Inside Stories - Leicestershire’s hidden lockdown
Leicester’s Hidden Lockdown - Photo Exhibition
Leicestershire residents invited to share lockdown photos for new exhibition
Residents across the county are being invited to submit photographs of life in lockdown for an exhibition which will take place at Winstanley House later this year.
The exhibition, titled Inside Stories, will bring together 24 compelling photos captured during the Coronavirus pandemic. The images will reveal a glimpse into Leicestershire’s hidden lockdown moments - the personal pains, small wins and revelations that marked out this unique moment in time.
The idea for Inside Stories came from Mark Robinson, director of Leicester creative agency Creative62, who saw a unique opportunity to document the experience of living through a global pandemic, and capture individual perspectives of an unprecedented time.
Mark tells us:
“With so many people confined to their homes, it struck me as quite fascinating to think how one person’s lockdown will be vastly different to others, and how would we sum up this time in just one photo?
Holding an exhibition of this type gives us a valuable opportunity to come together to talk about our experience and celebrate coming through it, as well as providing a valuable public archive for future generations.”
Mark is joined by fellow Leicester business owners Julie Proctor of Swithland Events, professional photographer Pete Martin, and freelance content writer Sarah Heeley, who are joining forces to promote and host the exhibition. Julie adds:
“We’re delighted to be bringing such a unique exhibition to Winstanley House, which will be the perfect space to showcase the final photographs.
These past few months have seen the whole of Leicestershire living through history and we’re intrigued to see how members of the public have captured such a strange time in a single photo.”
The call for submissions is now open and anyone with an interest in photography is invited to take part. Photos can be captured with a camera, smartphone or tablet in colour or black and white, and can be of any subject that conveys the lockdown experience. Photos must also include a brief caption and a short description of why the image is meaningful.
The 24 final images will be selected by Pete Martin. Pete is encouraging as many people as possible to enter, no matter what photographic experience they have. He added:
"This is a chance to express yourself and let your camera do the talking. You could share a meaningful moment with your family, an observation, or a view from your home.
There's no right or wrong, just be creative and show what lockdown meant for you."
If you are interested in submitting a photograph, please contact Julie for an entry form at the following link >> julie.proctor@swithlandevents.com
Photos must be received no later than Friday 29 May 2020. Exhibition dates will be announced later this year.
Background information:
Inside Stories is a joint initiative by Creative62, Pete Martin Photography, Sarah Heeley Communications, and Swithland Events. The group of local business owners will be reaching out to their network to encourage as many people as possible to support the exhibition - through submitting photographs, sponsorship and attendance.
For further information please contact Mark Robinson on 07786 916381
Last Job Before UK Lockdown - Coronavirus
My last job before Coronavirus caused the UK to go into Lockdown
Staff Headshots & Lifestyle Portraits
Currently we are in week 5 of the UK lockdown, due to COVID-19.
My last job was for a recruitment agency based in the Midlands. They have three offices and required headshots of key staff members and some lifestyle images showing the office’s and staff at work.
I had completed two locations and was scheduled to shoot the third when the country went into lockdown.
I love doing these type of jobs. Not only do I get to spend a little time with each staff member, learnig about their individual role. I get to create a fantasic portrait of them!
Below are a few images from the shoot, if you need similiar images, drop me a message.
A blog about a vlog... ;-)
I did a vlog, now a blog about a vlog... ;-)
Professional Photographers Workflow
If you’re interested in what happens after a photoshoot, the stuff you don’t see… this is the video to watch!
In all seriousness, this stuff behind the scenes is mega important.
I had a phone call with a family member who was photographing a friends wedding last year.. I was also photographing a wedding. On a break I checked my phone and saw 5 missed calls from said family member. I called him back and he asked me a question…
“I changed lens towards the end of the ceremony, now when I look at my images I can’t find anything before the ceremony…”
My question back was “have you changed out the memory card for a fresh one??” he had not. So he did, and I arranged to meet up with him the following day.
Turns out he’d been victim to a fake memory card, which had corrupted and was overwriting old images when the card became full. So the whole bride prep and 90% of the ceremony was now gone forever.
The message here is he’s not a professional, and he didn’t have a professional camera.. a camera that has two memory cards. He put the images he had on his 8yr old laptop, and he was done.
This is very different to what myself and other professional photographers do.
Event Photography
Why having a professional photographer at an event is a good idea
Event Photography Leicester
Why book an event photographer?
As good as mobile phone camera’s are now, there is still no substitute for a decent camera and flash.. and the professional operating it.
And here’s why, this might get a bit technical!
The sensor on a decent full frame camera is roughly 24x36mm in diameter. An iPhone sensor roughly measures 7.01 x 5.79 mm.
The sensors job is to capture the the image, which is based on mainly on the available light hitting the sensor.. so the bigger the sensor the more light can hit it and therefor... will equate to a better image.
Add to that the use of flash and the results speak for themselves.
Most camera phones have a small flash next to the sensor/lens, which points directly at the subject. In a pinch, just to get the shot.. this is ok. But using a real camera with a dedicated flash gun (speedlite) is a much better option.
The flash head on a speedlite can be rotated to different positions, so we can bounce that light from the ceiling or a nearby wall which will create a much more natural and pleasing image. We can also place more of these speedlites around the room on stands to create dramatic lighting, or simply to add more light if the venue doesn’t have great lights itself.
Check these two images out, The first was taken on an iPhone X, in the image you can see me taking a shot…
And this is the photo I took at that time. Notice how my additional light has made the subject (Kwoklyn Wan) look normal, and less purple.. Also the image is much sharper and clearer.
So if you or someone you know is holding an event, drop me an email or give me a call!
Below are a few images of mine from recent events, the last image was taken on an iPhone X… see the difference.
www.petemartinphotography.co.uk/events
Headshot Photographer Leicestershire
Headshot photographer Leicester
When is the last time you had your headshot updated?
In todays online world having a great up to date headshot is a must. Whether it’s for LinkedIn, your website about me page, your staff board or for a leaflet going into print. An up to date headshot will set you apart from the rest.
I’m a mobile photographer, I can bring a portable photography studio to your place of work. This is really useful for a company that has a larger number of staff who require new headshots but can’t afford for those staff to be out of the office for a long period.
Space wise all I need is a small room, 2m by 3m is the smallest space i’ve worked in, and I had great results!
Check out the video on my home page, it’s only 30 seconds long, but you’ll see the whole process from setting up to editing.
Here are a few headshots from Hollingsworth, a firm of commercial solicitors based here in Leicester. All these photos were taken in their office space.
Drop me an email about your next headshot session, let’s see what I can do for you.
Headshot Photographer Leicester
Pete Martin Photography
Charity Fashion Show for LAMP
The models and Kwoklyn Wan
LAMP - Leicestershire Action for Mental Health Project
This was my 2nd event for LAMP this year, following the successful launch of their 30 Acts Of Kindness event in January.
The fashion show was to raise funds for LAMP, helping them continue delivering the excellent service they provide. I have a close friend who used LAMP a number of years ago and his life changed for the better from the service he received.
My photograph task was to capture a shot of each model once they had done their lap of the room.
I therefor had to set up a small studio in a corridor! So a small backdrop and one light was all i could safely use! I’m really happy with the results and am looking forward to seeing the images get used in future promotions.
Here are a few from the day
Wow, I've not Blogged in a while!! Time for Cake, and a little personal project
An hour in the life of a professional baker.
A Busy Leicester Photographer
So lots have changed, expect a few blogs to come out very soon!
Thursday this week after my BNI Central meeting I headed over to Desford to meet Tracey, of Iced By Tracey. Tracey was a visitor a few weeks ago at BNI and we had a little chat. I checked out her website and Instagram and was impressed, some of the most beautiful looking cakes I’d seen, and I love cake!
A few emails were exchanged and we agreed a time when i could go over to her house and document a fairly typical hour in the like of a baker, a very talented baker.
This little shoot would be a personal project for me. I’m going to set myself a few of these throughout the year, they will be something different, something that pushes me to think and work differently.
Camera gear, i used the trusty Canon 5dmk4, Canon 50mm 1.2L, 100m 2.8L Macro, Sigma Art 35mm 1.4. Most images were shot using available light, some shots i added in a little extra flash through a softbox.
I was lucky to see the entire process of cupcake creation, and it was pretty different to when I make cupcakes with my 5yr old daughter Callie.
While I was sorting through the photos to edit, I decided to create a very short slideshow. This would be as well as the usual digital files which i will deliver.
Let me know what you think!
A short slideshow featuring images by myself https://www.petemartinphotography.co.uk and cakes by https://www.icedbytracey.com
Canon CPS Event - Chelsea Football Club
I was lucky enough to be able to attend a recent Canon CPS event about low light photography. This involved two fantastic guest speakers, being able to try out all on the new Canon gear. Then finally a photo shoot of an amazing student band from London.
Here are a few of the images from throughout the day.
Cosby U16 Foxes, Girls Football Team
A friend of mine manages the under 16 girls football team over in Cosby. He asked my advice about taking a group shot with his point and shoot camera, in the dark, on the pitch lit by floodlights.
I knew this would be a little challenging so i put myself forward to do the job. Armed with a couple of small flashguns, stands and umbrella's i started shooting.
Adam Bowler Music
I had the privilege of shooting my good friend Adam recently.
He's a very talented singer, guitarist and songwriter. He had booked out The City Rooms in Leicester to shoot a promotion video, so I went along to grab some stills and make them look a little different to the video.
Our friend Doug was doing the video with his new kit so I also grabbed some photos of him for use on his upcoming website as well.
