Kicking off…

.. the New Year with the first of hopefully many shoots this year – but hopefully most won’t be as tricky to light as this one was…

.. which was a bugger, due to dark & dreary winter weather at this time of year.

Still, everyone was in good form – and everyone work hard throughout the day to create a set of images which Tony, the homeowner, after he had seen the final results, emailed us to say:

Looks bloody amazing. You pair are like magicians

Thanks Tony – Praise is indeed bread to any artist – but the real praise goes to you guys, the homeowners, for the look you have created, which we are simply trying to capture here.

One of the things we thoroughly enjoy about this job is the sheer variety of homes we work on. One week it could be a huge Gentleman’s residence and the next it’s a first time buyer’s home. Our job is to understand each magazine’s readership and to seek out homes that suit accordingly.

This one is a classic first time buyers home – a Victorian terrace where the owners added plenty of style with colour and wallpaper. It’s a home that a lot of folk will relate to and be able to draw affordable inspiration from.

So a good start to the New Year – and we would just like to say a big thanks to Tony & Darren for all their help shifting TV’s etc – and also for making us feel so welcome.

Happy New Year everyone – let’s make it a good one – from Marie & me.
www.homesinteriors.com

East meets West…

.. or in our case, it could actually be the other way around.

Over the years, we have worked all over Europe and the East Coast of America – and needless to say, we love working abroad – so now that the Christmas festive period is over, it’s time to start thinking about the year ahead. A road trip perhaps to somewhere warm would be nice – but believe it or not, it would appear all roads will be heading towards Russia this year !

Yes, we recently received a request to shoot some luxury properties in the southern Ukrainian region of Crimea – which is located on the north coast of the Black Sea – so needless to say, that really brightened up our day. Because only a few months back, our work for the first time appeared in an Eastern European magazine and last week a Russian magazine commissioned some of our work too.
So maybe there’s a whole new world waiting for us over there – in Eastern Europe and beyond.

The big thing of course, is the logistics of getting there – which we are currently looking into. But it would certainly be a great opportunity, as well as a great adventure to work in the Ukraine – especially if we decide to go overland in the Land Rover – which we usually prefer to do, because of all the gear.

So we may need to brush up on our Russian this year – but in the meantime, имейте чудесный год, от Мари и меня.

www.ampimage.com – just for you.

6 years on…

.. and still going strong – as that’s approximately how long ago this image was taken – which can be seen on the cover of Home Buyers Guide magazine…

.. which is currently on the bookshelves this month.

Period of use, is therefore one of the 3 Key things that one need to take into account, when determining what an image is worth.
But yet some don’t seem to think it should really matter – when it comes to putting a price on what we do.

Can use (if you want to) V’s Want to use (for years to come).

Two very different things, as far as I’m concerned – which I think this latest cover demonstrates very well. Because they could have used any number of images here – and we know they have had some new images produced this year by others – but yet this is the image they still choose to use for the cover – which we produced almost 6 years ago.

Anyway, a Happy New Year to everyone – from all of us here at ampimage – and something to think about over the coming years.

Finishing off…

.. the year 2011, by shooting some great homes for next years Christmas magazines.

And so, we finished yesterday by shooting this stunning Edwardian home…

.. which was beautifully decorated and furnished by the owners Emma & Jason Johnston.

Emma is an Interior Designer who recently launched a very stylish product range of linen footstools, headboards and bed boxes…

.. so the suggestion of featuring their home in a magazine appealed to them, as an ideal opportunity to showcase her various products.

Here’s wishing her every success with her new venture – as we keep our fingers crossed the Editors like what they see here too.

Anyway, that’s it for this year – so all that’s left to say is: Have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, from Marie, Mandi & me.

www.homesinteriors.com

Home for the Holidays…

.. is the title of our latest published work in the January 2012 issue of Country Homes & Interiors magazine…

.. pages 32 to 39.

“Nicola Nemec and her husband Andy Baird transformed a neglected farmhouse in her native Northern Ireland into a cosy family home.”

This is one home shoot that we won’t forget in a hurry, as it was shot last year during the heavy snow – which we talked about here:

Yes we’ll take this!.

Anyway, a beautiful magazine as always and lovely to be in at this time of year – so a big thanks to everyone involved and a very Merry Christmas to everyone, from Marie, Mandi & me.

www.homesinteriors.com

Cool Yule

.. is the title of our most recent work in Period Homes & Interiors magazine …

.. pages 36 to 42.

‘Decorated in calming, tranquil shades, the holiday season in Clare and Paul Scott’s home has a distinctly lighter touch’.

So congratulations once again – cool yule indeed – and a very Merry Christmas to you both.

Sitting Pretty…

.. is the title of one of 2 features we have in the January 2012 issue of 25 Beautiful Homes magazine this month…

.. pages 78 to 81.

“After years running a large guesthouse down the road, Mary and Arthur McAlister can now put their feet up and relax.”

and ‘We Brought This Old House back to life’ being the other one…

.. pages 96 to 100.

“Amanda and Keith McGuile transformed a former guesthouse into an elegant and tasteful family home.”

So a big thanks to everyone involved – sitting pretty indeed – and a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all from Marie, Mandi & me.
www.homesinteriors.com

America in Pictures…

The Story of Life Magazine.

“Rankin celebrates the work of Life magazine’s legendary photographers, who shot the big moments in American history – from the assassination of Robert F Kennedy to the Vietnam War.”

On BBC iplayer.

Seaside Chic…

.. is the title of our latest published work in Ireland’s Homes Interiors & Living magazine this month…

.. pages 70 to 81.

“Charles took a leap of faith when he embarked on a huge renovation project to breathe vibrancy back into a much-loved but faded, late Victorian three-storey end terrace in Bangor, Co Down.”

So congratulations to Charles once again – especially for making it onto the cover too.

From Marie, Mandi & me.
www.homesinteriors.com

Shabby Chic Christmas

As we near the end of November, we finished our second Christmas home shoot for the 2012 publications – well ahead of schedule.

The nice thing about the current trend for Christmas styling, is that basically anything goes – be it cosy traditional, ultra modern or as in this case…

.. shabby chic in pastel colours.
A huge amount of work always goes into getting a home ready for any magazine shoot; however, Christmas shoots always require that wee bit more… or in some cases, a lot more, especially if it’s being specifically set-up for just that one day.

So hats off to Amanda & Keith for all their hard work here – because they sure did a superb job. And even throughout the day, it was all hands-on board…

.. which was great – because as they say: many hands make light work – and with the days being short, it was much appreciated. However, I think their little boy, Bailie, enjoyed the day the most – as it was like ‘Christmas had come early’ for him.
So he helped his mum decorate the tree…

.. and even helped Marie with the props…

.. by eating a few of them

Seriously though, it was a lovely shoot – so would just like to say a big thanks – we will keep you posted – and in the meantime, a very Merry Christmas from Marie & me.
www.homesinteriors.com