Photography chat from Mickie Imrie

Valenciaaaa!

2011-03-28T06:59:00.000-07:00

Sometimes travel photography has to segue discreetly into other trips - much as I love my dedicated photo trips when I am free to go where I like (or indeed sit in one spot for 3 hours waiting for the light to be just so...) there are also times when I am somewhere special for other reasons and photography is a secondary consideration. I’m sure many other photogs find the same is true - family holidays or city breaks with friends can all be fruitful sources of images, even if time for just you and your camera is limited.
Other times, of course, I actually take a proper holiday! I recently tried that with a weekend in Valencia with a close friend - and whilst it was marvelous to get away from it all, relax and explore I couldn’t help but take a few shots in this stunning city.

We stayed in an hotel in the newer part of the city - (nice room, comical gym...) perfectly sited between the old town and the City of Arts and Sciences. This is a stunning development of modern architectural classics, housing a Science Museum, Opera House, 3D cinema, the largest Aquarium in Europe and more - all set in a park that will certainly be stunning, in an architectural sort of way, once the construction is complete and you can actually walk the direct routes... We had a nose about the whole area and admired the biological architecture of it all - cellular, skeletal and ocular all at once, and well worth lingering over with a coffee (even if the rock-solid bocadillo did disagree with my wisdom teeth!) Fantastic use of reflections in shallow pools and all topped off with a deep, even blue sky didn’t do the views any harm either.

Unfortunately we only had time to visit one of the attractions and plumped for the Aquarium; which I can heartily recommend - more tunnels under aquaria than you could shake a stick at so you can marvel at the smallest or strangest fish and their behaviours. In yet another reminder for me that a biology degree doesn’t come close to reducing my astonishment at the natural world I was comically impressed by the speed of Rays, the disappointing grossness of Starfish from underneath, and the immense variety of the Shark family. On top of that there are, or course, the big ticket items - walrus with their inevitably Disney-esque moustaches and bewildering bulk along with the only 2 Beluga whales in Europe.

I doubt I differ from many people when I say that many of these places leave me slightly disquieted at the notion of enormous and regal animals in captivity, but I think overall the scientific and conservation benefits outweigh the rest; particularly now that animal behaviouralists are involved in enclosure design. I still can’t quite bring myself to go to those shows where dolphins and sea-lions play with balls and jump through hoops though...

Anyway - I’ve got no pictures from the Aquarium I’m afraid; commercial photo rights are obviously withheld there, and I was just touristing that day! but if you are interested check out their website at http://www.cac.es/oceanografic/ and if you ever find yourself visiting, take a piece of advice - expect lengthy and slow moving queues for tickets! One of these days I will get used to the fact that laid-back Spanish attitudes mean everything takes forever...

However - here are a few of the City of Arts and Sciences. Mostly I was thinking about composition, obviously. Rule of thirds, dynamism, reflections and shapes are the themes here. And my circular polariser was an essential - deepening the blue in the sky and killing glare in the glass.

The classic compositional tool with a reflection like this is to put the horizon on the centre - a time when breaking the rule of thirds really can work - but I’ve made the composition a bit more dynamic by cropping tight in on the buildings so you only see their overall shapes in the reflection. Plus, the lines of reflection and shadow now divide the picture neatly into thirds; so breaking a ‘rule’ actually brought me back round to another one... see, I might be going for something different but sometimes I am secretly conventional...!

This one is simpler, relying on the power of the architecture itself, a polarised sky and a zen-like calmness overall.

I am a little unsure about this vertical one -
I think my attempt at difference and vigour is a little predictable but I don’t really know... comments always welcome...

Next on our list was a wander about the heart of Valencia - where Southern Mediterranean baroque meets Mediaeval street plans and Valencian-Catalan regional pride. The old town is stunning - and at this time of year they are preparing for the Fallas festival; when enormous marionnette-style figures are paraded through the town and eventually set on fire. The festival itself lasts for more than two weeks; and for us, two weeks before it even started, the build up was palpable, with street lighting to rival Christmas, firework displays (in the daytime??... Apparently it is to do with the noise more than the sight...) and children of all ages setting off firecrackers all over the city all day long (good job we knew what to expect or I’d have been worried about my rental car when we parked up amid a cacophony of bangs to put Tripoli to shame...). Definitely intending to go see the Fallas proper one year; it looks spectacular in the way only a Spanish fiesta can be.

So, in the meantime, here are some of my impressions of Valencia’s Old Town. Feedback always welcome as usual...

From Photographer to Contributing Editor (ooh... get me...!)

2011-03-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

As those of you who follow this blog (and believe me I am grateful; if bamboozled as to why anyone wants to know what I think or what I am doing...) will know, I have contributed photographs and occasionally articles to a variety of magazines over the years. Well, now I am apparently moving up in the world of publishing!!

La Manga Illustrated is the brainchild of La Manga Club photographer Tim Relf, with whom I am working on a variety of projects, and is a beautiful display of life, environment, sport and property on La Manga Club and in the wider region. Tim asked me to help out with a few articles and images and I was really excited to be involved. With everything from news and local recipes to travel features and interviews with high-profile La Manga Club residents and visitors, this magazine offers some really exciting opportunities for me to explore the local area with camera and pen in hand. I’ll post a few notes on my personal contributions soon. I think we'll be doing a piece on the Scotland football team in the next issue

The magazine is now out - complimentary copies are to be found around the Club, and have also gone out to a large mailing list in the UK. This edition of the quarterly magazine features World No. 1 golfer Martin Kaymer on a visit to the Club, as well as property, events and fiesta reviews, a travel article on the nearby Sierra Nevada ski resort and much much more. For more info, to subscribe, or find out where to get your free copy visit www.lamangaillustrated.com or Find Us on Facebook {shameless plug... more Facebook 'Likes' are always much appreciated!!}

I think we might be doing a piece on the Scotland football team in the next issue - they are on club at the moment undergoing training and indulging in some team bonding (euphemistic term if you ask me...!!) And there's lots more to come in upcoming issues so I'll keep you informed and post some of my own articles soon...

New Look!!

2011-03-22T20:33:00.000-07:00

If anyone out there has been truly dedicated; they will have noticed a new look for Mickie Imrie Photography, with a sleek new logo and a fresh new look to my website, courtesy of the fantastic team at Amazing Internet. In the not-too-distant future this blog should be properly matched and integrated but I've changed a few things around in the meantime (the tech-geek stuff isn't really my bag but it'll do for now... :)

...Ooooh! New logo....

As always, opinions and suggestions welcome. I am (shhhhh, don't tell google... toying with the idea of moving to WordPress, so if anyone out there in the ether has any thoughts for and against I'd love to hear 'em!!

Delta Blues

2011-01-09T12:30:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd post the results of my first little jaunt around Spain - photographing the Ebro Delta.

Spain's largest river empties into the Mediterranean in the province of Tarragona, and over centuries has created one of the largest wetland areas in the western Mediterranean. coming back from a trip up the coast, I managed to time my stopover just as the sun was sinking.

Reminiscent of the Broads, or the fens, the Ebro Delta National Park is an echoing expanse of mud and salt. Overlaid with a tartan frame of drainage ditches and roads to nowhere - several hundred acres of the flattest land you can imagine, pushing apart the mountains and the sea.

One of the main photographic draws of this part of the world is the birdlife - huge flocks of migratory birds and rare waders but this was the wrong time of the year, and the wrong time of the day so I concentrated on some eerie, haunting shots and watery sunsets.

The main thing was positioning - I was paying close attention to composition, thinking about rule of thirds, lead in lines and vanishing points. Foreground detail is also important in these shots (if tricky when most of the foreground is mud..!). Both of these involved lots of low points of view (getting down in the mud!) and small aperture to get maximum depth of field. Small apertures also help to control lens flare when shooting into the setting sun - not that I wanted to cut it out, just control the amount and direction as much as possible. I'm really pleased with the sunburst flare on some of these - just enough for drama, without being overwhelming or losing the colour detail in the sky.

I also did a little HDR processing on this last one - I just wanted to bring out the detail in the sea wall in the foreground without it feeling unrealistic.

There are more images from the Ebro on my website at http://www.mickieimriephotography.com/gallery/images_of_spain.php (where they can also be bought as prints or canvases... {shameless plug!!!} )and I think they hold together nicely as a set - lots of warm blues and dynamic compositions. Perhaps I should plan to produce more photo series - next up is Murcian windmills I think!

Photography in the Fast Lane

2010-12-11T15:05:00.000-08:00

Life and photography are going well here in sunny Spain (I can't complain about the weather either!!!) and although winter is traditionally a quiet time of year here, I have been doing a variety of different photo jobs to keep me interested! One of them was a commercial first for me - motorbike photography.

I have done a little bit of this sort of thing privately before, and some commercial work with rally cars but a commercial shoot at a motorcycle race track was a new experience and one that I loved. Covering a track day run by Dienza Events for a high end UK-based corporate client, I spent the whole day shooting people with a huge variety of experience on motorbikes - from high-speed knees-on-the-ground stuff to beginners working with instructors.

The event was held at the Circuito de Cartagena, here in Murcia, and the participants were out for a fun day and to take home some great shots to remind them of it!

Some of them began the day with far more motorbike experience than others and they were testing my panning skills right from the get-go: The aim of these shots is to get plenty of background and wheel spin to show speed, whilst keeping the bike and rider pin sharp. Achieved by panning the camera with the bike and shooting at around 0.5 to 1.0 sec, depending on the speed of the corner.

Meanwhile I was also getting shots of the less experienced riders working with Dienza Instructors - some of them trying a motorbike for the very first time; plus shooting some little detail shots and close-ups of the bikes in the sun. Enzo and his team had a wide variety of bikes available - from 125cc starter bikes, 400's and up to superbike territory. By the end of the day, and thanks to some fantastic instruction and expertise from the Dienza boys, even those who had never ridden a bike before were going round the track like racers! I tried to get plenty of variety in the shots for them; a bit of knees down action while they played "get up close to the photog!" ( the trick to these shots is a fast lens and a brave heart as you crouch on the inside of the apex of the corner, as close as you can get!! ), plus some wider establishing pictures - after all this wasn't just any old track day, they were in Spain in glorious weather whilst the UK was shrouded in November grey.

The corporate motorcycle racers weren't the only ones on a learning curve through the day - I found that all my techniques improved with practise through the day, and I am looking forward to my next day with Dienza to keep improving my pictures. I should also mention that I learned a valuable lesson - running in gravel traps whilst carrying cameras is pretty tricky!!

Ready for their evening meal, I prepared a DVD slideshow complete with music courtesy of incompetech.com for the participants to watch, and everybody got a copy of the DVD to play at home, with files to print the pictures. See below for a shortened version of the video...

My First La Manga Wedding - an English couple getting married in Spain

2010-10-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

Well; thing are settling in nicely here in sunny La Manga - the weather is glorious and the people are great. This is a stunning place to take pictures.

Thought I'd post a few examples from my first Spanish wedding - an English couple got married here at the Hotel Principe Felipe, with its stunning views of the golf courses, mountains and the glistening Mediterranean.

It was a beautiful wedding, and I was really pleased to be involved with the photography; working with another La Manga based photographer - Tim Relf. The collaboration aspect of working with another photog is great, and the coverage we can achieve by simultaneously covering the day from two angles gives great results and I'm looking forward to covering many more weddings with Tim.

©Tim Relf

Spaingas Baby! (Part II)

2010-08-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

So, much as I enjoyed our mammoth jaunt through France, culminating with a view of the spectacular Millau Viaduct, I must confess to being a bit disappointed to wake up in our smart little roadside motel (automated credit card entry for late arrivals - how cool is that?) to realise that we weren't even half way there!

Whilst our final destination was here in lovely La Manga, on the Costa Blanca south of Alicante, first of all we went down to Marbella to see some friends for a couple of weeks so the road ahead was a long one. It's actually something of a blur - slowly changing landscapes as we came down from the Massif Centrale to spy the smoky blue Mediterranean at Montpelier then the gradual shifts as the lush greens and heavy, peaty browns faded to khaki earth and silvered scrubland and the deeper red of parts of the Spanish coast - geology reminding me of Africa's tempting closeness. By the time we got all the way down to Marbella (endless hours of driving on empty motorways until we were less than an hour from our destination when every car in Europe appeared in front of us. Stationary...) the earth was a tired, creamy yellow and crackling dry. All in all, a very long way from the old-cotton grey of Dover's cliffs at 4am.

Marbella is a unique place - sun, sea, fast women and faster cars. As many Russian accents as Spanish, and more British accents than both - overall much of it has an aura of its 80's heyday. A magnet for a certain group of Europe's wealthy, Puerto Banus in particular is a chaotic blend of designer shopping, plastic surgery, Lamborghinis, yachts and enormous sunglasses. I have to confess to a weakness for flash cars - the Saudi-registered delights of Banus' marina had me weak at the knees (not to mention guilty for not having cleaned our car after the journey - 1700 miles of bugs...)

So today's pictures are about the rich and playful with their toys - all shot at as small an aperture I could manage (mostly f11, giving an exposure time of 1/1000 sec in this bright sun) for sharpness right through the picture. I was trying to capture how utterly shiny the whole place is - yachts and cars and glass and blonde girls all sparkling under the sun. The mountain in the background of the shot above is Sierra Blanca; one of the southernmost peaks of the Sierra Nevada range. Some of these are still snow-capped in July and I have heard you can ski there almost all year round.

There is so much of Spain I am planning to explore that I'm sure I'll be back down this direction soon - the Sierra Nevada, the mountains of Rhonda and of course Grenada and the Alhambra are all on my list now that I live in Spain.

Puerto Banus also gave me the chance to do a little soul searching - I was walking along the marina when a man passed me with his family; tripping off this little mental monologue...

"I know him... who's that?

Maybe I met him in Edinburgh

You'd think I'd remember someone with a scar on his neck.

My brain must be going.

[by this point he had gone 20 yards past me]

Oh! It's Carlos Tevez!!"

I must confess I thought about being a Paparazzo for the day - couple of shots of a footballer on holiday would probably sell, after all. However, after a bit of personal contemplation I realised that I just couldn't do it. Don't get me wrong; I don't blame the paparazzi for all that intrusive pseudo-news photography, they are supplying a demand and it must be a tough gig; but I couldn't do it myself. Taking pictures of people who don't always want you to just isn't me.

Mind you - it might've been a harder decision if he'd been doing something that would've earned me a 4-figure licensing deal... !

Spaingas Baby! (not Vegas, Spaingas; geddit?) Part I

2010-07-13T05:59:00.000-07:00

So, with another plan change of Joyce-esque proportions, I am no longer in Dubai. It is too long and complicated to get into (jobs, promises, shrug) but suffice to say that I am now based in the sunny Costa Calida; at least for the summer.

So if anyone is in Murcia and needs a photographer...

But I jest - this post is actually not about life here in Spain (more of that later, when I have actually lived it a bit...) but rather the journey. We road-tripped down from just north of London in a shade over 46 hours including stops. I am a huge fan of B-Road travelling (and Bob Dylan - see below) and would have adored to spend a fortnight doing it - taking every side road in south-west France, meandering over the Pyrenees and stopping at every vineyard from Bordeaux to Rioja to stock up! However, in the words of The Bandit himself "we got a long way to go and a short time to git there" so motorways and motels it was...

The M25 was about as enjoyable and photogenic as a doctors' waiting room but at least it is acceptably quiet at 5am. Although I do worry about all the people heading into town on it by 5:45 - is that really good for the blood pressure 5 days a week? Anyway; what with the M25, the time of day (hideously antisocial unless it is the end of a great party or the view over the mountains with a camera in your hand...) and then the ferry full of school children and harassed clipboard-bearers, plus the traffic jams and stresses of northern France (sat-nav obsession with going to Paris even in the face of all action to the contrary) I didn't really start enjoying myself until we were south of Orléans. As usual on this kind of flying trip, I kept seeing places to add to my list of photo trips and I think mediaeval Orléans is on that list now - not that I am qualified to comment since the view from the Autoroute is non-existent. However, stories of chivalry and the drama of French history are all connected to Orléans and the delightful French habit of advertising their towns/regions with elegant roadside signage worked its magic (knight, armour, castle) so I would like to go...

South of Orléans the countryside became gradually more impressive as we left behind the vast plains beloved of Tour de France helicopter cameramen and climbed steadily into the Massif Centrale (incidentally - great name...) range of hills.

I had trouble deciding what was more impressive from this point on - the heavy peaks and steep gorges clung with stone villages, forests and vineyards or the sensational engineering achievement of the Clermont-Ferrand to Montpelier road. This winds and sweeps through the Massif Centrale and Languedoc region all the way to the Mediterranean. Bridges, viaducts (note to self - what's the difference? Must Google it...) and a perfect motorway clinging to the mountainsides.

I think the crowning glory of both, however (not that I've seen much of the rest of the region - happy to be corrected re Massif) is the Tarn river gorge and the glorious dramatic elegance that is the Millau Bridge. I think it rare at all; and hen's teeth with modern architecture, to find that collaboration of engineering and beauty; sheer style; that is seen at Millau.
We arrived in the warmth of evening light and stopped at the viewpoint for photos before crossing but I wanted 48 hours, a fisheye lens, a panoramic medium format camera, superzoom and a helicopter!! Plus of course there is the gorge itself - huge, steep and thickly forested save a strata of limestone cliff all the way around that seemed to enhance the scale and drama of the place. The gloss black sliver of the Tarn and jumbled church-dominated town of Millau in the valley far below were just icing on the cake.

So, here are the results - a couple of shots from the viewpoint (probably should have clambered down a wee bit to get a better angle but in all honesty I was so stiff from being on the road all day then climbing the hill to the viewpoint!). This first one I purposely shot at 50mm on my 28-70mm zoom. A 50mm lens on a 35mm film SLR or a full frame DSLR like my Nikon D3 is the closest representation of how the human eye sees - so the scale and shape of the bridge as you see it is true - no stretching, distortion or expansion. I also stopped the aperture right down to f22 to maintain sharpness all the way through the image. So, in the warm evening light the exposure was f22 1/40 sec at 400 ISO. If anyone is interested...

The next one I shot at 70mm to compress the perspective just a wee bit - this time I exposed at f7.1 to get a shutter speed of 1/250 sec ( I hate to confess it but I was once again tripod-less due to my itinerant lifestyle just now, and the wind had got up so I wanted to be sure of no camera shake - more certain at 1/250th than 1/40th ).

And finally, something a bit different... I had a go at some rapid shooting as we crossed the bridge (after the day we had had and the fact that crossing the bridge costs €7.40 we were only doing it once!). The D3 offers two speeds of continuous shooting at full frame - Low (CL) for up to 9 frames per sec, and High (CH) for fixed 9fps - and while I could have got 11 fps if I had switched to DX crop, I wanted to take advantage of the full width of my 20-35mm lens so I stuck to full frame, put it in CH mode and just kept shooting! I am pretty pleased with the results overall; and I think this is the pick of the crop. I've given it a bit of a pop with my new toy - a plugin for Aperture called Topaz Adjust that I am just getting to grips with. So far so great lots of different looks and a great line in just that bit extra for pictures much quicker than I can do it individually; I can't wait to do some of my arty wedding pictures with it. Its also available as Photoshop or Lightroom plugins if anyone wants to check it out. On the other hand I may have gone a bit over the top. Comments welcome as always...

So after Millau we were seriously flagging and decided to stop for the night (Roadchef take note - real food, clean place, human beings to serve you. It IS possible in a motorway service station... Just ask the French) so there I shall leave us. Spaingas roadtrip part II next time, folks!!

Dubai Jeopardy

2010-06-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

I have been having trouble explain my current plans and situation to my friends (or come to that, myself, at times!) so I shan't even attempt to do so here - but suffice it to say I have said an emotional farewell to the beautiful city of Edinburgh and have recently spent a month in Dubai. I have had a wonderful 10 years in Edinburgh taking pictures but it is time for a change, at least for now.

Dubai is most certainly a change! The city seems to rise out of the desert one building at a time, all entirely independent of one another and fighting for space like saplings in a forest. Not so much streets as skyscraper territories that happen to be close to one another; loosely connected by freeways and sudden tarmac roads apparently draped directly onto the sand, few pavements (little drainage, come to that, but I guess it barely rains...) just floating on the burning dust. The buildings themselves are spectacular - everywhere something new and enormous and awesome is rising in the heat. Hard to imagine how, when it is too hot to walk past them, let alone work out in the sun among the iron trunks and vicious glazing. The construction workers here are a breed apart - silent, slow moving, eyes that follow you the same as any workie at home but with this astonishing ability to labour in the tyrannical heat. Strikes me as hard to really appreciate the skyscrapers though - the scarcity of 'normal' sized buildings to give scale and the distorting haze of heat and dust contort my impressions such that I have to remind myself how huge they are.

June is a poor time to be in Dubai - especially for a photographer; the heat is too much to appreciate the outdoors for any more than 10 minutes and even the hardy, well-made heft of the D3 is vulnerable in this crushing sun. Not to mention the brash, contrasty light. So unfortunately, I haven't yet seen Dubai Creek and the old town, or several other sights yet (next time!) and the only time I really took my camera out was at night. Even then we found ourselves at the Malls - I am an unusual breed of female in that I really don't like shopping - but they really are one of the main attractions in Dubai, especially at this time of year when air-con is even more important!
Plus, even I have to admit that they are much more that just shopping malls - ice rinks, an aquarium the size of a ferry and an actual ski slope are some examples!! As long as one avoids thinking about the levels of consumption: designer goods, human labour and horrifying levels of CO2 then the malls are certainly a sight to behold.

So, my photo examples are both taken from a shopping mall - the newest in Dubai and largest in the world - although the views are of the building next door; The Burj Khalifa (I'm sure you'll be amazed to learn that that is also the largest in the world.... specifically the tallest tower in the world at 828m). In this first one I was looking for some contradiction - the startling modernity of the tower with a touch of old Arabia. Old Arabia is pretty tricky to find in this very newest part of Dubai however so I had to settle for some retro architectural detailing on the Souk al Bahaar side of the mall; an area that is designed to hint at the aesthetic past of the region. I think it still works as a visual contradiction though... what do you think?

This next one is also the Burj Khalifa (incidentally, they renamed it just before it was opened - it was going to be the Burj Dubai - after Sheikh Khalifa of Abu Dhabi, who came up with the finance after it got into trouble. I could handle being rich and powerful enough to have skyscrapers named after me... *sigh*).

This time the tower is not itself the star of the piece but it provides scale and structure to the water display. Spectacular fountain show every night at the Dubai Mall - fountains of light, water and sound shooting 3 storeys into the air in perfect sync to the music; and I saw many different shows to many different styles of music too. Whatever I think about Dubai. I certainly can't knock the place for effort - everything they do has to be perfect. Biggest, most impressive, most...

So here it was a case of finding the right angle and location, focussing manually to avoid the dreaded autofocus hunt in the dark and amongst the moving water then experimenting with shutter speeds. Constant moving water (like a waterfall or river) is a bit easier than this sort of thing - take a guess at a reasonable shutter speed to give you the level of water blur you want and tweak as required - but here the water is moving at different speeds all the time so a bit more experimentation can be required. Then it's a question of picking your moments and shooting a few frames at a time as fast as your frame rate will let you! And, in my case, muttering under the breath about bringing a proper tripod instead of creating one out of camera bag, strap and railing....

A Blue and Gold day in Leith

2010-01-06T17:34:00.000-08:00

well Happy New Year, everybody!

I celebrated the start of the year (well, photographically speaking anyway...!) with a wander around Leith. We haven't got that much snow just now, not compared to other parts of the UK but there is enough to highlight the edges, so to speak, and the Water of Leith is partly frozen. So here are a few shots from my day - complete with confused seagulls walking on water!

Walking On Water

I love the subtle nature of winter light. There comes a point at around mid-afternoon (short afternoons at this time of year mind you...) when it has the golden warmth of sunset and yet the clear blue glow that is so distinctly wintery. So that was in my mind this afternoon, both of the image above of the Shore with it's foreground of the frozen Water of Leith and for the shots below which are all about the contradictions of Leith.

Blue and Gold Contradictions I

Blue and Gold Contradictions II

Do you really want to be a good sales person?

2009-12-06T06:28:00.001-08:00

On the face of it, the answer to this question is obvious for any small business owner: yes, of course I do. Now, I don't think I'm any different from anyone else in this regard - I am fully aware that my ability as a sales person is directly proportional to my income, and is probably the single most important skill for me to have. I get that, I really do.

The thing is, it just feels wrong. Maybe it's British repression, maybe I'm just not very good at it or maybe I've been subjected to too many hard sell doorsteppers over the years but I can't help feeling that trying to sell something to someone else ( even my own work, which I believe in completely ) is a bit pushy. A bit blowing one's own trumpet so to speak. Just not cricket.

So now I am trapped between my logical brain, which tells me that helping someone see the advantages of my services or pictures is a perfectly acceptable thing to do; and my gut instinct, which tells me to be quiet and leave people alone.

Am I mad? Am I just a poor salesperson?am I the only one who has this problem? Any solutions out there?

Discuss.... :)

Pirn Hill Fort, Grey Mare's Tail and Neidpath Castle

2009-10-19T05:14:00.000-07:00

Well, I promised some images from my little jaunt into the borders (at least, somewhere in the longest blog post ever I said I'd post an image or two!) - so here they are.

First of all, the view across the Tweed valley at Innerleithen with the rocks of the Neolithic Hill Fort of Pirn in the foreground

Next, one of the final shots from the Grey Mare's Tail, with a couple of mountain goats under the falls.

And finally, a shot along the Tweed towards Neidpath Castle. At the end of the day, with warm light and the slightly oily quality that cold water seems to have.

So, there you have it - comments always welcome!

Best,

Mickie

Me, my camera, Bob Dylan and B-Road Scotland

2009-09-23T16:10:00.000-07:00

So, today was my only free day of this week - a whole 24 hours where I didn't have to be any particular place at any particular time. Glorious.

Naturally my first thought was to pick up my camera (well, second thought, let's face it staying in bed eating pizza is fairly bad for the waistline...) and I decided to head for the beautiful Scottish Borders. I was in Penicuik for a craft fair last weekend and spoke to a couple who had gotten engaged at the Grey Mare's Tail waterfall near Moffat and were looking for a picture of it. Apparently now is a good time of year at the falls - plenty of water. So I figured it was as good a place to start as any - Grey Mare's Tail, then home via Innerleithen and Peebles. I had a plan!

I decided to take the A7, photo days are for scenic routes, after all. In fact, I was so busy peering about that I missed my turn off the A7 towards Innerleithen. Now, I am clinically incapable of admitting an error like that by turning around and going back the way I came - I'm a bit of a man like that (!) - so I had a quick squint at a map and realised there was another road on the right a few miles down the way. Which is how I ended up on the Heriot - Innerleithen road. I'm driving along thinking that any minute I'm going to end up at a dead end 'cos seriously, this must be a drive to some big house, there is no way it is an actual road - let alone one that deserves a rating (B rating, admittedly) but what a road! I feel like Colin McRae - or as close as you can get whilst driving a Daewoo. Honestly, the steering on that thing reminds me of doing Dressage on a carthorse - yawing right to left and nothing happens...

Anyway, after trying to avoid killing myself by crashing into sheep (or just plain crashing when peering at potential photo opportunities) I got back on the slightly-more-main-ish road (white lines! Whoop!) and eventually got to Innerleithen (stop for speedy and ludicrously small coffee) and on to the Grey Mare's Tail. Long old trek but nice drive - over the hills to the sound of Bob Dylan. Nice.

So, I arrive at the Grey Mare's Tail car park - dutifully coughing up my 2 quid, which I noticed hardly any body else did. Shocking - it's not about if you'll get caught or not, people, just donating to help support the work the rangers do there. Sorry, rant over. The waterfall is up a steep path behind a (quote) "Visitor Centre" (also known as "Shed"...) which is mercifully short - I forget just how heavy my camera is. Unfortunately, almost as soon as you can see te falls, one is stopped by a health-and-safety-bods type sign. something about path break up and danger of death etc etc... I decide that the day I am carrying my livelihood and most valuable asset is not the day to get brave so set myself up just on the obedient side of the sign...

Waterfalls are one of my favourite subjects - I think because the effects of making photographic changes are so obvious; the kind of thing that you can't do in Photoshop! I took a few different shots, all with fairly long exposures to blur the water just so (tripod essential for this kind of thing). Some zoomed in to fill the frame, some of the whole waterfall, where a neutral density grad is important to keep detail in the sky. I'll post pictures and exposure details as soon as I've downloaded them from the camera! There's also a few from the end of my little jaunt - I was just about to pack up (rain coming in!) when I noticed a few mountain goats had appeared near the foot of the waterfall (health and safety signs evidently don't apply to them!) so I stayed to get a few with them n the foreground, then it was back down the path and back to Innerleithen.

On the way through I'd noticed a sign to Pirn Hill Fort (photographers are all very aware of brown tourist signs!) so I thought I'd try it out on the way back. By now the light is a bit more interesting - longer shadows, dramatic beams through the rain clouds - perfect for hilltop landscapes. I had a quick check on google (iPhones and Google; what a brilliant combination!) and it seems to be a megalithic hill fort so I figure it's gotta be worth a look.

The path leads through pine trees, and with the scent of damp pine rising from my feet I come across a sign saying I should allow 30 mins to get to the hill fort from here. Not entirely part of the plan but I'm here now, so shoulder the camera bag and hoof on up the hill. Better be good up there. 10 minutes later I reach the top of the hill, and I must confess, wondered if this was it! For a start; 30 mins? For whom? I mean, allowing a bit extra is one thing, but there is no way that is a half hour walk - for another, there is not much to be seen of the ancient hill fort. There are some modern carvings of life in Innerleithen but hardly any sign of the original structures. Still, the views of the Tweed valley are pretty impressive and I get a few shots with the modern carvings in the foreground, when all of a sudden the light breaks through the cloud and some cracking shots present themselves with the megalithic stones in the foreground and striking sunlight-through-the-rain over the valley behind. All of a sudden I'm not disappointed with the hike up the hill!

Last stop on this trip is Peebles - my family is originally from here and I've been meaning to get some decent shots of Neidpath Castle for a long time. The walk along the Tweed at Hay Lodge Park is beautiful - fisherman, long autumn light and herons every 50 yards up the river. The best views of the castle are from low down by the river, so I perform a bit of undignified scrambling about to get the perfect spot (always making sure the camera is safe-never mind me!) but once I'm down by the river I simply can't think of a nicer place to be. I'm sat on a rock, with the river babbling 3 inches from my feet, and the castle sits on top of the hill, bathed in warm mellow light.

I must've been there a while 'cos the next thing I know, a big shiny brown trout rises not 3 feet away from me and disappears into the clear dark water.

I'm so glad I did this!

One more thing is visiting a family grave - my grandmother was born in Edinburgh and lived there her whole life, but her father was from Peebles and this place was always 'home' to her, so this is where she is buried. I'm glad. This spot was important to her and now I can't think of a nicer place to remember her.

So, now I'm back home in the city and instead of uploading the pictures, I went for a beer. Sorry!! Pictures soon, I promise.

Mickie

www.mickieimriephotography.com
www.prphotographyscotland.co.uk

Update! Latest client pictures on their New Website

2009-08-28T02:36:00.000-07:00

Well, as promised here is the link to the all new Kildonan Lodge Hotel - www.kilddonanlodgehotel.co.uk complete with pictures by yours truly.

I have to admit, even though I took the pictures and had an idea of the style they were aiming for, I am very impressed with the site. Now they have a web presence to match their gorgeous little country-house-hotel-in-the-city. The management have put as much thought into their internet style as they dressing all the individual rooms, and after a day shooting everything from rooms to food I think we managed to get photographs to match. With clean, stylish and efficient web design by Hotscot I personally think the site is a real success. Not to mention that I can unhesitatingly recommend the hotel - the room are lovely, the staff very friendly and Matthew's food is spectacular!!

The Alternative Economy

2009-08-13T04:36:00.001-07:00

Well, I am off to a slightly new event for me this weekend - not a craft fair but an Alternative Market. The theory is all about an Equitable Economy; they are even offering currency in peices of silver (after all paper notes are just a promise from the Bank to give you silver... :) )

The idea is to link suppliers directly to their customers, in a fairer way; so the market includes food, handmade gifts and crafts, soaps, health products and all sorts of other things, as well as family events and entertainment. It should be a good day; but I'm wondering if we can't go a bit further - I'm all up for the barter system; who's got some grocery supplies they feel like swapping for a nice big canvas photo!!!

Or I could shoot your wedding in exchange for jewellery; website pictures for BP in exchange for petrol - what d'you think?!!

I think it's a great idea; BP may take a little longer to convince!!!

Anyway, if anyone out there feels like popping down, I'll be at the Alternative Market all weekend - 10am 'til 8pm Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th August; at The Edinburgh Academy on Henderson Row in Stockbridge. Check out www.thealternativemarket.com for details. And don't forget your peices of silver! (But don't worry, we'll take regular money too!)

What are you selling?

2009-07-23T04:21:00.000-07:00

Random musings from me whilst on a job the other day - hotel interiors for their new website.

Made me think a little bit. Without being rude about my client's current (soon to be replaced) website, it is a little; well, dated. So, upon being awarded the job of taking the pictures for their shiny new soon-to-be-launched site and having already looked at said dated website, I was a bit surprised to find that it is a really lovely little Edinburgh hotel - charm, character, lovely rooms, nice finishing touches and a professional outlook from all concerned.

I know I shouldn't have been so surprised but that website gave me a really slightly negative first impression.

So, as we all know, websites are vital when it comes to marketing. But something that occured to me when I was taking these pictures is how important it is to think about exactly what you are selling and to whom.

Hotel interiors for instance; my first though was for nice clear bright pictures, pretty simple, make the room look as big as possible. But there is so much more to it than that; simply because hotels are not selling a space, they are selling a feeling - cosy, luxurious, romantic or whatever.

So, after a day's shoot taking a variety of pictures - details, cushions, candles, sherry glasses, lamps and more (along with the standard room pictures) and what I have been told about the web design, I am confident that the new website will do justice to this cracking little hotel. Link will follow when it's complete!

The View From My Window

2009-03-30T16:12:00.001-07:00

well; balcony actually, but one doesn't like to brag... ;)

It's a bit of a grab shot, this, but it was such a stunning spring sunset I simply had to shoot it. Leith is glorious; I love the contradictions, the Water, and most of all the light.

I have a feeling this may be a running theme - every day I look out from the balcony is completely different; but I promise I will post evidence of a bit more mileage in my photography!

Loving those blues

2009-01-20T09:58:00.000-08:00

I promised you some inspiring January Blues pictures, so here's the first - a chilly January river in the borders wuth a hint of the morning's blue sky..

Enjoy Those Winter Blues!

2009-01-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

Has anyone else noticed the proliferation of reports in the media about how January is supposed to be depressing? Back to work blues, winter blues, shortest day blues - I can't decide if all these journalists are describing our supposed depression or creating it.

Well; I intend to buck the trend.

That's right, I like January. And before you all start thinking I am a crazed freak who likes the dark, wet and cold let me explain a few reasons why -

As any photographer (whether budding and keen or embittered and experienced) knows; the light is at it's best at Dawn and Dusk. So let's all admit it, 8 or 9am is a much more civilised time of day to be taking those glorious dawn shots than 4am (also known as the middle of the night...) For all you part-time snappers out there, this is the time of year to grab a stunning picture whilst on your way to work. Plus, of course, weekend sunset shoots finish sometime before the pub shuts...
January is a relatively slow news month (hence all these reports about our state of mind - they've got nothing else to talk about). So there is hardly a better time to get that killer shot you're so proud of into the local paper - or how about on the TV? The pre-weather report pretty picture is always a good option if you fancy seeing your photography onscreen.
New Year's resolutions. I know it's corny, but here's the trick - pick a couple of easy ones and then you get to feel really good about yourself when you stick to them!
Blues. No, not the blues, just blues. It's a range of colours that can be so much more than just cold. Blue can be dramatic, stimulating, invigorating and inspiring and January is the time to get some stunning landscapes and city scenes dominated by blue tones.

So to prove it; my New Year's resolution is to go out and take some January Blues pictures and post them up and see what you think.

Watch this space!!

Location Spotting

2008-11-09T08:29:00.000-08:00

One of my many photographic branch-lines is selling my prints and canvases at local craft fairs. I really enjoy chatting to people about my work but I'm beginning to think I could add an element of competition to my stall...

I'm talking about a location spotting contest. This image in particular has been getting lots of different suggestions of cities all around the world. Most people are surprised when they discover the true location. What do you think? Answer will be posted here in a few days. (Or you could check out www.mickieimriephotography.com if you are really curious..)

2008-10-28T22:00:00.000-07:00

Better Pictures of Your Precious Pet

2008-10-28T16:05:00.000-07:00

How to Improve Your Pet Photography.

Everybody is fond of their pets - whether it's a dog, cat or something more exotic. There is a thriving market out there for pictures of your loved one - especially now that Christmas is approaching. What better present for someone than a nice picture of Fido or Felix, right?

While many photographers and portrait painters offer pet sittings, there are many things you can do to get a better snap yourself. In fact, your presence is probably vital to get that expression. Pets respond far better to their owners than a stranger.

If you do decide to try a few pictures yourself, here are a few tips to help get a perfect shot.

1 - Be patient. Sit quietly for a while and wait til he gets used to you and the camera. In these days of digital you can fire off a few shots to get him used to the sound.

2 - Get the hang of your camera. Find the fully auto mode, or get to know it so well that you don't have to think about it.

3 - Have an assistant, and make sure they're armed!! If it squeaks, beeps or rings, your assistant should be using it, for that perfect "quizzical" face.

4 - Take a lot of pictures. Animals and children are not the most reliable of models, so be prepared to get a lot of shots.

5 - The technical bit: for perfect lighting many pet photographers swear by ringflash; the circular flash tubes give even, natural light and an appealing round catch light in the eye.

- Lastly, don't forget a treat or two to say well done!!

Facebook forcing ME to be the nasty one...

2008-10-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

I like it when people like me.

Sorry if that makes me weak and pathetic, but there it is. I like being liked. Frankly, especially with my wedding photographer hat on, being liked is good for business. Thus, I feel the need to rant about the fact that Facebook are forcing me to be nasty and pedantic in every contract I give my clients!

Allow me to elaborate...

Facebook have a clause in their Terms and Conditions see which basically allows them to sell on any images posted to Facebook to anyone, as many times as they like. The bit that forces me to be nasty to my clients is that if they post any images I have taken (eg images from their wedding that they have bought license to reproduce for personal use from me) then THEY are in breach of copyright, not Facebook.

Now correct me if I'm wrong, but most people don't read all the small print on sites like Facebook ( I mean, life's too short, right?). Plus, who would assume that posting to your facebook site doesn't count as "Personal Use" as in the terms of their wedding photo license?

So, in order to prevent this (after all, suing my clients because Facebook sold an image would be really bad for business) I now have to put a special clause in my contracts/license stating that only images embedded with my watermark can be put on Facebook. This, in my opinion, makes me appear paranoid and grumpy, when it's all down to Facebook's blatant rights grab!

I feel the need to let as many people as possible know about this clause. Never mind the fact hat I object to Facebook and it's like because I don't need a website to tell me how many friends I have; more people need to be aware that their holiday snaps could well be sold on and they will see none of the profits.

Does anyone know of any petitions against this kind of small-print rights grab?

Text of terms and conditions..... all copright Facebook and available at

When you post User Content to the Site, you authorize and direct us to make such copies thereof as we deem necessary in order to facilitate the posting and storage of the User Content on the Site. By posting User Content to any part of the Site, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to the Company an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to use, copy, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, excerpt (in whole or in part) and distribute such User Content for any purpose, commercial, advertising, or otherwise, on or in connection with the Site or the promotion thereof, to prepare derivative works of, or incorporate into other works, such User Content, and to grant and authorize sublicenses of the foregoing. You may remove your User Content from the Site at any time. If you choose to remove your User Content, the license granted above will automatically expire, however you acknowledge that the Company may retain archived copies of your User Content. Facebook does not assert any ownership over your User Content; rather, as between us and you, subject to the rights granted to us in these Terms, you retain full ownership of all of your User Content and any intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights associated with your User Content.

The greatest travel writer of our time

2008-09-25T13:49:00.000-07:00

This is a bit of a quickie post, but just to recommend to anyone a blog post I found at http://www.gadling.com/2008/09/23/talking-travel-with-paul-theroux/
It's an interview with legendary travel writer Paul Theroux. I'm a massive fan - Africa captured my heart years ago and his Dark Star Safari fixes that love forever in my brain. He is also the author of many other famous works of travel literature - Ghost Train to the Eastern Star is one of his latest. All highly recommended, good interview with him by Jeffrey White on Gadling.com too.

'til next time...

Mickie

mickie imrie photography
Travel, Commercial, Exhibitions, Weddings

0131 516 6550
www.mickieimriephotography.com
www.prphotographyscotland.co.uk

So what do you do?

2008-08-30T10:24:00.000-07:00

Has anyone else ever noticed those occasions when it is very difficult to tell a stranger or acquaintance exactly what one does for a living? I mean don't get me wrong, I'm a photographer and I love it and I'm more than happy to tell anybody about it. (Although the idea of those networking meetings where you all meet up and chat and "sell yourself" horrifies me...)

However, when I first became self employed and people asked me what I did I would mutter and evade and humm and haw about photos, office, bar work and the poor unfortunate soul I was taking to would gain the impression that I was utterly incompetent at anything!

I met a woman the other day who had been earning an extremely good living from selling her paintings for at least ten years. She told me that on average in small talk conversations it would take her a good ten or twenty minutes to use the phrase "I'm an artist"

I expect I can't be the only one out there who has this problem - and I'm lucky enough to have a relatively straightforward job title. Anyone out there with a complicated, deep or lengthy job description who can (and does) put it across in less than ten words is a hero, in my opinion.

Giving the right impression over the web.

2008-08-14T07:13:00.001-07:00

Has anybody else ever noticed how difficult it is to give the right impression over the internet? I must admit it didn't occur to me before I started up as a freelance (quite frankly I couldn't have cared less), but now it has landed on my radar and I've realised it can be extremely dangerous.

Of course you have the problem of conveying tone when no-one can hear you speak, or see your face (I've heard some men say that they don't understand this concept, but let's face it girls, we USE body language...) which is a tricky one, especially when writing blogs and websites. (Oh, and text messages...) but mostly I'm talking about your Google impression. The problem with this is that it is much less controllable; in fact it is largely totally out of our control. For instance, as you may have gathered I am a freelance photographer and I get a lot of my work from my website (forgive the plug but people tell me I have to do this... www.mickieimriephotography.com ) but for the first few months of launching it 2 years ago, if people typed my name into Google the first result was a paper I'd written at uni about feeding pigeons!! (seriously..!). The guy I'd written it with seemed to think that the internet-ing world was desperately interested in his third year ecology project and thus lead any potential customers to think that I was not so much a photographer as some kind of peculiar pigeon expert! Fortunately by now there are enough photo-related mentions to relegate the pigeons to the depths of Google but at the time it was problem. My other problem is that I think there must be a lingerie model (or maybe no lingerie, if you see what I mean..) who shares my first name - I get a lot of website hits from searches like "Free mickie pictures" or "pics of mickie" and I can't think of a single other possible reason for it.

I'm sure I'm not the only one - I have a friend (who shall remain nameless since I don't want to compound the problem) whose Google list consists of her website, her blog and then some obscure quote she gave to a newspaper many years ago about her tastes in alcoholic drinks! Marvellous. So is anyone else out there worried about how Google can affect your life? Maybe randomness has helped you out, maybe Google is full of info on someone who shares your name; leaving you wallowing on page 16? Maybe I should be grateful that it's just me, the p*rn star and the pigeons...

mickie imrie photography

Travel, Exhibitions, Commercial, Weddings.

www.mickieimriephotography.com
enquiries@mickieimriephotography.com

Cravings

2008-08-13T17:20:00.001-07:00

Now; don't get me wrong, I am not a deeply materialistic person. I drive a daewoo, am definitely not a designer clothes person and whenever anybody asks me what I want for christmas/birthday I am utterly clueless. However I am currently under the spell of the most enormous gadget craving you can imagine. I want, in a deep and intense way, a Nikon D3. Not because it's the latest, or everyone else has one but just because it's so dam* good. I just want it.

Does anyone else get like that, or am I losing my marbles?

It really is the most impressive bit of kit. Forgive me for the camera bore bit but it has a 12.1 MP full-frame sensor and astounding noise control at high ISO's. No more tripod for me on a cloudy day in Paris, or as the light fades at a winter wedding. In the words of well-known internet reviewer Ken Rockwell "It Just Works". Better colour reproduction, dynamic range that really is as good as film, correcting lateral fringes, 9 frames per second. I could go on, but I'd bore you. The fact is that I want one; and wanting a physical object with such passion is an entirely new experience for me. I never even pestered my parents for the latest toy when I was a kid, I've never felt that my life would be incomplete without a new car or computer or (as a friend of mine mentioned in a rather disturbing conversation a few weeks ago) vacuum cleaner.

I'm slightly disturbed. I may have to buy a D3 just to settle this strange craving....

mickie imrie photography

Travel, Exhibitions, Commercial, Weddings.

www.mickieimriephotography.com
enquiries@mickieimriephotography.com

Travel Photography - the pitfalls

2008-08-12T14:57:00.000-07:00

I realise I'm going to get no sympathy from anybody when I say I've just come back from a trip to the Caribbean and New York; but stick with me, I promise there are dowsides. For a start even in some of the safest cities in the world, walking around with an enormous camera feels a bit like having one of those sandwich boards saying "Hey, over here! Mug me!!" For seconds walking around in the baking heat for hours carrying 20 pounds of your livelihood on your back is a combination of stresses that's hard to match.

Mostly though, it's the little things that make every city photo trip unique - like discovering that the perfect angle for that shot across the Seine to Eiffel Tower comes from a spot under a bridge that smells so powerfully of urine it stands out even in Paris. (There's a reason poets like Paris in the spring - regular rainfall...) Or maybe the change in light that you're certain is coming, as you stand on a Prague street corner in the pouring rain for two hours to get the perfect shot. Or queuing for 40 minutes to buy a ticket for the top of Rockefeller Plaza so that you can queue for another hour to get to the elevator to go up 70 floors in th blink of an eye only to discover that to really get the shot you want, you should've brought a tripod! C'est la vie!

The easiest way to better pictures.

2008-05-12T04:54:00.000-07:00

I don't know why this works, but it does. One of the basic rules of composition, whether it's a painting or a photograph is called the Rule of Thirds. Basically this means that any important focal points in your picture will sit best if they are one third of the way up, or across, the frame. Practically this means that a horizon, for instance, should be one third of the way up (if the sky is the more attractive part of the image) or two thirds up (if the important part of the picture is the foreground) rather than slap bang in the middle.

Often this rule can be applied both horizontally and vertically. For instance compare the two photos - different crops of the same image, which can be found on my travel photography website

where the motorbike is central to the frame. Now have a look at the full picture:-

where the bike is one third in, and one third up, the frame.

It works much better.
Try it with your holiday snaps and see if you don't think it is more restful on the eye, and also more dynamic. Or do you disagree? Comments always welcome.

Top five tips for travel photography.

2008-04-13T08:40:00.000-07:00

Travel Photography is my main passion - and it's an attitude that can be applied to taking pictures wherever you are. My favourite trips are just two days - keep the costs down and put yourself under some pressure to get the shot!!

However you can still take stunning photos on your family holiday, or the town where you live. Here are my top five tips to get the best from your snaps

Get up early! Sorry but this will reap benefits in more ways than one - the family is still in bed so you don't bore them witless while you stop every two minutes for a picture, plus there are fewer tourists - for example my shot of Venice's Campanile and pigeon's in St Mark's Sq. was taken pretty early to make sure the pigeons outnumbered the tourists!! More importantly though, the light is much better at this time - especially in hot countries where the sun rises high and fast in the middle of the day - this is the time to put the camera away and head for the beach!! Have a look at my travel photography site for more examples of early morning shots.
Straight horizons - it's a simple thing, but nothing ruins a picture of your favourite holiday beach quicker than a wonky horizon. Stand square, or at least fix it later on the computer, if you're shooting digital. Top Tip - If using Adobe's Photoshop, you'll find a Measure tool under the colour picker - select this, draw along your horizon, then go to Edit>Rotate>Arbitrary and you'll find the right amount filled in for you for a perfectly straight horizon.
Think outside the box - everyone has seen the standard "This is me in front of..." shot. Find the unusual angle or viewpoint and your pictures will really stand out.
Turn around! You know the shot - a lovely sunset in whatever beautiful part of the world you are in. Well, you'll get as good, or better, pictures if you turn around and use the evening light in a creative way, rather than just snapping away at the sunset. If you are shooting sunsets look for foreground interest - trees, rocks, people, buildings, anything to lead your eye into the picture.
And finally - research. If you want your travel pictures to stand out, do a few Google searches on where you are going, check out a few guide books and have a rough idea of anything you may want to photograph before you go, as well as, if possible, the best time of day to be there. Which way does it face? North or East facing is great for early morning mist, South or West is often best seen later in the day.

Hope you find this useful, and feel free to let me know how you think my pictures could be improved!

All the best,

Mickie

http://www.mickieimriephotography.com/
PR, Commercial, Travel and Wedding Photography

Choosing your wedding photographer

2008-04-02T12:33:00.000-07:00

The spur for this post is the amount of requests I get that are purely price driven. Now I fully understand that everyone has a budget, and weddings are expensive, but I hope all you prospective brides out there (and, of course, grooms!) put as much effort into getting the right photographer as they do into getting the right price. So what are the most important things to bear in mind when you're looking for a wedding photographer?

First of all, can you get a recommendation? All the nicest websites in the world can't compete with someone recommended by a trusted friend
If that isn't possible, the web is the next best thing - Google and all the directories are really useful - personally I like http://www.findaweddingphotographer.co.uk/.
Once you are visiting the sites concentrate on the images first - there's no point even approaching a photographer whose style you don't like.
Think about your budget in advance - set something that works for you in relation to your day - perhaps a percentage of your total budget. Bear in mind, your photographs are the permanent record of your day and there will always be a payoff between quality and cost - do you really want "cheap" photographs?
If you've found a photographer whose image you love but their quote is too high don't be afraid to come back to them with your budget - you might be surprised what they can offer you.
Now you get to the tricky bit. Ask yourself if you are likely to get on with this person? Frankly they are going to be there or thereabouts all day, however discreet they are. Do you really want someone whom you feel awkward around?
Can you see a complete example of a wedding they have shot recently?
Do they ask lots of questions about your day? The whole process will be so much more enjoyable, not to mention you'll get better pictures, if it's all unique to you, your style and your plans.
If you suggest showing them examples of pictures and styles you like, how do they respond? Any good photographer will not be precious about suggestions from the client.
Can you meet them beforehand? Difficult if your wedding is far away, I know, but this is vital to have a proper chat and plan how you would like your wedding photography to go. Maybe draw up a list of pictures you definitely want - bridal party, parents, any details you are particularly proud of, the list could be endless but the more preparation you and your photographer can do the better the results!

Overall, just try to remember that there is a lot more to choosing your wedding photographer than simply how much they will charge.

Best of luck!!

Mickie

mickie imrie photography

Travel, Commercial, Exhibitions, Weddings.

http://www.mickieimriephotography.com/

enquiries@mickieimriephotography.com

PR, Commercial and Wedding Photography

Photographer or Terrorist?

2008-04-01T20:05:00.000-07:00

Something came to my attention again today - the increasing panic surrounding people innocently taking pictures of in public places. It could be our spectacular public buildings, urban landscapes or just the kind of pictures that you see on postcards, but apparently we are now seen as dangerous. There is even a government advert suggesting that anyone with a camera could be a terrorist. Is it me or is this the nanny state gone mad?

Speaking from personal experience I was recently photographing an empty children's playground. It was a beautiful evening, low sunlight through the climbing frame and not a child in sight. In all honesty I planned to crop the photo to the shape of a Playstation controller - some kind of comment on childhood today; I was having an arty moment! Anyway, an irate woman approached me to let me know that she thought it was "disgusting" and "creepy" that I was photographing the playground. Just to confirm, the playground was EMPTY. Apparently taking this picture labeled me some kind of creep. I was flabbergasted. What is the world coming to where our nation is whipped up in a frenzy of fear about everything?

Personally I will be signing up to the petition for clarification on photography laws - at the moment it is legal to photograph in public places, but that hasn't stopped over-zealous police and security guards stopping legitimate press photographers from working. I know it happens in China and Zimbabwe but London? If anyone else out there agrees the petition is at http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/photographylaw/

Comments always welcome.

Mickie

PR, Commercial and Wedding Photography.

New blog launched - photography and more

2008-04-01T19:35:00.000-07:00

Hello;

This is a new one for me - posting ones opinions on the net. This blog is going to be about whatever occurs to me - photos, ideas for locations, equipment, anything in the news that strikes me. Plus of course I am happy to give advice if anyone is interested!

http://www.mickieimriephotography.com

Photography chat from Mickie Imrie

Valenciaaaa!

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