Tagged: top 10

Photos through my door – Rochester West By-Election

The Rochester West by-election is coming soon, and I’ve had a number of promotional leaflets through my door for our local parties. Before I put them in the recycling bin, I thought it would be fun to see how the different parties are using photography to promote their candidates. I have tried not to look at their policies or political views or read the content in the leaflets. Instead I have attempted to give a rounded interpretation and analysis of their use of photos.

Conservative Candidate: Alan Kew

The Conservative leaflet shows a tilted, informal headshot taken on St Margarets Street. Alan’s stance is slightly turned to the left looking direct at the camera. Although not confrontational, as it might be if he were facing straight on to the camera, he has a relaxed smile. It seems to have been taken on a smart phone, giving a wide frame and low picture quality, he is also slightly out of focus. It does however give a leading line drawing the viewers eye down St Margarets Street, metaphorically enforcing that Rochester is the focus of this campaign.

The off-set fold of the front page invites you to explore the inner content. Inside are a number of posed and informal shots. A mixture of  ‘in situ’ or ‘in action’ photos demonstrate the candidate supporting various campaigns in the area. The photos in green spaces suggest Alan is ‘out-and-about’ and active in his local area, however some, for example the photograph of the candidate in the green space with his foot on the white barrier, feel somewhat staged.

The last page shows three further ‘in situ’ photographs of the candidate with a local shop keeper and former candidate for the area. This contrasts with the informal layout of the first page. The catalpa tree photo is perhaps the most relaxed photo with Alan in a traditional male pose standing off centre with his hand in his pockets.  This could either be interpreted as being relaxed or disinterested.

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Overall the photographs within this leaflet are relaxed and informal and although they connect to build a story of the areas the candidate supports, it feels visually overloaded.

Liberal Democrats Candidate: Martin Rose

Martin’s front page portrait echoes the informality of the Conservative candidate, this time taken in a green space. Although I would not advise standing straight on to the camera, he has something in his hand, which somehow breaks the barrier, making it seem less confrontational. He is positioned at the centre of the photograph, the leading line is a path in the middle, which similar to the Conservative candidate, leads the viewer’s eye back to central Rochester. He is centred between two trees, nicely avoiding the foliage sprouting out of the top of the head look. Martin has a relaxed and friendly smile.  I would surmise this was taken on a smart phone or basic digital camera, on an overcast day, as it slightly out of focus and quite dark. It would have been great to see the photo a bit brighter.  Martin appears to be ‘out-and-about’ as he has his Liberal Democrats badge on and the photograph is taken by someone else. It is also good to see a younger candidate.  There is one other photo on the page linking to a support campaign, and a stock photo from the Liberal Democrats, suggesting more of the overall aims of the party as opposed to the achievements of the individual for the community, as illustrated on the Conservative leaflet.

Overall, the portrait on this leaflet is the most friendly, relaxed and welcoming, with a smaller number of other photos indicating the wider party views.

Labour Candidate: Alex Patterson

The first thing that struck me about the Labour Candidates leaflet is it is well thought out. The front page is dominated by the River Medway with a ‘hero’ shot of Alex looking into the distance. I would suggest this has been taken by a professional photographer, due to the framing and use of depth of field.

This photo reminded me of a promotional leaflet for a theatre production (not dissimilar to the poster for David Tennant in Don Juan in Soho last year). The candidate is the focus of the promotion. Alex appears well groomed, wearing professional dress. I would, however, liked him to make a little more eye contact with the camera. This appears to be from an organised shoot, rather than an ‘out-and-about’ campaign shot.

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Overall the photographs in this leaflet are of higher quality that the other candidates,  and a case of quality over quantity. However, from the visuals I am unsure from this what campaigns the candidate has supported.

UKIP Candidate: Rob McCulloch Martin

Rob’s portrait is also informal, it appears to have been taken as a ‘selfie’. It has been taken from below which doesn’t result in a very favourable angle, this main photo on the leaflet appears to have been stretched giving a ‘fish eye’ appearance, with a better smaller version on the reverse. The candidate is ‘in situ’ at a polling station, with additional photographs on the reverse indicating some issues the party are supporting locally. As with the Liberal Democrats leaflet there doesn’t appear to be any direct visual link to the achievements of the candidate.

Green Candidate Sonia Hyner

Sonya’s leaflet was the last to arrive. I wasn’t sure whether I would receive one, given the Green’s environmental concerns, however was pleased to see it has been printed on recycled paper. Similar to the Conservative, Liberal and UKIP candidates, her portrait is informal and slightly off centre. She is looking directly down the lens with a slight head tilt and relaxed smile. It appears this has been cropped from a larger photo used on the Green’s website. In the source photo her pose looks stilted, but the crop on the leaflet is much more favourable. The exposure of the photograph is spot on the website, however it hasn’t translated well on the leaflet, which could be due to the paper. As this headshot is the only photograph, like the Labour leaflet, there is little visual information about the campaigns the candidate has supported.

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Final thoughts…

All the leaflets use photography differently their candidates displaying their party colours. Each puts their own twist on their photos, using hero shots, snapshots, informal, ‘selfies’ and ‘out and about’ photos. A leaflet is an easy way for candidates to get across their messages, the photos used create the immediate visual connection with the person behind the campaign. The parties have put forward four white male candidates and one white woman, I would have liked to have seen a bit more diversity.

Given the timescale for this campaign it is understandable why some of the photos may appear rushed, this highlights a need for a quality stock of photos, taken at events and regular organised photoshoots.

Top tips for election candidate photos:

  1. When possible use a good quality digital camera. A smart phone is great for those ‘out and about’ shots, but not selfies, always ask someone to take it for you.
  2. Consider using one of the many basic editing software apps to get your smart phone photos just right.
  3. Take photos in the location you are representing. Even better in a green space, they create and healthy feel and usually have better light.
  4. Remember to take photographs when your campaigning or supporting events. This will help you to build up a ‘bank’ of stock photos, to use in your promotions and help you tell your story when needed.
  5. Natural light is a must, most candidates have used outdoor photographs, however ensure you are making the most of your chosen light conditions 
  6. A relaxed genuine smile always brings life to your photos and helps you connect.
  7. If you are unsure about what pose styles work for you, try them in a mirror. Ask a portrait photographer or search for some tips on the internet.
  8. Add interest and creativity to your photos by using leading lines and being creative with depth of field.
  9.  Don’t be afraid to play with the layout of your photographs, cropping when necessary. Sometime a badly framed photo can be saved by a good crop.
  10. Where possible work with a professional photographer whose work you know and like for those quality shoots.

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 Nikki

 

 

 

Flower Photography at home

I was delighted to be contacted by Julie Davies to collaborate on a blog.  Julie lives up to her name of being The Florist that teaches, providing online tips for you to do exactly the same in the comfort of your own home, or face to face in workshops.

It felt very natural for me to write this blog as a way of my skills sharing series, with top tips to enable you to take photos of your floral creations at home.  There are a variety of other scenarios in which to take photographs, for example out in landscape with wild flowers, in workshops, sheds, markets etc, perhaps this is room for another blog!

Although the photos you see here have been taken using a Canon 6D, the following will give you some pointers for ‘point and shoot‘ cameras, or using a smart phone, both of which can work just as well, particularly if you are uploading small versions of your photos onto websites or social media.

  1. Position your flowers next to a large window; this will help maximum natural light which is better than using the orange tinge of household lights, (there is always the option to shoot outside).
  2. If you have a macro / flower symbol setting on your camera, use it!  It will let you bring out the finer details of those gorgeous blooms.nikki-price-photography-flower-2
  3. Don’t forget to ‘set the scene‘ if you are wanting to show how you work on your flowers through your photos, pop some scissors, oasis, ribbon etc on a wooden block (a kitchen chopping board will do just fine if you have one), everyone loves a story.
  4. Keep the background to your photos simple, after all you want to highlight how beautiful your floral creations are, white (or black) card can work and help with bouncing the light into those harsh shadows.
  5. Take the photos using interesting angles, the rule of thirds can be helpful, however, be creative and use a variety of angles in your shots to show off those blooms.
  6. Using your macro setting on your camera, shoot ‘through‘ a bouquet to focus on one particular flower that takes your interest.nikki-price-photography-flower
  7. Similarly as above; take one flower out of the bunch and make it the star of your show!
  8. A little post production may help bring out the best in your photos, so if you have photoshop, or other editing software, don’t be afraid to use it.  Photoshop express on the i-phone is fab.

I hope these tips have been useful and if so I would love to hear from you, so why not drop me a line through my contact me page.

Delving into an MA……..

I’ve been thinking about further study for a while now, and after an incredibly positive and encouraging conversation with a fellow colleague (as you may know, photography isn’t my full time occupation at the moment), I’m looking into applying for an MA by Research.  All I know at this stage is that a major part of it will focus on photography, and will give me the opportunity to complete a qualification at a higher level in the arts.

My journey to University to complete my undergrad degree, at the time, was something my head told me I needed to do, but my heart was bitterly disappointed as I hadn’t achieved the necessary grades to pursue a degree in art/digital media.  I am a great believer in that everything happens for a reason, so I did go to uni and achieve my Business Studies and Marketing degree with a 2:1 honours, and many years later after years of hobby photography and work, I started my own business.

I’ll be using these blog posts as a journal in my thought processes through and up to the application deadline date (May 2017 and hopefully beyond if it gets accepted) as a way of collecting my thoughts and developing my ideas on my research focus.  Whatever happens will be the right path for me.

I’ve made a great start, contacting a colleague who is undertaking an MA by Research now in creative media, I’ve joined the University library and signed out a couple of books to get me started, I’ll be researching online journals and will be looking for a mentor/s soon.

I have an internal monologue that’s asking me why now?  Well I feel in a good place to undertake further study, my business is steadily growing, and I’d love to get my teeth into something meaty about photography (ridiculous phrase maybe for a vegetarian!) that is purely of my own direction, and starting Nikki Price Photography (amongst other things in my life) have proven to me that I am highly motivated working on my own.

Three broad key areas my initial thoughts have touched on are (Documentary) Photography (obviously!), Sociology, and the concept of self/identity through photography, which has been a running project theme for a while.

That’s the first stage, I’m excited and very keen to get going, and I hope you will join me for my new journey, whatever path will be the right one for me.

Nikki

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2016 What a Year for Nikki Price Photography

Those of you who caught my round up of 2015, will know how pleased I was to see that year grow for Nikki Price Photography, and have been so delighted that my business has once again gone from strength to strength in 2016.  A sincere and heartfelt thanks to all my clients, models, and everyone who has supported Nikki Price Photography. Testimonials from client shoots have reaffirmed that you love my informal style of photography too!  So once again thank you.

2017 is bringing some fantastic opportunities for me (watch this space!) and I’m already being booked throughout next year for your gorgeous events, and family shoots.   If you need a photographer for your product, portrait, event, or other shoot, drop me a line on my contact me page or via nikkipricephotography@gmail.com .

I have loved looking over the past years photoshoots, commissions and projects, here are some of my favourites:

Cafe Sunlight – Food Photography

I am immensely proud to have worked with so many fantastic creative and charitable organisations this year such as Cafe Sunlight

Cafe Sunlight is based in the Sunlight Centre Gillingham, and the team invited me to take photographs of their hot food offer for parties and conferences; as they wanted to refresh their website for their London events.  The food produced by Chef Dave was fantastic as you can see below, and the team were a delight to work with.

Top tip for indoor food photography using flash: have some white card or white fabric handy to make the most of the flash, bouncing the light back onto your gorgeous food, avoids harsh shadows.

Exhibitions

Exhibiting more of my work this year, has been a thrilling but scary experience!  I took part in Medway Open Studios with my ‘Hidden forms in nature theme’, which sparked lots of interesting chats with visitors.  I was also proud to have interpreted work by Poet Dan Simpson in the Wordsmithery Heretics exhibition/performance.  I produced a layered photograph which contained a self portrait, woodland and a glacier, it was good to pushed my boundaries.  I was also involved  ‘In the footsteps of the Pilgrims’ exhibition at St Mary’s Church Burham, one of my favourite churches near my home town. I exhibited 2 photos, both taken at night of the Church, I was extra pleased about this as one of the pieces sold and is now winging its way to America to a family who emigrated there from Burham over 20 years ago.  The exhibition that had most impact on me was the Pandora’s Other Box ‘Skin’ exhibition at the Horsebridge Centre.

Top tip for exhibition photographs: have a plan for your final pieces but don’t be afraid to change it! Playing through your plan; will often bring forward ideas you may never have thought of.

Event Photography

I have loved working with local youth groups, artists, and Rochester Literature Festival this year.  A highlight was working at Woodlands Youth Centre MC and DJ workshop for young people, lead by MC artist Harry Shotta.  The young people loved the opportunity to try out their MC skills and my only regret is that I didn’t have time to try DJ’ing! A poignant event for young people I had the privilege of photographing was the Tryangle awards at the Central Theatre Chatham, the first time I had been on that stage!

Towards the end of 2016 I was pleased to photograph the See and Create launch, headed up by Artist Chris Sacre.  The launch, at Nucleus Arts Chatham, was a great opportunity to learn about his Arts Council funded project aimed at Deaf families providing accessible workshops and other events in 2017.

Top tip for photographing events: sturdy shoes with no heels! and a wide angle (F1.4) lens make for a good shot particularly in low light situations and shoes with no heels make for quiet movement over wooden floors, nothing worse than a photographer with squeaky shoes!

Family Photography

Family photography is one of my favourites, meeting new people and providing some gorgeous informal photos for you is a pleasure. It is a delight to be invited into someones home to capture moments at a party, outdoors with mum (and dads) bump shoot, or in the studio with you and your little ones; I received some great feedback on your shoots.  I also ran a competition for a family shoot this Autumn as I had missed out on taking some great photos in the autumnal leaves last year.

Top tip for photographing families: particularly those with small children/babies; ensure you have a rough plan in your head about the shots you want to achieve, and take your time, feeding and changing stops need to be factored in!

Everything else!

I have put this section to wrap up the year for all those things that would seem a little lonesome on their own, but gives you a flavour of everything else I get up too!

I’ve started my series of skills sharing blogs, and ran nature photography workshops with young people in Grain.  My business is also now live on Gravesend.co.uk business listing pages, a particularly significant direction taking Nikki Price Photography into North Kent.

Although I am not a wedding photographer, I do make exceptions for very small number of intimate weddings each year; Garry and Vicky’s was just that, a lovely family and friends relaxed wedding, in such a beautiful setting, it was a pleasure to be part of their day.

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This years short documentary/business info films include The Right Step Dance Company and my own personal short about Time which had its launch at Seasonally Effected a cultural open mic night back in November.

Personal Projects

Being a photographer I don’t ever really stop taking photographs, after all its what I love the most.  I’ve usually always got my i-phone on me to take snaps or love to take the 6D out for a spin when I feel the urge.

Since 2013 I have been thinking about and producing photographs for a body image project, celebrating the nude without over processing in photoshop. The bulk of work is growing, with more shoots to take place in the new year (when the weather warms up a bit!); this (or some elements of it) will form part of my solo exhibition (so sorry no sneak peeks here!), more news to come on that one throughout 2017.

Last on the list -but not least! some photos of my Christmas day morning stroll around the West End of London, with my partner and pooch.

Thanks for reading my blog, and your support throughout this year.  Here’s to another great year of photography.

Nikki x

How I go about taking a photo….

As you know I love sharing my completed and ongoing photography projects with you, whether they are through commission or personal, working on both for me is such a pleasure.  I have wanted for a long time, to share more about the planning and processes I go through in order to capture that ‘best shot’.

Light.co contacted me and said how much they enjoyed my previous blogs and asked if I could write a blog about how I go about creating so many great images, so…..what a perfect opportunity to do just that.  Light Co are keen to get more photographers sharing their stories of how they go about creating that great image so if you want to do get involved contact them direct.  Their new camera does look very interesting, kind of a DSLR capacity but with the convenience of a phone, it uses a multiple lens system to shoot the scene at once and then they are put together in a DSLR quality photograph.

Personal projects; these start as little creative balls that bounce about in my head, sometimes they come from inspiration of other artists work online, or face to face in galleries.  Other times they are the ‘wake first thing in the morning and have to keep a sketch pad next to your bed’ kinda shots that you know you just have to take or you’ll burst! My submissions for the Skin Exhibition this year at the Horsebridge Centre were like this, I had pictures in my head of exactly how I wanted these photos to look (after months of thinking about it!).

Commissioned projects; Clients contact me to book shoots as they like my informal style, our initial meeting is more of a friendly chat, them letting me know what they want, and me explaining how this can be achieved.  It is the trust clients have in me (through my years of courses, practice, and self taught skills), that I love the most, its about collaboration, enabling me to have full creative reign with the photos, but within their requirements.

For a start point, what you choose to photograph, is unique to you, from your gut/your place of instinct, you have chosen to press that shutter at that exact moment for a reason.

It is difficult to think of just one shot to describe to you, so you may find the following process useful:

  1. Sketch (stick women are fine!) some initial ideas of how you want your particular photo to look, what camera are you using? I have upgraded to a Canon 6d, there are so many ‘point and shoot’ cameras out there, including ones on mobile phones, which provide good quality photos.  What lens do you want to use (I love to work with my 50mm lens) taking into consideration of things such as depth of field.  I get fully absorbed in my mind of what exactly I want to shoot sometimes over many hours!
  2. Shoot time – key tip if you are shooting all day, or out on location (If its a shoot for a client, I will undertake a pre-shoot to familiarise myself with the location), wear comfy shoes! remember a strong stance will help the shot if you are working with a heavy full frame camera.  Many must do photography tips mention the basics of the rule of thirds, this is a good starting point to set up your photo but as the saying goes ‘aren’t all rules meant to be broken?’.  Your golden shot may not come immediately, so having patience to get to it, is important, equally if you feel that you aren’t getting that ‘one shot’ then move on to the next, particularly if you are time limited, my night photography shots are very much like this; setting up in the evenings in the cold and wind, but patience and perseverance will reward you.  Have a try also mixing up your photo orientation; play with portrait and landscape shots.  Basic edits on phones can be undertaken by in phone or downloadable apps, I have Photoshop Express on my iPhone, and use lightroom and photoshop for more in-depth edits on the Mac (I could go into this much more, on another blog perhaps?).
  3. Have fun – I can’t emphasise this enough, taking photos professionally or personally is a pleasure.  Always try new things and push yourself to those shots which are out of your comfort zone, some accidental photos and mis -fires in the studio have provided me with some of my most favourite shots!

Here are just some of my top recent photos:

Products: A great shoot with the Sunlight centre cafe team.  This shot was taken under studio lights, 1/125 f5.6 iso 100, with my 24-105 lens.  Post processing in Lightroom.

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Portraits: Working with the fabulous Sullivan family.  This shot was taken in early light 1/200 F5.6 iso 320 with a 50mm lens. Post processing in Lightroom.

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Personal Project: Night Photography.  This shot was taken at 11.30pm, 8 sec exp, f1.4 ISO 200 50mm lens. Post processing in Lightroom.

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Please feel free to share your photos with me.

Nikki

Opening the Other Box…the finale!

This blog post follows my previous blogs here and here of me getting together my ideas for the Exhibition of ‘Skin’ for Pandora’s Other Box.

During July and August, I also had my Medway Open Studios Exhibition of ‘Hidden Forms in nature and other stories’ (more about that in another blog – I promise!), which extended the exploration of ‘The Nude’ into forms of nature, mainly faces, and the suggestion of body parts mainly in the trunks of trees!

I am also preparing for a larger exhibition in 2017, where I am documenting interesting locations in states of decay, or change, with the addition of a nude figure to capture how everything eventually declines.

Whilst working in these three areas I organically came to what I wanted to submit for consideration for the Skin Exhibition.

Nature, Mother, and Grandad – three photos I was so immensely proud of, and was delighted to be accepted for exhibition of all three!  The following words accompanied the photos whilst on display:

Nature – this photo is part of a series exploring nature and its hidden forms. Bark on a tree enables preservation, and encourages us to look at familiar views on ourselves, linking to the concepts of body image, and just as we come in all fabulous shapes and sizes, so does nature and we should embrace it.

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Mother – this photo is part of a series which started in 2013 exploring the concepts of body image through the nude. This photo in particular on the brief of skin is acting as protection for our children.

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Grandad – a tribute to a wonderful man who sadly passed away in July 2016. This photo forms part of a series over the last year where Nikki explored the concepts of self and family documentary photography, preserving a moment in time, life, and ultimately with the ones we love.

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The Private view took place on Sunday 29th August; and here are a few photos taken celebrating all the wonderful artists who were included, in particular a live performance from Laure Meloy who responded to the art pieces in the form of Opera, and Clair Meyrick local poet and performer.

It has been a very personal, and heart felt journey from the first meeting to exhibition.  I have felt that as a photographer, you put so much more into a photo, it’s not just about pressing the shutter, having a technically great result, but it also has a part of you, your thoughts your ideas, your creativity, your view on life is what makes your photos and what you do so unique.

Here’s to the next one.

Nikki

 

 

 

Nikki Price Photography 2015 -another great year

Thank you to each and everyone who has supported Nikki Price Photography in 2015.  Although my time during the last year has involved in a number of other projects,  I have still had the pleasure of photographing some really bespoke and varied events, as well as portraits of families, bumps, products, and even ventured out into my second short documentary video.

I always try to have a ‘top ten’ of my favourite shoots of the year (but there are more!), and my customers have even put forward their favourite photo suggestions.

The following is a sample of photography I love to do, and if you need a photographer to photograph your event (musical/dance/other performances, band etc), family, products, or even just a little something for you in 2016 then you can always drop me a line on my CONTACT ME  page, or if you want to see what I get up to in 2016 why note follow me on Facebook Nikki Price Photography.

Event Photography:

It was great to welcome back the Travelling Talesman to Medway for part of his tour.  A snug and welcoming evening was had at the Dot Cafe/Cafe 172 in Rochester.

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Rochester Literature Festival didn’t disappoint with it’s literary weekend, encompassing talks, debates, cafe crawls, and writing workshops.

Urban Expressions festival delighted the people of Medway showcasing the talents of local people as well as further afield in Parkour, graffiti art, skateboarding, and music.

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Woodlands Youth centre welcomed me to their Restaurant night, providing meals to the local Elderly people. Such a great production of food, music and dancing all by the young people of Medway.

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Family photography:

It was a pleasure to photograph both the McCarthy and Everest families, both quite informal, with studio lighting in one, and around Rochester Castle in another.  Having families in a space they are familiar with or are comfortable in makes for a really enjoyable shoot on both parts!

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Featured Fan Photo:

Linda McCarthy loved this particular photo I took and was ‘one of the best photo’s taken’, definitely a beautiful candid capture.

Nikki Price Photography family portrait Kent Medway rochester children parent informal castle bench smiles happy sunny -1217Product Photography:

I had the pleasure of working with Gulay Jarvis of Satsuma Bamboo and Organic Products on two shoots for her new website.  Gulay a textile artist, has designed a range of scarves, that could be used for nursing, everyday or during a workout.  Her products are so soft, and in some gorgeous colours why not check her website out?

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WOW Magazine:

It was great to have undertaken some documentary photography to accompany a journal pieces for WOW magazine written by my partner.  One was for the Bowerhouse in Maidstone, a gorgeous building set back of the main Tunbridge Road, that houses an eclectic mix of art and folk music.  Lucy and her family were so welcoming as I settled down to watch ‘The Devils Interval’.  The second shoot was for the Kent County Show ground event, it was an interesting day for a couple of vegetarians!

Link to the (Bowerhouse).

Band photography:

It was an absolute pleasure working with Stuart, Bob, Steve, Nick, and Rob of the Stuart Turner and the Flat Earth Society band for their forthcoming album (a sample of which can tantalise your ears here).  Stuart was particularly interested in the ‘Log and bluebells’ photo I had on display at my Medway Open Studios Exhibition in 2014.  He then wanted to have a similar shot but in the Autumn with the band in shot, so after a bit of GPS I finally found the same log in the woods after many months.  So pleased that a vinyl copy was lovingly dropped off to Nikki Price Photography HQ today!

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Instagram: It was interesting to see my #2015best9 photos on Instagram, I do love a bit of bike riding and capturing those gorgeous sunsets!

Exhibitions:

Medway Open Studios 2015 was a blast with my themed 80’s Film photos, and guess the film title!    I’m also full steam ahead with my Brownie Project 127 camera project, going back to film photography, combining this with local history links with testimonials from those who grew up in the 1950’s when the Brownie 127 was manufactured (more details and how to get involved here).

Personal Photography Projects:

I love to keep myself challenged and look to developing my photography, and my personal photography projects do just that.

Earlier in the year I participated in ‘The Body electric’ group, which enabled me to see how my art (and I) interact and affect my community (more detail on this to come!).

I saw two wonderful friends get married in the South of France, 3 beautiful days in a gorgeous french cottage in the sun.

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The year rounded off nicely with an informal ‘bump’ shoot with my good friend who is due anytime now!

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Here’s to a creative and peaceful 2016 x

Thanks – Medway open studios 2015

Been a while since the Medway open studios 2015 exhibition ‘It is what it is’

Thank you to everyone who came and guessed the film quote from many of my favourite 80’s and 90’s movies. It was great to see different interpretations of my photos.

Bigger thanks go out to all the wonderful people who took away with them lollies (for all correct guesses) and Nikki Price photography prints!

My favourite photo’s have to be these:

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‘If I’m not me, then who the hell am I’ -Arnie in Total Recall

Big thanks to my good friend Riven for the make up!

Although there was also room for something a bit silly:

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‘You should see the toast I couldn’t even get it through the door’ – John Candy as Uncle Buck

Again, we see her frustration with the system. The fetishism of everyday living is symbolised by another reoccurring theme, that is breakfast, which serves as a duel reminder of new beginnings and our constant struggle with power and authority. She has given up hope and the crisp bread is discarded before it can fulfil its potential.

I’ve already got my thinking cap on for the 2016 theme………hope to catch you there.

Nikki Price Photography -Top Shoots from 2013

WOW!!!!  What a fantastic year for Nikki Price Photography.  I would just like to say thank you to everyone who I have had the pleasure of working with this year.

There were many shoots this year that were a fantastic giggle, shoots that reaffirmed my decision to set up a business doing something I love, and many that provided fantastic constructive feedback for me as a photographer.

Don’t get me wrong, it has been incredibly tough sometimes, but with good humour and support from my family and Medway creative community I am looking forward to more fabulous things in 2014 and beyond!

Medway Open Studios – The Nude

This was a particularly important shoot for me, focussing on individuals who did not fit into the ‘magazine model’ ideal of the body.  I was keen to promote ‘everyday’ people showing that we are all individual, beautiful, Nude.

The Nude

Calendar Girls MLT

This was a fantastic opportunity to work with the wonderful cast from Medway Little Theatres production of ‘Calendar Girls’ shooting the cast for a Calendar (as in the film) which is still being sold with all proceeds to charity (get in touch here if you want a copy for a mere £7.50).  Also had a wonderful piece in the local KM.

MLT Calendar Girls

The Right Step Anniversary Party

A commission working once again with the talented team of The Right Step Dance Company, this time photographing their third year anniversary, with a little taster of The Sirens of Ceetham performance.  A wonderful opportunity to support another local business.

TRS

The Fuse Festival – The Sirens of Ceetham / ME4 Writers

A fantastic Fuse Festival Commission working with the talented team of The Right Step Dance company.  A dance performance of ‘The Sirens’ near the Anchor in Chatham, Medway.  I was very captivated by the music and the story of the Sirens told purely via dance.  Also was wonderful to sit in ‘The word Shed’ and write some poems for the fabulous ME4 writers.

Sirens 

Sirens

ME4

Sun Pier

Sun Pier is a new creative working space in Chatham and many artist have studios there.  I was commissioned to take photos of all the artists and the building.  A wonderful opportunity to meet so many people and watch the venture grow.  Their website is here.

SPH

SPH

Unison Benz – band shoot  / FHF

I love working with Bands and this was particularly special to me as my brother is the bass player.  I shot the band twice this year once for promotional shots for their website and posters, and the other at Faversham Hop Festival were they had an audience of around 100 people.

Unison Benz

Unison Benz

Larkspur

Another wonderful band to work with, their passion for their music is admirable, and they are a fantastic bunch to have a giggle with.  A wonderful shoot in the Vines in Rochester fitted in with their music.

Larkspur

Sonnic Pilates

I have been attending Sonnic pilates classes for about 10 years now.  The wonderful duo contacted me for a commission for their website.  They wanted a clean crisp background therefore we hit the studio.  The ladies are wonderful to work with and we had a fantastic giggle.

Sonnic Pilates

Sonnic Pilates

Sonnic Pilates

Survived

A performance at Sun Pier house with a wonderful cast of local actors, fun to act in and take photos!

Survived

Rochester Literature Festival – Alice and Skywatcher /Other worlds other voices

Wonderful to participate in the October ‘Other worlds other voices’ Project with Rochester Literature festival, actor and photographer in Skywatcher an interactive performance, Photographer for Alice and exhibited in the Rochester Community Hub ‘other worlds other voices’.  Further details about the event can be found here. Also had a wonderful piece in the local KM.

Alice

Skywatcher

My World

On a personal level I have had the most wonderful year, taking lots of photos my New puppy, New Niece, and at a member of my extended families wedding.  Heres to a wonderful and creative 2014, Much Love Nikki

Hal

Hands off the Bump

J and L

Medway Open Studios July 2013

MOS2013

MOS2013

Originally myself and a small group of local artists thought about starting an open house in our neighbourhood. We wanted to promote the wonderful diverse nature of the creativity in our local town particularly for independent artists, with a unique touch of having a view in peoples homes, this was around early 2012, when we discovered that Medway was due to have its own ‘Medway Open Studios‘, a fabulous find!

July and December 2012 Medway Open Studios were exceptionally well attended, and we are all looking forward to July 2013. We have collectively called ourselves ‘The Bishops Square Artists’ an affectionate name for the square that we all live on.

The Facebook event page and further details can be found here.

Participating artists will be: Nikki Price Photography, Richard Reader, The Hazelnut Press ‘Ridley Road Group’ and Jacqueline Atkinson.

Heres to a successful summer.

MOS

MOS