Thursday 27 February 2014

You want me to work for free???

Just had the call we have every day! 

"You come very highly recommended. We love your work. We are a not for profit organisation. We have a Gala Dinner event in a 5 star Central London hotel with 300 people attending. We will promote you and introduce you to influential people. All our high profile speakers are waiving their fee, will you? But we will give you dinner and your expenses"

My thoughts:

Er thank you but no. I have photographed all your high profile speakers. My portfolio is shit hot which is why you have come to me in the first place. The cost of the meal will feed me and my daughter for a week so I'll have that instead. My expenses will be the same as my fee. For that you will get my time, 4 hours at event plus 4 hours editing, 2 hours travel. You will also get my 25 years experience. College & degrees cost money. My pro equipment to hire would cost more than my fee! Then there is insurance and public liability. So if you want me to work for free, it will still cost you!

Wednesday 19 February 2014

Promotional Photography for Businesses

A PR or promotional photo needs to tell a story and show the product/service at it's best. It also needs to connect with the audience and create a lifestyle desire.

Although it helps to have an idea of what you want to achieve from promotional photography, be open to ideas from an experienced photographer.

Some business owners cannot think creatively or visually. That's where our experience, creativity and vision comes in to make it happen!

When you have been doing Press & PR photography for this long (20 yrs), you get to know what works! We are not just there to mindlessly click or film, we lead the process. We are the image makers after all! From concept to publish and beyond!

Never underestimate the power of branding!

www.tracyhowl.com

Friday 14 February 2014

The Black Mount of Glencoe

Black Mount copyright Tracy Howl
Black Mount copyright Tracy Howl

This is another of my favourites from the journey home through Glencoe. The Black Mount is famous for it's triangular shape. I wanted to concentrate on the surface immersed in cloud and show where the relationship between the two become one. 

Wednesday 12 February 2014

Callanish Stones


My latest image from Scotland is the Callanish Stone Circle on Lewis where we went to watch the sunset. There are 3 circles all within walking distance from each other but this is the one near the visitor's centre. The sky was so delicate which added to the sublime experience at this sacred site.


Callanish Stone Circle copyright Tracy Howl 2014
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pixelvixenuk/12477632774/

And since posting on Flickr, this image made EXPLORE on 13 Feb 2014! Very happy that 2 images in 3 days have had so much attention! At 10am 14.2.14 there were 3491  views and 71 favorites.


For more information on my photographic work see my website www.tracyhowl.com

Some Thoughts on Explore

Today I achieved my goal to get one of my photos on Flickr Explore.

That's no big deal some may say, some who reach the top 500 a few times a week or month! Well it is a big deal to me. Because this is my first. And I'm sure when the regular achievers had their first, they were pretty excited too!

It reminds me of my first front page working for newspapers. It is special. Everyone wants front page. Flickr Explore is the front page! Yes I admit that once you continue to be published, it becomes an everyday thing. It is still nice though! Seeing your work in print!

I remember when Paul Clarke, my work colleague, made it on to Explore with his photo of Rain over London. We had photographed an event at Level 39 Canary Wharf during the day. While packing up, we were amazed at the view of the storm over London. We both photographed it. In different ways. Paul uploaded his pix to Flickr on the train. It went viral, reaching Reddit and Explore. The next day we were photographing a wedding together. At quiet times we would check the Flickr views. They crept up through the hundreds, then thousands, by the end of the wedding reception, views were over 100k! The power of the internet and people's curiosity! All in the 24 hours after capture and upload!

So back to me... I doubt very much my image will be as popular as Paul's. I don't particularly want it to be. By this image reaching Explore, it has done everything I wanted an image of mine to do. I didn't plan for this particular image to be so popular. In fact I am surprised although I like the image a lot, which is why when I saw the view from the window, I asked Terry to stop the campervan so I could capture it.

This is the image, taken at the side of Loch Lomond on the way home. Taking advantage of the last light of the day. The cloud was very low, hovering just above the surface of the water. The Loch barely visible through the veil of trees. This image is very personal to me. Each time I look at it, I feel the emotion, the energy and our connection to the landscape. The passing of Loch Lomond denotes the last dusk we would experience in Scotland and the close of our wonderful trip. A transition back to reality.

Loch Lomond through the trees - copyright Tracy Howl 2014

I am glad that other people like this image too. It makes me so very happy that my art can bring a smile, a sense of wonder and joy. This is why I take photographs. For a living and for pleasure. 

At the time of publishing this, at 1am, there were 5279 views and 75 people had favorited it. I'm looking forward to seeing results in the morning. :)

This is the link to the Flickr page here..

Sunday 9 February 2014

Love is the Ocean


Love is the ocean. 
Small waves, ripples teasing, coming closer, running away. 
Faster, coming closer, maybe a little nearer each time. 
Running away faster.


One day a tidal wave consumes you, covers you, drowns you. 
You can't breathe, you can't survive it. 
Takes you away to an unknown place. 
That's love. 



Words & image copyright Tracy Howl
An excerpt from 5 Women About Love, a film I co-wrote in 2012
Image - Sunrise at Traigh Mor beach in Lewis, Scotland taken 9th Jan 2014