Give Your London Business an Instant Revamp with Some Fresh Photography

Is your business in need of a revamp with some fresh photography? New Year is the time when many London company directors think about updating their organisation’s image but the costs of a full-scale branding exercise – from the introduction of new logos, to new company colours, new websites, and even new office interiors – may be overwhelming and prohibitive.

However, the good news is that it is possible to refresh your company’s image, without the same level of expense, using photography. The right brand and image for your company is vital: it gives potential and existing customers a perception of who you are, what you are about, and whether they can put their trust in your product. At Stillview we specialise in commercial photography for London and UK businesses, and have the skills, experience, and vision, to take your company into 2014 and beyond.

Photography London – Click here for some examples of inventive commercial photography carried out at our studio and on location.

The Pros and Cons of Full-Scale Rebranding

A rebranding exercise may be prompted by a number of reasons, usually as a result of a change of some kind in what a company is doing, or perhaps in response to external changes in the marketplace. For example:

• Brand shift – Either to emphasise brand values that are not being expressed, or to convey new brand values. It could be that you want to show your company as cutting edge, and at the forefront of your field. Or, you may want to go back to basics and show your company’s traditional values of honesty, integrity and reliability.

• Different customer base – To appeal to a different market segment such as a younger, or older market, to singles or families.

• Change in product or service – You may want to show your new product lines or that your company is moving into new areas, such as a move towards more eco-friendly and natural products.

• Advertising and media attention – To be more attractive to existing and potential customers and investors.

However, a complete re-branding process isn’t without risk and potential pitfalls can include the following:

• Loss of brand recognition – This may be the case if a logo or name changes (one example of this is that there are still people in the UK who refuse to call a Marathon a Snickers bar!)

• Risk of losing some customers – Rebranding your company to appeal to a different customer base, may gain some customers, but there is also a chance that you may lose others.

• Some clients don’t like change – Too much change can be off-putting for some customers, especially if they have been loyal to a business for a long time.

• Full-scale brand changes can be expensive – Especially if extensive rebranding involves updating many physical aspects of the company, such as vans, shops, packaging, websites and stationery.

• Very easy to get wrong – New logos can be especially problematic, unless carried out by a reputable/experienced brand designer.

So, is it possible to gain the benefits of an image update while avoiding many of the risks and costs? Photography can be part of the answer.

Using Photography to Refresh Your Brand

Photography offers a way to give your company's website, advertising, stationery, brochures and so on, a completely different feel, while still retaining your existing name and logo that your customers already recognise. Stillview's photography services are much in demand from media companies in London and throughout the UK, who understand that images can be a powerful tool to influence the perception of a brand. For instance:

Engage and connect – Marketing is all about engaging and connecting with your customer base. However, many companies now have less direct interaction as many customers buy goods or services over the internet, so you may never meet some of your buyers. Instead, you can create a connection with your customers through evocative and memorable images. .

Show not tell – Reams of text describing your company's values may never be read and are unlikely to have the impact that you want to achieve. This is particularly so if you want to convey abstract values such as "trust", "service", "friendly" and so on.  Instead, the right images can communicate these ideas at a glance, as well as making products and services more real and tangible.

Top of mind – A great deal of advertising, marketing and communication material is aimed at making a brand familiar and memorable. Striking and appealing images stick in the mind more effectively than words and help create positive associations with your brand. A smaller brand may not want to go down the route of a lengthy local radio or TV campaign to achieve this level of familiarity. Instead, they may prefer the use of creative photography for their London firm, which offers greater value for money as it can be reused in flyers, local advertising, websites and other marketing material.

How Stillview Photography Can Help

Stillview works with you to provide a full range of innovative and creative commercial shots such as:

• Business portraits which are engaging, personal, distinctive and convey personality.

• Product photography including pack shots, products in use, evocative situations and creative images. It can also include interior photography or mouth-watering images of food and drink to entice customers into buying your products and using your services.

• Transport photography for a wide range of domestic, industrial and specialist vehicles. 

• People photography of all kinds including studio shots of products in use, or on location shoots  in factories, warehouses, shops, customer visits and more.).

Our photographs are an ongoing resource for your company to use in multiple scenarios, and not just for a single advertisement. For example, they can be reused on websites, to accompany press releases, company brochures, leaflets, exhibition banners and for use as motivational wall hangings in commercial interiors, all helping to refresh the image of your business image, both inside the company and out.

Photography London – Click here to see our portfolio of business and commercial photography.

Enhancing a Business Website with Photography

Whether you are designing a new business website from scratch or revamping an existing one, the visual focus is likely to be on its use of photography. Ipswich and Suffolk businesses, as well as those in the London area, know they can call on Stillview to make their web pages stand out from the crowd. Photographs on a website are far more than just an add-on, because they can be used as a central feature of the design. Images with the right visual impact will enhance a site's appeal, as well as helping to sell the product or service on offer.

Photography Ipswich  – Get in touch now for details

Product Photographs
Product photography is an important element for commercial sites, both on pages where products can be bought direct from the site and on those where the site owner is the manufacturer and selling stock to other outlets.

With fashion in particular, in order to compete with high street stores, online operations need to ensure the clothes they are selling can be seen clearly. Straight product shots on a plain background are ideal to show items of clothing to customers at home, with consistency being an important element here.

If all the items are shot against the same background and from a similar angle, it will be easier for a customer to choose between the different styles. It is also helpful if there is an option to examine the fashions close-up, to give an idea of the fabric and finishing. This means that high-resolution and high quality are very important. Of course, a product photographer could also take  fashion shots for your site on location or in a studio, to put across the clothes' style and practicality, or to help convey a particular lifestyle.

With new technical products, showing the item in use can help people connect with the product featured in the photography. Ipswich-based Stillview are experts in all kinds of commercial photography, from pack shots to products in use, for instance vehicles or machinery.

Business Portraits
Where you want to convey the skills of specific people within your organisation, including business portraits on your website is a great way to  connect with your customers. Putting a face to a name will often encourage prospective clients to get in touch.

Showing faces is also important to convey the high standards of customer service that your company offers. This can help to personalise a service even if it is entirely carried out online. For instance, seeing individuals in a warehouse will help customers to feel that a parcel which arrives through the post has been personally packed for them. Business portraits used on the web can be specific, for instance showing a particular solicitor, writer or engineer. However, they can also be generic, perhaps showing a smiling and friendly customer service representative "waiting for your call".

Site Banners
Many business websites have eye-catching site banners. These are usually large images running the full width of a page, which gives a strong visual impact even if the rest of the site is mainly text. A powerful image created by a business photographer can be combined with text and graphics to get across key messages and encourage new visitors to your site to explore further. A good banner can be made up of a single photo, or a composite of multiple photos may be used to create a strong graphic effect.

It is also possible for a banner to be still or animated, for instance with a constantly changing slide show, which can add a sense of energy to a site. This imaginative use of photography can help a business in Ipswich or Suffolk to get the word out about their services to customers both locally and further afield.

Blog and Article Illustrations
With corporate blogs and articles, appealing images will help to draw readers into the text and encourage them to read on. It is also valuable for SEO purposes to have photographs with suitable captions included in a site.

Portfolio Slide Shows
Where there is any visual element to the product or service being provided, a slide show is an ideal way to showcase the range of items which are available. Slide shows can be set to rotate images automatically, or may be user-driven, with controls allowing visitors to move forwards and backwards through the images.

For example, a travel company could show images of destinations and customers enjoying themselves. A self-storage company might show images of the storage premises and customers using the facilities, while any retailer of shoes and clothing could showcase the different items on sale in an ever-changing display.

Bespoke Menus and Icons
In the age of touchscreens and mobile apps, it is unfriendly to expect people to navigate around using tiny text links and buttons. Larger clickable areas are easier to use and more appealing visually. In addition, it can help a website if, rather than just being created in plain blocks of colour, these link buttons feature photographic backgrounds with composited text. This is also a way of illustrating the subject matter for each link.

The photos used can be either full focus or in a soft focus, perhaps using sharper close-ups of specific products. With photography used in this way, the overall result is a lot more "designed" and professional looking than a site just featuring plain text and buttons to click.

About Stillview
Stillview can provide high quality photography to assist with all these different uses, serving commercial clients in Ipswich, Felixstowe, Bury St Edmunds and all of Suffolk. We also have customers in Cambridgeshire, Essex and across East Anglia, as well as London PR and advertising agencies.

Commercial Photography in Ipswich – Click the link to find out more

Photography for Businesses In and Around Ipswich

Although we are increasingly in demand in London, throughout the UK and even internationally, Stillview  naturally attracts attention from local organisations needing professional photography in Ipswich, Suffolk, Essex and the surrounding area. A great number of local businesses have called on our expertise, and here we spotlight some of the work we have done for them.

Photography Ipswich  – Get in touch now to discuss your requirements.

Glasswells Furniture – Ipswich

When Glasswells opened its new furniture showroom on a retail park in Ipswich, the company wanted a striking shot of the store's exterior. The brief was to create a memorable image which could be used both on the firm's own website and in publicity material.

The obvious course would have been to take a photograph of the store in the daytime, but we decided to do something different and more eye-catching. Our solution was to shoot as evening fell, with the shop's lights turned on, which emphasised the large glass windows at the front of the showroom. This created a dramatic shot which drew the eye to the shapes and colours of the furniture inside. We also angled the photograph from the side, which meant part of the road could be seen, with the lights from the shop reflecting in the damp pavement. The result was an image which has since been used many times, both in print and on websites.

Alstons Furniture – Colchester

On this occasion, we were asked to photograph a collection of bedroom cabinets. This involved creating a bedroom set within our studio and we  worked to a brief from the firm, which suggested how it should be laid out and what colours to choose. The client also requested both external and internal views of the cabinets.

A photo stylist worked together with our photographer over a whole day to arrange the room set in every detail, arranging furniture and lighting to give a bright, airy atmosphere. After we had taken the photograph, the area of the window was altered on the image to include an external view. This painstaking process meant we ended up with an image which was just what Alstons wanted and showcased their furniture to full advantage.

Nidera – UK Head Office in Ipswich

Grain merchants Nidera run a UK haulage fleet of 35 trucks, and had taken delivery of new Mercedes-Benz vehicles. Our brief was to create a dramatic image showing one of these new trucks. At Stillview, we specialise in transport photography, so this Ipswich-based firm knew we would be able to find an unusual way of showing the trucks' capabilities.

We started by photographing the parked truck, but then adapted the image digitally, creating an effect of speed by using a photograph of a trailer. By appearing to show the truck in motion, the image expressed its power, while the glimpse of countryside beside the road suggested the setting where the trucks are normally used. We enlarged the picture to a 7m shot and this was installed in Nidera's international HQ in the Netherlands.

Karl King Transport – Ipswich

Our expertise in transport photography was called on by Ipswich firm Karl King Transport. As a market leader in distribution, the company asked us to create an image showing a fleet of its lorries. However, we needed to do this without taking several vehicles out of service for a whole day, involving unnecessary loss of productivity. We took one lorry and photographed it in several different locations, then digitised the image so that four lorries were shown, two on a bridge and two passing underneath in opposite directions. The resulting photograph put across the firm's versatility and the fact that it has a large number of lorries on the road.

Top That– Woodbridge

Woodbridge-based children's book publisher ‘Top That’ were looking to revamp their corporate identity. They wanted images they could use, not only in print, but also on their website and in PR material.

Our photographer spent a day taking photographs that reflected the ‘Top That’ image, and the brief was to show a young, dynamic, forward-thinking  company. The photographs were of staff in and around the working environment; shots were taken in each department and had to reflect what they did.

Stillview Photography has undertaken many corporate shoots over the past 33 years.

James White Fruit Juices – Ashbocking, Suffolk

Suffolk-based fruit juice producer James White asked us to showcase some of the drinks from their Uncle Cornelius range, putting across their refreshing qualities. We used a summery setting for our product shot of their Lemon Refresher drink, creating an image with the bottle and two glasses in the foreground, and a summer game of cricket behind. By contrast, for our shot of the firm's Finest Spiced Ginger, we chose a dark background with a fire in the background, suggesting the drink's warming flavour and giving a feeling of evening and relaxation. The resulting images were used on the firm's website.

About Stillview

Stillview provide striking photography for Ipswich businesses, ranging from local firms to global brands with a presence in the area. We serve clients across Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Norfolk and further afield, including many London agencies. Get in touch now to discuss our service.

Stillview Photography  – take a look at our online portfolio.

Stillview provides commercial photography to new Ipswich client.

Stillview photography recently Supplied commercial photography to a new Ipswich based client,

The client in question was Swallow Marketing a recently formed company headed up by a young talented man by the name of Chris Swallow.

His brief had been to remarket the Venue at Kersey Mill, And in turn his brief to us at Stillview was to get a series of images that could be used at all levels of marketing.

We spent two half days on location, the first day was spent getting images of the fabulous food they supply and interior shots of the Venue. The second half-day was spent getting images in and around the location itself.

We created images in both black and white and colour, interior and exterior.

The images have already been used in a brochure/folder (See picture).

Stillview photography supplies commercial photography to many clients not only in Ipswich, Colchester, Bury St Edmunds and London but also throughout the UK.

For further details please contact us at www.stillview.co.uk

The Importance of Commercial Photography in Modern Marketing

Stillview provides commercial photography to a wide range of clients in Ipswich, London and across the East of England who understand the power that images can have. Sometimes, when a brochure or website is being created, there can be a temptation to regard pictures as an afterthought, just there to illustrate text or add a touch of visual interest. However, using images like this is missing a vast opportunity.

Using our expertise and experience built up over 30 years, we deliver memorable images which can get a message across far more strongly than words alone could ever do. Photographs are obviously vital in advertising products which need to be seen to be appreciated, such as fashions, home furnishings or food and drink. But even with products which cannot be photographed, such as service industries, making a strong visual impact is still important.

Here we look at some of the particular factors that make using images in marketing campaigns ever more essential.

Commercial Photography Ipswich – contact us to discuss your requirements.

Bridging the Gap
In an internet age, it is quite feasible for someone to choose a business and conduct their transactions without ever meeting the person or people supplying their services. Images can work to give a business a more solid presence, with business portraits or pictures of people injecting humanity and a sense of relationship into the process, and helping to put customers at ease.

This is especially important when promoting personal services such as legal advice or accounting, where customers need to trust the people they are dealing with and want a sense of someone's personality. For example, photographs of office staff looking relaxed and smiling at their desks, could help to encourage someone who is feeling nervous to get in touch.

Who Has Time to Read?
Prospective customers rarely have time to read lengthy descriptions of your product – and even if they did, what would make them want to? Headlines can be effective in grabbing attention, but not nearly as effective as pictures. As experts in commercial photography, Ipswich-based Stillview know that the right images can arouse curiosity and make people want to find out more.

As an example, Stillview's many striking images of lorries and farm machinery put across the message of how powerful these machines are. The fact that the lorries are pictured out on the roads and the tractors and combine harvesters are shown in fields makes these images more memorable than static shots of the vehicles would be.

Getting Noticed in a 24/7 World
In our modern world, people are constantly being bombarded with text and images from all angles – whether it is TV, computers and tablets, mobile phones or print. Getting noticed in this sea of media is a tough job, but it is necessary to stand out in order to have a chance of getting your message across.

This means that average or indifferent images which are quickly forgotten just won't do. Commercial photography has to do the job of catching the attention and sticking in the memory to be really effective. One example of a memorable shot is Stillview's photograph of a vivid red sofa in front of the white windows of a London home, with a pair of toning red shoes and a couple of red vases on the mantelpiece helping to emphasise the dramatic colour.

Instant Communication
Visual images are processed by the brain much faster than the spoken word, text or other linguistic means. The human brain can take in, process and make sense of thousands of items of visual information every second – most of it unconsciously.

All this information goes directly to the visual cortex, bypassing the conscious mind. Complex vision evolved millions of years before conscious thought and language. Tiny details which may not be noticed consciously can have a powerful effect on the overall meaning and atmosphere of an image. An experienced image maker can use this knowledge to create photographs which are not only great to look at and highly memorable, but also powerful in conveying just the right message about a product or service.

Using this understanding of the power of imagery to communicate instantly and powerfully with your customer, it's time to consider putting commercial photography at the heart of your next marketing campaign or website design.

Commercial Photography Ipswich
Experts in commercial photography Stillview are located in Ipswich, but we serve customers in a wide area including all of Suffolk, Essex and Cambridgeshire. We are also often called on by London-based advertising agencies and PR firms.

Stillview Commercial Photography – get in touch now to discuss your requirements.

Location photography

I recently undertook a location shoot for one of the country's largest sofa manufacturers.

The brief was to find a suitable location for photography and shoot the new Colorado corner suites, in this situation finding a perfect location is half the battle, I use a London based location finder and having explained to them the kind of images we were acquiring they narrowed down selective locations throughout the south-east of England.

Having viewed these locations on-screen my client and I decided on a location in Surrey, we then made an appointment with the owner and did a recce.

This is extremely important as images on a screen can be deceiving, also you need to know things like, how is the access, can we get the furniture in, where does the light come from in certain parts of the day, if we need to shoot on longer are the people flexible etc etc

The location turned out to be perfect; it was a 17th century converted barn that looked very contemporary exactly what we were looking for to create the right image.

I have carried out many location shoot over the years, most locations are in and around the London area however I have also found great locations for photography in  Suffolk, Essex, Hertfordshire and Norfolk

To see more examples of location photography please go to www.stillview.co.uk/portfolio/interior/

www.stillview.co.uk

Room set photography from our Ipswich studio

We recently undertook a room set shoot for Essex-based Saturn stores at our photography studio in Ipswich.

Saturn operate a number of online stores including the furniture store online, it is one of the UK's largest and most successful online furniture retail sites.

They had previously used a number of commercial photographers in and around the Essex area but felt they were not quite getting the quality of product photography they were looking for.

They had three new ranges to be photographed; each range had six different chair combinations.

At the Ipswich studio we built a standard two wall configuration with one window which had a lifestyle image dropped into it.

The final shoot took three days and we ended up with 168 different images.

The client was so impressed he has booked an additional shoot at our photography studio for his next three ranges in six weeks.

At the Ipswich studio we can build any number of room sets from the simple as above to the most complex, we already have clients from Ipswich, Colchester, Bury St Edmunds, Cambridge and London using our facility on a regular basis.

Stillview Photography – see more examples of our room set photography in our online portfolio.

www.stillview.co.uk

www.stillview.co.uk

Corporate portrait photography from our Ipswich studio

Brothers Dan and Joe Hearne were in need of some very good corporate portraiture of themselves both individually and together.

After trawling through the Internet the brothers decided that the style of business portraits we supplied was exactly what they wanted.

They were photographed in our smaller Ipswich studio where most portraits and small items are photographed.

They needed individual shots of themselves, both formal and informal.

Having over 30 years experience as commercial portrait photographers means that we can quickly identify exactly what the client is looking for.

With corporate portraiture it is not always necessary to visit our Ipswich studio in fact I would say that almost 60% of business portraits are still done on location.

We cover the whole of the UK, Europe and beyond.

See more examples of our commercial photography including business portraits on our website.

www.stillview.co.uk

www.stillview.co.uk

Industrial pump photography from our Ipswich studio

www.stillview.co.uk

An international manufacturer and supplier of pump and valve equipment asked us to carry out product photography for one of their newest products.

The piece of equipment itself needed to be photographed not only on the green background but a blue background to comply with corporate guidelines.

The item was photographed at our Ipswich studio with both green and blue backgrounds and, as is often required in product photography, followed by a reasonable amount of retouching to achieve the finished result.

This was one of the reasons the company came to us as they were most impressed not only with the standard of our studio photography but also our retouch skills.

Digital imaging and retouching is something we are very strong on, and you can see more examples of our product photography in our website portfolio.

www.stillview.co.uk

Product Photography

Product photography is at the heart of all modern marketing methods – and Stillview Photography in Ipswich can create beautiful and original product images for all commercial purposes. We have 30 years of experience and photograph a huge range of products, whether for poster ads, websites, catalogues or flyers from our fully-equipped studio or on location.

Product Photography  – click here to discuss your requirements.

The Many Uses for Product Photography
Money allocated to getting the right photographs which show off your products to full advantage is well spent, as your pictures can be reused in a multitude of places, giving excellent value for money. For instance,  photos can be used on:

• Packaging
• Client brochures
•  3rd Party catalogues
• Menus
• Flyers and leaflets
• Press releases
• Websites
• Print ads (including poster campaigns)
• Magazine/newspaper features/advertorials
• TV ads
• Exhibition displays
• Business cards

Here are some of the many types of commercial photography we undertake at Stillview.

Packshots
Where a product is bought in a box, bag or other container, a photograph is a good way to assist product recognition when a customer is looking for it in the shops. The colour balance of this type of shot is important, especially when the pack includes a manufacturer’s logo. A simple shot might be the best way to show off a particular product, with the item photographed front-on against a plain white background. Alternatively, you might prefer to see the product set against a landscape, or you could go for a shot with the product in use. For instance, with a food product you could show the carton with the food on a plate, or drink in a glass, alongside it. One example is a picture taken by Stillview Photography Ipswich, of Great Uncle Cornelius Lemon Refresher drink at a croquet club. The bottle with its label is set in the foreground, next to two glasses of the drink and two croquet balls. These elements of the photo are in sharp focus, drawing your eye to them, while in the background there are two people playing croquet, wearing traditional white costumes, in softer focus. The whole effect is to give a feeling of the drink being refreshing, summery and traditional.



Food and Drink
When taking photographs to spotlight food and drink products, we work to create the ideal combination of clarity with appeal to the senses – showing exactly what the product is, while at the same time giving a feeling of how it would taste. It is important to use close-up shots here and also to style the photograph to show details of servings. An eye-catching shot of sushi was taken in the studio, with four small portions arranged on a tray. On the right hand side of the photo are three flowers made out of radishes and set against salad leaves, which echo the shapes of the small round sushi dishes and bring a touch of bright colour. The use of salad also suggests summer and helps to give a feeling of this being a fresh and natural product.



Equipment and Machinery
Clarity is essential in this type of photograph as it is important to show the technical features of the product being showcased, so even lighting and white backgrounds could well be the best choices here. For instance, when taking a photograph of a medical bed, Stillview Photography Ipswich set the dark blue bed against a white background, avoiding any distraction from its key features.



Furniture and Interiors
Furniture is not just another product, but part of a lifestyle, so a photographer often needs to convey an atmosphere and feeling as well as accurately portraying the physical product. One example of this is Stillview's photo of a furnished bedroom, designed to showcase the built-in wardrobe and chest of drawers. These items are all white, but the photo includes a number of blue details, such as curtains, a dress, a lamp and cushions, to give some colour and emphasise the clean lines of the furniture. Attractive clothing is also included in the wardrobe, all in matching tones of grey, blue and white to add to the sophisticated image.



Products on Location
Photographing a product on location gives the opportunity to show it in use and put it in context, for instance with a tractor or lorry seen on the road. A location shot is also essential where the item being spotlighted cannot be transported, as with photographs of a house, shop or other property. Stillview took a striking photograph of a swimming pool in a building with wooden beams, which emphasises the architectural features of the surroundings, while putting the main focus on the pool and a hot tub seen in the foreground.



Services
Even where there is no tangible product to be seen, we can still create an image to get the right message across. It is possible to suggest a service by showing people using it; for instance on the phone talking to an advisor, or showing company personnel delivering the service, perhaps by taking a photo of shop staff or engineers working. A photograph can also suggest the lifestyle/experience achieved by taking up the service, such as relaxation, peace of mind and enjoyment. One example is a Stillview photo of a smiling pharmacist holding out a prescription, which could give the message that a particular chemist's shop is a place to get a friendly and personal service.



Product Photography
Stillview Photography in Ipswich has a wealth of experience of product photography and serves clients throughout East Anglia, as well as PR and advertising agencies in London.

Stillview Photography  – click here to discuss your requirements.

Secrets of Creative Commercial Photography

At first sight, the idea of commercial photography may seem rather uninspiring – business portraits for websites or product photos for catalogues and advertisements – but in the hands of experienced professionals with the right tools and creative flair, such as Stillview Photography Ipswich, these rather prosaic subjects can be transformed into something original and even dramatic.

Here we uncover many of the different techniques and approaches that we use at Stillview to achieve dramatic and effective images for our clients looking for creative commercial photography in Ipswich, London and beyond.

Photography Ipswich – View our commercial photography portfolio here.

Lighting
Creative use of light is, of course, what all photography is about, and this is no less true for commercial images. Lighting can be used to add drama and interest, but it can also be used to send subconscious messages to the viewer. For instance, how a product is lit can convey a great deal about the context in which a product might be used and even product qualities which could not be as successfully achieved by writing about it.

For instance, in this example below of a spiced ginger drink, the firelight showing through the glass adds a sense of warmth and comfort, suggestive of relaxation as well as the warming effect of the product itself – with not a word said.



Angles
Choosing an unusual angle adds instant interest and drama to any subject, as well as helping to make the image more eye-catching, which is often a key requirement for commercial images.

In this image of a lawn care vehicle, photographing from ground level with a wide angle lens makes for a far more impactful shot than photographing at eye level. And it ensures that the viewer's focus is firmly on the vehicle itself.



And in this business portrait, the dramatic angle helps to convey energy and originality, while still being very professional.



Colour
Even the simplest of objects can be transformed into eye-catching images simply through the use of colour. In this image below, the client needed a photograph of a bunch of carrots suspended from a cane. Using a purple background provides high contrast with both the orange and green of the subject, creating an image which is impossible to ignore.




Making Use of Nature
At Stillview Photography Ipswich we specialise in vehicle photography, especially for larger vehicles such as trucks and farm machinery. Most of these shots are taken on location and here the task is often to make use of the available weather and landscape to add to what is essentially a product shot.

For instance, in this image of a harvesting machine, capturing a sunset behind the vehicle draws the eye unavoidably to the subject while also adding a strong element of glamour and even romance to the most utilitarian of objects.




Less is More
Sometimes simplicity achieves the most intense and dramatic effect. For instance, in this business portrait the use of black and white, simple angle, and unfocussed and uncluttered background means that the viewer's focus is on the subject's face, while also conveying a businesslike atmosphere.




Post-Production
We can use post-production techniques to achieve images that are simply not possible through "straight" photography. Our Ipswich photography studio is equipped with the latest software for the manipulation of images allowing us to do any type of compositing or special effects that may be required to achieve the results a client needs for their campaign.

The image below, of a man flying a kite was achieved by photographing the man and the kite separately, performing the necessary background cut-outs using image manipulation software and superimposing the kite strings to create the final image.



Close Ups
A close up adds interest by allowing the viewer to see a level of detail they would not normally see or at a size they would not normally see. From a commercial point of view, as well making the image more noticeable, this helps to engage the viewer with the product or subject of the image. This can be particularly important where it is intended that the viewer will come into physical contact with the product, such as food and drink.

In this image below of multi-coloured macaroons, a super-close-up view, taken at table level (rather than from above) allows the viewer to see the fine texture and anticipate the physical experience of consuming the product.




Dare to be Different
While many of the above techniques can be taught through experience or bought via equipment or software, there is ultimately no substitute for the eye of the photographer and the ability to see the possibilities that most us would not even think of.

So when the brief is to take an external shot of a new furniture store, for use in publicity, who would think to take the shot at dusk and in the wet? In the image below, this approach results in dramatic contrasts of light, dark and reflections, with a rich blue background, as well as illumination of the shop contents, drawing the viewer inside.





Stillview Photography Ipswich are available for commercial photography of all kinds, from simple but effective product shots and business portraits through to creative image making for a multitude of business applications. Located just off the A14, we are in easy reach of Cambridge, Norwich, London and the South East by road or rail.

Creative Commercial Photography Ipswich – Click here to see more of our work, or call 01473 257063 to discuss your requirements.

Large Vehicle Photography Ipswich

While large vehicles, tractors and vans may not seem at first hand to be dramatic, artistic or creative, we at Stillview Photography, Ipswich, specialise in creating just such images.  We are experienced in producing inspirational vehicle photography and our images have seen wide commercial use, from glossy magazines and brochures, to company artwork, and advertising boards.

We create imaginative vehicle shots from our photography studio in Ipswich, or for best results, we take innovative photographs of your vehicles, or fleet, on location: whether that’s on a dual carriageway, or with a more scenic backdrop, such as the countryside, coast or a historic building.

Photography Ipswich – Click here for some examples of our commercial vehicle photography carried out at our Ipswich studio and on location.

Commercial Uses for Vehicle and Transport Photography

Vehicle and transport photography doesn’t just involve haulage companies; instead, there are many more commercial uses for photography of large vehicles. Whether you require photography in Ipswich, or elsewhere in the UK, Stillview can create the inventive shots that put your company ahead of the competition. Here are just some of the many aspects of vehicle photography:

Vehicles as products – If you have a company that sells large vehicles – such as lorries, vans, tractors and other farm machinery – you will want to show these vehicles in the best possible light. Whether you require photography for a glossy brochure, or to include on other forms of advertising material, such as posters, leaflets, or the company website, high quality photographs of your vehicles form an essential part of your promotion strategy. At Stillview photography we have wide experience in this area, and the ability to create the best possible shots to help drive up sales figures.

Brand photography – In many business and organisations, company vehicles have a strong brand presence. They are highly visible on the roads and public places and people can identify with them as part and parcel of the brand. With brand photography, the focus is on the corporate image, rather than the vehicle directly (such as a haulage company fleet or a shipping company). The resulting images can be used for general advertising, PR, brochures, websites and as artwork in reception areas.

Vehicles as scenery – Some clients prefer their vehicles to be photographed as background scenery, where the focus is on the staff or another aspect of the company. Photographs that show the vehicle as part of a larger setting may only show part of the vehicle. This is usually when the client wants to demonstrate a certain part of their company’s service, such as delivery. They want to show interaction between a deliverer and a client, but also include the vehicle with its branding. An example on the Stillview website is our shoot for British Telecom, where the engineer is carrying out an installation inside and a large BT van is seen outside, through the premises window.

Vehicle Photography Techniques

At Stillview we use various techniques and methods to create artistic large vehicle shots. Here are some of the most common:

Studio – We can produce vehicle photography at our Ipswich studio as we can accommodate vehicles up to the size of a small van. In-house photography, rather than photography on location, allows for the use of special lighting, various backgrounds and colours.

On location – Shoots on location are more suited for vehicles larger than a small van. It is easiest to create more inventive and original shots on location as we can make use of natural lighting, scenic landscape and other settings, such as bridges, dual carriageways and coastal backdrops as well as trees, sky and other natural features.

Vehicles in use – Photographing vehicles in use emphasises the practicality and functionality of the vehicle and allows a viewer to imagine themselves driving it. Placing a vehicle on the terrain where it is expected to be used – such as a ploughed field for a tractor, the countryside for a quad bike or a golf green for golfing carts – emphasises its suitability for the task.

Lighting – For simple "product" shots it is important to use  simple, even lighting with minimal shadows, as this will show the features of the vehicle most clearly. For brand photography, lighting can be used to create atmosphere, mood or drama – whichever is appropriate for the brand. For example, a sunset backdrop may not clearly show every detail of a vehicle, but this will create an image with drama and natural beauty: traits that will become associated with the brand.

Post-Production – Work done in the studio after the photograph has been taken allow for creative image making.  For example, multiple shots of a single vehicle from different angles can be placed into a single image, or special effects can be used to suggest movement and speed. After location shoots, we may also need to clean up the images to ensure the focus is on the vehicle, and there are no distracting features in the shot (such as reflections or unintended objects).

Stillview Photography has many years experience of large vehicle photography in Suffolk, East Anglia and throughout the UK. To find out more about Stillview Photography, and to browse our large vehicle portfolio, just click on the link below.

Photography Ipswich – Click here for some examples of our commercial people photography carried out at our Ipswich studio and on location.

It's a dog's life at Stillview photography Ipswich

I recently completed a photographic assignment for a new company producing high quality dog biscuits and treats.

 

The company Barkers of Suffolk is a new enterprise and required supporting images for exhibition stands, website and general PR, having gone through many photographers’ websites the managing director of the company especially liked our food section within our portfolio www.stillview.co.uk/portfolio/food-and-drink/

The brief was to supply images of the manufacturing process, emphasising on the Hand Made element, I also advise the client on how I thought the style should come across (see image).

 

The biscuits and treats looked fabulous and photograph them was a real pleasure, I was lucky enough to be able to road test them on my own dog Digger and his verdict was excellent.

Photography Ipswich  - click here for full information on our commercial photography services.

People Photography Ipswich

Stillview Photography in Ipswich carry out a wide range of people photography and portraits for use in a variety of commercial applications. . Our Ipswich photography studio is fully equipped allowing for a full range of lighting and set creation, as well as up to the minute post-production software enabling us to create exactly the results our clients need, from simple business portraits to complex images for high-concept marketing campaigns.

Photography Ipswich  – Click here for some examples of our commercial people photography carried out at our Ipswich studio and on location.

Commercial Uses for People Photography

Business Portraits – Business portraits can be used on websites, company newsletters, brochures, business cards, LinkedIn profiles and in the company's reception area.

Person as Brand – These photographs are ideal for business owners who want to be closely identified with their own product or brand. Business owners can have a photograph taken with their product , or on location in a working setting, such as a chef or restaurant owner working in their kitchen.

Creative – Often required for advertising purposes, creative people shots usually involve showing people in unusual locations, clothes or situations that illustrate something about a product or convey a concept or value. 

Lifestyle – This type of shot can be used to illustrate or suggest a particular lifestyle even if the product is not directly present. This is ideal for intangible products that cannot be shown in use such as financial or insurance services or to show human values and emotions linked with the brand such as trendy, energetic, tranquil or fun.

Products in Use – These photographs are designed to show a person of the target age group or other demographic using, consuming or wearing a product. Including a "typical customer" in the image brings products to life and helps the viewer to imagine themselves using the product.

Service Shots – Service shots are used to show company personnel carrying out a service, for instance shop staff, installation engineers, call centre operators and reception staff. This is particularly useful when the product or service itself is difficult to see and can help the customer to engage with the advert or image.

The Art of People Photography

Photographing people requires a range of personal and technical skills to achieve the right impression and impact. At Stillview we combine 30 years experience with state of the art techniques and facilities to produce exceptional people images.

Rapport
Rapport is used to help models or sitters to relax in order to achieve the desired expression, which can affect the way the viewer reacts to and engages with the picture.  At Stillview we are experienced at helping sitters to feel comfortable in order to achieve portraits which are both professional and engaging.

Lighting
Lighting is important to ensure clarity for business portraits. It can be softer or more atmospheric for lifestyle or creative shots. Split lighting, where half the face is in the light and half in the shadow, can be used to create a dramatic effect and gives quite a masculine look to a picture. Loop lighting is a technique which causes shadows from the nose to fall on the cheeks. This is very popular as it is flattering for nearly everyone. Stillview use a range of lighting techniques to suit the subject and the intended use for the pictures.

Focus
Focus can be used to ensure a viewer is attending to the image in the right way. For example, sharp focus can be used when you want the viewer to pay particular attention to the person depicted such as for a business portrait or a person using a product. Soft focus can be used when the person is illustrating a lifestyle and attention should be on the product or something else in the picture.

Angles
Angles create a more dramatic image, can help to draw the eye to the desired spot and can also be used to convey a brand value such as energy, innovation or stability. Using the same angle for a set of business portraits also helps to create visual consistency between them, which gives a very professional impression when presented together.

Colour or Black and White
Use of black and white photography is often used for professional portraits as it can lend some seriousness to an image even if the subject's expression is informal. It also helps to hide a multitude of imperfections and is very useful in making a set of images feel consistent with each other. Use of colour photography, by contrast, is ideal for injecting life and energy into an image or to reflect corporate colour schemes (for instance, models wearing clothing or accessories with the right colours).

Retouching
For commercial uses it is important to remove imperfections to avoid viewer distractions and help the viewer focus on the intended message.  At Stillview we have state of the art post-production facilities enabling people shots to be adjusted as required to achieve the result the client needs.

Compositing
Particularly for creative shots, it can often be necessary to use compositing techniques to add backgrounds or other objects to a shot that simply couldn't be achieved naturally. At Stillview we have wide experience of compositing techniques to create innovative and eye-catching images.

At Stillview we provide all aspects of commercial photography, including product, advertising and people photography. Ipswich based, we serve clients in Suffolk and East Anglia.  We have a first class reputation for high quality and reliability and are always available for a no obligation quote.

People Photography Ipswich - click here to view our people photography portfolio

Stillview's Ipswich Photography studio jumps to the challenge

I recently undertook a photographic assignment from our Ipswich photography studio for one of China's largest manufacturers of trampolines.

The company required images of their new trampoline range which included 8, 12 and 16 feet models. Each of the models has exactly the same inherent problem when they are photographed, the safety net behind needs to have a white background in order for it to look correct, this need a large space, thankfully at our Ipswich studio we have just under 4000 ft.² to play with.

Having this amount of space is essential when photographing such large items. The other benefit of having a large photography studio is that whilst one item is being photographed another one can be built saving the client valuable time and money.

The cost savings the client achieved were considerable; they had previously used a studio where only one item could be built at a time, having this extra space allowed the client to build not one but two trampolines at a time ready to then be photographed.

The images are being used for packaging, brochure and online, with an estimated 150,000 trampolines being sold in the UK alone this year having the right images is essential.

Stillview's Ipswich photography studio is conveniently located not only for people from China but also Colchester, bury St Edmunds, Cambridge and of course London.

Ipswich Photography Studio  For more information on how Stillview could save you money and time please contact me Roger Hancock on Ipswich (01473) 257063 or e-mail info@stillview.co.uk

Photography Ipswich – The Art of Taking Commercial Quality Studio Shots

Stillview Photography, Ipswich, provides a comprehensive range of commercial quality photography and includes on location/exterior and studio/interior shots. This ability to cater for a range of photographic needs in one place, combined with state of the art equipment and decades of experience, has earned us a reputation for convenience, creativity and reliability amongst those looking for a commercial photographer in Ipswich, Suffolk, London and beyond.

Here we focus on the range of interior photography that Ipswich photographer Stillview offers to its clients, and aim to give some insight into the expertise and techniques that it takes to produce top quality, commercial grade images that not only look great but do the job our clients need them to do.

Interior Photography Ipswich  – click here to view some examples of interior photography at our Ipswich studio.

A Full Range of Studio Photography
Our fully equipped and spacious photography studio allows us to take a full range of interior shots, from small product and packaging shots right up to full size vehicles and everything in between, including business portraits, model photography, food and drink shots and roomset photography.

We can even use our studio to produce images which appear to have been taken outside or on location, such as a living room shot with apparently natural light coming in at the window and even external scenery. But to achieve this requires an extensive range of equipment and techniques backed by, above all, a great deal of experience.

What Makes the Perfect Commercial Photograph?
The functionality and ease of use of modern cameras can be deceptive, belying the complexity and skill that needs to go into even a simple product shot. Here are just some of the key elements which all need to be in place to achieve a successful commercial quality image.

The Right Lighting
All photography needs to control and capture light to achieve a clear image. But successful commercial photography has to go one step further. In commercial photography the lighting becomes part of the message, conveying information about the quality and desirability of the product, contributing to the way it is perceived and strongly influencing its success.

For a simple product or packaging shot to be used on a website or catalogue, for instance, clarity and consistency are essential. Lighting needs to be even across the product to allow the details to be clearly seen; and for multiple products the lighting needs to be consistent for all the photos, enabling them to look right when placed next to each other in a catalogue. We achieve this through the use of soft boxes and light shapers to closely control the light falling onto the product and enabling us to achieve the same lighting for each product within a shoot.

For roomset photography the challenge is to create the impression of natural light within a living room or bedroom, to bring the products to life and help viewers imagine themselves into the shot. For aspirational lifestyle products such as furniture clients often want us to create shots which feel 'bright and airy', 'warm and cosy' or 'calm and contemporary', for example. All of which we have successfully achieved on many occasions at our studio.

The Right Colour Balance
Capturing colours correctly is a challenge in a studio environment, but it is essential for most commercial applications. For products such as furniture, clothing and even vehicles, colour choice is of great importance to customers and they will tend to put great store by the colour they see in the product photo. If colour is incorrect by any significant amount, this discrepancy can even result in severe problems for the client, handling returns and complaints. In other applications, colours are a key part of a company's logo and packaging and must be photographed correctly in order to properly represent the brand. At our Ipswich photography studio we employ the most up-to-date colour correction systems available, enabling us to achieve close to perfect colour balance.

The Right Resolution
Commercial quality photos often have to be able to be used in a wide variety of applications and sizes, from a small thumbnail on a website to a 48 sheet advertising hoarding and everything in between. To ensure full versatility we shoot in very high resolution and always provide images in a variety of digital formats suitable for whatever application the client may need now or in the future, whether print or digital. This approach means clients get maximum value for all images taken, allowing them to be re-used in different applications for years to come.

The Right Post-Production
For some types of interior shot it is frequently necessary or desirable to manipulate the raw photograph to achieve the effect the client is after. For instance, a roomset with a window may need to be provided with a view to the outside. A product shot may need to be cut out from its background to achieve a clean and consistent look. Where shots include human subjects there may be a need to clean up distracting imperfections, or to allow physically impossible images to be created to help convey a particular advertising message. For vehicle shots we may need to remove reflections, or provide an exterior background. This kind of digital manipulation requires extremely sophisticated post-production software of the type we use at Stillview, combined with creativity and expertise to achieve a convincing result. Stillview specialise in this type of post-production, helping clients to bridge the gap between raw photography and the work of creative agencies. In fact, our ability in this area means we are often in demand from advertising and PR agencies, as well as clients directly.

The Right Photographer
All the equipment and technical expertise we've described above will only get you so far. What really makes a commercial image "sing" is something that can really only be learned through many years of experience: experience of being able to fully appreciate what each client is trying to achieve; and experience of translating intangible requirements about brand and lifestyle into the final images ready to be put to use. In short, it means choosing the right photographer. Stillview has 30 years of just this type of experience, making us the perfect choice for all interior photography projects.

Interior Photographer Ipswich – click here to view some examples of work taken at our Ipswich studio.

For clients in London, Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk or Cambridgeshire looking for a reliable commercial photographer, Ipswich provides an ideal location, around an hour by train or car from London, connected to Cambridge via the A14 and to Norfolk and Essex via the A12.

To find out more about what Stillview can offer your business please call us on 01473 257063 to speak to a photographer in our Ipswich studio.