Author: Lorentz Gullachsen

Festival Faces Project – Stratford Literary Festival Portraits

It has been a great privilege to be involved with Stratford Literary Festival since 2015, since then I have taken portraits of almost everyone who has appeared at the Spring and Winter Festivals.

The Festival was started in 2008 and has gone from strength to strength, providing two events per year as well as delivering wonderful work with children and exceptional work with a prisoners literacy programme, for many it is an opportunity to get a signed copy of a new book by their favourite author. For many it is the opportunity to see national and international stars and personalities and hear the anecdotes that gives them an insight into a world that few experience. Many Authors are at the start of their careers, hopefully the exposure at such festivals shall ensure they enjoy improved sales and an enhanced profile and enjoy a long fruitful career as authors.

I am lucky that I get to spend some time with all of the authors and guest speakers and I appreciate the time they give me so I can take their portrait.

A portrait is what I try and capture, but what is a portrait?

A portrait is an image that goes beyond just been a picture. It is subjective but a viewer should be aware of the difference between a picture and a portrait, at least I hope they do.

I want to capture something about the visual commuication of the subject, when as they are in-front of my camera they are truly engaged in the process.

The subject has an idea of what they want to look like in a  photograph and the photographer wants to capture an image that suits their own agenda, the result maybe a compromise, ideally both the subject and the photographer are happy with the result. However many of my most successful portraits are not the favourites of the subject.

The subjects either they want to produce an image that is well received and is celebrated, or as I hopefully try to do is capture a ‘truth’ an image that shows an insight to the subject.

So the series of portraits hopefully shall be a historic record of those who appeared at the festival and that most shall be happy with their portrait?

The Portrait project has now got a dedicated website and it is the long term goal to establish an archive of portraits to be held at a suitable Stratford location and also to join my existing archive at Birmingham Central Library where the second largest archive of UK photography is held ( The V&A been number one).

To find out more about the Stratford Literary Festival – Stratford Literary Festival

To see the whole Festival Faces Project  Festival Faces

 

Its like taking coals to Newcastle, I am always working on brand photography for clients, its what was called, Advertising photography, but as the conventions of Advertising have changed completely, marketing a Brand is what happened in the old days when a few major ads would appear across the country on poster sites for clients such as Esso or B&H (Remember when we smoked?) . Now its about awareness, on multi platforms, from Facebook, Tik Tok to a Poster site out of Home, ie on a location in public. Confused, so am I and I do advertising for a living.

The same goes for a simple sole trader like myself, I have to be on Brand and across many platforms, just to be seen in the market place?
Well last year I had a major technical problem with my website, it was sadly a little old and needed an update, as my website is my ‘shop window’ I thought I had better address the issue and so when about looking for a way forward, I was lucky that having loads of connections I could ask around , but I also had the concerns of an aging logo and concerns about SEO.

So as I would advise a client, I took the hard route and started a complete rebrand !

A strange thing to do especially as I was entering my 50th year as a professional photographer!
However, I have no plan to retire and in fact I only want to change to a more sustainable business, work within a more geographic area and concentrate on the types of commissions I like.

First, the website had to be started, I knew it would take a while (always work in progress) , but I needed a new logo. I have lots of great friends who could have done a great design, however I have had a few over the years and I would have had yet another element to build a recognition .

However, instinctively I though I should return to my 1980’s ‘classic’ ? I had left it behind as fashion changed, but my GULLACHSEN hand painted logo was a thing of beauty, originally designed by Stu Newman a friend and Art Director/ designer who got a caligrapher to paint my surname, it was a recognised graphic that was a bit marmite but mostly loved, it was very much of its time, but as the 80’s and other decades has recently become more celebrated.

Once that logo was decided, it was down to my fried, Simon Hume at Milkbar Studio to put a site together, but that is only the start, I shall use the logo for marketing and comms, but also do what I have avoided forever, market me!

My work is what matters, however it is obvious that all marketing, is now about ‘people’. My clients work with me, and new clients need to recognise and engage with the person behind the camera.

So my logo shall become more visible, but also so shall I, sorry!

Branding photography from a photographer who does not have a presence and ‘Brand’ is sadly what I need to do, I hope that all the work I take for clients shall reflect their brand and market them, but in order to be commissioned, I need to show I can do it for my brand, so be aware. Brand photography should be seen to work or why would you commission the creator if he didn’t walk the walk?

Ember Home – new website photography for Leamington Spa retail and e commerce outlet

Some commissions start of with a simple on line enquiry and I was lucky to have responded to Ember Home and popped in to meet the owner, Rav, it was obvious they had great home products, a mix of antiques, vintage and new furniture with wonderful fabrics and decorative items the shop looks like a wonderland of decoration that is hard to define but is certainly very desirable. They already had a great website and were producing their own shots of products, however they required high resolution major images of the ranges that they could use as heading images. This is where it got interesting, because a large studio was required to shoot that large a group of products, would be expensive to higher and a logistical nightmare. So it was the shop itself that would be the venue, however to get the Brand colour backgrounds and to light such a space was challenging. The challenge of wanting the brand colours as a background for each collection require a big paint job, the use of coloured paper (which I hate) or green screen/ retouching? But I had a cunning plan and using fabric in the colour of the brand for each collection made sense and just needed finding and  rigging. The colours Orange and Teal were impossible to find in the width of fabric that was required so, useing plain material I dyed the fabrics and the result worked.

With a lot of flash lighting and a lot of grip ( Kit that holds the lighting and background), I turned the space into a large studio. The execution of the shoot was totally a collaborative venture, Rav seemed to have a superpower when getting the appropriate items together, moving items that weighed more than me and onto the set, I can claim the years of experience in studios was very useful when lighting items such as giant mirrors and textured wood were concerned, the resulting 8k images worked as the main image for the intro sections.

I suggest you check out Ember Home website and certainly take a trip down The Parade in Royal Leamington Spa to Ember Home shop, for me it is a great retail experience and I don’t like shopping.

I have enjoyed access to a studio for many years, I was lucky to have had one in the grounds of my old house in Wimpstone till I moved in 2007, then it was somewhat ‘interesting’ with moves to Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, London and Spain. Then back to Stratford on Avon! In 2013 I helped set up a studio near Stratford and until the owner sold and moved away in 2019 it was a great base and I was able to shoot most studio portraits and product shots there.

As change happens, I managed to work from a home base with a great production facility and use hire studios, however I did miss a studio, a place I can easily set up, have kit on site and feel it is my creative space. I still shoot most of my work on location, however when a suitable location recently became available I jumped at the opportunity to have a dedicated studio.

So now May 2023, I have a studio base in the North Cotswolds, its only 5 miles from home so a bike ride away, and it is already making life easier, shooting still life products and naturally sculpture!

I shall be able to shoot portraits and am planning more experimental work that I would be unable to afford at a hire studio at £500 a day!

Like everything that sounds to good to be true, here is a catch.

As it is in such an idyllic location not far from the world famous National Trust Hitcote Gardens , I shall not publish the address as it is strictly visit by appointment.

I have already had a few clients and friends visit and google does not give great directions, it sends everyone past the studio entrance, however, three words works and when anyone gets near I can talk them down as a seasoned air traffic controller.

I look forward to working in this space and hope to welcome many old clients and hopefully many new ones to this small but wonderfully located Cotswold photography studio.

The Post Code start is GL55 .

Big Skies Glamping – Cheltenham – Cotswolds

The summer seems to have flown by, it literary did with new Drone work on some projects.

The super heat may have impacted a few days, but I for one was very happy about lack of rain as days were only cancelled for too much heat (In kitchen) and some clients just changing plans.

One delightful commission was for Big Skies Glamping, a new Glamping campsite near Cheltenham, a family business run by Vicki Pettigrew.

The wonderful venue already had a website but needed an update and more images for social media, so after few visits I was able to deliver an image bank that would refresh the site and provide much more material for next seasons launch.

My drone investment and training certainly came in use although just to provide overview and site visual to show facilites.

Glamping has become so poplular over the last few years and I am looking forward to 2023 to shooting a few more sites that have already booked me and I certainly hope to deliver more images and footage for this sector.

The website shall be updated soon, but if anyone is interested in this fabulous site in the Cotswolds here it is.

Bigskiesglamping

What Professional Photographers kit do they use for Headshots?

A simple headshot can be taken with a smart phone, and in the right hands a decent result can be delivered, however if you want a professional headshot that is suitable for all uses, such as your Linkedin profile and printed in a brochure for an annual report, you require an image that is taken on something more serious.

For all the headshots I take for professional use, I shall use a full frame or medium format digital camera. I shall always have a back up body and lens, just in case.

The glass I use is dependant on what the location is, but usually I shall have a prime 85mm or 105mm lens on my FX ( Full Frame) Nikon or at least a 120mm on my Medium format Fujifilm GFX.

I am aware that there are many camera systems that are of a professional standard, Canon, Sony, Lieca & Hasselblad, I have used them all over the years and all shall deliver professional quality results, I am sure that others shall work, but as a professional I stick to a system that I am happy with, I have a collection of all sorts of Nikon glass that I use for specialist jobs, so I try not to swop and change systems unless there is a massive change in spec.

The second body is less critical as its only there as insurance.

I am currently using a Nikon D850 & a Nikon Z7 as back up.

The lens are usually fast but for resolution I prefer the 85mm f1.8 rather than f1.4.

The 105mm f2.8 has macro capability so it doubles up for other specialist needs, but as I also have a Zoom 70mm – 200mm f2.8 – so I am seriously ‘safe’.

All this happily goes into a backpack ( I favour the Peak design 30 litre for ease of access & lightness). I often decant my kit as travel may require airport spec, I use a Rimowa case with an insert, not as easy to access, but secure and approved as carry on with all airlines.

The Lighting is another matter,

I try to keep it ‘light’ (forgive the poor pun).

I use a minimum of three mono-lights, either mains Elinchrom or battery powered Godox or Profoto.

I have experimented with combinations and have also added continuous light to the mix.

The modifiers are a mixture of old and new, my old Chimera soft-boxes are the core of my lighting, from a 9 ft Octabox to lanterns. I usually just take a bagful for headshots, but each shoot has different needs. My go to light is an 4ft Octabox , two strips and two small soft boxes and the ubiquitous lastolite reflectors, silver, black & white.

If the shoot has to be fast and lightweight I also have speed lights ( A mix of Nikon & Godox) with modifiers.

Add to that I require a background, easy Pop up Lastolites, Black, White & Grey are standard, but I have some painted canvas background and custom printed fabric backdrops that I have in the boot, for special projects.

Colerama is something I seldom use unless it’s in a hire studio, but backgrounds for Headshots are part of the visual communication and are important part of some Headshot image – but most just require a neutral mono tone.

I did work on headshot projects back in the 00’s across London, just using just Tube & Taxis, I manage to get all the kit into a backpack, a roller case with speed lights and a stand bag. The background I would improvise, usually a white office wall could be found. The shot I took of Amal Clooney was done with two speed lights and a reflecting Umbrella as well as many of her Barrister colleagues

Headshot photography seems to have entered a new age, many people are requiring portraits for business, maybe this kit list will indicate what someone should expect when they are having a headshot, but it’s the person behind the lens that is the most important bit of Kit, you have to get on with them, and be happy to be in front of all the camera & lighting they have.

How long does a Headshot take? – That is for another day!

Headshots ideally should have time and a controlled environment ,but as we know the world is never perfect, so it the way you adapt to each location that is often the most challenging.

A great liaison from the company and a good schedule

Industrial photography seems like an old fashioned term, a remnant of the days when the UK was a manufacturing powerhouse, places like Birmingham with its 1000s trades and the motor city of Coventry, Crewe and Derby were the bases for the aeronautical and rail industries, but times change and specialist industries can be anywhere, not just heavy industry but nano technology and research & development for all businesses. The M40 corridor has most of the worlds Formula 1 teams based there as well as Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin.

Any industry shall need to market and communicate what it produces, even if it is just a service to an industry in a very narrow niche.

So today’s Industrial photographer needs to be able to produce, stills and video of products, services and applications for todays media hungry times, an engineering company may well have social media as well as a presence on Linkedin and a dedicated website, trade shows shall need images that will grace and enhance a stand, where sales meet buyers.

A few headshots on a website and some stock shots is not a professional look for a company, a website is working 24/7 for a company, and even if its a specialist engineering company, you have to showcase your work as well as possible.

Quality industrial images are especially needed in these competitive times, great images of your products or processes, real portraits of the management and senior staff should be the minimum , but in these days of image hungry media, maybe an image bank is created to serve any communication that goes out to the local chamber, federation or international trade press.

Visual communication may require infographics and video’s but strong photographic images that represent the company are always useful, but they have to be strong and relevant. A great shot of your HQ with a dramatic sky, a sign and maybe a liveried truck can help reassure potential clients that your company is stable and shall deliver! A iPhone pic of the outside with out of date signage or just leafless winter trees.

A good commercial photographer can probably deliver the images you require, but if you have a industrial process that requires specialist lighting or macro lens, maybe more appropriate, a background working at a variety of work environments shall give additional insight and should be able to suggest ways to best capture the work you do.

Creative photography can help communicate to potential clients what you deliver.

Back even before the Pandemic, there have been certain people who have given business advise and insights, not just as marketing strategy but with genuine generosity.

The Pandemic arrived and business’s were decimated , however some people set up on line networking and support groups. These were a life line to many and at the time I thought it was worthy of acknowledging .

Move on to opening up and I met my friend and fellow photographer Charlie Budd who stood out as one of those who facilitated many zooms with creatives and was always a positive fellow!

I was setting up for a shoot and asked him to step in so I could check the lighting, and I managed to get a strong portrait of Mr Budd and that began the project that is Network Hero’s.

 

I have gone on to take portraits of many that I consider Network hero’s, its an ongoing project and I hope to share some portraits of those who have been and continue to be stars of the Networking universe.

I am actively seeking new subjects and am happy to receive nominations.

I do have a list, so it would be great to hear if your ideas coincide?

See the collection grow here – Network Hero’s