Learning Curve: Product Photos for Small Businesses

During 2020, when we couldn’t really leave our houses, the online world narrowed and I met like-minded people who I would never have met in ‘real’ life. It opened up opportunities to collaborate with, learn from and be inspired by people from a variety of backgrounds. One of these online friendships led to an opportunity for me to try some product photography.

There were a whole host of negative thoughts that rushed into my head – it’s out of my comfort zone, I’ve never done it before, will I be able to? will I be any good? what if they turn out rubbish? where do I start? Pre-covid, I’d have said no to this opportunity, but I’ve learned over these last years that you can’t always wait until you’re ready, so, I said yes. But to reduce the pressure, I said I’d do this shoot for free, and considered it a learning opportunity…… and maybe the beginning of building a portfolio of product photos for small businesses??

I was sent a couple of boxes of products to photograph and I instantly stressed out again – nobody likes that feeling of being out of their depth, and not knowing where to start! But, I knew there was no pressure externally, it was all from me wanting to do a good job.

I did some research, read some tutorials and gathered up my gear – flash, product boards, reflectors, camera….and I set them all up in our spare room, creating a little booth for the products to sit in. Excellent, all ready to go….except now I had to think a bit creatively to get the best out of the product and set up the scene. I honestly thought I’d struggle with this, but once I started, I realised that I really enjoyed setting it all up, adding some props for detail, and trying to create a feeling suitable for the product.

In this case, the product was a wellbeing package designed to help give a calming experience to the buyer – filled with lavender and similarly-themed oils and pots of lotions. As luck would have it, I had some dried lavender around the house, so I gathered that up to add to the scene. I then realised what the critical ingredient for a successful product shoot was….. blutack.

I’m not going to pretend I had some good photos within a few minutes – there was a lot of trial and error with the flash, in half the shots you could see the blutack, in the other half you could see the guitar effects pedal I was propping things up with 😊 After quite a few hours, I got some photos I was happy with. And when I sent them to my ‘client’ she was thrilled with them – the most important thing. Since then, I have done another shoot for her.

During this whole process, I’ve learnt that even though new photography genres are pretty terrifying to begin with, like most things in life, you can learn your way through it. I’m not saying that after a couple of shoots, I’m an expert in product photos, far from it (there were still some rejected shots that had the blutack showing!), but I know that I can get decent shots for small businesses to use in their marketing, I know I can continue to learn and improve with every shoot…..and I really enjoy it.

If you have a small business and would like me to do some product shots for you (especially if its for chocolate or tea!!), please email me at: claremcewenphotography@gmail.com or message me on Instagram @claremcewen

If you’d like to check out any of the above products or need some calming guidance, please check out Empathy Holistics on Instagram: @empathyholisticsbuddies

Have a fab day. x

An artist? Me????

A year or so ago, whilst getting into the stride of the original lockdown, I decided it might be fun to be brave and set up a website to sell some of my coastal photos as prints. I didn’t think too hard about it, it just felt like a time of change and so, maybe, I should take advantage of that and try something new – I like to find positives in as many situations as I can!

I spent some time researching costs, choosing photos and ultimately designing and setting up my website, www.seethecalm.com. What I didn’t plan for was what now seems to be something of an artistic journey of discovery, and a real opportunity for some personal growth. You see, despite loving photography, taking a tonne of photos and continually learning about my craft, I had never once considered myself an artist. It wasn’t until an actual artist referred to me in this way that I started thinking about it. Am I an artist?? Do I create art? Subconsciously, I must believe I create art, after all, I set up an online shop expecting other people to decorate their walls with my photos, but any conscious thought about being an artist feels a bit weird….hard to reconcile with what I’d always believed – I am not the arty one. But, maybe I am…..not only do I take photos, but I also write songs, and I’ve even attempted to write a children’s story about Cornish smugglers! I’m always scribbling down potential song lyrics and giving voice to inanimate objects……hang on a minute, could I actually be a bit creative?!

For those who follow me on Instagram or know me in person, you will likely know that I am a scientist. And I think I’ve always assumed, or been led to believe that science and art are mutually exclusive, that they are at opposite ends of a spectrum and never the twain shall meet. Whether that comes from me, or somewhere else, I can pinpoint the time when I subconsciously, at least, chose science over creativity – when choosing my A’ Levels. You see, as my English teacher at the time put it on my school report that year (with more than a little hint of sour grapes, since I was a good student), “……even though Clare has chosen science over English….”. I had made my choice! It of course wasn’t quite so black and white as that, but I knew I wanted a career in science. It turns out that the branch of science I now do is very much a mixture of science and English since I research and write scientific papers (I think that English teacher might be quite pleased with that!). And although this may not be a popular thought amongst some of my fellow practitioners, I think my scientific discipline is actually a good mix of science and art.

So, maybe I have the odd creative bone in my body and, therefore, maybe I have a creative voice that needs exploring? I hope to explore it a bit through this blog and see where it all leads me…..if you’d like to join me, that would be awesome 😊

Back once again…. with the Overwhelm Master

Well, we’re back into lockdown in the UK, and although I am very relieved that the decision has been made and steps are finally being taken to get the virus under control, I’m also a muddle of a hundred other emotions. And I know I’m not alone.

I’ll be honest, the word overwhelm felt a bit over-used before all this global pandemic malarkey kicked off, but now…..well….I very much get it! Trying to juggle half a dozen different roles throughout a day – mum, teacher, wife, employee, cook, washer woman, and being something to everyone is hard. I want to know my friends can message me to talk, to laugh, to moan; I want to find time for me, to take photos, to learn new Photoshop skills, to play my guitar, to write songs, read books…..arghhhhh,how is that possible in just one day…… equals overwhelm!

Last night I woke up in the middle of the night, with all this rushing around my head, this plus trying to think of presents for an upcoming birthday, remembering to write thank you letters, planning a cake……you get it…

So why on earth, amongst the first lockdown, did I decide that starting a business selling prints of my photos was a good idea!!! How was more work going to help any level of overwhelm improve? Well, the answer is, it doesn’t! And I am putting way too much pressure on myself to make it happen. Why? The answer is, I don’t know! The plan was to make a few quid selling photos and see where it went, not some great entrepreneurial journey!

So, this week, (whilst home-schooling and writing kick-ass haikus!!) I will sit down and write a list of the most important elements of my life, the things that are important to make time for, and focus on fitting them into my life. Not stressing about things that don’t really matter that much.

After all, I am extremely lucky I have as much time as I do – I’m not a medic on the front line, I’m not a teacher trying to teach both in the classroom and online at the same time, I don’t work in a supermarket trying to break up fights over toilet roll… And I shouldn’t waste precious time listening to the Sound of the Overwhelm (I hope you’re getting these tenuous references or I’m sounding like a complete idiot!).

I encourage you to do the same – listen to the songs you love, dance in the kitchen, read the books that feed your soul, wrap up warm and go for a walk, play games with your kids, watch movies, and do the hoovering when there’s a spare couple of minutes. And I am going to finish writing one song this year!

Stay safe x

www.seethecalm.com

2020: An Unwelcome Odyssey

Well 2020 has been impossible to ignore! It has been an emotional rollercoaster for everyone and a physical rollercoaster for many. It has been a year that has changed us, I hope for the better and I hope forever, but I am an optimist! One thing it has done, is bring us together, we may have been in separate boats, but we’ve all been bashed around by the same tides of change.

It has led to amazing scientific and medical breakthroughs in a ridiculously short period of time, thanks to everyone working against a common enemy – this time last year, we didn’t even know that this particular virus existed, today, in the UK, the NHS are administering the first vaccines against it, as I type! This is incredible, and although not a miracle cure, is a bloody amazing achievement for humankind.

Despite the backdrop of a global pandemic that has side-swiped all our lives, I hope you have found pockets of positivity and joy. For me, these have included:

Getting to home-school my son, which as well as being frustrating was actually extremely rewarding!! And I believe it actually helped him academically

Spending much more time in the garden watching the wildlife – learning which birds visit our garden regularly, discovering we have a little tribe of hedgehog visitors and now seeing the squirrels scuttling back and forth every morning

Realising more how I want to spend my time – less rushing about, more taking pleasure in strolling through the countryside with my family, exploring places we’ve not been before.

And this year feels like a turning point for my photography. I’ve set up a website to sell prints, and I’ve sold some! I’ve watched many online tutorials and seminars about photography and Photoshop and learnt some new skills. And this week, I’ve had one of my favourite photos of the year published in Amateur Photographer magazine – a big deal for me!

The negatives of 2020 are easy to find and require no thinking about, but what are your positives? What have you learnt through this year that you can carry on when the world gradually gets re-started again (hopefully!)? What are you grateful for?

Thank you for reading this blog this year and I’ll see you in 2021.

Best wishes and stay safe.

Clare x

For a community jam full of positivity and fun, come and check out my Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/seethecalm

To see more of my photos, come and take a look at http://www.seethecalm.com or follow me on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/claremcewen/

Back to school – mixed emotions

Well, we’re on the cusp of the kids going back to school in the UK and I know I’m not the only one feeling weird about it. Of course we all have some trepidation about how this is all going to work whilst we’re still in the middle of a global pandemic, but it’s also more than this.

We’ve all been at home so long and been doing things so differently that it’s difficult to see how we’re going to get back into that routine – I do not envy teachers who must find it hard to settle kids after 6 weeks off, nevermind after 5 months! Some kids are desperate to get back, others are going to find it really difficult, and those little reception children are going to have to go in without their mum’s – heartbreaking for everyone. And us parents, we are going to find it so tough – I’m already losing sleep! Not only is the hygiene aspect soon to be out of my hands, but I’m not going to have my child with me all day for the first time in 5 months! And although there is, undeniably, some appeal in this, I’m going to miss him so much! We’ve been inseparable for this time and it’s mostly been amazing.

So, I’m going to focus on all the fab things we’ve done during this time. All the new places we’ve found, all the things we’ve learnt, all the nature we’ve seen, flowers we’ve grown, all the kitchen discos…

All the PE with Joe, the home learning lessons and projects, the VE Day celebrations in the garden, the water fights, the home Sports’ Day, our garden music festival…

The movie nights, the giggles, the endless football in the garden, the craft sessions making posters and banners for various events, the looking after a poorly robin and the discovery of hedgehogs visiting our garden.

And now that I’ve written that out, it’s clear that we’ve been lucky enough to have had loads of fun during this scary time. So, rather than worry about what I can’t control when school restarts, I’m going to try to focus on the gift of time that under normal circumstances we would never have had. And I’m going to spend the next 5 months sorting out all the photo memories!

Stay safe.

Clare x

www.claremcewenphotography.com – sign up for my newsletter on the home page and never miss a blog post. And get 10% off your first print order.

Phoenix from the flames

A global pandemic, worldwide lockdowns, everything changing in the blink of an eye….2020 definitely had strange plans for us. Plans that have turned our world upside down.

Early on in this rapidly evolving situation, along with many others, I was struggling with the fear. But as soon as we were locked down, I knew I had to try to find positives. So I focused on my child and how we could make this a time to remember for good reasons (I also stopped looking at any news, to make this easier!)

Intentionally moving the camera a bit can create beautifully relaxed pictures

I tried to make home schooling fun….although my patience and energy definitely waned as the weeks went on! We spent a lot of time in the garden looking at nature and growing flowers and vegetables. Inevitably, we spent much more time in the house than normal.

We were supposed to see my family in Cornwall at Easter, so I missed my fix of the sea (we did get to go in August, see my previous blog post). But whilst thinking about this, I looked at some of my seaside photos. Could I bring the sea to me if I had them professionally printed?

Intentionally moving the camera can also give more painterly effects

The answer was yes! I immediately saw that those sea feelings could be brought back with the right scene. So I started thinking if the same could work for others? Could I bring the same feelings of calmness, joy and memories of times by the sea into other people’s living rooms.

So I set up my own website for selling prints of the sea, beaches, beach huts and general seaside feelings. I really wanted something positive to come out of this year, and this was my phoenix from the flames. My very own website showing the world some of my favourite photos.

Let me know any positives you’ve taken from the topsy turvy year that is 2020.

And if you’d like to see the website, it’s at www.claremcewenphotography.com I’ll be adding more photos very soon.

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

Stay safe.

Clare x

Emotional return home to Cornwall

We finally got to go to Cornwall to see my family last week. This was our very delayed Easter break, I guess, but we got there! The global pandemic may have screwed up everyone’s plans, but to finally be able to see my family was fantastic.

Cornwall is still home. I may live my everyday 100s of miles away, but Cornwall is still home. And Cornwall provided! Quiet coves, rocks to climb, the gentle lapping of the waves on the shore, rock pools, pretty stones, limpets, anemones, shells, plenty of photo opportunities, and food for the soul.

Seeing my family was lovely and we had a brilliant time, but it’s a weird feeling when you’re physically distancing from your sister because she’s not in your social bubble! We wore masks when in the car together! Aside from the ‘interesting times’ we’re living in, it was a pretty perfect visit. We found coves and walks we’d never been to before, the weather was pretty perfect for exploring (not too hot, not blown into the sea by the wind 😂), and we avoided the busy tourist areas. In short, we had one of our best mini breaks down there, despite it being the bonkers year that is 2020!

It’s always a wrench leaving home. Not just leaving my family, but leaving the sea, the sand, the sea air, that freshness that only sea air can provide. That sense of history from a childhood growing up there, the memories that make me smile or give me a twang of pain. The friends that I rarely see, but still love dearly. The waves crashing on the shore etc etc.

But I’m so grateful that I got a few days at home at this time. And I do feel refreshed from it. Oh yeah, and I did find that “Paris pigeon” photo I talked about in my last blog post – and it’s a whole lot worse than my memory of it 😂

So where’s home for you and what do you love about it?

And let me know if you want to see the Paris pigeon, it’s not art, but it’s a wonderful memory.

Stay safe

Clare x

Photography and me – a meandering journey

I can’t believe it, but I’ve just launched my very own website, selling my very own photo prints!!www.claremcewenphotography.com. I also can’t believe how long it’s been since I first picked up a camera (or how I can remember that far back 😉 ).

I think I was about 8 when my Mum bought me my first camera. A 1980s classic (I think they call it vintage now!) Halina, taking a 110 film – for those who remember the 80s, they were the cameras that were long and thin. They were great for a small budget, and performed very well for a young, budding photographer. Prior to owning my first camera, I was fascinated by our family cameras – the main one had a separate flash you attached to the top and always reminded me of an ice cube – and then there was the mighty Polaroid (which I’m lucky enough to have inherited, and it still works just fine). So, when I got my own, I was beside myself with excitement – I could take photos of anything I liked!

I was always fascinated by capturing moments in time, preserving the feelings and storing each memory we made with a snapshot – and that has never changed. And I was lucky enough that one of my first major photography trips was to Paris! I was a Brownie, and when I was 8, our Brownie Pack won a tea-making competition (very British!) that got us sent from our small rural town in the depths of Cornwall to the sophisticated city on the Seine! Ridiculously big trip for us little country Brownies, but the adventure of a lifetime. It took us several hours in a coach before we even got to Exeter airport – this was massive for us and, almost certainly, more massive for our parents!! Oh, and I forgot to mention, it was a DAY TRIP! We had to get from deepest, darkest Cornwall to Paris, and back, and have lunch there and see some sights, all in one day! We of course we not phased – we had know idea about the logistics, we just knew we were off to Paris. Anyway, we made it there, and I got my camera out. I’ll be honest, of all the dodgy photos I took in Paris, the one that mostly sticks out in my mind is my infamous (well, within the family!!), ‘Paris Pigeon’. Not the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe, a somewhat filthy Paris pigeon. Oh yes, and the photo of a smiling Gendarme – I can still see his face now 🙂 Capturing moments, capturing feelings! These were the important moments to my 8 year old self – these were the memories that now very much live on even though I haven’t dug the photos out in years.

So yes, Paris was the beginning! Many family holidays, many photos, several cameras as the years went by. Then University and loads of memories of the hilarious times, the brilliant people, the outings and exploring with my new boyfriend (now my husband), all captured by the camera I religiously took everywhere with me – side note: for the younger generation, there were no mobile phones when I went to Uni….I know, how did we survive….actually, I really don’t know how we did! Next, some adventures around Europe, and more recently documenting family life with my own child – full circle really, as he is now 8 and uses my old compact digital camera!

Well, I warned you this was a meandering journey, so thank you if you’re still reading! And here I am, selling photographic prints of the seaside and of nature, and still capturing the moments. But these moments are the ones that bring me a sense of calm and well-being. They make me breathe a little deeper. They help my shoulders relax. And they make me wonder at the magic and the beauty of our natural world.

Thank you for reading.

Clare x

Reflection

I was doing one of those 10 photos in 10 days things on Facebook the other day, when I realised that I’m always so busy racing headlong into the rushing onslaught of the world that I rarely have time to look back and cherish the memories.

The sea at Porthleven, Cornwall and the inspiration for this post.

Although it’s for a terrible reason, this lockdown is providing me with some welcome space to reflect and re-evaluate. For once, I’m not thinking too much into the future (mostly what we might do for home-schooling tomorrow and not much beyond!), but I am thinking of some of the cool things we’ve done, the beautiful scenes we’ve seen, the holidays we’ve had, as well as thoroughly enjoying the bonus time we’re getting to spend together now.

Personally, I am very keen to focus on the positives of this experience. The negatives are obvious, but I’ve found so many positives too – time to look back through photos (which for me are inextricably linked to memories), time to sit and watch nature, time in my greenhouse and, most importantly, time spent with my family. In particular, although home-schooling is a challenge (some days an insurmountable one!), it does mean I got to try it and often quite enjoyed it. And it’s precious time with my son, which under normal circumstances I would have missed.

Home schooling – something I wouldn’t have experienced, but sometimes quite fancied the idea of.

So, look back, reflect, take time to process those joyful past experiences that whizzed by. And in time, this too will pass and, for most of us, maybe we can look back and find some cherished memories.