Simon Kearsley, Author at Creative Camera Media

Event Photography for Food Competitions – It’s all about the story.

by Simon Kearsley | 22 Nov 2023 | Event Photography, food Photography

Why is Event Photography Crucial in the Food Industry?

In the competitive world of food, presentation is everything. Event photography goes beyond simply documenting an event; it’s about storytelling, creating a visual narrative that captures the atmosphere, the energy, and most importantly, the deliciousness of the food itself.

Man preparing Food at Streat Food Competition

Invicta Landrover in Black, Stylist Environmental Landrover Photography

Here’s why event photography is essential for food businesses:

Marketing and Branding: High-quality photos are vital for marketing materials like websites, social media, and brochures. They showcase the food in its best light, enticing potential customers and building brand awareness

Building Relationships: Event photography can be used to document partnerships and collaborations, strengthening relationships with chefs, restaurants, and other food industry professionals.

Storytelling: Photos tell a story that words alone cannot. They capture the emotions, the interactions, and the overall experience of a food event, creating a lasting impression on viewers

Engagement: Social media thrives on visuals, and captivating event photos can drive engagement, boost follower numbers, and encourage online conversation about your brand.

But of course you need the cover shot……

Talking Head Films – Personalise your Brand

by Simon Kearsley | 11 Jul 2023 | Content Creation

Having talking head films created as a personal branding tool and to drive traffic to your website can offer several advantages. Let’s explore them

Have An Authentic Connection:

Talking head films provide the perfect opportunity to establish a personal connection with your audience. By appearing in the videos yourself, you can showcase your expertise, personality, and passion directly to your viewers. This authenticity helps build trust and credibility, making it easier for people to connect with you and your brand.

Engaging Visual Content:

In today’s digital landscape, video content reigns supreme. Talking head films allow you to present your ideas, insights, and stories in a visually engaging manner. With the right filmmaker, you can create captivating videos that hold the attention of your audience, encouraging them to stay on your website longer and explore further.

Humanising Your Brand:

People want to do business with other people, not just faceless entities. Talking head films humanise your brand by putting a face and voice to your name. This personal touch helps you stand out from the competition and fosters a sense of familiarity and relatability. When viewers can see and hear you, it becomes easier for them to connect and develop a sense of loyalty towards your brand.

Expert Positioning:

Talking head films give you a platform to share your knowledge and expertise. By presenting yourself as an authority in your industry through well-crafted videos, you can position yourself as a go-to resource for information and insights. This can significantly enhance your personal brand and attract like-minded individuals who are interested in your expertise.

SEO and Website Traffic:

Video content has a strong impact on search engine optimisation (SEO) and website traffic. Search engines, like Google, often prioritize video content in search results, making it easier for your website to appear higher in rankings. By embedding your talking head films on your website and optimizing them with relevant keywords and tags, you can increase your chances of being discovered by organic traffic. Google now has auto captioning that transcribes your film and word you say counts towards you SEO so the more you say on the subject the more Google will rate you as an authority on the subject. Placing you higher in the rankings.

Versatile Content:

Talking head films offer versatility in terms of repurposing content. You can extract shorter clips or highlights from longer videos, creating bite-sized content for social media platforms. This allows you to reach different audiences across various channels and engage with them in different formats.

Besically talking head films as a personal branding tool and website traffic driver have numerous advantages. They allow you to establish an authentic connection with your audience, humanise your brand, position yourself as an expert, boost your website’s SEO and provide versatile content that can be repurposed for different platforms. By leveraging the power of video and working with a skilled filmmaker, you can elevate your personal brand and drive meaningful traffic to your website. What’s not to like about any of that….. Apart from not wanting to get on camera yourself……

Check out a few examples of the talking heads we’ve done recently.

Lets Talk Front Covers

by Simon Kearsley | 19 May 2023 | Conference Photographer, Content Creation, Event Photography

Do you Ever Really KNow it’s going to be the front Cover?

The simple answer to that is NO….. But you can increase the odds of getting THE cover shot if….

You Shoot Portrait for the shots that are likely to be considered.
You can encapsulate the theme / essence of the Event in just one shot.

So with that in mind I can take you through some of our Event Photography that we were pretty sure would end up on the front cover.

TUCO Conference 2019

We knew this was going to happen and once we’d got the party photos we knew it was time to set up in the exact spot and wait for the Fireworks to commence.

It has copy space above for the Magazine Logo. It has copy space below for the tag line. Yes there are around 5 of these images all with fireworks in various stages of illumination and all could quite easily have ended up on the cover. This is not just a right time and place image, this was a sit and wait for the action to unfold image.

National Pizza Awards 2022

This one is a great example of right place right time great composition. This is the winner of the National Pizza awards 2022. Of course at the time of taking the image we had no idea that he would go on to be crowned the winner but from a story telling viewpoint it has all the elements that make a great cover, Pizza, Action, Pizza oven, logo on jacket. What’s not to like.

National Burger Awards 2019

With all the craziness of the competition going on all around sometimes it is necessary to just take a moment and think, would that make a great shot….?

So here we are, burger in hand looking straight down the barrel of the camera lens, light transitioning from left to right. I knew as soon as the image was taken that it was the cover shot. The tension, the drama and of course the hero of the hour (The Burger) right there front and centre.

TUCO Competitions

This again is an absolutely perfect cover shot.

The concentration of the chef in the heat of competition, getting ready to serve up the most amazing plate of food ready to be judge by some of the finest pallets in the country.

Loads of copy space, the story telling of the image.

StrEAT Food Awards 2022

This one was by no means a define cover shot, yes it was the winning dish, yes it was well exposed and composed, but at the time of capture we still had another 24 dishes to photograph. The point is that you have to take every still life food competition image as if it the cover shot because you never know which on it will be. It could the the prettiest plate or it could be a bit dull to look at.

It’s all random….

That’s absolutely not true. You try to put yourself in the mindset of the editor, the studio magazine creator and you shoot for them. They are the people who will ultimately bring the story to life, you are just there to make it look pretty.

Just a small selection of front covers over the years from Events we’ve covered.

Food Photography that gets the JUICES flowing

by Simon Kearsley | 2 May 2023 | Content Creation, food Photography

Lets Make your food APPEALING

High-quality food photography captures the visual appeal of your dishes, making them look enticing, appetising, and irresistible. Professional photographers have the skills to create images that showcase the colors, textures, and details of the food in an appealing way, making viewers crave the experience of tasting it.

Brand Representation:

Food photography plays a crucial role in representing your brand and its identity. By presenting your dishes in a visually consistent and aesthetically pleasing manner, you can create a strong brand image that aligns with your values and style. Consistent and professional food photography can contribute to building brand recognition and customer loyalty.

Social Media and Online Presence:

In today’s digital age, social media platforms and online platforms are key avenues for showcasing your food and attracting customers. Professional food photography can significantly enhance your online presence and social media engagement. Eye-catching images are more likely to be shared, liked, and commented on, increasing your brand visibility and exposure to a wider audience.

HCA Forum 2023 – An Event Photographers View

by Simon Kearsley | 26 Apr 2023 | Conference Photographer, Event Photography

We’re there to tell the story of the Forum…

BUt also help the Marketing, Editorial and Socials Teams…..

Here’s how we do that.

Start off by getting to the conference early before registration opens to get the lay of the land both the conference stage and to say hello to the production crew / check lighting. Walk the floor of the exhibition to see who is most likely to get busy soonest (usually a coffee supplier) so we can nail down the busy vender shot for the marketing team and editorial (to show the event was a success ).

Then onto the registration desk to chat to those beautiful people who will be handing over the delegates bags and ensuring they are logo out towards camera. Great branding for the event organiser and Forum leadership.

And then it begins.

Into the Forum

Form here we’re off into the conference hall were we need to speak to the speakers and forum leader to try to get them to remove their lanyards (they don’t always) as they can look a bit messy. This then leads into getting a headshot / three quarter shot of each speaker.

These photos are for magazine and socials.

Then it’s to the back of the room where we get a busy room shot. These serve Marketing (look how busy we are) Editorial (scene setters) and socials (great start to our wonderful event).

Question and Answer.

Forums usually have discussions (If the speaker doesn’t overrun their time allocation). Its important for Editorial to have some of these interactions in images as it tells the story of the day.

Onto the awards

In most Forum Events there is an Awards ceremony where the industry leaders and contributors come together to celebrate the achievements within their sector throughout the previous year. We are expected to get a nice staged photo of the award winners on stage receiving their award. But you only have seconds to get the shot as you don’t want the event organiser pulling you to one side, as you’re the reason the events is running over schedule.

And then we get to the festivities and dancing

Showing then the conference delegates had a great time is a delicate balance between enjoyment and professionalism. Something for the Marketing Team, Editorial and Socials to work with.

ALL READY TO GO…

The images have to ready to go to press and socials ASAP as no one wants the first photo they see from the Event to be a Camera Phone image.

We have to say that the HCA Forum this year was a great Event to be involved in and we loved being asked along to photograph it.