Blanc Creative provide Photography services for local groundwork contractors, arborists and tree surgeons.
At Blanc Creative, we’ve been running our Norwich Photography business for over ten years. Unlike many other photographers, we specialise only in the Commercial Photography Sector and recently, we’ve ben spending quite a lot of time in Woodland, around lakesides and deep in the heart of forests and scrublands around the country with a number of Groundwork companies. J W Riley Contracting Ltd have taken delivery of the Green Climber LV600, the latest in industrial remote control slope mowers and as part of their latest ,marketing strategy, opted to work with our team at Blanc Creative to film their promotional video productions and commercial imagery. As a forward thinking Contracting company, J W Riley have a really solid social media presence, so our brief was to deliver a bespoke set of stock based images and business based video footage that could be used across all of their social media platforms.
Shooting across a number of locations, we were able to capture a really diverse set of images including Business Portraits otherwise known as business headshots, product photography showcasing brand new plant machinery and working images, documenting the benefits of the Green Climber to potential clients. Choosing to have Commercial Photography is actually a really invaluable product and can be surprisingly inexpensive. Choosing to add a professional promotional video during the same assignment can add even more value. We actually find more and more businesses are choosing to combine packages because they also appreciate the value of video in their marketing. In the case of J W Riley Contracting Ltd, they have incorporated video into dedicated Blog posts on their business website, on their youtube channel, on their instagram pages, facebook business page and Google Plus.
Website and Social Media Photography Examples for J W Riley Contracting Ltd
Find out more about Blanc Creative Norwich Photography and Video Production.
At Blanc Creative, we’re pretty certain that we’ll have a portfolio, a blog post or a professional look book that reflects the type of business photography your own company requires. We really love to speak with our existing clients and future clients about their photography and video visions, so why not call our team today on Mob: 07871 364041 or email studio@blanc-creative.com
Company Photography for the Security Industry from Blanc Creative
Commercial Photography is as important in the security industry and defence sectors as it is in the corporate world. Creating dynamic company photography that can be utilised for exciting marketing campaigns, tenders, advertising has never been so important. Great company photography can act as a very positive marketing tool and diverse commercial photographs have the added advantage of multiple uses across public relations and social media photography platforms.
We live in an age everyone wants to see the faces and services behind a business. behind a business. People don’t want to ‘just’ read about these things anymore. If the truth is to really be told, most people, myself included, creative informative copy for my Company Photography Blogs, because without it, there’s a lot less opportunity to picked up by Google Rankings or other SEO based platforms. Potential clients for your business are looking more and more to see exactly what your services and products are through photography and really stunning commercial photography images. It really doesn’t matter what sector you work in, and Covid-19 has impacted dramatically on this as businesses turn more to online sales, marketing and advertising to replace traditional face to face meetings.
Security Industry Company Photography
Private security is a multi billion pound industry, with personnel outnumbering police officers by 18 to one. The marketplace is booming. There are approximately 360,000 licensed security operatives in the UK compared with 20,000 police officers. The security industry has increasingly become part of the police family. According to the Infologue website, the turnover of the UK’s regulated security industry two years ago in 2018 was over £4 billion and this figure appears to be growing at a speedy rate. The need for a professional, dependable private security industry is required to protect people, property, assets and operations. These responsibilities cannot always be maintained by the police as the demands for security in society and businesses increase.
The Norse Group Security Sector cover a huge range of Security based services, nationally, to commercial clients and small to large businesses and recognise the importance of bespoke commercial photography. Modern, impactive images documenting professional services have replaced outdated stock images of smiling models which are simply no longer representative of your team or business! We work with our clients to showcase your individual employees, your senior management, your equipment.. your whole security industry operation. Incorporating branding into your business photographs is a key way to let your audience know, that your photographs are legitimate and specifically relate to your own company and furthermore, images of your workplace can demonstrate professionalism and show the world that your business is a ‘real’ operation – not just a faceless website operation run from your house.
At Blanc Creative we offer a full spectrum of Company Photography services from staff headshots and portraits to marketing photography and social media packages ideal for use on social media platforms such as LinkedIn, Instagram and more. We’ve been established for over ten years established working with numerous companies from large multinationals to sole trader businesses and business professionals. Our Company Photography has taken us across the whole of the UK and internationally. We are based in the heart of Norwich but regularly cover Kent, the Midlands, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire. To find out more about our extensive range of services including Drone Filming, Aerial Photography and Creative Video Production, why not reach out to today and speak with our team on Mob: 07871 364041 or email: studio@blanc-creative.com
Grounds Maintenance Business Photography from Blanc Creative
When you think of Grounds maintenance Photography, it’s not difficult to imagine a wonderful vision of well-tended green spaces and a sense of pride among communities. It shows that the grounds are treated with the care they deserve. Whether it’s parks and gardens, green areas around historic buildings, libraries, offices, residential homes or school playing fields, Grounds Maintenance make communities happier and healthier places in which to live, work and learn. The Daventry Norse Group Grounds Maintenance division combine the latest technology, the best materials, top quality equipment and well-trained and motivated staff across a diverse range of horticultural facilities. The teams work in areas including: school playing fields, hospital grounds, cemeteries, housing and amenity sites. In addition to the care and upkeep of these areas, the highly skilled gardeners and managers are able to advise customers on opportunities to improve their gardens and grounds.
Why choose Grounds Maintenance Business Photography?
With so much hard work being undertaken by Grounds staff, having professional Grounds Maintenance Business Photography to support and reflect a Professional Maintenance service is incredibly important. Photography can really work for any business, providing creative, colourful imagery that can work as Bespoke Stock Photography, PR Photography, Case Study Imagery and Advertising Material. Generic Stock Photography will serve a purpose, of course, but Bespoke Commercial Photography that highlights you brand, commercial values, professionalism and dynamic staff are just a few reasons why employing a Professional Photography makes financial sense. Bespoke Photography will definitely cost less than high quality Stock Images when you consider how many images you are likely to receive from a professional assignment combined with the fact that you simply won’t or shouldn’t find your own bespoke images across other businesses. We live in an era where consumers are far more considerate of the brands they buy from. Being ‘authentic’ is just one of many reasons for owning your own Business Photography portfolio. The Norse Group is just one example of our client base who actively choose to showcase their full range of business services. Their Grounds Maintenance Business Photography is a diverse sector covering a multitude of environmental services disciplines. People want to buy from and work with people.
Authentic stock imagery in your brand re-enforce a trust for what their business stands for. Businesses understandably use stock imagery to change customer perceptions and generic stock photography purchased online can actually have a negative affect on business. Primarily, it may give a false impression of imagery of your staff at work or false perspectives of the activities behind the scenes. This may invalidate your credibility to future clients as they may perceive you to be hiding the truth about your businesses size or capabilities. There are certain stock images out there that have been so frequently used, that as soon as you land on the website, you will we simply ignore or fail to engage with the business on any level whatsoever. Using bespoke Business portrays a unique value tailored completely to you brand, your services and your values.
Capturing your own Business Photography is a perfect opportunity to increase your brand awareness. As a direct example, the Grounds Maintenance Business Photography case study here, delivers not only company branding, but also highlights the extensive plant and professional maintenance equipment being used by the company. This is significantly more impactful than a generic stock image that you can reverse engineer and find on another 1000 websites.
To give a physical example that relates directly to this article, you can see from the following how quickly the use of generic stock images can water down a brand, especially if an images is attractive. Two years ago, Blanc Creative uploaded a single concert crowd image to a “FREE” stock photography site as a little experiment to see what kind of reaction it would receive and how many people search for free photographs. WoW! I wish I had a just £1 for every download. 1.8 Million views later it’s been downloaded over 15,600 times and even been used in a FORBES article online. Goes to show just how important originality and bespoke stock photos are for your business if you want to be different and stand out from everybody else.
To find out more about our Commercial Photography and Corporate4 Video Production services, why not call one of team on Tel: 07871 364041 or email studio@blanc-creative.com
Promotional video is a great way to increase your brand awareness and to increase sales but occasionally these products serve a much wider purpose. Forestry England is responsible for managing and promoting the nation’s forests owned by the Government of the United Kingdom. Our latest promotional video not only worked as a great creative marketing tool to showcase a diverse set of art installations by acclaimed artists, Tom Piper & Lisa Wright, but also as a Legacy video to historically document the installations before they were removed from the heart of Thetford Forest.
Future Forest, developed as part of centenary celebrations in 2019 and featured life-size sculptural figures strategically positioned in forest trails from September 2019 – September 2020. The artists present the figures as custodians of the forest, tasked with protecting it for the benefit of future generations. The promotional video produced by Norwich based Blanc Creative illustrated the vital role that trees and woodlands play in safeguarding the future of our planet, their youthful forms aligning them with the next generation whose role it must be to continue to protect our forests. At Blanc Creative we produce compelling promotional videos that captivate audiences, inspire action and drive results for businesses and brands. Content that your customers will love. This very same content provides our customers with a bespoke creative film for brands, products and services. We have been working commercially for over a decade delivering commercial photography, professional drone footage and compelling promotional videos So what’s the big secret to effective promotional videos? It’s creating content that’s interesting & useful. By creating content that captivates and connects viewers emotionally you can deliver your core messages effectively.
Construction Industry Video – Why even a short promotional video is a winner!
Shooting a construction industry video for your business has never been so economical or inexpensive. It’s a key marketing strategy that can promote your business to the next level throughout the construction sector and sell the benefits of your company to a huge audience in a very short time. At Blanc Creative, we’ve worked across the UK within out home county of Norfolk with a diverse range of building businesses from sole traders to some of the countries leading construction firms. A construction Industry video is a very powerful tool because it can highlight the different trades involved even in the most complex of projects, showcasing everything from project management management to handover of the completed build. It’s. great way to promote Health & Safety and to promote your business as a professional business. A construction Industry Video compliments traditional Construction Photography Services and maximises your business exposure across a wide range of Digital Media Platforms.
We recently worked with a new client, Garon Building Services, a Norfolk based Construction company who Refurbish, Build and Develop within the domestic and commercial sectors across East Anglia. Garvan Foan, Managing Director of Garon was looking for simple, impactive content that could be distributed to clients, populate their new Business website and upload onto a number of key social media channels including Linkedin, Instagram and Facebook Business Pages. Garvan explained to our team;
We wanted to reach out to existing and potential new clients throughout the building industry with a Construction Industry Video and and still photography. advertising is important, It’s a very reliable way to show the different trades, scale of commercial projects we undertake and and the companies working practices in a manageable way. Photographs and video also give our company a stock library of images that can be used across a wide range of printed and digital material including case studies, tenders, advertising material and Training resources.
Other ways Construction Industry Video can help your business
Testimonials: Shooting customer reviews is a great use for your Construction Industry Video. We’ve all been onto website and sen the same faceless reviews shouting about how great a product or service is. We also know how common place it is for businesses to pay for reviews that aren’t 100% real. Physically having a genuine client presenting a piece to camera about just how great your product, workmanship and service has been is a a very worthwhile piece of marketing. This type of review will definitely improve your status as ‘market leader’ your specialist area.
Case Studies: I wrote in my last post that ‘case study’ blog posts are a great way to focus on solving specific problems depending on the type of audience and their individual roles. If you have a case study which focuses on solving technical issues then support the case study by filming the technical representative who helped solve the issue, highlighting how you overcame the problem by designing or specifying a particular product.
To find out more about range of Video Production and Commercial Photography Service, why not reach oiut and speak with one of our team today. We’d love top help turn your visions into reality. We can be contacted on Tel: 07871 364041 or email: studio@blanc-creative.com
Professional PR Photography for your business has become an essential marketing tool for promoting your services or products. Placing your faith in a good PR Photographer or Press Photographer shouldn’t be a worry. As a business, we’ve repeatedly seen PR Photography shot on Smartphones to accompany high profile news stories.
We totally understand that the latest smartphones are phenomenal and with the right lighting you can shoot some great images, but ideally, investing in high quality PR Photography will set your business apart from others.
Why shoot professional PR Photography?
Media Stories: National media outlets and press will rely on professional PR Photography to accompany stories. Having a solid collection of images can ultimately make the difference between quarter page story or a double page spread and a longer feature, especially now many newspapers are posting stories online.
Delivering a professional message to potential clients: A great PR Photography image is worth a whole story of words and in the current social media driven market we work in, great PR and marketing convey’s the right message to your audience and potential clients.
Printed and Digital Media Platforms: Whatever platforms you use for your content marketing, images are vital. There’s lots of research out there to show how images can help increase engagement
Great value for money: Spending money on quality PR Photography will benefit your business. A solid bank of images that repreent your brand can be re-used across a multitude of projects , tenders, case studies and Advertising to name just a few valuable areas. Compare quality pR Photography against Stock images and you will soon see that bespoke photographs are considerable less expensive than you might think.
Case Study – Hiab MULTILIFT PR Photography
We recently carried out an assignment for Hiab MULTILIFT to produce a set of images to accompany the delivery of a Hookloader to a long-standing waste and skip hire company in Great Yarmouth who have invested in a new MULTILIFT hookloader to manage an increase in demand for its services within the East of England. East Coast Waste Disposal Ltd which incorporates Clems Skip Hire offers recycling services and skip hire for domestic and commercial customers in Norfolk and Suffolk. Established in 1979, the business has grown from strength to strength and now boasts a 30-strong fleet with 25 drivers and 27 support staff. Paul Clements, director for East Coast Waste Disposal said the new MULTILIFT would help the business based in Great Yarmouth respond to customer demand.
Blanc Creative photographed a set of Commercial Photographs that would be used in the Trade Press and to as a PR Tool for Hiab. The images showcased the new vehicle on site with Dek Butler, a MULTILIFT Specialist for Hiab UK and the vehicle operating the Hookloader. The images were shot on site and utilised both natural lighting and a number of Dynamic images using studio lighting on location at the Great Yarmouth Depot.
CONTACT US TODAY FOR ALL OF YOIUR PR PHOTOGRAPHY REQUIREMENTS
We can help your business, service or brand with all types of press photography and PR images. Why not reach out today ands speak with one of our team on T: 07871 364041 about how we can turn your visions into awesome images.
Running with Dogs! It’s a concept that had been eating away at me for some time. Stuck in the back of my mind and niggling away. But as always, “cobblers shoes” were always on hand…
There was always too much work and never the time to shoot a creative short film for myself. Bills had to be paid and rightfully, as an owner of a commercial video production company, my client productions will always come first and always take pride of place. Then it happened. The Covid-19 pandemic broke across the globe and the UK fell into twelve weeks of lockdown. Work had ceased and the realisation crept up on me day by day, that Running with Dogs may just become a reality. As restrictions eased, I was now locking up my car on a quiet Norfolk countryside driveway, met for the last time not by the sound of birds chirping, but a chorus of howls that would be more in place in the heart of a Transylvanian forest. We were recording the last of our voice over for Running with Dogs.
Neil Featherby is a well known face in Norfolk, a regular contributor to local press wit a weekly running column in the EDP. Neil had a had a privileged career as an athlete. He represented England and Great Britain on a number of occasions including a World and European Cup. He competed in marathons and events all around the World whilst also winning the Leicester, Wolverhampton, Bungay and Norfolk (four times) marathons in the UK. He even boasts personal best times of 29 mins 28 secs for 10k, 49:47 for 10 miles and 2 hours 17 mins 35 seconds for the marathon. In International Competition, he also took the runners up position whilst running for England in Aberdeen as well as finishing 3rd in The Hong Kong, Malta, Bermuda and Luton Home Countries Marathons. Further honours include Norfolk AAA Marathon Champion 1986/87/89/90, Eastern Counties Marathon Champion 1987/89/90, South of England Marathon Silver Medalist 1991 and South of England Half Marathon Bronze Medalist 1992. Neil is also a coaching advisor offering training advice on many aspects of specific fitness and sports nutrition for individuals and groups which includes a number of World Class and Elite sportsmen.
Neil holds diplomas in sports psychology and sports nutrition for which he has written several articles. Neil owns Sportlink, the most prestigious running shop in the county and away from his working and sporting life, he spends a lot of time organising charity raising events to help local causes particularly for animal and rescue centres. Neil is a huge dog animal lover. Running with Dogs is his passion.
Neil and I go back thirty years, but a chance visit to the shop and a catch up sat on the wall outside turned my vision into reality. We talked about the concept and everything just panned out naturally after that.
The days were long. Walking a camera, drone and tripod around fields and woods up to eight 8 miles a day and shooting in locations that could only be reached on foot were at times a logistical nightmare, but not as much as the shame of trying to running full pelt with a camera and steadicam in my hand as Neil literally jogged effortlessly further and further away from me in a matter of seconds.
Running with Dogs is a key part of Neil’s life. He’s obsessed about running, obsessed with Dogs.. But I can’t say too much, it would spoil the film.
We hope you’ll take a few moments to watch Running with Dogs. It’s an emotional short story and we’re humbled to have made it.
A few words from Neil Featherby
On the back of my EDP column this week and the mention of my charity challenge this year, needless to say it has produced several messages asking me for more details and as to why I have kept it fairly quiet up until now.
Well the truth being told is that the plan originally had been to run Hadrian’s Wall again back in May with some friends and the same team from when we did it back in Sept 2018. However, this time around was also going to be extra special as the date had been set for May 21st which would have coincided with what would have been the Big Man’s 15th Birthday. The Big Man being Oslo of course who we lost last October, which still cuts me up just thinking about it. However, with him very firmly fixed in my thoughts I am pretty sure we would have smashed it and completed the 84 plus miles over really rugged and hilly terrain well within the 24 hour barrier whilst also raising money for Northern Inuit Dogs, The Hallswood Animal Sanctuary and Nelson’s Journey.
Needless to say it didn’t happen and as we all now know, any plans made pre March of this year went well and truly out of the window after lock down while pretty much turning all our lives upside down. Tia our number two dog also got ill so there was no way I wanted to leave her for any amount of time either.
Therefore and starting next Thursday, the plan is to now run, jog and walk Peddars Way and The Norfolk Coastal Footpath over four days Aug 20th – 23rd. I think it will work out somewhere between 33 and 35 miles each day. Doing it over four days also reduces any pressure of busting a gut to get it done in any record time too although a part of me thinks that 30 plus miles each day may prove to be even tougher as fatigue sets in each day. When I say we, that means me, Karen Grapes, Craig Bowen Jones (first two days) and several other friends (Mark Thorpe, Simon Bales, Chas Allen) who have said they would like to come along and join us for a few miles or even a full day. Possibly all the way.
With regards to fund raising, we all know that it has been a pretty torrid time for charities and good causes the last few months, so any money we raise will be a bonus. Lots of people have been doing some pretty amazing challenges for their own causes this year and this will now be ours and seriously even a quid will be very much appreciated. Karen is setting up a Go fund me page which will be posted later and every single penny raised will go to our dedicated causes which are The Hallswood Animal Sanctuary, Nelson’s Journey which is headed up by Simon Wright who is so very well known in the running community and NI Dog Rescue. Oslo was a Northern Inuit so this is also my extra bit for him and his memory.
If you want to come along and join in with us at any point or help out, then please do let me know in advance.
Lastly, the film with my dogs which so many people have also been asking me about has now been completed. I have to say a huge thank you to Lee Blanchflower who really did produce something which went well beyond my expectations and of that of those very few friends who have seen it.
30 second video marketing has never been so important as a means of marketing your business, products and services. We currently live in globally challenging times with the Covid-19 pandemic sweeping the world, your future customers are spending more and more time trawling online content. Individuals are working from home, people are in lockdown or are extremely apprehensive about venturing out to shops and businesses. In fact there’s never been a better time to take your business to the next level with short creative films. 30 second video marketing is all about cutting out the clutter and focusing on key content elements and delivering a creative message very succinctly in order to succeed. This is a huge push towards short advertising formats on social media channels with Facebook, InstagramTwitter and Linkedin and all offering the facilities to distribute video. So why is the 30 second number so important. Unless you’ve been living as a hermit, you’re probably aware that video is truly the king of online content. With billions of hours’ worth of video being viewed each day, it’s easy to see why brands are flocking to this highly engaging format to communicate their message.
Keep it Short. Keep the attention.
The only downside is that the average consumer has an extremely short attention span, which has pretty much pushed the video producer to tailor content to meet the demands of a generation that is very easily distracted. Over half of the videos out there are under 120 seconds in length and whilst social media sites have a different set of preferences about maximum run times, you don’t necessarily have to fill out that whole time with content. 30 Second Video Marketing has its’ name for a reason. It’s a fact, that the average social media video that lasts 30 seconds in length, is viewed 85% of the way through, while the average 2-minute video was viewed on average 50% of the way through. Ask yourself? How many times you’ve failed to reach the end of a social media video just because you can’t be bothered to watch it. We used to have the same problem with long blogs, so I actually wonder how many of you reading this will get to the end? We’re time precious and have a desire to suck up online media like a sponge, so as a business, well made 30 second video marketing is a no brainer.
Key tips for 30 second video marketing
1. Create a storyboard and don’t deviate.
Visualising your content is a priority when preparing 30 second video marketing. Deviate and you the risk of project creep. You’ll shoot footage you don’t need, you’ll try to cram in too much and end up with a 60 seconds of video with no space for movement and unable to upload your content where you really want it especially as you’re trying to stick to a limited timeframe. This is what will help you avoid wasting time – you’ll be setting each frame ‘in stone’, so there’s no way you’ll end up with a scene that fails to communicate something important.
In the storyboard, there shouldn’t be frames left without information: everything that ends up being in the storyboard must be essential. This is a job for the director of the video!
2. Your script should be short and sweet
30 second video marketing is what it is! For millennials they should be even shorter – a study by IAB found brands running 10-second mobile video ads had greater appeal and persuasion potential with younger audiences. However, a slightly longer, 30-second spot did better with those between the ages of 35 and 54.
Keep your content succinct and direct. Don’t complicate things. 30 seconds to sell a service or a product is highly achievable if you plan your content.. Especially as you will have a well written script (If you’re having spoken content or a voice over) or key subtitles. Remember though, you don’t always need a script to convey a message as you’ll see in our very own FOSTERS SOLICITORS LLP CASE STUDY.
3. Think about it like a TV commercial
We all know it’s not it’s not the same but… for the sake of the comparison, think of your video as a way to introduce your brand to the audience, just like a TV advert. 30 seconds on TV is a huge amount of time so you should be able to transfer the same message online.
How Lurpak influenced our latest 30 second project.
It may be hard to believe that Proper Danish butter producerLurpak was the influence for a 30 second video to showcase a renowned firm of Solicitors, but that’s just how it happened. We’ve put together a little case study explaining how we worked with Fosters Solicitors LLP on there latest project and a little insight into how you can create inexpensive content for your business.
Blanc Creative have been making short, to-the-point commercial videos for a wide range of businesses of all sizes including startups, local companies and national organisations. We transform your visions into memorable, engaging videos. Why not reach out and contact our office today on 07871 364041 or email studio@blanc-creative.com
Why choose the Elinchrom ELB 500 TTL Lighting kit as your go to potable lighting setup? Well we all know when it comes to lighting equipment, there’s a massive amount of choice on the market with a range of prices to fit every pocket and the whole spectrum of photographers from novice to award winning professional. Choosing what is right for you as a photographer can at first seem a bit overwhelming. Believe me, I know. I trawled the internet and Wex Photography (the showroom in Norwich happens to be literally on my doorstep,) to try and find a solution that would fit my work as a commercial photographer. I’ve done the whole heavy light set-up having owned two pairs of Bowens 500 Gemini R lights for the past ten years. The Bowens didn’t owe me a penny. They were used spectacularly for assignments including professional hairdressing photography, commercial portraits, event photography set-ups and acted as warm constant lighting during video production. But they weighed a tonne. The lights were cumbersome, heavy and were totally oversized for transportation. The lighting stands really weren’t very substantial and the modelling lamps and fuses had a tendency to blow at the most inappropriate of times. They were amazing workhorses, but In July 2017, Bowens went into liquidation after 94 years of business, ultimately succumbing to the market’s growing competition and changes in consumer purchase trends. The ELB 500 TTL weighs 1.7 kg (3.83 lbs) and the battery weighs about 0.73 kg (1.60 lbs). It’s got a very small carry case which means it’s a dream to just throw in the back of the car.
If you’re planning to shoot on location somewhere without mains power, battery powered lights are the most practical means of achieving professional powerful lighting and The Elinchrome ELB 500 TTL is incredibly light and compact. I opted for the dual kit, which comes as standard with two lighting heads. is the most powerful and portable TTL kit on the market and I was very impressed with both the design and the sheer lightness of the kit. There are different types of quality out there depending upon what you’re looking for — Profoto have an extensive range of superb lights including the B10and B10 Plus, there’s the Badger and entry level Interfit FLA2002K1 Studio Essentials to name just a few. Elinchrom have a solid reputation for making great lighting and are constantly bringing out new and improved products. The ELB 500 TTL Kit is designed for use both on location and in the studio but does not have a dedicated mains setting in order to power the lights without a battery.
About the Elinchrom ELB 500 TTL
This is a very clever piece of kit. Not only does it offer TTL but it also offers HSS. Basically, it will synchronize at super high speeds up to 1/8000s so capturing ultra fast action isn’t go to cause problems. The battery will give You about 400 flashes from one charge dependent on the power output that you’re pushing to the lights. The battery has the active charging, which means you can charge the battery as you shoot. This is awesome if you’re using the lights to shoot event photography on location or any indpoor locations where you have mains power available. It means you can shoot the interior set and still have a afull battery when there’s no charging options and still have a full battery to work with. The ELB 500 TTL features built-in Skyport, Elinchrom’s proprietary wireless system. For photographers already using the Skyport Plus HS Transmitter, there’s a firmware update available to obtain the TTL feature set. There’s also built-in functionality for the Phottix Odin II transmitters.
The Elinchrom ELB 500 TTL battery pack allows for two separate lights to run off the one power supply. Labelled A and B, the pack can power and control two separate heads at the same time with independent control of one another, meaning you can fire the lights as you would any mains powered system. The battery pack has an easily navigable menu system with options for black and white background colours and functionality that is clear and very simple to manage. he display gives you complete control over the kit, allowing you to activate and has asymmetrical distribution, meaning you can extend the power range when you’re using a single head.
The ELB 500 TTL enables the unit to act as a slave unit, so it will flash automatically along with other flash units. Triggering with the ELB 500 TTL is 15m is around 10 metres. I really recommend the Skyport Transmitter Pro. It’s reliable, has multiple frequency channels and fully controllable from the top of the camera. The lights will automatically adjust the power based on the metering of the scene and your camera’s settings. And, as the kit has HSS, if your shutter speed is outside the sync speed of your camera the light will automatically detect this and use HSS to maintain the correct exposure levels for the shot. The TTL option will automatically predict the power to us
The kit is reasonably priced but be prepared It’s definitely a great piece of kit but the extras will bump up the cost. The lights will wet you back just shy of £1800, but remember you get no lighting stands, no Skyport Transmitter. Obviously softboxes and light shapers are another very personal and subjective item, so the lights come with mo modifiers. I opted for the Rotalux modifiers but in order to use these, the Q-Reflector Adapter MK-II will also be required. This will push up the overall cost by another £700-£800 for a pair of modifiers and mounts.
For professional use, the Elinchrom ELB 500 TTL series is a compact, easily transportable system with a host of features that are heard to beat for the price.
Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition Redefines Pen Tablets for Creatives
I’ve been using a Wacom Intuos Pro for many years and watched closely as the premium range of tablets has developed over a decade. Since I work predominantly with Lightroom and Photoshop, but also work with Video editing in Final Cut Pro and Da Vinci 16. Owning a Wacom Intuos Pro totally removed the need to use any form of mouse or trackpad. For editing work, the Wacom Intuos Pro tablet is not an option, it’s a necessity. Over the years, Wacom tablets have only gotten better and better with features being added year after year. Yes, the Intuos Pro is expensive, but the prices haven’t increased that much making the new 2019 great value for money when compared to previous models. The latest Wacom Intuos Pro design offers the user a more natural creative control than ever before. I have to say that the last tablet I purchased from Wacom didn’t last as long as I anticipated. I had problems with battery life and the physical longevity of the battery was underwhelming, finding the full time return to a fully wired wired Wacom came long before I would have liked. It didn’t impact on the usability of the product because my work editing work is predominantly desk based , but it is annoying when you pay for a wireless model and it doesn’t function because of a poor battery. The 2019 Wacom Intuos Pro wireless model from the outset functions very well, but the only thing that will really determine how Wacom have looked at charging and battery life will be timescale, so I really can’t comment on this.
I was excited to get my hands on the new 2019 updated Intuos Pro model. It is available in 3 sizes, Small which is roughly A6, Medium which is around A5 and Large, which is around A4 and my personal preference. The new Large Pro is beautiful and really comfortable to work with! It has no hard edges and it is a solid build, utilising premium materials like anodised aluminium and glass fibre composite resin. It’s a slick design and pretty thin at only 8mm of thickness. Wacom Intuos Pro is built from premium materials and has been rigorously tested to meet professionals’ needs although with my own philosophy of ‘Buy Cheap Buy Twice,” the Wacom Intuos Pro would be my go to choice for enthusiasts as well as prosumers and professionals. As with the previous models it has touch gestures, which can be disable if desired, although personally, the variety of pens and different personalisation options remains a great feature. Easy shortcuts, customisable ExpressKeys and Touch Ring, and pen side switches give a huge amount of flexibility. The Wacom comes with Bluetooth 4.2 for wireless connectivity, but it does still retain the standard USB port for a wired connection which based on my own experiences with the last generation Intuos Pro, is an absolute must have. It just gives that extra sense of security. To set it up, you’ll need an internet connection for driver downloads and installation. I have to mention that I have also historically experienced some drive issues on Mac OSX where my Intuos presets have been wiped and the pen reverts to working as a traditional mouse, so you have to drag the pen across the screen in a number of strokes to move from one side of the screen to another. This is an annoyance but it has only happened very occasionally. The Paper Edition is compatible with Windows 7 or later and Mac OS 10.10 or later.
The new Paper Edition is a great tool and possibly one of the best new features for creatives who don’t want to spend money on the likes of a Cintique. The concept enables the user to automatically convert paper sketches into digital files, as you draw. This is perfect for your next creative breakthrough. Choose from a variety of pens and different Texture Sheets* to personalise the way you work. Paper Edition* gives you the freedom to choose how you work. You can sketch directly onto to the pen tablet using Wacom Pro Pen 2, working digitally from start to finish. Alternatively, you can start by drawing on paper with Wacom Finetip Pen, then edit your sketches digitally in your favourite software. The Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition Wacom comes with two pens, the new battery free Pro Pen 2 or an actual Finetip Pen, both of which are included in the box. The Pro Pen 2 comes with athe usual selection of spare nibs concelaed in the underside of the pen holder (there are six standard nibs and four felt pen nibs), while the real pen comes with ink cartridges and ensbles physical real drawing on paper. Each artist or designer will know which they need for their workflow—perhaps you do work that requires both—but the versatility of the Paper Edition is part of the appeal. Both pens feature 8,192 pressure levels and tilt recognition for holding the pen at an angle, and are battery free. The more advanced Pro Pen 2 includes two buttons, an eraser and multiple pressure levels, which can be fine tuned using the Wacom dashboard.
For anybody spending multiple hours in front of the computer, the Wacom Intuos Pro is a no brainer. I reverted back to using a mouse after my old Wacom gave up and the results were immediately noticeable with cramped hands and an almost repetitive strain injury pain in my knuckles and the edge of my hand. You get so used to working with a pen that a mouse almost feels alien when you have to revert back to using it. The idea that a tablet is specifically for illustrators and artists couldn’t be further from the truth. It may take a bit of time to convert to pen use but persevere and it will change the way you work forever.. Much like when somebody converts from a Windows operating system to the sleek Apple Mac OSX. You’ll never go back and the gras is most definitely greener on the other side. After a few days it will feel natural, and better than using the mouse.
The tablet accurately documents every line and stroke, you can work in layers and the creative options are vast for any creative. You can work using the Inkspace app and your drawings will be automatically imported very efficiently. The added beauty is that, within the app, you can make adjustments to your original ink sketches. This includes drawing additional lines, erasing lines, and even rewinding to a certain point in your sketch and isolating each step. One of the most awesome aspects of the Wacom Intuos Pro Paper Edition is that once you’ve designing your drawings or sketching your artwork, you can save and export the files in JPG, PNG or PSD format. Moving files is a pretty simple process but it’s really up to the individual to set up their own protocols because everybody will work completely different.
As a complete Wacom Intuous Pro fan, the paper edition gives just that little bit more and if you’re looking to enter the tablet market and want something with drawing capability, then this really is the tablet. It is an investment and if you read my previous blog about the Wacom not a cheap investment, but for something that will last you years and allow you to create hand-drawn and digital work, it will very likely prove worth its cost.
Features
Exceptional pen performance: Wacom Pro Pen 2 features 8192 levels of pressure sensitivity, tilt-response and virtually lag-free tracking
Paper to digital ability lets you choose how to work: capture editable versions of your paper sketches or work completely digital from start to finish
Use Wacom Inkspace to sync, store, and export your paper sketches in common creative file formats, then fine-tune your work on your Mac or PC
Speed your workflow with multi-touch gestures, customizable ExpressKeys™, Radial Menus and pen side switches
Super-slim tablet design with a smaller, more compact footprint and premium materials
