Professional Photographer for local businesses in Totteridge and Whetstone

Jul 19, 2016 | Blog

Professional Photographer for local businesses

Totteridge and Whetstone

I moved to Totteridge and Whetstone almost 2 years ago. I have really enjoyed discovering and photographing local places and businesses!

N20 is home to some beautiful parks, meadow, ponds, characteristic buildings and of course stunning homes.

I am quite lucky as my school run allows me to drive through and appreciate some gorgeous views of Totteridge and Whetstone.

Growing up in West London, I never imagined I would travel towards the end of a tube line. But here I am living as north as you can get on a tube line!

 

I was absolutely delighted to discover this wonderful tea room establishment The Waiting Room situated a few doors away from the tube station.

The Waiting Room

The interior looks a cross between a vintage styled tea room and a boutique shop. All the tables and chairs are different as well as the crockery you are served on! The menus are sandwiched between old books that simply adds to its charming character!

Run by a mother and daughter duo Caroline and Sophie, they turned their dreams into a reality!

“Our vintage style tea room serves a variety of delicious breakfasts, lunches and traditional afternoon tea. Be it for a small group of friends or big occasions and celebrations, everything is served on quirky vintage crockery and cakestands”.

“We also sell gifts and home interiors which are displayed uniquely in the surroundings of the shop and in the little gift shop at the back. Basically everything is for sale, including the table and chair you are sat at and the plate you are eating off!

Everything we serve is made on the premises including the beautiful rustic looking cakes and homemade scones! This tea shop is traditional with a twist….”

Sophie

So if (like me) you enjoy afternoon teas then visit this charming place and try the scrumptious bakes!

Check out their full story and delicious menu here.

 

If you are a local business and want to showcase your products or simply looking to update your marketing profile then please get in touch with me. I look forward to hearing all about your business!

 by Follow these top 10 tips to take better photos on your mobile phone.

 

  1.  CLEAN YOUR LENS

I know this may sound obvious, but you will be amazed by the amount of dirt and smudges you find on your lens build up from your pockets, handbags and kids.  So, get into the habit of cleaning your phone with a tissue or soft part of your clothes (do not wipe on your jeans or fingers!!).

  1. GET ON THE GRID

The best way of achieving straighter images (especially for landscape) is by enabling the grid feature on your phone. This should be in your camera settings and nine equal boxes will appear when you switch your camera on. Use the 3×3 grid to align your images and hey presto no more leaning tower of Pisa!

  1. RELY ON NATURAL LIGHT

Understanding light is one of the most important factors in any photos. It can transform the mood and atmosphere of the photo. Try to use natural light on your subject and avoid using built-in flash as they are usually unflattering or can be too harsh.

  1. DITCH THE ZOOM

By zooming in too much the quality of your image decreases, and it appears more pixelated. To get better and sharper images try to get closer to your subject or use minimal zoom.

  1. GO PORTRAIT!

Ever wondered how professional portraits stand out? (Well, the “not so very hidden” secret is that we create a shallow depth of field by setting our aperture wide). You can achieve this look by using the portrait mode on your phone. The camera phone blurs the background and puts the focus on the subject. Best used for individual, couple’s portraits and even makes food look good but practice by varying the distance.

  1. SHOW ME THE LIGHT

Light is key when taking good photos so understanding where your light is and how to position yourself/subject is important. Put your camera phone on selfie and do a full spin to see where the light is hitting you most flattering. You may also want to try backlight so when the light source is behind you, it creates a halo effect.

  1. HONE IN ON YOUR FOCUS

Phone cameras are normally set to automatic focus but sometimes the subject is not so obvious, or you may want to change the focus point. To adjust where you want your phone camera to focus, simply tap on the subject and a square icon will appear. This will shift your focus and sharpen your subject.

  1. VARY YOUR SHOTS

Rather than taking the same type of shot over and over again, try changing the perspective (go higher up or lower down). Another tip when photographing building or landmarks is to use the panoramic mode vertically (going up or down). This lets you take a series of photos and stitch them together into one wide or tall image.

  1. READY, STEADY, GO!

Nobody likes blurry images, well unless you are creating a purpose blur! To minimise camera shake use both hands or lean on a surface, wall or even a friend’s shoulder to create stability. For low light conditions, time lapse and long exposure, purchasing a small tripod can be more helpful.

  1. LOOK THROUGH AND EDIT YOUR IMAGES

Taking a good photo on your mobile phone is just the first step and with a few tweaks you can turn your good photos into great photos! Most mobile phones now come with editing features such as exposure, contrast, white balance, crop, sharpness, and magic wand. If you want to further edit your images, there are editing apps such as Snapseed, Adobe Photoshop Express and Instagram offer further features as well as one tap filters. Try converting your image to black and white to create a certain mood!

I hope by following these top tips you will see a difference and start taking better photos on your mobile phone. Practising and experimenting is the best way to learn, so have a play on your phone and see what works for you but most importantly have fun!!

If you want to further develop and compose photos creatively then why not sign up to my adult mobile phone workshop. I will be running them at my home studio in North London, N20 from January 2024. Contact me for further details.

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