New images coming soon x

With so many products available for sale on-line, good product photography has never been so important. Great photos of your products help your business grow and strong, clear images will help you stand out on search pages. For small kitchen table businesses and independent artists and crafters, big budget product photography is simply not an option and this course will show you how you can get the best out of the camera you have to showcase your products.

You will receive advice on how to plan and prepare for a photo shoot, using natural light to create beautiful images of your products. There will also be a practical section to the course so you will need to bring your camera and some of your products too.

Use the contact form to get in touch x

Orders can be taken privately so please use the contact form to get in touch x

Lead Photographers
Joanna Brown www.browns-photography.co.uk/
Lisa Devlin www.devlinphotos.co.uk/

Set Styling, Flowers & Catering
Hannah Best www.the-tea-set.co.uk/

Web Design
Melissa Love www.melissalove.co.uk/

Fashion Styling
Hannah Best www.the-tea-set.co.uk
Elizabeth Ruby www.ruby-roux.com
Laura Kate O’Rourke http://noirmusic.tumblr.com/

Make Up Artist and Hair Stylist
Carolanne Armstrong www.carolannearmstrong.com/

Gypsy Caravan Dress
Joanne Fleming Designs www.joanneflemingdesign.com/

Spirit of Beltane Bridal Scene Models
Kristy Tsois
Sam Beahan

Gypsy Caravan Scene Model
Meredith Hepner Phillips Theodorou

Jewellery contributed by:
Union Jewellery www.unionjewellery.com/
Chrysalis Couture www.facebook.com/chrysaliscouturedesigns

With special thanks to:
Rebecca Douglas www.rebeccadouglas.co.uk
Emma Thwaites http://www.emmylouphotography.com/
Jayne & Joe Sacco http://saccophotography.co.uk/
Laura Brennan http://www.cherryredphotography.co.uk/
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The shoot was called ‘Gypsy Caravans and the Spirit of Beltane’ and we had two amazing sets to photograph.  Here are my photos from the Spirit of Beltane inspired shoot.

Styled Shoot Team:
Hannah Best www.the-tea-set.co.uk/
Elizabeth Ruby www.ruby-roux.com
Melissa Love www.melissalove.co.uk/

Lead Photographers
Joanna Brown www.browns-photography.co.uk/
Lisa Devlin www.devlinphotos.co.uk/

Set Styling, Flowers & Catering
Hannah Best www.the-tea-set.co.uk/

Web Design
Melissa Love www.melissalove.co.uk/

Fashion Styling
Hannah Best www.the-tea-set.co.uk
Elizabeth Ruby www.ruby-roux.com
Laura Kate O’Rourke http://noirmusic.tumblr.com/

Make Up Artist and Hair Stylist
Carolanne Armstrong www.carolannearmstrong.com/

Gypsy Caravan Dress
Joanne Fleming Designs www.joanneflemingdesign.com/

Spirit of Beltane Bridal Scene Models
Kristy Tsois
Sam Beahan

Gypsy Caravan Scene Model
Meredith Hepner Phillips Theodorou

Jewellery contributed by:
Union Jewellery www.unionjewellery.com/
Chrysalis Couture www.facebook.com/chrysaliscouturedesigns

With special thanks to:
Rebecca Douglas www.rebeccadouglas.co.uk
Emma Thwaites http://www.emmylouphotography.com/
Jayne & Joe Sacco http://saccophotography.co.uk/
Laura Brennan http://www.cherryredphotography.co.uk/
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Marrakech airport is absolutely stunning. I am very interested in architecture and loved the 1970s feel and honeycomb design.

On the drive to the hotel the landscape was incredibly green and lush and looked gorgeous against the terracotta architecture. So different to home and very beautiful.

Driving through the Red City was very interesting. Both absolutely terrifying and incredibly hilarious at the same time. Seat belts are not obligatory, nor are helmets, which defied all logic as mopeds weaved in and out of the cars, constantly dicing with death and then there were the donkeys and carts and as you travelled nearer to the centre of the city, the horses and carriages. The most interesting and eclectic collection of traffic I have ever seen.

The journey to the hotel skirted the old city walls of Marrakech and I curiously pondered the random holes in the walls where local pigeons were taking shelter from the sunshine. The holes seem to follow no particular pattern at all and I believe they are used for supporting scaffolding when the wall needs repairs, but the birds make use of them at other times.

As the coach meandered through the traffic towards the hotel it was so interesting to look out of the windows and catch glimpses of the city and the sights to come over the next couple of days during my stay in Marrakech.

Thankfully the sunshine showed up in it’s full glory the next day and a trip to the old city beckoned. Jemaa el-Fnaa is a square and market place in Marrakesh’s medina quarter, the medina being the old walled city.The square was a taxi ride away from the hotel and I found the local taxis fascinating. They are all a rather bland beige colour and look like they have been transported from the 1970s. In fact, most of the local cars looked like are from the 70s and it was the exception to see something really modern. To use the Marrakech taxis you firstly choose a car based on size. The smaller the car the cheaper the service. Next you ask for a price for your destination and then you haggle. When your price is agreed that is exactly what you pay at the end of your journey. If there is a space in your taxi it is not uncommon for a random stranger to join you if they are going your way.

Once you accept that your taxi journey is going to be a little tense, due to the craziness of the traffic, you can sit back and enjoy the ride and take in the scenery of the local shops, people going about their day-to-day business, the horse drawn carriages negotiating the traffic, the terribly sad looking donkeys pulling their carts (although all donkeys look sad to be fair, but to see they are purely used as work animals adds to their general air of sadness), mopeds weaving in and out of the cars and animals and yet despite all this chaos, not once did I see any evidence of road rage. Maybe a hand or two gesticulating mildly, or a slightly puzzled frown, but the Moroccans really are happy people and seem to be always smiling and polite.

The Koutoubia Mosque greets you as you arrive at Jemaa el-Fnaa, beautiful Moroccan architecture set against a gorgeous blue sky.Heading towards the square the road is lined with horses and their beautiful carriages, waiting to take tourists on tours of the city.  Locals dressed in traditional Berber costumes invite you to buy water from them, there are also the snake charmers and rows of stalls piled high with oranges selling fresh orange juice.The souks are so atmospheric and you feel like you have stepped back in time. Interestingly the souks and square felt very safe and I thought that there would be a problem with over enthusiastic sellers and possible pick-pockets. Nonetheless it is still very sensible to make sure that you don’t wear flashy jewellery and keep a close eye on your bag and possessions. The water sellers and snake charmers do encourage you to have your photo taken with them, but they want money from you as this is how they earn a living.The souks are a maze of never-ending alleyways selling slippers, leather goods, traditional Moroccan lanterns, food, rugs, spices, wooden carved goods, in fact the range of merchandise is huge. You are constantly invited to take a closer look at the goods for sale, but my advice would be to keep moving. As soon as you show an interest you are inviting a sale to be made and while I never felt uncomfortable it seemed unnecessary to get involved in a situation that could potentially prove difficult to extract yourself from if ultimately you didn’t actually want to buy anything. The rule is to walk on the right side of each alley way and with the mopeds and sometimes donkeys and carts also making their way through the narrow alleys you stand a better chance of being safe.Something I didn’t expect to see were the kitties of the medina. Lots of stray cats wander around the souks completely unphased by all the humans, stopping to take a snooze in the sunshine, or play in a cardboard box. Obviously boxes and the fun cats have with them is universal.  They all look a bit grubby and unloved but they provide quite a valuable service to the city as they keep rodents at bay.With photo opportunities in abundance, wandering around the souks is very interesting.While the maze of alleys seems never ending, I though it was easy to spot when you had walked too far as the scenery changes.  A little more rustic and a little more raw.  One local was selling fresh rabbits.  He was sitting on the side of the road with these little rabbits next to him, their paws bound and sadly some of them were still alive albeit barely.  It really was like stepping into another world that time seemed to have forgotten.All morning there were the most delicious smells of cooking food floating through the air, so lunchtime was traditional tagine served in an open air cafe. The furniture was basic and the food delicious. To start a gorgeous chopped tomato salad and fresh bread, followed by traditional chicken tagine. It was great to watch the world pass by and sit in the warm sunshine. The owner was so hospitable and although he only spoke French and my own knowledge of French is extremely basic, we managed a conversation where he asked what I was going to see next while sipping on mint tea which is lovely and sweet and refreshing.Heading back into the souks, the destination was the spice market. Alleyways were chosen according to a rough feeling that they may be the right way as there really were no apparent directions. Personally I’m not sure that you could get that lost. Yes it did look like an absolute maze of narrow pathways looking very similar. All of them crammed with little shops stacked as high as the roof with their different products on display, but I was sure you would pop out somewhere eventually back into the main square.

The spice market was in an open courtyard selling baskets, rugs and surrounded by natural pharmacy stores. Spices were piled high and baskets were full of pot pourri. It was lovely to walk around in the sunshine as most of the alleyways are covered with makeshift wooden slatted roofs where the sun shines through in any gaps it can find. Looking for piles of colourful spices to photograph there is the constant invitation to step into the shops. Outside one of them was a small cage containing tiny tortoises and sitting on top a couple of small chamelions, one of which was called Lady Gaga, but then again, me and my lovely travelling companion were referred to as the Spice Girls too There are many alley ways around Jemaa el-Fnaa square with more shops and doorways leading to magical riads. The opportunities to explore are immense and when you have finished Jemma el-Fnaa square is a great place to sit and people watch.

The next day we spent the morning at Majorelle Garden. Created by painter Jaques Majorelle and later owned by Yves Saint Laurent, these gardens are very beautiful.  An oasis of tranquility surrounding a house painted in the most gorgeous shade of blue.  Paths full of plants lead you around the garden and in the full sun the shadows, made by the plants, proved just as interesting as the plants themselves.I stayed at a the Rui Tikida Gardens Hotel in Marrakech.  It’s a very nice modern hotel with buffet meals and lovely clean rooms and facilities.  One thing very noticeable is the smoking culture.  Unlike here in the UK where smoking is not permitted in public places, you can smoke pretty much anywhere in Morocco as I noticed from the ashtray in the hotel lift.  Thankfully the restaurant in the hotel was no smoking but I am unaware of the policy for smoking in restaurants generally.I absolutely fell in love with Marrakech and wish I had been able to stay for longer. There was so much to see and it would have been heavenly just spending a day lying in the beautifully warm sunshine.

A big thank you to my lovely travelling companion Emma. It most definitely wouldn’t have been the same without you xx

Happy Birthday Chloe Kalani x