Craig Connor, Social Media Influencer and Model
Craig popped up to Berwick today to update his modelling portfolio, and it was such a lovely shoot to work on. Craig is a social media influencer, represented by @buzz_talent_ and managed by @my.influencers., so the aim of the session was to create a varied set of images that he could use across his portfolio, agency profile and social media.
For a modelling portfolio shoot, variety is really important. Agencies and brands need to see more than one angle, one expression or one outfit. They need a clear idea of how someone photographs, how they move, and how their personality comes across on camera. With Craig, we wanted to create a useful mix of full-length images, mid-length portraits, closer headshots and a few different expressions, from relaxed and natural through to something a little more editorial.
We used both the studio and a few locations around Berwick-upon-Tweed to give the final gallery more range. Studio portraits are great for clean, simple portfolio images where the focus is completely on the person, while outdoor location photographs can add a bit more character, movement and atmosphere. Using both meant Craig had a strong selection of images that felt consistent, but not repetitive.
This kind of shoot is ideal for models, actors, performers, influencers and anyone building a personal brand online. A good portfolio does not need to feel stiff or overly posed. The best images usually come from giving enough direction to make someone feel confident, while still leaving room for natural expression.
Craig was brilliant to photograph and really easy to work with. I’m excited to see how far he goes. You can follow @craigconnor on Instagram to follow along with me.
If you are looking for modelling portfolio photography, actor headshots, influencer images or personal branding photography in Berwick-upon-Tweed, my studio can be used on its own or combined with outdoor locations to create a wider range of images.
Interview with Madelaine: Pinny Princess
Madelaine contacted us with a very specific 'look' that she needed for headshots on her new updated website Pinny Princess. It's nice to do something different; I don't usually shoot in black and white for starters!
If you are on Instagram, you may have already heard of Pinny Princess with an impressive 20k+ following. Alongside working from her home workshop near Morpeth, she is also super mum to her two young boys and manages to effortlessly bring glamour and style to the farm.
Can you tell us about yourself and what inspired you to work in Northumberland?
I'm Madelaine from Pinny Princess, I was born and bred in Northumberland. I am greatly passionate about the area and love working here. I try my hardest to build a creative and flexible environment in our rural home for my kids, as my parents did for me.
Which part of your job do you feel most passionate about?
I feel the most passionate about my loyal customer base. I still pinch myself every day when someone from around the globe purchases something from Pinny Princess in little old Northumberland.
What tips would you give to someone starting out in your industry?
I would say focus on your ideal customer!
What is the best feedback you have ever had?
Great customer service. I pride myself as a small business to be as friendly as possible.
Who do you admire most in the world and why?
My mother. She has brought me up with the mindset that I can achieve anything I want, even with huge obstacles.
Do you have a favourite quote that you turn to for inspiration?
"Life's not fair"
My dad always said this to me so it has stuck with me and always grounds me!
What is the biggest challenge you face in business?
Being dyslexic is always a challenge. I am great with numbers but reading and spelling are difficult on a daily basis.
How will you use your headshots or how do you feel they will benefit your business?
I will be using them on my new website & social media platforms, I have never had them done before, so I am hoping they will create a professional look.
Headshot for Alistair Birkett, Farmer and Minister
It was lovely to welcome Alistair Birkett into the studio recently for a professional headshot session. Alistair, who lives in Norham, wears two hats — he’s both a farmer and a minister, working as Pastoral Support Director for Rural Ministries.
He dropped in on the off chance of fitting in a quick session for the “About” page of the Rural Ministries website. We decided on a relaxed, approachable look that would work across all of his roles — something professional enough for his church and community work, but natural and down-to-earth for his agricultural business and social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter.
It’s always great to create portraits that feel authentic and versatile — the kind of images people can use confidently in both their personal and professional worlds.
Landscape Magazine Commission: Northumberland’s Dramatic Coastline
I was commissioned by Landscape Magazine for the third time. I’m so excited to have my work published in Landscape again; I love this magazine!
Working with journalist Angie Aspinall, I created images to illustrate her article ‘Where Sea Meets Shore’. The article was published in the June 2019 edition and spanned 13 pages of the magazine so a lot of images were needed.
I met some great folk with my camera and enjoyed a day around the dramatic Northumberland coast.
Firstly I met Mary, who set up Barter Books in Alnwick. https://www.barterbooks.co.uk/
Then Trevor, the head gardener at Alnwick Gardens. https://www.alnwickgarden.com/
Across in Craster, I found Neil Robson of the famous Craster Kippers. https://www.kipper.co.uk/
Neil happens to be based right along the street from Mick Oxley in his stunning art gallery. https://www.mickoxley.com/
Julia Linstead exhibits her glasswork in Mick’s gallery but I photographed her separately in her own studio. https://julialinsteadglass.com/
I then travelled to Seahouses and met up with William Shiel for a quick shoot in the harbour. https://www.farne-islands.com/
After that, I visited the Grace Darling museum to meet Marleen the heritage development manager. https://rnli.org/grace-darling-museum/
Last, but certainly not least, I went to Bamburgh Castle to photograph Karen, the events and marketing manager. https://www.bamburghcastle.com/
What a day! Enjoy more photography from the day below!
Professional Headshots for Adam Douglas Legal LLP Alnwick and Berwick
I recently photographed new professional headshots for the team at Adam Douglas Legal LLP, across their Alnwick and Berwick-upon-Tweed offices. It was such a pleasure to work with a group who were not only professional but also genuinely warm and welcoming — which comes through beautifully in their portraits.
The aim of the shoot was to create a set of images for the firm’s updated ‘Our Team’ page, showing the approachable, modern face of this long-established legal practice. I was also struck by the brilliant representation within their team — particularly the high number of women in leadership roles. It’s always refreshing to see such balance in a traditionally formal industry.
You can see the final portraits on their Adam Douglas Legal website, designed by the talented Sue Rudge Design www.suerudgedesign.com
Written by Sarah
Interview with Anne Gray from The Heather Trust
Can you tell us about yourself and what inspired you to live and work in the Scottish Borders?
I am the Director of The Heather Trust which is a small charity operating across Great Britain that promotes good practice in moorland management. I’m lucky to be able to work from home. Apart from a spell of about 9 years in Edinburgh in my late teens and 20s, I’ve always lived in the Borders and can’t imagine being anywhere else.
Which part of your job do you feel most passionate about?
Promoting land management practices that allow people to make a living and that are also good for nature, carbon storage, and water management is really important to me. The challenge to do better for the environment is vitally important and something everyone needs to embrace. I hope I’m doing something to help.
What tips would you give to someone starting out in your industry?
You need a solid grounding in environmental science and policy, but you also need to spend time with farmers, gamekeepers, and everyone else that makes a living from the land. Their experience and perspective is worth listening to.
Who do you admire most in the world and why?
I admire people who keep going for their goals no matter what gets thrown their way. Some people just seem to be made of very strong stuff. Most recently the young motor racing driver Billy Monger who lost his legs in a horrific crash and is making a comeback to pursue his dream of becoming an F1 champion seems to personify that. His whole attitude to recovery has blown me away.
Do you have a favourite quote that you turn to for inspiration?
Theodore Roosevelt said: “A nation that destroys its soils, destroys itself” and there is nothing surer I’m afraid. Soil, water, and climate are our life support system and we really will hit the buffers if we don’t get a better handle on keeping them in good health.
What is the biggest challenge you face in running a charity?
Maintaining funding to let us do what we do is a constant challenge.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
I’m not sure any day is typical. Some days I’m in my office at home all day catching up on paperwork, reading the latest science or policy document, or producing a Heather Trust response to the latest government position. Some days I am out at meetings and others I spend the whole day outside with a moor owner or manager. The variety is great!
How will you use your headshots and how do you feel they will benefit your business?
They will be used on our website, in our annual report and to illustrate articles I write for other magazines and publications. People seem to remember images better than words, so if you want people to take notice of what you write, good accompanying images seem to be the thing that will make your words memorable. I hope so anyway.
What are your future plans?
For now, to keep doing what I am doing and ensure The Heather Trust goes from strength to strength.
Corporate White Background Headshots for Vrio Europe
Vrio Europe is a business transport solutions company with a UK office here in Berwick-upon-Tweed. When Michelle and Jack needed updated headshots, the brief was very specific: clean, corporate, high-key portraits on a white background that would match the existing team photographs on the Vrio website.
Some of the Vrio team in other countries had already visited a photographer for their staff headshots, so it was important that the new images fitted in seamlessly. The aim was not to create a completely different style, but to carefully match the lighting, background, framing and overall feel of the existing portraits. That way, Michelle and Jack could be added to the company website without looking like their photographs had been taken separately.
This is often one of the most important parts of corporate headshot photography. For businesses with teams in different locations, consistency matters. A good set of staff portraits helps a website feel professional, organised and trustworthy. Even when people are photographed in different offices, cities or countries, the final images should still feel like they belong together.
For this shoot, I used a clean white studio background and simple, flattering lighting to create a bright, polished look. The high-key style worked well for Vrio’s corporate branding and meant the photographs could sit comfortably alongside the rest of the international team portraits.
The other bonus was that Michelle and Jack did not need to travel to Spain for their photographs. By matching the existing corporate headshot style here in Berwick, we were able to create the images they needed locally, saving time while still keeping the final result consistent with the wider Vrio Europe team.
Corporate headshots like these are ideal for company websites, LinkedIn profiles, email signatures, press use and internal business documents. Whether a business needs one new team member photographed or a full set of staff portraits, the goal is always to make people look professional, approachable and like themselves.
Interview with Kathy Tiernan, Author
Can you tell us about yourself and what inspired you to live and work in Northumberland?
I’ve always been fascinated by history. I grew up in Northumberland with the past on my doorstep – a fourteenth-century tower next to our house! My favourite book as a kid was ‘Sword of Northumbria’ by Philip Woodruff. It’s long out of print, but his stories of medieval Northumbria fired my imagination. Now, so many years later, I’ve moved back to Northumberland and am writing my own stories about its history. Although I’ve spent a lot of my working life in the south I feel I’ve come back home.
Which part of your job do you enjoy most?
When I’m in the zone and completely absorbed in what I’m writing about.
What tips would you give to someone starting out as a writer?
It’s important to learn your trade, but even more to write about things that really engage you.
What is the best feedback you have ever had?
When I was twelve my English teacher gave me top marks for a story called ‘The Storm’. Underneath it, she wrote, ‘I wonder if you will become a writer one day?’
Who do you admire most in the world and why?
I love Thomas Hardy. For me, he is a great writer about the English countryside and about the rural communities of his time.
Do you have a favourite quote that you turn to for inspiration?
“Show don’t tell.” It gets drummed into your head on creative writing courses till you’re sick of it, but it is the single piece of advice I return to most often.
What is the biggest challenge you face as an author?
There are two challenges for an author. One is to have the stamina to complete a novel, with all the revisions and rewritings involved. The second is to convince a publisher that you have produced a masterpiece that the world is waiting for.
How will you use your headshots and how do you feel they will benefit your business?
One of the headshots will be used on the dust cover of my forthcoming novel, ‘Cuthbert; The Making of a Saint’, to be published by Sacristy Press. I’m also planning to use the photos to create my author website.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
I write in the mornings, with a break for coffee. Depending on what else I have on, I sometimes work for another hour or two in the early evening. I try not to think about writing later in the day or else my mind is still plotting at 2am!
Thank you, Kathy, I'm really looking forward to your book coming out. I must say we had an eventful shoot, from the thick fog on the wild and windy causeway of Lindisfarne, to the sun beating down on us inland while we walked uphill to St Cuthbert's Cave, then on the way down you saved me from stepping on an adder snake! Such a fun and memorable day! Good luck with the book launch,
Sarah
Eat Sleep Ride: Business Gateway, Scottish Borders
I was asked to provide a range of business profile shots of Eat Sleep Ride for Business Gateway to use across various media in print and online.
Eat Sleep Ride is a social enterprise run by Danielle McKinnon who takes in problem horses for backing, schooling, and retraining.
Business Gateway helped Danielle secure grant funding from Social Investment Scotland which will help her to continue to provide educational, therapeutic and community engagement initiatives that are free or affordable to disadvantaged children, families, and individuals from a largely rural community.
Headshots: John Casken, Composer
I spent a lovely morning with John in the stunning Harthope Valley (Northumberland National Park) shooting some head shots and details to include on his new website. www.johncasken.com
Before I went to meet John I spent some time listening to his work, 'Apollinaire's Bird', this was during the school run I must add, it definitely made the children go at a different pace with getting ready!
Finding out about someones work and getting to know a bit more about their personality before a session always helps with how I choose to represent them in their photographs. Talking with someone about their work can also inspire ideas on things to include/backgrounds to use/poses/props so a pre shoot consultation is always helpful if there is time.
“ I found you very easy to get on with, totally understanding of what I was looking for, and had a very good eye for composition and texture. I found the whole experience stress-free, and was very pleased with the results.”
Shooting for an article in Essex University's student magazine Nick Elwood
Nick had been asked to take part in an article for Essex uni’s Alumni magazine, but going all the way to Essex for photographs was not practical for him…
So I was asked to take some similar photographs to what was taken of the other person in the article. Nick arrived on his bike and even played me a tune on his flute!
Interview with Jen Doherty, Publisher and Celebrant
Can you tell us what a typical workday looks like for you?
It varies. If I'm researching a book, I'll be puttering about in the place I'm thinking of writing about. I'll be buying postcards, talking to people, gazing at things, and listening in the cafes; I love this stage of things.
If I'm meant to be writing, I will probably be up to date with housework, clothes all laundered, visits to distant friends in the diary… Eventually, writing will begin…
If I'm at the point where a book is going to press, there is a lot of checking and dashing about to make sure it all looks right.
Most of the time, life is somewhere in between.
Which part of your job do you feel most passionate about?
In writing, it's about giving children representation of the place they live in. I love it when someone recognises their street or the beach where they play.
I also very much enjoy offering young illustrators a chance to work on a book.
What tips would you give to someone starting out in your industry?
Muse on it. Get some information. Make sure it won't sink you if it goes wrong. Then do it, if it feels remotely right.
What is the best feedback you have ever had from a client?
I've had some lovely letters from young readers, and it's been great to see some of the books used in schools.
Who do you admire most in the world and why?
No singular person, but I have huge admiration for the people who maintain good cheer in the midst of difficulty. Not simply surface cheeriness, but the kind of quiet joy that comes from engaging deeply with whatever they are doing. When my mother was in a nursing home in her final months, there was one helper who so obviously relished her work, and cherished the patients, that it was like standing in a light just being in the room where she was working.
Do you have a favourite quote that you turn to for inspiration?
"Everything serves."
It took me a while to sense the truth in that (and when I think about some of the suffering the in the world, I sometimes question it), but over the years, I've found it to be pretty much true.
What are your future plans for Serafina Press?
More books. More places, but probably still in a small, gradual way. We're taking a break from launching anything this year, but the next book, set in Mull, is written and is in the works. Gillian Stewart - the same young illustrator who worked on The Unicorn of Holy Island - is already creating the images.
Maltings Theatre Board Like You’ve Never Seen Them Before!
These pictures of Northumberland theatre trustees go to show that board meetings don’t have to be boring!
Walking over the cobbles along the tranquil Tweed to the Quayside is my treasured morning ritual. It allows me to clear those thoughts and plan the day ahead. I had the board of the Maltings Theatre coming in for a photo shoot that evening and I felt in need of a flash of inspiration to help decide what exactly I was going to do when they arrived.
I couldn’t help it but the word ‘board’ was not filling me with enthusiasm or creativity. I also had the feeling that the people coming in may not be too keen on getting their pictures taken.
The Maltings is a creative and theatrical place so I wanted to take some photos that captured the essence of how it both inspires and entertains.
Ros Lamont, Maltings Head of External Affairs, booked the headshot sessions and loved the idea of an alternative shoot but had concerns about not all of the board members being up for such radical photographs. I assured her that I would do my best to enthuse them and start the session with a traditional portrait of each member to put the subjects’ minds at rest.
I decided to put the theatre board’s acting skills to the test. They had all come prepared for a traditional corporate studio headshot with lovely ironed shirts and combed hair, but that is not what I had in mind.
It took a bit of time to explain what my ideas were but surprisingly nobody was too phased! We had a complete riot and there were blood-curdling screams and roars coming from my little studio - I wonder what the neighbours thought? Some of the subjects needed a little help or coaxing with getting the expressions out so I was asking questions and telling them stories and scenarios. This technique can be very helpful in photography. You have to show some emotions to evoke them from your subject at times.
So that was my evening of turning a potentially dull photo shoot into a really fun and impactful art project. I’d love to know your thoughts; feel free to comment below!
Written by Sarah
Interview with Bea Davenport, Traditionally Published Writer
Can you tell us about yourself?
I'm a traditionally-published writer. My two crime novels, In Too Deep and This Little Piggy, are published by Legend Press. I also write for children: The Serpent House is published by Curious Fox and My Cousin Faustina by ReadZone Books.
I'm originally from Tyneside, but for many years I covered the Northumberland area as a reporter for BBC North. I fell in love with Berwick and came to live in Spittal in 2001. It's been a lovely place to bring up my children.
The house always felt like a great place to write. It has the stone heads of Robert Burns and Walter Scott on the front porch to inspire me! And in fact, in the 1940s, a popular romance writer called Anne Hepple also lived here.
What does a typical workday look like for you?
Three days a week, I teach journalism at the University for the Creative Arts in Farnham, Surrey, so those days are very full-on. Working with students, lecturing, and doing practical activities in print and broadcast media. I'm also programme leader in Creative Writing for the Open College of the Arts, so when I am at home, I tutor writers via distance learning. And sometimes - not as often as I'd like - I get time to do my own writing. I don't have a set time to write but I tend to work better in the afternoons and evenings.
Which part of your job do you feel most passionate about?
All of it! Genuinely! I love teaching and I find working with new writers very inspiring. And the times when I do my own writing are very precious indeed. I am very lucky to be working with words every day.
What tips would you give to someone starting out in your industry?
Do it because you want to write, not because you like the idea of 'being a writer'. Do it because you love storytelling and the craft of finding the best way to do it. And be prepared to be persistent.
What is the best feedback you have ever had from a client?
I've had lots of 'best teacher ever' and 'best course ever', which is wonderful to hear! I just love to know that people have got something positive out of it.
Who do you admire most in the world and why?
As a journalist, I'm very cautious about having heroes, as so many of them turn out to have feet of clay. But if pressed, I admire Shami Chakrabarti, the recent director of Liberty. And then there are a raft of women writers and the suffragettes, who paved the way for all of us to do what we are doing.
What are your plans for the future?
I've just finished a contemporary novel for teenagers and I'm working on editing it with the help of an agent, which is a very exciting process. When the edits are done, it goes out on submission to find a publisher so fingers crossed! I'm also hoping to complete another crime novel this year too, time permitting!
Where can people follow you online?
On twitter @BeaDavenport1
Interview with Iain Lowson, Freelance Star Wars and Video Games Writer
Interview with Iain Lowson, Freelance Star Wars and Video Games Writer
Can you tell us about yourself and what inspired you to set up your business in Berwick?
I'm a freelance writer and have been for 20 years as of this month (Jan. 2016). I write a lot of official Star Wars magazines and do a bit of work now and then in video games.
I set up in Berwick nine years ago because I had a job in Newcastle. Living in a nice house with a garden in Berwick seemed better than living in a shoe box under a bridge in Newcastle. The transport links mean I don't have any problems getting to London, Edinburgh, or anywhere else. The facilities are fab, the people are great, the scenery is beautiful, and there are lots of cafés. Perfect!
So what does a typical workday look like for you?
Once the kids are off to school, I spend a little time on admin, household chores and things like that. I tend to settle down to serious procrastination around 10am. I get most of my constructive work done in the afternoons. Unless there's a deadline approaching; then there's lots of screaming and Irn-Bru.
Which part of your job do you feel most passionate about?
Having fun with what I do and making sure that translates to what the audience sit down to read and being as accurate as possible. Star Wars fans really know their stuff, and I don't want to disappoint them.
What tips would you give to someone starting out in your industry?
Read more than you write. You'll be a better writer that way. Oh, and don't work for free. The only thing exposure gets you is arrested… and frostbite.
What is the best feedback you have ever had from a client?
I've had great feedback over the years from the folks at Lucasfilm, which always means a lot. Now, name-dropping alert! An editor I worked with years ago gave material I wrote about Count Dooku to Christopher Lee to read, as he'd never been told much about the character. Apparently, he found it very helpful. I've never stopped smiling about that one.
Who do you admire most in the world and why?
I admire anyone who takes a chance on making their dreams come true. So long as they're nice dreams. You have to admire that kind of dedication.
Do you have a favourite quote that you turn to for inspiration?
"Get off my lawn!" from the old man at the top of the street where I lived as a kid. Do you know, I got off that lawn and I've never looked back since.
What are your future plans?
Lots more Star Wars writing. It's a hugely exciting time to be involved with the license, and I'm privileged to do what I do for a living. I'd like to do some more of my own stuff too, non-Star Wars.
Why did you commission the headshots?
Now and then I get asked for a picture for a profile or author interview or other such things. I figured it would be nice to be able to send something that didn't look like a hairy potato. Also, my lovely Mum really hates my beard and 'tache so, being the loving son I am, I had to get them immortalised in a picture I could give her for Christmas.
