21 From ’21 | A Snapshot of 2021 {Avon Valley, Wheatbelt & Perth Wedding, Family, Event & Commercial Photographer}

As the year draws to a close, I’d like to thank all the amazing couples, families, businesses and government organisations that have supported my business, and helped make 2021 so enjoyable and successful for me.

As we plough through our second year of a worldwide pandemic, it’s interesting to reflect on the changes it has brought to both our everyday lives, and our livelihoods.  As a photographer, I’ve seen wedding bookings slow, with couples remaining cautious about planning a big event which could be cancelled at the last minute.  The same goes for events, although many of the smaller ones have gone ahead, and I did shoot the GWN Dowerin Machinery Field Days in August, which was the biggest event I’ve covered to date, and besides being completely exhausting, a huge success!

But family shoots remain popular, and the wedding gaps have been filled nicely with commercial and tourism based work, most of which tends to fall during the week, leaving many of my weekends free, which has been a nice change!

So I’ve spent a large part of the year working with businesses, and travelling through the regions shooting our amazing Wheatbelt towns and communities, to promote local tourism within WA.  And given my background in agriculture and love of the Wheatbelt and farming communities, it’s pretty much been a dream come true for me, and definitely something I hope to do more of in the future.  

So following are 21 images that I feel best represent both my style, and the people and places I’ve worked with throughout 2021. Just a random mix of weddings, families, events, commercial and tourism work, which I feel incredibly honored to have been part of – and all thanks to you, my fabulous clients! 

Have a wonderful Christmas and New Year, and I’ll see you all again in 2022!

5 Tips To Help You Prepare For Corporate Portraits {Perth, Avon Valley & Wheatbelt Corporate Photographer}

Good corporate portraits are a powerful way to market yourself. Regardless of whether you’re a business owner or a model, an influencer or an artist - or you just need new profile images for your social media pages, a professional portrait will set you apart. But let’s face it, it can be daunting to stand in front of the camera and pose for this type of image, as they can be quite formal! However, with some forward planning and a bit of communication with your photographer, you’ll be nailing your corporate portraits in no time!

1. Consider Your Requirements, Style & Branding

The style or type of portraits you choose will determine how your audience sees you, and should reflect both your personality and brand. A traditional head and shoulders against a blank wall is more formal than a portrait shot outside, or against the backdrop of your office or workplace. Often referred to as environmental portraiture, this latter style is better suited to a more casual, laid back vibe than a formal corporate portrait, which is, well, more corporate!

However, your requirements will also influence the style you choose, so consider the end use of your images.  If you need profile images for social media or the About Us page on your website, a head and shoulders portrait may be best, but if you’d like your images to communicate something about your business or lifestyle, an environmental portrait would be better.  

Your branding may also affect the style of portraiture you opt for.  If your brand is sleek, professional and corporate, a traditional head and shoulders against a blank wall will tie in well.  But if it’s more earthy, natural and laid back, an outdoor background or environmental portrait may be better. 

2. Think About Your Clothing

Clothing is a form of expression, so choose something which reflects your personality, business and brand – and remember, first impressions last!

Generally speaking, the simpler the better. Solid neutral colours and tones such as black, white, beige, tan, olive, pale blue and grey work best.  Avoid outlandish items (unless that’s really you!), patterns, stripes, and irrelevant logos or slogans. And if your branding is orange and black, don’t wear that purple blouse!

Avoid tight fitting clothing. A blouse or shirt that fits correctly allows the viewers focus to remain on your face.  And if you normally wear glasses, it’s ok to wear them for your shoot.  Oh, and iron your clothes before the day – creases are difficult to Photoshop, and they will sit better and look more professional.

Consider any group portraits that will be taken (you don’t want to clash!). And bring a couple of additional items such as a jacket or change of shirt, in case your photographer feels they will work better, and/or so you can mix it up a bit.

3. Consider Your Hair & Makeup

You probably don’t want to do this too often, so go the extra mile and book a hair and makeup artist, so you look extra fabulous in your portraits.

Or if you’d prefer to do it yourself, keep the makeup simple and natural, and do your hair the way you normally would, so you feel like ‘you’ when you look at your images.

Keep the weather in mind if your portraits will be taken outdoors.  Bring a hairbrush and hairspray on the day, and consider an ‘up-do’ if the wind will be a problem, as flyaway hair is almost impossible to Photoshop!  Same goes for 3 day growth, gentlemen, so if possible, shave the morning of the shoot.

And don’t be scared to have a final look over yourself in a mirror, just before and throughout your shoot – your photographer will get all the tech stuff right, but he or she is not to know that you hate your hair if the part is not dead centre, or a wisp falls over your shoulder.

4. Discuss The Details

Your photographer takes great photos – that’s why you chose them, after all!  But it doesn’t matter how good they are if they don’t know anything about you, your business or brand, or what you want from your portrait shoot.

The more information they have prior to the shoot date, the more likely they will be to achieve your vision.  So discuss the details, both at the time of booking, and as the shoot approaches.

Share links to your website, business and branding. Tell them what the images will be used for, and what impression you would like to create amongst your audience.

Share examples of images you like (and don’t like!) and discuss what you did and didn’t like about any past corporate photos you’ve had done.  Oh, and mention it if there is something you don’t like about yourself – they may be able to minimise it with clever angles and posing.

5. Allow Time To Prepare

The more prep you do, both mentally and physically, the better your photos will be! Get a haircut the week before, if you’re due for one, or have a facial if it helps your skin look good.

Spend some time practicing your poses and expressions in the mirror.  It may feel awkward, but if you have some idea of what looks good, it will be a big help to your photographer on the day.  

Spend some time trying clothes on, to make sure they fit correctly and look good on. Select a few outfits, check for stains and marks, then wash, iron and hang them ready for your shoot date.

Discuss your thoughts and ideas with both your photographer and your staff, and ask for their input. Ensure staff are familiar with the timeline for the shoot day, and understand what is required of them. And share the tips on clothing, hair and makeup with them too, so they can prepare and feel their best on the day.

Finally, get a good sleep the night before, and arrive with plenty of time to spare on the day, so you don’t feel stressed or under pressure at the start of your shoot.

So there you go, my five tips to ensure you get awesome corporate images for your business or brand!

Now, relax and have fun, and let’s nail those corporate portraits!

20 From '20 | A Snapshot of 2020 {Avon Valley, Wheatbelt & Perth Wedding, Family, Event & Commercial Photographer}

It goes without saying that 2020 has been different for most of us, but just how different will depend on where you are based. Those of us in WA were lucky enough to continue working after an initial shutdown back in March, and as a result, I finished the year on par with 2019.

But I had to implement some changes, and do things a little differently to get there. On the day the first image below was shot, I had 40K worth of bookings either postponed indefinately or cancelled outright. Most of these bookings were weddings and large events, which are core business for me, and for the first time in 25 years I was facing a year of neither.

So I spent the time at home restoring our ‘78 caravan and revamping my website with the help of Jo from Joanne Tapodi Creative. And I had a new computer built by Colin at Avon Computech, to give me greater storage capacity and allow me to work faster, and to introduce videography to my services. I also learnt the basics of filmmaking (mostly by shooting little clips of my family as we worked on the caravan!), and I started offering Mini Clips to those I was shooting commercial and event work for. All of these things had been on my ‘to do’ list for the last 5 years or so, but I just hadn’t been able to find the time for them while working fulltime.

Then as WA began to open up again, the bookings started coming in - cautiously. Not for weddings or big events, but for family, commercial and business based shoots. The time at home had inspired a shift in thinking. The importance of family became more apparent, and many businesses had more time on their hands to spend ‘on’ the business, instead of ‘in’ the business. In addition, an online presence had become increasingly important for business owners, which saw many updating websites and social media pages, and in turn, their imagery. At the same time, the Shire of Northam introduced a Small Business Support Grant Scheme to assist those who had suffered a downturn due to Covid-19, and much of it was spent on doing the above.

And so I found myself filling the gaps with families and businesses, rather than couples and events. I worked closely with Anna from Creative IQ to produce images for her website builds, and I partnered with the Northam Race Club to cover their social evenings throughout Spring. At the same time, I was out and about in the Wheatbelt shooting my usual array of agricultural work for growers, plant breeders and researchers. The result was that Spring 2020 was both busier and more profitable than it has ever been for me, and I am truly thankful for that, when I know it hasn’t been the case for so many.

So following are 20 images that I love, and which I feel are reflective of 2020 for me. It’s mostly a mix of family, commercial and agricultural work, with a bit of travel thrown in - mainly because I feel so lucky to have been able to squeeze both trips in while the borders were open and it was considered safe to do so! My shooting and editing style remain similar to last year, with a rich warm vibe, and golden, brown and green tones throughout, which I don’t see changing in 2021 - it is, after all, a big part of what my clients love about my work!

So thanks 2020, you can go now - bring on 2021!