Classic design that stands the test of time.

Homes & Gardens is one of Britain’s oldest decorating magazines, which has been in circulation since 1919.

“Aspirational yet accessible, stylish, sophisticated and indulgent, Homes & Gardens showcases classic design that stands the test of time.”

Back in 2015 Jacqui and her husband, Peter, returned to Ireland and bought this large, derelict house…

.. as a renovation project.

Unoccupied for a while it seems, therefore in a terrible state of repair – so they totally stripped it back to brick…

.. and removed virtually all the woodwork apart from the staircase – as it seems they really did want a challenge

Anyway, after receiving a call from Janet McMeekin, a London based writer who also once lived here, we were recently invited to take a look – and the rest is now history, as they would say…

.. because before very long Ivan had the lights up and Dianne had everything, including Jacqui here…

.. looking like something you would see in a magazine.
But not just any old magazine, because yes I’m delighted to say, that 100 years after Homes & Gardens was first launched, you will now be able to see our work in that magazine too

So a big thanks to Ivan & Dianne here…

.. as well as to Janet, because it was “great teamwork” like you said – but most importantly I’d like to congratulate Jacqui and Peter, because if the icing on the cake was winning a heritage award, then this has got to be the cherry on top of that

One to look out for at the start of next year…

.. in Britain’s oldest decorating magazines which showcases classic design that stands the test of time

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The home page.

On the Straffan House home page today, I see they are now using some of the images that we created a few weeks ago – like of the Swimming pool with the swim-up bar…

.. the Dining room…

.. the Drawing room…

.. and the Master bedroom here…

.. which is still the part that I always love to see, i.e. how our work is used – even after all these years

Looks amazing as far as I’m concerned – not that I’m bias or anything like that – as it was and is an amazing place to start with – but Wow, I really do love how it looks now – so be sure to check it out, as I’m very proud to say that I was a part of this – as it was like a dream come true for me, after 30 years of practising the art of writing with light to tell a story.

Straffan House.

A few months ago we were asked to take a look at Straffan House here…

.. which is on the grounds of the The K Club in County Kildare.

So we when along to have a look and took some quick pictures like this…

.. of the sitting room area – and then wrote up our report on what we felt would work.

“This picture shows the angle and what we would be looking to shoot here, i.e the fireplace, the coffee table & sofas, and room beyond.
May need to move the sofas a bit for the camera – fire lit – a glass of brandy and a good book – people or a member of staff in the background.”

So anyway, last week we arrived in a ​convoy at the gates of this private house…

.. and after setting up the camera to take the first of the images of this room…

.. it was obvious from what we saw on screen here…

.. at we needed to move some of the furniture about a bit…

.. so while Ivan and I sorted that out, Dianne worked on the styling…

.. while Claudio obviously took lots of ‘behind the scenes’ pictures…

.. of us all at work

Anyway, the one great thing about working in a house this size…

.. is that there was lots of room for everyone to get on with their thing while we got on with ours.

And so as the first of the models arrived we were pretty much ready to go…

.. as all that was now left to do was see where they would sit…

.. which in the end just meant taking lots of shots, as they kind-off had their own idea of what they wanted to do

Anyway, this was the final result…

.. to tell the story about this amazing room – and how it would be ideal for you and your family, should you wish to stay here for a few days

So one done, five to go – which meant down to the basement next – which you can read more about that later on

Favourite shot has to be the Michael Jordan one.

We were shooting a new build house in the County Down seaside village of Ballyhalbert this week – which belonged to John Wilson, who owns a gallery and framing business – and being like 6 foot 6 and then some, his passion is naturally basketball which he has played at a fairly senior level over the years.

The Storyline:

“As a little boy, John’s family rented a holiday home in Ballyhalbert where he had fond memories of family holidays – boats, fishing etc.
Initially, he loved the idea of a converted barn – but the opportunity to buy one within his budget didn’t arise.
So he decided to look for a site and build from scratch.
Style-wise, he likes a slightly eclectic mix of mid-century furniture (mostly from his grandparents’ former home) plus some very old rustic pieces he picked up cheaply – alongside some more contemporary items.”

Anyway, John had sent Marie a few pictures of his place a few weeks ago, which she then forwarded on to me with comments like so:
“Love the 2 sofas and footstool and stove…
Could see us getting a very strong shot here!!!”

Yes, looks good to me too – and so after re-arranging of the sofas to suit the camera angle and a quick bit of styling by Marie, the first picture was taken…

.. to let everyone see what the camera was seeing – as it’s not seeing the room from 6 foot 6 up in the air

Anyway, after a bit more ‘pushing and shoving’ by John & Marie, lights were in place and so it was time to shoot the man himself…

.. standing tall and very much at home.

The money shot or the lead shot as we would call it – which is like the all-important one – and so that was a ‘slam dunk’ as far as I was concerned

Anyway, as the rain poured down we pushed on and slowly worked our way throughout his house, shooting not only each of the overall​ rooms but also some details shots like so…

.. before moving upstairs to shoot the bedrooms etc.

The picture John had sent Marie of the master bedroom looked like so…

.. which Marie said: “I wouldn’t be long sorting this out…”

And neither she was – as it was already looking good by the time I had set the camera up to take this first shot…

.. which again after some work by John & Marie ended up looking like this…

.. where the most time was spent on debating where the basketball should be

Seriously though it was fun shoot – and the following day after John saw the final results, he replied by saying:

“You work fast Ashley, pictures look amazing!!!”

“Favourite shot has to be the Michael Jordan one but don’t be telling Marie that! haha”

Which refers to this image…

.. of the large framed picture of Michael Jordan titled ‘Wings’ on the landing – which really was stunning – and in itself told the story of who lived here. i.e. someone who is clearly into basketball and beautiful framing of artwork​ too.

A picture that is worth a 1000 words, especially to John – who we would both like to thank for inviting us in and making us feel so welcome, from Marie & me @ ampimage.com

Like something you would see in a magazine.

About a month ago Marie visited a friend of Jillian’s, whose kitchen we where about shoot – which I talked about us shooting here: To tell a story – and she sent me an email to say:

“Welllll – I had a lovely morning meeting Emma – Jillian’s friend.
She is really good fun and totally up for a feature.
Couldn’t believe it – I have admired this house for years.”

The storyline:

The couple had always yearned for a period home – and as they had some experience renovating/extending their previous homes, they weren’t afraid to tackle one that needed a lot of work. And this one needed a vast amount of work as it had been badly converted to flats. Emma sourced period salvage items wherever possible to bring the house back to its former glory. She even built a little guest annex in the back garden using lovely old architectural salvage.

Anyway, Marie attached a few pictures to let me see it – this being one of them…

.. and so last week it was time to see what we (as a team) could do.

The weather forecast said it would be cloudy for most of the day but didn’t predict there would be any rain; however, as we set-up for the first shot of the sitting room here…

.. it started to rain – or drizzle as we would call it, as that is what it usually is here in Ireland.

Anyway, while Stuart set-up the lights, Emma – whose beautiful house this was – was all go and totally focused as you can see here…

.. which is the sort of image I would often joke about, and say “Well that’s the homeowner shot done” when I capture something like this

Seriously though, Emma did work hard throughout the day here – and was clearly very pleased with what she had achieved – and so besides keeping a close eye on what was appearing on my screen, she recorded all her hard work too, on her iPad…

.. which put me to shame, as she made taking pictures look so easy

Anyway, after about 40 minutes of great team-work and a quick change of trousers too, it was time for Emma to strike her pose…

.. which she naturally did to perfection – as one would expect from a former cover girl, who clearly hadn’t lost her touch.

And the comments from the team the following day, when I sent them this image:
Stuart: “Absolutely beautiful!!!”
Mandi: “oooh lovely!!”
Marie: “Love it 🙂 “

I love it too – but like I said above, I’m very aware that the reason why people say things like that when they look at my images, is because a lot of work will have gone into making them look like that – which sometimes I capture…

.. just for the fun of it – as well as to complete the story here in my diary​ – as this is what one doesn’t see when you are looking at the pictures in a glossy magazine.

Because this really was all about teamwork…

.. followed by attention to detail…

.. lots of fine-tuning​…

.. and then finally – it was time to strike that perfect pose once again…

.. as you naturally would do, especially when there is a crowd of people standing behind the camera all looking at you, saying: “That’s like something you would see in a magazine”

Before starting all over again…

.. to make it look like I did nothing at all, bar take some quick snaps with a very good camera, of whatever happened to be there…

.. on a very nice day too.

Which in this case it was – as we all had a lot of ​fun here, creating what I have no doubt will be, what you will see in one of the biggest selling glossy magazines very shortly.

And so on that note I’d just like to end by saying a big thanks to Emma and her husband Graham here – from Marie, Stuart & me – for inviting us in to tell your story – which is not only like something that you would see in a magazine, it will be something that you will see in a magazine… and hopefully very soon too

“WOW, I take my hat off to you Ashley! Just wonderful”

Was the lovely reply from Amanda, after I sent her the web link to let her see the final results, as we had been shooting her Victorian townhouse a few days before.

Amanda loves renovating old period properties – so this was actually the fourth renovation of her’s that we were shooting here, as we find the Editors of the various magazines that we would submit to, just love what she does.

So an easy one for Marie, as it was pretty much sitting up camera ready, which therefore gave her plenty of time to take some pictures of Stuart here…

.. and me at work.

Where we produced a load of images like this…

.. of the overall kitchen – before swapping over the camera system…

.. to zoom in on detail areas like this…

.. of the clocks on the wall.

Marie refer to Amanda’s style as being “shabby chic feminine decor” – so after a nice cup of tea with little finger in the air…

.. it was time to shoot the dog house…

.. and then into the sitting room…

.. which when light, was where I shot Amanda with her two boys, Bailie and Oliver…

.. before shooting lots of details areas like this…

.. which was like a work of art within a work of art

There was so much to shoot here – so we called it a day early and then came back the following morning, to shot the up-stair areas – which again Amanda worked very hard on…

.. while I stood around…

.. and Marie took some pictures of…

.. of me with my two arms folded – “There is no work in me” Marie

Anyway, this was one of the many results…

.. which Amanda here…

.. should be rightly proud of – as even this landing area…

.. looked Picture Perfect to me.

So a big thanks to you Amanda, because “WOW, I take my hat off to you” – as this was just wonderful to shoot too

From Marie, Stuart & me, who had little to do, so this is just to say: “Thank you”.

Straight forward.

Located in the Rosetta area of Belfast…

.. was where we were shooting recently, in Lisa & Conor’s detached house.

Which was a straightforward​ one for Marie…

.. Claudio…

.. and even for Lisa herself…

.. as we all felt this house suited this ‘straight down the middle’ type of style.

So while Marie posed in her usual way…

.. Claudio sorted out the wires…

.. and after some rearranging for the furniture, plus a wee touch of sunlight​…

.. it really was as simple as that.

The Storyline:

“Basically a major extension and renovation job !!!!
They specifically chose a popular suburb for good schools and links – and also, they welcomed the idea of a project.
They built a large extension to create a new kitchen and bathroom – and also a roof conversion.”

The bathroom was very impressive…

.. which once again was pretty straightforward to shoot, style & light – and the bedroom in the roof conversion was also pretty straightforward too…

.. so were in & out in record time on this one – and had a confirmed Yes please from the Editor at 25 Beautiful Homes magazine before lunchtime the following day – so a fantastic result all around

Nestled in the Sperrin Mountains.

Near Limavady in County Londonderry, is where Kim & Derek’s barn extension can be found – and so that’s where we were a few weeks ago…

.. to produce some images which we were hoping an Editor from one the leading interior magazines would want to use.

So it was all hands on board – as I set up the camera, Marie set about doing her thing…

.. and Claudio, who had joined us for the day, set up the lights outside.

Fifty-five minutes later, it was time for a coffee break…

.. as I asked Kim to smile

From there we worked our way up through to the kitchen at the back, which as you can see was looking pretty good as is…

.. and so therefore only needed the lights moved a bit out of frame, to create this image…

.. before returning back down to the sitting room area here…

.. to capture it from the other direction.

Which in the end, I reckon was my favorite​ image of the day…

.. as it surprised everyone ​because it wasn’t how any of us had really pictured it beforehand.

Anyway, with Claudio’s help throughout the day and with all that Kim & Derek had done here, we seemed to fly through this one – and produced, what I felt, was some great images too.

The final one being that of the exterior image…

.. which I had to wait for, as the sun really only ever hits the front of the barn in the late afternoon.

Still a beauty, as far as I was concerned – because it sure wasn’t what I would have expected to see nestled in the Sperrin Mountains – especially inside what once was an old barn, which clearly it is no longer.

Fantastic job Kim – and Derek too – and so all that is left to say, is thank you once again for inviting us in, from Marie, Mandi, Claudio and me – who all loved what you did here on your family farm – and so it came as no surprise to get a ‘yes please’ from an Editor so quickly – so we will keep you posted on that, once we know more.

Natural direction of light.

Back at Marie’s once again to finish off the series of images that we plan to submit to various magazines over the next few years – so while Marie added the finishing touches to the kitchen…

.. I set about lighting it up…

.. which actually didn’t take that long, as those windows are perfectly placed.

As are the windows in her sitting room – which I at first tried lighting from the left…

.. but then decided it would be more natural looking if I lit it from the ones on the right…

.. as that was where the natural direction of light was coming from in the first place.

The master bedroom was for me a doddle to light – but due to some new bedding arriving the day before – it was like a complete make-over job for Marie here…

.. which I must say looked very well when she was all done…

.. and I stopped walking on her little striped rug

About 20 images in the end produced, which should be more than enough for any Editor – so now it time to submit and keep our fingers crossed.

From Marie & me @ ampimage, producing images just for you, as we would say.

Gentleman’s residence.

The sky was blue and the sun was shining – so the first shot in the bag was the exterior of this large detached Victorian house…

.. which belonged to Fiona and Conor O’Kane – who are both are Barristers here in Belfast.

The Storyline:

Fiona and Conor bought the house approx 6 years ago and since then, have done a huge amount of work to it – they tackled quite a bit themselves – knocking down walls, decorating, etc, etc.

So with Stuart, who normally assists us out on Hotel shoots, helping out with lighting and that – Marie made a start inside…

.. by doing her thing, before we asked Fiona & Conor to strike a pose in the drawing room…

.. in front of the black marble fireplace – which it seems swung the sale for them when they first saw it.

Then from there, it was into the sitting room across the hall – where both Marie and Stuart both swung into action…

.. before I shot it two ways – with and without the fire lit…

.. to give the Editors a choice – in case they wanted to run with it in one of their spring or summer issues, instead of one of their winter or autumn issues

Anyway, it was then into the kitchen area at the back of the house…

.. which as you can see, was less traditional…

.. and very bright…

.. which made a really lovely contrast.

Huge house – but with Stuart helping us out here, we were up to the bedrooms…

.. just after lunch – and once again I was most impressed…

.. with their style & taste, in this beautiful Victorian Gentleman’s residence.

So just a quick note to say thanks to everyone here – and especially to Fiona & Conor for inviting us in and making us feel so welcome.

From Marie, Stuart & me @ ampimage.com