New GBP website

Things have been a little quiet around these parts recently. Have you noticed? There is good reason for this, however...

It is with great excitement and relief that I can now officially make today's first big announcement... My brand new website is now live!

Want to check it out straight away? Be my guest.

This has been a long time coming, not least of all because I have had other work, projects and commitments to attend to, but at long last I once again have a site which I am proud to direct people to (not like the previous incarnation, which I voiced my thoughts about here). Even judging by the screen grab I attached in that post, I hope you'll agree that my latest site is a vast improvement!

So, what's new? Well, the first thing you will notice is the background colour - I've done away with black (eek!) and gone for a nice, clean white appearance. This in itself fits much more with the tone of my approach to things these days, and ties in nicely with my Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.

But by far and away the largest change has been the overall content - and, specifically, how to access it. The previous site was so complicated, with far too many links and far too many hidden pages which required multiple click-through navigation. Now, I have stripped it down to the bare essentials - a simple 6-link menu bar affair, based around a portfolio system. Much gentler on the eye and an absolute minimum amount of text for visitors to read!

You may remember that I previously included a link to my newsletter archive. Well, that still exists, but is instead accessed by a link on the Contact page, which directs you to a simplified list of all previous newsletters - with the most recent edition at the very top.

The Contact page itself is exactly that, detailing all the ways you can get in touch with me.

The Blog page? Well... clicking on that menu link brings you right to the front page of this here blog!

A new addition this time around is the Bio page - just a few lines of background info and a mug shot of yours truly.

But what about pictures? Obviously, this is the main area I addressed; it was well documented that I had far too much text versus imagery on the old site, so the balance has shifted dramatically, to put it right back where it should be.

The first thing you notice, landing on the Home page, is a slideshow of pictures, nice and big, plain and simple. The Portfolio page now houses six images, which act as links through to individual galleries for the following areas: PR/Advertising, Location, Lifestyle/Outdoor, Event, Wedding and People. Each of these open up to show a slideshow (featuring full-screen HD view, if that tickles your fancy) and thumbnail guide to all pictures in the collection.

And that's it.

Well, apart from the simplified Client Area, which remains essentially the same in its purpose - to supply my lovely clients with their pictures in the hours and days which following a shoot.

I'd like to know what you think (surprised? Come on, you know me well enough by now!). Feedback so far has been really positive (thanks to everyone who has chipped in already) - but I am still encouraging more people to stand up and drop me their thoughts either in an email or in the comments section below this post.

Right, now to prepare for today's second big announcement!

A positive exhibition

Well, I'm glad to say that things are finally getting back to some normality, following the past couple of months... which means the GBP Blog is fully functioning once again. Thank you to all those who offered their support in recent weeks; it meant a great deal.

Right then, by way of a quick catch-up, a small reminder of my joint exhibition which runs until 1st November...

Some months ago, my good friend Jane Doel, author of a little book of inpiration entitled 'Positive Steps Forward,' approached me with an idea for a collaboration - to illustrate some of the pages of her book. From this starting point, progress generated further ideas, until the day we said "Let's put on an exhibition!"

And so, with everything in place, our first collaborative show - intitled 'Positive Posters' - has been revealed to the public.

The location is the Pumfrett Room and Coach House Cafe at the Queen Elizabeth Country Park, just off the A3 near Petersfield, Hampshire. Jane is Life Coach in residence at QECP which, together with Butser Hill and West Beach on Hayling Island, has been the source of inspiration for the words of her book and the photographs I have taken to illustrate them....

So, if you are in the area and have half an hour free, why not pop in and take a look?

Entrance is free, car park is £1 all day. And if you have any questions or feedback, you can get in touch with me here.

If you can't make it along, fear not. At some point in the near future, I will be writing a post specifically about the exhibition. I shot some time-lapse footage at various stages of preparation and at the Private View launch evening, and we will also be recording some audio, too.

Another late night, sleep deprivation and a long drive

The end of February was a hectic time - with all manner of, shall we say, 'challenges' to overcome before heading upcountry for various commitments, including Focus On Imaging. Not least of these 'challenges' was my ongoing love/hate relationship (currently mostly hate, it has to be said) with PC computers; they were giving grief right up until an hour or so before I jumped in the car.

All appeared to be well upon departure but, would you believe it, I find out the laptop is still unwilling to co-operate, despite a full clean-out, and hence this post comes to you thanks to Manda's MacBook. So that'll be another tick in the 'switch-to-Mac' box, then.

On the Saturday night of the weekend I was due to head northwards, I was commissioned to document events as they unfolded at a private 30th Birthday party. A nice job (as you know, I particularly love event photography) and thankfully very local, as timings ran from 6:30pm to 10:30pm. It was the usual sort of thing - guests smiling and chatting and generally having a good time. Add to this the 'overview' room pictures and 'detail' shots which gel the series of pictures together (bowls of sweets, chocolate fountain, goodie-bags etc), and I came away with a nice set of images which told the story of the evening.

Once back at base, there was just enough time for a quick bite to eat before heading straight to the office to begin the process of editing and uploading all images to the GBP website via our Client Area. Whilst the latter was being completed under its own automated steam, I took care of the client's labelled DVD and all corresponding paperwork, ready for posting at a more reasonable hour.

All said and done, with other matters also taken care of, my head finally hit the pillow just as the birds began their morning sing-song. Now, late nights are not unusual for me, but one has to question the sensibility of driving four and a half hours on just three hours sleep! Ah well... all part of the service, as they say!

As part of the 'package', we also prepared in advance a set of 'event slips', each slip containing the online album access details. Every goodie-bag contained one of these, and once logged in, visitors would then be able to view and order photographic prints in various sizes and finishes (eg gloss or matte) directly through the website.

Incidentally, one day a couple of weeks ago saw a shoot in conjunction once again with Matt; typical marketing material sort of stuff, created using all the benefits of our wireless technology. A video of that day will be following in due course, but I've not even had the chance to look at the raw video footage we shot yet.

Canvassers welcome

I recently received a call from from a lady whose boyfriend I photographed whilst shooting for Wavelength magazine at an extreme sports event some time back in 2004. Totally out of the blue, but also very interesting at the same time.

I photographed hundreds of people and took thousands of frames during the course of that event, so understandably I couldn't remember exactly who the person in question was. However, a quick search through the archive for the particular file reference number and there he was, riding the waves in all his glory (see picture above).

Turns out his girlfriend was wanting a canvas print made of the picture, to give as a present. She had already gone into her local high street photographic shop to ask about their canvas print services (and no, I am not going to be naming names here!) but, quite rightly, they told her that they could not do this due to copyright laws governing the image. So she gave us a call.

Long story cut short - we have just supplied her with a superior quality, hand-stretched and anti-aging, fade-free 60x85cm (28x40 inches) canvas print. And because we ensure our monitors are calibrated to the the printing machines used (i.e. to guarantee that what you see is what you get), fantastic results are produced time after time.

Canvas prints are a great way to show off your wonderful photographs, both new and old - whether as 'space fillers' in your hallway or as centrepieces in your living room or business premises.

And remember... the whole point of pictures is that they are there to be looked at.

Pictures Are There To Be Looked At

I have just returned from a string of meetings this morning, in which I was talking to clients about how best to display the photographs we produce for them. I say 'talking to' - it was actually more a case of educating them. And here's why.

People love photographs. Fact. Whether it's snaps of friends at the local pub or a corporate team-building day, we love to share stories and memories of the events which occur in our lives. Trouble is, a lot of people don't know how best to enjoy these pictures, and simply throw them in a drawer or onto a bookshelf in the corner of a room, never to see the light of day for years to come. And the worst offenders? [Shudders to think] Direct transfer from camera to hard drive - and we all know what can happen there. Shame on you!

So what options do you have? Prints - sure. Canvas artwork - yup. T-shirts - if you really want. But then... that's it, isn't it? NO! There are so many different ways to present your pictures, many of which people don't know about. Apart from the above, you could consider traditional albums, super-modern picture books, despoke frames, acrylics, aluminium and block-mounted displays, promo transfer sets, multi-item themed gift packs... you get the idea.

But just a second. A word of caution, by way of an old adage - just because you can, doesn't mean you should. Not every display method is suitable for every kind of picture. Likewise, not every location is suitable for certain presentation options (e.g. canvas prints can look terrible in spaces which are too small for them). It's all about considering the options and deciding which will work best for you and your pictures.

Now, before you jump to conclusions, I should say that such considerations do not apply simply to 'private sector' clients (weddings, portraits, that sort of thing) - they are also relevant to business and corporate customers, too. Why? Because photography can and should be used to your advantage.

For example, say you have company premises with a 'typical' reception area. When new or returning clients come in, what are they greeted by (apart from your super-friendly receptionist, naturally)? Blank walls and a few scrappy print-outs plonked on a coffee table next to the water cooler? That's the sight that often greets me when arriving to do a shoot.

Wouldn't it be so much better to create a strong visual impact right from the outset, the moment visitors walk through the door? Maybe some stylish photo-art or team/product shots on the walls to build your profile. Or a smart-looking picture book album documenting your factory facilities or your pro-active operations in the field. Both of these would not only create a good first impression, but a positive lasting one, too.

So... please, please, please, don't just file your pictures away where nobody can see them. Be bold, be proud, and most of all enjoy them - because they are there to be looked at!