COVID-19 Update
As Scotland starts to take its first tentative steps out of Lockdown, I think it's time to start thinking about Photography again. As a conference and event photographer my business has been put on hold completely during the Lockdown but with the Scottish Government's publication of their COVID-19 - Framework for Decision Making document, "Scotland's route map through and out of the crisis", it is time to describe what services I will be able to offer, and when.
The document describes four phases beyond Lockdown (phase 0) with clearly defined entry criteria for the different phases based on evidence of the control and management of the virus. The current planning is based on a three-weekly review cycle in which progress is measured and a decision taken whether it is possible to move to a higher phase (or move back to a lower one if the virus is spreading too rapidly).
The most optimistic timetable therefore means it will still be several months before I am able to restart my conference and larger corporate event work. Quite possibly much longer as the explicit risk that tighter controls might have to be re-introduced makes large event planning extremely uncertain. As a result I will have to shift the emphasis of my business away from large scale conferences and corporate events towards the local and the personal.
As restrictions are lifted I hope once more to be out in my local neighbourhood of Portobello, getting back to documenting the life in this vibrant community. I will also be making more of my archive images from the last five years available for purchase in the coming weeks.
The document describes four phases beyond Lockdown (phase 0) with clearly defined entry criteria for the different phases based on evidence of the control and management of the virus. The current planning is based on a three-weekly review cycle in which progress is measured and a decision taken whether it is possible to move to a higher phase (or move back to a lower one if the virus is spreading too rapidly).
- Phase 1 (from May 28th.) This allows for non-essential outdoor businesses to recommence with appropriate physical distancing so that means outdoor portraits are now allowed, either for business or social customers.
- Phase 2 (As things stand the earliest this could be is after the next 21-day review - into the second half of June.) This will increase the number of people you can meet outside, with physical distancing, so there could be outdoor events to photograph. And indoors you can meet members of one other household so indoor portraits might become possible with appropriate physical distancing measures.
- Phase 3 (Perhaps after another 21-day review period - into mid-July?) This will allow for some live events, with appropriate physical distancing as well as the re-opening of indoor spaces such as pubs, restaurants, museums and galleries.
- Phase 4 (By the current process no earlier than early August, but who knows?) This will allow for mass gatherings to recommence and therefore in theory for larger events and conferences to start up again, with the continued appropriate measures concerning physically distancing.
The most optimistic timetable therefore means it will still be several months before I am able to restart my conference and larger corporate event work. Quite possibly much longer as the explicit risk that tighter controls might have to be re-introduced makes large event planning extremely uncertain. As a result I will have to shift the emphasis of my business away from large scale conferences and corporate events towards the local and the personal.
As restrictions are lifted I hope once more to be out in my local neighbourhood of Portobello, getting back to documenting the life in this vibrant community. I will also be making more of my archive images from the last five years available for purchase in the coming weeks.
Conferences, Events, PR - Professional Photography Will Make Them Shine.
If you are organising a conference in Edinburgh it helps to use an experienced local conference photographer, familiar with the city and its locations. I have worked at many prestigious conference venues across Edinburgh including the EICC, Edinburgh University, Napier University, the National Museum of Scotland, the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh Castle, Royal College of Physicians, The Balmoral, The George, the Sheraton Grand, the Waldorf Astoria (aka 'The Caley'), the Radisson Blu, the Radisson Collection, the Edinburgh Grosvenor, the Kimpton Charlotte Square and the Macdonald Holyrood.
As well as conferences I have covered numerous other events for companies, organisations and individuals including awards ceremonies, company celebrations, launch events, formal dinners and birthday parties at venues across Edinburgh from the Royal Yacht Britannia to Tynecastle Stadium. As a photographer I pride myself on my ability to work with you to tell the story of your event. I can offer advice on organising large set-up group shots, finding a suitable space for more intimate posed portraits and the best ways to get the pictures you want without interrupting the flow of your event. Often it is the candid, informal pictures that best capture the flavour of an event and I am able to work quietly and unobtrusively in the background to get those pictures. Although I mostly work in Edinburgh I can also travel further afield for specific events. For example I have photographed a three-day company event based at Gleneagles Hotel, a conference in Stirling and Royal Scottish Country Dance Society dances in both St. Andrews and Perth.
Having the right pictures to tell your story are even more important when it comes to PR and publicity. Organising an event on Edinburgh's Royal Mile or on the roof garden of the National Museum may get some minor attention from passers-by but fundamentally it will be the coverage of your event that is shared with the wider world that is most important to getting your story out there. Inviting professional press photographers to attend the photocall will ensure some great pictures get taken but by hiring your own photographer you can be sure to get your pictures exactly the way you want them, ready to share online and with the media.
If you are organising a conference in Edinburgh it helps to use an experienced local conference photographer, familiar with the city and its locations. I have worked at many prestigious conference venues across Edinburgh including the EICC, Edinburgh University, Napier University, the National Museum of Scotland, the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh Castle, Royal College of Physicians, The Balmoral, The George, the Sheraton Grand, the Waldorf Astoria (aka 'The Caley'), the Radisson Blu, the Radisson Collection, the Edinburgh Grosvenor, the Kimpton Charlotte Square and the Macdonald Holyrood.
As well as conferences I have covered numerous other events for companies, organisations and individuals including awards ceremonies, company celebrations, launch events, formal dinners and birthday parties at venues across Edinburgh from the Royal Yacht Britannia to Tynecastle Stadium. As a photographer I pride myself on my ability to work with you to tell the story of your event. I can offer advice on organising large set-up group shots, finding a suitable space for more intimate posed portraits and the best ways to get the pictures you want without interrupting the flow of your event. Often it is the candid, informal pictures that best capture the flavour of an event and I am able to work quietly and unobtrusively in the background to get those pictures. Although I mostly work in Edinburgh I can also travel further afield for specific events. For example I have photographed a three-day company event based at Gleneagles Hotel, a conference in Stirling and Royal Scottish Country Dance Society dances in both St. Andrews and Perth.
Having the right pictures to tell your story are even more important when it comes to PR and publicity. Organising an event on Edinburgh's Royal Mile or on the roof garden of the National Museum may get some minor attention from passers-by but fundamentally it will be the coverage of your event that is shared with the wider world that is most important to getting your story out there. Inviting professional press photographers to attend the photocall will ensure some great pictures get taken but by hiring your own photographer you can be sure to get your pictures exactly the way you want them, ready to share online and with the media.
Personal and Local. Make it Specific.
These days, in a world awash with social media and online platforms, branding is personal, even for the largest companies. Businesses want to show their human side, with pictures of their staff online or in company publications. For small businesses in Edinburgh it is frequently your unique personal story that attracts potential clients and helps you stand out in a busy marketplace. Whatever the size your business professional portrait photography helps to project your brand identity.
And it isn't just businesses - a feature of our times is the way in which branding has gone beyond the business world and has become important to everyone. Whether you are looking for a new job or a new relationship a great portrait is a real asset. My portrait photography is done out on location which could be just about anywhere you like. For business head shots we could set up a space in a meeting room while for more intimate family portraits it could be in your living room, kitchen or back garden. I say 'we' because taking a portrait should be a collaborative project between sitter and photographer to create a picture that captures your personality, who you really are.
Place is important to me and especially the place I currently call home - the city of Edinburgh and more specifically the suburb of Portobello. Edinburgh is The Festival City and a significant element of the city's identity is theatre and the performing arts. Theatre Photography serves two fundamental purposes - publicity before the show to attract an audience and then a documentary record for afterwards of what is otherwise a very transient art form. Some pictures can serve both purposes, such as dress rehearsal photographs being used to promote the show. Theatrical publicity shares many features with business PR, with the added advantages of great costumes and natural performers. You just need a professional photographer to take the pictures that tell your story. And it is always your story, even if the action on stage has been written by someone else and performed hundreds of times before, because your particular telling of that story, in your venue, with your cast makes it unique.
Portobello is a thriving local community with lots happening throughout the year, frequently based on grass-roots local activism. Important as this work is, it is still often unpaid as people take on the job of making the place where they live that little bit better. Sometimes I am able to make my own contribution to these efforts by taking top quality pictures of what is going on in Portobello - our pictures, our story.
These days, in a world awash with social media and online platforms, branding is personal, even for the largest companies. Businesses want to show their human side, with pictures of their staff online or in company publications. For small businesses in Edinburgh it is frequently your unique personal story that attracts potential clients and helps you stand out in a busy marketplace. Whatever the size your business professional portrait photography helps to project your brand identity.
And it isn't just businesses - a feature of our times is the way in which branding has gone beyond the business world and has become important to everyone. Whether you are looking for a new job or a new relationship a great portrait is a real asset. My portrait photography is done out on location which could be just about anywhere you like. For business head shots we could set up a space in a meeting room while for more intimate family portraits it could be in your living room, kitchen or back garden. I say 'we' because taking a portrait should be a collaborative project between sitter and photographer to create a picture that captures your personality, who you really are.
Place is important to me and especially the place I currently call home - the city of Edinburgh and more specifically the suburb of Portobello. Edinburgh is The Festival City and a significant element of the city's identity is theatre and the performing arts. Theatre Photography serves two fundamental purposes - publicity before the show to attract an audience and then a documentary record for afterwards of what is otherwise a very transient art form. Some pictures can serve both purposes, such as dress rehearsal photographs being used to promote the show. Theatrical publicity shares many features with business PR, with the added advantages of great costumes and natural performers. You just need a professional photographer to take the pictures that tell your story. And it is always your story, even if the action on stage has been written by someone else and performed hundreds of times before, because your particular telling of that story, in your venue, with your cast makes it unique.
Portobello is a thriving local community with lots happening throughout the year, frequently based on grass-roots local activism. Important as this work is, it is still often unpaid as people take on the job of making the place where they live that little bit better. Sometimes I am able to make my own contribution to these efforts by taking top quality pictures of what is going on in Portobello - our pictures, our story.
Your images will usually delivered to you electronically and to fit with your schedule and workflow. If you need to see proof images before making a selection or would like other people to be able to buy prints and/or digital files directly I can provide password-protected client galleries.
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I am a fully insured qualified member of the British Institute of Professional Photographers (BIPP).
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