07/26/10

Beyond the Horizon

I’m at a very interesting place in my career. I’m no longer at a crossroads. In fact, there never was a crossroads. It was an illusion. With the help of some very inspirational people I’ve come to understand that even the road-less-traveled is far too mundane. The road-that-wasn’t-even-there-until-you-came-along is the one to be on.

This has given my business outlook a remarkable boost. Firstly, I’m developing new products and services unique to me. More about those as they come to fruition.

Secondly, it’s changed the way I view clients and how I approach potential business. I’d like to share a little of that with you here.

Scones being loaded onto trays at a bakery

The photograph above was taken as part of a trial shoot for a bakery here in Ireland. They have a lot of work for a photographer and I had been recommended. More or less, the business was there for the taking. However, I wasn’t sure that my style of photography was what the company was looking for. So I suggested a trial shoot.

The trial shoot, which cost the client nothing, would give them a good idea of how my style would translate their business into photographs, and at the same time give me a feel of how well we’d work together.

Why bother doing a trial shoot? Why not just take the money?

I deliver my best work when I collaborate with people who want to work with me. I already have this approach to the wedding side of my business. I am very open with potential bridal clients about what it is that I do, and how I approach a wedding. In the past six months, I have turned down at least half-a-dozen wedding enquiries, either on the phone or at face-to-face meetings. In these instances, I have been able to direct couples to photographers better suited to their needs and their tastes.

This transfers to the corporate environment as well. In fact, in this arena I hold a better hand. I can’t simply approach brides on the street. All I can do is make the market aware of my existence and hope I reach the right kind of couple. In the commercial sector, I can pick companies I’d like to work for and approach them with a proposal. My last two commercial shoots (one a medium-term documentary project, the other documentary shots for the packaging of a new product) were won this way.

As a result, my role as a photographer and my work is being valued. There is a real connect between me and the client, and between my work and their marketing goals. The respect I’ve been shown as a consequence has been wonderful. As a for instance, I’ve been kept in the loop about how my work is being used on the new product packaging. How great is that?

I want more of this (who wouldn’t?) and have a list of companies and individuals I want to approach with proposals, all of which excite me. At the moment I’m laying the foundations for what I hope will be some very interesting discussions in the closing part of 2010 and into the future. Some of these will lead to dream assignments with dream clients.

That is what I hope for beyond the horizon: assignments for clients for whom I am a perfect fit.

And the bakery?

Well, I have to hold my hand up. I called it wrong in a previous version of this post. I had taken a three-week silence to mean the match between us wasn’t meant to be. This afternoon, however, I received a very enthusiastic email concerning the trial photography.

07/5/10

Anatomy Of A Wedding Day #2

After the 2010 National Photographic Awards, I made a bold statement. I wouldn’t be entering any more photographs of children. It is too easy to score well that way.

I’m now somewhat regretting that pronouncement. Well, part of me is. The lazy part. This is by far the bigger part of me, so it gets a lot of airtime in my head.

There is a panel of four photographs from this wedding alone that would make a very decent stand at the national awards. Each photograph shows the same little girl.

My lazy voice notwithstanding, none of her photographs will go to the awards. This year, I want to concentrate on the bride and groom. It is their day after all, and I want to show that in my awards entries.

At least, here in Ireland…

These photographs are from a wedding I covered in May. Superb, warm, loving couple.

The bride's family are big greyhound enthusiasts and this scene-setter at the house in the morning helps tell that bit of the story. I was helped by some people coming out of the house to greet me over on my right, which distracted the dog for a second. It's the mimic of the head direction that makes this work. (c) Roger Overall 2010

Flower girls playing at a wedding in Cork, Ireland

Flower girls are an endless source of great photographs. Rarely do they do as they are told. Boredom prevents them from doing so. And they often escape into their own world of play when they can. This was captured just before the ceremony, after the girls had marched dutifully for the third time down the aisle to prove they knew what would be required of them. (c) Roger Overall 2010

Flower girl crying at a wedding in Cork, Ireland

What can I say? Pure genius by the little girl. Talk about scene stealing. This was taken with a 135mm lens - a rarity. (c) Roger Overall 2010

Dancing flower girl at a wedding in Cork, Ireland

When you're bored, you're bored - so you make your own entertainment. Everyone else was busy with the signing of the register. (c) Roger Overall 2010

Veils, wind. It's a familiar story. The bride's wonderful warmth here adds dynamism to the photograph as well. In terms of photography, it was a case of looking for the expression. The veil is an added bonus. Documentary photography for me is about emotion first. Any additional occurrences are extras I take gladly, but you need to lay the foundation first by looking for the emotion. (c) Roger Overall 2010

I love the tenderness here. (c) Roger Overall 2010

Old men talking at a wedding reception in Co. Kerry, Ireland

The older guests at weddings are often overlooked by photographers. In a way it's understandable. They are often there at the parents' request. While I do try to concentrate on the younger guests, I like to keep an eye out for older guest interaction. They could be a favourite great uncle, after all. (c) Roger Overall 2010

A couple on their wedding day at their reception venue in Co. Kerry, Ireland

Two worlds exist beside each other - one of my favourite themes. (c) Roger Overall 2010

A boy does acrobatics for a bride and groom at their reception, Co. Kerry, Ireland

Children and sugar. 'Nuff said. From a photographic perspective, this was something of a grab shot, as the boy announced what he was going to do and then did it before the words had fully left his mouth. (c) Roger Overall 2010

Flower girl and groom talk at the dinner table during a wedding reception in Co. Kerry, Ireland

And here she is again. This time in discussion with the groom. I like the way that her hand gesture is mirrored to some extent by that of the groom's mother in blue. I've tried this picture cropped tighter to exclude the window highlights at the top and the two men at the far end. The crop makes the picture claustrophobic; leaving it uncropped keeps the context and depth. (c) Roger Overall 2010

The couple's parents share a joke at dinner, Co. Kerry, Ireland

The parents are often the forgotten players on the wedding day of their children, so I try hard not to. I love this interaction between the bride's mum and the groom's dad. (c) Roger Overall 2010

This is all about the ring. I was able to get quite close with a 50mm lens without the couple noticing me. Until the shutter clicked. Taken on a Canon 1DS Mrk II - a camera whose shutter lives up to the brand name. I sometimes wonder whether I should wear earplugs. (c) Roger Overall 2010

Getting an interesting shot of the cutting of the cake can be hard. So I leave it to someone else - as shown here. (c) Roger Overall 2010

A groom address his bride during the wedding speeches, Co. Kerry, Ireland

I love the look on the bride's face. It conveys so much. Photography of the speeches is all about reactions to what is being said. Usually, you get a couple of outstanding speakers at Irish weddings, and there are lots of great expressions. Rich pickings for a documentary photographer. (c) Roger Overall 2010

06/14/10

Anatomy Of A Wedding Day #1

I’d made a commitment before to publish more work with annotations. I kinda let that slide. I’m going to be a bit more disciplined about it from now on. Here’s a wedding that I photographed a couple of weeks ago at Ballyseede Castle in Co. Kerry with some information about how I came to take them.

Bride and her dress reflected in a mirror

I do like reflections. Being able to show the bride from a couple of sides shows the dress in all its elegance. I had a couple of decisions to make in terms of cropping. Firstly, on the far right-hand side, I could have cut out the window, ending the picture on that side with the dark wood of the poster bed. Instead I elected to show the window to give a sense of depth beyond the picture confines. If you put your hand over the window, the picture becomes more enclosed and claustrophobic. Secondly, I could have cropped out the light at the top on the right. Left in, it is a distraction. Left out, the room loses some of its character. I'll often favour detail and context over cropping. (c) Roger Overall 2010

I get more joy from anticipated rather than grabbed photographs - even if it is a fairly simple one like this. In this instance, there was always a chance that the bride wouldn't be the first out of the room. The bride's movement gives her an almost ghost-like appearance. Added to that is the contemplative look on her face that helps make the photograph. (c) Roger Overall 2010

This is most likely my favourite photograph of the year so far - and I'll admit there was a bit of luck involved. On her way down to her parents and family from her hotel room, the bride paused and looked out of the window. I almost missed it. I had gone ahead of the bride and was halfway down the stairs when I looked back. I saw her looking out of the window and climbed the stairs quickly and got a single frame. At the time, it was the lighting and pose that caught my eye. I hadn't even noticed the bust. Without the bust, the photograph would have been nice - nothing more. The bust, though, makes the picture. It brings balance and a gentle humour that lift the photograph above the ordinary. (c) Roger Overall 2010

The church in Fossa, Co. Kerry, is a modern structure and particularly striking. If the sun came out, I knew it would catch the bride and illuminate her dress and veil. Having settled on a composition, I marked a spot with a stone and went round the corner to photograph the bride arriving in the car park. Then I ran back to the stone and waited. Fortune smiled on me. The sun appeared. Also the bride and her father are distinct, rather than hidden in a crowd of people, which often happens. (c) Roger Overall 2010

A bride just before she enters Fossa chruch Kerry

Another favourite from the year so far, even though it is heavily flawed. A moment of serenity before the bride enters the church. Here the reflection is more than simply duplication. It shows more than "the real world" which you can see on the right of the photograph. Not only can you see her bouquet, which would otherwise be hidden behind the bridesmaid. It helps offset the photograph's flaw: the head of the person who stood in front of me to get a better view of the bride just as I was taking the shot. Without the head, this is a picture I would consider entering for awards. (c) Roger Overall 2010

Bride and father walking downt the Fossa church aisle

Similar to the one above, this photograph tells the story of a key moment in the day. The groom's first glimpse of his bride. I pre-focused on the doorway and knew that the bride and her father would briefly be in some light. Sometimes the groom will look, sometimes he doesn't. It's nice when they do from a photographic point of view. (c) Roger Overall 2010

A bride smiles at a guest on her wedding day in Kerry

Unlike the photograph above, this one isn't hindered by the head in front of the bride. For me, it adds to the sense of intimacy and the sense of people around the bride. Also, you don't need to see the other half of her face to know her emotion. I also like the gentle look on the groom's face. He seems contented and relaxed. Finding a good vantage point to photograph the receiving line can be a challenge. The difficulty here was that the groom was standing in the doorway on a bright sunny afternoon. Exposing for the inside of the church meant losing all of the detail outside, along with parts of the groom on occasion as well. (c) Roger Overall 2010

This photograph is all about the interaction and the light. There is so much going on in both regards. The window is casting different light on everyone. Combined with the range of interactions, this makes for a captivating image. (c) Roger Overall 2010

The couple on their way to dinner at Ballyseede Castle in Co. Kerry. I'd seen the potential for a photograph earlier and waited for them to appear. I'd have preferred them a little further forward, but then the light coming in from the window on the left wouldn't have illuminated them half as well. Documentary photography often involves compromises. (c) Roger Overall 2010

06/11/10

Focus on Friday – Peter Cox

Unlike the previous Focus on Friday photographers, I’ve actually met Peter Cox. Several times, in fact.

You might ask why, apart from being a good friend, I’ve selected a landscape photographer to appear on a blog given over mostly to documentary photography.

Simple really. Who says documentary photography has to include people? To my mind, landscape photography is about documenting the natural environment around us. It records the world we live it and often reveals its breathtaking, heart-stopping beauty.

A volcano by Peter Cox. Actually, if you live in Europe, it's THE volcano. You know the one. (c) Peter Cox 2010

What appeals to me about a lot of Peter’s work is the immediacy that I feel looking at it. It’s almost as if there’s nothing between me and the scene. I could almost step into the photograph because it feels so real. That’s a hard thing to do.

Peter is also very good at spotting remarkable things where to the untrained eye they simply don’t exist. Take the picture on the left below. I think it’s genius. The swirl is only revealed thanks to a longish shutter time. In real time, it wouldn’t have such an impact. In the photograph, it does – something Peter pre-visualized.

Two of my favourite Peter Cox photographs. (c) Peter Cox

That in itself raises an interesting question. If a photograph can only show something by virtue of a long exposure that produces an image the naked eye can’t see, is it truly documentary? I would argue that it is. It reveals the world to us in a way we hadn’t perceived. It illuminates. The longish shutter speed helps to describe the swirl (which by the way is a magnificent contrast to the static rock in the background) that we otherwise wouldn’t see. It helps tell the story of the pool of water and of the landscape. And telling stories what documentary photography is all about.

That particular photograph tells another story. Look at the layers in the rock. How many centuries did it take to create them? And how many more for water and wind to erode the rock to its current state?

The final photograph here is another favourite. The Dark Hedges in Co. Antrim. They look as if they were designed by Tolkien. What I love in particular is the way Peter has revealed the structure and form of the branches. There is almost a motion to them. That takes craft.

06/3/10

A Shift?

I don’t do colour wedding photography. Not much anyway. That’s what I tell everyone. Pigs’ll fly before I shoot lots of colour.

Thing is, is that really true?

Looking at some of my latest work, I have to ask whether I’m experiencing a shift.

Take these photographs from a recent wedding, for instance. It was only after I’d uploaded them on to the blog (originally with the intention of running them without text) that I realized half of them were colour pictures.

Is it a blip? Or the start of a bigger development in my shooting style? Should I even care?

Maybe not. But in light of what I’ve said about colour photography in the past, all I can say is that if you are a pig farmer you’d better go and check your livestock are still on the ground.

Wedding guest at the bride's house, Co. Cork, Ireland

Wedding photography of a bride getting ready on her wedding day, Co. Cork, Ireland

: (c) Roger Overall 2010

Flowers at a church in Co. Cork on a wedding day.

Father of the groom on his son's wedding day, Co. Cork, Ireland

Bride arrives at Coomhola church, Co. Cork, Ireland on her wedding day

Bride and groom lighting a candle on their wedding day, Co. Cork, Ireland

Priest forgets the bride's name during her wedding ceremony, Co. Cork, Ireland

Bride being kissed by a guest on the receiving line on her wedding day, Co. Cork, Ireland

Little girl watches champagne being poured at a wedding reception, Co. Cork, Ireland

Little boy at a wedding reception, Co. Cork, Ireland

Guests laughing at a wedding reception in Bantry, Co. Cork, Ireland

A bride inspects her wedding cake on her wedding day, Co. Cork, Ireland

Bride and groom enter the dining hall on their wedding day, Co. Cork, Ireland

06/2/10

PictureBoo – 2nd June 2010

Sometimes a single photograph just doesn’t tell the whole story.

Click on the link or press the play button on the player below to find out what happened (as if you couldn’t guess):

Bride and groom watch a white dove take flight, Co. Cork, Ireland

The escape. (c) Roger Overall 2009

Wedding photograph of a groom's jacket being cleaned, Cork, Ireland

The revenge. (c) Roger Overall 2009

WeddingBoo #5 – The Poo Boo

05/12/10

Picture Boo – 12th May 2010

I like to show two different worlds in the same photograph. Hit the link or listen to the player to find out more.

Wedding Photography of a bride and Groom Kissing at their wedding

WeddingBoo #4 – Parallel Worlds

05/10/10

Documentary Office Photography

It still surprises me that there are lots of companies that don’t want to let you in behind the scenes. If the rise of social media has taught us anything it’s that reaching out and inviting people to see what we do is a very good way of building up relationships, starting conversations and generating business.

Actually, I should qualify that by saying that it surprises me that good companies still aren’t opening their doors. It isn’t at all surprising that bad companies don’t want to do that. After all, they have something to hide. They are better off keeping you out. We might realize just how bad they really are.

Here are some photographs from a shoot I did in London very recently for A Bilbrough & Co, the managers of The London Club, a marine mutual insurance fund. They are one of my favourite clients. Firstly, they’ve been very loyal to me – this is the fifth year that I’ve photographed for the company’s annual report. Secondly, they are genuinely nice people to work with. The fact that employees stay on with the firm for an average of 25 years speaks volumes.

What is also revealing is that these pictures were taken on one of the most important days in the company’s calendar, when the committee members meet to discuss current claims. These are high-pressure days when claims worth million of dollars are dealt with by some very significant people in the shipping industry.

Tell me, do these photographs suggest to you a company that manages itself and its members insurance needs well, or one that is stressed by the day and the decisions that need to be made?

Two A Bilbrough office colleagues discussing final arrangements for a committee meeting

London Club committee member Peter Cowling of Wallem Ltd at A Bilbrough & Co's offices in London

London Club committee member John Raggio of Sealift LLC shares a joke with fellow London Club committee members at the offices of A Bilbrough & Co in London

Two A Blibrough office staff work at their computers

Two office colleagues chat informally at the offices of A Bilbrough & Co in London

Michael Lemos of C M Lemos & Co Ltd talks to fellow London Club committee members at the offices of A Bilbrough & Co in London

A Bilbrough staff member in discussion with a colleague

Two colleagues share a joke at A Bilbrough & Co

A Bibrough & Co staff member listens to a colleague

I’m sure you’d agree that this is a good company. One that handles itself, its staff and its work professionally and in a healthy environment. The pictures tell me that internal communication is excellent and the staff are energetic. It’s the kind of company I’d like to do business with. Fortunately, I do.

04/14/10

First Day Of Term

The first wedding of a new season is always special.

By the time it comes round, my batteries are recharged and I’m keen to get going again. At the same time, there’s always a little anxiety. Will I be able to produce the goods? The classical guys have it easier. They get to call the shots. They are in control. Documentary wedding photographers have to roll with the dice others are throwing. It can be a bit of a roller-coaster ride. You’re never sure what’s going to happen, how the light will be and (most nerve-racking of all) whether you’ll see a photograph before it happens, or react in time to something unexpected.

Therese and Craig’s wedding was a fantastic way to start the 2010 season a few weeks ago. Wonderful couple, warm guests, lots going on. I loved every moment.

04/2/10

No More Children

Children are great at weddings. They really are. They get so bored. That means you never know what they’re likely to do at any given moment. That makes for great photographs.

There’s a problem, though.

It’s too easy.

If you watch a child long enough at a wedding they’ll so something remarkable.

Cute and remarkable is a powerful mix. Tons of documentary wedding photographs rely on this. Lots of mine do.

Worse still, these pictures end up being entered for awards, where they do very well. I should know. Photographs of children (mis)behaving at weddings have been at the heart of much of my award success in the past 12 months. My two winning panels at the 2010 National Photographic Awards featured children almost exclusively.

Nice, but in a wedding category, shouldn’t the focus be on the bride and groom?

Yes, it should.

Don’t think I’ll be handing any awards back, mind. I haven’t won nearly enough to start being dismissive of them.

Instead, I’ve set myself a rule for this year’s entries into the heats for the 2011 National Photographic Awards.

Absolutely, definitely, positively, NO children in any of the photographs whatsoever at all.

Except this one:

The Documentary Photographer

Putting Life In The Frame

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