Diversifying in to video.

Worcester BID promotional video / Jubilee

The last few years I have had video in the back of my mind , and now its become more paramount than ever that it is something I need to tackle. This isn’t something that I decided on lightly as there are many other videographers out there who solely do video and specialise in this field. I am not taking anything away from what they do or watering it down either. I feel its a progression for me and goes hand in hand with photography on many levels. With in most cases I can utilise this media to help businesses and add to my work with small promotional clips which can be easily delivered within a small time frame like my other work.

Worcester BID which I already cover needed a new video to tie in with imagery I had done on this new project. I took the task on and worked with local artists from Design Religion who had developed the art for the commission .

Using my new video rig (R5 Canon) and utilising Adobe Premiere to edit and splice made the job seamless. Keeping the video to under 1 minute so it fits inline with Instagram also gives a uniform cross platform usage and transparency. Enabling the user to share across multiple platforms with ease, also rendering the end product in 4K and HD gives a wider range of options when uploading .

I have now added this to the pricing on my website for business use only and look forward to this new chapter.

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.

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!

Emma and Jamie pre Wedding shoot

So the other day was my first Pre Wedding shoot of the year, and what a great one it was. Located at Springhill Barn Pershore just created a flawless backdrop for Emma and Jamie to be captured against. I had not seen the couple in a few months since meeting up to discuss their big day, but it was like meeting old friends. Such a personable pair and joyous in their approach to D Day and the pre Wedding shoot. We went over the venue and timings but the best thing by far was the general chit chat. 

I think it is so important to have a connection with every couple I shoot and even if you don't have common ground and lets be fair we are all strangers until we speak! Its paramount to myself that I put everyone I work with at ease. Jamie and Emma are a fun couple to be around and have plenty to talk about (in a good way) . 

Prior to the couple arriving I did a walk round with the owner of the venue , the grounds were amazing with their own lake and well established farm and landscaped gardens. There was no shortage of shoot locations and I had more hassle deciding which we should do first (more so to save my legs). 

After our meeting we made our way to the gardens which sit behind the venue , in actual fact it is the front of the premise (you get my drift). With the sun shining and a gentle breeze we made our way round picking out spots . They had a beautiful rustic greenhouse attached to the main farm house which gave some sun flared shots inside and then using the glass as a backdrop to the couple just gave another dimension to the images. We took some time walking across from here to the lake side and whilst Jamie didn't like the thought of skipping I still managed to get them both smiling walking hand in hand. The lake its self was vast, flat and a royal blue. Grand is what we like! In the calm lake sat a beautiful worn boat. I was asked by Emma "are we getting in that" I nodded quite stiffly (although looking at the structure a risk assessment should have come first). I happily jumped into the boat to confirm it could hold weight, thinking afterwards maybe that could be the final bit which broke the camels back as they moved into the slightly weakened boat. It was fine a bit of shifting about and Jamie trying to rock to see if he could scare his soon to be wife settled the moment . 

Moving on we used the trees for shade and took some beautiful close up shots of them both embracing, and some key pictures capturing the love for one another. 

We finished off back at the farm house where in one of the hay barns there was a shaft of light coming through. This was not to be missed as the sun had been playing hide and seek all day. The final shot and my favourite was here, back lit with the sun coming through Emma's hair and lighting the profile of Jamie smiling . What a great first pre Wedding shoot and many more to come this year.

Adam Hoskins