Supported living in Nottingham

A shoot for architects who had completed work on a couple of buildings for supported housing in Nottingham. The first building is an old Methodist church which had been converted into offices and the second more modern building next door is for accommodation. Both buildings were occupied with service users so there was no opportunity to photograph internally. I was pleased that finally the weather had broken and there was sone blue sky and sunshine to bring out the gorgeous colour of the old brick work on the old methodist church. I couldn’t help wondering about the history of that building and how many people will have been through it’s doors over the decades. If buildings could talk….

A fun day at the office!

I had a lot of fun photographing this great team on a full day’s shoot at this well-established architectural firm in the city of Nottingham. The directors wanted images for the new website, articles, publications and social media.

Having shot numerous buildings for the practice over a few years now, it was great to finally get to meet the whole team, and to put faces to names. The office is based in an old building that has been beautifully converted over 3 floors into a modern and light contemporary space.

There is a wonderful roof terrace with tables and benches for staff to have lunch or simply take a break with views of rooftops and the city.

I’m so looking forward to photographing future projects for this team in the coming months!          

Breast feeding campaign in Nottingham

Small Steps Big Changes (SSBC) is a lottery funded organisation working with local communities to talk about and encourage breast feeding.  The campaign ‘Feed Your Way’ is a breastfeeding public health campaign designed for Nottingham. It was co-created with thousands of Nottingham families and residents, health professionals and business owners.

 The campaign focuses on the real, lived experiences of six Nottinghamshire families and they currently feature on billboards and banners across Nottingham City, including the City Council House on Old Market Square.

 I covered the launch event of the campaign in the ballroom of the beautiful Council House in the centre of Nottingham. The council are working alongside SSBC to help promote the campaign with a huge banner placed on the outside of the building.

Headshots for a newly qualified nutritionist

Janet has just qualified to become a full-time nutritional therapist and is in the process of setting up her business. She needed bright, natural and authentic images reflecting who she is for her new website and social media. We met pre-shoot to discuss the sort of images she needed and on the day of the shoot collaborated to set up the shots and bring her vision to life. We had a large kitchen to work in with plenty of natural light flooding in which help to make the fresh fruit and vegetables we were using look appetising and pop with colour.

WellSpring Church in Wirksworth Derbyshire

A corker of a job in the lovely market town of Wirksworth in the Derbyshire Dales. I was lucky to find myself there on a beautiful summer’s day and had help moving bits of furniture from the different rooms I was shooting from three very helpful members of the congregation who had volunteered to help me.

 This build is a wonderful example of how to add a contemporary new extension (and modifications to an existing structure) to what was originally a Methodist church built in 1886. The extension houses a new community kitchen and dining area along with new stairs connecting the kitchen to the rest of the church.

 The structure is filled with natural light thanks to the installation of the large windows on one side and the high ceiling over the kitchen area gives a sense of grandeur to the space. Likewise, the dining area is light and open with plenty of space for people to mingle and chat over some food and drink.  

The modifications are in the large community room where children’s and other activities take place during the week and the spacious prayer room in the old church which is so well linked by the main staircase to the new community kitchen beneath it.   

Interior design - West Bridgford Nottingham

A shoot with interior designer, Hilary Marconetti, in West Bridgford at a house in a very quiet cul-de-sac. This is a bedroom with enough space to include a bathroom behind the bed. I could imagine the resident in her bath with a glass of wine reading a good book and enjoying this wonderful room to bathe and relax in before going to bed. The bedroom overlooks a very green and lush mature garden with old trees at the end of it. The light flows into the room thanks to the skylight at one end and that large window offering a fantastic view of the garden and nearby woods. I like the combination of the petrol blue colour of the sideboard and the pastel pinks and greens around the room, which I feel compliment each other well, making the room comfortable, tranquil and welcoming. The bold use of brushed gold fixtures adds some understated luxury to the room and I’m a big fan of these in the right settings. Hilary working her magic yet again.            

Interior design - Woolaton in Nottingham

A wonderful morning collaborating with interior designer, Hilary Marconetti, who has completed the first room in this newly purchased (and soon to be completely renovated!) house. This is my preferred way of working where we discuss and try ideas on the shoot to ensure I deliver the shots Hilary wants for her portfolio. The contribution of designers like Hilary bring a fresh perspective to a room and it’s clear that Hilary has the vision to elevate what could be ordinary to something really beautiful, tranquil and extraordinary. I love the soft pastel colour palette and the very cool furniture Hilary sourced from her known suppliers. The room is a calming space with great light streaming in from that gorgeous bay window. I know the family who commissioned her to do the work were delighted with the result and I look froward to seeing what Hilary does with the other rooms in the house. 

Sobraon Barracks Lincoln - exterior

The exterior shots of the building which is matt black in colour and looking amazing against all the greenery in the daylight.  Again, I showed as many different perspectives as I could, to give a sense of the scale of the build and how the structure presents in its immediate surroundings.     

Sobraon Barracks Lincoln classrooms and vehicle maintenance area

Here I’m making images of the training classrooms for cadets and the servicing area for army vehicles where cadets are taught mechanics and vehicle maintenance. The two classrooms I photographed have great light and could be made into one large open space when the moveable wall separating the two rooms is pushed back.

 The maintenance part of the building beneath the classrooms is so large that it felt a bit like being in an aircraft hanger! When I saw the size of the army trucks parked outside I understood why so much space was needed. The shutter doors were also big and solid and everything around me seemed oversized. Hence lots of work with my wide-angle lenses to show off the different perspectives of all that space in the servicing and maintenance area.

Sobraon Barracks in Lincoln

My first visit to an army barracks! I really didn’t know what to expect but was very quickly put at ease by a very friendly, soon to retire gentleman, with a classic handlebar moustache and cheeky grin with sparkly blue eyes. He’s such a character and had so many stories to tell about the long list of tours he had undertaken, I could have listened to him all day!

 However, there was work to do, so after my cup of coffee and chat I got to work on this new build which the architects responsible for this new structure had commissioned me to photograph. There were three parts to this shoot and I’m starting with the gym.

 These images are of a large, light filled, spacious and well-equipped gym where cadets, reserves and staff members would be using the excellent facilities. The architects requested I photograph the gym with people in it for some shots but sadly that wasn’t possible as the new facility was still waiting for the fire safety certificates to be issued so the gym wasn’t yet officially in use.

 It’s always a challenge to work in mixed lighting situations and tricky to not accidentally photograph myself in the long mirrored walls but I’ve enough experience and practice now to make sure my reflection is clear of all shots.

W Creative Beauty Salon

I had the pleasure of photographing this new beauty salon in Nottingham recently. I loved the colour palette used in the main area downstairs from reception all the way to hairdressing in the back of this substantial space. Upstairs, where the treatment rooms are located has a different feel entirely, with a clean monochrome look but the two areas do work well together.

There’s lots of natural light coming into the building so it makes for a welcoming and airy salon to spend time in. I love the cinema seats in the reception area below those inspiring words and the pink neon on the brick wall behind the coffee bar. Not to mention the excellent playlist that I was listening to while I worked. Clearly someone has great taste in music!

The latest shoot for a housing association

I’ve worked on a number of shoots for this housing association and have always been impressed by the quality affordable homes they produce time and again for the clients. This was the smallest development I’ve worked on for them and it was based in Lincolnshire. The majority of these homes were already sold so there was little point in dressing an entire show home but the housing association wanted the images for their own records and to use on social media as examples of their builds.

Photographing new homes that are without furniture always makes the job much simpler but a little more challenging as it’s difficult to make empty rooms look interesting! Luckily we had some props to put in the kitchen and bathrooms so that they could be dressed and so make for better images.

I had a lot of strong hard light which made for harsh shadows on some of the external shots but it was great to have some of the homes bathed in all that lovely sunshine to show off the brick work and new roofs.

The beautiful English summer

When I'm not working I admit if I'm out and about I find it hard to switch off because too often I can't stop seeing photographs I want to make. Not necessarily because I'm going out to make photos specifically but because I'm out for my morning walk and feel or see something beautiful to me that makes me want to stop and make an image.

Or I may be visiting a different country (not so much in the past two years!) or National Trust or English Heritage property and feel compelled to make photos of what I discover. Quite often I'll post these on social media and sometimes I've sold work that clearly resonates with the buyer. I always feel enormous gratitude when people buy my personal work and they are often for special occasions like Christmas, birthday or even a 20th wedding anniversary present.

The images below were all made in the Summer when I was visiting Kent, and then later, on a visit to Yorkshire. Some good friends of mine saw them and ordered these four prints for their home because they love the beautiful greens of an English summer. England is so beautiful in the summer when it's warm and there are so many shades of green to look at. It was lovely to take the framed images round to their home and see the room where they will be hung.

A lovely family home in West Bridgford, Nottingham

I was asked to photograph this home by the family selling it. They were keen to have their own photographer tell the story of their home to ensure that only the best images were used by the estate agent. I was blessed with great light on the day of the shoot which meant I could shoot the exterior extensively to show off the large garden and different planting areas. The rooms are all spacious so the light flooding into them made the colours of the furniture and artwork stand out against the freshly painted white walls. I love the projector and large screen in their cinema/library and the bi-fold doors in the lounge/dining area. A great house to work in as a property photographer!

Headshots for the amazing Claudine Jackson at Trent Wills and Estates

I think the last time I worked with Claudine was five years ago and she decided that that was a long time to have the same shots so got in contact to see if we could work on some new ones together. She’s good fun so of course we had a great time making these images at a local cafe and park as we were having a catch up with lots of talking and laughing. The best images do happen when both subject and photographer are relaxed and enjoying themselves during the shoot. It makes for a more authentic representation of the person being photographed, which is exactly what’s needed when we are showing Claudine as the friendly, approachable and professional entrepreneur that she is. We were lucky with the excellent venue with the deep rich green walls and blessed with great weather in the park.

Candy floss pink in this bold interior design project

This stunning interior was created by Claire at Plot Design on one of her many projects in designing both private and commercial interiors, in this instance, for beauticians based in the centre of Nottingham in the East Midlands. We have collaborated before on previous projects and I’ve always enjoyed working with Claire who takes care of the styling, leaving me to set up the shots, so that we can work through the list of images she needs for her portfolio. 

This business has been operational for some time now so we had to move around trolley’s full of products and all sorts of paraphernalia (I admit some of which I had no idea what they were or what they did!) and naturally we moved some furniture to clear the space.

We wanted to show off this beautifully designed interior and the clever details that all help to make this space as bright, colourful and fun as it is. I loved the Kinder egg shaped lights in the powder room, the white Belmont chair next to the ‘beauty calling’ sign, the quotes in different rooms, and especially the words below the very cool clothes hanger attached to the doors of each of the treatment rooms - ‘hang up your clothes and relax…’    

Photographing on a rainy day in Buxton

It’s been a few years since I ventured up to Buxton so feeling lucky to have a shoot there for a housing association. These images are from the show home of one of their latest developments showing just how lovely homes can be if you let your imagination and creativity flow. Great colours and good spaces for all members of the family with plenty of natural light coming through - even on a really rather dull, rainy and windy day like I had. I’m always happy to pop some extra light in if I need to but I didn’t need to use additional light very much at all for this house. This development has great views from the houses and it’s obviously so easy to get out into the country in a few minutes to enjoy the beautiful landscape. Aside from trying to dodge the rain for the outside shots it was very relaxing to be able to work in the peace and quiet of this lovely new home.

Halton Manor

Out in the countryside photographing an exquisite property with a large cellar, extensive grounds with fruit trees and a series of outhouses which could provide workshops, studios and a large utility room. It was the the best day to be working in a property like this with sunlight coming through all the large windows to show off the beauty of the very different rooms and spaces around the property. The front of the house is discreetly set back from the narrow lane so walking through the front entrance definitely gives the wow factor and a feel of just how beautiful this property is as you make your way inside. I was keen to capture that sense of wonder and awe for prospective buyers as you step inside the front door and into one of the spacious reception rooms offering tranquil views across the grounds.

A celebration of the great British garden

I had my work cut out for this shoot given how many buildings I had to get round but also extensive grounds that I could have happily worked in all day. The weather was beautiful and the garden was well organised with distinct areas for growing, playing and sitting in quietly to eat and drink, read, reflect or just listen to the birds. The colours and textures were rich and varied and I realised how much joy it gave the owners to walk around the space and enjoy the different areas of their garden.  I wanted to show how the distinct areas all connected so that prospective buyers could get a feel for the layout of the garden and just how much it had to offer. I admit that exploring and photographing this garden did make me want to have my own little green space to cultivate and maybe even photograph. In the meantime here’s some of my favourite shots from photographing this wonderful space.     

A lovely home in the countryside on a perfect shoot day

I admit I got very lucky with the weather on this shoot. Beautiful blue skies and a lovely part of Lincolnshire to be working in. This home is down a quiet country lane and externally is quite understated. The outdoor space is very generous and the view out of the kitchen is wonderful. You could sit peacefully on the patio looking out all afternoon! A great space for entertaining friends or hosting a large family gathering. The interior was a joy to shoot as there was lots of sunlight streaming through the windows and cosy rooms to settle down in for the evening with wood burners and large sofas. The owners were very friendly and accommodating by clearing surfaces and tidying up so that I could move from room to room easily and concentrate on what the best angles were to make images from. This is a small selection from the shoot.