Covid 19 Corporate Photography

Some Predictions on Photography and the Covid 19 Pandemic

Writing this in May 2020, it’s hard to see when this will be behind us, but I would hope to begin to return to a NEW normal come September. If I’m wrong, then I’d prefer to be an optimist and wrong than a pessimist and right.

However things will be quite different. Firstly on all jobs until this crisis is behind us I will be wearing a face mask, and maintaining a 2 meter distance from everyone. Not only for my own health but also for the health of others. Also no hand shaking and all of my equipment will be sterilized.

Regarding conferences, it will be all about making the event look busy! This will be especially challenging as each person may have 2 empty seats beside them. I have various techniques I use to make rooms look full. Looking at the photographs afterwords you would never guess there were empty seats at all. I can easily make a half full room look full. Distance will be key, as to maintain the 2 meter limit, my longer lenses will be vital!

Social media hasn’t gone anywhere and companies will still wish to maintain their social media presence. This will continue to be important for corporate events. Capturing speakers onstage and audience engagement will be vital, as well as getting these to the clients in real time for their social media channels. If anything, the world’s use of social media has only increased in recent months.

For portraiture and headshots I would have always maintained a distance of at least 2 meters before the chrisis, so this area will be the least affected. Long lenses work the best for portraits. They are also the most flattering for the face. It will not be a problem for me to come into offices and setup, and see one person at a time for a few minutes to take their headshots. I just won’t be able to greet them with a handshake. Again I will maintain a strict 2 meter distance at all times.

Some other areas of photography such as property photography won’t be affected, as usually the properties are vacant. Also many times I’m left in the building alone for the required time to photograph.

Product photography will also not be affected, as this can also be done in my own time. I can also do this with the clients in the same room. We would both need to wear face masks of course and keep our distance.

Regarding set stills it remains to be seen how things will move forward. Normally on set if there is any kind of bug, the whole crew gets it, as it’s such a closed nit group. It remains to be seen when television and film productions can return. I’d expect this might come back in September also, but with many new rules and requirements for safety. Promotional shots would still be ok as we can work within the rules.

PR photography should also be workable. Obviously no wide lenses and getting up close and personal, but there are many workarounds here.

Advertising photography shoots will still go ahead as there will be a backlog of campaigns. Brands will be eager to get their messaging out there. Many months have gone by, so people will be eager to get going!

Some things are still very uncertain, but I’m confident that the photographic industry can alter itself to accommodate any new rules after Covid 19. We will all have to wait and see how the economy is and how quickly it can recover.

If you wish to contact me regarding any photography briefs, please use the contact form below:

Email: [email protected]
Call: 085 145 8364

Industry Product Conference '20 - RDS

Social media photography for events and conferences. Man addresses audience during conference.

Industry Product Conference 2020

Hands clapping during conference. Image was sent to clients phone during conference.

Industry Conference '20 - RDS

Social media photographer for events and conferences in Dublin. Man addresses audience during conference on stage with large monitor behind displaying graphics.

Industry Product Conference 2020

Social media photography events and conferences. Man speaking to crowd during tech conference at the RDS Dublin.

Industry Conference '20 - RDS

Man speaking during conference.

Industry Product Conference '20 - RDS

Man addressing audience during a tech summit in Dublin referencing graphics on the monitor behind him.

Industry 2020 - RDS

Women during interview on stage at the RDS Dublin for Industry conference.

Industry Conference '20 - RDS

Man being interviewed on stage during the Industry Tech conference at the RDS Dublin

And then post images taken on your phone..

Why do you hire a professional photographer, if not to paint your event in the best possible light. For that reason, why do you then post pictures from your mobile phone to your social media pages?? They are badly lit, badly framed and paint your event in the worst possible light.

I can send images directly from my camera to your phone during your event. This way you can now show your event in the best possible light!

Notoriously events and conferences have the worst lighting, where a mobile phone’s camera will fail badly. A mobile phone, no matter how much money you spend on it, will not do what a professional camera and 15 years experience can do. Often people stand too far back from the action, taking a badly lit images with very little thought. Also the client won’t be able to get up close to the stage, or and have the lenses needed to take a nice selection of wide angled and long shots. I also won’t miss any of the action as I’m continuously shooting the event, and capturing all of those unique moments.

At every event I do, I will send the client a selection of 20 or so images for their social media pages during the event. I send images directly from my camera to the clients phone. Often I will discuss with the client at the event which photographs they would like for their social media.

Social media is there as a tool to promote your business and event to the public. To do this you should use the best possible pictures to paint your event in the best possible light. After the organizing, planning and money spent, let me help you to show your event in the best possible light!

The above images were taken during the Product Collective Industry Conference in Dublin in March 2020. I sent all of these images as the conference was happening to their phones for their social media.

If you would like to contact me regarding your upcoming event please use the form below. To see more event samples please view my events page:

Email: [email protected]
Call: 085 145 8364

Why Hire a Photographer

First of all, Jimmy might have a professional camera, but would you trust someone who wasn’t a surgeon with a professional surgeon’s knife? No, so neither should you trust Jimmy, unless he can show you an extensive portfolio of photographic experience including the exact type of photography you are after.

I have worked for so many companies that previously hired a ‘friend’ of one of their employees who had a professional camera. I would much prefer a professional with an amateur camera/even mobile phone, than a amateur with a professional camera. It’s like giving a professional guitar to someone who doesn’t play, compared with a professional musician with a starter guitar.

Nothing makes up for knowledge and experience, no matter how much you spend on equipment. As good equipment becomes more and more affordable, there are more and more people out there with professional equipment, but little or no professional experience. However they and their unsuspecting future clients will only realise this the hard way.

Hiring a professional photographer comes with years of experience, and whether most professionals will admit it or not, years of making mistakes and learning from them. If anything, you are not only paying for their experience, but also their mistakes which they have learnt from and overcome.

Some of my biggest lessons (some would argue in life) are mistakes. Photography is a constant review process on how you can do better the next time. Whether it’s portraits, set stills or events, there are constant lessons to learn. Even if you never change your lighting setup in a studio, everyday lessons will still be learnt regarding composition and getting the best out of your clients facial expressions.

So to sum up, no amount of professional equipment can make up for professional experience.

Email: [email protected]
Call: 085 145 8364

Corporate Event Photography Dublin

2017 was a very busy year for corporate event photography in Dublin. I worked with many Irish and international companies who chose to host their corporate events in Ireland. More and more international companies seem to be choosing Ireland as a hub to host their events, especially when in comes to technology and IT. Not only are we home to many of the largest technology companies in the world, but Dublin is also a great city for entertaining clientele. Also as Brexit looms, people look to Ireland as the only English speaking country left in the EU.

With many great restaurants, bars and hotels to choose from, and a small city that one can simply walk around, Dublin has really become a great hub that many technology companies enjoy. Nearly all the companies I have worked with already have plans to come back to host their future conferences and events here. To avoid disappointment companies need to book their next event up to a year in advance as demand is so high. Failing this, spaces become booked up.

2018 looks to be a busy year for corporate event photography, with just as many if not more international companies planning their events here. Hotels are also booking up fast, but there’s always plenty of options on airbnb.com.

When it comes to working with international companies, I find that they have a stronger awareness of utilising their social media. Pictures will be requested as the event is taking place for social media. This creates more online traction for the event, as viewers can see images from the event while it’s taking place via Twitter and Facebook. They will also ask the audience to hashtag them as the event is taking place to generate more interaction.

If you’re planning on hosting your next conference or event in Dublin, it’s important to book your photographer well in advance, so get in touch today with any questions you may have. I’d be happy to help!

Email: [email protected]
Call: 085 145 8364

Here is what I would describe as possibly the maddest image I have ever taken. However this would be a lie, as in reality it is 4 separate images. The best parts of each photograph have been edited together to create the image above. In reality what you see above never really happened..

This was taken on the set of new Irish comedy film, Halal Daddy starring Sarah Bolger, Colm Meaney and Art Malik. This was a very hard scene to film, as the cows just didn’t want to play ball so to speak. As they say, never work with animals or children, and usually I don’t.

Almost always when working on film sets, time is something which no one has to spare. I have to work quickly and cause as little disruption to the cast and crew as possible. Also, when working with live animals, things don’t always go to plan. For this reason creative risks often have to be taken, but sometimes can pay off.

The cows in the picture just would not cooperate. Each time the man and woman involved in the car crash would shout and wave their hands, this would scare the cows and cause them to walk away from the scene. Because of this we needed many takes. However thanks to the constant lighting conditions, and some planning on my own part, I knew what was needed to bring the shot together.

The cows in the foreground are the exact same cows that are in the background, just photographed during different takes. Also the expression of the man involved in the car crash was my favourite during this take, but the main actor running was taken from a different take. During filming they were having some trouble creating enough smoke coming from the engine using dry ice, so I enhanced the smoke affect afterwords.

So by carefully editing a master image, I was able to select my favourite parts of each of the 4 images, and edit them together. In a similar way as they would in an editing suite when editing the film. I started with the left of the frame by choosing my favourite cows coming into frame. Then I concentrated on the cars and drivers arguing, then the cows to the right of the frame, and lastly the actor you see running into shot. I don’t normally heavily Photoshop my images, but in this scenario, the image wouldn’t have come together if I hadn’t. Also I like that fact that the image contains more than one focal point. Each important part of the image is in focus and draws the eye in.

I think the photograph came out really well in the end. It’s dramatic, and shows the chaotic scene unfolding. I feel it’s successful in getting the viewer to do a double take and question what the film might be about. You can view a trailer to Halal Daddy below.

brochure office

brochure photography of an office in Dublin, with blurred out man walking

brochure man addressing

Man addressing a room during presentation for a brochure

colleagues brochure sample

3 colleagues sitting around a table having a meeting in work.

Headset Man Brochure

Man with headset in room with other agents talking to customers on the phone.

Meeting Brochure Sample

Woman discussing with 2 colleagues referencing the white board she has just drawn a diagram on.

brochure sample woman

Woman speaking with colleague during a meeting. Projector on white board.

2 women meeting

2 women addressing the room during a meeting.

corporate brochure

man blurred out as he walks by a sign of a solicitors company in Dublin.

Telesales Man

Man with headset on the phone to a customer, with other telesales representatives in the background.

Brochure Photography Dublin

Above you can view some samples of my recent brochure photography. If you wish to contact me regarding your upcoming brochure, my contact details are at the bottom of this page.

Often companies will contact me to create the photographic content for their brochures. Brochure photography is a very important feature for any business these days. It involves not only promoting their services, but also portraying the style and look of their company to both current, and potential clients.

For this reason I will discuss with the client before the shoot, and even call out to the location to get ideas for the shoot. It can also be useful to view a previous brochure. Often companies will do yearly or quarterly brochures. That way I can determine with them which photographs worked, and which didn’t before.

As the photography is normally done in and around the company offices, staff are normally asked to be in the brochures. However the staff aren’t used to being photographed, so you really need to help them relax to get the best out of them. I will often ask them to talk among each other once I have found a setup and location that I like. This often produces the most relaxed and realistic expressions. Often the nerves will produce a few giggles which can often help, as nobody wants their brochure to be too serious or moody. It is important to show the human side of a business too.

As the staff normally know each other quite well, they relax and have a good time with the photography. I’ll normally suggest topics they can talk about to one another to stop them from freezing up and getting embarrassed. They normally have a lot of fun with this. It is important that the staff come across as friendly, approachable and professional. Just the right amount of smiling for the shot to look realistic and not forced. A certain amount of hand movement too helps it to look more realistic.

Sometimes if the office is open plan, I like to use a slower shutter speed to blur out anyone walking by. This can also be useful when a company doesn’t wish to use any employees in their photographs, but just to have an idea/suggestion of them. I also like the affect it creates. The office appears still but the employees show movement and activity, but no details of who they are.

Before the shoot I will talk with the client and come up with some ideas and sample photography to show them, so that we are both on the same page. This will also save us time on the day itself. Google images and Pinterest are great starting points for inspirational photography. I will often suggest that the client look for some images that they like so I understand their tastes better. This can be a great starting point.

If you wish to talk to me about brochure photography, please feel free to call me, or contact me using the form below:

Email: [email protected]
Call: 085 145 8364

Photography for Social Media | Live Posting During Events

Social media photography is essential for any business with an online presence nowadays. Having photographs online during an event, in the world of corporate business has become the norm. Information ages so quickly these days, that if information about an event that took place is posted any later than a few hours afterwords, it is too old. The ship has sailed so to speak, and readers are no longer interested.

For this reason, when speaking with clients before an event, I will ask them if they wish to have social media images sent to them during their conference or event. There will normally be a social media person who manages this side of the business for them. I find that the easiest way to send them images is through Whatsapp via my phone. I can send images directly to their phones. They will then automatically have these images, and can upload them directly to their social media.

By sending them from my camera to my phone, I can then quickly edit them using apps such as Snapseed. I wouldn’t spend much time doing this, only a few seconds if I feel I’d like to bring out the colours or contrast more, or perhaps give it a nice border or effect to the image. I then forward these onto the elected social media person.

Apart from the speed of this, the quality of the images will be much better than what the client might take on their phones. Also the social media person is often delighted that they don’t have to take the photographs themselves.

Often by the end of a business conference or event, the client will have 20 to 30 images already sent out on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ and Linkedin. The world so to speak is aware of their conference even before the client themselves have seen the photographs from the event.

If you wish to discuss your upcoming event or conference, and the possibility of having social media photography, please use the contact details below:

Email: [email protected]
Call: 085 145 8364

Corporate Headshots and Portraits Dublin

Corporate headshots and portraits have become essential to today’s workplace. Often a business will want to publicise an announcement or a recent corporate event, or simply update their employee’s Linkedin profiles. Corporate headshots have become essential to high level businesses these days. People also recognize that professional looking corporate portraits will only add to a company’s profile, and pass over to client confidence.

Some businesses like to have their employees have a presence on Linkedin, as well as their own websites. Often, a company will like to introduce their staff, within a section of their website such as ‘meet the team’. It is important that their employees represent the company well, and that their headshots all have a matching professional style.

Nothing looks worse than when a company has unprofessional headshots on their website. If a company looks like they care about their image, not to mention their staff, and how they are represented in the outside world, this will in turn pass over to the client trust. For this reason, it is of utmost importance that a company has up to date professional headshots.

The corporate world of business these days calls on good photographers more and more to represent them in a strong and professional manner. Whether it be for press and business magazines, or for Linkedin profiles and websites, the link between a professional confident look, and good business is unquestionable.

If you’re interested making a corporate portrait booking, generally these will be done on site. I can set up a studio within your offices. A long board room would normally suffice. I would generally bring 3 styles of backdrop with me to choose from, and each headshot would take roughly 5 minutes. Images would be sent to the client within 24 hours of the shoot

If you have any questions regarding corporate headshots and portraits, please use the details below:

Email: [email protected]
Call: 085 145 8364

Here is a behind the scenes video I made for a UK company called Visualise. They are a very interesting company who specialise in virtual reality, 3D, and 360 degree video. Something which is becoming more and more popular these days. The technology is so readily available that you can now view YouTube videos with this technology built in. It even works on mobile and tablet.

The project was filmed in conjunction with the Financial Times, and was part of their ‘Hidden Cities’ series. Other cities they filmed included Brussels, London and Rio De Janeiro. All of which can be found on the Hidden Cities website and via YouTube. Beautiful 360 degree 3D views can be seen of each city.

The Dublin episode was called ‘Dublin in the Dark’. It features 3D, 360 degree footage shot around Dublin. When viewing, by simply left clicking on the video, and scrolling left/right/up/down, the viewer and can get a full 360 degree point of view of each scene. The video is narrated by crime writer Tana French. You can view the video below this article.

Scenes vary from 360 degree drone footage above the Poolbeg towers,  to 360 degree footage of the Old Library at Trinity College, The Hellfire Club at Montpelier Hill, Goldenbridge Cemetery, The Winding Stair Bookshop and Mulligans Pub.

To achieve this effect, they used some of the most current technology out there. This included a camera provided by Google called ‘The Jump System’. They also had a camera system which they designed themselves. Drone footage was also taken which was documented in the behind the scenes video above, attaching the camera provided by Google to the bottom of the drone.

It was a great shoot to work on,  with a great team of talented people. It was also great to work on something so technologically advanced. I have no doubt that we will only see more of this technology as both time and technology moves forward.