Having been a photographer for over ten years now, I have a plethora of professional experience having worked in the field for much of that time. I've covered genres from weddings, to gigs, portraiture, and for a while I was a product photographer for a company that sold items on eBay.
Since joining Glyndwr I have been fortunate to be involved in many projects. This blog will detail the experiences I've had while obtaining professional practice.
The projects I've undertaken aren't in chronological order.
June 2012
Call Miss Jones - Wrexham
Following the previous creative futures, I took the advice of Alan Whitfield (a previous Glyndwr student who's now a part of local business Minimal Media) to contact Lucy Jones at Go Wales. After doing so, Lucy has introduced me to three companies, who I've worked for on a film and photography basis.
Call Miss Jones was the second of 3 assignments I undertook through Go Wales. They wanted a short video for their website. I met with Peter Belton, who told me what style they wanted for their video. It took 3 attempts, but eventually they were happy with the footage I shot. The video is currently on their website:
While I was there I did some photography of their staff, one of which made it onto their flyers.
Here is a link to the blog I've already written about my experience there. I am very pleased with the outcome of my video, it took a lot of work and a lot, lot longer than I had anticipated. In the end it was very worthwhile as I'm left with a piece I can be proud of that is still being used on CMJ's website.
May & October 2012
Gelicity - Flint
Back in May I undertook my first assignment with Gelicity, a company in Flint who makes Spa Gel, and Jellibaff which is a product that turns bath water to a jelly-like consistency. It might sound odd, but I've been fortunate enough to use the products for myself (both the bath and foot products) and I can honestly recommend them! My skin felt amazing, soft, smooth and it keeps the bath water hotter for longer.
Here's the link to the blog for my first assignment with Gelicity.
In October, I was contacted by Gavin again who asked if I could do some more product photography for them. They had created new tins for their Gel Spa products that were to be sold exclusively on the Selfridges website.
Of course I was excited to work with Gelicity again, and following a meeting with them, I came home laden with 3 boxes of the brand new tins. Admittedly, the metal tins caused some issues with reflection but eventually with some help from Chris we managed to get the tins photographed, and with a little touching up we sent them off to Gavin.
He informed me that both he and Selfridges were delighted with the shots, and that they'd be on the website in the coming days.
I took a screen shot of the products on the page, where they are to remain for 6 months. I do hope that Gelicity manage to sell lots of them, as they will make great Christmas presents. I was also very fortunate to receive 6 tins a few days later in the post as thanks for the photos, which will make great presents for Christmas :)
Dave and I were lucky enough to be allowed to use Gelicity's office space for filming our final project the film 'Acceptance'. Gavin Jones is also going to be doing a talk at this year's Creative Futures week which I will be attending.
North East Wales Wildlife - Rhydymwyn
June 2012
The final project I undertook through Go Wales was with NEWW, they wanted to involve a group of local school children to create a short video explaining the things that NEWW had to offer in terms of wildlife.
Here is a link to the blog I wrote.
Both David Fisher and I had the opportunity to be a part of the project, and the day was lovely and warm. After walking around the grounds, Kate (who is part of the volunteers section) got to work with the children to come up with a script, which Dave and I would film at various spots around the nature park.
I was disappointed that my camera batteries didn't last the whole day, but luckily we managed to get the rest of the footage with Dave's camera. (I've since purchased 4 more batteries for the camera!) Sending the footage to each other proved to be quite a challenge but using a file transfer programme called We Transfer made it easier. We Transfer is a free too which is very useful.
Once the footage was edited, we sent it to Kate who had to pass it on to Defra who own the piece of land. She emailed us a while later to ask if we could put the NEWW and Defra logos on the end of the video. We did this and resent the video, sadly we've not heard anything from her since and have no idea what happened to our video. Still it was a worthwhile experience, especially getting to work with young people who can offer some very valid and creative ideas at times!
Here are some stills from the film:
They were naturals on camera!
They also came up with the entire script for the video!
One of the many art installations that can be found at the sanctuary!
The training room where the children were set the days task, all the works around the walls were made by local people.
Peace day, Wrexham Zine Fair & Parade.
September 2012
I was asked by Sue to help cover the peace day celebrations along with the Zine fair and parade that took place in and around Wrexham in September 2012.
The peace day activities taking place at St Christopher's school in Wrexham was where I went to take photographs. There were lots planned for the day going on in various parts of the school. Holly Cooper and Paul Lowndes were also taking photos and Dave Hale & his partner were covering the filming.
Outside there were teepees where stories were being told and a stall where you could take whatever items you wanted for free while leaving something unwanted in its place. It was called the Give and Take stall.
The many things taking place at St Christophers that day included holistic therapy (people were giving and receiving hand & neck/scalp massages), peace signs being painted on people's hands and faces, singing, making a giant collage of the children's (and staff's) hand prints (see above photo), cookery lessons, prayers, poetry reading and lots lots more.
Meanwhile other members of the Wrexham Film & Photography collective were covering other aspects of the peace day celebrations in different areas of Wrexham, including a concert next to the library. Genny Bove, who organised much of the celebrations wrote an article regarding St Christopher's & added links to my, Holly's and Paul's work, which can be found here. I had a few difficulties with Genny who disliked my watermarked photos. Due to previous experience of having my photos stolen I had to insist on leaving it. Thankfully, on the report she made she asks those using the photos to credit the photographer.
It was here that I spoke to Katja and Anne from Cafod (Catholic aid for overseas development) they invited me to their annual Potato Day, which was held in Penmaenmawr. More about that later.
Anne (left) and Katja
The following Saturday I travelled back to Wrexham to join the collective to cover the Zine fair that was being held in the library and also the parade. It was a lovely day, unfortunately I had car issues that morning and managed to crawl to the Regent Street car park. Chris picked me up later in the day and my car turned out to be fine.
The Zine fair consisted of lots of local artists displaying their work for sale. There was some really artistic and creative items, and I enjoyed talking to the artists about their work. Like many of us they too are setting out as artists, attempting to sell their work. I left my business cards with a few of them and mentioned my photos would be available for use on their websites.
Work by Kim Disley
Phillip David Evans
After the Zine fair, we were back outside into the sunshine for the parade. It consisted of local performers and the Wonderbrass band. The costumes some of the performers were wearing looked very heavy and were quite bulky. After some time we all took our places along the parade route as the music started. The dancers were in full swing and lots of people had gathered to watch them.
One of the dancer's make up
Wonderbrass saxaphone player
One of the many amazing costumes, some were bravely worn by passers by!
Another costume worn by a Wonderbrass member
The dancers had amazing costumes too, so much colour!
Dancing in the middle of Wrexham
These are the members of the Saturday art club at the Oriel gallery and their 'furnimals' animals made from old bits of furniture!
Although the day was fun, and my photos were well received on Facebook, they didn't get much further, coupled with the expenses I incurred travelling to Wrexham I decided to look for work a little closer to home, with the express aim to get paid.
Cavod's Potato Day
Penmaenmawr - October 21st 2012
Following the meeting with Katja and Anne at St Christophers, I looked forward to attending Cavod's peace day. It was held at Noddfa, a convent in Penmaenmawr. Noddfa is a stunning old house run by the sisters of the sacred heard of St Mary. Potato day is an annual event open to young people aged 14 and over to raise awareness of Cavod and their causes. They also use Potato day to introduce their new campaigns, this year they launched the Hungry for Change campaign, you can find out more about it here.
It was a lovely day, with lots of activities to help the young people become more waste-savvy. At lunch we were served a potato-based 3 course meal cooked by the sisters at Noddfa and I took the opportunity to take a walk around their vast grounds.
Question and Answer activity
Part of the ice breakers, several potatoes were cut in half and handed out, you had to find your partner!
Anne talking to the young people
Christian Aid came in to do a talk
Group photo
Part of the beautiful grounds of Noddfa
The day was fun, and I was made to feel very welcome, and I took part in some of the activities. I also feel strongly about the cause so it wasn't difficult in any way as far as work is concerned. The photos were very well received on Facebook and I was delighted to find out a few days later that my photos had appeared in the Independent Catholic News, link here. The article also linked back to my Facebook page was very nice of them.
Personal photoshoots
Sam's 50th Birthday Party
Sam and his wife Shelley are members of my extended family, and August 2012 saw him celebrate a big milestone, his 50th birthday. I was asked by Shelley to record the day and was paid to do so.
It was held in Cheadle Hulme and it was a surprise from his wife, Shelley. The only real problem the night presented was the low light of the function room. Thankfully the 5D is great in low light so although some of the photos were a little noisy, for the most part they looked great.
Afterwards, I used Snapfish to create a photobook for them as a reminder of the day. While Chris and I were there we also put the video function of the 5D to good use and made a short video, where guests could record their birthday wishes for Sam. This turned out to be very popular, and using Premiere Pro I made a short DVD with the song Jump in the line by Harry Belefonte which was the song they danced to that night.
Sam next to his mum Jaya, left is his brother Bobby and right is his other brother Sush
Personal photoshoots
Sam's 50th Birthday Party
Sam and his wife Shelley are members of my extended family, and August 2012 saw him celebrate a big milestone, his 50th birthday. I was asked by Shelley to record the day and was paid to do so.
It was held in Cheadle Hulme and it was a surprise from his wife, Shelley. The only real problem the night presented was the low light of the function room. Thankfully the 5D is great in low light so although some of the photos were a little noisy, for the most part they looked great.
Afterwards, I used Snapfish to create a photobook for them as a reminder of the day. While Chris and I were there we also put the video function of the 5D to good use and made a short video, where guests could record their birthday wishes for Sam. This turned out to be very popular, and using Premiere Pro I made a short DVD with the song Jump in the line by Harry Belefonte which was the song they danced to that night.
Sam next to his mum Jaya, left is his brother Bobby and right is his other brother Sush
Another favourite of the night!
This whole gang!
This was my favourite photo from the night, it's a shame there's some noise but it doesn't really detract from it. Nice to see people enjoying themselves!
Everyone loved the photos, and I was asked to do a couple of other shoots for friends of Sam & Shelley.
Olivia's First Day
Olivia is the youngest in our family, and in September 2012, she was all set for her first day at school. Her mum Emma asked me to take some photos of her in her uniform before we took her along to the nearby primary school.
Again, everyone loved the photos, Emma, both my sisters Jo and Tracey, and my mum wanted copies of them for their homes. Olivia is very photogenic so it was easy enough, the only challenges were the backgrounds, but with a little imagination and the use of Photoshop it was easy to make photos that stood out.
October 31st 2012
While I was still working at Alcontrol about 4 years ago now I was asked by a colleague if I would photograph her wedding. At that point I had only photographed one other wedding so I agreed to do it for less than I would charge now. However the wedding was postponed for two years, and when she asked again I agreed to stick at the same price (lesson learned!).
By the time the wedding rolled I had several weddings under my belt and had asked my partner Chris to shadow me. We arrived in the afternoon to photograph the bride, bridesmaids and the bride's parents. As well as the bride and her father in the classic car before heading over to the town hall in Llandudno.
The town hall looked lovely, and despite the rain the ceremony was very nice with talks by friends of the couple and a harpist (who was my harp tutor in primary and high school!).
The couple had two venues for their reception and afterparty. The first was the Queen Victoria pub in Llandudno. The couple's wedding was on Halloween and so was aptly themed. The staff there had done a truly amazing job of the decorations and table layouts!
After the customary meal, and lots of alcohol, the speeches were very touching, and I especially love this image.
So much emotion and a special bond between father and daughter. Lovely :)
The couple's second venue was the Imperial Hotel on the promenade in Llandudno. It is a beautiful location, overlooking the sea. Unfortunately it had gone dark by this point and we couldn't make use of the bandstand due to the lack of light and the rain. But the function room was also beautifully decorated.
The couple had a pic 'n' mix stand (complete with pink and white striped bags) for people to choose. Halloween themed decorations littered the room as well as having a third cake (Halloween themed of course!) a DJ and a roulette table.
Everyone had a good time at the reception, and it was a good day for all :) for us it was quite a long day but it is always worth it to see the joy of a wedding. Still the pressure is evident, having to ensure you capture all the important moments as there is no second chances. I'm happy to say the couple liked their photos.
Onyx Photography gets a facelift!
As many of you know, I have run my own photography business for quite some time now. I have done on and off for around ten years. Many of you are friends of the Onyx Photography Facebook page, and I'm always greatful for the support and advice I have received. Since November last year my parter Chris and I have been working on the business with the hopes of opening a shop & studio space in north Wales.
We have both attended a seven part business training course, and I have also attended a course on how to raise funds for a start up business through Buisness Wales and hosted by Glyndwr. We attended the courses in the Conwy business centre, but most councils run the courses. More information can be found here.
We are still working on our business plan, and in the meantime I have opened a new Onyx Facebook page, called Onyx Cymru the same name as our business. There we post competitions, images and links to our eBay shop. I've notices several other pages similar to ours cropping up in recent months. We're up to 550 likes so far which is quite exciting.
This is the link to the eBay shop: Onyx eBay Shop.
I am in charge of all aspects of the eBay shop. It has been on hiatus for a few weeks recently (as has the Facebook page) due to personal commitments, but is now back up and running.
I browse wholesale websites, such as CrystalMagick and Something Different and purchase orders. I unpack and sort into their relevant spaces in our office at home. I then photograph and list each item. Making use of selling manager on eBay to list things quicker and batch edit should I need to. I deal with customer queries and post items out as well as dealing with returns and feedback. The shop is doing very well at the moment, and I thoroughly enjoy dealing with each stage of the business.
Other projects
I have many other projects in the pipeline as uni is drawing to a close including photography and film making. I'm also part of a dog walking company and I'm taking photographs for their website, portraits for a friend's website, a couple of weddings booked for the summer and lots more. Of course I'll be job hunting and continuing to promote my business via eBay and Facebook.
So what have I learned?
Well, being fairly accustomed to the business end of photography, I've enjoyed furthering my experience. I've worked alongside some fantastic people during my time at university. I'm very grateful to Lucy Jones at Go Wales who's helped me to find some of the experience I've gained, as well as Tracey Jones at Rhyl Football in the Community for her help and support.
I will leave with the knowledge that I am confident and able enough to turn my hand (and camera) to most situations and be able to deal with them in a calm and professional manner. I'm also able to cherry pick most of my assignments as I have a long history in photography that is evident in my CV and work, and so I am able to charge accordingly for my time.
Of course I will never stop learning, as you never do in this game. For me, learning on the job is the only way to really learn anything new. I have enjoyed my professional experiences immensely and have acquired several good contacts in the industry.
Everyone loved the photos, and I was asked to do a couple of other shoots for friends of Sam & Shelley.
Olivia's First Day
Olivia is the youngest in our family, and in September 2012, she was all set for her first day at school. Her mum Emma asked me to take some photos of her in her uniform before we took her along to the nearby primary school.
October 31st 2012
While I was still working at Alcontrol about 4 years ago now I was asked by a colleague if I would photograph her wedding. At that point I had only photographed one other wedding so I agreed to do it for less than I would charge now. However the wedding was postponed for two years, and when she asked again I agreed to stick at the same price (lesson learned!).
By the time the wedding rolled I had several weddings under my belt and had asked my partner Chris to shadow me. We arrived in the afternoon to photograph the bride, bridesmaids and the bride's parents. As well as the bride and her father in the classic car before heading over to the town hall in Llandudno.
The town hall looked lovely, and despite the rain the ceremony was very nice with talks by friends of the couple and a harpist (who was my harp tutor in primary and high school!).
The bride made her ow bouquet using feathers and buttons, it really was spectacular. She makes bespoke bouquets too, you can find her site here.
The couple had two venues for their reception and afterparty. The first was the Queen Victoria pub in Llandudno. The couple's wedding was on Halloween and so was aptly themed. The staff there had done a truly amazing job of the decorations and table layouts!
They had an adorable Halloween themed cupcake tower instead of a cake!
There was also a cheese tower
The tables looked suitably Halloween themed
They were laid out beautifully.
After the customary meal, and lots of alcohol, the speeches were very touching, and I especially love this image.
So much emotion and a special bond between father and daughter. Lovely :)
The couple's second venue was the Imperial Hotel on the promenade in Llandudno. It is a beautiful location, overlooking the sea. Unfortunately it had gone dark by this point and we couldn't make use of the bandstand due to the lack of light and the rain. But the function room was also beautifully decorated.
The couple had a pic 'n' mix stand (complete with pink and white striped bags) for people to choose. Halloween themed decorations littered the room as well as having a third cake (Halloween themed of course!) a DJ and a roulette table.
Everyone had a good time at the reception, and it was a good day for all :) for us it was quite a long day but it is always worth it to see the joy of a wedding. Still the pressure is evident, having to ensure you capture all the important moments as there is no second chances. I'm happy to say the couple liked their photos.
Onyx Photography gets a facelift!
As many of you know, I have run my own photography business for quite some time now. I have done on and off for around ten years. Many of you are friends of the Onyx Photography Facebook page, and I'm always greatful for the support and advice I have received. Since November last year my parter Chris and I have been working on the business with the hopes of opening a shop & studio space in north Wales.
We have both attended a seven part business training course, and I have also attended a course on how to raise funds for a start up business through Buisness Wales and hosted by Glyndwr. We attended the courses in the Conwy business centre, but most councils run the courses. More information can be found here.
We are still working on our business plan, and in the meantime I have opened a new Onyx Facebook page, called Onyx Cymru the same name as our business. There we post competitions, images and links to our eBay shop. I've notices several other pages similar to ours cropping up in recent months. We're up to 550 likes so far which is quite exciting.
This is the link to the eBay shop: Onyx eBay Shop.
The Onyx Shop eBay Page
Malachite is a popular seller
Chrysoprase is also a popular seller, but is quite expensive to buy
Opalite, or moon glass as it is also known, is the most popular selling crystal in our shop, we order these in 1KG bags!
We also sell pendulums
Geodes
This is a selanite spiral unicorn horn and it measures around 30cm in height, it is very heavy, but beautiful.
Chakra pyramid, it is only 10cm tall but is very striking, and popular!
We sell tarot cards, it is suprising how much these are to buy, even at wholesale prices, but some of the art work can be stunning!
Homewares
Mobiles are also very popular, but can be quite complicated to photograph well.
I enjoy browsing the wholesale websites for items that are unique, and often fair trade, hand made or one offs.
Hand carved tree man
I am in charge of all aspects of the eBay shop. It has been on hiatus for a few weeks recently (as has the Facebook page) due to personal commitments, but is now back up and running.
I browse wholesale websites, such as CrystalMagick and Something Different and purchase orders. I unpack and sort into their relevant spaces in our office at home. I then photograph and list each item. Making use of selling manager on eBay to list things quicker and batch edit should I need to. I deal with customer queries and post items out as well as dealing with returns and feedback. The shop is doing very well at the moment, and I thoroughly enjoy dealing with each stage of the business.
Other projects
I have many other projects in the pipeline as uni is drawing to a close including photography and film making. I'm also part of a dog walking company and I'm taking photographs for their website, portraits for a friend's website, a couple of weddings booked for the summer and lots more. Of course I'll be job hunting and continuing to promote my business via eBay and Facebook.
So what have I learned?
Well, being fairly accustomed to the business end of photography, I've enjoyed furthering my experience. I've worked alongside some fantastic people during my time at university. I'm very grateful to Lucy Jones at Go Wales who's helped me to find some of the experience I've gained, as well as Tracey Jones at Rhyl Football in the Community for her help and support.
I will leave with the knowledge that I am confident and able enough to turn my hand (and camera) to most situations and be able to deal with them in a calm and professional manner. I'm also able to cherry pick most of my assignments as I have a long history in photography that is evident in my CV and work, and so I am able to charge accordingly for my time.
Of course I will never stop learning, as you never do in this game. For me, learning on the job is the only way to really learn anything new. I have enjoyed my professional experiences immensely and have acquired several good contacts in the industry.
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