The Documentary Photographer

There’s nothing like the sensation of a pig chewing on your boot, though there are worse things. Like the sensation of a pig chewing on your kneecap.

A few days ago, I was back at the Ummera smokery to shoot some more work for my long-term project there.

Anthony gave me his usual warm welcome and showed me the chicken breasts that were in the smoker. The smell was just divine.

He imports the oak he uses from Germany, where he is able to source wood grown in a sustainable fashion that comes with all the right paperwork.

Smoldering oak shavings in a drawer of Ummera's smoker. (c) Roger Overall 2010

After a look at the smoker, we went for a wander to find Ummera’s two new pigs: Velma and Daphne, named after the two girls in Scooby Doo. In a few months’ time, they’ll be on the shelves at finer food outlets through Co. Cork.

While one of the pigs was quite docile, the other took an instant dislike to me. She started gnawing on my knee, having failed to push me to the ground to get at the softer areas around my throat.

Okay, I exaggerate. It wasn’t quite a tussle to the death. Nonetheless, you wouldn’t want to meet a gang of pigs when they’re in that kind of mood.

Maybe I shouldn’t have ordered a pack of bacon in front of them.

Daphne, or Velma, charges from her lair. (c) Roger Overall 2010

Enter at your peril. Actually, I think this is the cuddly one. (c) Roger Overall 2010

Yesterday something quite wonderful happened.

Out of the blue, Trish of A Touch of Magic rang up, found my house and delivered a chocolate cake.

For those of you who don’t know Trish, which is presumably most of you, all I can say is this: there are parts of the sun with less energy and less warmth than this lady.

It was the culmination of a good day during which lots of little things went my way.

And the sun shone.

A Touch of Magic - tasty too. (c) Roger Overall 2010

Last week I wrote about how I am regularly approached to give my work to others in return for nothing. And about how this is usually presented to me as a wonderful business opportunity by the person requesting photographs.

I couldn’t have been clearer on the subject.

I. Don’t. Do. Free. Photography.

…

Except when I do free photography.

Of course I do. And not just for charity either. I will, and do, shoot for free for businesses.

If a company does something that really interests me, and the photographs benefit my portfolio, I’ll offer photographs in return for access. That’s the deal that I have with Ummera Smoked Products.

Or if I owe someone a favour – a really big favour – I’ll offer free photography as a thank you.

Take Margaret Smith of Um Num Num. Margaret is the wife of Alec Smith, a BNI buddy of mine. When the call went out to my BNI chapter for help with Help Portrait Cork 2009, Margaret was one of the people who stepped up to the plate big time. She helped run the event on the day.

So when she asked for advice about getting photographs done for her fledgling business, the deal was quickly done. Importantly, she was just asking advice – at no point did she suggest I do anything for free. She’s not that kind of person.

Besides, in the end, I did get some return for my work. Literally, in this case free photography put food on the table.

I also got some nice stuff for my food portfolio.

Some samples below, all photographed on location in Margaret’s dining room by available light with the odd bit of silver reflection thrown in.

(c) Roger Overall 2010

(c) Roger Overall 2010

(c) Roger Overall 2010

(c) Roger Overall 2010

Everyone knows that photographers and their families get all the nourishment they need from the air they breathe. They do not need to eat or drink like other people.

Nor do they have to make mortgage payments. Banks generally give them their houses for free.

In fact, they never have any bills to pay. Ever.

It’s great!

At least, it would be if it were true.

Yet somehow a lot of people see the world this way. None of them photographers, mind.

How else to account for the large number of requests we get for free pictures?

And nearly always we’re told that giving free photography will benefit our business. The classic one is that the picture  is for newspaper use and that it will appear with a byline – free advertising!

Rubbish. Bylines are often omitted and even if they aren’t, they are useless. Do this quick test: Without looking, who is the most published photographer your daily newspaper? The paper you read everyday.

Most people can’t answer this. Most people can’t name a single photographer from their daily paper. Nobody reads picture credits, except for photographers and their mums.

Yet a single mention is going to propel me to fame?

At the recent BNI Big Breakfast, a number of people came up to me for free photographs of themselves at the event and gave exactly that reason.

It’s insulting.

So how should people ask and make it an attractive proposition?

Offer something tangible in return. Ideally money, but how about this:

“Hi, I see you’re taking photographs. I’d love to get one to use for some self-promotion, but I’d like to give you something in return before you do. Where do you get most of your business from and which of my business contacts could I introduce you to with a personal recommendation? Let’s meet for coffee and I’ll bring my contacts book along for you to look at.”

Now, there’s a proposition. And it’s applicable to any business. Importantly, it gives proper balance to the proposal. Reciprocity is key to any healthy business relationship.

Or, in my case, I will shoot for cupcakes.

A shot from a recent shoot I did for Margaret Smith of Um Num Num. A box of cakes came home with me. More on this shoot soon. (c) Roger Overall 2010

Twitter is a great thing. It has helped me forge new friendships.

Anthony Creswell (@ummera), who owns the Ummera smokery, is one of my new Twitter friends (twends?). That’s not to say we haven’t met face-to-face. Quite the opposite. For a while there we were turning up at the same events and venues throughout Cork city so regularly, Anthony must have thought I was stalking him.

One of the reasons I started following Anthony on Twitter, and eventually looked for a personal introduction to him through my BNI network, was the quality of his salmon, which is quite breathtaking. Anne and I first tasted it after buying some on our way to a holiday cottage in West Cork last June. I can barely stand to eat anything of lesser quality since.

With me, if I like something enough I often want to photograph it in some way. Anthony was more than happy for me to visit the smokery, but an overloaded pre-Christmas diary meant the project was shelved until now.

This morning I was finally able to to negotiate the potholes … craters … look, as an aside, did somebody carpet bomb the Innishannon-Bandon road, or what?

Sorry … where was I?

Ummera, yes.

You cannot imagine a more gracious host than Anthony. He gave me a tour of the smokery, took time to chat about his life and the business over coffee, let me loose with my cameras, and then treated me to a fabulous lunch at his house.

Into the bargain, he’s agreed to let me turn Ummera into a longer-term personal project. I shall return.

Here are some faves from today, along with commentary:

Outside the smokery is a copse, which houses a series of ponds that make up a filtration system for the waste water produced on site. (c) Roger Overall 2010

Frog spawn in one of seven pools that make up the smokery's natural filtration system. (c) RogerOverall 2010

Another of the filtration pools. (c) Roger Overall 2010

The three photographs shown above help place the smokery in its environment and establish a link with nature, which is important given Ummera’s strict organic principles.

Another detail shot that is equally important to the story is this one:

The sharp end of the business. (c) Roger Overall 2010

Finally, a picture that shows the two most important components of the story: the product and the people who make it:

The salmon is so delicate it's translucent in the right light. Tastes damn good as well. In case you're wondering, this is pretty much how the file came out of the camera. (c) Roger Overall 2010

Sitting in the living room watching “The Making of UP” with my daughter. She’s booked in to see the film at the cinema this coming weekend. She can’t wait. Nor can I.

I’m reflecting on the last few days, all taken up with marketing and cup cakes.

First up was the BNI national conference here in Ireland. There were some phenomenal speakers and excellent networking opportunities. And the positivity was off the chart.

Mind you, it’s hard to be glum when you watch Dinah Liversidge walk on the stage, having just been told she spent 12 years in a wheel chair following a serious car accident in her early 20s. It’s even harder to be down when you here her talk about the time Virgin destroyed her electric wheelchair during a flight. It’s a remarkably uplifting story, best told by her so let’s just say that Virgin, and Richard Branson in particular, come out of it well.

Among the other great speakers were Frank de Raffele (who gave a superbly motivating and useful talk on the state of the economy, the future, and what happened when he took his daughter to see Cinderalla at Disneyland) and Iain Whyte (who last year rode a motorbike across the US – in a kilt).

From a personal point of view, the conference was great. I have confidence in 2010 thanks to some great contacts, which will help me build on some solid planning – provided I actually do the planning.

The general demeanour around the wedding fair in Cork that followed over the weekend was much less upbeat – in some quarters anyway. Looks like the wedding business is in for a rough ride in 2010 here in Ireland. This has been apparent among photographers for a while now. Everyone seems to be running at around 50% of where they were last year in terms of bookings.

My own thinking is that those photographers who can show a distinct style and offer unique products will ride out the storm. The casualties will be among the large group of wedding shooters who are pretty much producing carbon copy photographs in exactly the same albums as everyone else. The only way for them to differentiate is on price, and that’s a losing proposition for everybody – brides and grooms included.

Wedding photographers could learn a lot from the cake makers at the show. You’ve never met a more positive crowd (outside a BNI meeting, that is). Must be all the sugar or something. They seem to get on well with each other too, even sharing show stands, and are able to set themselves apart from one another by offering cakes that are unique to them.

They’re a generous lot too. We got a bunch of cup cakes to take away at the end of the show.

Chocoate cup cake from Karina's Cakes - (c) Roger Overall 2009

Butterfly cup cake from Flourishing Cakes - (c) Roger Overall 2009

They were gleefully received at home, I can tell you:

Vanishing cup cake - (c) Roger Overall 2009

My main take away from the last few days is this: be unique, plan and believe.