13th Birthday Party in Guildford-Green Screen, Justin Bieber, 60 Girls

My professional photography website: Taylor Young Photography

This weekend I had a monumental assignment.  I was hired to photograph a birthday party for a 13 year old and her 60 girlfriends.  Sounds easy.  But, I was also to take photos of these 60 girls, each one, superimposed onto a background of Justin Bieber.  That’s not very hard.  True.  I haven’t told you the best part yet, I was then to print their photos right then and there.  Anyone with any Photoshop skills will know that taking a photo on a green screen and getting rid of the background is not the hardest thing in the world, but it’s not the easiest either.  And when your subjects all have wispy blond hair, it can be a nightmare.  As it was, the job turned out brilliantly and the organizers were very pleased.  And so were the girls.  Each one walked away with an A4 print of them with their favorite pop star.

Below is the setup I used and one of the organizers with Bieber.  Oh… the life of a photographer.  It’s never dull.  :)

On-Demand Mobile Photo Studio-13th B-Day Party

13th Birthday Party Photographer in Guildford

My Art if Now For Sale on The Chartfords Website!

My professional photography website: Taylor Young Photography

This is an exciting post.  My artwork is now featured on a website called Chartfords.  An online gallery with a social marketing business model, Chartfords is a leader in its field.  The concept is simple, people from all over the world can buy art from a simple online platform.  They earn points for all artwork bought and those points enter the Chartfords system and attach to other points in the system.  These points accumulate from art being bought and sold all over the world and in no time at all those points earn you money.  For every $200 Canadian you spend, you get $1,250 back.  It doesn’t matter what currency you use, Chartfords will wire the money directly into your account.

This is a wonderful business to be in and I’m glad Chartfords has asked me to be on board.

To visit the Chartfords website please click here.

Chartfords-Buy and Sell Art, Make Money!

Food Photography in Surbiton, Surrey

My professional photography website: Taylor Young Photography

I love to photograph French dishes.  Well, I love to photograph all food, but the French seem to prepare and display food in a way that lends itself very well to photography.  My best food photographs are those that contain something French in them.  Whether it’s beef bourguignon, or salad nicoise, the French certainly know how to create beautiful dishes.  So, when I got to photograph The French Table in Surbiton, I knew exactly what to expect.  The light in The French Table is absolutely stunning.  They have a very large overhead window in their main dining room, which allows lots and lots of gorgeous light into the building.  The resulting images speak for themselves.

Modeling Photo Shoot: Blue Bells in the Ashdown Forest

My professional photography website: Taylor Young Photography

Every spring, for a few weeks, the Blue Bells pop out, seemingly out of nowhere.  When they’re ready, they retreat as quickly as they came.  Each year I vow to capture them and almost every year I forget, or I’m not in the country.  However, this year I didn’t forget and I am in the country.  So, when a photographer friend of mine asked me if I wanted to accompany her on a photo shoot in the Ashdown Forest, I jumped at the chance.  The theme of the day was Blue Bell Fairy.  And I think we captured it quite well.  Thanks to everyone who helped make these images possible.

Being a photographer in West Sussex makes it possible to easily get to these fabulous locations.  I couldn’t imagine being a photographer anywhere else.

Enjoy!

Ashdown Forest Blue Bell Photo Shoot

Ashdown Forest Blue Bell Photo Shoot

Ashdown Forest Blue Bell Photo Shoot

Ashdown Forest Blue Bell Photo Shoot

Ashdown Forest Blue Bell Photo Shoot

Ashdown Forest Blue Bell Photo Shoot

Travel Photography: Spain

My professional photography website: Taylor Young Photography

Very few places on Earth have what Spain has.  Spain is, without a doubt, a world of it’s own.  The people make no apologies if you don’t like something.  They simply look at you with a cocked head and grunt while shrugging their shoulders.  This past week I was on holiday in Spain and had a wonderful time.  I ate a lot of incredible food and I saw a lot of stunning scenery.  My travels took me to Madrid, Sevilla, Ronda, Zahara, Marbella, Granada, Valdepenas and Consuegra.  The below images are a few of my favorites taken during my time there.

Alhambra Staircase, Granda

Ronda Bridge, Spain

Ronda Bridge and Gorge, Spain

Windmills in Consuegra, Spain

The View From Ronda, Spain

Traveler Taking in Ronda

Horse and Buggy on the Streets of Ronda

From a Bridge in Sevilla

From a Rooftop Restaurant in Sevilla

Plaza Mayor, Madrid

Wedding Photography: Creative and Inspirational Work

My professional photography website: Taylor Young Photography

Wedding photography is a very tricky, but extremely satisfying activity.  When I first was toying with the idea of taking my photography to the next level and making it my profession, I thought there was no way I wanted to do weddings.  It was too commercial for me… and I wanted to keep it pure and honest.  You see, most photographers take it up as a hobby and then eventually they quit their jobs and do it full time.  And a lot of them go into wedding photography.  Why? Because there is a lot of money in it.  I’m just being honest.  Most people are willing to spend on a wedding photographer, what a small compact car would cost.  I have numerous friends that have paid many, many thousands for a photographer to capture their special day.  Wedding photographers costing £5,000 is commonplace these days.

I vowed that I wouldn’t get caught in the wedding photography trap.  That my art would stay pure and I wouldn’t sell out.  And until recently, I have kept that promise.  When did my decision change? When I realized that wedding photography could be hugely creative and artistic.  Take the images below for example.  Because of my training and my technical equipment, I am able to capture something as simple as an engagement ring and wedding band and make it into something very few people would be able to imagine.

And so, it is this creativity and inspiration I bring on to all of my wedding shoots.

Engagement Ring and Groom's Wedding Band on Gucci Shoes

Rings on a Fuente Fuente Opus X Cigar

Rings on an Orchid

Canon 100mm f2.8 L Macro Lens: Never Ceases to Amaze Me

My professional photography website: Taylor Young Photography

Every photographer has their own favorite lenses, camera bodies, etc.  My favorite lens at the moment is the Canon 100mm f2.8 L Macro lens.  Oh, don’t be fooled by the macro designation, this lens is a heck of a lot more than just a macro lens.  It also does a brilliant job of being a portrait lens.  The short telephoto range of 100mm is ideal for limiting distortion and achieving a pleasant, blurred background.

However, where this lens really shines, is up close and personal.  It is capable of capturing just about anything, no matter how small.  Take my watch, for instance; with the Canon 100mm f2.8 L Macro lens and some decent light streaming in from the window, I was able to capture every detail.  Note the platinum bezel and face.  Each brilliant microscopic piece of platinum is separated out and distinguished.  You can even make out the small metal fibers around the letters inside the bezel, that wrap around the face.  One of Rolex’s new security features.  It might not be visible at these resolutions, but cropped to 100% you can see each and every metal shaving produced when the engravers stamped ROLEX.

This lens never ceases to amaze me.  It’s quite possibly the best lens Canon has ever made.  I use it for food photography, portraits, macro and much more.

It’s The Little Things That Count

My professional photography website: Taylor Young Photography

Before I began my professional photography career, I had a food blog.  I still have the blog actually.  But because I’m now working steadily as a photographer, my dining out has decreased and thus my blogs have decreased.  But, it is still one of my greatest passions.  Not only does it help me become a better food photographer, which in turn brings in more clients, but it gives me another creative outlet.  Recently, while dissecting my blog’s statistics, I noticed a link from a fellow food blogger.  And he had some very nice things to say about me and I just felt like posting them.  It’s nice when once of your peers speaks highly of you.  Makes it all worth it to me.  Here’s what he said:

“That said, after you read my profound remarks about Taco Bus, check out the link I am posting to another blog, a photographer’s blog – a really talented photographer, if you ask me.  I don’t know him; I just happened to look at his recent post about eating at Taco Bus and was amazed by his photos of the place.   Very nice.  With pictures like those, who needs my amateur attempts!”

Thanks for the kind words, my friend.  And below is one of the images from that particular food blog.  The others can be seen by visiting: Passport Foodie

The Taco Bus in Tampa, Florida

Portrait Photo Shoot: Brother and Sister at the Ashdown Park Hotel

Yesterday  I had the pleasure of photographing George and Anne from Tunbridge Wells. We secured the Ashdown Park Hotel and Country Club grounds for the shoot and it turned out to be amazing. Despite the threat of rain and the cold. The Ashdown Park Hotel is an extremely photogenic venue. Both the grounds and the building itself make a fabulous backdrop for any photo shoot. Thanks George and Anne for braving the weather. I think we got some great shots!

Here are a few:

Food Photography Shoot, East Grinstead: French Onion Soup

The below image was a special image for me. Not just because I’m pleased with it aesthetically, but also because the Le Creuset soup bowls were a present from my brother and sister-in-laws. Shooting black enamelware is always kind of tricky. Everything in the room you’re shooting in gets reflected onto the surface. The way to stop those reflections is kind of crude. Simply take black cardboard, or something similar and wrap it almost entirely around the subject, so nothing can be reflected except for possibly the light source. That’s the way I do it anyway.

French Onion Soup East Grinstead Photographer