days it seems a shame to display the photographs in anything but the best album.

I also attended David Oliver's seminars on wedding photography. He's a hugely successful Australian photographer, and it's interesting to see how everybody has different opinions on everything. Until recently he shot everything on a small Leica (with FILM!) and has only just been converted to digital via the low light capability of the Nikon X3. I make a point of attending these type of seminars on a regular basis, as you're never too old to learn something new, and if you only take one new thing away with you it's been worthwhile.

I've been to Bromyard Equestrian Centre this week for another showjumping event, and was very impressed wtht the facilities there. I started equestrian photography last summer, and there's more to it than meets the eye. The competitors want certain shots with the horse in certain positions depending on the event. I sold twice as many dressage photos once I'd learnt the 2 or 3 "poses" that were popular with riders and owners, and this type shot goes down particularly well with showjumpers:

I'll be at Rodbaston College Unaffiliated Showjumping on 22nd March.

And finally, a thought for the week: Why is it that the people of Dubai don't appreciate The Flintstones, but the people of Abu Dhabi do?