Time to play

The Christmas week is always a quiet time and after I have polished off the remnants of the turkey - I soon get bored. I took the opportunity, as a hardened Nikon user, to play with the Canon 5D mk2. After the usual first hour or so of trying to find all the right levers and knobs, I ventured out. Below are the results I achieved after the first couple of  hours play :)

It was an interesting experience and I liked the feel of the camera and in particular the quality of the glass (Canon 24-105mm F4) but the results of the chip left me a little disappointed. I found the images to clinical and precise in feel (for me) and I have to say the Nikon chips render a more film like image - which is my preference. Over the next couple of days, I intend to have a play with the camera under studio conditions and examine how reacts in a typical portrait scenario.

Have a 'Happy and Prosperous New Year'

Richard
www.richardsouthall.co.uk
www.emphasis.biz

All images copyright - Richard Southall

I want to become a professional photographer! (pt 1)

This a cry I often hear from keen and enthusiastic new-comers to the profession. While I welcome all new entrants to the profession, I do offer a few words of caution as people tend to confuse their passion with 'hard headed' business decisions. A wrong mistake (or two) could cost you dearly and severely dampen the love you have for this subject.

Up to about 20 years ago, there was almost a structured career path that most pros could follow to achieve their career objectives. This usually started, as in my case with several years at college/uni, followed by a couple of years assisting several photographers prior to making the final jump. This route proved extremely effective and led to the creation of several generations of prominent photographers. The balance of structured study (key-skills and  technical theory) followed by several years of assisting (intense problem solving) led to well prepared, and industry focused new snappers. But with the demise of the larger studios and reduction of budgets, the assisting element has gradually diminished (particularly outside London).

In many ways the loss of assisting experience has greatly impacted on the industry, with a lot of the lighting and technical knowledge not now being passed on to the newer generations. Also with the gradual loss of assisting experience - awareness of the industry and its networking opportunities, are no longer so readily available.

For all newcomers, there are a serious of profound choices to be made and these can be critical to their success. Do you still consider education as option or do attempt to enter the industry directly using your existing knowledge base and self-directed professional development (strong motivation is essential for this course)?

Structured education still has a lot of value but careful research and selection of courses will reap you the greatest return. The cost of education, over the last 3 years, has risen tremendously, and the majority of 2012 entry courses will cost £9,000 per annum. Things you should consider, as well as the structure of the course, are:

  - is the course actually about commercial/advertising photography?
  - what links does the course have to industry?
  - what have ex-students achieved over the last 10 years?
  - who are the tutors on the course - are they still practicing pros  (there is no point being taught by
    an academic who has never worked in a commercial studio)?
  - does the course have a business studies element (teach Beyond the lens)?
  - is the course affiliated/validated to/by any major professional organisations (BIPP/AOP)?
  - have you visited their 'end of year shows' and do you rate the images produced?
  - have you spoken to any current students on your visit to the academic establishment (they will
    soon tell you if it is 'any cop')?

Successful completion of a course, which meets the aforementioned criteria, is no guarantee of success but it will at least assist you in the process. For those who really want work as a full-time practitioner in this field, the qualification itself is not worth the paper it is written on but the time (3 years usually) invested in the course is priceless. In those years, you should produce the basic structure of your working folio which will enable you to attract commissions. This folio should contain 12-15 images which should shout out to potential customers who you are and what you can achieve for them. The folio should really contain no coursework produced images but rather the self-initiated ones which really truly reflect your abilities and creative thinking. Coursework based folios tend to suffer from a 'repetitive look' which reflects the universal nature of course assignments regardless of where the student has studied.

I was always perplexed as a tutor as to why students are so reticent about shooting images - surely if your on a photography course, you should have no excuse to distract you from your principle passion but most students only seemed capable of producing  images for their assignments (and for many this a struggle). Your time at study is a golden opportunity which you will not happen again - free access to studio space and equipment and more importantly, time to play. Please, if you decided on this route, use every opportunity that is given to you (it won't happen again).

I have previously mentioned assisting, so I will dwell too much further on it. But I would like to state again I feel it is an extremely valuable resource for a young (be experience not age) photographer. You will learn more in a week with a good snapper than you learn in 3 years at an academic establishment (provided you already have a good understanding of the key skills). There are few assisting opportunities out there so persistence is key to success.  Draw up a list of the top 20 photographers you want to work for and then contact them (starting at the one you want most). Don't email/write to them - photographers are illiterate for the most part (apart from reading bank statements and checking customers cheques) and they won't respond. You need to ring them and then keep ringing them. Eventually they we will agree to see you or get a restraining order against you. Persistence will pay off but it takes perseverance -  most give up after the first batch of emails. Remember 90% of commercial photographers were assistants themselves, so they know exactly what you are going through.

Also speak to the AOP, as they readily support assistants in their career development and their transience to working as a pro. Photoassist is another useful resource.

For those who are now ready to 'make the jump' - you really need to put your 'business head' on and put your heart away. You have to be brutally honest with yourself because this industry is a great leveller. You firstly need to consider how motivated you are to becoming a photographer. Do YOU have a firm faith in your creative abilities and a good grounding in technical skills and common-sense (only YOU can answer this).

You really need to live, eat and sleep this as otherwise it won't work. You will need to dedicate every waking hour to this for at least the next 5 years and you'll need that 'itch' to push you through the hard times. Also I cannot stress the impact it will have on your family life - photography is a cruel mistress and there are plenty of ex-photography partners and bitter 'photography widows/ers' who will regale you with stories of cancelled holidays, essential camera buys and missed family events.

If you are still convinced this is the way forward for you, then you will start to have looking at the   following:

  - business plan
  - marketing strategies
  - Copyright/Usage 
  - USP
  - finance
  - folio/book
  - resources

These I will cover in my next 'rant'. Have a great Christmas :)

Richard
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk

Weekend Warriors - Destroying the Photography Industry?

Over the last couple of days, I have read several indignant pieces in the trade press and on-line forums by the so-called 'weekend-warriors'. These are part-time photographers who make an additional income by charging for their photographic services usually through weddings and social photography. Their anger has been stirred by a few professional photographers who have dared to raise the issue of regulating the industry.

It is something I have long toyed over but have been reticent to make a firm decision one way or the other. But after reading a letter by Stuart Taylor in the December issue of Professional Photographer, I feel I must respond. Yes the industry must be regulated! We have failed to regulate ourselves successfully and we are paying the costs in a catastrophic way!

I welcome competition from any newcomer to the industry and I feel potentially that both clients and myself benefit from the fresh challenges and new creative bars, which are raised,  by their entry. However, I want a level playing field and so do my compatriots. Over the last 10 years, photography has become far more accessible and affordable to new entrants and there is a perception (spread by some magazine editors of photo mags) that there are easy pickings to be made.

Stuart Taylor, in his rant against regulation and professional photographers, hit the nail on the head - "he often produces images of professional quality"- I am sorry but you need to produce professional quality images and service all of the time, not when you feel like it or capable of it. The most important word in professional photography is 'Consistency'. Clients don't mind if you consistently brilliant, good or average, as long as they know what they are going to get - they don't like nasty surprises. He then goes on to talk about buying expensive glass- any Muppet can do that as long as their bank manager bank-rolls them to do it. What I want is that these 'weekend-warriors' are bound to the same restraints and costs that we professional photographers are.

The things I would like to see through regulation are:

- They have Public Liability Insurance
- They have Professional Indemnity Insurance
- Provide Employers  Liability Insurance to anyone who helps them undertake a commission (2nd photographer/assistant)
- They are registered and declared their part-time earnings to the Inland Revenue
- Are they paying type 3/4 national insurance contributions
- Registered for VAT if their earnings are above the threshold
- Have they notified their car insurers of the secondary occupation
- Have they notified their landlords/mortgage company/council that part of their abode is being used for a part-time business and that they are complying and paying the additional monies due.
- Have given guarantees to their clients about safe, long term data storage solutions of their commissioned images
- Produced and provided COSHH risk assessments of how they work safely and their affect on others in a public environment.
- Have the requisite health and safety equipment if required
- Have all their electrical equipment (lighting, chargers, computers etc.) annually PAT tested
- Stated policy on copyright and licencing of images produced
- Regular Enhanced CRB checks (would you want anyone near your young children without one?)

If they complied with the above, I will happily compete against them. Please note, I have not asked for any regulation of creative input! I know that I am more than competent in this area to compete successfully. What I am tired of, is of people saying that these idiots will soon go out of business and you won't have to worry about them. The trouble is that they are only replaced by more. I feel it is about time the professional trade organisations stood up and stated what they expected what as minimum core standard of a professional (part-time or otherwise), seek the appropriate legislation and then seek to  monitor/certify/enforce that all practitioners comply. My God, even gas fitters, accountants and solicitors have achieved this!

I certainly can't image members of the public objecting to knowing that they are hiring a responsible, licenced and insured photographer. And I would happily pay a couple of thousand to prove I met these standards (if meant the idiots were driven out of the industry once and for all).

So Mr Taylor and Professional Photographer magazine, if you do read this, please take these comments on board - all we hardened and bitter Pros want is a level playing field (Please come back Grant Scott - the magazine has really taken a real nose dive since you left).

Richard
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk

That's outrageous! Photographers shouldn't charge that much.....

So why does it cost so much to hire a 'professional photographer'?Are we making loads of money and deliberately thrusting outrageous charges on unsuspecting clients and individuals? Even fellow colleagues, in the creative industries, seem to have little understanding of our costs and out-goings. So I have decided to shed some light a little on our industry and hopefully make potential customers a little more understanding.

The average income in the creative industries (excluding photographers) in 2009 was £30,550.
Average Photography related  income (2009) - £24,150
Average freelance photographer income (2009) - £18,821
29% of freelancers made a profit (before drawings) of between £1-10K
16% of freelancers made no profit (before drawings)

The initial figures for 2011 look even bleaker with the average photographers salary now hovering around £12,500 (source - Salary Tracker).


Now please remember the average salaried wage in the country is £23,244 per year. So why do photographers appear to earn so little yet are charging day rates of between £400 to £2k a day? The simple fact are our costs, which have risen exponentially over the last ten years. A couple of years ago, with a fellow colleague Nick Goode,  we looked at the typical costs of running a photographic business outside of London, both as a studio facility and freelancer working from home and from those figures deduced the day rates that should be charged:

Studio Photographer	Per Year
Rent on 700 sq ft studio and ancillary offices	16,000
Rates	2,400
Electricity	800
Water	400
New Equipment purchase, replacement of old etc	5,000
Stationery and postage	500
Portfolio and advertising	3,500
Insurance – Studio and equipment	1,200
Pension Fund	2,700
Burglar Alarm maintenance	250
Air Conditioner	200
Redecoration of studio	500
Telephone and answering service	2,100
Two staff: assistant and secretary/stylist	24,000
Staff meals, including clients	3,000
Car leasing and insurance	4,800
Petrol and servicing	3,000
Foreign location travel insurances	400
Cabs and messenger service	2,000
Parking tickets	200
Carnets	80
Initial Towel laundry service	240
Account’s fees an other services	1,200
Bank charges on average balance of £20,000 expenses owed by clients	3,000
Total	69,600
Typical Working days per year (2009): 150 Amount needed to be earned per day	464

 

A studio photographer would typical have set-up/equipment costs of £37,750 which would include cameras, lighting, kitchen, sound system, office equipment, software, tools, backgrounds, sundry props, burglar alarm, data storage and phone system.

 

Location Photographer	Per year
Part-time assistant	4,000
Rates	1,000
Electricity	600
New equipment and replacement of old	4,500
Stationery and postage	500
Advertising and portfolio	3,500
Insurance – equipment and public liability etc	750
Telephone & answering service	1,800
Part time secretarial assistance (wife/partner)	6,000
Vehicle Leasing	4,800
Petrol and servicing for 28,000 miles p.a.	3,500
Travel insurance for foreign locations etc	600
Cabs and courier service	900
Parking tickets	250
Carnets. Visas etc,	400
Accountants fees etc	900
Total	34,000
Typical Working days per year (2009): 150 Expenses per day worked	226

A location/freelance photographer would typically have set-up costs of £32,250 which would include cameras, lighting, office equipment, software, tools, sundry props and security systems.


Now we have our base figures of £464 (studio photographer) and £226 (location photographer), we must consider how much they should earn in the way of drawings from their business. Given that the majority of real photographers have undertaken a substantial amount of training prior to their commencement of practicing (3-5 years at college/uni followed by 2/3 years as an assistant), it would not be unreasonable for them to expect to at least earn the average wage.

So lets divide £23,244 by 150 (typical amount of days worked/chargeable in 2009) = £154.96

If we now add this to our existing figures we get:

Studio Photographer - £464 + £154 = £618 (must earn in gross profit per day)
Location Photographer - £226 + £154 = £380 (must earn in gross profit per day)

So as you can see, the photographer is left no real options but to charge a realistic rate to cover his out-goings and also survive. The other thing that should be noted is that the amount of days chargeable, since 2009, has been greatly reduced - and is now around 75 days per year (1.5 days a week).

So when you are berating your photographer and trying to beat his costs down further, please try to be a little more understanding :)


Yours,

Richard
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk

Ps
All figures for photographers' costings were produced in 2009, most costs have risen between 15-75% since this exercise was undertaken. A range of 15 photographers were used to compile this info - from industrial to portrait/social photographers. Industry figures - Skillset 2009

'I can't afford a professional photographer' - are clients lying to themselves?

Over the last few days, I have had some quite interesting and poignant conversations with several fellow professional photographers. These guys are specialists within their own fields whether it be fashion, cars, PR or architectural (me) but we have all been confronted recently by potentially new clients with the same cry 'we can't afford that? or 'it's just a photo - anyone can do that!'

It got thinking about how the industry and how clients perceive us has changed over the last 20 years. Also the ways in which our images are used and utilised by our clients. I think, until about 10 years ago, we were regarded as a vital link in the chain for a client to communicate their new service or product to market but this perception seems to have been somehow eroded by the introduction of digital imaging and web2.0.

I hear the arguments about photography has now become 'easier' with acceptable technical result produced by most compact cameras but nowhere recently do I hear about  the creative input of the photographer. With the growth of the digital economy, I have seen the decline of the traditional areas where my imaging has been used - brochures, ads,  journals, data sheets etc. But this has more compensated for with the growth on-line publishing and advertising. Now it is comparatively easy to distribute and view images of new products and services.

Which leads me to the point I began with, surely since people can easily access your relevant marketing materials (websites etc) or those of your competitors, surely having the best images on-line would give you the edge over your competitor and which will hopefully enable you to win that potential enquiry. Lets face it, we have all done it, once we have 'googled' a specific requirement and looked at a couple of result sites, we have nearly always have decided on a potential supplier before even speaking to them.

So why skimp on decent images that sell your service - what is this going to say to a potential client who is considering spending £2-3million or more on a project with you (either your poor pics will say your products or services are 'crap' or I don't really care how you perceive me as I don't care myself). So when you are considering spending £500/600 on servicing your BMW/Audi etc or installing new plotted plants around the office at £1000, could this money have been better spent on how people perceive you.

As one of my colleagues put it, he had been replaced by the 16yr old daughter of the chairman of major company who had bought her a £600 camera for Xmas. The chairman then couldn't understand the negative reaction of American multi-national who viewed the resulting catalogue/website and their subsequent withdrawl of their  custom.

So please think long and hard about how you want people to perceive you before selecting/commissioning the images you want to use - it could be a very dangerous false economy if you make the wrong choice..............

Richard
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk

Genting Club - Derby

Images from this week's shoot at the  new Genting Casino concept venue, in Derby. Many thanks to all the the staff, in particular Nikki, who made this a really enjoyable shoot.

All images copyright - Richard Southall

Richard
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk

Calumet - Architectural Photography Seminar Nov 11

This week was the last of my architectural photography seminars for Calumet this year. The session took place at Regent Place, London - 400 yards from the Drummond Street Branch. It was cold frosty morning and luckily for all involved, the early morning mist cleared very quickly.

Over the course of  4 hours, the attendees were introduced to shift/pc lenses, the importance of colour management at image capture, attention to detail in their composition and working safely in a public environment.

A big thanks to all those who attended and made it such an enjoyable session and also to the guys at Land Securities who make these events possible :)

The next set of my Calumet location seminars start in January and info for their booking and locations can be found at:

www.calumetseminars.co.uk

Richard
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk

Hedkandi - Brighton

Images from this week's shoot at Hedkandi - Brighton

All images copyright - Richard Southall

Richard
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk

F2 Freelance Photographer Feature

Last month, I was delighted to be asked to be interviewed by F2 magazine who wanted to produce an article about how I started and subsequently developed my career. Below are the results of that conversation:

Photographs Copyright - Richard Southall
Text Copyright - F2 Magazine

The November issue of F2 magazine is out now :)


Richard
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk

Birmingham Forward Photo Competition - the saga continues...

For any of those who read my blog posting of 28th October, will enjoy the following the following email exhange:

Dear Sir/Madam,
Thank you for your prompt response. I think you missed the point of my letter completely – I realise this competition is not aimed at professional photographers but rather amateurs who have a passion for capturing images of the city they love. My point was that the terms and conditions you are imposing upon these entrants can at best be described as exploitative, worst plain theft.

It is admirable that your department wishes to prompt photography in this city through the use of a competition but remember all creative arts (regardless of who is the artist) have a price. If you wish to use a winning picture for a subsequent advertising/promotional campaign – please pay the artist the going rate! This competition is being construed by many as a cynical attempt by your department to get ‘images on the cheap’. If this is the case, and you want to pay peanuts, I suggest you buy some disposable cameras and ask the chimps at Dudley to help you out in your marketing endeavours.

So please rethink this one, especially if you want the creative talent of this city to support you in your much lauded ‘Creative City ‘ project.

Yours faithfully,


Richard Southall

On 02/11/2011 17:11, "Forward@birmingham.gov.uk" <Forward@birmingham.gov.uk> wrote:

Dear Richard

Many thanks for you email which detailed your concerns about the ‘Send us your photos of Brum’ feature in the latest issue of Forward.

The feature is aimed at amateur photographers and local residents who live and work in the city. It is not a feature aimed at professional photographers who make a living from selling their images. There are no plans to use the photos in any other publication and would not be used for any commercial ventures.  The photos will be included for limited use in Forward and on Birmingham City Council’s website as part of the publication.

This initiative is designed to engage with local people and not to seek copyright ownership of people’s personal photos. However, we accept that this may not be clear and we will revisit the wording of the terms and conditions to clarify this.

If anyone contacts the Forward publications team – whether external or internal to the council – to ask to use any of the photos that are published, contact would be made with the photographer first to ask their permission – as is Forward's current practice.

Many thanks again for bringing this to our attention. If you have any other comments or suggestions, please don’t hesitate to keep in touch.

Best regards,

Forward editorial team


Dear Sir/Madam

Re: Photography Competition - Autumn 2011
Last night I was forwarded a link to your photography competition by a
fellow Birmingham photographer. Upon reading your terms and conditions for the competition, I was truly shocked and appalled.

Given that Birmingham City Council is at present trying to promote this
wonderful city as a creative hub for designers and image makers, this
unwarranted and shameful act of rights grabbing should be condemned.
Professional image makers in this city have been hit harder than most by the recession and have had to fight relentless to protect their intellectual property rights from the unscrupulous who constantly seek to steal and abuse our creative endeavours either through the web or various print outlets but for the Council to seemingly endorse this, it is hard to bear.

If the images are to be used in commercial context, then please pay the
going rate! regardless of whether the image is produced by a commercial or amateur image maker. If you need guidance upon the rate to pay, please ask BAPLA for assistance, they would be delighted to help.

I can only presume this is a misunderstanding upon your part as I cannot
image that you would advocate theft of goods from a local corner shop or
your a department store in the Bull Ring. This is the same thing - please give us image makers the respect we deserve (we are the largest creativeindustry in the West Midlands - 9500 employed in the photo industries Skillset figure 2011).

I look forward to hearing from you in due course, however needless to say I shall be forwarding this letter to various trade journals and professional organisations for their comments.

Yours faithfully,


Richard Southall

Work-flow Seminar - Birmingham

Wednesday night saw me delivering a work-flow seminar to the Institute of Medical Illustrators in Birmingham. The seminar look at the effective use of production work-flow techniques and time management issues in a photographic workplace.  It was nice informal affair with a good Q&A session at the end. Many thanks to Simon Glazebrook and Steve Hearn to help organise this event.

Richard
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk

'Birmingham Creative City Initiatives' - has someone told Birmingham Council?

I was rather shocked today to receive a link from another photographer to the new photography competition by Birmingham City Council.

The terms and conditions for the competition truly shocked me - given that the Council has recently started a major initiative to promote the creative industries in Birmingham. This, at best, resembles a moral equivalent of looting where young, vulnerable talent are abused  by an organisation who should know a lot better. They should remember that the creative community in Birmingham has suffered severely from this recession but is still expected to meet all it's financial commitments (rates bills/community charge), yet you now expect us to give you the food from our own table as well.

Having spoken to several other professional already today, it is difficult to quantify our outrage at this behaviour. All image makers should be rewarded for their creative efforts regardless of being professional or amateur and where that picture usage could be construed as commercial - due and fair  payment should be made.

So please can the councillors at Birmingham please have a major rethink on this one!! Remember 9,500 people in the West Midlands conurbation are employed in photo imaging (Skillset figures 2011) and this is no way to treat them!

Richard
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk

New Photography Courses in Birmingham

I have just finished finalising the next set of Photography Courses with Calumet Photographic which are to be run in Birmingham over the next 4 months. For more details on the courses please click on the course title or contact either Calumet Birmingham or myself.

Night Photography  (Painting with Light) - Thurs 3rd Nov

Student Photography Seminar (What they DON"T teach you at College) - Wed 9th Nov

Urban Landscapes  - Sat 12th Nov

Shooting Interiors (Masterclass) - Sat 19th Nov

Successful Lighting on Location with Speedlites - 26th Nov

Night Photography at German Market - 15th Dec

Introduction to Architectural Photography - Sat 7th Jan

Introduction to Urban Landscapes - Sat 14th Jan

Introduction to Night Photography - Wed 17th Jan

Studio and Portrait Lighting with model - Sat 21st Jan

So how do I make money from this? - Wed 25th Jan

Urban Landscapes (Advanced) - Sat 28th Jan

Shooting Interiors (Masterclass) - Wed 8th Feb

Successful lighting on location using Speedlites - Sat 11th Feb

Starting Photography - 18th Feb

Digital Workflow (the basics) - 22nd Feb

If you have any suggestions or wants for new courses, I will be delighted to hear from you.

Richard
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk

Recent Projects

Hilton Olympia - London

Palm Beach Casino - Mayfair

The Escape - Hilton Hotels

A few images from recent shoots

All images copyrighted - Richard Southall

Richard
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk

A house with 'Grand Designs'

This month, I was fortunate to photograph the new house of Ian Hogarth & Claire Farrow (Hogarth Architects. This project has been a long time in the planning and build stage so I was thrilled to see the final results.

It was a delight to shoot this one and I hope Ian and Claire get years of pleasure from their new home. The trials and tribulations of this build can be seen on Grand Designs (Channel 4) this week on Wed 26th.

All images copyright - Richard Southall

Richard Southall
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk

'Smethwick' Exhibition - Private View

Friday night proved to a great success! Many thanks to all those attended and their kind comments, it was greatly appreciated. Also, many thanks to the guys at Calumet (especially Peter Hodgson) who have supported this project since its inception.
The show will be on for another 3 weeks at Calumet, Birmingham and can be viewed Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and Sat 10am - 4pm.

Richard Southall
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk

Final preparations for the exhibition

The exhibition is almost ready after 2 hard days of mount cutting, framing and hanging. Just the final push now and it will be done :)

Richard
www.richardsouthall.co.uk
www.emphasis.biz

Test Shots of Smethwick

Several test shots of Smethwick at night for a potential short project.

All images copyright - Richard Southall

Hope you enjoy :)

Richard
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk

Hilton Olympia, London - Restaurant Shoot

Some images from a recent shoot at the Hilton Olympia of the recently completed restaurant and bar areas.

All images:  Copyright - Richard Southall

Yours

Richard
www.emphasis.biz
www.richardsouthall.co.uk

Birmingham Loves Photographers - Meet 22/09/11

Really enjoyed last night's meet-up of 'Birmingham Loves Photographers' group at 6/8 Kafe, Temple St. We had a really turn out for my short talk on Urban Landscape  Photography and I do apologise to those who did attend, if I went on a little too much about my passion for Minor White's photography (peeling paint images).

If you haven't already attended a meeting, please do attend, they extremely friendly and the cake is always excellent :)

For more details: http://birminghamphotographers.tumblr.com/

A big thanks to Craig for organising the event.

Yours,

Richard

w: www.richardsouthall.co.uk
w: www.emphasis.biz

New Personal Project - West Bromwich Centre

 

Thesde are the first test images for a new short 6 month project on the redevelopment site in West Bromwich town centre, West Midlands. This area has been neglected by consecutive council leaderships and has been allowed to fall in to severe decline. Only now is there a slim possibility of it's recovery through new inward investment. I hope to capture through subsequent images some of the hope and resilience of the people who live and survive in this once prosperous industrial area.

Richard Southall

w: www.emphasis.biz

w: www.richardsouthall.co.uk