Hi Everyone 

As a professional fine art, corporate and conference photographer in Edinburgh and around Scotland I am accustomed to all the wonderful innovative software that is available for photographers nowadays, however I think there is a line that needs to drawn.  So for this blog, I have decided to have a discussion about editing, both its uses and the future of manipulation in general.  All photographers have faced this dilemma before and we have all discussed it with each other.  When expressing some reservations about over manipulation, a photographer once said to me “but you are an infrared photographer, which is a surreal photographic genre”.  My answer was that infrared light is already present and it is only the naked eye that is unable to detect it.   Also, I tend only to swap the colour channels, spending very little time on editing the images.  Still on the subject of landscape photography in Scotland, I personally feel that swapping skies, or backgrounds is a step too far.  The scene in front of you simply hasn’t ever existed and is just digital graphic at best.  Part of landscape photography is capturing the moment and the atmosphere, so creating a non existent image is far removed from that description.  There are also some portrait photography software companies that over-manipulate the photos.  I won’t mention any names, changing the shape and look of a human being to excess is not a photograph, let’s keep it moderate, without overly digitising the image.  If you are spending ages on one photo, you probably haven’t taken a good one.  Don’t get me wrong, I use photoshop and particularly like the On One software and Nik filters but I also feel we have to protect the profession and keep it real.

We can discuss his in more detail later, so until next time, take care and stay safe.

Kind Regards

Colin

www.colinwrightphotography.co.uk

www.edinburghphotographer.com

Close-up of waves, Dunbar, East Lothian by professional fine art, infrared and corporate photographer Colin Wright, Edinburgh, Scotland

Hi Everyone 

I thought with the extension of the lockdown that this would be a good time to look at some top tips for event photography.  For the purposes of this blog we will keep it general, so that the advice can apply to all types of events, from weddings to gala days or graduation photography.  Whilst as a professional corporate and event photographer working in Edinburgh and throughout Scotland, I also do a fair amount of sports photography, we won’t include this today, staying with corporate and general public photography events.

So here we go:

1 Always be prepared and if at all possible check out the venue before hand, so you know how to get there and where the best shooting positions will be

2. Take note of the time of day when you will be required, this is very important for outdoor events and will effect the photos in a big way, it is up to you to overcome any lighting issues, but try and anticipate them in advance

3. Communicate regularly with the organisers and establish a good relationship with them before the event

4. Be friendly and helpful at all times, otherwise you may not be asked back

5. Make sure all your gear is ready, ie batteries fully charged and ready, with back up for all important equipment

6. Know the timings inside out and write them down 

7. Always photograph what you are asked to do ,but add your own creative stuff.  They will nearly always like it, even if it’s not what they were expecting.

8. Practice in advance in your head the shots you are going to take and try them out before the start of the event

9. Dont panici if you don’t get the good shots at the start, they will come, it can take a while to get going, but just make sure you catch the key moments

10. Keep smiling, it always helps and remember you are getting paid to do something you love

Hope this helps, more to come on corporate photography tips soon.

Kind Regards

Colin

www.colinwrightphotography.co.uk

www.edinburghphotographer.com