Lockdown - Hinckley, 2020

Lockdown - Hinckley, 2020

This body of work is a direct reaction to my own personal feelings surrounding the lockdown and the outbreak of the Coronavirus in my hometown in the UK.
I’ve created a series of photographs that show the rarely deserted streets of Hinckley and Burbage and designed a slideshow and soundscape to fit.

This collection has been designed to echo my feelings of sadness, isolation and despair at the current Coronavirus outbreak and what it has done to our world, yet with a shimmer of hope through humanity and the way our community is coming together.

This has been created as part of the Hinckley Photographed project that I started in 2012 for the sake of creating artwork in the face of what I believe is the biggest thing I’ll ever face and while trying to protect my family.
I must add that I’m gutted for where we are as the human race.
Is this what changes us?

Is our new world about to emerge from the ashes?

I hope we can create a new life different to the last.



Is It Worth Entering The Landscape Photographer Of The Year Competition?

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Warning! These Landscape Photographs Will Make You Feel Like You’re A Terrible Photographer!

I used to enter photographic competitions until I realised my money was better spent on learning more.

When you look at the incredible quality of the photographs made by these international photographers, it almost dumbs you down and puts you in your place. It’s actually difficult to become inspired by them because they’re just so damned good and I think to myself that the places these guys and girls are making photographs are pretty much not accessible to me or the average human being without lots of available time, lots of money for travel and the ability to support yourself while out there making photographs about pretty places on Earth.

So these are my initial thoughts and then when I look at the pictures again, wow, they’re simply amazing. Shall we look at them now?

Ok,

Here are the winners from the 2019 competition…

Bonaire, Dutch Carribean by Sander Grefte (Netherlands), Second Place

Badain Jaran Desert, China by Yang Guang (China), Second Place.

Bláfellsá, Iceland by Oleg Ershov (Russian Federation), Winner

Gruissan, France by Magali Chesnel (France), Winner

Grizzly Lake, Yukon, Canada by Blake Randall (Canada), Third Place.

Fleswick Bay, England by Oleg Ershov (Russian Federation), Winner,.

Kimberley, Western Australia by Mat Beetson (Australia), Top 100,.

Eastern Sierra, California, USA by Carlos Cuervo (United States), Top 100.

Lençóis Maranhenses, Brazil by Ignacio Palacios (Australia).

Lençóis Maranhenses, Brazil by Ignacio Palacios (Australia), The Abstract Aerial Award 2019..

Page, Arizona, USA by Craig Bill (United States), Top 100,.

Bronte Beach, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia by Gergo Rugli (Australia), Top 100.

Madeira, Portugal by Anke Butawitsch (Germany), The Lone Tree Award 2019.

SpaceX rocket exhaust plume, Sierra Nevada, California, USA by Brandon Yoshizawa (United States), The Heavenly Cloud Award 2019..

Ramshead Tor, Kosciuszko, New South Wales, Australia by Blake Randall (Canada), Third Place.

Ramshead Tor, Kosciuszko, New South Wales, Australia by Blake Randall (Canada), Third Place.

Sharqiya Sands Desert, Oman by Peter Adam Hoszang (Hungary), Third Place,.

Central Balkan, Bulgaria by Veselin Atanasov (Bulgaria), The Snow and Ice Award 2019..

West Mongolia by Ricardo Da Cunha (Australia), The Wildlife in Landscape Award 2019.

See what I mean!!!

They’re quite amazing aren’t they?

Now do you feel inspired to go outside and make some landscape photographs?
My own personal style of landscape photography has been born out of isolation. I have never had the money to travel to these heroic and trophy like locations, so have always had to make do with my local environment.
I have rural farmland surrounding me and I’m in the middle of the urban sprawl of a small market town in the middle of England.

I try to make the best of my surroundings, regardless of where that is and still encourage you to do so as well.
Once you understand photography and all the rules and all of the different ways of breaking the rules, making photographs wherever you are becomes much simpler.

You learn to see the beauty of life and not just in the pretty parts of the planet.

So it’s a choice on whether you wish to enter your work in to the LOPTY competition but remember how stiff the competition is and look at the level your work has to rise to, even for consideration to be shortlisted amongst about 3,400 pictures. You also have to pay for the privilege of entering, as you do many photography competitions these days but that’s a whole different story that I have strong thoughts about.

Maybe another time!

By Paul Hands.

Inspired by an article written by Jessica Stewart (18,2,2020), https://mymodernmet.com/international-landscape-photographer-contest-2019/?fbclid=IwAR3xoaagEHpDR6A_8wNKzo6W42RjOWYdHs-xLn8ZIcdMvWB3v0ZPpOUstMo

Why Hire A Good Wedding Photographer?

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Anyone can photograph a wedding!

Newly engaged to be married and surfing the internet for a local wedding photographer or videographer / filmmaker can be so very confusing.

There’s tons and tons of people online offering to record your marriage for all kinds of prices and they have so many differing levels of ability and quality of service. In this blog, I’m going to discuss my style and approach to the wedding photography industry.

Timing the fleeting moments that pass in the blink of an eye.

So, yes, anyone can photograph a wedding because all you need to do is buy a camera and then convince someone to pay you to make photographs at their wedding. That’s all there is to it really and it’s down to the people choosing the creative person to work out who’s good, who’s offering the best service for their budget and what style do they want etc.
You can choose from a classic style of photographer that does all of the stiff posing, with hours of family portraits dominating the wedding day. You can hire a beginner, an amateur, a semi pro, a pro. Even somebody that does hero shots and the kind of photographs that are made for wall art and to enhance the photographers portfolio. You can get photographers that use flash all the time, some mix it up and some never use it. You get technical photographers that have all the gear and believe it’s all about the equipment.
It’s no wonder you find it difficult to choose someone!

Teeth are one of the most important features, led by the eyes and followed by the cheeks! That’s where the fun hides, in the emotion.

In all of the years that I’ve been photographing and filming weddings, I’ve learned that the single most important thing is to make photographs that show how much joy and fun the couple have had and how much pleasure the guests have enjoyed.

So essentially, the most important thing is composition, timing, emotion and story, in my opinion.

Story is king!

Telling the story has become my USP!

Marriage is thirsty work, tying the knot, even thirstier!

My style has become all about unveiling the real story behind the wedding. I tend not to do much staged photography because it gives a false representation of the day. Of course I make pictures of groups of friends and families stood together at the request of the couple but my real skill is in following the wedding as a guest but with a camera and a professional set of skills that have been acquired through the professional study of photography and video to degree level at De Montfort University and studying the worlds best photographers.
I concentrate on making a large series of photographs or film sequences that document each step of the way in the most fun, pleasing and accurate way possible.
If you have a fun day, your photographs and film will show that.

I’m a natural storyteller.

In a dark room I’ll use flash but I try my best to avoid it because it changes the way the pictures look, alerts people to the photographers presence and takes away the ability to get true natural and candid photographs. As you can see in this photograph that I’ll use it if the lighting is so poor, the only way to make the photographs are to use flash.

Black and white versus colour is determined by potential colourful distractions, remembering that the story is the king.

My style of wedding photography and filmmaking is completely natural but with proper training from highly experienced experts. My storytelling style is filled with my love for humour and emotion and I try to inject both in to each picture or sequence.

So of course, you have some huge choices when trying to pick a creative to either photograph or film your wedding day. The best course of advice is to look at pictures and watch films of the creatives you come across and compare the quality of the work. Forget price at this point because that comes once you’ve picked out a shortlist of who’s work you like.

My pricing isn’t too shocking and sits around the average / middle of the range mark. I’m not one for going overboard because I don’t try to do the hero shots and my work is essentially intended on creating the real story of your day as opposed to making up staged photographs.

I aim for the middle of the market but do have a budget service for those not wanting the whole shebang!

I’m such an easy going person with a huge heart, very easy to talk to, so please get in touch with me and let’s chat about your wedding. I’ll give you a price list and you can choose how you want to build your package.
The pricing is mainly subject to how you want the work presenting afterwards.

In the main, I offer a digital package, which can be upgraded with one of my special slideshows, second photographers, story books and many other add ons (as required).

The best thing to do is get in touch with me first and let’s see where our journey goes.

The underage daughter caught the bouquet! The Bride (mother) wasn’t impressed!

Seeking the comedy at a wedding reception

Whatever the weather and whatever the storm! I’ll photograph anything that moves!

That magical moment that must remain in the couples history forever and a day!

This is my wedding photography showcase in a beautifully crafted slideshow…

I’ve been making films for the past 5 years and telling visual stories since 2012, the below film is my first wedding film, please watch and if you like my style, please make an enquiry about filmmaking too.

Thanks for reading.

Paul

Local Business Video Production

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Northfield Wealth Financial & Mortgage Advice

A local business in Burbage, Hinckley, Leicestershire commissioned me to produce corporate video for them.

The owner of the business ‘Clare Farrell’ approached me with the commission to create two commercial films for her business. We met to talk about what they wanted, so we could share ideas to help each of us visualise the end product within a free consultation.

Very quickly, I understood what Clare had in mind and from that moment onwards, we were able to develop the ideas in to a reality. This part of the creative process is where my skills really come in handy because often the client knows what they want but has all these visions inside their heads. My role at this point is to see in my head, the same thing.

At the beginning, Clare had devised a script that she felt told her customers what they believed they needed to know. At this point I consulted with Clare to explain how it translates in a video and this helped us to shape the script so we were delivering just enough and the right information to entice new and prospective customers to seek more information from them, keeping the video short and sharp enough to maintain viewer interest throughout and to the end with a call to action.

The service I offered also included several edits to the film, so that we could design the production exactly as they wished.

The way this worked was best was with a consultative approach and open door policy. My aim was to complete satisfy my client and this is what Clare had to say afterwards.

Thank you to Paul Hands for our fantastic corporate videos - We were all very nervous which hopefully doesn’t show too much, Paul put us at ease and gave us some great advice and put together what we feel is a professional showcase of the team at Northfield Wealth. Thank you to Paul Hands at Hinckley Photographed.

Clare Farrell

https://www.northfieldwealth.co.uk/

Hinckley Photographed is a long term project that I’m well known for creating locally.

I have approximately a 5,000 strong audience that often buy from me things like calendars, Christmas cards and other artwork. I always promote my recent work to my audience because it’s the best way for me to gain new customers. This helps every business that chooses to work with me because not only do they get good quality marketing material for their website and social media, they’re also promoted to my audience of over 5,000 local people.

I’m currently looking for new clients and need some more work asap. I have a young family who rely on me for food and other essentials. So the the added beauty of working with me is that you’ll be buying local and helping a family to survive through such tough times.

If you have the slightest bit of interest in having a commercial grade film creating for your business at cost effective prices, please get in touch with me for an informal chat asap.

Tel: 07854 956 970

Email paul@paulhands.co.uk




2020 Full Programme of Photographic Workshops

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Local Photography Workshops

2020 is going to be a fully packed year for photographic workshops.

I’m planning a large series of photography workshops locally to Hinckley and all will be based around enjoying photography, having fun and playing with making pictures, making photography accessible to almost everyone.

Black Meadows, Burbage

Photography isn’t always about making beautiful and dramatic photographs. My philosophy has always been to be playful with photography. I explore my imagination to create mini stories that use my photographs to help the viewer visualise the scenes in my head.

I create photographs with context that transport you to a place where the world doesn’t exist and only your ideas do, making the ordinary seem extraordinary!

Entrance to Black Meadows, Burbage.

I’m designing a programme of workshops that covers a variety of genres to suit your desires. So far these are the ideas I have for workshops and depending up on the level of interest will depend on how far I delve in to making these workshops happen:

  • Landscape Photography in Hollycroft Park

  • Learn how to make something from nothing - Ashby Canal

  • Landscape Photography - Croft Hill

  • Night Time Landscape Photography & Private Post Production Tuition - Croft Hill

  • Urban Landscape Photography - Hinckley

  • Street Photography Using A Mobile Phone -Birmingham (inc. train)

  • Landscape and Woodland Photography - Burbage Common

  • Night Star / Landscape Photography (Secret Location) & Private Postproduction - Exclusive Workshop

  • Bluebell Photography - Hartshill Hayes

  • Rural Ramble - Location currently unknown.

These are the ideas I have for workshops next year.

Also available is private photography tuition:

  • Half Day - £175

  • Full Day -£300

Please ask about this by contacting me directly - paul@paulhands.co.uk

Also available to buy as a gift for your loved ones.


On each workshop, I’ll work closely with your current skill level to help you get to grips easily with how to do what you want to do and if you don’t know what you want to do, I’ll help you to realise what that is.

Then I’ll elevate your skill level to be more self sufficient in terms of using your camera and managing your ideas.

If you need to learn more about using your camera, you’ll learn that. If you want to learn more about composition, I’ll teach you easily and If you need to work on developing ideas of what to photograph, that’s in the bag!

Let your imagination go wild, for anything is possible!

For me this is so simple, I live and breathe photography and filmmaking.

I can teach anybody at any skill level, unless you’re a master of photography because once the technical side of photography has been succeeded, the rest is about imagination and I’ll help you to tap in to that and begin making work that surprises even yourself.

That terrifying night, creatures from afar, from worlds we didn’t know existed, arrived on Earth. They appeared / materialised in a way that we couldn’t understand. They landed and the first began to open…

Playful Photography is where it’s at!

I’ve been honing my craft for almost a decade professionally and have been taught by the best through official tuition at NWHC (level 3 and HND) and De Montfort University, where I graduated with a High 2:1 BA Honours in Photography and Video.

I’m more than just a photographer, I consider myself as an artist that uses a camera and my intentions are always to make work that I love. I wish to pass on my love for photography and help you to develop a similar passion.

I’ve learned my profession from the masters and offer much more than just how to use a camera.

Street Photography Workshop - Birmingham

This programme of workshops is currently in the design stages and are subject to change.

So for now, please simply register your interest either with an email to me paul@paulhands.co.uk

or subscribe to my blog via email for news as they come to fruition below…

The Norcups - The Wedding Day

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The Norcups Wedding Film

This is the beautiful story of Clint and Gemma Norcup on their wedding day at Bosworth Hall Hotel in Market Bosworth.

Clint and Gemma have been engaged and living together in Hinckley, Leicestershire for 19 years now and have 6 children between them, including two sets of twins. They have a wonderful and large family that bonds them together so tightly.

They commissioned me to create a film for their wedding day, even though I’d never filmed a wedding before. I’m becoming quite experienced at making films per se but have only ever done still photography at a wedding, until now.

I have 8 years of wedding photography experience but was very nervous about filming, just through understanding the pressures of not missing a thing. As it happens I absolutely loved the process and felt more at home filming the wedding than being the main photographer. I think I’ve found my calling!

I made plenty of mistakes in the recording and naturally so with it being my first ever wedding film. I had problems with the audio and some of my kit just wasn’t up to recording in the low light conditions that sometimes presented themselves. The beauty of these mistakes is that it hasn’t affected ‘The Norcups’ film badly and they absolutely love it and I now know what I need to do, to not make those mistakes again, meaning my next wedding film is going to exude a much better quality. I’m not unhappy with what I’ve produced here but I know I can do better, if you know what I mean?

What I’m extremely happy about is that despite the kit issues and audio quality, I’ve got the story and that’s the single most important factor. Their story is beautiful and I believe I’ve told it in the right way.

You may not even notice what I do but I strive for perfection and excellence and it disappoints me when I don’t live up to my own expectations.

So please be the judge of that for yourself and watch ‘The Norcups’, then leave me some feedback.

If you’d like to discuss making a film about your wedding day, then please by all means get in touch and let’s chat.

Photography Service For The Self Employed

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Photographic Content Creation.

A service that gives you regular photographic content for your social media.

It’s commonly known that to maintain a strong image on social media, you need to continually update your social pages with attractive visual content and strong supportive text.

Karen Webb @ KJ Interiors

  • A picture is worth more than a thousand words

  • Research proves that to get good engagement on social media, you must use good photography.

  • Photography offers an 87% engagement rate on social media.

KJ Interiors, Hinckley

Karen at KJ Interiors in Hinckley is the first to book me for this new service and it’s going really well.

The service consists of one visit each month to create bespoke visual content for the business owner to use on social media and their website.

It’s a straight forward subscription service that delivers professional photography at a price that is extremely affordable for any self employed business owner.

£150 per month.

For that, you get 10 professional photographs every month, designed to target specific audiences and for particular reasons.

You also get inclusive marketing on Hinckley Photographed.

This service is only available to the self employed and businesses with fewer than 5 employees.

The Bulls Head, Leicester Forest West

The Bulls Head Leicester Forest West

The Bulls Head Leicester Forest West

Take a look at what some of my customers have said about my services…

“Paul is a highly skilled professional photographer for all types of stills or video, and we can recommend him.”

Steve Wegerif, Hinckley BID

The Bulls Head, Leicester Forest West

“I worked with Paul on a recent commission and was impressed by his enthusiasm and attention to detail. He took time to understand exactly what we needed and delivered some fantastic quality photography and video for us to use in our marketing. He made everyone feel relaxed and comfortable on the shoot and has great customer service and follow-up.”

Kate Addison, Diabetes UK

I’ve discovered that small businesses need to boost their social media more than ever because they’re 100% reliant on themselves to generate their own work and social media is a solid route to your customers.

The best thing to do is get in touch and we can share ideas.

Business Calendars 2020

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Give your customers a calendar for 2020.

They’ll see how much you care about your customers, be reminded of your company every time they look at, use or turn the page.

They’ll also feel how much you care about your local community.

Click the photograph to go to my online shop and buy a calendar.

Click the photograph to go to my online shop and buy a calendar.

The calendar comes with 12 high quality professional landscape photographs of rural and urban places around Hinckley, Leicestershire.

Hinckley Photographed is a project that I created in 2012 and have built an archive, which I’ve curated some of my favourite pictures from the past 8 years to be used in the first ever calendar for Hinckley.

Printed on 250gsm paper, these calendars have an artistic quality about them that feels expensive.

The days are spaced nicely apart so there’s enough space to write comfortably.

A true work of art.

Click the photograph to go to the online shop and buy a calendar.

Click the photograph to go to the online shop and buy a calendar.

What’s the deal?

I will produce a specific photograph to go on the cover and one that relates to your business. Perhaps one of your business or in your premises and there’s also the possibility of another stunning local landscape but with your business name and logo on the front.

On each page, there’ll be your logo and company details so that each month, your customer is reminded of your company.

Calendars are £10 each with a minimum order of 25.

Orders take up to 3 weeks to design, proof and print.

So let’s get talking about this now!

Click the photograph to go to the online shop and buy a calendar.

Click the photograph to go to the online shop and buy a calendar.

The calendar is available to buy in the current Hinckley Photographed form online in smaller quantities but not personalised to your business. Click on any of the photographs in this blog to go to the online shop.

We’ll need to discuss the artwork for your calendar so contact me asap.

Get in touch with enquiries about producing a personalised calendar for your business.




Restaurant & Public House Photography

Professional Photography Service For Pubs And Restaurants

Case Study: The Bulls Head, Leicester Forest West.

Natural Looking Photographs for Website and Social Media.

Tara & Trish Byrne have recently taken on The Bulls Head Inn Leicester Forest West and wanted to elevate the business to be more successful for them and to create a vibrant place to entertain, feed and water the people of Leicestershire.

The Bulls Head, Leicester Forest West

My brief was to produce a series of natural looking photographs that promote the pub and restaurant as a new venture.

Six seater table in the restaurant

Tara wanted to have a classic feel by using black and white photos on the home page of their new website and when his customers enter the site, they’re met with vibrant colour and a lively set of photographs that invite the customer to experience their hospitality.

Looking through to the bar area from the restaurant

Central lounge bar with wood burning stove

New steak menu arriving

Bar dining area

The power of photographs used in a commercial capacity like the promotion of a pub or restaurant, lies in the fundamentals of human nature; we’re just wired to notice, remember, learn from and respond emotionally to visual imagery.

  • Statistically and on average, people remember only 10% of information three days after hearing it.

  • Adding a photograph can improve recall to 65%

  • On social media, articles with a relevant photograph get 94% more views.

  • Images on social media receive 352% more engagement than a link.

The family friendly garden within a rural setting.

Adventure playground, ideal for keeping the kids occupied

Tara and Trish have used the photographs they commissioned me to create, on their new website and social media. They currently have a recruitment campaign using photography to draw attention to their adverts. This is giving the potential new employees an impression of the business, showing they care and intend to promote, keeping everyone securely in employment.

Check out their website.

It solidifies trust in your business when you invest in the image.

Get in touch with me to request a quote.

The Bulls Head terrace at night

The Bulls Head, A47, Leicester Forest West

The Bulls Head, Leicester Forest West rural setting, public house and restaurant

Professional Photographic Service

  • Ideas consultation

  • Pre-production planning

  • Photography creation

  • Post production

  • Delivery

  • After care

Upgrades are available:

  • Documentary filmmaking

  • Promotional video

  • Social media promotion / support & marketing

Please ask about my additional services.

Landscape Photography Workshop - Hollycroft Park

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Autumn Photography Workshop in Hollycroft Park, Hinckley

Join a like minded group of beginner photography enthusiasts to learn how to improve your photography skills.

On this workshop you’ll learn the following:

  • How to set up your camera for landscape photography

  • How to design a frame and use professional compositional techniques

  • How to study the light and create form in your pictures

  • What to photograph and how to identify a good picture before you look through your viewfinder

  • You’ll learn how to adjust the settings on your camera to go with the flow and be more natural making photographs

  • You’ll learn this on a nice Sunday evening in September during Autumn and be with a group of like minded people.

All you will need:

Clothes, shoes, digital camera, a tripod (if you have one) and a love for nature.

You can find more information and book one of the limited places using this link.

If you can’t make this date, sign up for news to your email inbox about up coming workshops.