hyde end studios

Wedding Dresses – Fashion Photography

Simon — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 14:06:03 +0000

I was asked by a wholesaler of wedding dresses to photograph some new creations for the 2011 season. The shoot was near Guildford and as we had previously shot the dresses on mannequins in the studio (see previous post) it was decided to use models for the shoot and to photograph outside. The brief was to add a fashion element to the imagery and produce some dynamic pictures for a major exhibition and also to provide the pictures for their brochures and publicity. Here are a couple of favourites from the session.

Wedding Dress Photography

Simon — Sat, 10 Jul 2010 11:41:04 +0000

I was asked by Village Brides, a wedding dress and accessories business based near Reading in Berkshire to photograph their collection of dresses for the 2011 season. This is part one of the shoot which took place at their premises in Spencers Wood. We used a large empty room adjacent to the showroom to set up a a studio backdrop. It was decided to have a simple high key feel to the images so a white background was used which was deliberately underlit and under exposed to create a pale grey background to provide differentiation between it and the dresses.

Sometimes it’s impractical to visit my studio depending on the products that need photographing. It’s reassuring to know that we can visit and set up nearly every kind of photographic studio configuration on location at your business premises or other location.

The above image shows our 2/3 light setup with a 9ft Colorama background. The finished image is show below.

Bracknell Berkshire Business Portraits

Simon — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 16:14:44 +0000

Business portrait photography is probably the most common type of photographic service I am asked to do. Recently I was booked by GE Energy in Bracknell, Berkshire to produce some simple shots of their staff for inclusion on the GE Energy website.

To keep a light, flexible feel to the pictures we used an off white background which can give a slightly less stark look than a pure white backdrop. It also has the advantage that white clothing doesn’t blend as much with the background and retains a little separation.

Quite often due the availability of personnel, we are working to a tight timescale. In this case we had around 45 seconds per person (!) which isn’t a lot of time to shoot a photographic portrait. One thing we always do is make sure everything is set up before the subject arrives. Lighting and camera settings are standardised so the time taken is minimised. Another little time saver is a piece of tape on the floor showing our subjects exactly where to stand.

These measures ensure that we can shoot a significant amount of headshots for your website, brochure or other marketing materials in a surprisingly short time. If you have a project in mind, please drop us a line for further details.

Simple Pack Shot Photography

Simon — Thu, 27 May 2010 13:06:14 +0000

I was asked to photograph these cupcakes with a simple high-key setup which gives a lot of flexibility for brochures, packaging and website design. The idea behind a high-key studio lighting setup is to flood the subject with light so it appears to float in midair. Sometimes this doesn’t look quite right so another alternative is to do as I have done here and used a reflective surface to mirror the subject a little and to provide a visual ‘anchor’.

The lighting setup for this simple high key pack shot

Informal Business Portraits

Simon — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 18:39:50 +0000

Depending on what industry you are in, an informal studio portrait is ideal for website use. The friendly and relaxed nature of the image is ideal for creating a welcoming impression. These pictures are from Naava’s studio session. I had photographed Naava before a few years ago and her pictures were in need of updating. Naava is a birthing specialist and runs the Fertility Support Company.

A relaxed and approachable impression was essential to the feel of the pictures. Here’s a few favourite images from the portrait session.

Alan Hudson – Corporate Entertainment Portraits

Simon — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 16:16:52 +0000

These images are from a shoot for Alan Hudson, a corporate entertainer and comedian. The brief was for some ‘character’ portraits for website and promotional use. Alan was great fun to shoot and we were able to get some interesting portraits for his portfolio. It’s important we learn a little about your business beforehand and the end use of the images we shoot is carefully considered before the photography starts.

Creative Pack Shot Photography

Simon — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:19:02 +0000

I was approached by Red Splash, an agency in Basingstoke, to shoot some creative images for a Sheffield knife maker. Their product range is to be launched in the USA and the brief was to creative some striking photographs in different styles to be used for print and web at the product launch.

The high contrast lighting and clean lines of this image accentuate the product.

Two contrasting backgrounds created in the studio are chosen to harmonise with the product.

Again, this Jordanian Army knife needed a background that was in harmony with the feel of the knife.

If you have a need for creative studio photography or product pack shots, please get in touch.

Environmental Portraits

Simon — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 09:45:38 +0000

Environmental portraits matter when the location tells you something about the subject. They can be more interesting than standard studio shots and can be enhanced by portable lighting, shot using daylight or, as is quite common, a mixture of the two.

A relaxed location portrait for a director of a firm specialising in office refurbishment

Portable lighting outdoors makes for an interesting picture and helps the image have more impact

The staff and management of The Dorchester Hotel in London

Things of Beauty

Simon — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 20:31:59 +0000

It can be easy to make images of beautiful things but sometimes difficult to avoid lapsing into clichė. It can be harder to make eye catching images of everyday objects but rest assured if your living depends on selling products and items please call or email for a quotation. Then your products will sell themselves.

A detail shot from a handmade lightshade

Bathroom detail from a hotel brochure shoot

Places

Simon — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 17:17:15 +0000

Inspiring photography to showcase your building or location. Expert photographic technique is employed to show your property to it’s best advantage. Careful planning is the secret to great architectural photography.

Please click here to see some more architectural images.