Photos

THE SHOOT

I ensure that the subjects are happy, willing and well-informed at every stage of the process – and leave feeling good about the session.

I’m always mindful that graphic designers love images with space; sections of images on which text or graphics can be placed. 

Designers also love a range of landscape and portrait formats for a variety of potential web and hard-copy uses (eg. horizontal webpage straps or portrait format report covers.

As a former journalist, I’m always happy to grab a few quotes or conduct interviews for case studies if required.

POST-PRODUCTION

I believe in tight editing. That means providing a broad selection of images. It doesn’t mean swamping the client with thousands of mediocre shots.

In terms of retouching, a polish will always improve an image but I work on the basis that a well-exposed image shouldn’t need too much work. Above all, I try to maintain a natural look. There’s nothing worse than an over-Photoshopped image (yuk!)

If the client requires, I caption images in metadata, covering the who, where, what and why.

In terms of format, most clients prefer retouched high-res jpeg files (plus low res duplicates for easy viewing). However, I’m also happy to provide unprocessed RAW files. 

TURN AROUND and DELIVERY 

I pride myself on flexibility, speedy delivery and meeting the needs of the client in terms of turnaround.

Video

SCRIPT WRITING / DEVELOPMENT

My experience as a writer of feature stories for newspapers and magazine was excellent training in shaping a narrative. I pride myself upon communicating complex issues and ideas in an easy-to-digest manner.

INTERVIEWS

My work tends to be all about people and their issues. What they have to say is therefore front and centre in any video. Interviews are central therefore and I’m a stickler for detail when it comes to lighting, background, sound quality (including avoiding extraneous noise) and making the subject feel comfortable and happy.

B-ROLL / CUTAWAYS

B-roll illustrates the narrative and give a sense of place and colour. When it comes to the edit, you can never have enough, so during the shoot I take every opportunity to grab what I can.

GRAPHICS / ANIMATION

Some ideas and processes can be best represented in graphic or animation form.  I employ my graphics/animation skills – or invite  specialist graphic designer or animator colleagues on board - to bring the vision come to life.

TIMELAPSE

Timelapse is a dynamic tool, that helps give a ‘big picture’ feel to a clip and give a visual sense of the passing of time. 

THE EDIT

I’m often asked how long a video should be. The correct answer is not a second longer or shorter than it takes to tell the story. This requires tight editing. A strong rhythm (here music is key) helps propel the narrative and draw the viewer through the story.