Move your mouse…

.. over the original picture that was taken to see the final image created.

Finally finished updating the Before & After section on our Interior website here…

.. so as to not only let people see what was done, but also to show that there are more than 100 different ways to shoot any subject…

.. and that all images are not the same or even close to being the same sometimes – even if they were taken by the same photographer.

Which is something we often need to point out to clients when they ask us for a price to take some pictures?

Because there is a big difference between giving someone a price to turn-up to take some pictures…

.. and being asked to giving someone a price to produce some images…

.. that they would want to use.
As one could just involve turning-up and taking some snapshots of whatever happens to be there like I do when we recce a place…

.. whereas the other could involve hours of work…

.. and a team of people, etc – especially if they are wanting some images created that they will actually want to use in various media for years to come.

Which is why we would often ask about their usage requirements – and then take that information into account when quoting a fee for the use of our work after we have created it.

Because 9 times out of 10, even when it looks to be sitting perfect to the eye…

.. the sort of image that they will want to use…

.. may still need to be lit and styled, etc, etc – and so that is what this section on our website shows, i.e. I can take some pictures or we can create some images.

So enjoy this newly updated section by moving your mouse over the original picture taken to see the final image created – which includes many images that were produced a number of years ago in various countries, which the clients are still using to this very day to promote and advertise their business – as well as some of our most recent work.

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Stylish Living.

Is the title of our latest published work July 2014 issue of Ireland’s Homes Interiors & Living magazine…

.. on pages 76 to 85 – featuring Tony Day and Darren Baird’s Edwardian terrace in east Belfast.

“Tony and Darren have turned a functional bachelor pad in Belfast into a funky family home.”

Which we talked about here: Kicking off – at the start of 2012.

Anyway, stunning repro as always – which is what I love so much about this magazine – so this is just a quick note to say a big thanks to everyone involved here – and congratulations to Tony & Darren once again, for this time making it into this beautifully printed Irish glossy magazine.

From Marie & me @ ampimage.com

Before and After.

Updating the Before and After section on our website here…

.. so as to not only let people see what was done, but also to show that there are more than 100 different ways to shoot any subject…

.. and that all images…

.. are not the same…

.. or even close to being the same sometimes – even if they were taken by the same photographer.

Which is something we often need to point out to clients when they ask us for a price to take some pictures.

Because there is a big difference between giving someone a price to turn-up to take some pictures…

.. and being asked to giving someone a price to produce some images…

.. that they would want to use.
As one could just involve turning-up and taking some snap shots of whatever happens to be there, like I do when we recce a place…

.. whereas the other could involve hours of work…

.. and a team of people, etc – especially if they are wanting some images created that they will actually want to use in various media for years to come.

Which is why we would often ask about their usage requirements – and then take that information into account…

.. when quoting a fee for the use of our work…

.. after we have created it.

Because 9 times out of 10, even when it looks to be sitting perfect to the eye…

.. the sort of image that they will want to use…

.. may still need to be lit and styled, etc, etc – and so that is what this section on our website shows, i.e. I can take some pictures or we can create some images.

So which do you want me to give you a price for – to turn-up and take some pictures which you can use if you want to or to produce some images that you will want to use ?

If it’s just to turn-up and take some pictures, then that shouldn’t cost very much; however, if it’s to produce some images that you will want to use, then we obviously need to take your usage requirements into account first, as the fee would then be based on that information. Which can be paid for all at once or spread over the years that you want to use our work, in the various media that you need to use it in.

So enjoy this newly updated section by moving your mouse over the original picture taken to see the final image created – which includes images that were produced many years ago, which the clients are still using to this very day – as well as some of our most recent work.

Cheers
From Marie & me at ampimage.com

One of the greatest discoveries a man makes.

As Henry Ford once said:

One of the greatest discoveries a man makes, one of his great surprises, is to find he can do what he was afraid he couldn’t do.

So we are in Spain with all our gear, sitting by the pool after having shot what we came here for – and I’m thinking: “this is an opportunity, not a job” – so we asked David, the local real estate agent who was keen to promote the area to the UK market, if he had anything else on his books for us to look at while we were here.

Well, he naturally jumped at the opportunity and so took us out to see this property…

.. which was a restored Spanish Finca (farmhouse) set amidst vineyards and almond groves near Javea or Xabia (as known in Valencia) in this beautiful part of the Costa Blanca.

The property was built around 300 years ago for a farmer, his family, and animals – all sharing the same building. In fact, the courtyard would have been a corral with the animals feeding from a trough which is now part of the wall beneath the kitchen window.

Yes, I can work with that…

.. but what’s it like inside…

.. or should I say, what could it look like…

.. as the recce images…

.. are just our starting point…

.. to give us an idea of whether it’s worth spending more time on…

.. doing whatever we feel needs to be done…

.. to not just take some pictures…

.. but to create images…

.. that others would want to use.

THE STORY
The couple had dreamed of owning a place like this since their student days but were almost put off by the prices of renovated fincas – until they decided to undertake the work themselves and create the archetypical holiday home we all dream of – exposed stonework, beamed ceilings, terracotta floors and ochre colour-washed walls.
Mind you, they had to learn that Spanish and UK deadlines aren’t always the same!

Anyway, Marie had clearly a lot to do here…

.. while I just had to figure out how to light this place…

.. with just one main light…

.. as the power supply was, to say the least…

.. minimum.

Still, the natural light was very good, as our recee images showed…

.. so it was just a case of making the most of that…

.. to create what was to become one of the most fantastic periods of my life.

So I’d just like to thank David and also his wife Christine here…

.. for not only their time but also for this Opportunity – as that’s how I started to view at this type of work and almost every other assignment from this point in time onwards.

Featured in the October 2005 issue of BBC Good Homes magazine…

.. on pages 24 to 28, plus in the 4th issue of Templeton Robinson’s Property Life magazine…

.. on pages 12 to 17 – as well as in many other magazines around the World too (which unfortunately I’m unable to show here because I wasn’t able to pick-up a copy of those magazines here in Ireland).

From Marie & me @ ampimage – who simply tried to create the dream of ‘living the dream’ in this beautiful part of the World that they call Costa Blanca… just for you 🙂

What difference does it make ?

Six months after Marie was pictured here smiling, in the living room of a new property…

.. which she & her husband Alan had just bought – she was once again pictured smiling, as she sat on the stairs…

.. of this exact same room.

Wow, I hear you say, what a difference !!.

But what is the real difference here, between this image…

.. and this one…

.. from a Professional photographer’s point of view ?

A photographer [the Greek φῶς (phos), meaning “light”, and γραφή (graphê), meaning “drawing, writing”, together meaning “drawing with light”] is a person who takes photographs. A professional photographer uses photography to earn money; amateur photographers take photographs for pleasure and to record an event, emotion, place, or person.

So why on the 29th July 2009, when I took this image…

.. did I as a Professional photographer, not think it was worth my while to use anything more than just a basic point & shoot camera system – whereas when I took this image of the exact same room…

.. I felt I needed to spend a lot more time – use a medium format ’tilt & shift’ camera system, thousands of pounds worth of lights and shoot to a laptop – so as Marie could then tweak things and style it to within an inch of her life.

What difference does it make to a Professional photographer?

Because let’s face it, from my point of view as a Professional photographer – what I’m looking at here…

.. and what I’m seeing here…

.. is just two pictures of basically the same room.

Okay, so the first images don’t look that good – and the other one looks really nice – but besides what Marie had done here…

.. over a six month period, to transform this space into something very different…

.. what’s the real difference between these two pictures?

Is this picture better…

.. than this one…

.. or could it be the other way around?

For example, if someone wanted to use this image…

.. and was prepared to pay me for that – even though I didn’t spend much time on shooting and just used a point & shoot camera system – and no-one wanted to use this image…

.. even though Marie had spent 6 months working on it and we then spent hours shooting it with top-end camera gear, etc – would that mean the first image is actually better?

Because you see, from my point of view – as a Professional photographer, rather than just someone who likes to take pictures in their spare time – the only real difference between this image…

.. and this image…

.. is to do with the amount that someone else may be prepared to pay me for use it – and that’s really about it.

Sure, I’d much prefer to take pretty pictures – but being a Professional photographer isn’t really about taking pretty pictures – it’s about making money or making a living – from producing images that others will want to use, and use enough that they will be prepared to pay you some money for.

So in theory, as crazy as it may seem – from a Professional photographer’s point of view, Marie didn’t do anything here – besides provide me with something, which I now felt was worth spending a lot more time on shooting.
The reason being, because I now felt others may want to use these images and would, therefore, be prepared to pay for that use – so that’s why I went the extra mile.

Take that incentive away, and all you are left with is two pictures or two sets of images – that are worth the same to the guy behind the camera.

So to answer my own question here: What difference does it make ?
As a Professional photographer, the difference has to do with the use of the images and the amount that others are prepared to pay for that.

Little use = Little value.
Greater use = Greater value… to both them & me.

Anyway, as a Professional photographer, I’d just like to say big thanks to Marie & Allen for making a difference here – because I really don’t think that anyone would have wanted to use those first set of images – no matter what camera system I would have used or how much time I would have spent on the lighting them

Smiling from behind the camera
Ashley
www.ashleymorrison.com

The Perfect Compromise

Is the title of our latest published work in the January 2014 issue of Ireland’s Homes Interiors & Living magazine…

.. on pages 80 to 91 – featuring Janice and Billy Shannon’s Edwardian mid terrace in Belfast.

“Jane, her friend Melanie and their cat called Poppy live in a beautiful four-bedroomed Edwardian terrace in east Belfast. Through compromise, the pair has been able to purchase the perfect place for them both to live.”

Which I talked about shooting here: Shannon’s Edwardian mid terrace.

Just love those big double-page spreads, as it really does show the huge amount of work that goes into each and every one of these images – and it’s not just at our end on the lighting & styling, but at the homeowner’s end too, as you really do feel like you are actually standing there in the room.

Yes, the perfect compromise to actually being there!

Anyway, big thanks to everyone involved for their hard work here – and huge congratulations to Jane & Melanie for making it onto this beautifully printed glossy magazine.

From Marie, Mandi & me @ ampimage.com

Out of the office.

Is the title of our latest work in the January 2014 issue of 25 Beautiful Homes magazine…

.. on pages 74 to 77 – featuring Keith and Amanda Cunningham’s renovated double fronted mid terrace home in Belfast.

“Amanda and Keith Cunningham salvaged a derelict commercial space and turned it into an elegant family home.”

Which we talked about here: Never work with children or animals – a few months ago when we were shooting it.

So the first of the New Year issues is out – and I must say it looks great – so a really good start to the year ahead.

Anyway, just a note to say congratulations to Keith and Amanda here…

.. for making it into this top selling national magazine – which is full of amazing homes, which yours is definitely too

From Marie, Mandi & me @ ampimage.com

We’re aff.

After various glitches, we finally launched our wee online shop – gulp 🙂

Not the ideal climate for it, unfortunately – but we have our feet on the ground and are keeping our expectations realistic.

Style-wise – needless to say, I ended up in my ‘Modern Country’ comfort zone 🙂
While it’s not exactly High Street, it’s not too far away from it I guess.

I’m planning to put out two ‘chatty’ blogs each week and will be adding constantly to the Look Book and changing the homepage every few weeks too.

We literally only went “live” yesterday so we have a long way to go to get our name out there – but so far, the feedback has been amazing and orders are already coming in – quite exciting 🙂

Here is the link:
www.naturalcalico.com

Take Care
Marie

Or as Del Boy would say: Don’t worry, Rodney Marie. This time next year, we’ll be millionaires!

Seriously though, exciting times for us all – as we try something new, using our joint experiences – which began back in February as a dream – but it’s now very much for real.

So we’re aff, as they would say in this part of the world, as www.naturalcalico.com is now live – so be sure to check it out sometime.

From Marie, me and the rest of the team.

Overlooking Sixmilewater Valley…

.. and Donegore Hill, just outside Templepatrick in County Antrim – is where we were shooting the other day, in Ruth & David’s Ulster farmhouse.

The sun has been shining most of this week – after a few weeks of snow – and even though most of our work is indoors, the difference a bit of sunshine can make is huge – as it pours through the windows and just makes everyone feel & everything look so good.

Which was very much the case here, as the place was almost naturally lit…

.. and everyone was in great form too.

Still, it is said that photographing interiors is “10% creativity and 90% moving furniture”, which as you can see here…

.. was very true – as we moved things around to suit the camera, which often sees things differently to the eye.

So it’s usually a case of taking a picture first, to see how it looks as is – which is what Marie is standing here waiting to see…

.. as she looks over to the laptop’s screen, across the room – and then we do what we feel is needed, to end up with something like this:

So it’s a bit of a slow process – but Ruth thoroughly enjoyed it all, as we turned her house upside down 🙂

And after seeing the final results yesterday, she wrote to say:

Marie and Ashley,
OOOOOOH MY WORD!!
What more can I say? The pictures are stunning and I don’t have any more words to express that.
And what about Davids response to the living room? I wish you had been here. These were his words- How did we never think of that? This is like a new room, I love it.
Thank you both for Thursday, it was a pleasure and I have every confidence you will both go from strength to strength in your work. I have looked at photos of other homes and locations on your website…….aaaaaah!
Marie I look forward to seeing Natural Calico, and the Bangor house is patiently waiting to be embellished……
With very best wishes to you both,
Ruth
xx

Which was a really lovely reaction.

So ‘thank you’ Ruth and David for inviting us along – and making us both feel so welcome.
We will keep you posted.

From Marie & me @ ampimage.com

New lease of light.

Is the title of our latest work in the May 2013 issue of 25 Beautiful Homes magazine…

.. on pages 95 to 97 – featuring John Baird’s converted Cornmill near Comber in County Down.

“An impressive oriel window makes the most of the space and views in John Baird’s cornmill.”

Which we talked about here: A Fabulous Converted Cornmill – last November.

So congratulations to John here…

.. for making it into this top selling national magazine, which is all about inspirational homes – which his most certainly was.

From Marie, Mandi & me @ ampimage.com