The single most important thing in photography in my opinion is lighting. Whether indoor or out the whole look of an image can be transformed with the correct lighting. The image shown here was photographed in The Image Factory studio for local pottery manufacturer William Edwards. The ceramics though destined for Cobblers Cove in Barbados had to be photographed in Burslem, oh well maybe next time! Showing a white pattern on a white background is tricky no matter what the subject. Here we have used back light to bring out the surface pattern and a shallow depth of field to give that in and out of focus feel. Flat, uninteresting lighting is boring, don’t put up with it. Andrew the studio’s lead photographer has over 30 years experience ALL based in commercial, advertising photography. This gives him a unique understanding of how to light a variety of different subjects like glass, ceramics, jewellery & engineering parts etc. If you would like to find out more about how the Image factory can help you contact us here.
This pottery photography was done very recently for a Stoke-on-Trent ceramics manufacturer. The Image Factory studio received a phone call in the morning and were asked if we could possibly collect the ware and then photograph and supply the image the same day! Andrew was out on a location shoot at the time but was able to collect the items on his way back to the studio and then this and a few individual items were all photographed. The work was completed on time and the images were sent to America to meet their deadline. As with all types of work the lighting is a crucial element. Here we needed to create some mood and at the same time use reflections to highlight the relief in the ware. Our client, Royal Stafford were very happy and have kindly given us permission to use this image on our blog and social media.
Site photography in such a wonderful building as St. Georges Hall, Liverpool was always going to be a great location shoot for us at The Image Factory. I personally love architecture, I love looking at it & photographing it! Our client Craven Dunnill from Bridgnorth had commissioned us to photograph one of the areas of floor they’d been asked to restore, but wasn’t quite expecting what I saw when we entered the hall. The floor was vast, the whole hall was massive & the challenge was going to combining the natural light with the lighting we’d taken with us so we could see the restoration work & also capture the ‘mood’ of the place. Here’s a couple of images of me photographing some of the smaller areas of floor.
Photographing a white ceramic beaker on a white background sounds like it’s not going to be the most exciting photography commission ever I agree. However, this is what we were asked to do by Promotional Ceramics of Fenton & with a little creative thinking at our studio we think we have given this ceramics image the wow factor. In combination with creating a splash we have lit the subject in a way that the shadow on the ground makes it look ‘grounded’ & the shadow on the mug helps separate it from the background. We got some really good feedback from the shot from the client, on our Facebook page & on Twitter.
A 5.30am start from our studio in Stoke on Trent meant this location job was always going to be along day but using The Hyde in Herefordshire as a backdrop helped in getting some great images. There were several elements to this location shoot. We had to capture the lovely ceramic tableware indoors and out (not helped by the rain!). In some shots we had children involved and in others animals like owls and hedgehogs. The image shown here is of the ‘young guns’ just stopping for a tea break – at this point the dog had run off which was hilarious! Some of the images were used in magazines and some for the clients website and all of the children got an image to treasure too. For more information about our services please call 01782 577790 or view our portfolio here.
We were privileged to have Moorcroft pottery in our Stoke on Trent studio last week.
Working hard in ‘the Potteries’ Stoke on Trent today, just like my ancestors used to…..
