2012 Year in Review

Thank you to all of my family, friends, clients for making 2012 such an amazing time. It has been a great year and I am excited to update everyone on the happenings of 2012.

 

I began the year on assignment in Barcelona with Episode Fashion Management, shooting a campaign for CEO Charles McDonald. It was a wonderful opportunity to explore the sites and make new friends in the cities creative circle.  I was also lucky to bring in the New Year in Barcelona celebrating in the famous Las Ramblas. I will be  returning to Spain at the end of January this coming year and look forward to the photoshoots and site seeing I have planned.

 

 

Upon my return from Spain I embarked on one of the most challenging assignments of my photographic career, being commissioned by Princes Foods to shoot over 4000 items of Product Photography. It sounds simple, but the assignment required all the products to be shoot in unique compositions. The task took over a month to collate and complete, but the results looked stunning, and since the assignment I have gained a great deal of product photography clients. Now being able to offer a 24 hour turnaround in most cases. 

 

Nikki Belle Photoshoot

With the completion of my Princes assignments I was able to dedicate some time to other projects being commissioned to shoot singer Nikki BelleAnd with the help of Stylist Rikki Finlay and Makeup Artist Nita Malata. I planned several fashion and beauty tests in the spring to update my portfolio. Working particularly with Oxygen Models in London and shooting mainly male models as my book was lacking in this area.

2012 Testing

2012 Testing

Testing is a very costly business but it is essential for professional photographers to test, so new ideas and ways of working can be explored. This in turn can improve your portfolio and show to your clients your skills and talent.

 

2012 has been the 10th year of my professional photography career and I have enjoyed being commissioned to shoot a wide variety of projects. I continue to offer Model Portfolio & Actors Headshot Services and throughout the year, have worked with dozens of new and established actors and models to start or update their head shots & portfolios.

 

It has been very rewarding to help new models and actors to find their way into the industry through my photography and many have gone on to gain work through some of the UK’s top Agencies. One of the highlights of 2012 has been a shoot with Coronation Street actress Holly Quin Ankrah.

 

Keeping Abreast 2012 Exhibition

2012 was the year I  decided to hold my first exhibition (Keeping Abreast) hosted by the Bluecoat Gallery in Liverpool. I invited my friends, family and clients to view my work, and opened the exhibition to the public. I really enjoyed speaking with clients and members of the public about my photography, gaining new opinions and feedback.

 

If you missed the exhibition you can view the highlights in the video below. The event raised £400 for Macmillan Cancer Support and I thank everyone who donated. I will be holding another exhibition in 2013 so pleased keep subscribe to my feed for more news on the event.

 

 

One of the areas I specialise in as a photographer is Hair & Beauty Photography and every year I gain a great deal of Hair Salon Commissions from Salon’s looking to update their marketing material and styling books and enter the Wella and L’Oreal competitions. This year I was delighted to work work with, Vidal Sassoon, Pierre Alexandre, Beauty Works, Love the Salon and L’Oreal to name a few. Creating some wonderful photography and Marketing Material.  

 

Hair & Beauty 2012

 

When a photographer and model are on the same wavelength great things happen. This has occurs often in my hair  & beauty portraiture photography. The capturing of a perfect portrait moment a split second when the model and photographer connect is a rewarding experience.

 

2012 is also the year I turned 30, and to mark the event, I decided to treat myself, starting with a dual city break in London and Paris. It was in Paris I proposed to my now fiancé Alexandra. We had a wonderful time in both London & Paris exploring the cities sites and taking in the Parisian Culture. You can check out my city break snaps on My Blog.

 

Returning from Paris,  I arranged another birthday treat purchasing tickets to Star Trek London. Being a Closet Trekkie, I took the opportunity to see all the Five Captains on stage and meet actors William Shatner, David Warner, Michael Dorn, Andrew Robinson and Avery Brooks having my photos taken with several of the actors.

Rory Lewis Photographer & William Shatner

After pretty much a four week birthday celebration of trips and indulgence I returned to work, receiving several assignments, from photographing Pasta to Electronic Cigarettes . I was also commissioned by sports online retailer Kit Bag  to shoot footballer Robbie Savage for a Festive Christmas Marketing Campaign.

 

Robbie Savage for Kitbags

 

Throughout 2012 I expanded my Photography School holding one day and weekend courses in areas from Portraiture to Fashion photography, and it has been wonderful to pass on skills and knowledge to both professional and amateur photographers. In 2013, I will be continuing to offer Photography Courses and One on One Tuition sessions throughout the year so please check out 2013 Timetable.

 

All in All 2012 has been a very exciting year, and I look forward to seeing what 2013 has in store, I have taken a little break over the festive period to relax my creative juices and look forward to returning to work in January with many new projects on the horizon. 

 

Happy New Year!!


Crosse & Blackwell Product Photography

Over the past few weeks I have been shooting a great deal of product photography for various clients, and most recently a campaign for Crosse & Blackwell.

As a professional photographer I understand the importance of focusing on the details while conveying the subtleties and textures of a products materials. Following a specific client brief  I created some wonderful range shots for Crosse & Blackwell’s Marketing and PR Campaign.

If you are looking for product photography please check out my Product Photography Page, or for more information please Get In Touch.

Rory Lewis Photographer Product Photography

Rory Lewis Photographer Product Photography

Composition Sketch

Rory Lewis Photographer Product Photography

Rory Lewis Photographer Product Photography

Rory Lewis Photographer Product Photography

Rory Lewis Photographer Product Photography

Composition Sketch

Crosse & Blackwell Campaign

London Trip

This weekend I was in London, for meetings with clients and I took the opportunity to capture some guerrilla photography of my favorite model and other half Sasha, CANDID and FUN I love these shots!

Over the next few weeks I will be in and out of London on shoots and making a trip to Paris. I’m hoping to fit in a few tests in both cities so please email me if you are interested in collaborating. I have some very interesting ideas!

This is England

This year is all about improving my portfolio with several more tests planned throughout 2012. This month I wanted to shot a retro 1980′s Androgynous style photoshoot.

 

Shot on location at Hallam Mill in Manchester the shots really remind me of the Drama TV Series This is England; feeling old I actually remember the 1980s style being born in 1982!

 

Thank you to Oliver and Hannah @Oxygen Models Rikki Finlay Fashion Stylist and Nita Malata Makeup Artist for all their hard work.

 

Rory Lewis Fashion Photographer

Rory Lewis Fashion Photographer

Rory Lewis Fashion Photographer

Rory Lewis Fashion Photographer

Rory Lewis Photographer

Rory Lewis Fashion Photographer

Rory Lewis Fashion Photographer

Rory Lewis Fashion Photographer

Archiving & Spending is well worth it!

This past week has been expensive, not only have I replaced my broken camera with another Nikon D700, but purchased a new laptop and Hard Drives to store my ever growing library of images.

My usual workflow or process of backing up/archiving images is to shoot, upload to my mac, edit the images then burn to DVD. This is a sound method but with one major drawback, piles and piles of DVD’s.

To solve the problem of archiving and to reduce the stacks, I have enlisted the help of Aperture 3. Creating huge Aperture Image Library’s on portable hard drives like my new Western Digital 1TB Studio Passport Drives. The drives are super fast utilising Firewire 800 connections. I can now store a few hundred thousand images and then back up for extra security on my Desktop Western Digital 2TB Book Desktop Drive.

With everything now sorted into Aperture Library’s I can now index my images by date, camera, lenses used and much more, with the ability sync Library’s between my desktop and laptop. Aperture also works in Harmony with Photoshelter and iCloud allowing me to share albums with clients and create very quick proof pages for them to select images. Now feeling more organised I can concentrate extra time on organising photoshoots and marketing rather than the workflow cluttering my desk searching through the stacks of Dvd’s!

Aperture Running From Portable Drive

Whist sorting through my DVD’s I scanned more efficiently through my back catalogue and decided to retouch some archive images. The below photograph was Shoot in London back in 2010 from a punk girl band. I love the energy from this photoshoot, you can check out all the images on my Photoshelter Gallery.

I highly recommend to any photographer to organize their workflow and library’s more efficiently. Especially with an exhibition of my work planned for this year; I am scanning through my back catalogue for the exhibit stay tuned for more info on this in a few weeks.

 (Rory Lewis)

Kay’s Model Portfolio

I often receive emails from aspiring models asking about model portfolio photoshoots. What happens on the day? Does my shoot include hair and makeup? How many changes? What clothes do I need to bring?

I thought It would be helpful if I recorded some small videos on my iPhone in the next few months of models experinces; to help answer some of those questions showing behind the scenes footage and the end results.

Kay booked Portfolio Package 01 (£159.00), 1 hour photoshoot with 2 changes and includes a makeup artist. Kay already a professional model wanted to update her existing model portfolio with some new photography, so package 01 was ideal. The package is also a good choice for those who want to have a model tryout, it is a fun experience and if you feel modelling is for you then It can lead to a rewarding career.

Kay’s Model Portfolio Rory Lewis Photographer

Check out Kay’s model portfolio experience on the video below and if you are interested in modelling and looking for a model portfolio in the Liverpool & Manchester area then please get in touch. You can also view all my packages on my Model Portfolio Page. I will be adding more videos over the next few weeks so please subscribe to my blog for regular updates.

Kay’s Model Portfolio Rory Lewis Photographer

Kay’s Model Portfolio

Summer 2011 Photography Courses Liverpool & Manchester

With the success of my Fine Art Nude Photography Course in Manchester on Saturday. I have added another Fine Art Nude Photography Course date in Liverpool on the 13/08/11.

Throughout the summer & autumn I will be holding courses in Portraiture and Fashion Photography and courses in Fine Art Nude Photography. If you are interested in booking and are looking for more information please take a look at my courses page.

Groups are kept small and tuition is presented in a fun, practical hands on style. This lets you reaffirm the skills taught. You will walk away from your session with skills that will improve your photography.

I also offer one-on-one photography tuition if you are looking to learn specific photography skills or lighting setups. Please email me or call 07539 064 487.

 

New Photography Course Dates Added

Digital photography courses and workshops in Liverpool & Manchester

I offer short intensive digital photography courses and photography workshops which have been developed to cater for all skill levels, from amateur to advanced photographers, covering a range of topics. I keep the group sizes small and use a fun, hands on learning approach for all of my digital photography courses. If you require specific photographic training we also offer one to one photography tuition and group tuition which can be tailored to suit your needs.

With the success of the photography courses I have held this year I have decided to offer more dates and locations so if you are interested in booking or looking for more information please visit my course page.

Dates 2011

Beginners DSLR Photography Course

Click Here for Timetable &  Information

Manchester Abode Hotel 27/08/2011
Liverpool Livewire Studios 03/09/2011

Course Cost £79

Portraiture Photography Courses

Click Here for Timetable &  Information

Intermediate Course Liverpool Livewire Studios 05/08/2011 SOLD OUT Read Course Feedback
Intermediate Course Liverpool Livewire Studios 20/08/2011
Intermediate Course Machester Malmaison Hotel 17/09/2011
Intermediate Course Manchester Malmaison Hotel 25/09/2011

Advanced Course Liverpool Livewire Studios 01/10/2011
Advanced Course Liverpool Livewire Studios 08/10/2011
Advanced Course Machester Malmaison Hotel 15/10/2011
Advanced Course Manchester Malmaison Hotel 22/10/2011

Course Cost £79

Fine Art Nude Photography Courses

Click Here for Timetable &  Information

Manchester Abode Hotel 09/07/2011 SOLD OUT Read Course Feedback
Liverpool Livewire Studios 13/08/2011
Manchester Malmaison Hotel 21/08/2011
Liverpool Livewire Studios 11/09/2011
Manchester Malmaison Hotel 05/11/2011

Course Cost £89

Fashion Photography Courses

Click Here for Timetable &  Information

Manchester Abode Hotel 04/11/2011
Liverpool Livewire Studios 12/11/2011
Manchester Malmaison Hotel 19/11/2011
Liverpool Livewire Studios 26/11/2011
Manchester Malmaison Hotel 03/12/2011

Course Cost £89

email rorylewis@me.com or call +44 07539 064 487 to book

Do you shoot male model portfolios?

This week I received an email I have received on several occasions from different people asking the same question; do you shoot male model portfolios?

The answer to this is yes; indeed I do. Over the years I have worked with many male models in fashion and commercial campaigns, and shot a great deal of male model portfolios for model agencies throughout the UK.

Based in Liverpool My packages are affordable and I can create a number of looks for male models just starting their portfolio; or produce new and fresh portfolio images for those male models who are established.

With the use of studios in Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow and London I can cover the UK as a whole and have a great team of Makeup Artists and Stylists. I can also help point you in the right direction with model agencies, how apply for and how to go about it.

If you would like to hear more about my male model portfolio packages please contact me.

Rory Lewis Male Model Portfolios Liverpool

Rory Lewis Male Model Portfolios

Rory Lewis Male Model Portfolios Liverpool

Rory Lewis Male Model Portfolios Liverpool

Rory Lewis Male Model Portfolios Liverpool

Rory Lewis Male Model Portfolios Liverpool

Rory Lewis Male Model Portfolios Liverpool