Commercial Photographer Midlands

The Mpac Group Plc global leadership conference 2024 at Silverstone race circuit in the UK.

February 02, 2024 in business film production, Commercial Film

Branding Photography and Video Production UK

Corporate event mixed media production.

This year has started in fantastic style with a commission from the marketing team at The Mpac Group Plc were tasked with creating some marketing around their exciting event.

Mpac chose to commission myself and my new assistant Lucy McDonagh with creating a collection of candid photographs and video that told the story of their corporate event at Silverstone race circuit. It has been an amazing experience to work with The Mpac Group Plc, because of their professionalism but also their level of humanity and grounded approach to us as creatives.

Keynote Speaker Jamil Qureshi and Mpac CEO Adam Holland

This was an honour and such a pleasure to take this assignment on and especially to walk across the footbridge over the starting grid of the race track, where they played the famous Grand Prix song The Chain by Fleetwood Mac. It literally made the hairs stand up on the back of our necks.

The Mpac Group Plc Rock, Paper, Scissors Champion 2024

Since collecting the raw footage, we’ve been tasked with producing a short highlight film that can be shared on social media. We’ve also been successfully wrestling with Sony Records to release the copyright on the song we’ve used and I can’t express enough just how perfect this song is for the film, by The Script and Will I Am, Hall of Fame.

Ron Martin, The Mpac Group Plc. - Outstanding Contribution 2024

Dive right in and watch the film to see what we’ve been working on for the past 10 days.

We're proud to present the highlights film below...

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We're proud to present the highlights film below... 〰️

The Mpac Group Plc Global Leadership Conference 2024 Highlights Film

Get in touch to discuss branding photography and video production for your organisation

〰️

Get in touch to discuss branding photography and video production for your organisation 〰️

Hinckley Bid's 9th Annual Soap Box Derby Film

July 16, 2018 in Commercial Film, Documentary Film

The Soap Box Derby

Hinckley BID (Business Improvement District) organise many social events in the small market town centre in Leicestershire every year in what is now becoming an historic tradition.

I was commissioned to create a short film of the whole event and arrived early on the Sunday morning of the race day. The first thing I encountered was the huge numbers of entrants hanging around in the pits, tinkering around and putting the final touches towards their carts.

The Soap Box Derby is a timed solo race down Castle Street which is a large hill named after a small Mott and Bailey that centered in Hinckley many years ago. Castle Street is a long downhill gradient and the course is manufactured with a chicane and a ramp with a large stopping and turning area at the bottom of the hill.

Thousands of people come to Hinckley from all over the UK to watch the derby and this film is a short tribute to everyone that takes part in both the racing and the organisation.

The commission was to create this short film with a focus upon the event and the crowds that flock to watch and for the purpose of showcasing the extent the BID go to, to bring people in to the town centre and to show how good for local business are the BID and the events that bring the footfall.

Documentary Photography and Filmmaking

Public Relations Photography

Corporate Website Imagery

Landscape Photography

Documentary Photography

Clients: Charities, Local Government, Corporate and SME business

Events, promotion and storytelling visual needs

Contact

New Website Photographs

June 07, 2018 in Commercial Photography, Business Photographer

Corporate Business Photography

Tailored photographs designed for your new or existing company website.

Most of my clients need my services to help them clean up their websites, to help support their brands and to promote their business to their own clients and potential new business.

The SFB Group in Nuneaton commissioned me to create corporate portraits of every member of staff from all of their UK offices in 2017 and then became a returning client in 2018 when they required new photographs for their website and for public relations in the local media. The above photograph was created so they have a strong photograph to use in their recruitment campaigns.

JJ Churchill in Market Bosworth commissioned me to provide a series of corporate headshots of their Directors, working photographs of staff in situ, on site and operating their multimillion pound machines, which are used to create precision aerospace parts as well as product photography of their machined parts.

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council commissioned me to produce a series of images for public relations to help promote their tourism partnership project, starting with a new Bosworth visitors map. The image below shows MP David Treddinick giving a speech to the local tourism businesses and other council dignitaries.

Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council, David Treddinick

Chancellor of the Exchequer Phillip Hammond and Sajid Javid Home Secretary

Morris Homes and the Treasury commissioned me to provide a natural candid style of public relations photography to help them promote the new Homes England campaign to support house builders throughout the UK. These images were used in social media blogs and on their website, all in aid of supporting positive direction.

The commonality of my image making:

These are just some of the commissions that I've been working on during 2018 and the common theme between all of them is the platform in which the images will be published, as well as the fact that most of my photographs are about people and place and always with promotion and a positive end result.

In the near future, I have a large commission for local government to produce a year-long series of documentary films promoting how the Business Improvement District support local businesses. This will be heavily focused on the footfall of the town centre, the busyness and how the BID bring business to the businesses.

I'm a passionate photographer and filmmaker that specialises in storytelling and promotion. Check out my client list and services here, along with great examples of the finished product of my assignments.

This is just a small snippet of my client list:

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If you're considering hiring a professional photographer to create brand-specific photographs for your website, social media or for newspapers and magazines, then make an enquiry to discuss whether your assignment and my skills & availability are compatible.

Enquiries

Alternatively, call me now on 07854 956 970

My phones in my pocket on vibrate, I won't miss your call.

Email: paul@paulhands.co.uk

Can Street and Landscape Photography Skills be utilised for a Commercial Organisation?

March 28, 2018 in Commercial Photography, Professional Photographer

Commercial Photography in Leicestershire.

Can the skills gained whilst making personal work be transferred to a commercial client brief?

YES!

The end!

Well, not actually the end, this is the beginning and that was a bit gimmicky!

Phillip Hammond and Sajid Javid visiting a Morris Homes building site in Leicester.

The image of Hammond and Javid above was a picture that I made while on a recent PR photo shoot for The BJL Group and Morris Homes. It involved working closely with The Treasury and working to a brief. This was the cover image used for a blog written by Morris Homes and wasn't really on the brief they gave me.

As an avid Street Photography fan and practitioner, this was a naturally easy type of shot to get for me. The rest of the press group were a good 20 feet behind me. I had a brief to work to and they were just collecting imagery, so I had a free run. The government ministers walked very quickly and it was a cold February morning. You can even see Phillip Hammond breathing out some misty air. The shot isn't perfect but in this kind of situation, perfection isn't what's required, it's the story that counts and with the Morris Homes flags waving around in the background, it was just what they wanted but didn't know about that at the time.

This picture above is of the building for one of my regular clients The SFB Group a nationwide firm of accountants. It's all too easy to make a picture looking straight on at the building. I wanted to create something that fitted with their branding which was quite dynamic, hence the acute angle. This is loosely where landscape photography skills come in useful, I positioned the composition acutely to create a more interesting view of something usually very ordinary. The angle has given the building form and made it look more three dimensional.

David Treddinick meeting with the owners of Enchanted Bell Tents

The above picture uses Street Photography skills because it's candid and the people in the picture are unaware of my presence. My intention was to follow my brief and collect natural looking pictures of the MP David Treddinick meeting local business owners at the launch of the new Bosworth Visitors Map at a special event held at Royal Arms in Sutton Cheney.

A Street Photograph made in Leicester city centre.

Mirror Man, Street Photography in Paris.

I've shared a small selection of my street photography to show the similarities to shooting reportage and PR work. Also the landscape picture that I've included is more of a contextual play with the words and space in the frame. The sign on the right reads 1 million square foot, so I've framed the image to include lots of space to insinuate that you can see 1 million square foot in the frame.

I've included the picture of the giant chicken tree because I think it's cool.

I've crafted my skills over a long period of time, been judged, examined, won awards and gained a level 3 qualification, HND and a BA Hons in photography through creating this style of work. I've figured out a way to transfer my skills to a growing client base, who are using me more and more regularly.

My clients keep coming back to me and won't use anyone else now. Assuming I can keep this up, yes, street and landscape photography skills are very transferable to a commercial client,.

The trick is to get deep in the minds of the commissioners to learn what they want and to identify with the brief. Once the purpose is established, I can easily determine what kind of pictures to make and which style to use.

My images now appear on many company websites, marketing literature and newspapers online and in print.

You can enquire with me about my availability or to get a quote for your business here.

Contact me

Type One Diabetes UK Commercial Film

December 08, 2017 in Documentary Film, Documentary Photography

Diabetes UK Type One Events Film

Earlier on in the Summer of this year, I was commissioned to make a series of documentary photographs for Diabetes UK and their Type One Events which if you ask me, are flippin' amazing!

The nationwide charity Diabetes UK put on a series of events all over the Country for children that live with Type One Diabetes. At these events, they get them doing lots of fun activities, ran by a large group of volunteers and also teach them how to manage their diabetes through shared learning experiences.

They're all such an inspiration and made me feel so lucky to be able to stand there all day, making the film and photographs. My feet began to hurt towards the end of the day and my legs wouldn't carry me up the steep hill but I had to carry on and felt awful that I considered resting. When you see how inspiring these children are, it puts your life back in to perspective.

Anyway, I'm very proud of this work. This is the film I shot for Diabetes UK...

Type One Events Documentary Photography

Click to enlarge.

This assignment brings my year to a close. I've been very happy with this year because all the time I've been building my business, I have also been studying Photography & Video at University and recently graduated in June 2017. So I've only been working in my business full time for 6 months and it's gone very well. Here's to an even better 2018, and I've already got a few very large scale projects being lined up.

Don't forget, you can receive prompts each time I post a blog by simply subscribing to my posts. You don't get spammed, just en email telling you that I've written another blog, giving you an opportunity to follow a link to come here and read my blogs.

Contact Me

Alternatively, you can contact me here to just ask about my work or commissions etc.

A Commercial Film Production To Remember

August 20, 2017

I was booked by Diabetes UK to produce a commercial film, a trailer and a series of documentary style photographs. They came to me because they wanted the natural candid feel that I often produce. They wanted a sense of fun to help promote their Type 1 events to the children and parents who have to endure type one diabetes on a daily basis.

I jumped at the chance because I felt that working with such a genuine and helpful charity is how I want my business to be seen. I always offer a generous discount to charities. This opportunity was to work a a large group of 8-10 year olds who all have type 1 diabetes and these events are designed to help the children learn to manage the diabetes on their own, and to continue to enjoy a normal, healthy and active lifestyle.

They attend without their parents and love every minute of it!

Shooting this film and producing the documentary is up there with the best commercial project I've been commissioned to do. The children were an inspiration and genuinely warmed my heart.

I'm currently at the proofing stage and won't be able to release the film until it has been finalised but rest assured, as soon as it is, I'll be sharing it here.

Maybe a sneak peak at one of the pictures...

Diabetes professional photography and film.jpg

Diabetes professional film and photography.png

You can click through the logos for Diabetes to go to their website and learn more information.

If you'd like to enquire about commissioning me for other assignments, please contact me here.

From Corporate Portraiture to Cocktails on the Roof

July 26, 2017 in Commercial Photography

Professional Corporate Portraiture...

...is where it all began.

I was invited by one of my long standing clients; Mode Transport Planning, to their fifth birthday party. Our business relationship has been going on since 2014, when I was contracted to do some corporate portraiture.

David Frisby, Managing Director, Mode Transport Planning.

Cocktails on the Roof...

...is where it has come to.

Whilst I was invited to join Mode Transport in their celebrations, naturally I was encouraged to bring along my camera and was paid as what was noted as a Busmans holiday. It really was an honour to help out by recording the party with still images so that a more unified feeling can be experienced between Mode Transport and the clients that were also invited.

Professional Headshot Service...

...is what I've mainly been providing for Mode Transport and have also produced documentary styled photographs around their offices for use on their website to give the professional image they have successfully built over the past five years. I've also created a tailored set of stock images based around the transport industry to aid the visual impact of the Mode Transport Planning website.

Here's a selection of images from the roof top cocktail birthday party.

If you'd like to enquire about my professional photographic services, please visit this page on my website first.

Alternatively, complete my contact form here.

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