Demuth Photography Blog

Poster for Grand Designs

Russell Blake - Postcard 1

Russell Blake - Postcard 2

The Grand Designs Live London Exhibition takes place at the Excel this weekend (5th-13th May 2012). I do a lot of interiors shoots for interior designers and furniture makers and although I will not be exhibiting this year as I have a couple of shoots next week, examples of my interior photography will be on display at Russell Blake’s stand.

Russell Blake makes amazing kitchens and bespoke hand-crafted furniture using responsibly sourced materials and his craftsmanship is second to none.
Visitors to his stand will also be able to see a slide-show of my photography and there will be postcards to go in the goody bags.

To see more examples of my interior photography please take a look at the Corporate Galleries pages on the Demuth Photography website: www.demuthphoto.com/corporate

St Mary's Church, Westham

Steve & Carly at St Mary's Westham

On the 31st March I photographed Carly & Steve’s wedding at St Mary’s church in Westham near Pevensey and the castle.

The reception was held at the English Wine Centre and Cuckmere Barns in Alfriston, a perfect location with excellent facilities.

Cuckmere Barns, English Wine Centre

Steve & Carly

This was a fantastic wedding with a beautiful church, a great reception venue, excellent music from the band Oomph and some amazing magic from Kris Singh.

Oomph!

The link to the gallery has now been sent to the couple and they have already responded with these lovely words:

“Wow, wow, wow…..absolutely amazing photos. We are so pleased with them, thank you so much. We have experienced so many emotions looking through them all, you have captured some fantastic memories which we will treasure forever! Thank you again for all your hard work!”

To see Demuth Photography weddings please visit my wedding portfolio: www.demuthphoto.com/wedding-photography

At the end of March in the French & Italian Alps I did a week’s shoot for STG School Travel Group (Ski Plan, STS, Equity & Rocket Ski). I  went with fellow photographer Jim Young and my brief was primarily to get hotel and resort photos while Jim’s was to get photos of the children learning to ski. We had a really enjoyable and productive week covering 10 different resorts and 13 different hotels.

Hotel Rois Mages, Montgenevre - Reception

ClubHotel Le Morgan, Risoul - Ski Fit Room

I have been done a number of shoots for various travel companies and interior designers. I really enjoy shooting interiors, there are so many things you have to get right (light, perspective, composition) and the shots usually require detailed editing but when it all comes together the results are very pleasing.

In addition to the interiors photography I did a number of 360 degree virtual tours of the main hotels for use on the STG websites and these will be available over the next couple of weeks. I was also taking photos of the various school groups in and around the hotels. I do a lot of schools shoots but for obvious privacy reasons won’t be posting photos of the children. I can however post this photo of one of the ski instructors at Montgenevre. The sun was intense on the slopes and ski goggle marks are a common sight with the instructors.

ESF Ski Instructor, Montgenevre

Alpe D'Huez

Montgenevre

ClubHotel Beausoleil, Alpe D'Huez

Corbier

The real thrill of this shoot for me were the alpine landscapes. I love mountainous areas. I am a frequent visitor to the Lake District and have visited the Alps in the Summer. To see the mountains in the winter covered in snow was amazing. I was very envious of the skiers and snow-boarders and it is now a mission of mine to learn to ski or snowboard.

Possibly my favourite resort was Alpe D’Huez. We were there twice during the week and the ClubHotel Beau Soleil is a lovely hotel right on the piste with lovely facilities and amazing breath-taking views.

To see the complete gallery of alpine landscapes taken on this trip please go to the landscapes gallery pages: www.demuthphoto.com/landscapes

Alpe D'Huez

Prim Rose

I was contacted last week by Rachel at Shikasuki seeking permission to use my catwalk photos taken at London Fashion Weekend. Rachel runs a very stylish shop in Primrose Hill, writes a very popular fashion blog “Shikasuki” and I am very happy that the photos are being used.

The organisers of London Fashion Weekend sometimes use items from my shop in their runway shows. I am happy to loan them for free, as the resulting photos are wonderful and obviously something I could never create myself. This year your photographs really jumped out to me as the best runway shots…they are fantastic!

Also featured on the Shikasuki blog are some fantastic backstage photos by Spencer Sunar. They really capture a mood and show the clothes off (especially Prim Rose) in a different light. I love this kind of photography and respect is definitely due to Spencer Sunar.

To see the complete collection of London Fashion Weekend photos please use the link: 24.02.12_london_fashion_weekend

Rock and blues guitar superstar Joe Bonamassa is in town playing at the Brighton Centre tonight playing with his amazing band. Joe’s drummer Tal Bergman is widely regarded as one of the best in the business known for his sense of “groove” and he has been touring with Bonamassa’s band since 2011.

Tal Bergman has toured and recorded with some of the most exciting performers on the music scene, including Billy Idol, Joe Zawinul, Simple Minds, LL Cool J, Rod Stewart, Chaka Khan and Terrence Trent DArby. His musical versatility spans hard rock, funk, R&B and jazz. He is also the associate producer and drummer on the platinum and Grammy nominated album (7 million world wide) It Had To Be You…The Great American Songbook by Rod Stewart. As a drummer, Bergman has worked with Herb Alpert, Belinda Carlisle, Peter Certera, Phranc, and MC Solaar to name a few. His film credits as composer include “The Circle”(2005) Dancing at the Blue Blue Iguana (2000), Wedding Bell Blues (1996), Kill Me Later (2001) and the The Untold (2002).

Tal Bergman with his BC2

Tal Bergman was very happy to endorse the BC2 drum amplification system by Porter & Davies and it was great to meet him and some of the band this afternoon. Tal was very generous with his time and was a really genuine and nice guy. Dil Davies, Jerome Marcus and I were made to feel very welcome and it is a real shame that I couldn’t take advantage of his very kind offer of a free ticket for tonight! Hopefully next time…

I was lucky enough to catch the sound check though, and was really impressed with Joe Bonamassa and the band. The rhythm section were amazing and Joe Bonamassa’s guitar playing was remarkable!

Since NAAM (the annual drum show/exhibition held in the USA every year) Porter & Davies have seen a massive surge in interest in their products. The BC2 and Gigster are both very much in demand and many notable and famous drummers have jumped on board and are singing the praises of this unique drum amplification system that generates physical sound through bone amplification. To see the range of Porter & Davies products and to buy online take a look at their website: www.porteranddavies.co.uk

This weekend I am off to France for a week taking resort, hotel and ski photos for STS School Travel Service. I will be traveling out with fellow photographer James Young and will be taking photos of the resorts, hotels and schools groups learning to ski and enjoying the culture. We will be based in Serre Chevalier and visitng different resorts every day including: Risoul, Alpe D’Huez (where I did a shoot last year), Les Deux Alpes, Montgenevre, Corbier, Sansicario, Cesana and Bardonecchia. STS arrange school trips abroad and have a number of titles including: SkiPlan, Equity School Ski and RocketSki and we will be taking photos for use in these brochures and for general marketing.

The Mont Blanc Region

The French Alps are beautiful and I fell in love with the area last year when I did a Summer shoot for TUI. I am really looking forward to working with James Young who is an accomplished and excellent ski photographer and can’t wait to experience the Alps in winter. Fresh snow is forecast for the day before we arrive so hopefully we can expect excellent conditions with clean snow and blue skies.

I do a lot of schools photography and it is always great when you get to do shoots away from the classroom. Companies like STS create inspiring, learning opportunities for young people and organize fantastic trips all year round for schools. Many thanks to Carol Bolger and her team at STS for arranging everything for the shoot.

To see my landscapes portfolio please use the link: www.demuthphoto.com/landscape-photography

Lifestyle photography is photography that defines and reflects life, that creates a mood, is emotive and hopefully timeless. The images are often personal, narrative and evocative, moments of magic. Demuth Photography was born out of a love of this kind of photography.

I usually have a camera on me when I am out and about, whether it is an old-school film camera (such as the Canon A1) or an old compact digital camera (like my Canon G9). They may not be the fastest or the most up to date but are still capable of taking very good photos. Perhaps I should be taking out my pro bodies and L lenses more often but there is something nice about having a camera in your pocket, rather than a pack on your back.

Lola

Truffle and Lola

Opportunities to get good photos are always at hand when out on the daily dog walks in and around Shoreham By Sea. I regularly take Lola out for walks along the river, by the sea or up to the Downs.

Lola now has now made a lot of friends, including Truffle who is another lovely working cocker spaniel and is owned by good friends of mine, Richard and Tegan.

Lola after her February dip in the River Adur

To see the recent gallery of dog-walking photos please take a look at the Lifestyle galleries pages: www.demuthphoto.com/lifestyle

To see some of my favourite lifestyle shots please take a look at the Lifestyle portfolio: www.demuthphoto.com/lifestyle-photography

Melanie C and the band at Concorde 2

Last Wednesday I was at Concorde 2 in Brighton, taking photos of Melanie C in concert. Concorde 2 is one of my favourite music venues, with an intimate atmosphere, a great sound-system and an eclectic line up of bands. Melanie C has released five solo albums since her “Sporty Spice” days and is widely respected. A great song-writer and energetic performer, Melanie’s current tour promotes her new album “The Sea”.

Since the start of her music career in 1996, Melanie C has enjoyed enormous world-wide success with Spice Girls, as well as a succesful solo career with the release of her five solo albums, not to mention a hugely successful journey in the musical theatre.

Melanie C’s fifth album titled ‘The Sea’ – made under her own independent record label Red Girl Records – has been released four years after her last output. The new material is more adventurous than her other work, making it evident that her musical confidence is growing, so you can expect a great atmosphere, captivating performance and incredible live vocals at Concorde2.

Melanie C at Concorde 2

La Donna Harley-Peters

Mel’s drummer Vinnie Lammi is a good friend of mine and he made it possible for me to get a photographer’s pass at The Concorde. As is so often the case at concerts, photographers are only allowed to take photos during the first three songs and are not allowed to use flash.

It would have been great to have longer than the 15 minutes, the energy was there from the very beginning, but there were lots of fantastic shot opportunities throughout the rest of the set. Concorde 2 was pretty rammed and I couldn’t get right at the front without seriously annoying Mel C devotees (long lenses and big cameras can kind of get in the way) so I got as close as I could and shot away. Unfortunately the lighting at the gig meant that it was virtually impossible to get decent photos of my friend Vinnie playing (Sorry Vinnie!). Lighting was great for Mel and the front line of the band but the fantastic drummer was largely left in the dark.

Melanie C at Concorde 2

I am really pleased with the results and they have been sent to Melanie and the band. The gallery is private view only for the time being but as soon as I get the ok from Melanie C I will make the gallery live so the photos can be seen.

Over the last few weeks I have been taking product photos and pack shots for Transformulas. Transformulas motto is “Beauty Without Surgery”.

Transformulas® is an EXCLUSIVE British cosmeceutical brand founded on a fear of needles, who specialise in anti-ageing and lifestyle treatments for the face and body, at affordable prices… All treatments are formulated with the finest quality ingredient to alleviate Natural and Secondary Ageing.

Transformulas Line Filler

I have been doing product photography and pack shots for a while now and work frequently with beauty companies.

These high-key photos have been taken in my studio using a “Walimex Pro” light tent and Bowens studio strobes to maximize the impact of the chrome and glass.

When shooting high key white products in a light tent you have to be very careful to ensure that the product’s highlights are distinct from the white back ground so exposure and light source are the key to successful photos. The designers using the photos can then easily create the cut-outs to be used in advertisements or for websites.

It is also important that you minimize the reflections in the chrome and any reflective surfaces so I shot through an aperture in the front of the light tent to avoid getting reflections of me and the camera. To add impact I also added black strips of cardboard to get the high contrast shadow look on the chrome.

The gallery of Transformulas photos can be found on the Corporate Galleries page:  www.demuthphoto.com/corporate

The South Bank at night

On my way home from London Fashion Weekend I noticed the reflections of the South Bank from the Embankment, and stopped to take a couple of photos. London at night can be amazing and I am planning to re-visit over the next couple of weeks to get some more night landscapes. To see more photos of London taken a few years ago take a look at the landscapes gallery pages: www.demuthphoto.com/landscapes