It really feels like summer has finally arrived and what better way to welcome the summer season than with a traditional afternoon tea? I love food photography and food styling. It’s artistic, challenging, colourful and you can eat the results! This is one of a series of shots on the summer dining theme made for a Yorkshire tea shop. It’s an uplifting, high key style  of summer food photography that captures the essence of  the English season.

Anyone for afternoon Tea?

Do you need food photography in Yorkshire? I am able to work on location at your coffee shop, cafe or restaurant throughout the Yorkshire area. A great way of showing off your edible goodies in your print and online marketing materials. Please get in touch if you would like more information about food photography or would like to book a shoot.

The post Afternoon Tea Summer Food Photography appeared first on Jen Bray Commercial Photography & Design.

Animation from stills photography is a cool way of making your website different from the competition. Website photography these days doesn’t just consist of stills and photographers need to embrace the new technologies available to help their clients use photography for marketing in the most effective ways possible. Customers love things that are different and animated video increases customer interaction and tends to keep them on your site longer. This short animation was made just for fun using a combination of Photoshop, After Effects and Premiere Pro. Whether its a header, a video animation for the homepage of your website or an online add, animation from stills photography is a fun and appealling way of using photography for marketing. To find out more or to discuss an animation project, get in touch! using the contact page on the website.

The post Animation From Stills Photography appeared first on Jen Bray Commercial Photography & Design.

A short web video production made for Lovingly Baked in Halifax, West Yorkshire. Lovingly Baked make deliciously enticing cupcakes and needed a web video production to showcase the loving care and attention that goes into producing their range of yummy  cupcake products. The whole baking process was captured with DSLR video and carefully edited using Premiere Pro and After Effects. Lovingly Baked will showcase their product video on their website and YouTube Channel.

The post Web Video Production for Lovingly Baked appeared first on Jen Bray Commercial Photography & Design.

This short article suggests how to use video to promote your business. Having video on your business website boosts your SEO and also increases customer interaction, keeping them on your site for longer. Adding video content will transform a static site into a dynamic rich media channel and can ultimately increase your turnover.  In the UK, YouTube makes up 20% of visits to social media sites. It has also become a very popular search engine in its own right and receives over 3 billion hits every day. So in a nutshell, yes video will benefit your business.

What can I make a video about?

This really depends on the type of business you run and could be almost anything from a short video introduction to the company, or a product demonstration. We may live in a digital age but the benefits of adding a human touch should never be underestimated. Showing who is behind the company and its key staff adds a personal touch and customers feel more able to engage with you and your product or service.

Showing how to set up a product or how it works is usually easier to understand and follow in a web video than a long instruction manual. It is also a lot less frustrating for the customer. How to videos improve your level of customer service and will lead to recommendations and more sales. If yours is an industry where you carry out practical activities, you could create basic demonstrations about how to do something or how a new product was developed.

Raise the profile of your business by including videos that showcase the industry and your knowledge of it. What is the latest news? Where do you think the industry is heading? Sharing your insights with your target customers will grow your reputation as an expert in the field. You could also include short web videos about upcoming events and special offers.

the video making process

Its important to be clear about what you want to show. Start with writing a short script and storyboard before filming so you have an idea of what you should be doing. Once you have your footage edit it down to the basic rough cut. You may need to record a separate voice over and remember that any music you add to the video will probably be subject to copyright. Finally add your logo and some titles and output the finished video to the web.

Remember that the search engines rate web video highly so make maximum use of this by using relevant keywords in the titles of your video and in tags when you upload it. The best method is to host the video on YouTube and then embed it into your own site. Also consider sharing the video on other sites such as Vimeo and remember to share it to your social networks. To get maximum coverage, encourage your viewers to share and embed the video too. If you would like to learn more about how to use video to promote your business, get in touch.

The post How to use Video to Promote Your Business appeared first on Jen Bray Commercial Photography & Design.

This short article explains why your business needs a blog and the benefits of having one. Almost all businesses are aware that having an online presence, i.e. a website and social media are essential tools in reaching the target audience. Static sites that are built once and never updated are not the way forward and I often hear people complaining that they get little customer contact through their websites. SEO methods are changing and the search engines now index sites on content rather than older methods of stuffing the site with invisible text and keywords. Read on to find out why your business needs a blog.

why your business needs a blog

Blogging gives your business a voice. People like to deal with other people. For many small businesses selling products or services online, the target customer doesn’t know who they are dealing with and the site is just a method of sales delivery. Write your blog posts in a friendly style and let your target market know who you are and that you will be good to do business with. A human element means the customer will be more likely to contact you, ask questions and ultimately purchase what you are selling.

Content is king. Google is more likely to show your site higher up the listings if it is updated with fresh and interesting content on a regular basis. Make your posts relevant to what you think your ideal customer would search for. Publish all your posts to your online networks such as Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook. Not only does this increase your profile within your networks, its a good way of driving quality visitors to your website.

OK, so your blog is increasing traffic to your website. Now you need to be different from your competitors. Blogging makes this easy. Writing about your work and business (which you hopefully enjoy) will make you stand out from those who are still using a static ‘brochure’ site. You can talk about new products and services, show their development and announce special offers. Establish yourself as an expert in your  field and improve your credibility with your prospective customers. All of this gives you a bit of an edge over the competition.

A well established blog can become an online community. Customers will ask for advice and tell their friends. Take the time to answer all questions or comments on your posts and you will soon build a following. Furthermore, running a blog is a great way to improve your own knowledge and ultimately your business. You will soon find yourself reading the latest industry news and developments so that you can pass it on to your waiting audience!

How to set up a blog

The popular blogging platforms are free to use and very intuitive to use. The two biggest platforms are WordPress and Blogger. I prefer WordPress and this whole site is built using the platform, though I host it myself. You can set up your blog  by yourself, or have a web designer or developer build one into your site. Once your blog is set up, its important to brand it to match your main website and link the two together. The key to success is to update it regularly. You don’t have to write war and peace. Set aside an hour or two each week to write several post at once and schedule their publication over a number of days.  Don’t forget to share to your online networks, and this can also be done automatically.

Are You Convinced? Need any help?

Remember, having a pretty website is not enough to keep you at the forefront of the popular search engines. Content is king and you need to update your blog on a regular basis to reap the benefits. Its an easy way to get feedback on products and services and its easy with only a small time commitment necessary. Create a conversation around what you do and be ready to reap the rewards. If you need help with your blog let me know, I would be happy to help.

The post Why Your Business Needs a Blog appeared first on Jen Bray Commercial Photography & Design.

Whether its because I am a bit of a magpie, or whether its a female thing, I am attracted to photographing small, shiny things. Jewellery photography is one of my favorite subjects in the studio. There is just something about the textures and colours those shiny little pieces have that sparks my creativity. Its also a very challenging subject and some pieces of jewellery can be very difficult to photograph well because of highly reflective surfaces and their small size.  The butterfly pendant shown above is just lovely and was fun to photograph because its quite an unusual piece. In the studio I use lots of different lighting techniques to show my client’s products at their very best. Each piece is different and the smallest change in lighting can have a dramatic effect on the final image. Hence, to get perfect results, each jewellery item will have the lights adjusted to show it in the best way possible. For the image shown here, I went right back to basics and used a diffused window as the key light. The fill light came from bouncing a small flash off a white reflector to fill in the shadows without flattening the image.

catalogue and brochure photography

It’s disappointing to see so much poor quality photography on the internet and even in printed brochures. On business websites all products and services should be illustrated with good photographs. There is no point spending a small fortune on a business website and a product brochure if the photographs of what you are selling are poor quality. Bad photography gives the whole business a low quality, cheap look. In today’s economy, consumers are picky about where they spend their cash. Business owners really need to showcase their products in the best way possible, otherwise the customer will buy from the competition. Professional photography increases the customer’s perception of the product and brings larger sales and profits in the long run. Jewellery photography shoots can be highly styled or kept plain and simple depending on the style required by the client and the intended final use of the photographs. Creative editing, graphics and logos can be added during post production as well as design and layout for both print and web output.

find out more or book a shoot

The bottom line whatever you are selling, is that you need to showcase your products with quality photography. Hiring a professional also saves you time and a whole lot of stress. It’s affordable too and quickly pays for itself. Have any questions or need more information? Contact me to find out more. I am always happy to help!

The post Jewellery Photography – Showcase Your Products appeared first on Jen Bray Commercial Photography & Design.

From mobile phones to cheap compact cameras and pocket camcorders, modern technology is great. Cheap and cheerful, we can all try out our creative skills and play around with them on the computer before uploading our artistic output to Flickr, Facebook and YouTube. Its a wonderful medium and allows anybody these days to call themselves a photographer or even a film maker. Whilst I am all for the benefits of the new digital era, I do think there is a tendency to make us pay less attention to real photography skills such as good composition, and a general lack of knowledge about using the controls of the camera for creative effect.  I sometimes wonder if digital photography is just too easy and may make us professionals a little bit lazy. So, on a very wet and windy day I went into Halifax Town Centre armed with nothing but a raincoat and a very old film camera to test my own skills and see if I could get a shot I was happy with.

Film photography experiment

Apart from a very short dabble with a Polaroid and a ‘modern’ DSLR film camera during my training, the last time I had any involvement with film photography was in my late teens, well before the notion of being a photographer came to mind. I could have taken the easy option and gone out and about with my modern Canon film DLSR, with its auto focus and automatic modes and a screen that tells me when I have got the correct exposure. Hmmm…not challenging enough, I would soon work that one out. I looked around the studio for an answer and saw my little Kodak Retinette sitting on a shelf. Now this camera is cool and I just love the design and its sturdy steel body, even the hard leather case it comes in. The trouble is, the camera is so old that its totally mechanical, it doesn’t even need batteries. It has no way of focusing, a far from perfect viewfinder, no fancy controls and above all, no shiny bright LCD screen to let me know I am doing ok as I shoot. This probably explains why I have had it sitting on the shelf for two years, I simply don’t know how to use it!

I tried in vain to find a manual on the internet to no avail so in the end I just had to take the bull by the horns and have a go. I looked at the scale on the lens and was pleasantly surprised to find it opens up to f/2.8. This was really useful considering I had picked the darkest, dullest summer day to carry out my experiment. There are also some distance to subject settings which I presume are how to get it in focus. However, I didn’t think I would be asking anyone to pose for a portrait so I just used the infinity setting and literally relied on my instinct with the shutter speed to do the best I could. It is very scary not having the screen to see your output, and using the controls was a bit of a nightmare too. As usual, I ignored the odd looks I got whilst shooting on my knees in the middle of the streets in the pouring rain. If the shot requires a low angle, then so be it and blow the soggy knees. I did get a few knowing smiles from the older generation though, perhaps they had the same camera in their youth! There was an anxious wait for the film to be processed and when it came back I was pleasantly surprised. At least half the shots were useless but the other half were passable. It was interesting to see that the shots got better towards the end of the film too so at least I had improved from when I started!  The two shots here are my favorites, particularly the cobbled street at the top of the page, very Coronation Street. Incidentally, the film was in colour and I gave these the vintage look in post production. The joys of digital, the lab sent me a CD with the prints. Very authentic I think it looks too. All in all the mission was successful and I can’t wait to go out and shoot on film again. Maybe next time I will wait for a brighter day.

What do you think?

Do you think that digital photography has led to a decline in creativity and artistic ability? Do you think the quality of professional photography is suffering? Some professionals feel that the digital era and mass media has devalued professional photography to the point of destroying careers and incomes. I would love to know what you think. Feel free to leave a comment in the box below and keep the conversation flowing.

The post Film Photography – Is Digital Too Easy? appeared first on Jen Bray Commercial Photography & Design.

Quality of Light

Photographers use all kinds of lighting tools, from complex studio lighting set ups to very basic items such as sheets of black and white cardboard. Because photographers are generally creative types, we like to call the basic stuff weird names like light shapers, light modifiers, reflectors, bounce cards, gobos or flags. We’ll just stick to black and white cards here to cut down on the jargon and avoid confusion! Seriously though, all light sources have a ‘quality’, they all differ in their colour temperature, and have a degree of softness or hardness that will effect the overall look of the shot. I won’t bore you with the technicalities of colour temperature, you don’t need to know and that’s why you hire a photographer in the first place, but lets take a look at hard or soft light.

Hard or soft light?

The quality of light has a major impact on all the shots a photographer takes. We have much more control over the lighting in the studio than the light outdoors, though we can often modify or supplement natural outdoor light to get the look we want.  Hard light is usually a small light source coming from one angle. If we think of the sun in the sky on a very bright day, its a very small light source when compared to the earth itself. Its also very far away from us mere mortals and presents itself as a very hard directional light.  The photograph of the dominoes at the top of this page was shot with a single, hard light coming from the right of the camera. We can see that there is a lot of contrast and clearly defined shadows. Hard light gives a moody and dramatic feel. It is good for edgy fashion work and showing texture in certain products. However, because of the high contrast, it is not often used for general portraits.

On the other hand, soft light comes from a much larger source and results in less contrast, less clearly defined shadows and fewer harsh reflections than hard light. Think of the sky on an overcast day. The sun is still in the sky but it is diffused by the clouds. This spreads the sun rays so that they form a much larger, but less directional source of light. The photograph of the dominoes on the left was shot using a soft light. As you can see, the spread of light is much more even and less contrasty. The light can be made softer still by bringing it closer to the subject. Soft light is ideal for catalogue photography and is very flattering for people, making it popular for portraits and beauty photography. So, there we have it. One subject, one light, same camera settings but two different looks. Control over lighting and the effects that can be achieved are one of the things I love most about photography. If you need any help with lighting your products for your websites or brochures get in touch. I would be happy to help!

The post Hard or Soft Light – Does it Matter? appeared first on Jen Bray Commercial Photography & Design.

Welcome to the latest studio news update. The winter weather is dragging on well into March and its freezing cold, not good for somebody who likes to be outdoors as often as possible. Snow and ice not only keep me in the studio, the bad weather also makes me lazy, tired and just a little bit  grumpy. I invested in a shiny new bicycle to give me a bit of ‘oomph’ and regain my fitness level. Now, I have no desire to ride long distances or extreme mountain trails but I did have a ‘ginger’ vision of pedaling off into the hills with a healthy lunch in a backpack and my trusty camera around my neck. Of course, I would return with lungs full of fresh air and a whole bunch of amazing nature and landscape photographs…hmmm, its just too cold! Roll on spring…anyway, here’s the latest from the studio.

CREATING SUNSHINE IN THE STUDIO

The last couple of weeks I have been experimenting with studio lighting techniques with the aim being to keep things as simple as possible and use only basic equipment. Its surprising what results can be achieved with a one light set up. I got some lovely macro jewellery shots using only window light and a couple of pieces of white paper but the focus here is on spring so more on that later.

We may be getting slightly longer nights but there is still a depressing lack of sunshine, so on a very dull, cloudy day I decided to create my own. Daffodils are a sure sign that spring is on the way and make the perfect sunny subject. The bunch at the top of the post were shot against a window with a small flash gun to light them from the front. My favorite has to be the shot shown here. I put a single daffodil in front of a sheet of blue paper and bounced a single flashgun off  the paper to light the flower from behind giving it a sunny blue sky feel.

Other News

I was recently asked to speak at an L4N meeting in Huddersfield and went with a practical demonstration instead of  a rambling speech about what I do. The demonstration involved showing the ladies how to set up a mini studio using everyday items to photograph products for selling on Ebay or their own websites. It was well received (which was a huge relief) and I will be uploading a short video presentation to the YouTube channel as soon as time allows.

The studio has been busy this month with portrait sessions and clients needing online profile photographs. As most of my clients are business people I actively encourage them to market their products and services online. Its surprising how many businesses don’t have a social media presence or a blog attached to their websites. My aim is to maximise the added value clients receive from their photography service. Online marketing through social media is a very effective and cheap method of getting the marketing message out to the client’s target customer. Get those photographs online, everywhere now!

The rise of video marketing can’t be ignored any longer and this is an area I am currently pursuing and have a handful of projects in the pipeline which are very exciting. I have also updated the website and will soon be launching a monthly newsletter including the latest from the site as well as marketing and business news, details later.

The post Latest Studio News Update appeared first on Jen Bray Commercial Photography & Design.

The ongoing recession has seen a rapid increase in cottage style industries as people look to earn extra income in tough economic times.  Popular start ups include those working in the area of health and fitness such as personal trainers, virtual assistants and web designers.  Many businesses have been set up at home by people who have lost their jobs and now want to earn from their favorite hobbies and pastimes. Some may need to fit their working hours around the needs of their children, while others work full time during the day and work on their home business in the evenings and at weekends. The British consumer seems to like items that are unique and hand made. Its no surprise then that home industries such as jewellery making, greetings cards and cake making have seen a rapid rise in popularity over the last couple of years.

Cupcakes & Food Photography

There is just something about cupcakes & food photography that I find very comforting. Its colourful and artistic and whether its a warming winter soup or a bowl of pasta, there are always lots of textures and patterns just waiting to be brought to life with effective lighting and framing. I love creating ‘sunlight’ in my studio and as food photography is often lit from behind the subject with a shallow depth of field, its one of my favorite jobs.

I recently had the pleasure of working with Diane Clark at Lovingly Baked and we spent some time in the studio photographing her cupcakes. Diane set up her cupcake business from her home in 2012 and supplies several local businesses. Diane will be moving into new premises as her cupcake business grows. She arrived at the studio on a very dark snowy day, armed with a selection of cakes on her way to make a delivery. We kept the styling very simple and shot a few frames before temptation took over and we ate the models! The green mint and chocolate ones were my favorite though my waistline may not agree. I am looking forward to working with Diane in the near future. To find out more about Diane and Lovingly Baked, visit her website.

The post Cupcakes & Food Photography appeared first on Jen Bray Commercial Photography & Design.