Hi Everyone
I am often asked what I do as a conference and event photographer working in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Scotland during the quiet months and the answer is that I usually don't rely purely on one genre of photography and I also have a number of projects planned. Although I am a conference photographer in Edinburgh, I also do other events, such as wedding photography in Scotland, sports photography for newspapers and general event photography in Scotland. However, I am also an infrared photographer in Scotland and I combine this skill with other personal projects. For example, I photographed scrapyards in East Lothian Colin Wright Photography, Edinburgh and Glasgow corporate and event photographer | Scrapyard Project
and Edinburgh and managed to sell a number of images and also to have some of them published in an article in the East Lothian Courier Haddington and East Lothian News, Sport, Events - East Lothian Courier. I am now about to embark on a project which involves photographing shopping trollies around Glasgow and the surrounding area, sounds a bit daft but stranger things have become popular. So get your thinking cap on and come up with a project on a subject close to your heart, something you are passionate about and something you feel is unique if possible.
Things to think about for your photography project
1. Who is it intended for. This is very important as it could influence the type of images you produce. Is it purely for your own benefit, or is it intended for sale to the general public or an exhibition for instance, or even for a specific client.
2. When do you want it finished by. This provides you with some discipline as to deadlines etc. It may also have to be completed in time for an exhibition for instance.
3. What gear will you use.
4. Where will you take the photos. Is it in one city, town etc.
5. Is the project weather dependant, this could delay the completion if this is the case. For instance, infrared photography requires sunlight which is often in short supply in Scotland. This can make planning the project difficult.
6. How are you going to show the final images, online, on your website, in an exhibition with prints, there are many options and it comes down to number 1 above, as to who it is intended for.
These are just some of the things requiring to be addressed. So good luck.
Until next time.
Colin
www.colinwrightphotography.co.uk
www.edinburghphotographer.com
Hi Everyone
A great weekend at the Kirkintilloch Canal Festival even if the weather was awful on Saturday night but it will take more than a little rain to spoil things in the west of Scotland. There was live music, stalls and all kinds of entertainment, including the attached photo from the Sisters of Soul, who were at their best, along with all the live entertainment. This year’s festival was a bit special as it was the first one since the pandemic and you could tell everyone was itching to make their way to Southbank Marina in Kirkintilloch.
As a freelance event and conference photographer, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Scotland, it was good to cover an event like this and it brought back memories of my 10 years as a newspaper photographer in Scotland. If there any photographers out there just starting out, I would suggest they get in some local practice at events in their area. You don’t need special gear nowadays, just a camera, or a good phone for that matter. It’s a myth that you need to turn up at events with 3 cameras and massive lenses, that is just for show, especially with the advancement of technology with mirrorless cameras. The only time you need a large lens is at poorly lit night events where more high quality glass is required and even that is changing.
So, thanks to East Dunbartonshire Council for a great couple of days. Can’t wait until next year.
Kind Regards
Colin
www.colinwrightphotography.co.uk
www.edinburghphotographer.com
Hi Everyone
Today I am going to discuss a subject that is on everyone's mind at the moment, especially for people who earn their living through digital means and the arts and that is AI and how it effects professional event photographers in Edinburgh and throughout Scotland. I will look at 3 things, the legal aspect, which photographic genres are effected most and finally the moral side of things. I will also look at how it effects myself as a professional conference and event photographer Scotland.
The legal question of AI
So we start of by looking at the legal aspects of AI. I can only address this from the perspective of a professional photographer Glasgow, Edinburgh and Scotland, so here it is for what it's worth. When you use a background or an object or anything photographic to enhance your photo, someone else has created that background or object and there should be copyright involved. Is every photographer being reimbursed for their work in these cases, I don't think so. It also could create a new market for some photographers
AI and how it effects professional event photographers in Edinburgh
From my point of view as a professional conference photographer in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Scotland, the answer is not very much. As an event photographer, it is all about capturing the moment and adding something unreal to a wedding photo, or sports event or conference will not be what the client wants. There may be some minimal uses but not much, in my opinion. Now as an infrared photographer in Scotland, Colin Wright Photography, Edinburgh and Glasgow corporate and event photographer | Infrared Collection Gallery this is an entirely different story and landscape and artistic photographers could lose out most with the introduction of AI. It is such a big issue that the Royal Photographic Society are holding a conference to discuss the effects of AI on the photography industry. BBC Yorkshire and Simon Hill (rps.org). Other than to set rules for their competitions and awards, there is probably not a lot they can do, but at least it makes people aware that this is a big issue for the industry.
AI and the moral argument.
Now this is the one that really interests me. If you replace your ball during a game of golf to gain an advantage, cheat in any other way, then at the end of your round, you won't feel so good about your game and you may even feel guilty that you won. Now I know this doesn't seem to be an issue for a lot of athletes these days but it is still a big question. You should feel proud of your photos and happy that you have captured a moment in time, that is what got me into photography, capturing the beauty of Scotland and beyond. So there is an argument that it is a form of cheating, ah I hear you say, but haven't we been doing this anyway in Photoshop and other software packages, well yes, but this takes it to another level and you could end up with a digital creation and not a photograph, as a photograph is meant to capture the world as it is, not as a computer sees it. Technology will always lead to new ways of doing things and the move from analogue to digital was a big step, but we have to keep an eye on it, or it could destroy the art within our industry.
This subject will be explored in greater detail in future blogs. That all for me now. Some event photography in Midlothian coming up in the form of photographing segways in action.
Until next time.
Kind Regards
Colin
www.colinwrightphotography.co.uk
www.edinburghphotographer.com
Hi Everyone
As an event photographer in Scotland, I am well into the outdoor conference and event photography season with it being August. This year, as well as conference photography in Edinburgh, wedding photography in Scotland and some general event photography in Glasgow, I will also be returning to do some Segway photography in Vogrie Country Park in Midlothian. So I thought this would be a good time to provide you with some top tips for event photographers in Scotland.
1. Research your event thoroughly, whether it is for a sports event or classic cars, make sure you have a good knowledge of the subject.
2. Get the timings right, don’t be late and make sure you know the key times involved.
3. Prepare all your gear in advance the night before and only take what you need with lots of batteries. I have conducted a wedding photography assignment with only one lens befire.
4. Communicate with the client well in advance and nearer the time and establish a good relationship with them.
5. Know your brief to the exact degree, then use your creative photography skills to give the client something extra. I have often supplied couples for weddings in Scotland, some infrared photography photos and they loved them.
6. Be confident and knowledgeable.
7. Respect the guests/participants and take great care during the photoshoot, in addition to adopting a friendly attitude at all time.
8. Dress appropriately and smart but casual. For wedding photography in Scotland, you dont need to try and upstage the wedding couple.
9. Keep in mind what the final photos will look like after editing. Pre-visualisation is a very important aspect of photography.
10. Finally have fun and enjoy. Professional photographers in Scotland have the most enjoyable job in the world.
Hope that is helpful. Until next time.
Kind Regards
Colin
www.colinwrightphotography.co.uk
www.edinburghphotographer.com
Hi Everyone
Today I am going to look at the need for photographers to keep pursuing projects, especially ones that divert from their specialist photography genre. As most of you know, I am a freelance event, corporate and conference photographer working in Edinburgh, Glasgow and Scotland. Now recently I went on a quick family holiday to Karlsruhe Germany and I used this vacation period as a time when i could pursue another one of my photography projects. In this case I wanted to continue with infrared photography and also to combine it with photographing art installations and architecture in Karlsruhe. I also wanted to extend the definition of art to include graffiti and other every day things. So what exactly makes for a good photography project. Here are a few tips to get you started:
1. Have a general theme and work round it ie in my case it is infrared photography and art and then I have expanded it.
2. Keep in mind if you are going to be producing a final colour or black and white image or a colour photo. This is particularly relevant for infrared photography in Scotland, as certain subjects are more suitable in colour and others work better in infrared, a lot of foliage and strong sunshine can work well for colour infrared, while metallic subjects and photos with a lot of detail sometimes look better in black and white.
3. Stick to your brief but this is digital photography, you can always shoot something else and go back to your project, however, sometimes it pays to concentrate on the project.
4. Think about telling a story, your photos should lead the viewer into your subject matter.
5. Enjoy, but event is you are a conference photographer from Edinburgh on holiday, take it seriously as, you never know, these photos may be your next exhibition. One of my most successful photos in infrared of a highland cow in the snow was taken during a hill walk, so always carry your camera and be alert.
Anyway hope this helps.
Until next time, have a good week. I will be off on an event photography in Edinburgh commission this week, then as a conference photographer in Glasgow the following week.
Kind Regards
Colin