Cameras and Cocktails

On-location commercial photography

1st location on a long but successful day

Commercial photography is all about creating images with the very specific purpose of promoting and marketing products and services. I love the variety and challenge that it often presents, the planning and pre-production required to make it successful, also the teamwork and collaboration between the client and photographer. 

Another thing I love is a cool drink on a sunny beach (who doesn’t?), so when i was approached to shoot some of the worlds best flair bartenders making cocktails on a beach to showcase the Portabar system, I felt like the planets had aligned!

OK, so I specialise in architecture and interior design photography which might sound like a far cry from shooting a bar, BUT, the intent shares many similarities: images that capture the design itself, detailed elements, materiality, functionality and utility. The big difference is that unlike most of my subjects, this one can be moved about and that was a key element of the brief: to showcase the versatility of the Portabar in where it can be set up, but also how it can be quickly customised to take on different looks, thanks to their clever modular system and magnetic decorative panels.

Directing the shoot here in Portugal was Tom Dyer, a world champ Flair bartender (!). Portabar wanted to have their product set up in a variety of stunning locations which we are lucky to have in abundance here around Lisbon. A number of locations were decided, a team assembled to make it happen and shot list decided upon through liaison with Caroline at Portabar UK. Other considerations were location access, transport, timings on the day, props and staging, tides and weather.

Planning is everything on shoots like this as the ability to improvise on-the-fly when needed - That was true right from the off. Despite the perfect forecast for location no.1 (a wonderfully wild ocean beach), shortly after setting up the bar, the fog came in… The collective decision was to press on, select the bar facade that matched the mood and environment and make a few changes to my shooting approach (strobes now needed). The result: probably my favourite images from the day! That fog really added some drama to the scene. 

Over the next 8 hours or so, the sun came out and we set up in three different locations, staging and shooting 5 different variations on the bar design with Tom, Patricia, Travis and Luis all doing incredible things with bottles, spirits and glasses bringing the energy to the shoot and making some incredible cocktails (yes, I did sample a few). The best bit was that Portabar were delighted with the outcome. Mission accomplished! 

If you need to showcase your product, design, space or place in a way that makes heads turn, I would love to help out. I hope to speak with you soon. Cheers!

Memories

Documenting a historical residence in Cascais

As you’d expect, I love looking at pictures. I think most of us do, especially when they have a personal meaning such as old family photos or that painting grandma used to have above her fire place. Such pictures or photographs can instantly take us back to a different time in our lives which is pretty amazing. Most photographers would probably agree that for their images to evoke such personal memories and feelings for others is very gratifying. In my commercial photography work, there is typically a clear brief as to what we (myself and the client) want to create and how it will be used (for example, documenting a unique design element in a residential new-build for an architectural award submission).

Occasionally, the brief goes deeper as was the case in a recent residential shoot I was commissioned for. The owner of a large historic property was making plans to downsize but wanted to have a detailed record of the house they love as they remembered it. Besides it being a fantastic example of bold 70’s portuguese architecture in its own right, it was also packed with antiques, furniture and decorative pieces collected over many years, and a wonderful fireplace at the heart of the home.

On the day of the shoot I was given freedom to navigate the house to my schedule which meant I could select the best time of day for the interiors and sneak in a few twilight images featuring that wonderful fireplace. I was fortunate to have an overcast day (rare in Lisbon!) with a beautiful soft light filling the property and I opted to stick to this natural light only to document the details with as much realism as possible. Also, no staging or moving things about - This was all about capturing the space as it is/was. Pretty much all the images in the set were taken with either a 24mm Tilt-shift or 50mm. A simple set up and a joy to shoot. Most importantly, a very happy client who now has a set of images that can transport them back to a different time and place.

Please get in touch if you would like to record memories of a place that is special to you or someone you know.

Look good, feel good

Interior and lifestyle photography in a wellness studio

I sometimes see my job is to document a design, a space or place. Sometimes its to provide a visual narrative to a building - where is it? who uses it? what is it made of? Other times, my photography has the specific goal of conveying a feeling to the audience. Recently, I was commissioned by a local business to do just that.

Health, Beauty and Wellness is a big industry and is a very competitive market place so its important to stand out from the crowd for the right reasons. Eliane Campos Health & Beauty is a well stablished practice 5 minutes walk from the wonderful sands of Carcavelos beach just outside of Lisbon. They offer a broad range of treatments and services that go beyond most and that demand highly trained technicians that operate to exacting standards of hygiene and care. My brief was to capture specific treatments and procedures offered in the salon and to highlight the professional standards and environment that their clients can expect when they visit.

Pre-production meeting and planning gave us our shot list, organised staff, models and interior styling to make time on set as efficient as possible. I opted for high-key lighting using small strobes to emphasise the clinical surroundings of the treatment rooms. This also allowed for colour consistency and flexibility to work around practitioners and models in a series of tight spaces.

Mission accomplished!

Big thanks to Eliane and her team and models for all their hard work on the day - especially as it just happened to be in the middle of a heat wave. We all earned a cold Super Bock that night!

If you need to tell your customers something good about your business or premises, get in touch for a chat. Architecture and interiors photography often widens to include lifestyle images in those spaces and Clear Space is here to help you achieve that.