Red7 Media video for Schluter Coffee UK...

We are pleased to showcase our latest commercial video. The images in this video are part of the marketing and branding project Red7 media are currently working on for Schluter Coffee UK....enjoy.....

Image of the week 2012, number 4.....

I really can't believe how quickly the time to post one of these images comes around! I'm really glad I set myself the challenge though, at the moment anyway, as it keeps me looking out for pictures all the time!
Last weekend, I took my daughter to London for a "Britain's Got Talent" audition. We had a great day, leaving Liverpool at 415am and arriving for the audition at 9. we waited for 3 1/2 hours then went in for the audition which was, literally, one minute!
Serena did really well, and although she was nervous, it didn't show in her voice as she sang...we have to wait now till the end of Feb to hear if she is through to the next stage.
Of course, I took my trusty GF1 and took a few photos as we wandered around London after the audition. We walked round Trafalgar Square (including a visit to the National Gallery), along Regent St and Oxford St.
The image I have decided to show is one that I took at Kilburn tube station as we were making our way to the audition. The sun was just coming up on the other side of the platform to camera right, but it produced a really strange light on this side of the station that seemed to only last for a couple of minutes. I made a few exposures, 3 in total, changing the settings slightly each time and decided I like this one the best. No particular reason, just that it appeals to me!
Straight out of the camera, no vignette even (which I love and put on almost all of my images!!)

Panasonic Lumix GF1 20mm f1.7, 1/250th ISO 400

Images showcased in international publication........

We were delighted to be contacted this week by luxury bathroom hardware manufacturer Grohe. After seeing some of our work for another client, they contacted us about using some of the images we shot. Each year, they produce a book for interior design and architect practices around the world to showcase their products. We are pleased to say the next book, to be published in April, will feature a selection of our images. It a real endorsement that a luxury brand such as Grohe want to use our images for their product catalogue.
Here is a layout for the book with all images shot by Ian MacMichael. A further layout is to follow with another selection of our photography and we will also receive a hard copy of the finished product.

Red7 media photography

Last week, photographer Ian MacMichael was shooting the first set of images for the latest client of sister company Red7 media. It was a rotten morning weather wise, but in the offices where these images were shot, there was lovely soft light. Red7 media are in the process of redesigning the international website of Schluter Coffee and also building a new website for their UK business, Schluter Coffee. This site is currently under construction.

Schluter supply only the highest quality African coffee, all of which meets the highest ethical standards. They know the farmers whom they buy from and have traveled extensively to visit them. They are passionate about their coffee and their business, but about improving the livelihoods of the farmers they work with.

It was a very relaxed shoot with top quality coffee supplied by Chris! Here are a few images from the shoot with more details and images to follow soon....

Image of the week number 3.....

This image was shot at around 0745  on Edge Lane....I benefited from my New Year's resolution of always having my camera with me! There were lots of road works and the traffic I was in was stuck behind a very slow moving mini digger. I noticed the sky a few minutes earlier, then, as the traffic inched around a corner, there was this digger sitting there, lit with its own lights, and I though it looked amazing! I grabbed the GF1 and waited for the right moment as the traffic edged down the road. Here's the shot, straight out of camera with a little vignette.....
Literally 5 minutes later, all the colour and drama had gone from the sky, I was glad I had my camera with me!
Feel free to join in with your own images in the Flickr group here...

Have a great weekend!



Panasonic GF1, 20mm lens: 100th sec/ f1.7 ISO 400

Andrew and Anna's pre wedding shoot....

Last weekend, we had a really great time with Andrew and Anna on their pre wedding shoot. It was a chilly afternoon and we weren't expecting the park to be so busy! Anyway, we had great fun along with lots of curious looks, and curious pets and getting in the way of kids' bike races! The late afternoon sun was gorgeous and there was a real orange glow later on as the sun set. We tried to use this where we could and combined this beautiful warm light with some strobe light,  triggered using the Pocketwizard flex triggers and a photo-flex small Octadome on the flash.
There were so many lovely images, it was really hard to select just a few for the blog, so we also produced a video of the complete shoot which will be in the next post.....enjoy it you two, you looked great!

2012 image of the week...number 2!

OK, so here's my second in the series...my favorite image shot this week with my Panasonic GF1.....the view from our back door! As I got in I went into the kitchen to make a coffee I saw the great clouds and the sun  shining through...just a simple B&W conversion....I really like the expanse of dramatic sky silhouetting the church.....
Don't forget, you can join me on this journey by submitting your images on the flickr gallery here

Image of the week 2012 flickr group now live!

I am pleased to say that there is now a flickr group for anyone who wants to join me on the image of the week 2012 challenge. You can upload your images and comments here. Please feel free to get involved...it's a fun challenge to get us into the fun of making photographs and inspiring each other! I'm looking forward to it and hopefully seeing a few pictures there!

Image of the week 2012.....

This year, we are aiming to share one new picture every week, shot on our recently purchased, second hand point and shoot camera. The aim is to inspire our own creativity, and that of anyone else who wants to get involved. There will be little or no editing of the images either, maybe just black and white conversions....just us, the camera and some creativity! It promises to be a tough, yet rewarding challenge. I have a plan to set up a microsite where anyone interested can upload their images and we can learn from, challenge and inspire each other! I'm really looking forward to this, so if you want to get involved, post a comment on this blog, or on my facebook page, or twitter, or email me here......

So, here's our first "image of the week 2012"! A Saturday morning coffee in Leaf, Liverpool....I liked the way the girl was framed by the older couple, lit from above by the retro lampshades.


Panasonic Lumix GF1, 20mm pancake lens, manual, 1/60, f1.7, ISO 800.

Welcome to 2012.....New Year, new business!

A happy New Year to all our clients. We look forward to working on lots of exciting weddings and commercial shoots this year. 2012 promises to be our busiest year yet, so we're looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead!
There are a few new projects we will be working on this year and more news on these will follow in the next couple of weeks.

However, first of all..........



Some VERY exciting news......



 








One new development we are very excited to share is the start of a new business partnership, Red7 Media. After working together on a few projects over the past 18 months or so, graphic and web designer Graeme, from Stylographic design, and photographer Ian MacMichael, teamed up to launch creative design consultancy Red7 Media.

The company will offer a complete suite of web, print and digital media including websites, advertising, re-branding, logos, photography and marketing. The emphasis will be on creativity. We will bring imagination, flair and cost effective solutions to businesses of all sizes and in all markets.

We are very excited by the prospect of the business. Having already successfully collaborated informally on 3 significant, yet very different, projects last year, we are happy to now be joining forces and offering between us much more than we could offer independently.

This week, we have been successful in our first ever bid as Red7 Media, to begin the re-branding of a global business, starting with a new website for the UK business and a complete overhaul of the existing global site.

More news on this will be coming shortly on the Red7 media blog.