The Editing Debate for Professional Photographers in Scotland

August 10, 2020  •  Leave a Comment

Hi All

 

One of the subjects that comes up constantly for me as professional event and corporate photographer working in Scotland, I am often asked how much editing I do and what my opinion is to manipulating or editing in photography.  My general attitude is that I want to be spending as much time taking photos and less time in front of a pc.  Photography is all about composition and light.  Of course you would be mad not to take advantage of the capabilities of digital software and infrared photography requires some digital editing to achieve the final product.  When it comes to corporate event photography, you may be processing hundreds of photographs from a conference photography commission in Edinburgh and you simply don’t have the time to do much editing, except for a few special photos.  The other thing I have an issue with is replacing skies in photos. Photography is about capturing a special moment in time, showing the fantastic landscape for what it is and if you have to replace the sky with one that you took last week, well then I am sorry, this is not a photograph and nothing more than a digital creation.  For portrait and wedding images, a certain amount of editing is acceptable but in my opinion, and I stress this is just my point of view, if you are altering the body shape or changing the face considerably, again I have a problem with this and it is not what photography is all about.  This is not an anti technology or editing rant, but more of a keep it real message, to prevent what is essentially a form of cheating if taken too far.  The good news is, you can always tell a good photo from an overly manipulated one.

 

I will leave you with an older photo rom the air show at East Fortune, which like a lot of events has sadly been cancelled this year due to Covid 19.

 

Until next time.

 

Kind Regards

 

Colin

www.colinwrightphotography.co.uk

www.edinburghphotographer.com

 

 

 

 

 


The Luxury of Time for Professional Photographers in Scotland

August 03, 2020  •  Leave a Comment

Hi All

I thought as we are approaching an ease in the lockdown regulations that this would be a good moment to talk about the benefits of having more time to concentrate on personal photographic projects.  As a professional fine art and corporate event photographer working in Edinburgh and around Scotland, my event photography work has been a bit non-existant recently, although there are signs things are starting to pick up.

One of the advantages of this situation is that you are forced to concentrate on something fairly local and this restriction can be a good thing, as you have to think in a more micro way, concetrating on the small details of the place you live.  How many of us dont visit what is around us.  I think I visited Edinburgh Castle once in my lifetime, yet it is the first thing a visitor to the city would do.  My infrared work has been a saviour during this time and I have had the luxury of being able to concetrate on small photography projects.  I have visited a lot of harbours recently and each harbour is different and has its own individual challenges and cretive possiblities.  On a recent visit to Eyemouth Harbour, I noticed reflections onteh watter, casued by a combination of light and oil in the water, I wondered how this would look in infrared and the results are shown on my website, with a photo attached to this blog.  Photography has proved good for my mental health during this time and also forced me to stop thinking of getting new equipment, as I have no money anyway, I have been aiming to use my existing gear even more effectively.  I have a wedding photography commission due next month and some motor sport event photography in Scotland, but all this is still in a bit of doublt at the moment, so we shall wait and see.  Until then, there will be plenty of time for infrared photography and special projects.

Until next time, stay safe.

Colin

www.colinwrightphotography.co.uk

www.edinburghphotogrpaher.com

 


Professional photographers in Scotland - Taking a Different Perspective

July 27, 2020  •  Leave a Comment

Hi All

One of the challenging things for professional corporate event photographers in Edinburgh and around Scotland during this lockdown has been how to best utilise our time without travelling as much as we would like.  The irony is that with more time we would tend to travel to photograph different destinations but the lockdown has forced most of us to concentrate on the subjects close to home and try to see things from a different perspective.  I managed to re-visit a few of my favourite local subjects, such as waves, the kittiwake chicks in Dunbar, bees and other local landmarks, but this time I tried to do it from a different perpective and often photographed subjects in infrared that I had previously never tackled before ie with the birds and insects for instance.  There is also an opportunity to perfect a particular subject through repitition and to experiment when you wouldn't otherwise have the time, just keeping your eye in is good enough, so that when you return to some professional event or coprorate photography work, you are not rusty and you will be raring to go.  I have also tried out a lot of new tricks and techniques with my software.  given that we probably only use about 20% of the capability of our software, especially with a programme as extensive as Photoshop, we sould at least try new things to offer a different perspective to our clients.  So keep the creative juices flowing and dont let this situation get you down.  I know its easier said than done but we will hopefully come out of this as better photographers.  I for one know I will have a more extensive library of fine art photography images once this is all over.

So, until next time.

Kind Regards

Colin 

www.colinwrightphotography.co.uk

www.edinburghphotographer.com

 


Wildlife Photography, Kittiwake Chicks at Dunbar Harbour, East Lothian

July 20, 2020  •  Leave a Comment

Hi All

Now for something a bit different.  As a corporate and event photographer, operating in Edinburgh, East Lothian and throughout Scotland, freelance photography work is starting to come back again and I just finished a commercial corporate job recently photographing a classy Range Rover car for a Luxury Car Chauffeur business, which was great fun.  However, I have had a bit more time on my hands and have managed a few projects that I would have found difficult otherwise due to lack of time.  Many years ago, I photographed the kittiwake chicks in Dunbar Harbour and it has been a few years since I have returned.  This year, however, I have manged a few days photographing the chicks just after hatching and the related activity that you get during this time.  It is interesting watching the parents fetch the fish for the little ones and seeing how they rapidly grow - some of them are a bit like teenagers by now.  It is a challenging subject to photograph as you have to be quick.  You need a long lens but there is no space for a tripod, so you have to hand hold, which can be very tiring on your arms and your neck hurts from looking up alll the time.  However, as lomg as you keep alert and shoot at a fast speed to combat camera shake, it is well worth it in the end.  If you are patient enough and stay for at least an hour, the birds get used to you and trust you more, which means they are more likely to behave naturally.  Anyway there are lots of pictures on my website in the Miscellaneous section, in addition to the one with this blog.  Hopefully some of the corporate event photography commissions and weddings in East Lothian, Edinburgh and around Scotland, will start to commence soon.

Anyway, until next time.

Kind Regards

Colin

www.colinwrightphotography.co.uk

www.edinburghphotographer.com


Return from the Wilderness for a Professional Photographer in Scotland

July 14, 2020  •  Leave a Comment

Hi Everyone

I have my first commission tomorrow after 3 months of virtual lockdown.  After a whole load of corporate event and conference photography bookings were cancelled, it's good to get back to doing what I love ie being a professional photographer working in and around Edinburgh and throughout Scotland.  Tomorrow i will be in my home county of East Lothian, where I will be photographing a classic car as a promotion next to Scotland's golf coast around this great county.  I will be at Archerfield, Dirleton, Dunbar and Musselburgh Golf Club, I cant wait.  I know some photographers who have taken a different approach during lockdown and who haven't really continued to shoot during this very difficult period, but although I had my moments of depression like everyone else, I have to keep taking photos and never failed to be motivated.  My personal infrared project has also flourished during this time and I have made good progress on my infrared book, as well as providing a lot of new material for the publication.  I also have extended my photography of harbours and waves and tried a topic new to infrared for me, namely photographing bees and insects in infrared.  So all in all its been eventful, but i am eager to get back to some commercial PR and corporate photography and hopefully tomorrow will be the start of more to come.  I hopefully have some motor sport photography in August and a wedding in September, so things are starting to look up.

Anyway, watch this space for more to come.  Until next time.

Kind Regards

Colin

www.colinwrightphotography.co.uk

www.edinburghphotography.com

Corporate event and conference photographer Edinburgh, Glasgow, Scotland
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