Weekly Update....

Good Morning to you all, its a lovely Sunday morning, and I keep realising Ive left it too long between blogs.
Ive had a pretty cool week. Lots of interesting up coming projects in the world of photography. And interest for 2012 weddings still coming. I was photographing a wedding yesterday at Nottingham, It was at the Council Building which is gorgeous.  http://www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=5499 It was a really busy day in Nottingham though, and the Bride left Her house by Horse and carriage at 3pm, I had to get into Nottingham and park by the time she arrived at 3.50, I made it in good time although my sat nav was playing games. Parking is a problem, but Talbot street parking lot was good value and close ish. Looked closer on the map!

The staff at the venue were very helpful and it did all go to plan. The place is great for photographs.

Today I'm photographing a gym training session for my photo-flex department. This is for an article in the nabba magazine. Its with a good friend Gary Noakes and over 50's champ Martin Holryd. Both are getting ready for the Mr Universe competition. Of which I'm an official photographer. Which is great fun and backstage is always busy, lively and tense with excitement. My website for photo-flex is being re-built as I type. The old one is still there as a new host is building it. It will have a generic look like http://www.leearcherphotography.co.uk/ but with the photo-flex logo.
It will have much improved galleries and content, and a better layout. I'm looking forward to adding the final touches to it, I get it as a template and add banners and content, of which I can provide for you too.

Have a good day and please follow using the link. thanks to my new follower J king.

Lee

A little update..

Hi to you all, I seem to forget to do my blog regular, so here i am having a go at updating.
I have recently been luck enough to work on some websites, I get to do the photography and also help set up the sites.
I have a great supplier of websites, that provides a great service and the cost is great. And of course for a great website you need great photographs.
I have also helped improve the SEO of the sites, for those new to websites this is how well you get found on google.
We all love and use google so this is who we try and impress with our sites.
The site i have helped set up and done photography for is www.sugarbulletgundogs.co.uk and Ive enjoyed working on this project and getting different photos. Its not a world I know anything about and I have no opinion on the sport. I photograph a given subject and that's my job.

I can help anyone get a great website, and help with the general design and photographic side, email me for information.
I use the same company i did for my site, and my fitness site photo-flex is getting re-done very soon.
Im a NABBA approved photographer so need a better site to showcase those fitness photographs.

I am currently running a competition on the facebook page for lee archer photography, where people post a photograph and get people to like it, the highest winner gets a £25 photoshoot in my doncaster studio.
Its great to see people trying to get more likes and get more people on my page. I will soon do a really big competition for a wedding prize. This will take some planning so people can get a fair chance to win etc.
As far as weddings are going, 2012 is booking up fast, the summer months are going, August 2012 is getting busy. Its going to be a real pleasure being there.
This years weddings have been great so far, the weather has been kind to us so far too. I have a wedding in Nottingham on saturday, which will be lovely. The couple have a horse and cart so im looking forward to the magical images I can capture.
There is always new things happening at Lee Archer Photography, I'm getting new wedding books and designs, and also products to show off the quality I sell.

Ok so Ive plugged a few things I wanted to tell you, so now Il give my tip this weeks for the up coming photographers.
Some people like to take slow exposures during the day, this is impossible when the light is bright as the camera metering system will use fast shutter speeds.
Id your camera will take one you need a ND filter, (Neutral Density Filter) which reduces the amount of light entering the camera, thus you can slow down the shutter speed, ideal for rivers etc.
These can be found in many top stores, have a shop around, and for geeky answers about the type, like a ND4,8 etc which is the amount of light it stops, have a google.

I'm happy to offer more advice on this by email, please get in touch.
Please visit my site and have a browse, http://www.leearcherphotography.co.uk
Lee

Photo competition this weekend

Hi all. Just thought id let you know theres another competition to win a shoot this weekend, all you have to do is take a pic or use one your really proud of, and post it on http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Archer-Photography/121184764614936?ref=ts
and get your friends to like it, simple.
They have to like the page for the vote to count and thats the only rule. If you get the most likes you get a shoot worth £25. Which comes with a free 10x8 print, this is in my Harworth studio. But you can pay the extra for a home shoot, which might be just £5 lol.

Its great to see your photographs, last week Stacey Allen of harworth doncaster won with a photo she took in Jamaica.

I'm working on some new venues for shoots, so if you have any ideas please let me know. I like old buildings, run down places etc.
Just to update on the wedding situation for 2012, Ive now 10 booked weddings, so get in fast. I cant wait, and still got alot to do this year yet. Its such a lovely moment getting the first wedding kiss on camera.

Just a short one today but keep in touch.
;-)

Photography Special Offers

We all like offers, in fact we must like them so much Asda even give out vouchers saying they will match any price.
I wont give out price beating vouchers, but will offer a great personal service at a fair price. I'm not the most expensive and not the cheapest. In fact those that are too cheap to believe will be for a reason.

I do regular special offers so people can try me, see my products and tell freinds. This is what building a business is all about. There is nothing better than getting good feedback and someone saying they have recommended me to a friend.
At the moment I'm doing a special offer for a 40x30 canvas with photoshoot for £130. This is a great price for the Doncaster, Retford area. The photoshoot is in my Harworth studio or in your home if local.
The canvas is thick, strong and will last.

Find me on facebook and keep an eye on my offers, the Lee Archer Photography page is simple to watch, just click Like.
There will be a BIG promotion coming soon with a chance to win a Massive prize. You ll need to like the page to be in with a chance to win. All il say for now is the prize is worth over £300.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Lee-Archer-Photography/121184764614936?ref=ts

Please visit and click like and the competition will be announced soon.
Thanks for reading.
Lee

Junes photography summary.

ITS HOT
At least today it is anyway. Yesterday was showing signs of heat when I was photographing at a wedding in Finningly, near Doncaster.
I did feel like I would melt, and the church was so hot too, must say the Vicar was the most amusing yet. Really making an effort to make the visitors welcome and he was very helpful for us photographers. Not too dark in there either.
This leads me to a little bit of advice or tips on getting good photos when your at a wedding, as a gentleman asked me yesterday how to turn the flash off on hid dslr.
The gentleman had the camera set to fully auto, so the camera made all the decisions. This is the Box shape on the dial, I told him to set to P mode, and up the ISO setting (light sensitivity) without going into much detail this suited him, although AV setting is better and choose a high ISO and wide F stop.(aperture)
I actually shot fully manual, as I wanted to keep the shutter constant and it was bright enough to change the aperture and leave the ISO not too high.
Enough of the geek stuff, just thought id share a little, modern compacts also have some of these creative functions so have a good read of your manual, you'll get better images in tough situations.

Its been a quiet week of shoot, but alot of editing and sorting different little jobs that need doing but get left. I'm still running a basic shoot fee of £25 and offer a free 10x8 print with that, this is in my home studio in Harworth Doncaster (dn11). I can do  the same shoot inhome for around £30.
I will have to increase my prices soon to a more normal average of £35, mainly due to my insurance cost going up as i buy more equipment. The genuine photographers all need insurance so we can look after our customers should something go wrong.
Our mid range prices also include full editing to provide proper images, that are printed at proper labs.
I do keep my prices as low as possible as I work from home, but I also put alot of time into each and every shoot, and its impossible to deliver a high standard for very low cost.
The guys on facebook offering shoots and canvas for £30 will give very basic and sub par products for this. But il not say to not try them as that wouldn't be fair.

I hope to see you soon for a portrait shoot, pet shoot, or a wedding consultation. I also do commercial photography which involves events, and product shoots etc.
On my web page on the about section you'll see the feedback Ive received, maybe this will put any unsure minds to rest, that I deliver what i promise.

Have a lovely day in this heat, and if you have managed not to fall asleep through one of my blogs, well done lol
Email for any advice to improve your photography.
info@leearcherphotography.co.uk

Lee

Weekly update and basic camera review.

Hi to you all. I really should be writing the blog more often. Then I do write it and make spelling mistakes as I try and write it fast.
Anyway, Ive had a really busy week, im not complaining but it was soo hot. I was photographing a Housing roadshow in Northampton, Sleaford and Nottingham. A little different from the weddings and portraits I normally photograph. Infact Ive not done many studio shoots at all. I have done some smiley faces made with water droplets. which was very hard and still not perfect.

Inbetween all this photographing and also fitting in a portrait shoot and a karate Academy shoot, ive been editing. As other photographers will tell you, its not a 9-5 job. Last weeks wedding in Hull with a lovely couple Ian and Marcia is nearly finished. They were a lovely warm couple with great freinds and family.

Now ive nearly sent you to sleep with my actions for the week, I want to cover a question I was asked in the week.
"Lee, i want to buy a camera for general stuff, what do you recommend?"
It would be easy to say just go and buy a Canon and get the expensive one. But thats not really helping anyone. I do shoot with Canon and love it, but for compact cameras theres other things that will appeal more to the average user.
I certainly dont think you need to spend a fortune to get nice crisp images of your trips out and about. My dad bought a Samsung and went out photographing anything and everything, it has face recognition which has its ups and downs but he does get some nice photos. Infact he got one of a Seagull in Whitby and Id be proud to put it on the site, so close too.

Although I said dont spend a full weeks wage, I dont recommend the really cheap either, the vivitar sound good on paper, but dont deliver, mobile phone cam will be better.
There higher priced ones may be ok, but the cheap one I tested wasnt good. I do think the start price of around £49 is ideal, and the Kodak isnt too bad at all.
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5594009/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7CPhotography%7C14419436/c_2/2%7C14419436%7CDigital+cameras%7C14419441.htm
Ive tested it and its ok for general use, not good for close up.
The next id say would be ideal and its a canon. It actually has the same processor as alot of the pro dslr. Its a very good all rounder.
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5595716/c_1/1%7Ccategory_root%7CPhotography%7C14419436/c_2/2%7C14419436%7CDigital+cameras%7C14419441.htm

I know its easy to get lost in the amount of megapixels, but the really cheap camera has such a small sensor, which is the bit that catches the image like a film used to, that the megapixel count is useless. I do recommend you read all about the cameras, look at examples go and look at it, hold it. Ask people on facebook etc.
I dont mind answering emails and giving advice.
Dont forget that if your going out taking photos at night or landscapes etc, get a tripod, and a proper sized one. Also good for self portraits! Plenty of memory cards for holiday and days out, you can get 8gb cards for next to nothing now.

I hope this has been a little helpful. I will try and give a review on something else next week, email ideas if you like
info@leearcherphotography.co.uk
and please do visit and view my images, http://www.leearcherphotography.co.uk/ thankyou
Lee

Yesterdays Wedding.

Yesterday May the 21st was a red hot day in Lincoln. I was hired by a lovely couple to photograph there wedding.
I arrived at the hotel, Charlotte House and it was lovely. The roomm was red hot but we still got some lovely photographs. I think we were all glad when the car arrived.  It was very kind of the Chauffeur Driver to give me a ice cold bottle of water. Paul Richardson of Lincoln County Chauffeur Cars. http://www.lcccars.com/.
He is a true gent and professional. There will be photographs soon on my website and Paul will have one on his too.

Todays weather is some what of a disappointment, the wind is crazy. I was hoping to get the grass cut and have a tidy up ready for a garden shoot. It will be fun if anything else.
I was going to have a play at some macro photography today, but i dont think anything will be still long enough.
The fitness department photo-flex had a great night Thursday the 19th May. Troy Alves from America came over for USN and I was the official photographer for the evening, followed by dinner at the Clumber Park hotel. It was pretty nice actually. Although they said we were getting cheescake then brought fruit. How rude lol.
Still, its not often you get to have dinner with an Olympian. Thanks to Ken Roscoe of Foodtech for hiring me for  USN.

Il update a blog in the next few days, you can follow by email if you wish, I know its not that exciting lol.