New bar and lounge area.

Two of the busiest areas in any hotel is the reception area and the lounge area – plus with the days being very short at this time of year – then bringing the full team along to help…

.. seemed to make sense – because a few days before we were due to shoot this was how the lounge area looked…

.. at the Dunboyne Castle Hotel in County Meath – as it was being refurbished and a new bar was also being built…

.. behind the ‘false wall’ at the back.

And I was glad I did, as the first image appeared on screen…

.. because it was “a bit of a grey old day”, as they would say here in Ireland – which means we didn’t have that lovely sun-lit feel, which one would naturally see on a good day, due to the large windows along the left and skylight windows (above) on the right.

So 3k’s up…

.. as the guys reckoned a bank of these would do the trick…

.. and then we ran through the various “ where to put the people” options…

.. before our models arrived to take up their positions…

.. which was naturally followed by a few more quick shots…

.. and there you have it – the new image of lounge & bar area…

.. at the Dunboyne Castle Hotel – once the top and bottom had been added to make it a square – because it’s easy to crop, but hard to add on, especially afterward

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The Whiskey Room.

The picture the Killarney Park Hotel sent us a few weeks ago to let us see the area they wanted us to shoot…

.. and the first picture I took last week, didn’t really look that different…

.. so that was basically our starting point…

.. as John, who is the hotel’s Marketing Executive, looked on…

.. and this week you can actually see the final image that we created…

.. on the hotel’s homepage

So below are some of the pictures to let you see what all happened in-between – both inside…

.. and outside…

.. as tables got moved…

.. test shots were taken…

.. and Claudio had to be reminded it was only 10 O’Clock in the morning…

Seriously though, we wanted this image to clearly let the viewer know that this was the “Whiskey Room” – so with that in mind, the placement of some of the whiskeys one could sample; as well as the placement of the people within the room…

.. was all important in my opinion.

Well, the look on my face here says I wasn’t convinced we had still got it right…

.. as the first of our models arrived…

.. but with everyone’s help; as well as the shirt of Dianne’s back…

.. final instructions were given…

.. and I’m very pleased to say that this was the end result…

.. to show the Whiskey Room…

.. in the Garden Bar…

.. at the Killarney Park Hotel in the beautiful Irish County of Kerry

What happens if things go wrong ?

Sometimes other photographers would ask me – when I tell them that I only ask my clients beforehand, to pay me for the Rights to use my work, rather than for my time & expenses to do the work for them – what happens if after you spend a lot of time and money producing a set of images, the client then turns around and says that they do not want to use ​them or pay for the use of them?

Or what if are now not prepared to pay as much?
Or what if they want a lot more done to the images first, etc, etc?

Well thankfully that doesn’t happen very often, mainly because I would usually try to put everything down in writing beforehand – as well as ask lots of questions about things like:

Who is your target market?
What do​ the images need to say to your target market?
Which media are you planning on using the images in?
How long are you needing to use them in those media?
Plus where in the World are you going to be advertising in those media?

In other words, it’s a bit like the 5Ws.

Because their answers to those type of questions would then help me understand what it is I need to do to meet their needs.

So it is therefore important that they tell me what they need upfront, and if there is anything specific that they require – be it a look or a style or some retouching done, etc, etc – then that would also need to be put in writing beforehand too.

Because the price that I would be quoting them beforehand…

.. would be for the Rights to use the images that I had created afterwards, so naturally, ​it would be based on that information.

But still, I hear you say: “What happens if it all goes wrong” – for whatever reason – and they end up not wanting to pay or they don’t want to pay as much, etc, etc?​

Well first off, I’d probably want to find out why that was – for example, was it something that I did wrong or didn’t get right or misunderstood?
Or are they now just trying to pull a fast one ?

As a rule of thumb, if someone has invested a lot of their own time and money in a shoot – then it’s highly unlikely that they wouldn’t then want to use the images afterwards.

So, therefore, ​I would say, that 99% of the time if the client did say afterward​s that they did not want to pay for the use the images, the fault would lie at my end.
Which I would then naturally want to learn from – as ‘The Goal’ beforehand would have been, to try and produce some images that they (and possibly others too) would actually want to use – and hopefully want to use a lot too – rather than just see if I could take some pictures… which I know I could probably do with my iPhone

Anyway, if I was to say it has never happened or was to say that I have never failed to produce the type of images that a client would want to pay for the use of, that would be a lie – because it has happened and it did actually happen very recently too.

So the question I have to ask myself, is obviously “Why did it happen ?” – because that was not ‘The Goal’ beforehand.

Not always an easy one to answer, because there may, in fact, be a number of reasons as to why it happened – but the bottom-line is: There are no winners when it does happen.
Because they don’t get what they want and I naturally don’t get what I want neither

And when that happens, then below you can see some examples of what that this lose-lose type of deal ends up looking like:

This is what this page currently looks like on their website…

.. of the Ocean View Double Room – versus what it could have looked like…

.. if I had been prepared to remove the building outside the window, for the same price as I had quoted them before they asked for that.

Which obviously I wasn’t prepared to do, because to do that well – so as one could not tell that it had been retouched, even when viewed at billboard size or in any media at any size – that would probably double​ the amount of time that I would need to spend on creating the image.

And it was the same here…

.. as a result, this is how that same Atlantic View Suite currently looks on their website…

.. and this is how their Family room looks…

.. which once again, could have looked like this instead…

.. had I been prepared to replace the view outside the window.

“Forest for the trees” springs to mind – but there you have it – there are no winners is the answer

Still, we did all really enjoy our stay in their hotel for a few days – which I talk about here: A lot more to it – and I did end-up with some lovely images for my own portfolio

Plus it has given me something to blog about here for the​ second time – so all is not lost, because I at least have been able to put my work to good use

Reception/Guest Relations Desks.

“If we can get two together then great. We’d also like one showing the Guest Relations with our new Guest Relations Manager if the two desks shot doesn’t work. Hope this makes sense!” – was the brief that was sent along with this image…

.. to show their new Guest Relations Desk, which had only recently been completed.

So that was next on the list – and so off to work we went – starting as usual by taking a picture to let everyone see what the camera sees…

.. followed by lots of discussions about what they wanted to image to say and how best to going about saying that…

.. until Alan and his wife arrived to assumed their positions – and then this was the final result…

.. which a few days later was on their Homepage…​

.. to welcome you to the Killarney Park Hotel.

So that was four in the bag and one to go.

Deluxe Family Room.

“Could include breakfast tray on the bed? This image is to show off that we have family rooms (two doubles)” is what John wrote – along with these 2 pictures…

.. which he sent, to let us see what it looked like.

The 2nd image begin the one that I liked the look of the most, as I felt the window and seating area were important to show – and Dianne agreed. So on arrival that is where I first set up the camera, to see how looked – which surprisingly looked very good, as you can see here…

.. and so we were almost done

Well not quite – and so once again I will let the pictures which Claudio took, tell what all happened next – because when it comes to creating an image that they will want to use, rather than taking a picture that they could use if they wanted to, it usually means having to do a lot more than just pressing the bottom once or twice

Anyway, we were at least off to a good start – so this actually didn’t take very long…

.. for us to end up with this…

.. which they once again weren’t long on putting to good use…

.. a few days later.

So just want to say a big thanks to Alan and his family here – as they were The Stars of the show – and so that was it for that day, as it was time for a pint of Guinness… or was it 2 or maybe it was 3, as we did produce three images that day after all

There is taking a picture…

.. that someone could use if they wanted to – and then there is creating an image that they would want to use – which is something that I would often say to a new client, who would be looking to hire a photographer for a few days, to take a bunch of pictures of their place.

Because if what you want, is just for someone to come along and take a load of pictures, then anyone with a decent camera should be able to do that for you – so just go with whoever is the cheapest.

However, if what you want instead, is for someone to come along and produce & then provide you with some images that you would want to use afterwards, then first we would need to talk about what all you needed to use them for, etc, etc – because there are more than 100 different ways to shoot any subject.

And since each of those ways could greatly affect the outcome as to whether you would want to use them or not, then “spray & prey” as it’s sometimes called, is not really the ideal way to go about it, as you could end up with nothing that would really say what it is you are wanting the images to say.

A picture being worth a 1000 words and all that

Common Law of Business Balance:

“It’s unwise to pay too much, but it’s worse to pay too little. When you pay too much, you lose a little money – that is all. When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was incapable of doing the thing it was bought to do.”

So on that note, I’ll now let the pictures tell the story of what we were doing this week down in County Kerry, at the Killarney Park Hotel, with John and his team – who we have worked with before, which I talked about here: Keeping it real.

So like a well-oiled machine, everyone (pretty much) knew what they needed to do this time – and so I will now let the pictures speak for themselves, starting with the first taken…

.. and so it beings…

.. through to the final result…

.. which in less than 48 hours, was on their Homepage for the World to see…

.. what we had created for them to use to tell their story.

So that was one – next up was the dining room – which once again I will let the pictures tell the story, as there were lots taking by both myself & Claudio here… who I have got to say, has really become very good at the old lighting – as you can see – because this was indeed a tricky enough one to light, even though that is (hopefully) not what anyone will ever see, as that is not what we want you to even notice

The pool with the view.

Where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea, is what they wanted the picture to say at the Slieve Donard Resort & Spa Hotel in County Down.

So after agreeing on a price – for me to produce and then provide such an image, for them to use in multiple media for 1 year – I went along to have a look at the pool and took some quick snaps like this…

.. which I felt looked most impressive; however, it didn’t really say: Pool with a view.

Liked this angle too…

.. and yes, one could now at least see the view, which was pretty Wow on a nice sunny day like this was.

However, there was something about this angle I liked…

.. whereas you can see here in this darker exposure…

.. one could see the sea too.

“The pool with the view, where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea” – perfect.

Now all I had to do was shoot it for real – meaning: Produce an image that they want to use enough, that they would be willing to pay me some money for – which as good as these were, I reckoned they wouldn’t be quite ‘good enough’ to meet their usage requirements

So a date was sort of set – as getting good weather I knew was going to be key here if I wanted that view to look as good as it did here.
There is an old saying here in Ireland: “If you can see the Mournes, it’s about to rain – if you can’t, that’s because it is” – which isn’t far of the truth.
And so it was very much a case of just having to keep an eye on the weather forecast and then making the call that “it’s on” at the very last minute.

The above pictures were taken on the 20th of May; however, due mainly to us being busy at that time – because we had just been commissioned to shoot all of the various Carlton Hotels around the south of Ireland – it wasn’t until Friday the 29th of June that I made that call, that it was on.

Arrived around 1pm and as the first images appeared on screen…

.. I was thinking to myself, this is going to look great once I’ve lit it.

So I set-up the lights, re-positioned the camera slightly and then I heard a splash…

.. Nooooooooooooooooooo!!! I cried, as the guests who were staying at the hotel jumped in and started to swim about.

The pool obviously hadn’t been closed, like I’d thought it had been when I first set-up – and so it was like: “Houston, we have a problem” – because that Black Tiled pool just didn’t quite look as welcoming when the water wasn’t still & clear… to say the least.

The view outside was okay, as you can see here…

.. but not really as good as I would have liked – and so I just had to sit here and wait, and wait, and wait some more – in the hope that things would get better.

A member of staff had also been informed that she may be called upon to doing a bit of modeling too – and so I knew that she would arrive around 3pm – which naturally gave me plenty of time here to figure this all out.

And so I waited.

At 2:45 it looked like this…

.. which overall wasn’t bad I thought – so maybe in another 15 minutes or so, the water will stop moving and I’ll be okay.

But then I hear another splash…

.. and a few seconds after that, this girl jumps in under the water jets…

.. and so once again I heard screams inside my head: Noooooooooooooooooo!!!

Anyway, as it turned out the girl was actually the member of staff that I had been waiting on – so I asked them to turn off the water jets and decided to proceed as if none of this other stuff mattered.

Two minutes later, that was a rap…

.. as I honestly felt I was just wasting everyone time here – as this was clearly never going to work

I had this really great picture in my head too – and it obviously looked amazing – but as you can see here, I didn’t really have very much else

Anyway, not one to be beaten after 25 years – and since the thought of having to go back and trying again didn’t appeal to me – I decided the following morning to have another look at what I did have here.

Well, ​I did have at least a few images of the pool when the water was totally still – all be it from a slightly different angle.
I did have a few images that showed the Mountains of Mourne sweeping down to the sea – all be it the sky was white.
I did have a few images where the overall pool looked okay – all be it there was no view.
I did have a person in the pool, looking as if they were enjoying the view – all be it there wasn’t one.
And I did have this image…

.. which I’d taken a few years early, down at the beach in Millisle, close to were I’m biased​.

So… they said they wanted me to produce and then provide them with an image that said: “The pool with the view, where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea” – well okay then, “let’s do it” I thought to myself

And a few hours later, this was the result…

.. after it had been seriously amped as Marie would often refer to what we do.

Anyway, needless to say, ​after seeing the above image, 1 years use very quickly became 3 years use in multiple media – like this double-sized billboard…

.. and at the end of 3 years they obtain a new license for unlimited years use, I’m pleased to say too

And so that’s the story behind the image which you can still see to this very day on the Hastings Hotels website…

.. showing “The pool with the view, where the Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea”.

The magnificent Slieve Donard Resort and Spa is nestled in the heart of County Down where the ‘Mountains of Mourne sweep down to the sea’. Standing on 6 acres of private grounds, the hotel has been providing the best of Irish hospitality for over 100 years. The Percy French restaurant provides a cozy and friendly atmosphere. The Spa has all the facilities you need to relax and unwind from today’s hectic pace.

In 2015 the Slieve Donard Resort and Spa were awarded a Gold Award in the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

Creating images – because that’s what we do… just for you @ ampimage dot com

A lot more to it.

Having recced the hotel last year…

.. and having already produced some images for them to use, which I talked about here: Many hands make light work – we were back this week to shoot the various bedrooms at the Galway Bay Hotel in Salthill.

So while Marie talked to Louise and Sinéad about what she was planning on doing – Claudio began setting-up the lights…

.. while I set-up the camera and began to take some pictures, so as to let everyone see what the camera was recording.

The natural light was lovely – so Marie worked quickly…

.. but nevertheless, it still took a while to set-up – so Claudio had to hang-out of the upstairs window, after all, to add the finishing touch here…

.. to the first of 6 bedrooms we were about to shoot.

So that set the standard for the rest…

.. as Marie did her thing, while Claudio tried to figure out how he was going to light it…

.. and in the meantime, Sinéad took some detail shots…

.. as it, all came together…

.. in what I can only call ‘great teamwork’.

Because that’s what it basically was throughout the shoot – first starting with a quick shot to let everyone see the angle…

.. followed by lots of looking at the screen…

.. thinking…

.. more thinking…

.. and then the final result…

.. with Sinéad acting the part to complete the story in the Blackrock Suite.

Next…

.. the family room –

.. which when light & styled looked like this…

.. where Teddy posed like a pro this time

Fresh flowers from the garden…

.. detail shots…

.. tips from a Pro…

.. controlling the light…

.. and the result…

.. where once again Sinéad acted the part to complete the story in Atlantic View bedroom.

Not much to it really – although when it came time to pack…

.. there did seem to be a lot more to it, than just taking a few quick snaps with a camera

Anyway, just like to say a big thanks to everyone involved here – and especially to Louise and Sinéad for all their help – from Marie, Claudio & me who now look forward to part two in a few weeks time.

Six of these plus a whole bunch of these.

The fun continued at the Breaffy House Resort…

.. as the weather quickly changed and blew everything away with it.

So we headed inside as it started to rain, to shoot the new Healy Mac’s bar…

.. which looked amazing – especially when the sun poured in through the large windows, which it clearly wasn’t anymore.

Anyway, with six of these…

.. plus a whole bunch of these…

.. and we were all set to go…

.. as Marie & Claudio assumed the position that the models would later be in.

So while we waited for everyone to arrive…

.. we did some test shots – with Claudio sitting in once again, this time with Mary Lee…

.. and then when everyone else arrived, it was time to start shooting for real…

.. and this was the final result…

.. after a few different outfit changes.

Next up was the restaurant – so with the camera in the ideal position…

.. everyone started to do their thing…

.. while we did ours…

.. hair sorted…

.. emails checked…

.. time to shoot…

.. and this was the result…

.. after we had turned the place totally upside down

The large Banquet suite was next…

.. which after Claudio had lit – with six of these plus a whole bunch of these – the models were given their instruction…

.. while I checked to see how it looked…

.. then more instruction…

.. the result…

.. a final check…

.. and that was it.

Which just left what we had started…

.. which I talked about here: Doing whatever it takes.

And so that was it – a big thanks to everyone involved here – from Marie, Claudio & me at ampimage – as it was then back to the Healy Mac’s bar – tired, wet but very pleased with the results – to enjoy six of these plus a whole bunch of these

How hard can it be !

At the end of last year we were invited along to take a look at some of the bedrooms at the Kildare Hotel Spa & Golf Club (also known as The K Club), near Straffan in County Kildare, which they were wanting us to possibly shoot sometime.

So we were shown around by their Marketing people, and while Marie talked to them about what all they wanted, who their market was, etc, etc – I took some quick pictures like this…

.. just to see what the camera saw, as well as get an idea of what I may have to do later on.

Anyway, last week we were back – but this time we didn’t just come to take some pictures, we were here this time to create some images that they would want to use instead.
So needless to say the wagon was fully loaded, which naturally took some time pack as well as unpack that evening on arrival…

.. but anyway, we kicked off the following morning in the Superior bedroom…

.. which by 10:47 we were ready to let Orla here…

.. see this final result…

.. to have it signed-off, so to speak.

Then it was over to the Barton Suite…

.. where Marie worked her magic as usual – while Stuart…

.. well he was obviously tired, so he decided to lie down on the job

Still, very pleased with the result…

.. as was Orla too.

Next up was the Liffey Deluxe suite…

.. so it was all hands on board once again…

.. to create this image of the sitting room area…

.. before swinging the camera around…

.. doing what we do …

.. to end up with this…

.. which once again Orla seemed very pleased with.

The Presidential Suite was next…

.. which we rearranged…

.. styled…

.. and then lit to look like so…

.. to show both the sitting room area and the bedroom this time – before calling it a day…

.. and enjoying a glass of wine outside.

Next morning I told Marie how I’d caught a fish this big…

.. or maybe I was showing her a possible camera angle

Either way, it was the huge Viceroy Suite next…

.. were Marie as usual worked her magic…

.. while Stuart and I worked on the lighting, to end up with this image…

.. before a quick change…

.. to create the Bridal Suite…

.. which it seems, it is also regularly used for.

Pretty Wow !!

Anyway, next up was the Liffey Suite…

.. which was one of the bedrooms we had taken pictures off before (which I showed above) – and so after the team had done their thing, this was the end result…

.. as Stuart hung out the window to fill the room with beautiful light.

Next morning we started with​ Suite 6…

.. which thankfully was on the ground floor, as it was bucketing down outside – so lights up and raincoats​ on…

.. as we knew we had to be quick here…

.. to capture this suite’s U.S.P, which we felt the waiter highlighted to perfection.

The last room was dark due to it raining outside…

… and much smaller than the others too – so please wait outside…

.. while I have a look…

.. at this the final bedroom image…

… before packing-up and loading-up…

.. tired but very happy – that we had actually made it look, as if we hadn’t done anything at all here, besides just take some quick pictures of what happened to be there, with a really good camera.

Because, like how hard can it be, to shoot a few bedrooms

Anyway, from Marie, Stuart & me – we hope we have made you want to stay at The K Club – as that was our goal here when we creating images – which is a truly amazing place in the beautiful County of Kildare, as you can clearly see.