A New Video and the London Eye.

For some time, I've been wanting to put together a showcase / advertising video – but a lack of ability and a lack of time to gain the ability has held me back.  However, I came across an IOS app made by Adobe called ‘Voice’.  This lets you create short annotated videos with ease, adding photos and music.  Whilst quite limited, the limitations encourage you to focus onto just putting the clip together.  I’ll probably re-do the clips over time, adding different pictures etc, but I’m actually quite pleased with the result.  I've added the video to my FaceBook page, and it’s also heading up the Weddings page on this site.

Here it is, let me know what you think:

Also this week, I found myself in London and I finally got around to photographing the London Eye.  I tried a number of angles, from directly across the Thames, from Westminster Bridge, the Golden Jubilee Bridge, and right next to the wheel (which produced by favourite image of the session.)  I think I’ll try the session again closer to dusk as opposed to night as – in my opinion – it produces a more interesting sky.  Still, I think I’ll get at least one of these printed out for display.

View fullsize

The London Eye at Night.

Remember that if you’re looking to book me for weddings or events get in touch as early as you can to ensure I’m not already booked up (as bookings are steadily rolling in!)

Thanks for reading!

Al.

Merry Christmas and A Happy New Year from A D Hall Photography.

I must admit, it only feels like 5 minutes since I was sitting down and writing the end of year / Merry Christmas / Happy New Year blog post from 2014!

It’s been a busy year both for my ever-growing photography business, and in life in general.  I’ve photographed a good number of weddings (oddly lots in London!) capturing memories for some wonderful couples (who have all been awesome to work with.) Looking to 2016 I’ve got plenty of bookings already lined up, so I must be doing something right!

I’ve also embarked upon doing some event photography too.  Through a friend I managed to get a booking at a Royal Air Force Ball back in the summer, which was lots of fun (if technically challenging for my first one!) I was lucky enough to get a repeat-booking for their Christmas function too, which again was a great evening – albeit with much more tinsel and fairy lights!

A couple of weeks ago, I was asked if I knew anyone willing to take some photos at a local toddlers’ playgroup for a visit by Santa.  Obviously I put myself forward, and I was really pleased to be able to offer my time and the images for free download.  It was a great hour or so – the varying reactions of the children to the big bearded man in red were varied to say the least!

Throughout the year I've been able to improve the service offered to clients – especially the online ordering experience.  I left one service that integrated fairly well with my website, but only offered print labs in the US (it was quite labour-intensive too.) With a move to Shootproof I’ve now got a really swept-up service that allows clients to order prints, canvasses (from the excellent Loxley Colour) and downloads; which are then delivered direct with no time-consuming intervention from me.  As a bonusit’s quite reasonably priced too – keeping prices for clients reasonable too!

My sincere thanks for the support over the year, with 2016 already looking good in terms of wedding and event bookings (and a baby shoot sometime in January!)

A D Hall Photography wishes you a very merry Christmas and a fabulous New Year.

Al.

A Great Event Shoot for Christmas.

In my previous post, I promised that I’d not leave it so long before my next update – and here it is!  The headline piece of activity is that we were really honoured to do the portrait photography for the RAF Cosford Officers’ Mess Christmas Draw.  We had a fantastic evening, with all the guests having a great time and loving having their photographs taken, the fun props ensured people kept coming back for more!  If you were at the event, and you ordered prints on the night, they are right now being produced by my favourite pro print lab (the excellent Loxley Colour)  and will be with me later this week ready for mounting and sending back to the Mess for you to collect.  If you didn’t order on the night, you can still get prints and downloads direct from my sales website – just follow the link under ‘Client Galleries’.

You may have seen on my FaceBook page that I’d ordered a ‘roller banner’ for advertising at events, wedding fayres and the like.  It was a really good ‘Black Friday’ deal from Colour 24; I was especially pleased that it arrived in time for the Christmas Draw and that it has come out looking fantastic (if I do say so myself!)

A relatively short update this time around, but I should have a couple more posts before Christmas, as there are a couple of interesting assignments coming up.  This is the first blog post that I’ve integrated with an e-mail distribution service – so if you’re getting this in your in-box it’s because you’ve booked us previously or bought images from us. I don’t want to fill inboxes unnecessarily, so if you’d rather not receive future blog posts, then there should be an ‘unsubscribe’ link at the bottom of the e-mail (I won’t be offended!)

Thanks as ever for the support and messages.

Al.

Where has the time gone?!?!

Soooooo, it’s been quite a while since my last blog update – and I really have no excuse apart from being busy busy busy!

My last post was about the great time I had photographing the Summer Ball at RAF Cosford – and the good news is that I’ve been given a repeat-booking to cover their Christmas Ball next month!  I’ve got lots of ideas for this next ‘event’ assignment, not least a better way of wirelessly getting the photographs from the camera to the laptop.  At the Summer Ball, I tried to use an EyeFi Mobi Pro memory card – essentially a memory card that generates a WiFi bubble for transferring photographs over to a laptop or tablet.  Although it worked flawlessly in testing ahead of the night, it wasn’t playing ball at all and I had to resort to a very (very!) long USB cable.  I’ve since invested in another WiFi solution, this time from Nikon themselves – again it’s been totally reliable in testing but I’ll be keeping the long cable handy just in case!

Should've been great - but was a big frustration.

Those of you with eagle-eyes may have noticed my FaceBook feed has had some more wedding pictures appearing, it’s been a great year for weddings, and it’s been an honour (and lots of fun) to be able to document these really special days.  At the most recent wedding, I offered the couple an extra of a photobooth-style setup for their reception.  That was a great deal of fun, with the addition of a few props their guests really let their hair down and it added a wonderful extra set of pictures for the couple.

On a personal level, I’m building a portfolio of sufficient quality to qualify for a Licentiateship of the Royal Photographic Society (RPS), which will allow me to use the post-nominals LRPS, which shows that the quality of my work has reached (or exceeded) the very high standards of the RPS.  To that end, I attended an advisory day in Nottingham to have my current set of images examined with a view to suggest improvements.  As luck would have it, my set of images were first up – and I got a lot of positive feedback, with some pointers on areas for improvement.  These were mainly related to technical aspects rather than artistic ones – the LRPS process is largely aimed at proving a photographer’s technical ability ahead of their artistic vision.  For example, I have a photograph on the site of a bride looking out of a window; I hope you’ll agree that this is a great image; however, as much of the picture is pure white, it’s deemed not up to standard.  No big deal, I now know what the judging panel is looking for, and I need to get a collection of 10 images that meet the full guidelines.  I should (other commitments notwithstanding) be ready to apply early next year.  I will of course let you know how I get on!

My 10 images ready for critique (along with my daughter's ballet bag!)

Shooting the Ball

I recently had the privilege of being booked to take the (semi)formal event photographs at the RAF Cosford Officer’s Mess Summer Ball.  This was a great evening taking photographs of the guests in front of a classic car.

At most of these events, the photos are taken indoors, with very stable and constant lighting – effectively, get set up and then you don’t have to alter your settings all night.  However – this wasn’t such an easy setup!  The location was outdoors, starting at 7pm through to 10pm.  So I started in quite bright sunshine (setting behind the guests) and ended up in pretty much pitch black night!  So, pretty challenging…  I also had to contend with the wind blowing my lights over, or making them swing around so they weren’t pointing in the right direction -  luckily a swift application of tie-wraps sorted most of the issues!

Choosing their picture.

In order to make it really easy for the guests to choose their pictures, I was shooting tethered into my laptop, with this connected to a flat screen TV.  My original plan for tethering to the laptop was to use an Eye-Fi memory card, that sends the pictures over a Wi-Fi link.  Whilst this worked flawlessly in every test running up the event, it stubbornly refused to send any more than 2 pictures when I’d got set up.  So, I swung plan B into action – which took the form of a 5 metre USB cable!  Whilst this limited my movement slightly, it did give me a robust way of getting the pictures to where I needed them.  More testing is required with the Eye-Fi card before the next event, as when it works, it's a fantastic way to work giving much more freedom of movement.

Despite my difficulties, I adapted and overcame and most importantly I got some great pictures, and some very happy customers!  A good tally of sales on the night, and download and print sales from the website in the week that followed made it a really worthwhile event.

2 Down, Lots to Go!

Crikey!  It’s been far too long since my last update – and far too much going on!  2 weddings shot so far this year, and mercifully the weather held out for both of them.  The most recent one in Twickenham looked like it was going to be a complete wash-out; but as the ceremony finished the sun came out and we had glorious weather for the rest of the day!  As you can see from the pictures below, the couple got all of their full-resolution pictures on DVD, in a really nice folio case – a standard part of my packages.

It’s a few weeks until my next wedding shoot, but again it’s at St Clement Danes in the centre of London.  I recently had my pre-wedding / contracting meeting with the couple, and it looks like it should be a great day with the ceremony itself and a tour of the sights in a double-decker Routemaster bus!  I’m really looking forward to it.

In the meantime, I’ve been booked to shoot the formal portraits at the Officers’ Mess Summer Ball at RAF Cosford.  The theme is ‘The Great Gatsby’, and it’s planned that the portraits will be taken in front of a classic car.  As with the weddings, I’m hoping the weather will hold out – it’d be a shame to do ‘normal’ shots indoors.  It’s worth noting that the defence school of photography is at Cosford, so err…no pressure then!

Keep an eye out on my FaceBook page (https://www.facebook.com/adhallphoto) for some pictures of the setup, and some of the portraits.

And finally, it's time to say goodbye to my venerable Nikon D40.  This was my 1st DSLR, bought at the tail-end of 2007, when 6 mega-pixels seemed enormous!  It's travelled the world with me, taken pictures of friends, family (including my daughters' earliest moments) but it's time to move on.  But I have just taken delivery of a new D7100 (24 mega-pixels!!) so I'm sure my melancholy will be short-lived!

Thanks for reading!

Let the Wedding Season Begin!

As the title implies, with the Spring sunshine starting to emerge, Wedding Season will soon be in full swing, with the first 2015 wedding this weekend.

I thought it would be a good idea to take you through my actions pre and post-wedding.

Pre Wedding Prep:

1 Week out:

Confirm shot lists etc with the client.

Ensure timeline hasn’t changed.

Confirm any last minute detail changes.

2 Days out:

Charge camera batteries (at least 1 spare per camera)

Flash and camera batteries charged and ready to go! 

Charge flash batteries (at least 1 spare set per flashgun)

Charge / renew flash trigger batteries.

Check / wipe memory cards (at least 2 per camera)

Clean lenses (front and rear elements)

Clean camera body, and clear internal dust with a blower.

Set all camera internal clocks so they read the same (makes life easier when sorting images from multiple camera.)

Getting the time right (of course I'm in Casablanca for this shoot...)

Test all cameras, flashguns and wireless triggers.

Pack gear.

On the day:

Shoot the Wedding! (I’ll post a separate blog about on the day soon.)

Post-wedding actions.

Directly after the shoot:

Transfer all images from memory cards to laptop (if away from home) or Mac.

Backup all the images onto DVD and store with client paperwork.

Import images into Lightroom (re-name and catalogue.)

Backup using Time Machine onto external backup drive.

Days After the shoot / when I get home!

Reset equipment – unpack, clean, recharge.

Initial run through of the images to begin down-selecting the ‘keepers’.

I then do a second pass of keep / discard after a break away from the screen.

Editing as required.  Mostly, I try and get the composition and exposure right 'in camera', but there's often a whole raft of tweaks and adjustments that can be made to improve the quality of the images.

Export the edited keepers to the website gallery and enable the purchase options via Fotomoto and Amazon Web Services (AWS.)

Action any orders that are made.

Export the edited keepers to DVD or USB drive and post to the clients.

I then export a second set and save to DVD for archive along with original RAW shots and client paperwork.

With the images sent to the client, I include a blank document for the couple to specify which images they would like in the photobooks / albums,  using this, I build an initial layout and I e-mail a pdf proof to the client and adjust as required depending on their feedback.

Once they're happy I'll go ahead and order the albums and ship directly to the client.

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So, quite a lot to do, and I've not even gone into the busy day itself! As I mentioned above, I'll do a breakdown of the wedding day itself in another blog post. 

Thanks for reading.

Al. 

Product shots, travels, and the start of the wedding season.

Wow, it’s been far too long since I’ve written to the blog – life seems to keep taking my spare time from me!  As usual, lots going on both in the photography side of things and in the rest of my life.

A few weeks ago, you may have seen a picture on my Facebook page of me taking pictures of a large hair bow.  My better half is really gifted with her craft work and is helping a friend of hers get a clothing business off the ground.  The company is called Spirit Athletic, and they’re specialising in bespoke pro Cheerleading clothing (both my wife and her friend are previous national-level cheerleaders.) Their website is in the final stages of being set up, but please keep an eye on http://www.spiritathletic.com

I’ve also been meeting with several couples ahead of their weddings this year – I met two couples in one day recently; it seems I’m getting lots of bookings in and around London.  Really looking forward to my first wedding of the year, only a couple of weeks away – it’s right in the middle of London so I’m hoping for some really great shots  I’m taking my wife down soon for a weekend break and scouting of the church ahead of the big day.  I always make sure I’ve visited the main wedding locations ahead of the big day – I want to be comfortable with the location, and I’ll start pre-visualising the shots I think will work.  It means I free up my brain on the day as it’s always fairly hectic!  I’ll be sure to cover the upcoming events with a blog post. 

My day-to-day-pays-the-bills day job affords me the occasional overseas trip, and recently I was lucky enough (for a change) to get a trip to Nevada.  I found myself with a spare day, so arranged a morning at the Hoover Dam.  Whilst I didn’t really have the right wide lens to capture the whole dam I was able to capture some interesting shots.  There are two winged bronze statues that are really impressive, and I’m pleased with the pictures I got of them.  The tour was really interesting, and it’s certainly an impressive feat of engineering.  It’s also not stupidly expensive, so if you’re ever in the area I recommend a visit.

Lastly, I’m branching out to offer event photo services for balls, graduations and proms.  I’ve already got my first booking for a RAF Summer Ball in July – I’m really looking forward to it, and whilst I know it’ll be busy, I expect it to be less frantic and stressful than the average wedding!

Thanks for reading,

Al.

An Interview

I was recently contacted by one of my listing partners, and asked for a short interview, you can see the results below - I hope it give you a bit of an insight into my me and my approach to the business.  The original text can be found at the Cylex listing site:

http://www.cylex-uk.co.uk/company-interviews/a-d-hall-photography_23672235.html

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A D Hall Photography is a small company dedicated to helping you capture memories that will last a lifetime.  Alan offers wedding photography services, along with portraits, engagement shoots, concert and event photography. We asked him a few other questions to get a better understanding on what he does.

Cylex 1. What represents you as a photographer?

A D Hall Photography: That is a very good question!  At the very basic level, I'm a husband and Dad, which I hope helps me connect with my clients as I've 'been there, done that' myself!  Helping people capture their special day or event also brings me a great deal of satisfaction. The other side of what I do, the landscapes etc, lets me explore the more artistic side of photography, which I can then fold back into the weddings and portraits.

Cylex 2. What sort of equipment do you use?  

A D Hall Photography: I currently use professional Nikon DLSR cameras, with a variety of Nikon and Sigma lenses, and Nikon Flashes. Aside from the camera equipment, I also use a portable studio setup.

Cylex 3. Do you shoot with an assistant?  

A D Hall Photography: I don't have an assistant, but as the business grows I may consider it for larger jobs.                                     

Cylex 4. Do you shoot in RAW? What about the the vintage look?

A D Hall Photography: I do shoot in RAW - I find this gives me much more detail in the images, and allows more creative freedom once the image is in the computer. It also helps to achieve whatever 'look' the clients want; there is currently a trend for the Instagram-style colours, but I can deliver whatever style the client decides upon.

Cylex 5. Do you offer albums? What’s the average cost?  

A D Hall Photography: As part of my Wedding package, I offer an A4-sized hardback photobook - I personally prefer these to the traditional wedding albums, as they look great and are actually likely to be pulled down from a shelf and looked at!  Additional books can then be ordered - depending in the number of pages, these cost around £35 - £45.  I can, through my print partners, offer the larger wedding albums, along with mini-photo books.  The range is so diverse (number of pages, finish etc) that pricing is incredibly varied.  I talk to my clients and then price up exactly what they want.

Cylex 6. Will you post the photographs online on your web pages?

A D Hall Photography: Aside from using images on my site for advertising / demonstrating my skills, I upload all the clients pictures to a password-protected gallery for them to view, or to share with friends and relatives.  The images are then available for purchase as prints or downloads directly from the site. (Wedding and portrait clients get all the images on DVD or USB stick so are free to order prints themselves.)                          

Cylex 7. What’s your favorite subject for your photography?  

A D Hall Photography: Weddings are great fun, but can also be quite hectic and stressful, so I do also enjoy the slower pace of long-exposure landscapes from time to time!

Christmas, sales integration and some new toys.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I'm sure I'm not unique in having a very busy festive period, with the usual last-minute shopping, some very excited children on the big day, a night at the panto and some new toys to play with!

But first, I've made another tweak to my website, so that clients can buy prints or full-resolution downloads of images.  This is enabled through a company called Fotomoto (www.fotomoto.com) - they're based in California, but have European print partners to keep postal costs down. I can see this will be really useful for selling prints at events, without having to worry about handling payments at the event itself.  I can easily set up a password-protected gallery and give the required details out on cards.  The clients can choose size and finish as they require and the print is then posted directly to them.  Another nice touch is the ability to send an ecard to anyone, and they get a web-quality picture with your message attached. They can then click direct-links to buy the print or download if they like it.  The Fotomoto system integrates with the Squarespace site pretty seamlessly, so overall I'm really happy.

The new toys I mentioned are a nice little pile of studio kit from my good lady - backdrop frame, lighting stands, lighting umbrellas and some continuous lights.  Continuous lights aren't ideal for event portraits, but they're excellent for pet or baby shoots as there's no flashes to make the subject jump or blink!  For the occasions that I do want to use flashes, the stands etc all still perfect.

I was also lucky enough that Santa brought me a Blackrapid Yeti camera strap.  The Blackrapid (www.blackrapid.com) system is different from the standard camera strap in that it fits over one shoulder, rather than around your neck.  This is really comfy, and keeps the camera out of the way if you're not shooting.  The Yeti adds another strap to the standard set-up, allowing 2 cameras to be carried - this is great for weddings or parties where I need to be able to quickly switch between long and short lenses.  I'm looking forward to trying it out on my next shoot!

The photo at the top of this blog post was taken outside of my in-laws' house.  I was hoping to get a long-exposure shot of Santa / International Space Station flying by, but cloud ruined that!  I then decided to try a shot of the neighbour's Christmas decorations!  I had to place my tripod in the middle of the street, but as it's a quiet cul-de-sac I felt pretty safe!

Thanks for all the support in 2014; I hope you've all had a great Christmas, and that you've got a fantastic 2015 ahead of you.

Many thanks,

Al.