Category Archives: images

Do testimonials work… do you read them or skip over??

When you’ve completed a successful shoot and your client is really pleased… should you always remember to ask for a review or testimonial? This is usually the bit I forget!! … although some clients spontaneously provide one anyway 🙂

I’m told google likes them, and sources like ‘Trust Pilot’ wouldn’t exist if people didn’t look for them – LInkedIn and Facebook have a business page ‘review’ feature, so I guess the answer is that you should. It feels like ‘self praise’ and blowing your own trumpet, but nowadays it’s much more about showing you are a credible and trustworthy business and who better to authenticate your services than happy customers.

So, do you read reviews and testimonials? Well, yes if I’m purchasing items from a source that I don’t know personally, they are very helpful. Or, researching the best item to buy on say, camera equipment. Does this apply to services too, especially those that are hugely personal, such as photography? In addition to ‘reviews’ and ‘testimonials’ we should add ‘recommendations’, as these are frequently asked for on places like Facebook. I ask this, because most of my work comes via face to face networking and getting to know people, who in turn use and recommend my services.

Perhaps reviews, in addition to a solid portfolio, are mainly part of a credible and true presence online, including all the various social media platforms … will you read any further 🙂 ??

” I can not begin to express the delight I felt when I saw our photos however the outstanding service started months before we got them!
For my 50th I wanted a picture of my family so hubby duly got a voucher from Penny and then handed over to me! Oh my what a pain pinning 4 sets of families and diaries to one Saturday. Penny was supportive and patient, no pressure just gentle reassurance that we would get there. So we got a date and we all turned up at the most beautiful house and gardens… chaos ensued with sorting two 3 year olds, two under 12 months and one teenager who needed to be serious.
Penny had taken the time to ask questions before hand so she knew all the likes and dislikes and all the names, plus Terry supported Penny and entertained the children and took additional pictures.

Thank you thank you thank you 😊

If you are looking for someone who cares about the service they give and the shots they take then please use Penny – you will not be disappointed

Venitia Billings “

All ready for delivery..

All ready for delivery…

#portrait #suffolk #family #together Family gathering

Quick tips – how to be in front of the camera:

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If you are one of those people who feel mighty uncomfortable in front of a lens and you’ve not had the opportunity to work with a professional, I wanted to share a few ‘rules of thumb’ and tips to help, that you can take away and actively put into practice.

First of all, I firmly believe that the responsibility lies with the photographer to capture a good shot of someone – not that of the people being photographed. Everyone without exception can take a good photograph, no arguments – and if you are working with a professional, they should have the knowledge to guide you all the way through it.

There are exceptions to the rules and as a professional photographer, I work with the individual and capture what is right for them, as we are all different.

However in a ‘non’ professional situation, you have more control that you may imagine, because it’s unlikely there will be any guidance of where and how to be, whether you are seated, standing, on your own, or in a group. It’s also very doubtful you will be given an indication when the image is about to be taken.

1 – When standing full on, or square to the camera, this is your widest angle and gives little opportunity to show your personality. If you stand sideways onto the camera, it’s going to look quite awkward turning your head so far to look at the camera and also shows all your outlines. 45 degrees towards the camera is your best angle and streamlines everything.

2 – Stand comfortably, either equal weight on each leg, or, place your weight on your back leg and allow your other leg to casually point forward. Hands can either be gently clasped in front of you, or behind.

3 – Angles to the camera are good – we’ve already mentioned in Tip1, but SMALL tilts of the head also help. The camera is at a more flattering angle if a little above you and less flattering if below you.

4 – All the above also applies to being seated in front of the camera.

5 – If you find yourself in a group, say at a party, wedding or family gathering, apply the above tips, focus on the fun of the event, allow a smile to come to your face and resist the urge to chatter. Watch the camera and wait until they have taken the image and put the camera away.

People can be amazingly kind in their testimonials…

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Christmas 2018 seems long gone now, however wanted to share a pleasant surprise last month, from the contact who booked my services to cover their Christmas Parties. Along with two other very good photographers over 13 evenings, we captured several hundred people all enjoying the festive time at both The Apex and The Athenaeum in Bury St Edmunds. To receive the attached testimonial was brilliant!

I’ll let the following link do the talking!

Penny Morgan Photography Testimonial

The Athenaeum Christmas Parties, 2018, Bury St Edmunds

A little reflection can help in moving forward…

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I may have written about this before (and hope it’s not too far into January to mention again), but it never fails to amaze me how varied a year can be and how much has been achieved. Not just for me, but for others too. It’s been a year of achievements, losses and above all, a journey and hope you can look back at an incredible 2018 with everything it brought you.

On the photography front – wildlife, Portugal, equestrian, music festivals, workshops, Christmas parties – family, lifestyle, commercial and headshot shoots… have all been in the mix, so a thoroughly creative time, with many plans for 2019.

I used to think that looking back in reflection was not the best thing to do and we get to December and say “where has the year gone”. But I’ve changed that thinking and try and live for the here and now at whatever point of the year we are in … savour it, deal with it, enjoy it … and always knowing life never stands still – and here we are beginning the second week of 2019!

So all those moments that have been created, happened and shared, all help in moving into the new year, however you choose to see it and hopefully with a positive expectation of whats to come.

Penny Morgan Photography 2018 reflection.

Is this you?

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We’re introduced at a networking meeting and a professional rapport was established. I viewed the photographers website and checked out their online presence. All the people in the images must be professional models as they all look great/at ease with their poses

Emails are exchanged. Hard questions have to be faced. What do I want? How can this ever work? All the what if’s………………? I really don’t like my photograph being taken. I need to do this but I’m really not comfortable in front of the camera.

Time and date agreed, deposit paid, confirmation received – there’s no backing out now!

The dreaded day arrives, I have a plan, take it steady, arrive calm and relaxed – not. What a calamitous morning, heavy traffic encountered all the way to the shoot (Oh the irony, strike me down now!) running late. What do I wear – grabbed a selection of shirts – some are slightly smaller than I remembered!

I arrive at the venue and I’m greeted at the door, my nervous laughter mixed with babbling small talk – explaining the small shirts – why? What do we want to achieve – professional, friendly, approachable? All the while my insides are churning like a washing machine on spin cycle!

A backdrop, big lights with reflective umbrellas, but strangely an air of calm slowly begins to descend over me. The offer of a coffee delays the impending failure / gory experience. This is not going to work, how can I look good in a picture?

Lights, camera and action! Seated on a posing block, the heat radiating from the lights is akin to basking in the midday sun. Calming, soothing words of guidance, helping me find a comfortable position. Slight tilt of the head, right hand onto thigh and just drop those shoulders. I interact with the photographer and their assistant, use my hands, my expressive side showing through. Big smile, drop the chin, a serious look. A slurp of coffee between poses, hey, this isn’t too bad!

Wow, I have a best side, but I knew that all along and this is all feeling so much better than I had anticipated. And relax.

I’ve been sat here for thirty minutes already and time is flying by. All change and into the “smaller than I remember shirt” . I do believe that I can carry this off. The talking continues, adjusting position, lean forward from the waist, turn my face a little and back the other way.

And it’s over. Gather my things, the images will be ready within ten working days and I can view them in a password protected folder. Choose the ones that I prefer and they will be mine.

On reflection, that was a goods experience. I left feeling a lot better about how to be myself in front of the camera. Gone is the awkwardness and the toothy grimace masquerading as a smile.

Having a professional take the shots is so much more than someone just pressing a button. They can understand you and get the best out of you. That is when great shots are achieved.

Image copyright Penny Morgan Photography.

‘I could never be on stage!’

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The driving factor of networking is to engage with people, promote your business and build those trusted relationships for future work. Being amongst 30 – 40 people together in a room, grabbing a coffee just to separate a little from the throng and watch. Listening to one conversation while eaves dropping on three others in your periphery. All kinds of folk, suited and booted, leopard print heels, jeans, casual shirts and the odd donkey jacket.

The organisers are making introductions, surreptitiously moving the participants in the ever changing dynamic of the room. PA, PR, building management and a holistic health practitioner is just brushing the surface of the gathered expertise. The noise, the communication, the body language, to be heard and observed. You could interject with a yes or no, a nod or a smile. Listening to people, don’t we all like to talk about ourselves? Looking for common ground, shared ethics and views, commonality is the driver.

But what has being on stage got to do with any of this?

What if running your own business or a valued member of a bigger organisation could be likened to being in the best production you’ll ever perform in? You don’t have to learn a script, you already know it inside out… it’s the business you work in… and being yourself. Your personality, the way you dress, stand, behave and share your skills and knowledge of what you do, all tell an unfolding unique story of authenticity, honesty and personal leadership. How many of the connections you make leave you wanting to hear more, like you might in a gripping production?

Stop the room and bring a camera in, many of the participants will melt into the wings and tuck themselves away from the forefront, they will appear distracted and their demeanour will change. But helping people to be themselves, help them get over their apprehension and nerves, in front of the greatest audience they could wish for, is all the camera is facilitating… something we here at PMP Towers have made part of our own unique production.

What’s your experience networking and do you find it easy to be yourself?

Image copyright of Penny Morgan Photography

How much priority should we give ‘down time’?

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Easter is around the corner bringing with it a term holiday for those with children in school. Now what to do with the them? Is it a holiday for those in charge? ’I’ll do that, if I have the time’, or, ‘we’ll do it later’. Do we find the time, or are we chasing our tails and it feels like another working week? Remembering the simpler times when we could work out where our friends were by who’s house they’d left their bikes outside and being told as kids to be home by tea time!

No mobiles or internet, just our bikes and imagination.

Not pining for rose tinted nostalgia, too many reminders of dodgy clothing choices and shocking/questionable haircuts, but how much downtime do you book for yourself and your loved ones? The benefits of ‘head space’, enjoying the great outdoors and doing the things that bring enhancement to your life… why on earth don’t we give it a higher priority?

Future memories are being made today.

Outside is free. These things don’t have to be financially restrictive. Build a blanket den, hide & seek or get crafty – make stuff from, well, stuff! But are teenagers going to want to be involved with a ladybird search? Our past experience has included tame pheasants, quad bikes, dogs, sport, music, oh and imitating Mo Farrah and Usain Bolt, to name a few things we’ve captured with the teens of the family.

Picnic in the park, beach walks and nature trails, liking these simple things for what they are, not for the ‘likes’ it may achieve on social media is still pretty priceless.

Create your future memory this year.

Create your future memories this year. Photograph copyright of Penny Morgan Photography.

I love me, I love my image

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How many times have your heard remarks which are derogatory in nature, but not seriously intended, ‘off the cuff’, ‘in jest’, ‘I didn’t mean it’? Things about our looks, body and face features, height, weight, personality… anything really.

They are often mitigated with an ‘only joking’ caveat, as though this somehow limits the damage, but it’s too late, the seed has been planted, germinated and is thriving. These comments can leave unseen impressions on us.

We scrutinise ourselves in the bathroom mirror, however photographs are the exact reverse of how we actually appear. This is one of the reasons why we think the images are not a true representation of how we look and why we are unfamiliar with them. Other people have only ever seen you as you view your image and, our friends see US, whereas we see what we perceive as our faults.

The camera never lies – Oh yes it can! No, this is not panto season, but we do see images that are not accurate and really believe this is how we are. Here are a few things that can effect the image:

1) Phone camera distortion – all the pictures of ourselves/friends we exclaim ‘Ooo eck, bulbous moon face’.

2) Light & shade – can be our friend and foe. As good as cameras are some lighting conditions can overwhelm them. Therefore its interpretation of light and shade is not always accurate.

Filters – flowers, big eyes, puppy dog ears and noses. All these things are seen as fun and amusing, but how many of us use them to hide behind?

We hear comments from ‘Can you make me look 10 years younger’ to ‘I look too young to be taken seriously’.

Despite the bravado all the points covered affect men as well as women.

You have options, you don’t have to live with not liking your image.

Where do we turn to for reassurance? Online presence of beauty guides, behaviour guides, makeup, relationships, both personal and family. Who or what is right? For you – you are right. Our friends mean well but are they helping or worsening the situation? We share and empathise with each other but what do we do about it?

‘Love Your Image’ & ‘Evolve Your Image’ are bespoke products that will guide you through the potential pitfalls of having your photograph taken. You can learn why you feel anxious, nervous, or ’dread the thought’ … and how to do something about it.

Photograph copyright of Penny Morgan Photography

The ‘Elephant’ in the room… a photographers focus.

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So for the last two years, I’ve talked about getting to grips with changing how we feel about being photographed. Discovering just how many dislike it and/or the results, has been both eye opening and yet strangely not a surprise.

After developing the program ‘Love Your Image’, to help people who don’t like being photographed change this mind-set, has been an interesting and rewarding journey. Just about everyone thinks it’s a good idea and most will talk about it on a ‘general’ level, but how open would you want to be to discuss this subject on a much more personal level? No so much I find. Often what we don’t like about our image may feel somewhat trivial or connected with vanity and nobody really wants to admit to being vain? I hear so many different stories of why people don’t like their photograph taken, but if you are in business, can you afford to be an Eeore about it?

Being aware of your ‘Mind-set’ is being applied to many things these days and how you present yourself in images IS hugely important. Therefore so is changing your mind-set in front of the camera… and change it YOU CAN… this is something that is within an individuals reach regardless of how you have felt… perhaps for many years? With the right help and guidance you can do this.

To change how you feel and be among a growing group who have learned to ‘Love Their Image’ has MANY rewards. It’s neither trivial nor vain to decide to address this and the benefits are considerable.

The first step of the journey is:

Learning and understanding ‘why’ we arrive at such an attitude.
Useful tips on ‘how’ to be in front of the camera and why they work!

… and when you feel brave enough…

A photo-shoot – that only you see the results, until you are ready to share.

And that’s just the start, to making it a permanent change.

This doesn’t ask anything more of you than a willingness to be open minded to change.

So consider this… and its nothing to do with your size… can the ‘Elephant’ in your room be ignored any longer…?

Elephant In The Room

Photograph copyright of Penny Morgan Photography

The Photo-less Photo-shoot – no photos… guaranteed!

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Friday 27th May 2016, 10.00am – 12noon – Bury St Edmunds
£19.99 per person.

If you dislike being photographed and are less than happy with the results, then this seminar is for you!

Change your thinking and learn to ‘Love Your Image’.

Happy ladies from Love Your Image

Number are limited, so BOOK NOW to secure you place!
Get in touch by phone or email – 0845 257 2038 – design@pennymorgan.co.uk

Turn what you learn to your advantage, for business and pleasure – come and find out:

Where the dislike comes from
Guest speaker Linda Barbour – Calm, confident you
Learn valuable tips for being in front of the camera
Discover the lasting benefits to both work and personal life
Boost your confidence

NO ONE WILL BE PHOTOGRAPHED!

“Really enjoyed it and format was good. Felt there was privacy to sit in the audience and just watch, listen and then to chat afterwards. Great use of assistant, really helped get message across in a humorous and visual way.” – K.N.

When?
Friday 27^th May 2016 – 10am – 12noon.

Where?
The Active Business Centre, Bury St Edmunds.

Cost and how to book.
£19.99 per person, includes VAT and tea/coffee.

Places are limited, so book your seat NOW.
Phone: 0845 257 2038
Email: design@pennymorgan.co.uk

For more information, please visit our website page.

This seminar is part of the ‘Love Your Image’ program.

Love Your Image logo

If you feel you would like to go on and complete the program, all attendees of the seminar will qualify to book their photography session at a special rate – come and find out!

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