Carli-Art photography

Patience is a virtue.....

2010-11-26T07:20:00.000-08:00

No posts for a while then, hmmm. No excuse but I was convinced the new blog would be up and running by now so was saving all the juicy bits for that but seeing as its going to be a while and my last post here was in October (naughty!) I think I better be more patient and offer you guys a catch up on the last few weeks.

It has been a busy one which is great news and has included another commission from Vodafone to shoot Sevilla football players / club for an Advertising campaign so that was a fantastic experience and a quick and warm trip out of the country. I have also been getting to grips with fbml for the new facebook page, shooting a private birthday party where much cake eating and face painting has taken place and even had a really exciting last minute request to shoot a corporate event for Disney. Unfortunately delegates were not dressed as Mickey Mouse much to my disappointment!

To get things started, more pics to follow.......

Hello boys....

2010-10-20T08:51:00.000-07:00

A month or so ago Carli-Art was commissioned to take some images for new Mens Jewellery brand, 10 Sterling. Based in the UK and offering high quality, bespoke dog tag style bracelets and necklaces for all the boys out there; we had the pleasure of working with Hareth who has helped to make the images and the jewellery look fantabulous. Most importantly of course the site is now live and you can see all of the pictures plus the lovely bling online.

Fearing six year olds & New Vodafone commission published...

2010-10-17T10:04:00.000-07:00

The past few days my mind has seemed unable to concentrate on more than one thing at a time, which is an odd feeling considering I usually have a huge party of thoughts up there! Anyway, the preoccupation of preparing a thirty minute activity for 15 six year olds has been far more than I imagined and although excited, the nerves are beginning to show. (I have even been put off eating a delicious looking lemon drizzle cupcake, this is clearly getting serious!)

On a different note I do have something to celebrate as a couple of weeks ago Carli-Art was commissioned by Vodafone to shoot some imagery for an advertising Case Study. The idea was to demonstrate how useful a new business product called One-Tel had been to a small business (Fit Mama) and helped it to grow and improves its future prospects. The results are now live to see on Vodafone UK, downloadable on their One Tel Case Study PDF and will shortly be seen in various print forms through national publications such as The Times and The Telegraph and online monsters such as Linked in and Yahoo. Preview of some of the images that didn't make the final cut below....enjoy!

Goldilocks.....New pictures for Berkshire Salon...

2010-10-12T03:10:00.000-07:00

After she'd eaten the three bears' breakfasts she decided she was feeling a little tired. So, she walked into the living room where she saw three chairs. Goldilocks sat in the first chair to rest her feet.

"This chair is too big!" she exclaimed.

So she sat in the second chair.

"This chair is too big, too!" she whined.

So she tried the last and smallest chair.

"Ahhh, this chair is just right," she sighed. But just as she settled down into the chair to rest, it broke into pieces!

Breeding guilt babies...

2010-10-08T02:22:00.000-07:00

My mother once said to me that the moment she gave birth to me (or any of my siblings I convince myself), she gave birth to guilt. I think I might know how she feels. As a freelancer I seem to spend 98% of my time feeling guilty. Guilty I need a cup of tea and that five minutes could be better spent editing, guilty it took me 5 snooze attempts before getting out of bed, guilty I even went to bed in the first place. Sleep...what a waste of time I say. I was discussing this very same thing with another freelancer last night and thankfully his wide eyed giggle gave me the reassurance that it isn't just me & yes, guilt is the baby that is bred by most freelancers and small business owners.

In a bid to tackle guilt I tend to do one of two things. Go shopping or pursue the plight of my customer through various forms of internet searching. Of course Facebook doesn't come in to it, huh hum.

Twitter is great and because its time consuming and it involves you paying attention to others & whats around you, you can enjoy a mini break while at the same time keeping an eye on your market. Genius form of useful procrastination right there. Another more recent discovery is something I fear I may be well out of touch with, Google Alerts. Hit the 'anything results' button and watch some rather odd but strangely interesting articles, bits of information and links just drop into your mail box. The more diverse one's often lead that train of thought places I never expected but hell, enjoyed!

Not forgetting the shopping front, I for once avoided the clothes and stumbled across this....The Now Habit. (I heard that groan, apparently this is far from the traditional self help book and you can appease your shopping guilt as its for the good of your work!)

Sneaky Peek & working Purple...

2010-09-29T04:22:00.000-07:00

Celebrating in style below are images from a birthday party I photographed at the weekend at the boutique hotel, The Bermondsey Square in London. Purple Grape provided the delicious food and did an amazing job, I understand plates came back licked clean which can never be a bad sign!

So here is a sneak preview and Happy Birthday Tim!

56% spam, 44% after party...

2010-09-28T16:20:00.000-07:00

Who would have believed just 4 days out of the office & I am literally swimming in emails, admittedly at least 56% (rough estimation of course) are spam or newsletters or various info I am signed up to but the others must be answered. Therefore anybody still waiting for a reply I apologise and promise I will get back to you as soon as I possibly can.

Being busy is fab, I will never complain and its when I perform best. Eating Snack a Jacks and Snickers in the car, reaching insane sugar levels with Lucozade energy tablets every time I manage to return to my camera bag and grabbing 5 hours sleep before up to do it again. It fills me with a little dread before I have a mad run like this but I love it when I am there and the time flies by. Clearly, hence the increasing back log I am now faced with. When its quiet it suddenly becomes very difficult to focus on whats important and all those really vital business running things that I should be doing fade from memory & I find interesting industry articles to read, new blogs to code (another excellent procrastination tool, I am learning HTML) and of course editing. This week, editing is the name of the game and the laptop is suffering as much as me with a corrupt hard drive and yet another full external drive already.

On the picture front, which I suppose is why you are really here; as promised below are some of the Bryce Aime After Party images. Hope you enjoy. To follow.....A test shoot and me playing with various effects on some events photography.

Bryce Aime @ LFW and making friends with the enemy...

2010-09-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

Being ill sucks. It does. Not only does the drone of Jeremy Kyle, Loose Woman and 60 minute makeover offer a torture only known by those sitting long enough to endure them but you also, as I have found out, miss out on some great opportunities....so far for me these have included the Venue and Event show in London, lunch with a lovely friend / client and a job offer. This is where knowing other quality photographers that you would be proud to recommend are vital. Knowing your business competition not only helps you in terms of your marketing and general business planning but it helps your business, I tend to get the feeling that some freelancers avoid their peers...I say get up close and personal! Know them, love them and build alliances!

On a different note before the cold managed to produce a sea of tissues in my otherwise tidy bedroom, I had the pleasure of attending the After Party for Bryce Aime this London Fashion Week.....Pics to follow and for the moment, some of his lovely designs!

Extending the exclusive...

2010-09-16T14:34:00.000-07:00

Besides the obvious cakes and sweet goodies, exclusive viewing galleries are an addition to my services I have really enjoyed offering recently. They offer a fantastic way to showcase your event or project within a bespoke designed website, giving your guests, delegates or employee's am opportunity to remember their event in style. Its a great way to spread the love and of course the PR.

For those of you that don't want the world and its mother to know about your event, your not alone and its not a problem. The galleries can be designed without any SEO or optimisation making them darn near impossible to find unless you have the web address.

This was a service I originally offered to Toyota Lexus when I covered their Hybrid Sport launch in August and have had the pleasure of extending the fun to Ernst & Young, Jalouse and Competitive Events.

Want to see a site? Want to see my experiences last night at the Jalouse club in Mayfair? Check it out: HERE

OK, who blinked....

2010-09-14T09:47:00.000-07:00

Hands up who likes having their picture taken? OK, no one, anyone? Thats because very few people do, I am not even sure pro models like it they just aren't too bothered. This of course always make corporate portraiture a little bit tricky and something I have had a little bout of recently. (Not like about of holiday tummy, this is a purely positive thing.)

I was asked to provide some advise to my sitters and I always tell them to think about what they wear and exactly what they want to say about themselves and the company, the rest in all honesty is my job. I need to make the person sitting in front of me usually sweating and laughing uncomfortably, less so. I tried memorising jokes for this purpose which went horribly wrong & dancing like a fool is not an option while trying to take pictures so I now stick to two key rules.....always meet the sitter before the shoot. I know its extra time out of my day but its important to me and I feel its important to my clients. It just takes the edge of and they can then ask you face to face anything they may be worrying about. The second, have someone else in the room with you from the office. This could be the receptionist, the person who made the booking or a fellow colleague but if the sitter is ok with it then so far, it seems to have worked. Portraits are more relaxed, natural and ultimately honest which can only be positive things for the person or company representing themselves through the images.

I am certainly no expert at this so if you have any more tips or advise regarding corporate portraits or a niggle or treasure you want to share...please feel free!

Feeling mobile? How much time do you spend on yours...

2010-09-02T16:09:00.000-07:00

Yes its almost midnight (23:56 to be exact) and I am awake working having just got in from an event in Bloomsbury with Hotel Russell and Genie. Pictures are required for PR first thing so typically, my card reader is taking its time & stopping at Bognor Regis for a holiday before completing its upload.

On another note though I sat there on the train on the way home & started thinking about just how much I used my mobile phone, so were talking 85% of my life really. Text, call, internet, photos, maps, whatever. if I can find an excuse to use it I will. It got me thinking as to if I used it more to view the web than my actual computer which lead me to thinking my new website (coming soon!) really should be mobile optimised. I-phones of course fail miserably as they cant read flash (I hope that decision maker was fired in the world of shiny silver Apples) but otherwise were all good & I have for once been relatively sensible and have a html only version of my site available. Yay for old school.

So the post was leading somewhere...oh yeah...this rather interesting article & some scary facts such as we spend almost 7 hours a day on our phones or using media content!

Give it some Bowtime....

2010-08-31T08:28:00.000-07:00

Bowtime Tent, Creamfields.....an unexpected but excellent weekend working with the team at RPM in the Strongbow tent at the festival. Great event, loads of fun, awesome crew and a good all round vibe. Plus I still got my drum and bass / dance kick that I was aiming for this bank holiday weekend! For all the pictures from the weekend plus their other festival activities such as V, visit the Strongbow facebook page.

MTV presenters & chocolate dipped strawberries......Commercial fashion shoot and the ideal corporate gift.

2010-08-26T02:15:00.000-07:00

I am starting to become disheartened by Apple. First the iphone 4, now repeated problems with Snow Leopard....is it that they really were this troublesome before but their big shiny Apple shaped exterior & genius marketing just plastered (very well I might add) over the cracks? I am beginning to think so and now that plaster is cracking....is this the beginning of a few tainted experiences and now questioning consumers who before, would have stood bare chested in a sand storm for the brand. Is anyone else feeling the strain or is it just me?

Anyway besides my Apple related issues this week I have also had a chance to collect some of the images from the 10 Sterling shoot, an up and coming mens jewellery brand providing high quality, bespoke accessories for men including sterling silver dog tags and bracelets. The images below are unedited so be kind but they give you a glimpse of the hard work put in by the team (thank you Clive, Hareth and Ilona...not Lloyd who didn't turn up, why do people do that?!) and an insight as to whats to come. Final images and previews of the 10 sterling site to follow.

On a different note, yes, below is a picture of cupcakes! We all know I love a good cupcake and even better if sprinkled with sweets so I was very excited that Susie at Angelic Cupcakes put together these beautiful edible delights for a friend and colleague who is leaving their current role at an Events agency to move onto another events agency and a change of scenery - Good luck Claire!

I thought they would make a great gift and am delighted with the results....even if i didn't get to sample them! There will also be cupcakes in association with my rebrand....exact logistics and plan yet to be decided but there will be sweetness and mid afternoon sugar rushes so keep those kettle warmed!

Happy First Birthday & even more Frappachino....

2010-08-18T15:29:00.000-07:00

Great start to the week with some corporate portraiture at Landmark, beautiful offices in Henley and some wonderful people so that was great fun. I even got a decent lunch break and my favourite....squeezed in a trip to Starbucks! (Honestly I should get shares the amount i drink there)

Last night was the first Anniversary of Windsor Business community, a focussed networking group held in association with bar Ha Ha and Sharon from Kiereen designs and a really great evening. BBQ with decent vegge food which means they are already onto a winner with me but also some regular and some new faces. The evening had a great vibe, probably helped by the free cocktail making bar, and a sneak peek at some of the pics are below.

Later in the week....fashion pics from todays shoot with an up and coming mens jewellery designer. Girls..... (ok and boys)...get ready!

Weddings, Corporate Portraiture & what not to wear....

2010-08-14T08:42:00.000-07:00

Another busy week lays behind me which is fab news as another one also stands in front. What scares me is my busy as a bumble bee schedule has left little time for that all important CRM so am looking forward to getting back on it and as a result hopefully filling more of that diary as Christmas (yes I said it) approaches.

Still to come also is the rebrand...new name, new logo, new site and new blog. Very excited and just tying a few final ends before it all goes live, late predictably but it will happen so please - watch this space!

Last Sunday I got together with some old Uni friends and we worked on our first shoot together in 5 years! Vintage themed images coming soon and to appear in 'Frock &Roll' Readings new, exclusive Vintage boutique.

My wedding portfolio (as a second shooter) is getting ever fuller which is great so thinking I will put some of those up in the coming weeks (a few above to get you started) plus my corporate portrait skills are being tested with an abundance of requests, must be that time of year which is fantastic. I always like to learn more and more and more and....well you get it but came across some great sites for portraiture so have put below in the hope you find them useful. Good for tog or sitter, enjoy.

Photography Posing

Digital photo school (includes lighting set up diagrams)

Mansurvos

What not to wear

Ehow

Photo Tips

PS: Coming soon - downloadable Bright Ideas guides including Tog Talk explained, Understanding imagery; In front of the camera, having your corporate portrait done; Knowing what to ask for, getting the best bang for your buck... plus many more!

Some tog terms explained_understanding your imagery....#1 File types

2010-08-05T02:30:00.000-07:00

If you don't have the advantage of a web designer or an image savvy marketer or a Dave in the office who knows everything these is to know about IT then it can be hard to understand what exactly your photographer is supplying you or what you should be asking for.

Weather you are working on printed brochures, website updates or an e commerce site you may like to know a few things about the types of files being provided to you so hopefully this and on going posts will help to shed some light on the RGB, CMYK, JPEG jungle......

#1 File types

More often than not your images will be supplied to you in a digital format and there is a range of file types available which offer various quality, colour saturation and compression. The most commonly used file type is JPEG but its an advantage to know about the others so here it goes.

TIFF: Large file types that your JPEGS may have originally come from, offers no loss of quality and is not compressed.
GIF: A compressed file often used in web applications, not great for colour reproduction.
RAW: This is the biggest file type and is the extension, which is used by most photographers to actually shoot your products or event etc. It maintains very high quality and will need to be compressed in some way to use across media, as RAW files are not viewable without specialist software.
JPEG: Optimized for photographs and can handle a range of colours and achieve a high quality even though compressed. Accepted by nearly all web programs or print houses.

Short, sweet but a little bit handy! To come....part #2 Colour profiles.

Schon! Party and Louis de Gama designer sale....

2010-08-04T14:50:00.000-07:00

The weekend just gone was a busy one for me but very enjoyable. Friday night saw me in Brick lane (I do love it there!) taking some pics of the Louis de Gama sale. A celebrated and awesome designer he creates beautiful womenswear in delicate chiffons mixed with structured leathers. After a painfully long walk to The Bathhouse (I had no socks on, bad shoes and even worse directions) I was at the Schon! party which celebrated their seventh issue launch which has some amazing images in it by some of the best talent out there. Lots of fashionista's darling so enjoy the photos....

Portfolio update: Untitled......

2010-07-30T03:15:00.000-07:00

The next big thing?

2010-07-29T03:15:00.000-07:00

Event UK are holding another 'Next Big thing' competition, giving the events industries top acts and performers a chance to compete and the opportunity to break into the corporate entertainment and party scene. You can win £1000, a contract with top entertainment industry Sternberg Clarke and extensive free promotion - visit the Event UK 2010 site or click here for more info and an entry form.

Caffeine & Umbrella's....The Grant Barnett shoot....

2010-07-29T02:49:00.000-07:00

There is something about driving through London at 5.45am in the morning that although insanely early, is also somewhat invigorating. Our early start was to be blamed on the needs of a commercial fashion shoot, a team of 9 arriving at The Rag Factory in Brick Lane at 7am to dance, prance and generally get out and about with designer Brolli's.

Caffeine was in high demand and after some excellent work from the team, a few 'is that rain' moments and some rush changes in the back of taxi's we finished tired but happy...oh and all with a small crush on a certain pink, punched lace umbrella.

I chose these images to post as these are the ones I am likely to put in my portfolio, they are the one's either often passed off as 'mistakes' or images that for some reason, speak to me! Plus a little behind the scenes at the Rag Factory - with thanks to: The Rag Factory, Tim, Tom, Ilona from IE Makeup, Rachel West Wardrobe stylist, Jo from Nicholas Hair and fantastic models Emily and Louise.

Final images approved and passed to campaign to be posted soon...watch this space!

Recent Events - The Battle Proms & Folk by the Oak....

2010-07-26T08:14:00.000-07:00

Postings have recently been lame, more than lame.....awful! Thankfully this is due to me being busy however apologies all round for rejecting a vitally important part of what I do. This apology acts more so as a kick up the backside for me! So above is a sneak preview of some recent event photography and to come will be some images from the Grant Barnett Fashion Shoot which I am doing tomorrow - a 4am start...nice!

Blogging to improve....

'The' Weekend for Events...

2010-07-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

The weekend just gone was apparently 'the' weekend that everything happened in terms of events and weddings, there were agencies crying out for more Champagne flutes and teams cursing the intern who mis ordered the caviar appetisers & were now attempting to rescue the situation with a emergency trip to Waitrose.

I did indeed attend (kind of, stay with me here) two weddings. I was second photographer for Emma Coleman of Blink Photography for a beautiful wedding at Pembroke Lodge, a regular venue for Emma I had never ventured there before and was very much taken with the outside terrace and the willing staff who kept offering me alcohol based refreshments! If you keep an eye on her blog there will be a posting soon I am sure, look out for the shot of the white chocolate cake, yes that is the cake I resisted sticking my finger in to lick off the icing!

The evening saw me head over to Ayslesbuty for probably the plushest wedding I have ever laid eyes on...a stunning display of stretch tents, bespoke cushions, bar and bunny shaped lighting. Some sneeky peeks below for you which were taken on behalf of Ten By Fifteen structures. If your into tents or moonlight might just be your thing.

The other event I attended, this week actually but hey ho, was the launch of the new Toyota Lexus Hybrid Auris...phew thats a title. It was held in Cambridge and managed by TMB and was filled with pretty pink lights, free luxury beverages and check it out - an old school games room! Loved by many this room featured Pac Man, Table football and Space Invaders...images to follow soon.

On an entirely separate note if you wish to see a posting I did on Networking in Berkshire re Twitter then click on me. I by no means posses some magic key to the door of Twitter knowledge however I have found a local clan of professionals who meet in a rather nice bar and talk tech; offering advise, guidance and also a networking opportunity. I am going just for the board games and Jelly beans!

Sunshine money & some local business...

2010-06-23T10:01:00.000-07:00

Yes my new twitter profile is the image that the paper didn't want to use! Oh well...if you wish to see it I was featured in Get Reading in the Business section so feel free to click, have a giggle at the existing image but of course also read what I had to say about Carli-Art photography and business in the community.

Yesterday I was at the UK Solar Plaza conference for PV energy, what I initially thought would be a pretty much yawn subject turned out to be really interesting and while snapping away I picked up some 'really?!' facts about harnessing energy from the Sun. The government's incentive launched in April 2010 predominantly aimed at Residential users, not that you would know as I haven't seen any information about it. It has made me think about being 'greener' though and the shift that seems to be becoming more and more evident of business's considering in greater detail their impact on the environment. Watch out tomorrow for some tips and some Thrifty bits on considering the eco system....no sighing please....there easy to do and you can proudly stand on that soap box and state your consideration of the trees and pretty birds and so forth!

For the moment here are some sneak previews of the conference....final images coming soon.

Thrifty Thursday....ironing those brain creases...

2010-06-17T12:28:00.000-07:00

If there is one thing I wish I knew how to do better and which seems to baffle a lot of people I know, is marketing! I have no issues with ideas just staying on track. Anyway I therefore spend a decent amount of time attempting to improve my skills in this area byt making sure I dedicate 4 hours a week to customer research, by taking part in business seminars and by generally absorbing as much info as I can about getting what is in my head, onto paper and most importantly taking action in my business. I have read various bits and bobs today so have a varied collection of crease free ideas for you and as always, these are collected from a range of sources...

Generate some brainstorming activity by opening any magazine and picking a page, point to a random word on that page and develop and generate your ideas from this word. Thanks to Nick Bettes from Nick Bettes Consulting.
Set up a nurturing timeline for your customers and clients to ensure you are keeping on top of your relationships. Thanks to the mini fountain of knowledge otherwise known as 'How to sell clever things to big companies' by Carrie Bedingfield at One fish two fish.
Name characters or types of people (eg Your Gran, A policeman) and then number them 1 to 6. Roll a dice and whatever number the dice lands on, then use this 'character' as a mindset from where to view your current marketing strategy. This puts you in somebody else's shoes, or slippers if its your nan. This winner is from Dave Stewart and his thoughts on creativity within business.
Leave the excuses at home. Thanks Dr. Lisa Turner
Look after your existing customers first, then search for more. Ta very much John Cheney ceo of workbooks.com.
Last but by no means least this website 'Marketing for photographers' has a whole HEAP of bits from using facebook, having a phone script and taking senior portraits that are just a bit too sexy!

On a mission and making friends...

2010-06-16T12:58:00.000-07:00

Carli-Art is very proud to be affiliated with Events company the Pineapple Parlour and now appears on their much loved friends and associates page - right here! Check it out.

In other news the Mission Hair shoot was a lively event at the weekend with the sun shining and all models on top form, bar a few hangovers - Note to self not to arrange a shoot in World cup week again! There are some exciting sneak previews below to keep your eyes happy and your brain keen for more. Other images to follow on the final selection...watch this space.

The end of this week will also see an opportunity for all friends, clients and those in the biz to win a selection of goodies and yes of course, this includes cakes-yum! I won't divulge all the details about the lovely things available just yet but you will be able to get your hands on some free services and sweet goodies just by answering 4 questions, thats it....its a customer research project where all i want to do is improve my service to you so hopefully this will allow that to happen. Keep your pinkies peeled.

What a Mission...Advertising shoot & Fashion Editorial pics

2010-06-12T13:35:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow see's the Mission Hair shoot and a 5.30am start - should be illegal on a Sunday - but looking forward to it and working with a whole team of people I have never worked with before. Model releases printed, batteries charged and cards at the ready. Also the first real shoot I am completing with the new camera - exciting stuff ladies and gentleman let me assure you!

So one thing which has taken a while to get posting on the blog is the Limited Ink pictures, a fashion editorial shoot for a cutting edge t-shirt design company providing limited edition tee's with an array of individual graphics and illustrations. Below are some pics and when I get some time I think I am going to have a play with the saturation levels on Photoshop, up the yellow a bit or something. Anyway, for the moment enjoy.

Next week......Mission Hair preview pics, client research project and a tog review!

Expose yourself....

2010-06-10T09:02:00.000-07:00

How dare I go away and leave the blog residing on its own, terrible. Anyway here I am back and with a bang! Not only did my sparkly new camera arrive today but I have worked some on the new website and it is looking fab I must say. As soon as the logo is redesigned I can really start moving things forward and one of the things I am looking forward to most is my new promo card!!! If you don't know what a promo card is check out this link.

I also have a new exciting format for my interviews, quick, fire filled and just 60 seconds long! Welcome to EXPOSED! I am really feeling this new style and hope to be speaking to various people from the creative and events industries. Our very special first Exposed is brought to you by The Pineapple Parlour, a high end events agency creating truly memorable events by stepping outside the boundaries of expectation. Welcome all pineapple lovers.

Being exposed:
Tom Dee from The Pineapple Parlour
Links:
Web | Twitter | Facebook

In three words my company does...
Events + Events + Minor Miracles

If my company was an item found on a desk it would be...
Something functional but non-banal, probably a paper weight or envelope opener.....From Paris, circa 1910. Or a Pez.

Not many people know...
Originally Superman didn't have the ability to fly, just very powerful legs for extremely high jumping

The last client Pineapple had the pleasure of doing business with was...
A social enterprise group called I-Genius. We're helping coordinate events for the future and we are really chuffed as we like working with charities and good causes.

One thing I wish I knew more about is...

Astrobiology, purely because anyone who claims to know too much about it is making it up! Genuinely interesting speculation though.

Photography to me means...
A chance to 'eternalize' that which we have tried so hard to get right, and very often the only remaining memory of an occasion, a person, a place etc. This the world would be altogether less human without it.

I likes Pineapples because...
"Funky looking fruit, tough on the outside but delicate inside." Sounds a bit dodgy but probably sums it up!

Thrifty Thursday....to pro or not to pro?

2010-06-03T03:38:00.000-07:00

Thrifty Thursday again and I have been doing various research on using professional photographers and how images effect things like visitor experience of web pages and receipt of marketing material etc. Not only does this help me to understand my services and products better but also the views of my potential target markets.

I found some of this research interesting and for those of you rebuilding websites and thinking about using images this might give you some tips.

- Commissioning a photographer rather than using stock images...are there advantages?
- Why use a pro? Everyone (almost) has a digital camera these days so why can't it be done without. Well everyone has excel and access to some accounting packages, it doesn't mean doing your accounts yourself is a good idea. Kelly Gillam in this article asks one to think about the benefits before writing a pro off.
- Here the AOP a professional Association of Photographers writes a short piece on the False Economies of using Maureen in the office who owns an SLR, but also includes some useful pointers on copyright.
- Getting your text right in your marketing material is vital so complimenting this with effective imagery can make those words resonate. Download this blueprint for 5 effective tips for marketing material and how to get those images right.
Cliche but true...a picture paints a thousand words. How many words would you have to write to say what that one image portrays in under a second?
- Research in psychology and communication show that a visual display has many advantages in comparison to typical language...this is a detailed study completed in 2009 of the case for Graphic representations. Read this if you have some time...interesting though!

(Image courtesy of loyalkng)

A little Rouge....

2010-05-31T13:50:00.000-07:00

The Tuesday chin wag is early for a change, OK its actually a week overdue but hey today is a Monday so let me live the dream. I bring you today a chat to Rouge Media, a lovely agency just down the road from me in Berks. I had the pleasure of meeting Andy who heads up this creative hub....lets get nosey!

Andy, why the name Rouge?

We wanted a name that we could grow into.. Something that sounded like a big agency but was still very approachable. The name came out of the idea that we add colour to marketing materials - 'adding a touch of rouge.'

Your not web monkeys as far as I am aware...so what animal is Rouge if it had to be one and why?

I've always felt that we operate well as a team of specialists looking out for each other, so maybe meerkats. I know a wolf pack would sound better but we are just a bit more friendly than that!

Can you tell us something about your latest project that you think illustrates why Rouge are so fabulous darling?

Just now we are doing some work for Mclaren, but i can say no more than that as its top secret!

Our latest launch is for East Youth Dance. This is a community dance website for the East of England. It's a relatively small site right now but will grow as the dance network starts to populate it with evens, news, groups and activities. I guess that what i like about it best, the website will eventually take on a life of its own,

Now I bought you cake when i came to see you...other than sugary treats what other things make you stand up and take notice or would be a good thank you?

We love cake, but pork pies or scotch eggs would be outstanding.

Pick one....Telephone, Good old letter, Email, Twitter or a Post it note.

Email. I can still remember sending my first email in 95. It was like a form of magic! Amazing its now so essential everyday.

What's it really like working in an office full of young creatives - juicy gossip, fashion disasters and mad brainstorming meetings?

Sadly its not like that anymore. We are all quite nerdy serious about what we do. I cant even say we work hard, play harder. Its about being professional and delivering the goods. That not to say we don't have fun doing it but the playboy days of champagne lunches have long gone. Its better now. It certainly means that the industry gets taken more seriously, I'm no longer afraid of those awkward introductions...and what do you do?

I notice your doing free website checks at the moment, can you tell us a little more about it?

Websites are often launched then forgotten, they can rapidly go out of date and fall apart. As a freebie we will spend a couple of hours with our site on our consultation couch, find if there are any issues then help suggest remedies. Unashamedly this is a route to new business for us but the things we recommend can be things you can do yourself, we are big fans of people taking control of their own websites.

What other things does Rouge do that we may not know about?

We have great experience of logos, branding and advertising.

An lastly, a quick fire round.....

Favourite word - Spoon
Favourite book - Magician by Raymond Feist
Scariest thing about running your own business - The tax man
CD you currently have playing in your car - Falcon by The Courteeners
The last thing that made you laugh - My kids drawing all over their own faces
Last time you dug, delved and had a good poke around what did you find? - A good friend that i lost touch with nearly 15 years ago. He wasn't down he back of the sofa or anything, turns out he was only in Richmond.

Thank you to Andy at Rouge! Check his digits below.

www.rouge-media.com

info@rouge-media.com

Fashion and Footwear....Designer spotting

2010-05-29T03:51:00.000-07:00

Thursday night I was invited to the TVU Ealing graduate fashion show, an event supported by Toni & Guy, The London College of Music and the Creatie Campus Initiative. Going along was a chance for me to not only see some old faces from my study days but also to see some of the designers that will hopefully be taking part in the 'Be Part of it...' workshop in July. There were some amazing designs so keep those fingers crossed!

Looking to the sun...

2010-05-26T13:17:00.000-07:00

I don't normally write about this but thought, hey why not. It also fills a space that an interview doesn't...sorry about that, hopefully coming soon.

Anyway, Carli-Art is very proud to be working alongside Solar Plaza to provide full coverage of their UK PV conference, an event discussing the details of the new feed in tariff and exploring market opportunities. Not knowing a huge amount about Solar energy myself I did some digging and was intrigued to learn about the government solar incentive scheme which was introduced in April. I am looking forward to covering this packed event and of course....getting to use the new D5. (Which hasn't actually arrived yet after ordering 8 days ago!)

If you wish to learn more about this fab event or check out the unique and historic venue.....click here.

Wild hair, book clubs & the CS3 patch tool...

2010-05-22T04:47:00.000-07:00

I am not doing well at this new schedule i realize, there I go setting myself goals & fail at the first hurdle! It has been a busy week with only Friday afternoon actually in the office and believe it or not rather long electricity failures over 2 days. Almost two days without electricity, well it was interesting much like my hair. (The perils of not being able to dry it or straighten it!)

I have been trying to absorb as much knowledge as possible this week (and as part of that actually attended my first book club meeting last night....in did involve G&T and a 2am bedtime mind) in terms of marketing and have unfortunately not picked up my camera once! Royal Windsor horse show pics will follow next week alongside hopefully an interview with a couple of clients, Balmlane Events and Rouge Media.

For now some tips that I failed to post yesterday......Foto Tip Friday reborn.....

- Using adjustment layers in PS is invaluable. Concentrate on only the area you are adjusting then select the layer and depending on how large the area is your changing brush back in the original, or invert and brush in the amendments. Want more?

- The patch tool: I know many of you will know how to use this but essentially this is for correcting areas that you may otherwise correct with the clone stamp or the healing brush. This does so by using a defined area selected by you. Find the area you need to cover and select it using the patch tool. Make sure that it is in 'Source' mode and then move the selection to a new point to select pixels that will cover up the original. So your dragging the bad selection to a good selection, or the source. Just remember that PS will blend the areas itself so be careful using sources with too much contrast. Get further guidance thanks to Livedocs.

- Now i have actually heard less about CS5 than I expected...is there anyone out there using it? I still use CS3 and am happy with it for now but knowing the advantages CS4 offers (I like the adjustment layers new menu layout option) I wondered what other developments had been made bar the apparently amazing selection tool. Check out Adobe to cast your own view and let me know if you use it yet and how your getting on.

RWHS and an alternative view of Reading....

2010-05-17T13:06:00.001-07:00

This weekend saw Royal Windsor Tattoo on Friday night and then a second shooter on a wonderful wedding Saturday. Sunday my official day off was fruitfully enjoyed in bed until midday with a crash and burn of happiness when I looked at the amount of cleaning & washing that needed doing!

On a non domestic note things are moving (ok slowly but there moving ok!) on the portfolio front and I have started really looking at images that sum up my photography, one image for the possibilities a good events PR image can offer...surely not...yes, be sure. I have tomorrow afternoon dedicated to writing copy and have the lovely Resonate helping with marketing therefore am thankfully being forced to get back on the marketing plan bandwagon. Why is marketing so mind boggling, its like a vast sea with ever changing currents and each slippery rock you hold onto just promises more possibility of drowning!?

Anyway enough babble, the community project I have coming up in July is keeping me focussed on at least one thing (official PR to follow) and the fact that tomorrow evening the D5 mark 2 is being purchased, yes that 'buy' button is being pressed. Get ready for an excitement overload as I start posting those annoying look at the difference photographs!

Another idea is brewing and I would love your help actually.....if you are a small business undergoing a rebrand or a start up company what is the one area photography wise you would like covered? Websites, portraits, twitter, your blog, a newsletter? Tell all....I have something exclusively for you guys but just want to put that cherry on the top!

Oh...above...some alternative views of Reading for your PR perusal

Thrifty Thursday....writing copy

2010-05-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

The blog sees its first Thrifty Thursday, an accumulation of various handy tips, news and bits of interesting chit chat that I stumble across on the web be it useful or useless! Today it will be useful as my brain is all geared up preparing these portfolio's and strengthening my brand by having a consistent few paragraphs of copy that I use in printed media and online that clearly and effectively let you guys know what I do. Far more complicated than I first thought I went on the web for inspiration & came up with the following.....

Make your audiences pay attention; make them respond in some way. Our content uses the language and messages that we identify as being appropriate for the people you want to engage. Thanks to Resonate as this is one of their five C's!
Your copy also needs to be found by search engines and someone said to be the other day (thank you Andrew from Direct-to-Market) that people using two words in Google are looking to educate themselves, those using 3 or more are looking to buy. Therefore I was thinking maybe brainstorm what those keywords are, being more specific than you may have first thought, then try and fit one of them into your copy. More SEO copy stuff - try this link. You even get a free downloadable booklet. Thank you Brian from Copyblogger
Focus on the reader – make an important promise early on (with your headline and opening paragraphs) that tells the reader what’s in it for her. Never allow readers to question why they are bothering to pay attention. Again, thank you Brian from Copyblogger.
Diagram your words. Diagramming keywords that you want people to know about your business or which represent your brand will help organise your thoughts before you put your fingers to the keyboard. Think about how much information you need and how to present it. Thank you to All business for this snippet!
Add a strong call to action at least twice. Like bookmarks, a strong and concise call to buy should be placed early in your promotional piece, as well as near the end. Be clear in how customers should contact you and always give your website address if you have one. Thank you to Entrepeneur.com for this beauty.
People buy the sizzle, not the steak. Features are only a means to an end. What do the features of your product mean to the lives of your consumers?
Keep your voice personal, professional but personal.....be you! Read more courtesy of Excess Voice.

Right....now to write some copy that works!! I will be back with the results.....hopefully something worth smiling about!

Where do you come from cotton eye Joe....

2010-05-11T07:44:00.000-07:00

The decision has been made to purchase the Canon D5 Mark2, yes all i need now is the money! I am excited, possibly a little too excited but this camera is possibly the most awesome bit of kit & I honestly believe will improve the quality of the files I am able to supply my clients. My old camera I love but I have outgrown it and in a bid to continually improve my services and my images I want to step up and be counted as a Mark2 owner!

Somewhere it would have come in handy (with its crazzzzy high ISO settings) is the Barn dance i photographed this weekend. Supporting my local residents association and Help The Heroes this dance and Mayfayre the following day turned out some great crowds, feel free to check out the pictures below.

Need your own events photography tips? http://eepurl.com/pDjH

Here it goes....Dear Diary....

2010-05-05T15:33:00.000-07:00

So I have been a little slack on the blog posting of recent...i apologize!! No I really do. In my aim to get more savvy with social media and use it to the extent I understand it can be used I am introducing a new regime to the mix....this is more for my benefit than yours but will give you a structure as to what kind of things I post and when! These posts are all written for you so if there is something you would love to know or think would be a great addition, please just shout.

Here it goes:

Tuesday - "I chat to..." The day of interviews with other photographers, artists, models, make up artists and also my clients! Get to hear first hand what they have to say.

Thursday - Thrifty Thursday is the day where I grab other web content and essentially compress it in to a neat post and then let you guys know the best of the best. This will be other advise, tips, ramblings or creative work from other people out there doing there thing and which I have found useful or insightful (or just darn funny!) and therefore think you might just too!

Friday - It returns, Foto Tip Friday. Camera, photoshop, flash, post, various tips that you may like to know about the many elements of photography. Suggestions...come on down ladies and gents and get them in while their hot!

The rest - Other days are left open for random ramblings, words from other creatives or local business's, a review of what is going on out there, Image sneak previews, up to date news on my diary, special offers and of course each month, The Bright Ideas post accompanied by the newsletter on a quarterly basis. Yay!

RSVP......

2010-05-03T12:52:00.000-07:00

I have been very busy this week predominantly working on marketing material and am very excited about getting a portfolio designed and printed....the old school returns and I cant wait to give some of my clients something tangible to wrap their fingers around. I attended RSVP on Thursday (I saw Alistair Guy if you know who that is, I have to admit I was slightly star struck!!) and have posted some images below so you can get a feeling for this Events event, the general feel was really positive and I was proud to bump into friends on a few of the stands including Group Seven Events and Ten by Fifteen structures.

I will follow later this week with some more images from the Bagatelles shoot, a good round up for that one and also some new additions to the stock library!

I chat to....Bagatelles....

2010-04-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

Following a successful Look Book shoot I take a few moments to chat to Rym the designer to see what she thinks her bags offer you, what she liked about the shoot and why she would be a handbag if she could be reinvented as a wardrobe item!

Name: Bagatelles & Co

Talent: Handbag and accessory designer

Web: Click here

Facebook: Click here

Blog: Click here

Rym, if you and your brand Bagatelles & Co were going to be described using a garment or accessory trim what would it be and why?

A purse frame - They bring a vintage / retro element with their shape but at the same time the contrast with contemporary textiles adds a modern touch.

What 3 words sprint to mind when you think of your lovely handbags?

Colorful, Playful and Dream.

You trained as a pattern cutter and worked as a pro for years, why the change to bags?

I was feeling the need to have a personal project where i could express my love for textiles and colour plus had experienced how hard it was to find pretty evening bags so started making my own and Bagatelles came from there.

From where do you source your fabrics and do you source these yourself?

Yes i source everything myself, some directly from suppliers, some from markets and others from my travels.

Who, what or where would you say your inspiration comes from?

Flowers, colours, textiles, walking around in the city, people I see in the street, 20's and the 50's, traveling, period costumes and fashion from previous decades. Oh and cute little cakes, and much much more!

Why did you choose Carli-Art to undertake this project for you?

I really liked your portfolio and felt we had a good connection, which after all is very important if you are going to work together.

If you could be any accessory what would it be and why?

A handbag! They are usually the detail which makes a different to the outfit. They are also very practical and carry all of our little secrets! A pretty object hiding treasures....a girls best friend.

What are your plans for Bagatelles & Co in the future?

I'd like to ad more small accessories like brooches and hair accessories and i would love to expand to a capsule clothing collection.

The team you pulled together for the shoot was amazing, we really gelled and had great fun. What was the best part of the day for you?

Putting together the outfits and planing around with the bags was great fun but the best was to see the results of our collaboration. It was really great to see the shoot coming to life after all of the preparations.

And lastly....anything else you would like to tell us?

I am always happy to collaborate with other talented designers or photographers and please feel free to join me on my blog or face-book (links above) for behind the scenes and up to date news.

Bright Ideas...1

2010-04-20T13:19:00.000-07:00

To compliment my Bright Ideas paper I have now decided to offer you a Bright Ideas post, so this will be posted every 2 - 4 weeks then the online newsletter based version as per normal every quarter. You can download the published edition each quarter so that at the end of the year you have your very own guide packed full of good ideas on how to use your imagery to your brands best advantage be it PR, Events or advertising photography being discussed.

To get things started lets look at Start Ups, this can also apply to all brands really wishing to cement or illustrate their brand core values, people, style and business with photography. These are all Bright Ideas however that I would suggest you might like to consider.

When you read text your brain conjures up visual images. When you hear the word 'exciting' or 'community' your brain again creates mini visuals in your head, people tend to think visually.....

1) The home page on your website should definitely have a strong image on it. It should give the viewer an insight into what your company does but also how they do it. So if your traditional in method then maybe use more traditional photographic or imaging process's, or if you are modern and fresh then express this using lighting by making things clean, bright or colourful.
2) Think about using images on the different pages of your site or in various sections. For example, you have a contact us page...make it more inviting by illustrating that contact through a photograph of a telephone box, a phone cable, a handshake, maybe something a little bit more quirky. Get creative!
3) Incorporate your core values into each image and make sure the pictures remain consistent, so the same 'style' of shot throughout. Offer continuity & recognition as all of this will help people to remember your business and build up a picture of it in their head.
4) Fit the images with your brand colours or logo. So think of things like what colour text the images are going to be used alongside, what other pictures are being used on the same page and even try and incorporate some of your brand colours into the picture. You don't have to go crazy but just suggestions or hints will work great.
5)....Ok I could go on but the post would end up far too long to read & there will be nothing left to put in the next one!! If you found these useful and want to have a chat further about finding the right photographs for your new website, marketing material or promotional goods then get in touch; I would be happy to offer any advise I can.

English Music Festival....

2010-04-19T04:23:00.000-07:00

The end of May brings the English Music Festival, a highly respected charitable event where hidden English Classics are bought to the forefront and celebrated over a number of days and concerts. I will be there this year snapping away and capturing some imagery suitable for marketing and PR use in the future but to get things started I needed to get a few snaps of the founder, Em Marshall. We took these in a beautiful pub in Richmond.

For more information on the English Music Festival visit their site here.

Useful procrastination...

2010-04-16T02:49:00.000-07:00

Writing a business plan I knew was not going to be easy but seriously...what?! I believe the marketing plan is going to be harder as I have so many ideas its reigning them in to a suitable plan and strategy....at this point the answer is less procrastination(better make this a short post then) and more just getting on with it.

I have come across some great opportunities recently though in order to help Small Business's with things such as this besides the obvious Business Link - will the Tories' really replace this with another worthwhile and accessible initiative?! They are below therefore for your viewing pleasure and I hope to see some of you there!

20th April - Small Business and Politics, meet the local MP

28th - 29th April - RSVP London

30th April - Keeping Business Local, Basingstoke

13th May - How to get a press release published

Holga Holga Holga....

2010-04-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

Okay so only 3 images came out of the whole roll of film (12 frames.....disgraceful!) however I am chuffed with the results. These ladies and Gentleman are my first set of images from my much loved Holga, the medium format camera made out of quite possibly the cheapest materials possible. I heard these were a cult obsession, I can see why. Now where is that other roll of film.....

Factory311 Opening....

2010-04-13T03:46:00.000-07:00

I went along to photograph the opening of the new studio in East London for Factory 311 - the night was excellent with some awesome art works and lots of guests, it had a really good buzz about it. Of course the night was stolen by the appearance of the ever popular Twiglet as a snack!

Some pics for your perusal....

Sweet things....

2010-04-13T02:06:00.000-07:00

If you don't already know I am a great fan of anything sweet....cakes, candy, pastilles, more cake...I just love the sweetness!! Therefore as a special treat for all my lovely fans on Twitter, Blogspot and Facebook I am now giving you sweets....yes free as a bird jellybeans and rock candy!!

Just post a comment on the Carli-Art fan-page wall with your favorite image from my portfolio and I will do the rest. (Contact you and get your address for postage basically!) So don't miss out....there are a limited number of treat packs to go around!

At a Level.....Foto Tip, ok Sunday....

2010-04-11T10:23:00.000-07:00

My quite obvious failings at actually posting the Foto Tip Friday on a Friday are clear, again I apologize and hope that this wonderful tip may recover something!

So i realized that although most of the tips I post are pretty simple stuff I haven't really touched on the core areas of Photoshop, so looking at tools and adjustments such as curves, levels and saturation. These tools have been used within previous posts but not actually gone into great detail about the use of each so I thought it time to get some of that out there as its likely there are some of you out there who would like to know more about what they do.

Lets start with Levels. This tool is essentially used to set the highlights and shadows within the image and to make sure that your picture has a generally nice tonal range and contrast.

You can find the Levels tool in the Adjustments menu and it will show you a histogram of the shadows and highlights within the image. You are essentially aiming to make the lightest point of the image white without burning the highlights out and then keep the dark bits of the image dark and solid, not dull. You do this by dragging the 3 pointers within the histogram left or right accordingly, the far right pointer effecting the highlights, the far left the shadows and the centre pointer the mid-tones of the image.

One way of identifying where the greatest shadows/ highlights are without just looking at the histogram is to switch to the threshold display mode, this then helps you to discern more easily where the greatest areas of dark and light are within the image. If you want to adjust different areas of the image at a time, then use the Levels tool in different adjustment layers. (For more info about adjustments layers see this post)

There are further things to do with Levels and above is a general overview, for a more in depth approach then there are a few books you can look at (Martin Evening is good) or some websites here and here.)

Bzzzzzz....

2010-04-09T01:32:00.000-07:00

A few photographer friends of mine sell their prints online, I have considered this but never really thought my work was anything that people may like to purchase due to it not really being of that nature. However after receiving a few comments (ok they were in the pub!) I have decided to take that step and started a profile on Arty Buzz. This is a site dedicated to visual artists where you can browse and buy great artwork but also get involved yourself. The prints and canvas's are high quality, they offer sculpture (nice!) and they even offer advise every step of the way if needed.

Right, time to get fully updating my profile!

Bright Ideas...

2010-04-07T10:22:00.000-07:00

With the edition of the Ideas tab on my website I thought it about time that this was introduced as a downloadable, printable, e-mailable (is that even a word?!) document, therefore I proudly introduce you to Bright Ideas! A quick guide to tackling photography yourself or a point in the right direction when commissioning a professional or writing a brief, this essential guide will offer you and your clients some tips.

If you wish to view it online, please visit BRIGHT IDEAS.

If you wish to receive this fab edition stratight to your inbox...click here.

Create a Boom....

2010-04-02T06:02:00.000-07:00

I am sitting here surrounded by paper, files started two years ago now adorning an attractive jacket of dust and various items of my wardrobe that didn't quite make it on to a hanger. I am having a sort, a big one. Its my start to my now full time self employment status.

A good start however with a feature in the Reading edition of Creative Boom, an online magazine dedicated to showcasing the creative industries in Reading and surrounding areas, I was very proud to have been asked....check out the feature here.

I have pictures to follow over the next couple of weeks of the Bagatelles Look Book and also the opening of the new Factory 311. Held last night at their new Mowlem Street location the party was kicked off with a live DJ set and images from the best of their represented talent displayed proudly throughout the space, which is light, modern and fits snugly into the surrounding culture rich patchwork that makes up East London.

Behind the scenes....

2010-03-28T03:10:00.000-07:00

One shot only: behind the scenes of a lookbook

Client/Handbag Designer: Bagatelles & Co

Model: Lula

Nails: Jo Webb

Make Up: Justina

Photographic Assistant: Maria Monfort-Plana

Creative Boom...

2010-03-27T11:12:00.000-07:00

Creative Boom Reading are a regional online magazine about the creative industries in Reading and the surrounding areas. They cover everything from fashion, film, gaming, photography and art and design, animation and marketing. The site is managed by Creative Boom - its parent and national magazine, designed to celebrate, inspire and support the creative industries. In partnership with jammmedia (a quite awesome design studio - great site) who are a young, energetic creative studio based in Reading.

The lovely Lucy from Creative Boom wrote to me last week and asked if she could do a quick feature on her site about some of my images. Of course I obliged and having no clue about which images are being chosen or what has been said I await nervously until Monday morning (around midday) when the feature goes live.

To check out the site (which is fab I must say!) then poke the page here.

I'm Late, I'm Late........

2010-03-22T13:57:00.000-07:00

With the goal in mind to refocus this weekend I am trying my darnedest to keep reminding myself that my marketing ideas, plan, practice, action and results cannot be put into place and produce results within a month. Sounds silly but I am impatient (at times only of course) and seem to believe I am capable of such mean feats, I know I am not but it doesn't stop me wanting to achieve them.

With only 2 weeks left until I take | Carli-Art photography | full time I am getting what I can in place and leaving the rest until I actually have enough hours in the day to produce something of substance. Jeremy Kyle and Loose Women may be featuring heavily in my first few days in order to aid the mind and prevent a soon to be burn out for a few days, something I understand many small business owners / freelancers suffer from. (I read somewhere it actually has a name now but cannot find it again anywhere - if I do I will post or if you know, feel free to comment!) I have heard however that small business owners work twice as much as employees with 54% feeling they are overwhelmed with things to do)

My post therefore brings you an update on the impending full time status and your chance to take two minutes out, ooo go on have that cuppa and cheery bakewell, treat yourself.

'SpeakiSeek' Carli-Art introduces an image stock search service...

2010-03-18T14:33:00.000-07:00

There is no doubt that the Creative industries have come under strain in the last couple of years.

Even though now more than ever, marketing is a more thoughtful structured and necessary process imagery is readily available online at stock prices which makes finding work for freelance photographers like myself even more challenging. Stock images can be great, they can be good and they can be ugly. In my experience and having spoken to Advertising and Marketing Agencies, it often works out cheaper commissioning a shoot by the time you find the image and the usage rights you want and need. This is not always right though and time, ease and speed are where purchasing stock imagery plays its part. I appreciate the vital place it now holds in the market and that is why I introduce you to the 'SpeakiSeek' service.

With an extensive range of imagery suitable for marketing or PR purposes I now offer a stock imagery style service. You Speak, I Seek. This will in time develop into a user friendly online site where you can do your own searching but until then I have access to many images from events, food, medical or general lifestyle and would be happy to do the digging and see if there is something suitable for you or our clients. All of my images are Royalty Free and as standard come with a License to Use Agreement of 1 year.

So go ahead, challenge me to find the right image for you or your client.

"Chillax and look forward to the Roller Coaster...."

2010-03-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

Frantically finding time to work and relax is not the easiest of things however after having a weekend away in Wales to 'chillax' as a friend put it really has put me in better stead. There I was refusing to believe relaxation and getting away from work was feasible or even necessary and here I stand before you a converted woman!

I am gathering info and working hard at the moment to really hit the ground running come April. A new luxury booklet to go out to clients showcasing some work, a potential redesign of the logo, an actual real business plan and yes some hard cash from the bank (or someone willing to lend!) to follow. I have a lot of plans that are going to need some capital and having funded the business solely for the past couple of years I felt the full time move deserved to be treated with respect & enthusiasm.

I have quite a few networking events in the diary so if you are looking for some yourself then visit Berkshire Networking, they have a full diary from various groups.

Other tit bits of news involve confirmation of me photographing the well renowned and highly respected English Music Festival held in Dorchester Abbey in May. (Sneak previews of corporate portraits to follow as a start) The Look Book shoot for fashion designer Bagatelles is coming up next week and hopefully we will see those Limited Ink images soon as well. I am also excited to be taking part in something very local to me, the Burghfield May Fayre. Not only will I be photographing the event but I have been asked to judge a new addition to their schedule this year, the photography competition. More details to follow of course but I feel pleased that my goal to get to know more local business's and the local community as a whole has started well.

Keep those eyes peeled for the Sneak Previews plus a whole heap of behind the scenes stuff. (Oh plus the newsletter in April features a free 'Light Up Ideas' download.....oooo!)

3 minutes of satisfaction...Networking....

2010-03-11T12:43:00.000-08:00

Somewhat behind with the blogging this week so apologies. Honestly, where is time going? The last few months have been madness...yesterday I was waking up and waiting anxiously for Father Christmas to eat my homemade mince pies. I am not a fan of this whirlwind in which time travels.

I attended a speed networking event today at Donnington Country Club with the lovely people from Berkshire Speed Networks, Catherine and John. Having been to a few events I feel I have a good overview of what they are all about now & can honestly say that not only are these events enjoyable but they offer a great opportunity to get to know other local business's, get out from behind that desk and quite possibly, create future leads. If your intending on going, dropping a hard sell and walking out with confirmed deal then think again. This isn't about force feeding your business to someone or expecting a sale after talking for 3 minutes across a table in a crowded room. This is about creating a positive first impression, starting a relationship that could lead to future opportunities and just learning about other companies and people around you.

This is something I love doing. I love absorbing information about other people's business's, their livelihoods, every day experiences and lets face it, their passions. My brain starts ticking straight away about ways I could help or image ideas that could represent them, or most importantly what biscuit they would have with their tea. You can tell a lot about a person by the biscuit they choose.

Either way, I met some fantastic people today and am looking forward to the next event and the next lot of biscuit guessing!

Who said you can't be satisfied in 3 minutes.....just click here.

(Image courtesy of residents.com)

Foto Tip Friday....Portraits...

2010-03-06T13:55:00.000-08:00

At the moment I am trying to improve my portraiture knowledge and execution. Practically everything taken in terms of photography which isn't still life is portraiture so why I didn't think to give it more attention in the past I don't know. Its about capturing an emotion, an expression, a moment, even a brand image all in one persons face or eye, arm, leg or shoulder. Sounds odd but who said portraiture had to be a head and shoulders passport style image and is essentially the 2d version of a very 3d subject matter! Anyway, the tips and tricks this week are some of my own, some given to me and some from the net. There are some amazingly talented portrait photographers out there so research and be inspired!

Minimize a round face by using some back lighting and having the sitter straight onto the camera
Make the person laugh - everyone looks beautiful when they laugh
Capture movement - weather it be a smile, a laugh, get the sitter to relax and move. This 'movement' and energy is reflected in the images
Be a sitter yourself and understand how it feels to be the other side of the camera
Shoot with the head turned slightly to one side, not full profile
Create a stronger, taller image by having the person lift their chin slightly
Cover any scars or areas the sitter may not like by using lighting and having these areas in the shadow
Pull shoulders and arms back
A long narrow face - Get the sitter to look down ever so slightly
Tell a story
If cropping tight, don't concentrate on putting the eyes in the middle of the viewfinder, have them in the top third of the frame
Play with eye contact
Look at other peoples portraits, what do you like and what don't you like? What makes it a strong image? How can you be different?
And of course, last but not least....experiment.

Some Portrait Photographers I admire (various disciplines).....Martin Sholler, Cindy Sherman, Cecil Beaton, Ansel Adams, Herb Ritts, Linus Ricard, Charles Freger, Tina Barney, Mary Ellen Mark, Alistair Guy, David LaChapelle,Annie Leibovitz - the list goes on!

Straight to your door (OK inbox)....

2010-03-04T12:09:00.000-08:00

You may have seen the fab new addition to the site...an Ideas page. This like the blog gives you tips and tricks and instead of focussing on photography technique or editing it offers everyone some ideas on getting better pictures to use for Marketing, PR or advertising purposes. Really it gives those clients the option to have a go themselves and be armed with a little bit of information before braving the realms of promotional imagery. Budgets do not always allow for a photographer or you may just fancy giving it a bash, either way these should help you or your clients. They will also give you key things to think about when commissioning a photographer or planning your brief.

Take a look at my site. Visit the 'More' tab and go to Ideas.

Do you have a question? Let me know and have it feature in the Ideas section alongside a link to your site.

Want to receive some light up light bulb ideas via email? Just drop me a 'yes please' to hello@carli-art.co.uk.

(The Light up email is sent on a monthly basis with every 3rd edition accompanying my newsletter)

(Image courtesy of weblogcartoons.com)

Say "Hi"....the Loreal crew...

2010-03-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

Lucy, Edie, Julia these are your questions....are you ready...
L - Like or dislike Marmite?
O - Oh really...tell us something you you which you haven't already told someone else, or wish you hadn't!
R - Recommend a product in your profession
E - Early rise and early to bed or late riser and late to bed?
A - Alexander McQueen...comments please?
L - Last words?

Julia - The hair Stylist
L - Dislike big time!
O - I'm often a but blunt, might be my german nature and then I wish I wouldn't have said things the way in which I did!
R - I couldn't live without beach-spray or surf-spray from Trevor Sorbie. Oh or Bumble and Bumble
E - Up early and Late to bed! Life is too short.
A - What a tragedy, a big talent and inspiration for every artist.
L - "Enjoy the beauty of life, whatever!"

Edie - The Model
L - I don't like I LOVE!
O - I have a phobia of things being thrown around me....tip, NEVER tell that to a group of boys as things will get pelted at you!
R - Magnifeyes mascara, the best.
E - Late to bed most nights therefore late awake most mornings
A - Anyone unique, were not ALL sheep!
L - "I wish I was a punk rocker with flowers in my hair."

Lucy - The Make Up Artist
L - Neither, I have never tried it...I heard it sucks though!
O - I have never told anyone that I am scared of failure.
R - I recommend Illamasqua Eyebrow cake in 'Thunder' because I can't live without my eyebrows!
E - Late riser and late to bed, my schedule is far too mental to have a normal body clock.
A - A hugh force of inspiration in fashion, he always flew the flag of Britain with his designs and passion.
L - "Frankly me dear I don't give a damn."

Looking for an idea....

2010-02-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

I love freebies. I also love advise, conversations with people that have experienced things and can give me an honest opinion on it. Food, Clothes, Shoes, Handbags (see the theme here!) and also business or marketing, or where to get some great inspiration.

On that basis I decided to start an 'Ideas' page. A page on my website you can click to and get some ideas, some advise and some free tips. Much like the photography and photoshop tips on the blog the Ideas page on my site is more of a guide......what to expect from events photography, what questions to ask your photographer. Doing it yourself? Tips on how to best capture the atmosphere of an event and even what images work best with PR and Marketing material.

If you want to get your free ideas just go to | Carli - Art photography | and visit the More tab.

Loreal Colour Trophey...

2010-02-24T12:54:00.000-08:00

I was asked to take pictures for the entry of the Loreal Colour Trophey on Sunday and met a great team. I worked with Lucy (MUA) who I have worked with before on a couple of shoots and we had a great catch up and as per usual she did an amazing job. The model was new to the scene and this was one of her very first hair shoots - mine too then!

I used a lighting scenario I had never worked with before and chose to use 3 heads. The main light was quite close to the model and we used a medium sized soft box, a snoot was pointed on the background and then there was a fill light which I was bouncing off an umbrella back into the frame. Studioxill helped with this set up and really looking forward to doing some more experimenting with the help of their layouts.

Here is wishing Julia all the best in the Awards...I look forward to my dinner and drinks invite on winning!! ;-)

(Words to follow from cast and crew)

Model Look Books...

2010-02-22T13:33:00.000-08:00

Some new pics of some wonderful Models!

Twon Allen / Elle Colman

Glass Fairies...

2010-02-21T13:03:00.000-08:00

If you haven't yet experienced The Glass Magazine then its definitely worth taking a look. Lose yourself for a moment in this 'of the moment' fairy-tale video editorial....

(Image courtesy of The Glass Magazine, Diego Merino)

Eye Eye Captain...

2010-02-19T13:36:00.000-08:00

Foto Tip Friday actually on a Friday....what is the world coming to!

So just a quick one this week but essentially its about improving skin in your photograph. I only tend to really work on skin for fashion or beauty images but you can go overboard and that clone stamp can create a lot of softness. This is purely what I do to improve texture, remove blemishes and so forth so take what you will out of it.

One you have messed with exposure and colour balance etc I would then start any skin work.
Keep editing bits and then look at what you have as a whole, its seriously easy to get carried away and not realize the difference being made.
Take regular snap shots to see your progress
I use quite a high opacity brush for skin cloning (between 11 - 22) and do all the work on a separate layer, i then lower the opacity of that layer if needed.
Use a bigger brush on the forehead, cheeks and chin and then get smaller around the mouth and the eyes.
The eyes are particularly important hence the image. Using too much cloning can really make them soft and you lose the impact. It is also important to not go overboard on removing dark circles or wrinkles as these all add expression.
Work slowly, adding more as you go.
I use a harder clone brush around the eyes so things aren't quite as soft and in areas where feasible i use the spot healing brush. Again on around 11-22 and the larger the better.
Use your history brush on 'Multiply' to accentuate the lashes and the eyebrows. I also use it like an eyeliner to create some definition if needed.
Use a high pass sharpen action if you want more sharpness but remember this will bring out pores and lines Don't remove all the pores in the skin, this is not realistic. Fade some and even ger rid of some but dont remove entirley otherwise the model will look like a doll.

Got your own tips? Know a great way to improve pics...get in touch and show people what you've got!

Cotton Wool and Lighting Diagrams....

2010-02-17T12:38:00.000-08:00

Okay so I only watched about 40 minutes of it but the bits I did see were, well, interesting. One of the Gallagher brothers being a general idiot and throwing his microphone into the crowd, the Spice Girls becoming only 2 and Lady Gaga proving she in fact has a stunning voice and is able to demonstrate some rather flexible dance postures even while wearing the left overs of my bathroom bin in her hair.

As well as the Brits those in Fashion are celebrating London Fashion Week (booo, I missed out this year) and New York fashion week to come. I hear all things are good if not busy. In fact the one bit of advise i did get about attending LFW as a tog was if you were backstage don't use the same toilets as the models, messy! Their words not mine.

On the photography front I am excited to announce that I am taking part in a hair and beauty shoot this weekend for the Loreal Colour Trophey - good luck Tom with your entry! Photo's and any words of the crew to follow.

While doing some research for this shoot actually I came across an amazing website that gives you full blown lighting breakdowns from a picture I posted the link last week but here it is again as I think its so fab! Also, here is the link where you can download your very own lighting diagram.....this could keep me amused for hours!

(picture courtesy of nymag.com)

"I'd be a toaster" Meet the Ltd Ink shoot crew...

2010-02-13T05:22:00.000-08:00

If Sophie was an object found around the home she would be a pillow. Not I assure you because she is round and soft but because she loves them. I mean who doesn't, a sofa would be incomplete without them. She also likes to remind us that socks with sandals are only fashionable when worn with heels and to be turned on she requires something edgy, interesting and unusual. These are the fine words as spoken by Sophie Paxton, the stylist and miracle worker with whom I have worked before and chose to work with on the Limited Ink shoot. She brings that 'pop' to my bang.

I would also like to introduce you to the rest of the lovely crew.....

Antonine Allen, Male model, is a quiet laid back chap who has been in the modeling industry for just over a year. He enjoyed the Ltd Ink shoot due to its cool concept and arrived listening to Tirrs Riley. The man has attitude, style and a crazy set of locks.

Elle, part French put some sweetness into the shoot and loved the Geek chic styling. She last spent her hard earned pennies on food and believes that if she was any object she would be a mirror as it reflects the truth.

Our fabulous MUA was the wonderfully talented Jenny, who day to day works on great film productions and is a dab hand at effects. She loves to come back to fashion and beauty though even if it does involve living her life out of a suitcase!

The shoot was a new experience for Maria Monfort who assisted and is currently studying hard to complete a BA in Photography. She mentioned that she likes to sit and relax and would therefore be a sofa if she could be anything. I like the thinking behind that.

Now if you hadn't already guessed I was the photographer, no there is no pic of me I stay behind the camera. I liked the shoot because I like the tee's and I love getting a team together and experimenting with ideas. It was a new experience with me as I tend to stick to natural light situations and outdoor spaces. If you asked me what turned me on clothes wise I would say nothing, literally nothing. Naked is best.

So there were a few words from the team and now to get the pictures edited and up for you to see!

In the meantime if you have the luxury of procrastinating this Saturday morning, check out this link - StudioXil. Some excellent advise for lighting scenarios and getting the most out of those Bowens. Plus they even show you the make up brief and the finished picture. Great site.

A lot of not a lot & something....

2010-02-11T12:20:00.000-08:00

Excuse the lack of posts the last few days, I have been what can only been known as rather busy. To Leeds and back yesterday and today and previous to that just way too much going on with networking events and meetings here and there. To all of those I met networking and whom I still haven't followed up with....my sincere apologies! Look out for something this weekend.

I am having album issues. Its not good for the stress levels at all. I am also having issues in a sense that I have not even started properly editing the Limited Ink shoot, damn and damn again. Promise its coming soon though. That alongside an interview with the cast and crew, some words from fashion designer Louis de Gama and yes...a photo tip Friday. It will happen!! (Maybe not on a friday but it will happen.)

Right, work. Must do some.

PS: The picture is to pay tribute to Alexander Mcqueen. RIP. If you want to learn more about this tragic loss to his friends, family and fashion, click here.

White walls and Shadows...Sneak Preview....

2010-02-07T10:38:00.000-08:00

Welcome Antwon Allen and Elle Coleman, the faces of the Commercial Fashion Shoot yesterday. I have not had a chance to review all of the pics yet and decide how I feel about them as I decided to give myself most of the day off and enjoyed copious amounts of tea in bed with Hollyoaks and re-runs of Friends! This is just a sneak preview...unedited. (What am I doing?!) I am thinking of maybe adding a few filters and so forth and de-saturating the pics but all to be experimented with.

Keep your eyes on the blog for the finished set of images and some words from the cast and crew. All of whom were lovely I might add.....thank you to Elle, Antwon, Jenny, Maria and Sophie.

The Countdown begins....

2010-02-05T13:03:00.000-08:00

I've had migraine symptoms, I have had a cancellation and a rebook, packed the car with far too many clothes and tested all the equipment. Everyone is aware of arrival times, the call sheet has gone out, Model releases are waiting to print & I have spent a rushed twenty minutes in Topshop and H&M searching through their undie department to find some 'so uncool there cool' boxers and girl shorts. Done done and done. So why do I feel like so much is missing?

If you are not already aware tomorrow is the Limited Ink shoot. A Geek Chic explosion of funky graphic tee's, biker boots, school girl plaits and high waisted denim. I have a fantastic team together (all of whom will be featuring here) and an amazing location. Keep your eyes peeled Ladies and Gentleman as these images will not only be appearing on my site, blog and fb pages but also as the brand image for this stylish tee brand. Check them out, they have a special on at the moment and you can steal yourself a limited edition t-shirt for only £15!

Fingers crossed for tomorrow and looking forward to sneak previews appearing here at some point over the weekend!

Casting Call.....

2010-02-04T12:41:00.000-08:00

This time a request!
I am looking for a Make Up Artist and Hair Stylist for this coming Saturday, the shoot is based in Buckinghamshire and is a Commercial Fashion shoot. Style - Geek chic. Compensation TFCD and £15 expenses, if you are interested or want to learn more please feel free to EMAIL ME.

A 4.30am alarm call...

2010-02-01T12:29:00.000-08:00

Some new images from the Breakfast Briefing held by Engage Group London where Caroline Spelman, Shadow Secretary of State for Communities and Local Goverment was the guest speaker. (The hotel was beautiful, if you have never been to the Haymarket I can highly recommend it!)

Capturing that moment...

2010-01-30T13:34:00.000-08:00

I photographed a very special birthday last weekend and not only had a lovely time but I am delighted with some of the images...here are a few to wet your appetite...

(If you were a guest at this party and require a reminder of the gallery address or password, please email me.)

"Oh my ears & whiskers, how late it's getting..."

2010-01-26T11:56:00.000-08:00

So for those of you who don't know I also work a p/t job as well as being a tog....a girls gotta know she can get that new paid of shoes! Anyway it has been madness the last couple of weeks or so as our office is being made redundant. Not so good. On the plus side I am braving the Photography Full time - AAHHHHH! This does mean though I am packing in meetings and jobs and spending a lot of time awake, in my car and generally moving from place to place at a speed otherwise reserved for Concorde. The week has thus far been exciting though with a birthday party on Saturday, (yes photographing not drinking!) An event with Caroline Spellman and Engage Group this morning and two further meetings for the rest of the week with a Citrus flavored Ad agency and a fashionista accessories designer. Here is hoping it continues and come the end of March, I have not resorted to other, more illicit forms of earning money. I feel a Pretty Woman moment coming on.

Say Hello with a Smile...

2010-01-22T13:34:00.000-08:00

The end of a rather interesting week with a few more meetings in the diary for the coming weeks, an interview with food photographer Howard Shooter (pretty confident I didn't get it. It was one of those days you think 'What did I just say...Why did I just do that?!" I was not on form. Shame as him and his assistant Ria were really lovely) and two shoots coming up over the next couple of days. Also a fantastically productive meeting for the Limited Ink Fashion shoot fast approaching on 6th Feb.

On top of that I have also come up with some lovely Corporate Portrait Packages that I think clients will be pleased with. For a start my charges for an individual and a whole office are no longer the same - doh!

So with the New Year in full gear and with many business's refreshing their brand or reviving their website design and in particular doing more and more to communicate and relate to the public, why not think about a "Hey this is me...Welcome" portrait image. It can be as white walled or as creative as you dare to go, after all its all about you! Enquire within dear Sirs.