From Corporate Portraiture to Cocktails on the Roof

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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.

Mode Transport Planning

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.

Alternative Landscape Photography Workshop Pictures

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I jumped at the chance to attend the alternative landscape photography workshop with the Internationally acclaimed Prof. Paul Hill MBE, Maria Falconer FRPS and Nick Lockett who was Chief Photographer for Central Television, last weekend.

This was a heavily attended workshop set in the stunning valley of Hartington in Derbyshires Peak District.  My goals during this workshop were to learn and understand their alternative way of seeing the landscape.  Having been taught by Nick during my degree at De Montfort University, I had already come across this alternative way of seeing the landscape and was keen to learn more about it and have the opportunity to practice with their live support.

I like the notion of creating unique landscapes that look like you have personally created them and not in the same stylistic manner in which almost every other main stream photographer is preaching.  Paul Hill said "If you've seen the picture before, don't click the shutter"!  "How we translate the three-dimensional world into an interesting two-dimensional picture is often referred to as the art of photography. It is called seeing photographically or camera vision" (Hill, 2017).

Paul, Maria and Nick are all such lovely people and very obviously experts in photography with a tremendous amount of experience that is well worth paying for.  If you're interested in looking in to the workshops with these, then check out Paul's website.

Here are my 6 best pictures made during the day.

If you'd like to look in to attending a workshop with myself, then please follow subscribe for news and up to date information.

Sublunary 15

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This is it!  I've been working on this body of work since July 2016.

Sublunary 15 is a series of futuristic, metaphorical landscape photographs that follow the narrative of an imaginary alien invasion of the planet Earth.

I've created all of these pictures in single exposures and no photoshop manipulation using a Nikon D610 and a tripod.  In some of the pictures, I've added my own light from a speed light covered in a red gel as well as the occasional car brake lights.

Please enjoy the photographs, they've taken me a long time to produce.

Some of these pictures will be exhibited at De Montfort University and Freerange, Old Truman Brewery (London) during June.  Keep an eye out for information relating to a private view invitation, or subscribe using the box below.

If you would like to see the slideshow that I've created as part of this project, it comes with my own narration against my own sound track in the background.

To follow my work and keep up to date with news of exhibitions etc, please subscribe using this box below.

Photography Workshops and Classes

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If you're looking to learn more about photography, what ever level you're at and if you would like to explore more about your photography and your camera, then have a look at these courses.

There are courses for absolute beginners, amateurs and those that feel they're a little more advanced and wish to discover about making project work or need to go further than they currently are.

If you don't see the type of course you're looking for, then please contact me to discuss, because I can use your help to design future courses that might appeal to you better.  

Follow this link for the course list.

Or each link...

Paul Hands, Sublunar 15, Hinckley, Leicestershire, Midlands, Photography Classes, Workshops, England, Great Britain, United Kingdom, Europe

 

 

An Alien Invasion

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A series of metaphorical, futuristic landscape photographs based on an imaginary alien invasion of the planet Earth.

I've spent the last 9 months creating this body of work and now I'm publicly publishing the results.  The work is not finished and will be continued throughout my career but this current collection is now ready for the first exhibition.

The challenge for this project has been finding locations and objects that fit within my criteria and also hold that metaphorical 'Je Ne Said Quoi'!

I now have a selection of images that can tell my imaginary story and are fit for purpose with regards to being hung in an exhibition spanning across two venues; Free Range at The Old Truman Brewery on Brick Lane in London and De Montfort University in Leicester, both in June 2017.

This short stills film is pat of my submission and displays a series of the photographs made for this project, together with my own vocal narration and a series of sound effects.

You can see the stills from this film exhibited at the above mentioned exhibitions in June, which I will be notifying you about closer to the time.

Please watch and leave a comment on your thoughts because I've put so much effort in to making this, it would be great to hear your thoughts.

I will be part of a larger collective show that will see the students from De Montfort University's Photography and Video Ba Hons degree come together to exhibit and show off their talents, as a culmination of three years of studying the worlds best photographers and videographers and being lectured by some of the key figures in the industry today, like Laura McGregor, Nick Locket, Neil Dyson, Su Ansell, Dr Mike Simmons, Lala Meredith, Dave Soden, Martin Shakeshaft and visiting professor Paul Hill.

Exhibition Dates:

De Montfort University, Vijay Patel Building, Leicester, LE1 9BH 

17/6/17 - 22/6/17

Private View - 16/6/17 

 

Free Range, The Old Truman Brewery, 91 Brick Lane, London, E1 6QL  

22/6/17 - 26/6/17

Private View - 22/6/17 6-10pm

If you'd like to be invited to the private view where hopefully there will be an opportunity to meet all of the artists, have a drink and some grub, then please drop me a line using this link.

Album Review for Saal Digital

I have been given the opportunity to test a new book publishing company out.  Saal Digital have created a portfolio book for me and this is my honest review.

At first I was little skeptical as always with a new supplier.  However, I downloaded the software for designing a book with Saal Digital.  Their communication was always by email and was simple and straight forward and very clear to understand.  T

he software download was smooth and opened up easily.  I was already familiar with creating books, so their designing software was easy to get to grips with.  If you've never designed a book before, then you may need one additional support.

Quite quickly, I became frustrated with the software as I felt it was too restrictive as is most other reputable book designing software.  I felt that some of the ideas in my head for how I'd like my book to look wasn't met by the templates already supplied by Saal Digital.  I did manage to overcome this by settling for one of their page templates and managed to create by book in the way I'd like.

Once I'd designed the book, ordering was very straight forward and the speed in which the book was finally delivered was astounding in comparison to companies like Blurb.  My book was designed, submitted, published and delivered within one week.

Upon receipt of the book, it was very nicely packaged and protected well.  My immediate thoughts were how nice the extra padding is.  I wasn't sure exactly what to expect with the padding but it impressed me and has a nice finish to the book.  It adds a nice quality feel to it that sets it apart from a Blurb book.

As you open the book, the lay flat pages that come as standard are printed on a good quality paper that feels like thin card and doesn't bend easily, so it feels safe and easy to turn the pages.  

My photographs really work well on the paper and it felt nice to look through.  Overall, I'm impressed with the book.  

I'd definitely look at using All Digital for future books.

UBL 17 Fight Photographs from The Athena

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Welcome to the home of the boxing photographs from UBL 17 at The Athena in Leicester.

This page on my website has been specifically dedicated to the huge collection of photographs, from the unlicensed fighting that goes on between some of the hardest men in Britain.

To view the pictures, simply click on the photograph, then choose the fight collection that you wish to look through.  You will even have the option to buy and have a bespoke book designed for you as well prints and a dvd slideshow with music.  You can do this directly through my website.  Payments are secured and guaranteed through Stripe.

 

Professional Photographer Leicester, Leicestershire, Hinckley, Nuneaton, Coventry, Birmingham, Warwickshire, Midlands, England, UK, United Kingdom, Great Britain.

Commercial, Business, PR, Public Relations, Landscape, Street Photography and Documentary photographer available for commissions.

UBL 17 Highlights

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Boxing Photographs, Leicestershire, Midlands

What an incredible night of unlicensed fighting.  A large group of hardened men avoid going completely underground to fight on the shows put on by Gypsy Jerry Gorman and Elvis Hopkins who runs Kings Gym in Leicester.

The shows are that good, there'll be no time wasted on idle chat.

Watch this slideshow mother fucker...

Oh, and turn your volume up!

Tough hardened fighting men go to war against each other in an unlicensed night of brutal gloved boxing bouts. Jerry Gorman and Elvis Hopkins of Kings Gym in Leicester put on such a good show that only viewing it will tell you what it's about. So get on with it...

Gorman's Fight Club Documentary Film

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A story about a hardened group of unlicenced fighters from the middle of England coming together for a ringed bout of gloved boxing.

This short documentary discovers a little about Jerry Gorman who runs the fight club and includes talks with some of the tough guys who step in to that ring.

If you're interested in going along to watch some of this fighting live then go to their Facebook page, and get in touch about purchasing some tickets.

The next fight night is on Saturday 4th March at The Athena in Leicester.

I'll be there again this year, with my camera doing the ring side photography.

Have a watch of the film and let me know what you think in the comments section below.

Finally, if you need or know any businesses that need professional photographs for their company website or marketing material, please direct towards my website via this link.

Futuristic Art in Landscape Photography

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I'm in the process of creating a 9 month long body of work for my Bachelor of Arts degree at De Montfort University and in preparation for an exhibition at Freerange, an Old Truman Brewery in London.

I've spent quite a bit of time with the paintings of the German Max Ernst (1891-1976).  This body of work is heavily influenced by some of his works, like this example below.

Max Ernst

As well as the german photographer Erasmus Schroeter (below), known for illuminating nazi war bunkers and putting such tragedy up on the stage for an audience.

I've taken a blend of what these artists have created and been playful with my camera and mind.

The intention behind my work is to almost create a new category of photography; Futuristic escapism within landscape photography and by using nothing but what is available in the environment and with zero impact upon the landscape.  

I'm creating a series of fine art sculptural photographs that herald the subjects at night against dramatic skies and using light to make the scene almost like a theatrical stage for the presentation of the subjects.

My plan for this work is to create a wooden light box from mostly reclaimed materials and to display the work backlit.

Here's a sneak peek at some of the imagery that I've been producing, please feel free to add comments on my work, good or bad.  After all, I'm in the process of making this long body of work and could use your thoughts?

You can comment here and also on my Facebook page.  Please don't pass by without leaving a comment, they really are appreciated.

Paul Hands