Time for some new headshots? Even with the latest two-household restrictions it is possible to arrange some new headshots. And as long as the Edinburgh weather plays ball (it doesn't really doesn't rain as much as you think) then the safest option at the moment is to take them outdoors.
Will arranged a session in Portobello and we took a few shots at a number of different locations. For a basic headshot to use as a profile picture on LinkedIn or elsewhere you only need a tightly cropped head and shoulders picture. The background doesn't matter too much as long as it isn't too busy. Something with a bit of texture to it, rather than the blank white background of an old-style passport photobooth, seems the preferred option these days and we started at Bellfield, making use of the old walls and the trees.

Will was also interested in getting some shots with a little more context to them to reflect his involvement in a charity concerned with everyday walking on urban streets. We ended up at Marlborough Street, giving Will exactly the sort of street settings he was looking for. 

If, like Will, you think it's time for a new headshot, please check out my headshot packages and get in touch.

Although pubs have been allowed to reopen, an old favourite in Portobello - The Dalriada, on the Promenade - remains shut. Despite a world wide search to find new owners to run it as a pub it now seems that it will never re-open. A potential deal fell through during lockdown and local gossip now has it that it has been bought by a wealthy individual in the local computer games industry who wants to convert back into a private house. So the local community is missing a venue, especially the musicians who used to meet regularly in the Dal. On one of my evening walks along the beach I stumbled across their current alternative venue - the 'bandstand' at the Joppa end of the Prom - and took a few photos. I have since seen them on a couple of other occasions, the live music a great soundtrack to look out to see to.  

Met another friend while out with my camera. She was down there with her partner and daughter and although little O didn't stay still for long, I did manage a few pictures. It's another example of the sort of candid shots it's possible to get during an outdoor family photo session. If this looks like something you might be interested in please check out my family portrait services and get in touch. If you are having a staycation in Edinburgh there's no better place to get some informal family portraits than Portobello beach!

Met some friends on the beach while out with my camera and took a few quick pictures. Although it wasn't an arranged session, and the matching outfits were just a happy coincidence, it's a great example of the sort of thing that is possible on a candid family photoshoot. You just carry on with all the fun activities you would normally do and I will capture the action for you, creating a great set of candid family photographs. You can pause and pose for a few shots if you want but the best pictures are often the ones when you are interacting with each other as a family. If this looks like something you might be interested in please check out my family portrait services and get in touch. If you are having a staycation in Edinburgh there's no better place to get some informal family portraits than Portobello Beach!

As we all move cautiously into a new world in which we all have to remain aware of COVID-19 and the measures we need to take to keep ourselves and our customers safe businesses large and small need to recognise people's concerns and react accordingly. Online shopping, already growing rapidly, became much more important during lockdown and is likely to remain so even when people are allowed to physically visit shops. With or without restrictions on the numbers of people allowed inside a shop at the same time a proportion of your customers are likely to be wary of spending too long in indoor spaces for some time to come. While lockdown has probably encouraged everyone to shop more efficiently for their weekly groceries - ticking off a pre-written list - it doesn't work so well for non-essential shopping when many of us aren't quite sure what we will buy until we see it.
All of this makes your website more important than ever, even if you have a physical presence on the high street, and a good website needs good pictures. As does the rest of your online presence as you look to attract attention and drive traffic to your website. So what sort of pictures do I need?

• A good portrait - people like to see who they are dealing with so this is essential.
• Setting the scene - if you have a shop, what does it look like? Can you give people a sense of the precautions you are taking to keep them as safe as possible?
• Tell your story - if you work from home or a studio you want to give your online customers a sense of how you create the products you have for sale. While you can set up product shots yourself it is more difficult taking selfies when you are actually working. For that you need someone else in the room with you - suitably distanced of course!

Here are a set of images I took a while ago for a jeweller - Jen Cunningham. Jen has subsequently moved to Glasgow but these shots of her at work were taken while she lived and worked in Edinburgh and give an idea of the sort of story-telling shots it is possible to take. These were taken long before COVID-19 had even been heard of but with sensible precautions it will be possible to take a similar set under current restrictions.  Please get in touch to discuss ideas.

Rather last minute SDSS (Self Directed Support Scotland) asked if I could take some headshots of their staff and board members who were gathering for a meeting. I was able to fit them in after a morning meeting across the city and we found a suitable wall to take the shots in front of which matched their branding colour scheme.

The first Art Walk Porty back in 2015 with a mixture of art in studios, art in shops and cafes, site specific art, participatory art and a makers' market, all crammed into one weekend. Here are a few of the people involved.

Some of the people at the launch of the first Art Walk Porty back in 2015, hosted at The Skylark.

Tribe Porty is a community co-working and creative events space based in Portobello, Edinburgh’s seaside. It was founded by Dani Trudeau back in 2015. I got involved in the early days through TEDx Portobello which ran in the Tribe Porty space for three years, in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Tribe Porty has gone from strength to strength, expanding to take over the whole building from its initial spaces upstairs. Back in 2015 I took portraits of some of the people who were involved at the start. Some are still there and others have moved on.

Back on Referendum Day - Thursday 18th September - we were living just off Ferry Road in Edinburgh, in the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency. On the day of the vote I made my way around some of the polling places in that part of the city and photographed many of the people standing outside the polling places, representing the two sides of the debate - Yes and No. There was a lot of mutual respect, almost camaraderie - I guess if you spend hours standing next to someone you are likely to get into conversation and find things in common even when you are on opposite sides of the political divide.    ​