After a very successful and enjoyable 2011 its now full steam ahead for 2012. This is traditionally the quieter time of year in terms of shooting but there’s still a hell of a lot to do.
First and foremost its a chance to sit back and review the previous year, to look at your successes and failures and then to implement plans (if any). And then to look also at your marketing, pricing, products and photography. Last year was very good for me so not too many sweeping changes. One thing I have been meaning to improve is my overall branding having introduced a new logo last year. So I recently discovered a really cool company that makes branded USB memory sticks. I had also been considering moving away from dvd’s as they can be unreliable and also having been asked several times from clients for alternatives. So here are the results below which will be brand new for all my 2012 clients. Pretty cool looking or what !
Secondly I wanted an alternative light source to the traditional flash gun. You probably all know how much I hate using flash and how I try to avoid it all costs. But there are situations where its so dark you have no choice and some sort of artificial light is an absolute necessity. I have toyed with video lights and off camera flash before but found the gear not only bulky and cumbersome but also difficult to use at times as well as time consuming. I was speaking with my good friend and fellow wedding photographer Stephen Bunn about this and he mentioned some really cool video lights. Not only are these small and very light (they fit in the palm of your hand) they cost only £15 ! They come with a bracket so it can sit to the side of the camera or alternatively fix onto the camera’s hot shoe. And because of their size and weight they can even be held in your other non camera hand whilst shooting. I’ve had a quick play around with them and it looks very promising. So I hope to post some images soon.
So this year is looking very promising with me being just ahead of my target compared to this time last year. I’ll be returning to my favourite venue Syon Park in May and have also booked some more of my favourite venues – The Elvetham, Monkey Island, Hengrave Hall (the end of this month), Warbrook House and Wokefield Park. June is by far my busiest month with 6 bookings and will conclude with a wedding in Portugal, something I’m really looking forward to. I love Asian weddings and am really pleased to be photographing Lena and Andrew’s Hindu celebrations in September. This will be over 4 days with its conclusion at West Wycombe Estate.
So a busy year ahead with lots to look forward to. Many thanks to all those who’ve already booked me and I look forward to working with you and creating great images. Watch this space.
Next up a review of 2011 with a competition thrown in ! Followed by Vanessa and Gavin’s wedding photography at Hengrave Hall – my first wedding of 2012.
