Hospitality businesses think ahead constantly. Holt Lodge is not different. For their Christmas advertising campaign they called me in to photograph their Christmas Menu and Cocktails for the festive period.
Here’s a few of my favourite images a few weeks back…
Olive Tree Catering has fast become established as one of the best across Cheshire and surrounding areas in event catering, for weddings, corporate events and private dinner parties.
I first met Danny Burke and John Trelfa a few years ago when they worked as Development Chefs at Creative Foods in Flint.
Danny got in touch earlier in the year wanting professional images of his food and his food environment, especially in the kitchen. Anyway, a busy workload resulted in a shoot that we did last Friday.
I’m totally impressed by the images I took and the chefs food plating and sheer speed creating wonderfully plated dishes.
Tony Mazzotti - Business Growth Specialist
Recently I’ve been getting back into doing corporate headshots but with a difference.
I met Tony Mazzotti, Business Growth Specialist, a while back when I first started to network in Wrexham. Tony wanted to update his professional images and turned to me to help.
From the city of Chester, it was important to Tony to have his photos taken in the city. Tony hired me for an hour as we walked around lots of different locations in the city.
It’s not enough nowadays to just have formal headshots with dark or light background. Lots of my clients want to show not just their professional side but the human/caring side of their personality!
Here are a few images from the shoot….
I had so much fun the other day at Smarter Strength www.smarterstrength.co.uk with business owner Scott Morgans. Such a pleasure to photograph Scott with his clients at the gym in Ellesmere Port.
I was in my element reportage style photographing guy and team creatively through iron frames but must remember next time to watch of sticking out weights etc.
Really please the client was happy with the images,
"Had a more detailed look last night and they have come out great. Really pleased" Scott Morgans.
For most of my clients I place their company logo on the images so they are portable immediately on social media and website. Here's a few of my favourite images from the shoot...
It was wonderful when I received an email from Jayne, Tweedmill Textiles asking me to call in to discuss their requirements of lifestyle images for their autumn/winter catalogue 2018. They reviewed my portfolio and were impressed by my interiors and food imagery.
This was just up my street. I visited the team, got the job and the below images show the images I produced for them. I managed to take over 2,00 images. Locations were Telacre Beach, Flint Castle and the hills in North Wales.
Enjoy...
The commercial side of my business has expanded so much recently. With food shoots for The Swan, Marbury; The Alyn, Rossett, to name a few. So enjoying photographing new menus and helping businesses create more sales and get more customers. Most of my images are used on social media and websites.
A few images from my food and business portfolio.
Just to clarify my business. I'm a wedding and commercial photographer. Weddings are seasonal and mainly held during the summer. However, my commercial photography keeps me busy all year round.
Just a clarification I thought you should know.
Happy Friday.
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I've been lucky this year with the weather photographing weddings. It's been an unusual summer with hot sunshine for most of it.
We met a couple of months on a cold winter's morning and it was hard to visualise their wedding with different weather but it was different. Warm, sultry and so romantic.
Such a fun couple and their wedding reflected this.
Here's a few images from Carla and Ben's wonderful wedding at the gorgeous Plas Isaf in Corwen.
Wishing you both a wonderful life together.
Ray
Pubs Ltd asked me to visit the business the day before it opened in mid April. Such a difference from the start of the project...
I started to photograph The Swan, Marbury almost 2 years ago for Pubs Ltd and Jerry Brunning (Brunning & Price). Jerry wanted a record of the project from the start to the finish to show customers in an album and on a iPad. It was such a thrill to be asked to do this for Jerry. The guy who created the 'gastro pub look'.
I was in a great position in that I seen the project from start to finish. A few images from February earlier this year. I'll be following this blog with another showing the completed Swan at Marbury...
It was through Twitter, that Jan Chillery, Secretary of the Chester Regatta, got in touch with me and asked me to photograph the oldest regatta in the world. Luckily the weather was great.
It was so much fun. Fun to even pop on a boat with Jan Chillery, the Sheriff of Chester and his wife on the River Dee. Looking forward to next years event and here's just a few images from the day...
I was asked by Alex Smeaton to photograph the business called The Alyn, Rossett. A beautiful set pub/restaurant on the bank of the River Dee. Interior/Exterior images, behind the scenes in the kitchen and a selection of their food menu. All for use on their website, social media platforms and printing materials.
At last I have a few minutes spare to do a little blog post of recent business activities with Raymond Jones Images. I will try keep this blog up to date but then again I won't make any promises if you know what I mean.
The corporate/commercial side of my photography is expanding in a way that I thought it never would. I've been documenting and photographing, over the last two years, The Swan, Marbury for Pubs limited. Thoroughly enjoyable seeing and photographing this pub from start to the present. The new look Swan is almost complete. I've also been working with self caterers, including chefs pubs and great venues like Holt Lodge, The Millstone, Pubs Ltd, etc. Corporate head shots, interior and exterior of businesses and their products, especially food.
Some images for you to see. Should you require my services, please get in touch. I'm very competitive and will beat any competitor in the area.
Ray
Jackie Clarke, Professional PA
Jerry Brunning, Pubs Limited
Holt Lodge menu
The Swan, Marbury development
I recently completed putting together the most amazing album for a client. We both opened the box that the album came in. It was a nerve racking moment. As we opened the packaging we were thrilled by the feel and look of the album. The way the light bounced off the glossy pages and the velvet introductory page!
In this world of digital technology, moments like this never happen. I'm currently adding to all my portrait shoots 6 free 7 x 5 prints so you can feel and see the prints and get an experience you can't get on your iPhone or laptop!
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It started to snow when I arrived at the cottage yesterday and it's still snowing now with over 10inches. A perfect opportunity to get out my camera and capture this ancient cottage and grounds....
Happy Christmas.
Ray
That time of the year again when time seems to be on our side a little bit more and we get the opportunity to see people again and nurture new and old friendships and discover the interesting locations of friends....
So looking forward to a quiet Christmas and New Year.
Hi there and it's time to discuss manual exposure. You constantly let me know via email or messenger that you find it hard to master manual exposure so it's about time you were helped so here's a basic run down of how it's achieved.
You must first and foremost read your cameras manual and if you don't understand it read it again and again. It's so important to understand how your camera works. You drive a car after you've taken lessons and the same is true about photography!
For the photograph of the swans in the photograph below, manual exposure was used with spot metering. The spot meter (the circle in your viewfinder) was positioned over the nearest swan. Looking at the meter +2 stops of exposure compensation was given to render the swan as white with detail.
Think about what's just been said.
Cheers and happy snapping.
We all the most magical engagement shoot a few weeks before their but their special day was even more magical.
Let the photos do the talking...
One very special day.
See you soon with the album and thank you for asking me and letting me into your family.
Ray
This afternoon. I'll be blogging about Matthiew & Diane's barn wedding.
Stay tuned at about 5pm today!
It will probably be, so far, the pinnacle of photographic career when I photograph in London on Friday evening. I don't really do nerves anymore with taking photographs but I do have butterflies and thoughts about the evening. Will the lighting be satisfactory, etc.
Dress: Botanical chic. I have my new plant motif braces and waistcoat!
I'm just going to enjoy it all and thank my lucky stars that have been asked to photograph it.
Why do I adore London so much? If this makes sense, I'm an ant there amongst millions of ants!
Ray