Photographers update on recent commissions

Published on Thu Jun 16, 2022 by David J Colbran

It has been a while since my last post. A couple of reasons, first up, super busy with photography shoots here in Liverpool and beyond. And then some website issues with the blog archive - the content management system I use ModX had a major update and that messed with the backend SQL database. So in between jobs I have been working on that - not quite all restored yet but getting there.

So time for a quick update. I was commissioned by a large dental practice who work across three sites. They required images for a rebrand and it involved visiting each location and taking photography as well as some short action video clips. They needed individual staff portraits, a team photograph, as well as some staged images using models - these included consultations, dental examinations, scans, and laser whitening treatments. So a busy few days but really nice working with the practice team and learning a little bit about the dentistry business, without the trauma of being a patient. Can you tell I am not a fan of going to the dentist?

Next up was some repeat work for Livv Housing - some of their apprentices were helping plant a batch of trees at a hospice in Prescot. The long term plan is to create a small liner woodland walk on the edge of their grounds for both patients and also visitors. Fascinating to learn about sustainable planting from their knowledgeable gardening and estate staff and a really positive thing for both the apprentices and the housing association to undertake.

Another interesting shoot was for a national organisation called Bikability. As the name suggests they support schemes to encourage people and communities to use bicycles more. Obviously at a time of increased awareness of the fitness and health benefits of cycling and the soaring price of petrol and car use - it is an on-trend topic. They were in Liverpool helping out a local group based in Toxteth who promote bike use to both adults and children. Amazing work and they needed professional photography of a training session to promote their services to others. So got some fab action shots and also covered an event afterwards where some young people who has recently arrived in Liverpool received free bikes.

Next up a quick set of group portraits down at Pierhead for an Ireland based recruitment consultancy. They specialise in recruiting people from across Europe to work in the Irish hospitality sector and were meeting up in person here in Liverpool. Had some great fun with the team.

It is rare to be commissioned for a whole week but an organisation called Local Solutions were undertaking a rebrand and needed a new archive of images going forward. They have a wide portfolio of work, from in-home care provision to managing a city centre waterpark, so careful planning and creating a detailed brief proved essential. I worked closely with their communications manager to get some access to challenging and interesting shoots, including some hostel type residential locations. Also covered a fun day at the Liverpool Waterpark, reopening for the summer season with loads of events and a few celebs showing their support. And great to receive positive feedback from a diverse and challenging brief.

Finally, a large 3 day business conference across in Manchester. Another great commission working with some really organised and professional people - a well thought out photography brief always gets the best results. And on the day, knowledge and expertise to know when to be flexible when unexpected changes happen - as they often do ! Throw in a Royal visit and things ramp up in terms of stress and photo requirements. But all went to plan, I got all the images required, provided content on-site quickly to the social media expert and turned around the hi-resolution files quickly for the client. It was my first time working at the Manchester Central Convention Complex aka GMEX but actually a simple run over on the M62 and with convenient nearby car parking meant I easily made 830am starts each day. The highlight was the President's Dinner underneath Concorde's wings at the visitor centre at Manchester Airport.

So in conclusion a rather busy couple of months and proof that business is back on track and positively booming. If I have time over the summer I may re-visit some of the above commissions and post some more details as they were all really interesting in their own ways.

Of course if you have read this far and need an experienced Liverpool based photographer, don't hesitate to get in touch for a chat.

Author: David J Colbran