Blog

Here you can read the most recent and hopefully interesting aspects of my commercial and advertising photography. I am a photographer based in Leeds West Yorkshire and have spent all my working career in this area, working in studio shooting a huge variety of subjects including food photography, still life, product, jewellery and people & also on location the length and breadth of the UK. 

I have a very down to earth, hard working ethic towards my professional photography. Delivering the right photographic image that you need for your marketing campaign or advertisement whether it is company brochure, website or bill board poster is my goal.

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Always use a professional photographer

Professional Photographer Leeds Yorkshire Food Product Packshot Jewellery People Studio location interiors

11th July 2011

Lets be honest, we all use professional services everyday, sometimes even without knowing it.

In our personal lives we use a dentist or doctor, a mechanic, a plumber, gardener etc.. all these services either keep us safe, healthy and often free up valuable time for us to spent as we see fit.

When it comes to running your business in Leeds or further afield, you would like to present yourself as a serious supplier of your product or service, that way your customer, whether it be the general public or a business to business service is looked upon and treated with the respect you deserve.

You have probably spent a long time developing your skills and building your business up over many years.

When it comes to representing your business, you will often show your products and services on a website, facebook page, brochure or leaflet. This shows your potential customers and clients your business & can evaluate your products to see if they would like to move forward to using you as a supplier, and most importantly, complete the sales process.

Many people have the popular misconception that commercial photography is expensive, this is not the case, yes, it is a cost to your business, but much more importantly than that, it is an investment in your business.

Most businesses try to get around using professional photography by using someone they know who "has a camera"  but this is often a false economy, the extra time spent organising the project, is far greater and the amateur will often take a lot longer to produce images which are ultimately inferior to the professionals, but because the final amount for the project comes out less than a professional invoice, some how this is deemed to be a cost saving.

Showing and presenting amateur images to promote your business is detrimental to the perception of your business.

Research has shown that people, particularly online will scan a website for a visual overall impression first, rather than read lines of text. So imagine the impression that new & potential customers of yours would have if the photographs that represent your business are of a poor quality, lacking a professional approach. They will often disregard your business and can easily find and use another company.

Working with Phillip Shannon photography will provide your business with professional photography that you can show on your website or brochure. A photographer with over 15 years commercial experience working with businesses of all sizes and for all budget types.

Phillip Shannon is a professional photographer in Leeds, and will work with you to arrive at a budget which suits your project.

Please take a look at the online portfolios. Food  Still Life & Product  Jewellery  Creative  People  Locations & Interiors

The photography of your product can be taken in studio in Leeds or on location at your business address. Areas covered include Leeds, Bradford, Wetherby, York & Harrogate, and further afield. Location photography is handled across the UK to suit your needs.

Contact Phillip Shannon, Professional Photographer based in Leeds for your next commercial photography project. 

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Speciality Food Show a success in Harrogate

specialist food photographer Leeds York Harrogate Yorkshire UK Studio Location

30th June 2011

The Specialty food show showcased a wonderful variety of food suppliers, resellers and associated industries in Harrogate this summer.

The show brings together over 150 businesses from around the UK and aboard, but all there with one common goal, to communicate their products and services to the wider world.

The visitors to the show, including Phillip Shannon Photography, were from retailers, large and small suppliers, such as farm shops, chefs, supermarket representatives and people interested in the source of fine, independent food.

One of the striking images which you were left with after visiting the show, apart from all the wonderful variations in food products, were the apparent differences in how people represented their products.

The use of professional photography, design and packaging was in evidence with many, many suppliers, but not all. As a visitor to the show it was clear who had invested in the professional services you need when representing your products to potential clients and customers.

The investment in using professional services to aid you in the promotion of your business and its products is vital to successfully communicating your message.

Professional photographers in Leeds and further afield are experienced in photographing your products and service in such a way that it will lead to more interest in your products, and your business as a whole.

Poor photography has a detrimental effect on the appearance of your company, people shop with their eyes, and if they are engaged by the images on your website or in your brochure they will stick with you until the final sale.

Phillip Shannon, Professional Photographer, has many years experience in photographing products and services which successfully communicate the messages you need to make that sale!.

Please take a look at the online portfolios. Food  Still Life & Product  Jewellery  Creative  People  Locations


The photography of your product can be taken in studio in Leeds or on location at your business address. Areas covered include Leeds, Bradford, Wetherby, York & Harrogate, and further afield. Location photography is handled across the UK to suit your needs.

Contact Phillip Shannon, Professional Photographer based in Leeds for your next commercial photography project. 

 

Product Photography - A powerful way to show your packaging

Photographer Leeds Professional Photography Yorkshire Product Packshot Studio

20th June 2011

Product photography, or packshots as they are sometimes called represent a hugely important section of commercial photography.

The ability to show your product to your customer, client or onlooker is important for many reasons. If its a retail product, it shows a visual of your product, what shape it is, how big, colour and text so that when your customer comes to purchase it, the act of finding it on the shelf is an easy one.

Another reason to photograph your product is to create a ' brand Identity ' this is a popular concept, many people will talk about ' brand ' or ' the brand ' sometimes even relating to a person, notably someone in the public eye.

The studio photographers skill at harnessing the ' brand ' and the product manufactures message is paramount to a successful shoot.

Often a professional photographer in Leeds, where there are many advertising agencies located across the city and neighboring towns, will work in conjunction with an art director to achieve a photograph which shows the product in such a way to satisfy a design brief or marketing concept.

This image of a well known brand was used to illustrate how this process can be visualized. The packaging is black with silver printed text areas, the product is a balm for men to be used after shaving, to add moisture and sooth the skin.

The product was shot on a black reflective background as this was complimentary to the product design and also allowed me to employ the second feature to this shot, the water splash.

This was not an easy shot by any scale, and there were many attempts to create the best splash for this image, some post production was used afterwards to use some of the more successful splashes and remove areas which did not work quite as well, all put together they make for a powerful image which grabs your attention, shows the product well, and creates a photographic image which could easily be used in an advertising or marketing capacity.

So when you embark on your next product photography shoot, use a professional photographer who understands your product, and its concept or marketing idea.

An experienced photographer with studio facilities and the ability to put together a highly successful image should always be sought, never let an inexperienced photographer take on the product photography for your business. Your companies image is important, and just because you know someone with a camera, doesn't mean you know a photographer.

Phillip Shannon is a professional photographer in Leeds West Yorkshire. With 15 years experience working with advertising agencies in Yorkshire and across the UK, working to all types of design and marketing briefs to produce professional product photography.

Points to note about producing product photography

1. Research your photographer well, do they have the product photography portfolio that shows diversity and experience.

 

2. Plan your shoot, How will the product be photographed?.

 

3. Can you use backgrounds which compliment the design and look of the product.

 

4. Is there a message to the shot, can the photograph use clever effects to enhance the final look.

 

5. Almost a repeat of point 1, but always use an experienced professional photographer.

 

 

Please take a look at the online portfolios. Food  Still Life & Product  Jewellery  Creative  People  Locations


The photography of your product can be taken in studio in Leeds or on location at your business address. Areas covered include Leeds, Bradford, Wetherby, York & Harrogate, and further afield. Location photography is handled across the UK to suit your needs.

Contact Phillip Shannon, Professional Photographer based in Leeds for your next commercial photography project.