2017 Photography Review
As we enter the new year, I thought it was time to have a look back on the photography of 2017 and reflect on what was a busy, fun and productive year for me. I’ve had the chance to work with some fantastic people on a wide variety of photography projects. Towards the end of the year I also began getting involved in some videography work. I’m looking forward to more of that in 2018.
Looking back on my photos from 2017, the first project was on an icy January morning in Bosbury, just outside Ledbury. I was photographing my brother-in-law, who creates bespoke frescos from plaster under the name of Aster Muro. We were packed into a very small bathroom, me behind the bath most of the time and Charles at the wall, creating his masterpiece. A little later on in the year I went back to photograph the finished product and produced one of my favourite interiors photographs of the year. It was great to see it printed large when Charles exhibited at 100% Design in London.
Another of Charles’ installations was at Lovett Pies in Bristol. It seemed the perfect excuse to head out with the family, take some cool interiors photographs and eat some top-quality pies! As I get more involved in my photography work, one thing I love is when I can mix work with family time and use it as a reason to show the kids something new.
In February I travelled over to New Zealand for my best friends wedding. It wasn’t a photography assignment, but I treated it like one! Camera in hand, I had the chance to photograph some stunning spots in and around Auckland, as well as friends and their family enjoying a magical time. Another great thing about being a photographer is that it pushes you to explore a bit further than you might do otherwise. One evening, I found myself climbing to the top of a steep hill on my own, in the dark. It was quite a climb (especially after a swift pint in the local), but I was rewarded with an epic moon rise, turning the sky all sorts of crazy colours.
As well as taking you to new places, photography commissions can also take you to places you know, but at new times of day. Over the summer I was working on a commission for Ledbury estate agent John Goodwin. John has 4 offices in Ledbury, Colwall, Malvern and Upton. He asked me to take a photograph in each location which optimises the town. These have been printed in large format and hung in his Ledbury office. The best light for landscape (or townscape) photography is generally the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before sunset. So being in the middle of the British summer, that saw me waking at 4am on multiple occasions to take photos in the best light. It was well worth the effort though and I felt invigorated being out at that time of day. Church Lane in Ledbury looks stunning at that time as well. The final shot I got was just before a decent rain storm – which I then got caught in! But it was worth it and I managed to get some cool shots of Ledbury High Street in that light. Check out my behind the scenes video here.
I continued a long-standing working relationship with Hay Wines in Ledbury too this year. I’ve been doing the bottle photography for their website for several years now. It’s so cool to see this Herefordshire business going from strength to strength. I’m always amazed at how many new drinks they get in. I shoot about 100 new bottles 2-3 times a year for them. Another great Herefordshire business is Sunny Todd Prints. This year they began selling in John Lewis and I had the privilege of doing their product photography. We also did a very cool lifestyle photography shoot in a lovely Herefordshire farm house, where the light was streaming in perfectly all day. One of those shots made it onto the front cover of Herefordshire Living magazine – my first front cover!
I began to really enjoy doing interiors photography this year, which surprised me slightly! I didn’t think it was a genre I would ever get into, but having had a few interiors shoots this year, I’m really relishing it. There’s something very satisfying about a great interiors shot and I love the challenge of getting the lighting right. So I’ve been lucky to have had shoots with some very talented local interior designers this year. It’s also always a great pleasure to find out that someone locally is running such a cool business, right on the doorstep in Herefordshire.
And that was also the case when I got a call from a composer based just outside Ledbury, Alex Attwood. From his lovely home studio in the Herefordshire countryside, Alex is composing, recording and producing music for TV and film productions all over the world. I spent the morning with Alex making some portraits of him while playing his various instruments and then some cool environmental portraits of him in his studio.
Fritz Fryer in Ross-on-Wye are another great example of what Herefordshire has to offer. If you’ve not been to their showroom, I urge you to go and visit. They’re making a big impact in the lighting world. They restore antique lights and have designed their own range of stunning light fittings. They have a range of pendants all named after Herefordshire towns and villages. I’ve been very lucky to have been working with these guys regularly, doing product photography for their restored antiques. Then in the summer, we had a whole day shooting at Homme House, just outside Ledbury. I suggested the location after having shot a wedding there last year when we were discussing photographing their newest addition, The Aston Lantern. Homme House is a stunning location and provides a wide variety of backdrops and settings. Check out my blog post on the shoot which has a link to the behind the scenes video.
As mentioned previously, I got involved with some video making this year also. After being called up by Hereford based web design company VoodooChilli to do some product photography for one of their clients, we then went on to produce a video for VoodooChilli’s website. Teaming up with a local talented friend Samuel Callen, we spent the day in Hereford filming in various locations. We wanted to show how proud the guys and girls at VoodooChilli are to be Hereford based. We got some stunning shots of the Cathedral from various angles, before moving into their studio to film them at work. It was great to be making a video and I’m very much looking forward to doing more this year.
Towards the end of the year I did some product photography for a new Hereford based footwear designer, From the First. It was a tight deadline as the latest prototypes had only just arrived and the website was due to launch in a few days time. But we spent a fun afternoon in the studio and produced some crisp, clean and beautiful product shots. I’ve been very lucky to have photographed some high-end products this year and these boots really fit into that category.
My final call this year was to Dunster in Somerset, where I was photographing a new medieval gallery. The work was a mix of interiors photography and product photography and I enjoyed a great day down there. In the morning, I was warmly welcomed by some amazing light and clouds over this pretty village. Although I was half an hour early for the job, I immediately got my camera out and started shooting!
Finally, I’d just like to say thank you to all the people I’ve worked with this year. I’m sorry I couldn’t mention everyone in this blog post, but it would have run on for days! Its been a great year and I can’t wait to get stuck into 2018!
