And that's a wrap!

As the curtain goes down on our 10th year of capturing the Celebrate Voice Festival, we look back at our favourites from this year’s event. Over the decade since we started, the festival has gone from strength to strength and this year’s was the best yet.

The festival opened with the world-renowned BBC Singers (conducted by Bob Chilcott), performing in Wilton Italianate Church. The beautiful choral music filled this equally gorgeous venue with an uplifting mix of songs and melodies.

Ronnie Scott’s All Stars returned to the festival from the internationally-renowned London Jazz Club, with songstress Natalie Williams, one of the UK's most popular soul/jazz artists. People travel from around the world to visit the Soho club, but we were lucky enough to be part of this fabulous evening in our own home-town city of Salisbury.

Come and Sing HMS Pinafore, was a chance for members of the public to immerse themselves in the action, and be part of the production with the stars. A morning of rehearsals, led by Musical Director David Gostick was followed by a performance in which the public became the chorus, and put what they had learnt into action.

Comedic opera “Cosi Fan Tutte” was a riot of a show, full of fun and hi-jinx (set in a 1950s holiday camp; with a nod of inspiration from Hi-de-Hi). The trials of life, love, romance and betrayal twisted and turned to keep us enthralled to the end.

Live at the Musicals brought together Zoe Curlett, Katy Hanna, Keiron Crook and Simon Shorten direct from the glittering stages of the West End, to perform a wonderful mix of iconic and universally loved show tunes. This really was an intimate, up close and personal performance, and we LOVED it.

Comedy and Cabaret at its very best with performances by award winning and acclaimed comedians Amy Webber and Andrew Drew. Their solo shows had the audience (and us) in stitches with their individual takes on modern life and employment issues.

Always the biggest highlight of the festival for us. SEND brings local people with learning difficulties together with the professional singers, to produce and star in their own special performance. It’s just the most amazing, incredibly joyous, emotionally uplifting and inclusive celebration of our local community, and it’s the one we look forward to the most each year.

Showcasing up and coming talent, we were treated to performances by local young artists. Recommended by their schools, these truly are the stars of the future and the ones to watch. We are so looking forward to seeing how their careers progress.

One last word - if the Celebrate Voice Festival has somehow escaped your notice, please do watch out for next year’s offering. It’s well worth the visit and maybe we will see you there!

What does a commercial photographer do?

When I introduce myself as a commercial photographer, the most asked question is not the one you might expect. It is without fail, 'what does a commercial photographer do?’

I have always found this a strange question, as to me commercial suggests anything to do with businesses. I get asked this question more than any other, so I thought I would explain what I do.

The short answer is, I provide professional images for businesses. These can be of you and your staff, events (social or news), property, processes, products, or anything else that you require to promote your business. To explain this further, I have broken it down into sections and included a few images to illustrate.

people

When you think of images of you and your staff, I am sure the first thing that comes to mind is the traditional business shot on a white background. This is still the most popular for websites etc., but as you can see there is so much more that can be done to make your business stand out from similar companies.

When you book us to shoot your business portraits, we work with you to design a look that enhances your business profile.

products

Professional images of your product are a must for everyone looking to impress the more discerning client. Designed to ensure your product stands out, every detail is considered before the first image is captured.

Working with your website or catalogue/brochure designer we create the lighting and background to enhance the design.

property

Property photography is something that all businesses should consider. Shops, hotels, developers, builders, bed and breakfast establishments, public buildings, and even service companies should have professional images.

When shooting property the weather has a big part to play, as does the orientation of your property, time of year and exterior lighting. We work with you to get the look you desire. All of these components are analysed to ensure the perfect image is delivered.

events

Our event coverage is second to none, and is available for everything from a staff party to an annual awards event.

The images can be used for post event publicity, as well as event promotion the following year. Bespoke backgrounds, greenscreen technology and onsite printing and/or framing are just some of services we can offer, alongside our general event coverage. An online password protected gallery is also available if required.

We have regularly covered events for the society pages of local magazines such as Salisbury Life and Wiltshire Living. Inviting the local media to your event is a great way to gain valuable free publicity for your company.

FOOD

One of our favourite subjects to photograph (and taste obviously) is food. Our mouthwatering food photography will have people queuing to try it.

You take special care to produce your amazing plates, so why would you want them looking anything less than their best! Whatever image is required, we will ensure your food looks fantastic.

Promotion (PR)

PR images are the backbone of any marketing campaign or promotion. Required for your website, blog, press releases, and anywhere you want to profile or publicise your company. You can be assured we will deliver tailored images for you to use without fuss.

You now have an insight into the services we can offer your business. If you would like us to give you a no obligation image healthcheck, or discuss how we can help you promote your business, please email john@johnrosephotography.com

Stock photography and your website

When it comes to building or updating a website, it is crucial to use only components that will have a positive impact. A great website is easy to use and has relevant text, but the single most important aspect is the images.

The use of stock pictures is always a false economy. As a full time professional commercial and editorial photographer, I will admit that the initial cost of custom photography will be higher than that of stock pictures. I will however guarantee that the return on investment (ROI) for bespoke images will be hugely more significant.

Value Cars Group - Executive Connection

There are many reasons why custom images are preferred over stock images; below are my top 5 reasons why custom photography is the better choice.

1. Your views "a picture is worth a thousand words"

No matter how professional the stock photo may be, it will always belong to someone else’s interpretation of the idea, concept, emotion, etc. After all the saying is, “a picture is worth a thousand words.” When it comes to your website, why would you want those words to be someone else’s?

When it comes to custom images created solely for your business YOU have control over what thoughts and emotions those images convey, and from a marketing perspective that is HUGE for your business!

To put the above into perspective, think of the emotions, experiences and memories you gain when you look back at past holiday pictures. Would you feel the same way looking at someone else's holiday photos? The answer is no (at least it should be), this is because it is not personal, it is someone else's view.

When it comes to evoking the required emotion from all potential clients who visit your website, custom images created just for your business will hands down beat stock photography.

Total Foot Health

2. Classic original versus same-old.

The greatest benefit to you and your business that comes with custom images is that it presents you with the opportunity to show your potential clients something they have never seen before and make a lasting impression.

When potential clients visit your website for the first time, their immediate reaction should be "OH WOW!” As a business owner you are wanting to grab the attention of your visitor and get them to explore your website further.  The way to do just that is with original photography that immediately shows them something they have never seen before. Showing them custom images, you are already going a long way to helping establish your own unique identity and promote the image of your company that you want to stick in your visitors mind. This is simply not achievable with stock photography, because stock photos are used over and over again on multiple websites.

Lascar

3. Short-term cost or long-term investment

As I stated earlier in this post, hiring a professional photographer will have larger initial cost than using stock photos, but the benefits will far out way the costs. Having images of yourself, and your staff, provide visitors with a view of who they are talking to when they call. This makes it easier to have that initial chat and start to build a relationship.

There can also be many indirect costs associated with stock photos that go beyond the licensing fee. These additional costs can be quite high depending on the quality of the image, how often you wish to use it,and what you want to use it for. You also have the added cost in time of scouring through hundreds, or potentially thousands of photos to find the “perfect photo” for your website.

Professional custom photography, allows you to build a library of images that you own completely and can use in perpetuity.

The Body Lounge

4. Be GREAT, don't settle for GOOD enough.

Before you begin to think about images and photography, before you even start thinking about your vision for your new website, you have (or should have) done research to identity the goals/objectives for your website. What message it is you want give across to your potential viewers and potential clients? What actions do you want the website visitors to take when on your website.

Where custom photography is concerned, you are assured of having the images that are perfect for your business website and that the message you want to deliver is clear. When it comes to your business only the best should be considered good enough.

Richard Griffiths and Co

5. Direct customer connection takes on “Yeah right, pal”

You will find that every website you ever click on will have a ‘Contact us’ or ‘Customer service’ section. This should be a standard page for your site, but it should also be a personal one. For example, you go to a website and there is an image of a sales agent on the contact us page… now look again, does it genuinely look like a happy employee who legitimately works for that company or have you seen it before on someone else’s website?

Professional photos of your team will let visitors know that your website is personal, and directed at the one visitor who made the click. Those companies using stock images will look like everyone else.

The Car Network

When building your new website, remember that small cash savings now could very well have a much greater cost down the road.  Using stock images over custom photography is one of those areas.  If you want to learn more about how John Rose Photography can help you increase engagement and trust, call us on 01722 320500 we will be more than happy to assist.