Posted on June 20, 2011
The other week I had a portrait shoot at a client’s home and was greeted in manic style by their two Working Cockers! They’re lovely dogs and obviously enjoy having someone new to play with (must admit I didn’t discourage them), but sometimes got just a bit too enthusiastic and were ordered back to their bed – but how can you resist the soulful look in those eyes? Absolutely gorgeous!
Ian
Dorset wedding and portrait photographer
Posted on June 15, 2011
A couple of months ago I watched a terrific series on Channel 4 about Katie Perry, who suffered terrible burns as the result of having acid thrown over her – the series documented some of the long and painful process of recuperation and also looked at others who’d suffered disfigurement either from an accident or from a birth defect, and the way that this had impacted their lives and the way that society’s treated them.
As a photographer it’s my job to make sure that my clients, whoever they are, look good in the photographs, but there’s much more than that – in order for images to be really successful they also need to show some of the character of the subject. However, “character” sometimes comes with age, and age as we know brings with it the inevitable process that impacts on the way that we look (and feel about ourselves).
Sometimes I’ll be asked by a client if I can “Photoshop” the images to make them look younger and these days it’s not just older clients asking for this – girls in their 20’s want to have perfect skin in their photographs and look as gorgeous as possible …… there’s nothing wrong with wanting to look your best, but should we be altering and manipulating images to represent something that doesn’t actually exist?
Enhancing images has been around for years and in the old days was limited to soft-focus filters and a bit of work in the darkroom, but commercial editing of images in Photoshop goes way beyond that, to the extent that bodyshapes are altered, necks elongated and even skin tones lightened. As I read somewhere once, “Photoshop raises the bar of beauty to levels of impossible perfection”.
There’s so much pressure on youngsters these days to look good, and manipulated images of celebrities and models in magazines only increases that pressure. Alesha Dixon did a programme for the BBC3 a couple of years ago where she looked at the effect that this pressure was having on children even as young as 10, and campaigned to have more realistic images in the media. But the truth is that we live in a world where women are judged by their appearance .
When clothes designers use slender, even size zero models for their catwalks are they really showing clothes in the way that the majority of women can wear them, or are they selling a dream? Is it time for more reality in the world of advertising, or is that a wish too far?
I’d love to hear your views, so please feel free to comment below.
Ian
NY Fashion Week - Narciso Rodrqiguez. Image: Seth Wenig/Associated Press
Dorset wedding and portrait photographer
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Posted on June 10, 2011
In the next of this occasional series of guest bloggers, I’m delighted to welcome Melanie Kiani of Bellissimo Weddings. Melanie runs a very successful wedding planning and event management business in Bournemouth and has put together some excellent advice for Brides about planning that all-important wedding breakfast -
There are so many hints and tips out there for selecting your menu for your wedding breakfast and many a bride-to-be has probably got her hands on lots of lists. BUT we wanted to share just a few of the very important things that we’ve been picking up along the way at some recent weddings which could help you on this very point (and being a BIG foodie this is something which is very close to my heart to get right on the day!):
Image credit: Beales Gourmet
- Do pick foods which you love as the couple of course, but also remember that if you’re feeding a lot of guests something quite unusual it may not appeal to everyone – so try to select dishes which please you but will also please the majority of your guests
- But remember you’ll never please everyone all of the time, so don’t beat yourselves up about this. If you feel you’re going for a menu or a dish which is slightly more “out there” in terms of adventure then include a short mention with your wedding invitation ….. i.e. “we will be serving lamb at the wedding breakfast – please let us know if you prefer an alternative” etc.
- We find that pork is usually not such a good choice because of religious issues so that could be a meat to avoid unless it’s in a more casual setting such as a hog roast for an evening “do”, or if you mention it in advance as above
- Think carefully about where your speeches will take place during the day. This is particularly important if you’ve given your caterers strict instructions on rare beef or pink lamb – don’t then go for pre-dinner speeches which could quite easily run over and mean that your caterers don’t have a good chance of delivering the good quality of food you expect. It’s not fair on them and will only mean that they can’t bring you the quality they’d like to. Time your speeches carefully – if you do prefer to have the speeches completed pre-dinner then why not opt for a meat which is less likely to spoil if the speeches do run over a little?
- You must insist that you have a full tasting in good time before your wedding. Try a number of dishes to make a selection and try to taste with your selected wines too so you can ensure that the wines complement the dishes
- Try to select ingredients which are in season and local if you can – not only will you be bringing some environmentally friendly elements to your day but your guests will appreciate the seasonal and local touches and you should hopefully help to keep costs down and your dishes will be fresh, current and tasty
- Communicate with your caterers and make sure that your full menu complements each course – its amazing how many times we see canapes and starters which clash with the main course or the evening food – think about the day as a whole and take their advice on a well balance menu for the whole day
- Make sure the pudding complements your wedding cake – there little point in having a chocolate dessert if your wedding cake choice is chocolate!
- If you are working to a budget you could ditch the dessert and use your wedding cake cut down and served with a Chantilly cream or coulis to save on costs. Or why not opt for a cheese wedding cake which can be cut down and served after the wedding breakfast or in the evening with a selection of breads and fruits in a lovely display? You can even add to the cheese wedding cake with soft cheeses in the kitchen – best not to have soft cheeses as part of the cheese wedding cake display as they can become too soft when on display and look unsightly
- If you’re choosing canapes during your drinks reception, think about how many you should serve to your guests based on the time they’ll have to wait before they’ll be served their wedding breakfast – this is particularly important if you’re planning to have your speeches before the meal is served as guests will be waiting a long time and guests don’t like to wait to be fed! If you’re giving them too much to drink and not enough to eat this is a recipe for disaster – especially in hot weather. We would suggest 4-5 canapes per person for a 60-90 minute drinks reception or if you’re planning on keeping them waiting for a little longer then increase by another 2 per person. Have a good selection and make sure you have plenty of non alcoholic drinks on offer as well such as an Elderflower presse or non alcoholic punch, or sparkling waters with fresh cordials and fruits
- Think about presentation and how the food will be presented to your guests. Ask your caterers how the food will arrive to the table (i.e. will all the vegetables be plated on the same plate or will this arrive separately - how much room will you need on the tables?). If you’re restricted for space then avoid having separate vegetable bowls arriving and ask if this can all be presented neatly on the same plate
- If you can’t decide on a single pudding to end your meal (or this can even work well with starters too) how about a duo or a trio – smaller portions but a well balanced selection of dishes for your guests. This can also work well on a tapaps/mezze style of dining for your guests so rather than a single plated dish why not serve your guests 3 or 4 smaller starters each which guests select from passing around the tables. This works well for breaking the ice with guests who may not know each other so well
- There is nothing to say that you can’t offer different puddings – one for the ladies and one for the gents? That’s a good way to offer something different
We hope you find this useful for your own wedding – we would love to hear your comments
Image credit: Creative Catering
Above all – eat well and enjoy!
Melanie Kiani – Bellissimo Weddings
Bellissimo Weddings is Bournemouth based business planning weddings across the South West for couples. For more information or to arrange a complimentary consultation about your own wedding please visit www.bellissimo-weddings.co.uk or telephone Melanie on 01202 533014 and find out how you can have someone else plan your wedding to save you time, stress and money.
Ian
Dorset wedding and portrait photographer
Posted on June 6, 2011
A couple of weeks ago I had two corporate shoots in Poole on the day before we left for a few days away in Copenhagen – these were head-shots for company reports and websites. Anyway, just as I finished at the second company Dan introduced me to a visitor, one of their suppliers. With everything packed away we chatted over a coffee and it turned out that Jens was the CEO of a Danish company, so the conversation naturally turned towards our break and how much we both needed some time away from the “day-jobs”.
Jens was really interested in the corporate imagery and so I whipped out the iPad and took him through my portfolio – it was what happened next that caught me completely by surprise ….. he said he’d be flying back to Copenhagen in a couple of days and asked whether I’d be prepared to work whilst away by taking some head-shots for his website and also taking some portraits with his wife? I’d not really intended to do any serious photography whilst away, taking only the Canon S95, but he was such a nice guy I couldn’t really say no! So that night I had to pack the full Nikon kit and try and keep my hand baggage within the limits!
We met up with Jens and his beautiful American wife Christina at their fabulous apartment overlooking Copenhagen Harbour, and they were fantastic hosts! It was one of those places that you see in glossy magazines and was a joy to work in – if only all of my clients’ homes were like that! We had a great morning with them, and I was forgiven for working whilst we were away (I think!) – it just goes to prove that you never know where the next opportunity’s going to arise!
Some of the offices and apartments along the waterfront
Ian
Dorset wedding and portrait photographer
