Great recently discovering four of my images have been shortlisted for the most prestigious food photography competition in the world…
Taken for:-
Olive Tree Catering, Runcorn; The Swan, Marbury and Raymond Jones Images, Chirk.
North Wales & Cheshire Wedding Photographer: Looking back with love...
Hello all. I hope you’re coping with the present situation and hopefully, it’ll be over within a few months.
I’ve been doing this photography thing for a long time and weddings since 2006. I thought I’d look back, randomly, for a selection of weddings to let you view.
Why do I still do photography? Recently, I’ve been asking myself this and it’s because I love capturing the moment, the split second of a feeling, a hug, a tear and the beauty of life and what’s more beautiful than a wedding!
While looking though Sian and Jaime’s wedding photographs a few days ago, so many memories came flooding back. I remember taking each photo as if it were yesterday. Surprising for me as I don’t have the best memory and find it hard to remember yesterday at the moment.
Let’s go back to August 2010 for the wedding of Sian & Jaime beginning at Sian’s mum’s house in Bagyllt, North Wales.
One special day…
Please share this post, either by here or by my links on other social media platforms. A share goes a long way!
Love and best wishes,
Ray xxx
Wedding Checklist
With the wedding season fast approaching, it’s worth considering you have all you need to make your photography experience as flowing as it should be. Here’s a few tips to consider:-
bring a flat pair of shoes for when I wisk you both off for those private romantic shots, providing your dress is long enough;
have a small spray can of hairspray with you as the wind can blow;
hair clips come in really handy;
I’ll probably ask you to kiss quite often and if you wear lipstick and you want that lipstick look, bring it with you;
pearl-headed pins are handy also for button holes and for bouquets that are not behaving properly;
talking of button holes, just in case you don’t know, are worn on the left hand side but NOT placed in the button hole where it never sits quite right;
just enjoy the day because it will fly.
Ray xxx
Finding and creating perfect lighting: Ray's Tog Tips
Searching or creating flattering light
Light is key to all areas of photography. From photographing gorgeous food to a family portrait flattering light is key. Without light, I can’t get a photo!
For example, the below images were taken in and with great lighting.
Image 1 was taken at the end of the day during the summer. I positioned the engaged couple under the tree. I love this kind of light in summer. Back lighting is great for food photography too. Why is it so good? It highlights the back of your subject when positioned correctly and when viewed from the front it gives a beautiful hair light! The same lighting can be achieved with studio lighting.
The bride’s shoes were photographed in doors, on the carpet, with vertical blinds partially closed. I remember taking this as if it were yesterday. I also remember turning off exterior tungsten lights as I didn’t want other light to pollute the scene!
The engagement couple met me at Loggerheads and the rest is history. The lighting here is oh so flattering especially on a cloudy day although I still have to be careful with downighting from the sun as it doesn’t really looking flattering to anyone. When I’m outdoors on a shoot I’m constantly looking for closed shade. When I find it, I can create the most stunning Wow images!
The final image of the dessert was photographed in a hotel with studio lighting. Why studio lighting? It was late in the day in December and I was struggling for light outside so I had no other choice. Another advantage to using studio lights it that they knock out external lighting resulting in a beautifully coloured image. Images that pop!
See you soon,
Ray
Image 1
Ray's Tog Tips: the effects of interior lighting...
Available Light
I mentioned the effects of interior lighting on products and especially food. It can taint colours. Tungsten often produces a yellow tint. Flouresent can tint blue. It’s important to get colours close to the actual product as possible which is extremely hard to do with available interior light only.
Another pitfall of shooting products indoors in available light is that it’s coming from everywhere. What do I mean? There’s no direction to the lighting. It’s not exciting or dramatic, it’s just an image taken in available light!
I photographed the below image with available light with my phone. iPhones struggle in low light! There was window light from the left and tungsten lights above, to the right, in fact everywhere.
You can learn a lot by looking at images like this, dissect them and photograph again in better light later on.
Analysing Images
There are many highlights in the above image. On the right side of the dish we have a big window light highlights. I strive to get large window highlights like this in food images. They normally have impact but here they don’t.
On the left side of the photograph, specular highlights can be seen which are from inside artificial lighting. I find these distracting. There is also a major white balance problem which happens when shooting anything in mixed available light. The left side of the image is off white and has a yellow tint to the dish. On the right side of the plate, the light is from the window and much cooler
Solutions
There are a number of solutions to improving the above image;-
Move the dish of food near a window to flood it with window light;
Turn off indoor lighting;
Block artificial interior lighting from the food.
Use flash.
I’ll be talking more about lighting in the next Tog Tip when I’ll also be looking at creating perfect light with natural light and flash lights.
Don’t forget to give me a little support on my posts on here or elsewhere. I would really appreciate that.
Ray
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Ray's Tog Tips: It all comes down to light, pure light!
Light
Let there be light, pure light! I’ve been thinking a great deal recently about lighting and what I look for on any shoot whether it be a beautiful wedding or a delicious meal on a plate. I’m constantly looking for pure light.
Pure Light
In wedding/food photography, I want to create a images that have nice colour. In a restaurant or church, for example, most often has artificial lighting. Although this lighting has been designed make the church/restaurant look good, the lighting is poor for photography, especially food photography in a restaurant.
Tungsten Light
Probably the most awful lighting I’ve come across in churches, restaurants and pubs are tungsten lighting. Tungsten often creates a yellow, murky kind of light, which can look nasty on an image!
Natural Light
It’s all about finding natural light. For food, that may be by a large window, door opening, etc. However, when I’m shooting at night with no natural light, I turn to my studio lights and create my own beautiful light!
Stay tuned for the next instalment where I’ll be looking at the effects of artificial lighting with photos and analysis.
Cheers,
Ray
PS Please support my post on social media, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Believe it or not it helps!
The business of Raymond Jones Images & its evolution
Social Media Management
Monday morning and here I am planning social media posts for other businesses for the rest of the week. You probably see a great deal of my images on social media but without knowing it. My business has changed so much in the last three years.
Weddings & Commercial Photography
Yes, I do still photograph beautiful weddings. I love them but as they are seasonal and I get most of my work from them during summer time. The commercial side of my business has increased considerably especially with my food and product photography.
It’s impossible for me to do every kind of photography! I specialise now in weddings & commercial advertising images.
Learning
Learning new skills. Self education is so important to me. At the moment I’m studying graphic design as this will complement my advertising work which I’m really enjoying! Education certainly is power
Raymond Jones Images: Brockley Bean Cafe Plastic Free Status
It was such a pleasure yesterday visiting The Brockley Bean Cafe, Charles Street, Wrexham. I’ve been supporting this business for over a year and I’ve seen so many changes.
Jess Daniel’s, owner of The Brockley Bean cafe work’s so hard preparing healthy food options with an emphasis on “clean” with food and packaging.
The certificate was awarded by Hannah Blythyn AM, Lesley Griffiths AM and Carrie Harper.
Shrewsbury Flower Show
A Year Without Mum...
Some days I wake up wanting to shout, “Fuck you world for taking my mum and dad!” Other days I wake up crying like it’s been a crappy nightmare. But now I’m waking up most mornings with a smile thinking about how lucky I am to have had the best mum and dad anyone could have and I have the most wonderful memories as a gift! (Sorry for swearing!)
If someone had said to me 5 years ago that in 5 years, mum & dad would have passed away, I will become self employed and I will move away from the village that I’ve always lived in, I would have probably laughed!
But it all happened. A year to the day when I visited mum in that ward in hospital, surprised to see her deterioration from 4 hours earlier. Mum’s health had deteriorated after dad passed away.
It’s been a successful year seeing and experiencing my business grow.
It’s been bloody tough, tough without mum. Emotionally, I’ve been angry, tearful, breathless, etc. She’s left a massive hole in my life that I can’t fill! But I’ve been determined not to bombard social media with photographs of mum because I’m very private and Mum was the same and to me, well, it’s just not me!
Thanks to my amazing partner and my little dog for showing me lots of love, continued love, especially today and thanks to my friends and family for your great amount of love.
Cheers to Mum & Dad for bringing me up and the happy memories I now have of them and with them.
Ray xxx
Ps. Mum loved flowers and custard creams like me!
North Wales & Cheshire Commercial Photographer: It’s Not All Down to the Camera
Quite often I get comment like, “It’s all down to the Camera”
Modern day cameras do take some good images in auto mode, the camera can only do so much. In auto settings try and take a picture in low light without flash. You most likely can’t!
A photographer will know to drop the shutter speed, pump up the ISO, and drop the aperture if needed. Good photographers think of different perspectives, know how to frame a good photo, and know how important the composition is. While the camera may be able to do many things, the camera cannot do it with out someone who has the knowledge of how to manipulate the settings to capture what they want to photograph.
Think about it and so it isn't all down to the camera!
Ray
Commercial Food/Business Photography in North Wales - Brockley Bean Cafe
At last time to blog about my commercial and wedding photography!
I've been helping Jess Daniels, owner at Brockley Bean Cafe promote her business in Wrexham, North Wales with great success.
I returned their earlier this week. "I'm a lover of food and eating well, with years of experience in health & fitness. Then in the '90s I spent my college days catering and working in restaurants.
Now 22 years on, I have finally achieved my dream of helping people feel good about the food they eat, with my very own Cafe! So here I am today, here to give you some food hope, ready to help you with your own journey and most of all eat some Yummy FOOD!!
Jess"
Events Photographer: MOW Gardening, come rain or shine...
It was great fun photographing Mow Gardening recently with Justin Madders and Andrew Pinkham of Amey Construction who gave, up a few hours our their time to clear away a mass of overgrown foliage, debris and leaves at The Beeches Care Home at Sutton Way.
Cheers for asking me along. I must remember to take my brolley for future outdoor shoots.
Here’s some of my favourite images…
Commercial Events Photographer: Ashton Peoples Solutions
I met Paula Ashton from Ashton People Solutions some time ago through networking with Networx.
Ashton People Solutions offer a bespoke HR service for small businesses or for businesses that outsource their HR. Paula asked me to photograph a workshop hosted by herself and Jo Robinson for local businesses who employee people and businesses who are about to employ people.
I too over 400 images of the workshop and here are a few of my favourite images taken at Abode, Chester.
Personal Branding Photography for Business Owners | Rebecca
Personal branding photography for small business owners
A business portrait can show much more than what someone looks like. It can show something about the person, their work and the personality behind the business.
I photographed Rebecca Caslin, owner of Not Just Scribbles, at her workspace to create a collection of professional images she could use across her website and social media.
Rebecca wanted more than a traditional corporate headshot. We photographed her working at her desk, using her computer and in the surroundings where she ran her business. This gave her a varied collection of photographs rather than simply different versions of the same portrait.
“Ray is a pleasure to work with, I hate having my picture taken but he instantly put me at ease. His relaxed style is perfect for the shots I needed for my business, offering a different take on the traditional headshot.
He went out of his way to make it a fun experience and I loved being able to have my dog with me (my co-worker!).
I was also impressed with the amount of shots I had to choose from. I would definitely recommend Ray for any of your photographic needs.
Rebecca Casling - Not Just Scribbles”
Looking for personal branding photography?
I photograph business owners and professionals who want more than a traditional headshot, creating natural business portraits and branding images for websites, LinkedIn and marketing.
Hospitality Photography in Cheshire: The Swan, Marbury
I had so much fun recently capturing the goings on at The Swan, Marbury. Lindsay (Operations Manager), a while back, messaged me about capturing happenings at the bonfire, the atmosphere in the pub, the kitchen, interior, etc.
Lots of low light photography with high ISO’s were required and the light began to fade. My favourite shots:-
Commercial Food Photography: The Bakeoff at The Druid, Mold
A few weeks ago, the owner of The Druid got in touch asking for images of their upcoming new menu and some images of their rum and gin selection for social media, website, etc.
It’s certainly was an exciting evening and definately a winning menu.
Commercial Food Photographer: Holt Lodge's Christmas Menus & Cocktails
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…
Food Photographer Cheshire | Olive Tree Catering
Commercial food photography in Cheshire
Food photography isn’t only about photographing the finished dish. For restaurants, hotels and catering businesses, the people, preparation and atmosphere behind the food can be just as important.
I photographed Olive Tree Catering in Cheshire to create a collection of professional images showing both their food and the people behind the business.
The shoot took us from the kitchen and food preparation through to beautifully presented finished dishes. I also photographed the chefs at work, the team and details from the dining environment.
This approach gives a hospitality business a much broader library of photographs to use across its website, social media, menus, PR and marketing.
I particularly enjoy photographing food in a way that keeps it looking real. Good lighting should bring out the colour, texture and detail of a dish without making it look artificial.
The same applies to photographing the people behind the food. Kitchens are busy places, and sometimes the strongest photographs come from observing what’s happening rather than stopping everything for the camera.
If you’re looking for a food photographer in Cheshire, I work with restaurants, hotels, chefs and hospitality businesses to create professional food and hospitality photography.
Business Headshot Photography in Chester | Tony’s Portrait Session
Business headshot photography in Chester
A good business portrait doesn’t have to mean standing against a plain background and forcing a smile at the camera.
I photographed Tony, a business growth specialist, in Chester after he wanted to update his professional images. Rather than working in one location, we spent an hour walking around the city and created a collection of portraits in different surroundings.
This gave Tony more than one traditional headshot. We created professional portraits that could be used across his website, LinkedIn and other business marketing while still showing something of his personality.
Chester gave us plenty of opportunities to change the look of the photographs without travelling far. We used streets, buildings and interiors to create a varied collection while keeping Tony recognisable and natural throughout.
That’s still an important part of how I photograph people today. I want someone to look professional, but I don’t want to photograph the personality out of them.
If you’re looking for business headshot photography in Chester, I photograph individuals and teams on location, creating professional portraits that still look like you.
Commercial Photography. A morning at the gym with Smarter Strength
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...
