Sneak preview Shoot with Andie Beaven

Short blog posting today, just a quick sneak preview of a  fun shoot with Norwich based actress Andie Beaven in the snow.  The first shot is my very favourite, as it captures what this shoot was about... Fun and Snow!!! :)

Andie was brilliant and didn't seem to mind  the shoot in the sub zero temperatures, whilst big thanks go to the Park Hill Hotel in Lowestoft for the lovely coffees and the soothing warmth of their open fire.

 

That's all for now folks, hope you like the selection for now!  :)

Will post some more soon, but in the meantime, hope you have a good week! x

Shoot for the Inspire Discovery Centre

A few weeks back I was asked to shoot a series of images which will go into the Inspire Discovery Centre's new website.  My brief was to photograph the team on their stand at a recent B2B Exhibition organised by the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce, as well as photograph some of their activities and stands on a busy day.

The Inspire Discovery Centre is a wonderful place to visit if you have young kids and you live in or around Norwich.  Inspire's aim is to stimulate curiosity and interest in science and technology, and must I say this 42 year old found plenty to study and think about during the photoshoot and it's the sort of place where both kids and their parents can join into an activity that is both fun and a learning opportunity.  The Centre is housed in one of Norwich's finest mediaeval churches and provides an interesting setting as well as a huge floor space for activities. 

I start off this set with a picture of Shell and her team at Inspire with their business partners at the B2B. These include Inspired Change, Pink Connect and Repro Arts, along with other organisations that are helping Inspire Discovery keep going.  Unfortunately these are difficult times for the centre, and they are having to scale down their budgets in these difficult times.  It would be really sad to see the centre close down because it is a really special environment for parents who want to introduce a science biased learning environment to their young ones.  Inspire Discovery have a link to their donations website so as to enable people to donate whatever they can towards the cause.  Please donate generously if you can as it is an investment towards the local future generation.

I hope my images best illustrate Shell's team's hard work and the facilities of this Centre and in some small way generate more interest in what they do. From the photographic point of view, the challenge in this shoot was the poor lighting in the church, which was compounded by the fact that the shoot was held on an extremely gray and rainy day.  Gladly the low light capabilities in my D700 never fail to amaze me as well as the great performance of my trusty 50mm 1.4 which gives the best results possible in such conditions.

For now best of luck Inspired Discovery!! Hope the new year brings you the long term funding which will secure your future!

my first photography speaking experience...

Awake at silly o'clock again, today with an extremely painful gum condition .... I woke up to a random dream and realised I really was planning a photoshoot in my head...  I've got this idea to depict a scene from the Italian Commedia dell'arte, but I wont give away anything yet, as need to discuss this with my make up artist, find a suitable location, models etc... maybe I will go book some costumes later ;)

After a search for historically relevant scenery I found myself looking at backlinks to my blog and found that Waveney Valley WiRE have put their speakers list for 2011 up on their page.  There I am in all my pixellated glory! Eek! :) (Lisa, I will send you a profile photo later ! :) 

I will be speaking about marketing in photography, as I am constantly aware that businesses may actually negatively affect their marketing strategy, either by using overused stock photography, poor quality images or images that do not clearly reflect the style and ethos of the business.

I plan for the presentation to be an interactive and challenging one, based on a variety of media and using some scientific background knowledge I feel businesswomen need to  be aware of when commissioning marketing companies and media professionals.  That's all I can say for now, as the presentation is fully ready in my head but still needs to come down into physical form and I may change details in the next few weeks.

Although I have given regular and sometimes complex presentations before, sometimes to a discerning professional platform, I must admit that I will probably be very tense and anxious whilst I deliver this, as this is my first time presenting to such an audience.

I hope they will be kind...

Anyway, my presentation is scheduled for the 1st of February at the Fisher Theatre in Bungay... Please come and have a listen to what I have to say if you are a businesswoman in the Norfolk/Suffolk area with some time to spare that evening.  You can attend to two WiRE events for free until you consider joining and the membership only then costs £40 a year (although I am told this is going up soon).  This gives you wonderful value for money if you want to join a dynamic business group run by women for women.

WiRE will also be launching in Great Yarmouth as East Norfolk WiRE on the 3rd of February.  We  (Maureen Chadwick and myself) will be holding our events at the Cobholm and Lichfield Centre next to the Nelson Surgery in Pasteur Road. Parking is freely available.  Attendance costs £5 and includes tea/coffee.  We will be announcing our calendar of speakers in the next few weeks so watch this space.  :)

Hope you have a lovely weekend .... x

* the meaning of life *

Dear Friends,

 

I just wanted to share with you a lovely video I came across on Facebook, found on a page called Sante et Beaute pour tous (apologies for the missing accents but I can't locate them on my laptop)!

Some lovely thoughts about the meaning of life, a subject which has made me wonder and think hard, especially in particularly difficult times I have been through.

I moved on when I learnt to accept myself and to love myself first and foremost, as you cannot be strong and offer love and support to others if you are not strong and self assured in yourself before everything else.  

I came to the UK nearly five years ago with a number of boxes of books, some clothing, my dear son and some precious court papers, and virtually no money, but with a job in hand.  Where I am today is a combination of tenacity, very hard work and an assurance in my own heart that things would be better than they ever were... and when you have very little in life, you start to appreciate the best things in life, the loveliest and the most basic, the ones that light our lives and give it meaning.  As I browsed this link on FB, I realised that what came to me as a realisation after a tortuous life experience, may something others may still need to come to...

I hope you will find this little clip as wonderful as I do :)

In the meantime, Goodnight ... x

The winners of my free photography portfolio opportunity for businesses

It's been a manically busy week with exhibitions and business networking but I now have some time to update you with the latest stuff....

I just wanted to announce the winners of my free business portfolio offer:

These are...

Jane Pennington - Stone Me   
http://www.stone-me.co.uk/

Sue Huckle - Posh Plants
http://www.poshplants.com/

Elaine Martin- Silver Clay Designs
http://www.silverclaydesigns.com/

I am delighted to be working with these three businesses and to develop a portfolio that will help their marketing campaign.

Over the next few weeks you will see evidence of their campaigns developing with an introduction to these businesses and how I will work to create images to their brief.

More updates very soon!!! :)
  

full post Suzie Lindesay's Octopus Designs photoshoot

I must hang my head down in shame and apologise! 'Mea Culpa'!!!  48 posts in 18 months is inexcusable... I so need to blog more.  I'm always working on my images yet I don't find the time to blog about what I shoot, what planning for shoots I'm doing, what equipment I'm buying.  I need to blog more!

First thing I'm picking up with is the full post for the Suzie Lindesay's knitwear shoot.  I've chosen some of the best images from about a thousand shot that afternoon.  The shoot needed to satisfy the following requirements:

- provide fashion style images for Suzie's new business

- provide portfolio images for my two models, Charlotte and Kiki

- add to my portfolio of fashion and marketing work

- provide portfolio work for Helen's MUA business 

These complex requirements mean a lot of planning goes on before the shoot and the actual shoot evolved in a way to make the shoot fun, provide a variance of work that will satisfy all of the requirements, and demands excellent time management and people management skills.

The outcome is what you see below :)

Big thanks go to:  Charlotte and Kiki, both excellent models I look forward to working with again soon, Helen for the MUA work and my partner Paul for shooting supporting videos and keeping up with my frequent requests to help move equipment out of shot. Thank you all!

I am exhibiting in two Christmas events this week.  Will blog about this tomorrow! Promise! :)

Meanwhile I hope you like the images and as usual look forward to your comments!    x

Photography for new businesses *limited opportunity*

Are you a new (start up in 2010) business in Norfolk/Suffolk?

If this is the case, continue reading....

Up to the end of this week, I am running a limited opportunity for local businesses to obtain a full portfolio of images to use in their marketing.  Are you planning a new website?  Do you need images for your brochures or for advertising?  Are budgets running very tight? If so have a look at my offer...

Please send me an email to contact@antonellamuscatphotography.co.uk stating, in not more than a paragraph, why you NEED Antonella Muscat Photography to provide you with stunning images of your product to improve your marketing.  I will also need a brief description what your company does, and a link to a website/twitterfeed or Facebook page if you have any of these.

I will choose the three strongest entries on the 28th of November so get your entry in quick!!!

Kindly note that this offer is applicable for clients in East Anglia and mileage rates may apply.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Helen Sylk's photoshoot

Acutely aware of the fact that I don't blog as much as I would like to, albeit in a little of a rush, today I close the month of October with a shoot I did for Helen Sylk.  Apart from being my trusty MUA for my shoots, Helen also writes music and lyrics for techno and trance tracks, and works closely with her partner and DJ Marcos, producing music.

Helen needed some photos to update her profile and for promotion purposes and I used both the Orbis flash as well as my SB 600 and natural light on my trusty Nikon 50mm f1.4

I hope you like the images as much as I do and look forward to your comments. :)

The Painted Tree and WIRE East Norfolk

When you're working as an independent professional it's very easy to spend lots of time labouring at your desk working at developing your craft and also producing work for your clients.  Although I make sure my shoots are fun, both for myself and particularly for my clients, I have been through a period of feeling isolated as a business, particularly as a start-up one, and wondering whether the issues I was facing were common to others.  If they were, how did these new start up businesses tackle these issues?

After much research I decided to become a member of WIRE. Women in Rural Enterprise, which is a business club and networking opportunity for women who run businesses in rural areas.  Having joined WIRE  I will now never look back.  I have attended several area meetings in Norwich, Waveney and South Norfolk, I have met dynamic network leaders who have inspired me, and some lovely people who I've been networking and formed friendships with.  I have had the opportunity to develop myself as a more self-assured professional - workshops, training, inspiration and support, and only for £40 a year!

One such lovely person I'm really pleased to have crossed paths with is Maureen Chadwick.  Together with her partner, Arthur, Maureen runs a local business called The Painted Tree.  They create lovely hand-crafted, hand-finished, bespoke furniture, according to clients' specifications.  

I came across Maureen when I emailed WIRE in reply for a request for network leaders.  The East Norfolk branch had laid dormant for a while and I got in touch with WIRE to let them know I was interested in becoming a leader, but only if I had somebody to share the leader role with.  I was given Maureen's number as she was also interested.  

I'll never forget that phone call.  Maureen, asked me if I was French (blame my funny accent! :)) ).  When I told her I was Maltese the phone went silent...Turns out Maureen is half Maltese.  Two Maltesers in little ol' Yarmouth!!  Love the Maltese in her, extremely creative and ready with a smile, she reminds me of the warmth of my people!

I was therefore very pleased to take up the opportunity to do a quick portrait session with her as she needed some shots for her WIRE profile.  5 minute portraits I call these sessions!  Not enough time to get the client to worry about posing, a quick grin and a joke and we're done and the shots are in the bag.  She was chuffed with them.... :)

I'm so looking forward to start taking photos of her lovely furniture, and wondering what she means by that request for stilettos as props for the shoot.  I wonder what she has in mind!!! :)

By the way, if you are a businesswoman based in East Norfolk and would like more information about WIRE, please do get in touch!  We're planning to kick start activities early next year and would love to hear from you.

x

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sneak preview for Suzie Lindesay's Octopus Designs photoshoot

I thought about posting a quick sneak preview of some prep images for a shoot I held last week for my friend Suzie Lindsay's Octopus Designs.  Suzie is a textile designer and produces a fabulous range of knitwear which is a combination of felting and texturing via colour and use of interesting patterns. An avid knitter in the past myself (I used to knit for a Maltese designer in my early twenties - unfortunately don't have time for this anymore!), as soon as my eyes laid on Suzies' fantastic designs I just fell in love with them, for the ideology and pattern design just as much as the technique used to produce these knits.  Suzie also produces fantastic textiles through an original process and these materials capture the light in such a brilliant way.  I just hope the photos do the materials justice!

Today I decided to blog about a few of the images taken during shoot prep, and I will blog a full post later, as I have around a 1000 images to choose from.

Just to show how excited we were about the clothing, I kick off the series with an image of Charlotte, totally in awe of the top she has been given to model in.  It totally suits Charly's character, bubbly, fun and lovely! :)

I took the opportunity to try out my new Orbis Ring Flash, which is a wonderful piece of kit.  I was amazed to discover that the creator of the Orbis is James Madelin (aka JamMad) who was a fellow poster on BlatChat an excellent forum for Lotus and Caterham Seven owners.  I remember James posting about leaving the UK for NZ and planning to start a photography business years back.... So glad his business venture has been successful and he has designed such a useful tool for fashion photographers! :)

My partner Paul, took the opportunity to take a few videos of the shoot in his iPhone, so here is me testing out the Orbis with Charly, trying out different shots, and disappearing off to explain stuff to Suzie.... ooops sorry Charly! :))

I've also posted one image from the Orbis ring flash set with Kiki, just to show you what lovely light it produces - I'm really happy with the purchase but would like to test it extensively in different conditions over the next few weeks, so watch out for more images using it.

It was my first shoot with Kiki, a stunning model and I must admit little tiny me struggled with her and lovely tall figure (I haven't posted the iPhone video of me going up on my stepladder to take these shots or you would have been bent double with laughter! :)  I hope Kiki will join me again soon for other photoshoots as I really enjoyed working with her!

Helen Dickenson worked with me again to produce some stunning make up for the girls...

Suzie's assistance was precious with choosing what clothing best suited each model as well as keeping an eye for details as the shoot progessed and helping the girls get dressed.

I hope to be posting a full blog post with lots of lovely images from this shoot very soon.  Meanwhile, if you  are a clothing designer would like some special images of your collections for marketing purposes please get in touch.

I just wish to end this blog post with a big thank you to all, and particularly to Paul for the help, support and video!  Hope to work with you all again very soon! :)

Have a great week everybody!! x

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