Personal Branding Photography: Capture an Authentic, Standout Professional Image Most people think a personal brand is just a nice headshot. It isn’t. It’s your visual identity—the set of photos that tells your story before you’ve even said “Hi”. What actually is your personal brand? Your personal brand is the story people feel from your images before […]
Your Personal Brand: By a Personal Brand Photographer Read More »
Showcasing Your Brand Identity in Photos Most people think brand identity is just logos and brand colours. It’s not. Brand identity in photos is simply the visual way you show people what you’re all about — your vibe, your values, and the story you want your audience to feel at a glance. Here’s the twist
Showcasing Your Brand Identity in Photos (Without Making It Complicated) Read More »
How to Prepare for Your Professional Headshot – Straight from a Photographer Booking new professional headshots is always a smart move. A fresh professional headshot tightens up your brand, sharpens that first impression, and gives your LinkedIn a bit of polish. And honestly, a headshot session goes miles smoother when you turn up ready for
Prepare for Headshots: A Photographer’s Guide to Professional Photos Read More »
Why I Still Do Free Model Test Shoots It might seem a bit weird that a professional photographer will spend a few hours photographing models for free. I’m sure most professionals don’t really offer their professional services for free that often – lawyers doing a bit of free litigation on a Sunday afternoon isn’t that
Model Test Shoot Guide: Photography, Set Up, Free Test Read More »
Photo Editing for Business: Turning Raw Images into Marketing Gold Photos don’t come out of the camera ready to use. They need shaping — much like a press release, a website, or a pitch deck. That shaping is called editing, and it’s the difference between a snap and something that sells. It Starts Before the
Photo Editing for Business: From Raw Image to Visual Impact Read More »
How to Plan and Prepare for a Corporate Photography Shoot Day: A Step-by-Step Guide When it comes to showcasing your business and team in the best light, professional corporate photography can make all the difference. Whether you’re planning a headshot session for your team, capturing the buzz of a busy office, or documenting an important
Corporate Photography Tips: How to Prepare for a Successful Shoot Day Read More »
Outdoor Portrait Photography: A Comprehensive Guide for Aspiring Photographers Outdoor portrait photography is a captivating art form that allows photographers to blend the beauty of natural settings with the essence of their subjects. Whether you’re a beginner looking to improve your skills or an experienced photographer seeking new inspiration, this guide will provide you with
Mastering the Art of Outdoor Portrait Photography Read More »
Why Your LinkedIn Profile Photo Matters (And How to Nail your Professional Headshot) Hey there, LinkedIn go-getters! Ade here, your friendly neighbourhood professional headshot photographer. At my ripe old age, I’ve captured countless LinkedIn profile pictures, and I’m here to share some insider tips on how to make your profile stand out in the digital
How to Capture the Perfect LinkedIn Profile Photo Read More »
The Benefits Of Accompanying Your Photographer on a Business Shoot Ok – the title is a little bit of Click Bait – but the purpose of this blog is to highlight why it’s always best for us photographers to have someone with us when shooting a business – not just for someone to chat with,
Never Trust A Photographer…. Read More »
Why Photographers Ask You To Do Stuff… When you walk into a room to get a new headshot, my first goal is to create a relaxed atmosphere – it’s often a bit scary for people who rarely face a camera, so I always spend a bit of time helping you through this… but it’s not
Trust Your Photographer: Why Following Cues Leads to Better Headshots Read More »
Boosting Your Brand Identity with Business Portrait Photography In today’s fast-paced world, first impressions often start online, making a top-notch business portrait more crucial than ever. It’s not just about looking smart; it’s about weaving your brand’s ethos and professionalism into a single image. These portraits offer a unique blend of personality and professionalism, setting
Upgrading Your Brand with Business Portrait Photography Read More »
Capturing the Perfect Professional Headshot: Tips and Insights for Elevating Your Personal Brand The Essence of a Professional Headshot Alright, let’s get cracking on why these headshots are such a big deal. Think of your professional headshot as more than just a photo – it’s like the key to the city for your career, especially
Mastering the Art of the Perfect Professional Headshot: Top Tips and Techniques Read More »
Think SMART and Tendo VIP Day This year’s VIP event unfolded in the heart of Wakefield, bringing together a vibrant mix of familiar faces and new connections. The day was dedicated to learning from the best – former squash world number 1, Laura Massaro, and her coach (also her husband), Danny Massaro. It was a
Think Smart VIP Day – Shooting Professional Event Photography in Yorkshire and Leeds Read More »
Creating a Strong Brand: The Power of Visual Storytelling Through Photography Discover why photography is pivotal in building a strong brand identity. This comprehensive guide delves into the essence of brand photography, visual identity, and storytelling. Whether you’re a business owner, marketer, or creative director, learn how photography can elevate your brand’s presence, connect with
How Visual Brand Photography Can Help Your Business Read More »
In this blog, we dig into why Construction Photo Documentation is not just a logistical requirement but a strategic choice. Like any evolving entity, construction projects have their unique challenges and triumphs. 1. Detailed Project Records Through Construction Photo Documentation In construction, written reports are vital, but Construction Photo Documentation adds a layer of clarity
The Importance of Construction Photo Documentation Read More »
There’s an undeniable magic that happens when the universe conspires to bring together elements of raw nature, an artist’s passion, and the fleeting beauty of a setting sun. On the 19th of July, 2023, I had the pleasure of photographing the incredibly talented Sharon Stacey, as she serenaded the setting sun at Winscar Reservoir. Setting
A Sunset Serenade: Capturing Sharon Stacey at Winscar Reservoir Read More »
Photography, while often pursued as a hobby, holds the potential to evolve into a career or source of side income. It did for me 🙂 The advent of digital technology, social media, and changing market dynamics has broadened the scope of opportunities available for photographers. Whether it’s selling prints, licensing images, or taking up professional
Why do Photography? 12 Potential for a Career or Side Income Read More »
Why do we need headshots… Corporate headshots are essential for showcasing the professionals behind and working in a company and creating a positive first impression – usually on the About us page of your website and on professional networking sites. However, traditional headshots often lack authenticity and fail to reflect the true personality of the
Tips for Capturing Authentic Headshots Read More »
Over a decade of shoots It’s over 10 years since we first did a personal brand shoot for John Thompson, from Metropolis. Back then it wasn’t called a “personal brand” of course, it didn’t really have a name – I just called it something vague, like a Profile Shoot. That first shoot was in the
John’s 2023 Personal Brand Shoot Read More »
90’s House and Rave Music! I was a student in Manchester in the early nineties and a regular at Raves and house music clubs, like:- The state, The Hacienda Sankey’s soap. The boardwalk, The Limit. Home …and many, many others I can’t remember the name of around the Manchester area. So when my friend, soul
The Sharon Stacy’s 90’s Club Hit Band Read More »
A New Website We first photographed, Isaac’s around six years ago, when they were getting their brand new website built. In 2022 we returned to see the team again, for you’ve guessed it, images for a new website! We discussed different looks for their team’s photography. The last time we shot the team members at
Isaacs Accountants – Charcoal Background Shoot Read More »
Street Photography Experience It’s great to take people with strong landscape photography skills around the city and challenge of them and to capture people and architecture as it happens. That’s Street photography for you. Some of the most memorable photos you will have seen are street photography. Often you sit around waiting for things to
The York Walls and Street Photography Experience Read More »
Part 2 – Composition The portrait class of 2022 met at Leeds university this time to learn about composition and portraits. We had some exercises in finding:- Lines textures shapes colours angles These are all things to look out for when composing any photograph, can you use a line in the road or a colour
Portrait Photography Workshop 2 – Leeds Uni Read More »
Absolute Beginners Workshop After a 3-year break it was fantastic to get back to to be showing people her to do location portrait photography. We had our friends Andi, Andy and Michele, and a new model called Rachel, to play with around the exchange area of Leeds. The main focus of the workshop was settings
Portraits Beginners Workshop 2022 Read More »
The 12 Month Test Have you ever looked back to things you did 10 years ago? You should see some huge progress and changes, based on everything you’ve learnt, new tools or technologies and just growing as a person. But have you ever looked back just one year and revisited something? Like a “Remix” in music
What difference 12 months makes? Read More »
Can you Photoshop me???? How Much £££ !!!!????? That’s our most commonly asked question and it’s only natural because everybody wants to look the very best and a little bit of tweaking goes a long way. But doing high-end retouching can take a long time, and end up costing an “absolute fortune”, which is something
4 FAST Retouching Tools which Won’t Break Client’s Banks! Read More »
Anybody who photographs “normal people” will hear this question – every single shoot! It’s our “question everyone asks”. People want to look their best and they put their trust in you, also a great Icebreaker. The answer is “Yes of course”, we always do “something” to the photograph, just how far and how long we
Can you photoshop me? Read More »
If you set up a camera tripod and flashes outside an operational power station, it wouldn’t be long before security along asking you to move on, I know because it’s happened to me a few times. If you ask them whether terrorists often turn up with a model, 3 tripods and flashes, they are not
Andy at Eggborough Read More »
How do you get started in this industry? I’m sure you’ve seen some of the amazing photos gracing magazine covers and advertisements. You might even have a few friends who’ve modelled for various modelling sites and agencies. But what do you really need to know about getting started? Before diving into the world of modeling,
How to Get Started as a Model – The Test Shoot Read More »
You’ll never get an opportunity to photograph on Greek Street in Leeds like we did this January. The UK was in lockdown and this end of Leeds had virtually nobody there. We had the place to ourselves. Greek Street is one of the busiest bar areas of the city centre, bustling with people eating and
Nicola Paparazzo – Greek St. Shoot Read More »
Who on earth uses a tilt shift lens for portraits? A nurse by day, a fashion model by – well any time he’s not being a nurse really – on this winters day we had a go at using my tilt shift lens for a portrait/fashion shoot… We met up for a walk this sunny
Tilt shift lens for portraits of Andy Taylor Boocock Read More »
Fundamentals First Fundamentals First an IT company based in Leeds, formed by software experts Phil, Hamish, Chris and another Phil. The purpose of this photoshoot was to create images for the personal Brand, marketing, PR and new website. CLICK TO SEE THEIR WEBSITE For this project we follow our usual process of:- Discover This included
CASE STUDY – Fundamentals First Read More »
How many things in life do we buy & not use? Most kitchen gadgets I use once or twice, and then stash away neatly in the cupboard never to see the light of day again, All that money spent, all that good intent to make a change and no return. The same can be said
Photos only work when you use them Read More »
DJ and production duo “Wh0” are a mysterious pair currently rocking the House dance floors around the UK – They’ve both been around in their regular DJ slots for years and have remixed some of the biggest acts around. So after a gig in Leeds a few weeks back, we met up at this amazing
What’s it all about? About a year ago I came up with an idea, it was based on years of photographing companies and what had worked best. It offered individuals who may be just starting out (or ready for a new set of images) 5 photos of them for a bargain price… and other people to act
The Madness of Share the Shoot… Read More »
Photographer Recommendations are King – But Are they Right For YOU? The best way to source most products and services these days is to ask for recommendations based on people’s experience. It can certainly filter out solutions, products, and providers who have given a good experience. Most people look at Amazon reviews or What Hi-Fi
How to choose a photographer from the 1000's recommended on LINKED IN Read More »
A second shoot with this Morley based star of the future – a model and competition diver at 12! This was at a ruin in a Morley golf club on a cold January day…. It’s an exposed bit of land, the lights were blowing around, Jaeda had a cold starting – it had all the
It’s the way that you do it… “It ain’t WHAT you do, it’s the WAY that you do it” – As the Bananarama song goes. That’s probably true in most businesses but it’s certainly the case with photography. It’s not just the end product which counts, but how you get to it. I’ve been shooting
BusinesS Headshots – it ain't what you do… Read More »
I know – sometimes it’s too dark to shoot and you don’t have any off-camera kit, so you have to use your flash “on camera” But the light you get off a direct flash is horrible – there’s an example in the video below. It serves a purpose, but it creates a passport photo look
NEVER use direct flash Read More »
When you’ve done a shoot and have hundreds of shots to trawl through, you need a quick way to get the skin tone the right brighness on your subject. It’s not straightforward enough to use Auto Settings – that will take account of the background as well as the foreground and skin – so you
Correct Skin Tone in 1 Second Read More »
One of the most common issues we get are people asking to cancel (or come on a different workshop for no extra cost) – it could be work related, or a sick pet or anything life throws up. We have to say no in order to stay in business – hope this explains why! We
The Reality of Running Workshops Read More »
Our second portrait workshop the summer was with Nicola Papperazzo, Chloe Mason and Andy Blue McLaren. We split it into a couple of locations on the west end of Leeds city centre. Starting in the flowery Park Square, where I showed people how to use flowers in the foreground to add blurry texture – like this one
2018 Portrait Workshop 2 Read More »
Is Portrait Professional 17 Terrible? My Experience and Verdict The internet is not kind to Portrait Professional 17. In the depths of comment sections, where opinions fly unchecked, there’s no shortage of criticism for this software. But is the backlash justified? In this post, I take a deep dive into my experience with Portrait Professional
They say Portrait Professional 17 is Terrible… but is it? Read More »
Your headshot is important – it represents your brand, your business and you. Headshots work for you every day on Linked IN and the other social media channels, your website, in print and at every touch point the world has with you. So it’s worth a little thought about what you want! To help, we’ve
3 Leading-edge options for your new 2018 business head-shot Read More »
Which of these people will get the better profile photo:- a relaxed, stress-free person, who has set time aside to enjoy a photo shoot someone with the phone going every 5 minutes, about to do a speech at an event and has a whole crowd of people waiting for them. It’s night and day – chalk
DON’T Piggyback Your Photography and Expect Great Results Read More »
Business headshots have changed Evolution of Business Headshots… Stern captains of industry in their victorian offices – green lamps, brass, oak… Conservative backdrops – usually brown or blue White wall business headshots – clean and fit on Linked IN nicely, a bit boring At McFade we’ve been doing “location” portraits too – business headshots usually taken around the workplace,
The EASY Way to Do Business Headshots Read More »
Showing my Work to my Network Every year or so, we get to present our business to the SHARE network group – it’s great to get more than 1 minute to talk about your offering, to make sure everyone knows the extent of what I do. For a photographer – it’s a rare chance to actually
My Presentation at SHARE – Jan 2017 Read More »
New Business Photos Get You Noticed INSTANTLY! It really is that simple – investing in new business photos is like having a mini re-brand. If you and your team all got new business photos tomorrow and updated LINKED IN, your engagement would go through the roof. So what are you waiting for? Try it –
The No. 1 Reason To Update Business Photos NOW! Read More »
McFade Summer Nights Workshops 2016 A look back over 12 fantastic evenings – but first some background Where did the idea of Summer Nights Workshops come from? Ever since I took Photography seriously I’ve regularly gone out for smaller outings – usually with 1 or 2 friends. We’d find places to go, new things to try
Summer Nights Workshop – 2016 Review Read More »
Enlightened LED Lighting Specialists Lumilow are lighting consultants – MD Andy Chell was up front, the product itself was not going to be an exciting thing to photography! I guess lights are a bit like petrol – fuel is not that interesting in itself, but put some in a Ferrari and it gets interesting. Lighting is like
