Queensberry of New Zealand – our Wedding Album Supplier

Queensberry Wedding Albums

Our wedding albums are important to us.

We spent a lot of time looking at wedding albums before deciding on QB. We looked at every supplier from around the world. We didn’t actually have to go to New Zealand or Italy or America or Australia, that would have been nice, but through websites, trade shows and reps we were able to see them all.

Our mission was to find an album supplier that suited Corin Bishop Photography, that suited my style of photography and suited our clients. QB stood out way above the rest and they were clearly among the top wedding album suppliers in the world. The quality was fantastic it suited us perfectly.

Since setting up with QB we have be delighted with every aspect of their service. The finish, delivery time, customer service, range of customisation, printing… every aspect has remained excellent.

Each wedding album is custom made, by hand.

Each wedding album is unique. No two albums are the same.

Each wedding album is made with the best of materials.

To say we are happy with Queensberry is a very big understatement…

The video below gives you some insight into what ‘hand-made’ means…

I’ve been having problem embeding the video so if it doesn’t work below then Click here for video.

www.queensberry.com

The latest round of IPPA Judging was held last night.

This time around I only put in two images in the Children Category… got Gold for both.

Those paying attention will notice these formed part of my successful Associate Panel submission earlier this year.

We did the Bower Graduation on Tuesday evening at the Shamrock Lodge Hotel, Athlone.

Great night and a few familiar faces from the Marist Grad the week before.

We setup the studio in the Garden Room at the Lodge which was a real handy space for a studio.

Bower Graduation, Shamrock Lodge Hotel, Athlone eg2

We hope to have these images online by the end of the week.

Keep an eye out!

Bower Graduation, Shamrock Lodge Hotel, Athlone eg1

We’ve just started the Graduation season with the Marist Grad at the Athlone Sheraton Hotel.

Shot of the portable studio...

A wide angle shot of our studio at the Sheraton thanks to a light fitting!

We’ll have the images on a link here shortly, in the mean time here’s a quick example…

Example images from the Marist Grad 2010

Promotional shots for Simon Casey…

I first met Simon when I photographed his wedding. I was out of the country while Simon took part in the Eurovision 2003 selection process on RTE so I didn’t know he was on that show. In fact it wasn’t until the end of the wedding when a little girl came up and asked for Simon’s autograph/photo that I thought he might be well known… I rang my wife who gave me a quick run down on him!

Simon is one of the nicest people on the planet. Really down to earth, fab voice and great natural musical talent. I often meet him on at weddings where he’s singing. It always surprises me when he uses a microphone in the church, his voice has such a presence and depth that he doesn’t really need it! Always a pleasure to hear him sing.

Anyway, Simon is releasing a new single. ‘Feels Like Home’. He needed a cover shot for along with a few images for use in PR/Posters etc. So he gave me a call and we booked him in.

We tried a few different things and came up with a nice selection of images. Including the most important, the CD cover image. The images themselves were relatively simply shot but we did a bit of creative stuff afterwards.

Simon’s website is www.simoncasey.ie

Simon’s latest single ‘Feels Like Home’ can be downloaded from iTunes here.

Simon’s Facebook page is here

Louise Moriarty and Rob McKune get hitched in Spidal Church, Co. Galway

The weather the week leading up to this wedding had been pretty yuk. I continually looking at the forecast hoping it would turn out ok. On the morning of the wedding the forecast was for rain! You have a look at the pictures and see if you can see any rain….

Not a drop of rain went anywhere near this wedding. Quite the contrary, it was roasting. I didn’t bother bringing sun factor with me and got sunburn! I also started questioning my wedding ‘uniform’ ..which is black!.. phew it was hot.

Anyway, it was a great day. Everyone was a pleasure to deal with and the Groom, Rob, was a great laugh. I have a photo of his family outside the church before the wedding and I took it before they were ready. Nothing but messers! Rob’s parents were just as much fun so I can see where Rob got his sense of humour!

One the subject of parents… Louise’s dad freaked me out a little… When we met he said, with smile,  “I know who you are”. “You and your wife used to travel back from Holland, where you living”. “You would visit your sister-in-law at the cottage and go drinking in the Mill pub”…

Eh? We were lived in Holland almost 10 years ago. The ‘cottage’ was in the middle of the countryside next to a field of sheep. Maybe the sheep had told him?… no, it turned out he lived across from my sister-in-law, he knew my wife’s family and also had a good memory! Small world…..

I’m rambling on now…

We had a great time afterwards. Quick visit to the harbour in Spidal then on to the beech.

Louise wanted to do the ‘walking in a line’ shot so we did, then we did the same thing again but walking like robots. Bit of jumping and messing around then we were back to the Twelve Hotel in Barna.

The Twelve is a ‘chiq/boutique’ hotel in Barna (correct name Bearna – just depends who’s writing the article or which road sign you look at!). It’s relatively new and very snazz. I’ve actually stayed there and the rooms, food and service are first class.

Weddings there are usually intimate affairs as they don’t have huge capacity (but you’d be surprised how many they can accommodate). Anyway… I like it…

Many Thanks to Louise and Rob…

I’ve just overheard the father of a portrait client say about a fabulous framed portrait of his daughters…

” I’m not paying €xxx for something off a computer “

It’s not often I hear this kind of comment but when I do it does make me a little upset. Why? Because that person sees absolutely no value in my skill as a portrait photographer. They think it was just a ‘snap’ and that a computer did all the work.

I feel worthless, under-valued and to be honest I just think “why do I bother trying to make a living from photography?”. I get that horrible feeling in my tummy for hours and days….

But then I remember this wonderful little article written by  Lori Osterberg.

’10 Reasons Professional Photographers Charge What They Do.’

*Please note I’ve changed a few of the Amercian references in this but you can see the original post here

10. Professional photographers are in business, and as a business, need to make a profit. Because they make it their career, they dedicate themselves to becoming the best they can be, and share that knowledge with their clientele.

9. Professional photographers have to buy professional equipment. Nope, they don’t just pick up a point-and-shoot from Argos and declare themselves a professional. They spend thousands upon thousands of Euro’s getting multiple camera bodies, the finest lenses, flash equipment for every situation, tripods, light stands, backdrops, props, carrying and storage cases. And then when you think you have it all – you need to get backups for everything to make sure you never miss an image. Don’t forget premises, insurance, advertising, electricity, VAT, phone lines, internet etc.

8. Professional photographers continue their education, and learn as much as they can about the business. They join groups like Irish Professional Photographers of Association. They attend seminars and training by some of the best names in the business. They concentrate on becoming the best they can be.

7. Professional photographers don’t just snap a picture, they create a photograph. They understand positioning. They understand lighting. They understand placement. You’re not just paying for the ability to place a finger on the trigger and take a picture. You’re paying for the years of experience it took to create the perfect image.

6. Professional photographers can spend hours producing one professional photograph. Time can include:

* creating the marketing

* answering emails and phone calls

* meeting with the client to talk about the event

* setting up for the event

* drive time to and from the event

* time for the actual photographing

* running to and from the lab

* meeting with the client for previews and decisions

* processing the image

* retouching the image

* mounting the image

* framing the image

* packaging the image

* dropping off final images

* production work

* follow up work

Add it all up, and you can see why one portrait session may include hours worth of work. It’s impossible to stay in business if you only make a few cent per client.

5. Professional photographers have to be more than photographers. They have to be CEOs and marketers, and bankers, and salespeople, and I.T. workers, and cleaners, and buyers, and negotiators, and networkers, and drivers, and organizers. And photographers. That’s a lot of skills for one person to master.

4. Professional photographers will do it all. Want to get married at the top of a 14,000 foot high mountain, where the only way up is a 30 minute ski-lift ride? A professional photographer will be there. Want a portrait running through the waves on a Connemara beach (eek, cold!)? A professional photographer will be there.

3. Professional photographers aren’t just order takers, they provide total customer service. Professionals photograph dozens or even hundreds of clients a year. They understand what looks good, how to put together albums/frames and how to group multiple photographs together. Their goal is to provide you with what you need and what’s best for you – not just have you sign on the dotted line.

2. Professional photographers watch for the newest, most innovative, creative products available. They stay up to date on industry news, and find things that perfectly match their clients taste. They don’t try and fit you into something you don’t like – they find out what you want and search the world over for the perfect things. They are the professional.

1. Professional photographers have the knowledge and the skill to make you look the best you can be. I can buy a hammer for a few Euros at the DIY store. Yet I can spen hundreds of euros for a handyman to repair my house. I have a lovely set of professional Chef’s Knives but I can’t cook like Gordon Ramsey. It’s not about the tools; it’s about the outcome.

Sure, anyone can buy a camera and take a picture. You can head down to your local shopping centre, wait several hours and have a part timer place you on an X and snap a few pictures. But they can’t get what a professional can get. They won’t concentrate on expressions. They won’t advise you on outfits and locations. They won’t provide 110 percent customer service. You won’t get a professional portrait.

Isn’t it time to see a professional?

Corin Bishop A.I.P.P.A – My Panel

As mentioned briefly in the article before, I’ve been made an Associate member of the Irish Professional Photographers Association (IPPA).

When you join the IPPA you must achieve a minimum standard to qualify and it gets you your ‘L’ plates (I like Roger Overall’s term for this), i.e. your Licentiate Qualification.

The next step up is to be an Associate Member and following that then a ‘Fellow’. It was about time I tried to get my Associate Qualification (as many of my colleagues kept reminding me). It’s not an easy thing to achieve so I’ve been putting it off for a while! To be honest I didn’t think I was ‘ready’ to give it a go.

To get the qualification the photographer must submit a body of work in the form of a ‘Panel’. The panel is made up of two rows of 10 images (20 in total). It’s not just a case of putting together a bunch of good images. The images must work together. They must compliment each other.It’s also important at this level to show a distinctive style. When putting the panel together it’s hard to show a distinctive style while still showing variation in subject, lighting, style, colour/mono etc. Again, one of the reasons I was putting it off!

For this panel I chose 10 colour images and then 10 mono images. I printed around 40 images in small prints and started shuffling them around to see what worked. The first panel I came up with was ok but it looked a little messy.  After consulting my art director (de Wifey – Nicola!) she made some excellent comments and suggestions which gave me the confidence to make crucial changes and finish it off! So a few edits/reprints and bit more shuffling – and it was ready!

So after a lot of nail-biting I finally got the call and was delighted to have got it!

Enough waffle… have a look… and let me know what you think!

Images created for Rachael Cooney’s Diploma in Image and Fashion Styling

I recently did some work with Rachael Cooney, a student at Limperts Academy of Design Terenure Dublin.

The concept for the photographs was to create striking images for a ‘fictional’ relatively new and upcoming magazine. It had to be a six page spread using at least one female and male model.

Rachael – “The shoot was to have a strong storyline behind it based loosely on a fairytale of my choice, so I chose Cinderella. They wanted me to create this theme without being clichéd. I had to chose the overall looks, the hair, clothes and makeup so that the shots would appeal to the supposed “magazine”. In the past their editorials have been ultra modern with a zany twist. The “magazine” had earned a reputation for outstanding and dramatic images and I feel Corin and I captured this perfectly.”

When Rachael first explained the concept to me I didn’t quite ‘get it’ but I was able to identify what was needed to get the images taken and agreed we’d work through it and it would all make sense in the end! To be honest it wasn’t until the final editing that I understood what she was trying to achieve (!).

Each image was shot using the models (one of which was Rachael) and a few simple props (balloons, boxes, flamingo’s etc.!). Lighting was kept simple and we shot on grey to allow for editing afterwards.

Rachel - “The clothes were given to me from Burgess, both the men’s and women’s departments. The props belong to me, they were old props I used for window display. The up-style in the hair and the long curls were done by David in Custume Cuts. Makeup was done using Mac makeup.”

When it came to editing the final images, we wanted to come up with something dramatic so I looked at finding some funky backgrounds that would compliment each image. The online Devian-Art community was my first port of call and we were able to find all the elements we needed to put the backgrounds together. It was a lot of editing and manipulation but the end result was worth it!

Rachael - “What I loved about working with Corin, despite the fact that he is so meticulous in his working ethic, so precise and the fact that he was truly interested in this project, was that he listened. He listened to what I wanted, as a stylist, and as a client. He took on board my ideas and used them in his work. He is also so efficient; he had my photos ready without any delay. I would definitely recommend Corin. I am so happy with the end result. Thank you Corin! Rachael. “