My commercial photography work is very varied, with assignments that regularly see me capturing corporate head shots, photographing holiday homes or properties for sale, creating editorial images for magazines, or documenting events. But one of my absolute favourite types of commercial work is when I get to work closely with businesses to create a collection of images that can be used for their websites or for marketing and advertising campaigns. This type of work is totally bespoke. In order for me to create photographs that showcase the business, and highlight why they stand out from their competition, I need to know what message the photographs should say to their customers and how the images are going to be used. Having good communication with the business owner is crucial in order for me to fully understand what is required from their images and what they need to portray. So before any shoots are booked we have a coffee and a chat so we can talk over the brief and how I can make it work for them most effectively. Then we can start to plan the shoots. Sometimes it is possible to do the shoot within a day. On other occasions it works best to breakdown the brief into separate areas and tackle them individually. This can be especially useful for businesses such as shops that are open to the public, or who have staff to organise. Having several short shoots ‘after hours’ or at a convenient time, means little or no disruption to their business.
Recently I have been doing some work for The Book Fayre in Woodhall Spa. I can’t tell you how much I adore this shop, it is like an Aladdin’s Cave of loveliness. The welcoming and friendly staff, led by owner Kath Fairs, create the perfect environment for their customers to browse the books, peruse the gifts and homewares, and savour a cappuccino in the coffee shop. The tardis-like building reveals room after room stocked with something for every taste, from children’s toys to beautiful jewellery in addition to the extensive choice of books. The shop is filled with personality and charm and part of my brief was to create images of the staff and of some of the products that portrayed this for their website.
Owner of The Book Fayre – Kath Fairs
