Thanks so much to Audience for having me back, this time to photograph for a Virgin Media PR activation (ie a live event designed to grab attention in public for promotional purposes). The activation centred around the appearance of DJ Luck and MC Neat (witta little bitta luck we can make it troo tha night).
This was a multi-sensory experience set in Kings Cross. You can read more about it through The Drum.
It was a pleasure to photograph for architectural firm Purcell, an architectural practice specialising in heritage and conservation.
Purcell run an annual residential course which provides focused training on approaches to assessing and conserving historic buildings.
THE BRIEF
The brief was, in short, to photograph students and tutors/practitioners as they went through the Cathedral learning about and describing various aspects of conservation. We walked around inside the Cathedral roof, the main interior and the workshop which specialises in window conservation.
PHOTOGRAPHIC CHALLENGES
This was by far one of the most contrasty (and dark) venues I’ve photographed. What’s more, using flash was not really an option given the intimate atmosphere and educational nature of the talks, where people were concentrating. Flash is also not appropriate for certain venues because it can ruin the atmosphere if not done correctly, and sometimes it’s just not possible to bounce flash in the room properly given the conditions.
Luckily I have what is probably the best cameras available for low light events, so we got some nice shots regardless!
Canterbury happens to be the town where I grew up, so it was very interesting going to work in the morning as an adult, having left at the age of 19. The town appears to have shrunk but the Cathedral is as big as it’s ever been! Thanks so much to Purcell for allowing me to visit. Shortly after photographing for Purcell, I was straight on the train to Sotheby’s in Mayfair to photograph an event over there, so it was a super busy and interesting day. If I get the time I’ll be sure to do a blog post on Sotheby’s, as I photographed dozens of their talks over the Queen’s Jubilee.
As a corporate event photographer, I really enjoy photographing some of the discussions that involve disruptive technologies. It was therefore a particular joy to photograph Fat Gladiator’s EdTech event at CMC Markets at 133 Houndsditch, showcasing VR headset technology and software.
EdTech can be used to accommodate active learning, with more immersive experiences than the traditional setup of teacher reciting information in front of the class.
PARDON?
Education+Technology=EdTech. A good example of those embracing the clear benefits of EdTech are EtonX.
THE BRIEF
Rob Double from London Broadcast got in touch with a fairly simple brief: document what is happening, and deliver the images fairly soon after the event. I was shooting alongside two videographers that Rob had also organised for the event.
Thanks again to London Broadcast and Fat Gladiator for having me photograph this interesting event. Once the event was coming to an end, I was invited to try out the VR headsets. I must say it was an incredible experience - the sensation of moving within a digital terrain is something I wasn’t quite prepared for! I just wish I was at school in the near future, I think it will be much more interesting than in the 90’s! Here’s a video from CapturedWorld giving a bit more insight.
It was a pleasure to photograph AltoVita’s Smart, Safe, Sustainable Summit which took place over 3 venues, starting with The Nash Conservatory, which is situated on the outer edge of Kew Gardens. This conservatory was originally built at Buckingham Palace, and was later moved to Kew in the early 1800’s.
The Nash Conservatory at Kew Gardens is a fantastic space for corporate events, and really adds experiential value for the delegates. The short walk through the park to get to the Conservatory is a brilliant way to start the day - the guests were visibly energised as they arrived. I have honestly never seen so many happy and relaxed faces at an 830am coffee morning (and I’ve been to a lot of coffee mornings).
THE BRIEF
The brief was set up internationally over a combination of email and Google Meets. Ella and Ashley were great at giving a detailed overview of proceedings. I could then translate this into my own shorthand and print onto A5 which is kept with me as the day unfolds.
As well as providing the usual photography for such an event (people enjoying themselves, pictures of each speaker on stage, some group shots, as well as a step and repeat setup with branded backdrop), AltoVita were interested in getting video of the event. This is where my trusted colleague Oli stepped in.
OLIVER GOODRICH
Oli can provide high quality video with a reasonable turnaround from inception to completion. We have known each other for a number of years, usually on larger commercial photography and advertising sets, where we are also found if we are not shooting corporate events. For this brief, I brought along Oli as I knew he could do a great job for AltoVita.
DID THEY LIKE THE PHOTOS?
Yes! The day after receiving the images they booked me in for their next event!
WHAT ABOUT ROOM2 CHISWICK, AND THE GOLDSMITHS’ CENTRE??
Good question! Room2 Chiswick is a stunning hotel/home (also known as a Hometel) with exceptional sustainability credentials. The Goldsmiths’ Centre is a very nice venue and the food was great.
You can find more information by searching #AltoSummit or going here to look at more photos from the event.
It was a pleasure to photograph the newest interiors and window display for Prada’s store in Westfield, White City.
As usual, the attention to detail (and super fast turnaround) is world class. The creative direction from HQ and the manner in which it becomes reality on the shop floor is something to behold.
Thanks so much to Ambré who was my main point of contact, as well as all the staff I met who were totally dedicated to the Prada brand. The pace is fairly astonishing - we had 30 minutes to shoot about 20 images (of which 12-14 final shots will be used), during which the finishing touches for the shop were still being tweaked. There was a 2 hour window afterwards to process the images (including removing reflections of other brands’ stores in the windows), create a PDF out of them (thanks Julie Schroer for doing this so efficiently while I was editing), make extra tweaks based on feedback from Prada, then create a final updated PDF.
As with all interiors imagery, there are many technical factors to keep on top of, as well as producing compositionally pleasing images. Colours and contrast levels must feel engaging as well as accurate. There are plenty of tweaks involved in post processing to allow the camera’s own version of reality to align with how the human eye sees the space. For example, my Sony A1 has a very wide dynamic range, but there is no camera in the world that can capture what the brain perceives. So we use all sorts of techniques to present the space on a level that feels accurate as well as keeping technical accuracy in mind. Doing this in such a short space of time is of course both exhilarating and demanding, but somehow we manage to do it. Thanks again to the team at Prada!
