Selfie...

I know people like to have a good nosey on Facebook & I appreciate that some people want to know who I am before they even get in touch with me regarding shooting their wedding. I try to be as transparent as possible (hate that phrase but whatever) & encourage anyone to drop me a message via email or social media if you have any questions.

I also encourage a kind 'friend' relationship with my clients. I almost don't like calling people clients. It feels a bit impersonal to me. All my clients are added on my personal Facebook. Why? Because I want to have a nosey too lol. Seriously, when I shoot your wedding I want to know what you have been up to. I want to turn up and not feel like a foreign, strange person who you don't know. I also want you to be able to see that I am just a normal person, like you! Well maybe.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. This is a selfie of me & my wife shot with the x100s whilst on our travels last year. This was taken in the Großer Tiergarten which is a big park in Berlin. Berlin was a really great city to visit. Lots to do & lots to see. This trip was short. We flew to Berlin & then onto Budapest. Both are well worth a visit.

Howard

p.s. Becky is currently 34 weeks pregnant so I am sure you will be seeing more 'personal' blogs coming soon, including baby Smith.

Document your life...

Random I know! This photo of my Mum's cat 'Mittens' is part of an ongoing 'shadows' project that I am doing. I am collating a series of images with shadows & reflections. Simple but hopefully when all the images are together they will be effective.

Pet photos have to be up there with selfies as the most popular images on social media. Why do we love photography our pets so much? Well apart from the fact that they look cute I think it has something to do with fact that they are oblivious to us photographing them. They simply don't know what you are doing so sit there happy, like perfect models. 

Why is it that nowadays we (humans) are not the same. You would think that by now we would be accustomed to having our photo take. It often seems like such a big deal. People are embarrassed or put off by having a photo taken of them. It's a shame, I feel that life should be documented with photos. When we are all old we should want to show the younger generations about our day. I know I want to. I want to document my life through photos. I want to be able to show my children & grandchildren what we looked like when we were younger & the things we did. Even the little things over the years will come together to make a great story.

With the development of small compact digital cameras (like the X camera's that Fujifilm are putting out) it has never been easier to get documenting. I mean come on, you have a camera on your phone right? The cameras on phones now are good too! Maybe not great in low light but they still take a photo. Get shooting, even the small things & save them in a dropbox folder or something. Start with photos of your pet. Experiment with lighting. Every year edit down the number of photos, keeping your favourite. Keep doing this & eventually you will have a great story to share. This is documentary photography, anyone can do it, why not?

Howard

 

Photoboxes are finally here!

I am really excited to be able to share this post. These photo boxes have been a long time coming but they are finally here! They arrived a few weeks ago from the USA & are literally amazing. I delivered my first box of the year to Jane & Mark a few weeks ago & the feedback so far is that they LOVE it. 

There is a choice of two finishes, Copper & Silver. Both are just as nice as each other. We have a more retro style house, a lot of wood, kind of mid century looking. I originally thought that we would want a Copper box in our house, but after taking photos of both the Copper & Silver boxes today I cant make my mind up. If I had to make a sweeping statement I would say if you like ‘vintage’ or ‘retro’ & your homes decor reflects this go for the Copper. If your home is more modern maybe then Silver is more your thing. I don't know! Anyway you get my point, Copper & Silver…

Forget the wedding album! Cute vintage photobox by Howard's Photo
Forget the wedding album! Cute vintage photobox by Howard's Photo

For inside the box I select 100 of your best photos & have them printed at a local lab in Birmingham. I only choose the best photographic paper for prints & that's not just a sales pitch, the expensive papers really do make a difference. They are sharper and the colour reproduction is more accurate. Not only that but they will also last for a LONG time. High quality archivable paper like this should last for ever.

The photos are wrapped in hand dyed Silk Ribbon, tied by my wife (I really suck at it lol). The ribbon isn't just for looks either. It’s there for you to lift the photos out with.

I am really excited about this year of wedding’s, not only for the weddings but also because I can’t wait to make more of these photo boxes up. I already have clients that are almost as excited to receive their box as they are to actually have their wedding! 

I am charging £130 per box which in my opinion is really reasonable. I am not trying to make a big profit on these boxes. I would rather sell them cheap & have all my brides have a box in their home. Lets be honest now, these boxes are so cute, every guests that comes into your home is going to see these boxes & fall in love with them. So I don’t mind the free ‘publicity’ (wink wink).

Forget the wedding album! Cute vintage photobox by Howard's Photo

I hope you have enjoyed reading & looking at these lovely boxes. I wish all my couples would have one. I am passionate about prints & this is the perfect way to keep prints. So much so that I have removed the photo albums off my prices page. I like albums too, but with the extra work I am going to be taking on soon (baby Smith) I just don’t have the time & they are just too expensive.

Howard