Coming out of covid guns blazing

The past two years have been chaos for many reasons and some being more so than other’s. I do not need to go over the covid pandemic as that has been reported enough through the media countless times. On the bright side I have been busy doing more commercial work and also recovering from throat cancer. To say it has been a trying time is an understatement, family and friends have felt the brunt of my diagnosis. Finding out in July 2021 was a shock, also being told I had to have three operations prior to treatment was not something I had envisaged either. Luckily I only had two of the three operations due to the final one being a choice.

Role on to November 2021 and six weeks of radiotherapy and two lots of chemotherapy. The radio was not to bad but the chemo knocked me about somewhat , 6 weeks later and 4 stone lighter I was a shell of a former self that’s for sure. I won’t go into the in’s and out’s of it but 15 weeks I couldn’t eat solid food and was on a purely liquid based diet. It didn’t matter two much because after two weeks of radiotherapy I couldn’t taste a thing anyway. Who would have thought you’d miss tasting and eating so much especially now I can eat slightly the taste has still not returned. It makes eating a chore at best.

So what have I gained from this unwanted insight into cancer and treatment? How has it affected my business? Has it changed me view on things? Yes and no is the answer , in many forms it has made me more driven with my passion. Appreciating the smaller things not so much as I feel I already was a very humble and grateful individual. Yes it has affected my business but only in monetary value not as a creative, if anything it has made me knuckle down even harder on commercial work and in the process has enjambed me to get an agent.

I am a great believer in every cloud has a silver lining , I’ve lost 4 stone so my sports training has become significantly easier. My business is stronger than ever and another website is to be launched very soon showcasing high end commercial work as below .

I have so much looking forward and the photography business is expanding quickly , my investments into new Broncolor lighting has paid itself back already. Investing in your gear especially lighting can make a massive difference to work flow and colour accuracy. I’m finally showing what can be achieved and to the right audience , editing isn’t the be all and end all but to the larger SME’s it is paramount imagery is refined for e-commerce and editorials.

Completing work for Cadbury is just the start of an new chapter, a new direction and drive.

Weddings this year

Well after clearing my back log of work I'm back to the most enjoyable thing, Shooting more pictures. I've had some great venues this year so far. Springhill Barns Pershore for Jamie and Emma's wedding was an absolute delight. The venue itself is over acres of established gardens and a lake. With a manor house tying the out buildings together and then the niche little areas making perfect locations to use for couples, pictures don't do it justice. What makes this a special place to work at is that they only take limited bookings every year. This translates into being booked up till 2020. So if you are planning your wedding and want it here then get booking because the chances are you will have a prolonged engagement. The farm is based at the rear of the manor house and has plenty of scope for photo opportunities . With rustic barns and sheds and numerous of dilapidated doors you can't go wrong. At the side of the main house is a lengthy greenhouse and a tennis court which sprawls out towards the lake. The garden goes from formed recesses lovingly tended to , to wild flowers and small nature reserves dotted around. 

Taking Emma and Jamie around the lake was an absolute breeze, we had perfect sun diffused by thankful clouds and the gentle lapping of the lake. The lake has bucketfuls of reeds and grasses blending into the banks which gives a great contrast to the images I took. After a slow walk round we made our way back to the house and used the gardens to use as some foreground interest and sat Emma just beyond this. The sun gleamed over the tops of the conifers and gave a beautiful sun flare to the images. From here we went to the tennis courts which is where the net had seen better days, (i love anything old school though)  but this just added to the feel of the images. This was such a compliment to Emma's dress and Jamie's attire. Both looked so relaxed and comfortable ,  and effortlessly held each other and made the time seamless.

I really had such a great day here, and with Emma and Jamie's family and friends made me feel welcome and most of all smiled when the camera caught them. This is why I feel so grateful for any booking I take for anybody's Wedding, its one of the most special days you will ever have in your lifetime. To be booked to capture a beautiful day and a couple which outwardly show their love for each other is a blessing.

Adam Hoskins

Creative business images

So a couple of weeks ago I had a business meeting with "Professional call minders". They brought me into discuss a direction with there new web site and the images which would be best suited. The concept was to stand out from the crowd, and I know everyone says that but in this case we did exactly what it said on the tin. As you can imagine from the type of business "call minders" you would expect it to be a very formal site with links to needs of large companies who need that extra level of catering for their growing customer clientele . Yes and No in the bigger sense! Luckily they did not want the generic images of staff with head sets on and smiling whilst talking to members of staff around the office. 

When PCM gave me a preview of their new website and the layout you could see how the imagery could paint another standard view of yet another growing company. Yet Clare who I dealt with on the subject matter had a clear vision in that they wanted an earthy wholesome feel to the headings and background pictures. The images still needed to showcase the work at a professional level but easy to navigate and ideally a feeling for the staff and personal service they give. We went over each heading and additional images for social media plus fill in work for future use. Clare gave me what they had come up with for their list and I sat and nurtured the idea and expanded on each item. 

By the end of the meeting we had some firm ideas for the future booking and clear direction. In total the hours meeting had been great for both parties, it gave me some head room to push for concepts which I felt could give a dynamic feel, but also a friendly and go to company for anyone searching through their website. 

I firmly believe in this day and age of the market place being swamped by many companies,  whether its your website or shop front, imagery is paramount. Of course there are other variables which make the difference and set you apart (social media presence, branding, advertisement). But imagery is what people normally see first and this can make or break that initial first click. With the above company they want to have a different look and feel rather than a standard run of the mill site which is duplicated across many other businesses. I know that if someone is looking for a Call minder, and come across their website that the possible client will have a more interesting interaction than any other website. The images are easy to relate to and show values which everyone has an affinity with, you know as a customer you buy products for many reasons (likeability , branding, values, ethics, personable) and the list goes on. If you have a connection with even one image you are more likely to advance and see through the rest of the offerings.

So you can check the images on my front page and see the final outcome , it was a great afternoon at a superb location. The main thing is , is that the sun was out!