It was only a few weeks ago that there was snow everywhere, and I just had to organise a portrait session with someone in a wedding dress. Being limited by time and locations (I could only travel in walking distance and needed to organise something within a few hours), I put a model call out [...]
The recent snow allowed me to satisfy one of my bucket list photo shoots, namely horses in the snow. The last decent snow fall I experienced was about 6 years ago, and I was unable to tick it off my list then, but this year I was able to take full advantage whilst also producing [...]
I often get ideas for various projects, but don't always that often get to create them in to a lasting reality. A few weeks ago with the help of the team at Harroway stables I was able to bring one of my ideas to life. I have always loved the elegance of side saddle, and [...]
Every creative person whether an artist, author, photographer or otherwise has sources of inspiration. Those sources could be anything and I really do mean anything. Personally I have a collection of sources that I regularly utilise in different ways. Now I will start by saying I don't go out and actively copy other photographers but [...]
I'm often asked about my workflow for editing a photo shoot so let me take you on a whistlestop tour of what I do from taking the photos to delivering the final images. In general I edit photo shoots in the order they take place. The slight exception is weddings which I dip in and [...]
The majority of the time I only aim to take one photo at a time but occasionally I will take a few successive frames which when merged together can make a great sequence. The keys to making a good sequence are to be relatively side on to the fence, so you can record the horse [...]
If you were ever a Scout or Girl Guide the phrase 'be prepared' will be well known to you. Preparedness is vital in becoming a successful photographer in so many ways. Prior to the cross country at Badminton I will walk the course at least once in the preceeding days. It allows me to [...]
Have you wondered how I create the beautiful low key black background portraits? This article will give you a behind the scenes look into how I use powerful portable studio lights that I can use almost anywhere within reason. I personally favour a one light set up as I like the dramatic shadows that can [...]
I loved 2017, it was a year of change and a great year of progression for me. I've experimented and I've taken risks, some worked, some didn't, but I've learnt from all of them. What lies ahead for 2018? More experimentation and some great big challenges, but bring them on. But for now a look [...]
So it's under a week away, the time when families descend upon each other, often in numbers only seen once a year. It can therefore be a great opportunity to take a group family photo so here are 10 tips to help you take a better photo. Have some fun, try making one person [...]
Photoshop is a very very powerful tool when you know how to use it and can literally make the impossible possible. I utilise it on an almost daily basis but I try and use it to make photos 'cleaner' and try not to use it for things that are unbelievable. Occasionally I will do something [...]
I am now pleased to offer acrylic prints to my offering of products thanks to German professional print lab Saal Digital. For a while I have been considering what ready to hang options I can offer to my customers, especially for my studio lit work which isn't always best complimented by a frame. Acrylic prints [...]
Shutter speed, aperture and ISO are the three fundamental settings when using any DSLR camera. So what are they and how do they work both on their own and together? Firstly we will look at each individually. Shutter speed - This is fairly self explanatory. It is the speed at which your shutter works within [...]
It's Autumn here in England and the oranges are simply divine but sometimes it is worth enhancing the colours to really make an image stand out. BUT and this is a big but, if you are going to do it you need to do it correctly. I have seen an increasing abundance of orange photos [...]
The Hartnoll Hotel near the Devonshire town of Tiverton was the venue for Laura & Justin's wedding in September. Although I had lived in the area for many years and driven past on numerous occasions this was my first visit to the Hartnoll. In advance of the wedding I visited the day before, meeting Claire [...]
The perfect example of being in two places at once. I was able to capture photos from the front of the church whilst Liz captured the beautiful feature image above with the window from the back If you're a bride searching for your photographer you will undoubtedly be getting numerous opinions over having [...]
Have you looked at three photographers one charging £50 for a photoshoot, another £150, and another £500 and wondered the difference? Let me try to explain to you, and more importantly how and why that is not their 'hourly' rate. To break it down I'm going to let you know a little bit more about [...]
Last week I took the opportunity to meet up with three fellow equestrian photographers, Rose, Laura & Louise, for an afternoon of idea sharing and education. All four of us are established photographers but have different styles and areas of expertise, so what better than the chance to throw around ideas and see how each [...]
I was asked recently how I became a professional photographer. Did I go to college or university to study or was it all 'just there'? In my case I fall somewhere in the middle, I would like to think that I have a natural eye for composition and subjects, whereas a lot of the technical [...]
Do you work in a business that needs marketing images? Do you have a project to do for college, university, school or even work? If so the majority will probably have utilised google image search to find a suitable photo to use at some point. There is no denying it, almost everyone has, but the [...]
A lesson most photographers learn the hard way is to have backups, and not just one, of their photos. There is nothing worse than a card or hard disk failure and loosing irreplaceable photos. I learnt the hard way when a hard drive filed on me a few years ago. Thankfully I was able to [...]
Horses are naturally wary animals and many are known as being spooky especially at new things. Portable lighting which I use for my studio lit photoshoots are incredibly powerful and do result in a wide range of reactions from horses. From all that I have photographed though only one we decided it was in the [...]
You may think this post is going to be a rant and it is but perhaps not in the way you will expect... 'Everyone thinks they are a photographer' and the truth is everyone is. In the same way that everyone is a cook. Some do it well, some do it badly, and lots are [...]
Now I love to photograph tight crops. The reason? The photograph is (normally) all about the subject and cluttered backgrounds detract, tight crops focus in on that subject and allow you to tell a different photograph. Granted there are times where you want the background as it in itself tells a story but I will [...]
I love love LOVE the golden hour, although actually it's normally not an hour long and there are two of them per day (weather dependant!). As the sun progresses through the sky during the day it starts low to the horizon moves over head until again dropping down to the horizon at sunset. If the [...]
