St.Johns Hospital iPhone Guide to Bath

When we were approached by a well respected Bristol design agency to produce a suite of images for a new iPhone app, We jumped at the chance. As dedicated iPhone aficionados, we loved the concept: a Bath charity develops an app providing detailed tourist information for the city centre, for free. It sounded an exciting exercise for what is effectively a 12th century charity, and one that we were pleased to be asked to be involved with.

The brief required the city’s landmarks to be photographed using our own unique style of architectural photography, including wide angles, architectural details, and to be photographed with the iPhone landscape view in mind.

As is often the case, clients need to maximise their investment by using their images across a range of media – in this case our photography will be used not only on their new iPhone app, but also for St.Johns marketing material. You can see the iPhone app for yourself, either by searching on iTunes for ‘St.Johns Hospital’ or via the internet by following the link to iTunes online.

On completion of the app, we got this nice comment from the agency:

“(The app) is getting a great response – your photography made it!  Thanks for all your help on that one.”

And from the Design Agency’s website:

“12th century charity uses 21st century technology to create Bath’s first guide iPhone app. 375 have recently designed and built Bath’s first historic walking guide app. Jonathan O’Shea, Chief Executive of St John’s has said;

“It has been so exciting to see the project develop and get the input of everyone here at St John’s. The process has been a learning curve for us all but very rewarding. We’re all enthusiastic about our work and about Bath and this way we get to combine the two.

“I think we’re going to see a lot of people following our lead over the coming months and I’m proud that a 12th century charity is being innovative with 21st century technology.”
Jonathan O’Shea, Chief Executive

Grayshott Pottery's new website with our photography

Must tell you about two of our client’s websites that have gone live this week – it’s always exciting as the commercial photographer to see our photography get used as it was intended. First up was Grayshott Pottery’s new website, who we worked with over a two day photo shoot with an Art Director from a well known S.Devon design agency at their location in Surrey. The place is a real feast for the eyes, with pottery artists painting whilst you watch, the kilns churning out 1200 degrees of heat, and an aladdin’s cave of gifts, treats and pottery to purchase. The Art Director has included a testimonial for our work over the two days with his client:

“Tim Pestridge has an impressive and varied portfolio, his prices are very competitive and he’s a terribly nice chap. Could you ask for more? 

Tim fully understands given briefs, provides great ideas and produces a level of work that exceeds pulse8 and the client expectations. 

I will work with Tim again in the future.” S.Edwin, Art Director

Secondly is Maze’s new commercial property agents site.

Maze Consulting

Maze offer a bespoke commercial property service for their clients, and have built an enviable reputation in the South West. We’ve got ongoing an photo shoot to complete for them for a commercial property site in the South West region, so we’re on standby for those bright blue sky days!

Make sure you're with a CSCS Accredited Photographer

1,551,873 people in the UK currently hold CSCS cards (Construction Skills Certification Scheme)  of varying types, but did you know we do too?

For our work involving construction, building or architecture – or where a site visit, turf cutting, topping out ceremony or finished project/scheme photography is required, we’re now able to prove our safety on site with a current ‘operatives’ card valid past 2014.

Becoming registered and accredited by way of the Construction Skills Exam is essential best practice for those of us working within the fringe of the construction industry, and is not only an important milestone, but guarantees our clients that we will display the highest level of site safety when representing them on a photo shoot. As a site operative, it’s vital everyone is aware of the risks of working in a potentially lethal environment.

For a commercial photography service working on a building site, the hazards are obvious. Being (and seeing) the creative and artistic in a world of cement, steel and protruding edges needs a healthy knowledge of construction working practices if you’re to get the best results, safely. So we’re pleased to announce our CSCS accredition, and as they say, ‘We’re committed to CSCS’!

An excellent and recommended guide is available here to help anyone facing the CSCS exam. Also, here’s a list of FAQs related to CSCS.

New photography in place for New School Exeter

Summer is flying by, so I thought I’d make sure I stay up to date by letting you know about a new website just launched for The New School, Exeter which we worked on. We undertook the commission to undertake the commercial photography for their new website and brochure for this charming school in Exminster last year, and it’s lovely to see it go online with such a great new look by the design agency.

Our aim was to capture the school’s friendly and inclusive ethos in pictures, along with it’s unique location, and portray the genuine enthusiasm for the school of both the staff and pupils alike. Useful to know also was that we were able to use our CRB approved status at the school.

We hear that feedback has been very positive for the school, so here’s to their ongoing success, great people to work with.

SWRDA

We’re delighted to have been successful in our bid to win a contract with the South West Regional Development Agency to provide Commercial Photography over the next year. We pitched for the contract along with six other photography suppliers, having had to submit a written tender document, and undertake a face-to-face interview with the team based in SWRDA offices in Dix’s Field, Exeter. Just to reiterate – here’s a short quote from the SWRDA website on their remit:

The South West RDA works for and promotes a modern, stronger and more resilient economy across South West England.  Our work is all about creating better jobs, successful businesses, more prosperous cities, towns and villages within an economy that uses less carbon.

We work in close partnership with business leaders and representatives, skills and training providers, local authority members and officers across the region and nationally with ministers and civil servants.

Over the next year we’ll be visiting a range of South West based companies and industries in all forms of business, from leading edge technologies to small specialist manufacturers to capture their stories in pictures.