Build UK Open Doors Launch Event

Build UK’s Open Doors launch event project gives people the chance to see behind the scenes at construction sites, offices, factories and training centres. This gives anyone considering a career in construction the chance to see up close the sort of projects they could be involved in. In 2019 alone 6,000 people benefitted from the opportunity at over 290 sites across England, Scotland and Wales.
Open Doors is led by Build UK in partnership with the Construction Industry Training Board (CITB). It’s also supported by the Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS), the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS), Construction News and Go Construct.

On-Site Corporate Photography

For me as an event photographer, the first hurdle is getting on-site. I’ve photographed on building sites and oil rigs all over the world. From London to the depths of the Sahara, if I am working for a company based out of the UK, my day will always start by getting the right personal protection equipment on.
I carry various bits of equipment myself. In particular my working boots. As a corporate photographer I can be on my feet for most of the hours of my working day, so having good boots is essential. They have to be up to the standard required on building sites, in particular with steel toe caps and steel bottoms of the boots to make sure I don’t step on a nail and get it through my foot!

High visibility clothing, headgear, generally a hard hat, and glasses follow. The other main thing I carry is gloves. You almost always have to wear gloves on site now and for me as a corporate photographer that has particular issues. I need to be able to protect my hands from a variety of substances, but I also need to be able to carry and use my cameras. The way I get around this is to find building site regulation gloves that are missing the thumb and forefinger. Perfect for pressing the shutter release and turning the various knobs on my cameras as I take photographs.

Open Doors Launch Event

On this assignment, my brief was to photograph the event generally, but in particular to get some great shots of the people benefitting from the Open Doors launch.
We had beautiful blue skies, particularly good not only for the photographs, but also because the event took place in February, so it was good to have a bit of sun on our faces!
The clear weather and blue skies helped me hugely. The lovely light gave my photographs clarity and contrast, as well as some gorgeous blue sky as a background. Very different from having grey skies in my photographs.

Photographing on a Building Site

While I have to be very aware of my surroundings generally as a corporate photographer, on a building site I need to be even more so. Building sites are a lot safer now than they used to be, but they still have a lot of raw materials and chemicals sitting round as well as long drops with only a small barrier. The flip side to this is that there are loads of photo opportunities using the materials and poles and girders making up the building as it is. Having the right light is great, but most building sites also have very open spaces meaning I can use natural light without any problems.

Getting the Right Photos

I followed one group around the site getting some shots of them as they moved up the floors. However, once I was a few floors up I stopped and waited for the next group. I wanted to get a group shot of as many of the groups as I could, but I also wanted to get shots of lots of different people, rather than lots of shots of the same people again and again.
The groups I photographed were all lovely with everyone happy to be in the photos. They all got on with what they were doing, ignoring me, which was perfect as it meant I could get on with getting great documentary photographs of them all.

A Day in London

It was a wonderful day to be a corporate photographer in London. Not only because it was a lovely sunny day, but also because it was such a great assignment. I’ll be interested when I next go through Hanover Square to see what the building looks like. I would even be able to go inside as part of the building is going to be a tube station.

If you enjoyed this blog post, you might like to have a look at some more of my work. You can see more on my blog, or have a look at my commercial photography page. You might be particularly interested in this assignment I photographed for CSCS.
If you have an event you’d like to talk to me about, then please get in touch using my contact page. If you have any questions, then feel free to contact me or check out my FAQ’s page.

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Commercial Photography in London

Photography, though always important, has become so much more so with the rise of the internet and social media. Having an online presence is essential for almost every business and nothing is more crucial than having great photos. You can use stock photos, however, because they are so generic by their very nature they won’t look as good as having your own professional photos .

Finding the Right Professional Photographer in London

Once you’ve found the right commercial photographer, you should have many years of great photography. Also, if your photographer can’t shoot on the date you need them, they can usually recommend an alternative photographer who suits the style you’d like. This way, finding the right photographer for you first time can leave you with trouble free and beautiful photography for many years.

Tips for Finding the Right Photographer for you

Style Over Substance

Don’t be fooled by mediocre photographs with fancy filters. Because filters are a doddle to apply these days it’s easy to look at a photographer’s photos and think they are great, when three months down the line you’ll look back at them and think they look dated. Imagine the photographer’s photos without filters to really see if they have an eye for light and framing. Fancy tricks rarely stand the test of time and with the fashion cycle running ever faster it’s quite easy for a shot to look dated very quickly unless it is shot beautifully before the filter is applied.

Documentary, Traditional or Contemporary Photography

Choosing the right photographer primarily means starting with their style. While certainly not the only thing to consider, it’s obviously very important. Documentary photographers like myself, tend to shoot mostly in the background capturing what’s happening without controlling events. This not only means you can relax knowing the photographer will get great natural and spontaneous photos, but you also won’t have to spend lots of time organising and arranging people and places for your photos. I quite often go into a variety of locations, from boardrooms to building sites, where, even though the people know I’ll be coming, they are just planning to continue with their work or event without thinking about the photography. Here are just a few events I have photographed as a London event photographer that have been shot in this way. Duchess of Cambridge event, Effie pre gala judging day, Build UK A Smart Future event, CSCS on site photos.
Traditional photographers will expect to set up the vast majority of their photos and you’ll need to arrange people and places for the shots. Usually this means a more staged feel to the photographs as well as being heavily lit.
Contemporary photographers tend to try to get the feel of a documentary photographer, while using a traditional photographer’s techniques with arrangements and lighting.

Organisation Skills

Taking great photos is obviously the primary skill of a photographer. However, there are a lot of things that have to happen before a photographer even gets to the location for the photoshoot. Being organised is extremely important, primarily so that when I get to a location I am thinking about the photography and not the arrangements. Who I am going to meet, the brief, the conditions I am going to be shooting in, these all have to be considered long before I even start getting my cameras ready for the photoshoot. Finding a photographer who is not only good at taking photographs but is also organised is very important.

Good To Work With

Being good to work with isn’t just about being pleasant or a fun person to be around, it is also about having good people skills. Almost all the photography I do is with and of people. I’ve photographed people from the jungles of Colombia for energy companies, to boards of directors in London boardrooms, as well as everyone in between. As you can see from my blog posts, I go into a huge variety of locations with all sorts of people. It’s imperative the photographer you choose has the skills to interact with all sorts of people to get the best out of them when being photographed.

Photographing in Stressful Environments

As well as having good people skills, a photographer must be able to work in fast paced and stressful environments. From industrial locations with dangerous equipment to professional kitchens with busy chefs and at events where I only have a few seconds to capture an image, a cool head is important to get the shot I want. A particular situation I was in that needed a cool head and was in fact one of the reasons the client said I was chosen, was photographing the Duchess of Cambridge at an event.
I also photograph a lot of events at the Royal Museums Greenwich, in particular The Cutty Sark and The Queen’s House. These locations are beautiful and full of priceless art, so must be treated with care. Rushing round with cameras flying is not an option!

How your professional photographer’s images are supplied and licensed

It may sound obvious, but it is important to be clear on the first event you do with a photographer not only a price, but also how the photos will be supplied and the licensing for the photos. I supply all the best photos from an event or photoshoot, individually retouched and hi res as a download so my client has immediate access to them. I also give the client full usage rights to use the photos as they like. This creates a good long term working foundation, so the client knows they will not have to renegotiate a price for further use of a photo and can set up a system for distributing the photos as they will know exactly how they will receive them every time.

Professional Photographer’s Insurance

When choosing a commercial photographer, it’s worth checking they have all the professional insurances they should. This is a very good way to check if a commercial photographer really is a professional and runs their business properly.
The insurances an event photographer should have are camera insurance for their cameras and lighting, public liability insurance for at least £5m, though I personally have £10m as I work in a lot of venues with priceless works of art. Also they should have employers liability if it is not just them working in their business and importantly also professional indemnity insurance in case something on the photoshoot goes wrong.
It’s very easy for a photographer to email over a copy of their public liability insurance before a photoshoot just so you know it is all covered.

A Commercial Photographer’s Brief

Finally, and though this isn’t strictly a tip for choosing a commercial photographer, I think it’s worth mentioning how important a good brief is for a photographer. Knowing what it is you want shot and in particular why you want the photos is very important. Again this is a great reason for finding a really good photographer and using them consistently, as over time the photographer will really begin to understand the mindset behind your branding and needs.

I hope that was helpful, if you have any questions, or if you’d like some more information about me and the way I work you can contact me through my contact page, or have a look at my FAQ’s page.
If you enjoyed this post, you can see more on my blog, in particular, you may like these posts, CPA Spring Lunch, CSCS on site photos, and The Publishers Association staff photos.

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