Simon Ridgway Photography » links

links : the pr picture editor’s knowledge

simonridgway — Fri, 14 Aug 2009 14:53:58 +0000

Tim Kerr, Director & Picture Editor of PA Photocall has written “The PR Picture Editor’s Knowledge” – a list of do’s and don’ts and truisms of PR photography.

If you’re a PR photographer you probably know most of this stuff; if you’re commissioning PR photography you must read it. These are the opinions of exactly the person your PR shoot will end up in front of, so pay attention!

My favourite – “No line ups, no handshakes, no town mayors.” You’d be amazed the number of jobs I get asked to do where the best photo idea the client has is to line up a bunch of people and plonk the mayor in the middle. It doesn’t work.

links : skillset’s definition of a corporate photographer

simonridgway — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:36:24 +0000

I’ve just come across an interesting document prepared by Skillset, the sector skills council for creative media, outlining the job description and skills requirements of a corporate photographer. If you’re looking around for a corporate photographer to work on a project with you, I would recommend reading through this before deciding who to go with.

I often find, when Googling to find other corporate or commercial photographers, that a large proportion of the results are actually for wedding photographers. Wedding photography and corporate photography are different. A great portfolio of wedding photographs (and wedding photography is difficult and demanding) does not show that the same photographer can take a great environmental portrait of an executive in a factory or an interesting photograph of a construction worker up in a cherry picker, or even a basic studio headshot.

Photographers all have their specialities and you should always look for a photographer who has a portfolio which shows the kind of work you want and a proven track record of delivering high quality work.

Here’s the link to the Skillset document - Corporate Photographer Job Profile

And here’s the main page, giving descriptions of other kinds of photography jobs - Photo Imaging Job Profiles

links : adrian weinbrecht

simonridgway — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:01:09 +0000

Awesome commercial photographer Adrian Weinbrecht has a brand new blog with some really cool videos showing behind the scenes stuff and some of his amazing work. Check it out at http://www.adrianweinbrecht.com/blog/. Definitely one for the RSS reader.

recommended : joe mcnally at kelby training

simonridgway — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 09:00:56 +0000

One of my favourite photographers, Joe McNally, has a set of online training videos available at kelbytraining.com. He is a master of lighting, both in the studio and on location, using big flashes and small. This series shows him running through all the basics and then showing you how to apply your new found knowledge in practical situations.

My favourite is the corporate photography session, where he runs through a complete corporate location shoot using a combination of big Elinchrom Ranger lights and small hotshoe flashes and solving problems along the way.

The price is a bargain $19.95 for a month’s access. So sign up and settle back for a full-on cramming session and see how one of the most versatile corporate, commercial and editorial shooters in the world does his thing.

world press photo 2009 results

simonridgway — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 12:50:43 +0000

The results are out and there are some amazing and inspirational images amongst them. As usual I have issues with some of the winners, but then it would be a very boring world if everyone agreed with each other on things as subjective as photography. See the winners gallery here.

get a creative lube… marketing tips from a professional

simonridgway — Fri, 13 Feb 2009 11:21:57 +0000

Leslie Burns-Dell’Acqua is an internationally known creative marketing consultant who specializes in working with commercial photographers. She has an excellent website devoted to marketing tips for photographers. The accompanying “Creative Lube” blog and podcast are well worth your time if you’re a professional photographer looking to improve your marketing skills.

not your typical celebrity portraits

simonridgway — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 17:18:48 +0000

Paolo Pellegrin of Magnum has shot some amazing portraits for The New York Times Magazine. Kate Winslet, Robert Downey Jr., Brad Pitt, Penelope Cruz and more, like you’ve never seen them before. These are definitely not your typical celebrity portraits. And all the better because of it.

shooting against white seamless

simonridgway — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 17:13:18 +0000

Atlanta based editorial photographer Zack Arias has a fantastic, in-depth tutorial on shooting against a white seamless background in the studio. Packed full of tips and tricks, examples and setup shots. If you want to know how its done, this is the place to look.

overheard in the newsroom

simonridgway — Sat, 07 Feb 2009 17:04:52 +0000

Having spent a good few years as a newspaper photographer and some of that time working on a picture desk, I’m really enjoying the “Overheard in the Newsroom” blog. Lots of funny/bizarre/surreal quotes that you really would only here from a stressed out group of people trying to create an entire publication from scratch – every day.

couldn’t agree more…

simonridgway — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 15:35:29 +0000

“A Photo Editor” on PR photography…

If only these companies knew how many meetings I’d sat in on where the first question after a story (or product) is pitched was “what does it look like” and then depending on what “it” looks like the story is either made or not. Get a clue people, the better the photography, the more coverage you will receive in magazines. In general this translates to spending more on photography.

Read the rest here.