Photography, Safety and Coronavirus

June 24, 2020 by admin | Comments Off

Covid-19 Update:

The Coronavirus pandemic has meant that we’ve all had to adapt the way we live and work. Whilst it’s been hard not being able work on any wedding, gig or event photography over the past few months, I’ve been lucky to have the opportunity to work on a range of solo projects (including this short film: 2,000 Rainbows).

However, after months of quarantine, the country is slowly coming out of lockdown, which means that I’m able to take bookings for shoots once again. I’m so excited to be able to get back to the work that I love, but I’m acutely aware that it has to be done safely and responsibly.

I’ve adapted my work methods to ensure that the safety and well-being of my clients is at the forefront of everything I do:

I’ll be working alone and during all shoots I will maintain strict social distancing, staying more that 2m away from other people. But don’t worry, the quality of my work wont be affected – using top-of-the-range zoom lenses, I’m able to capture beautiful, intimate photographs from a distance.
For the foreseeable future, I will be wearing a facemask for all shoots. Additional PPE will be worn whenever necessary.
Wherever possible, shoots will take place outdoors. Indoor shoots will be limited to places where it is possible to maintain social distancing and work safely.
During all shoots, contact with shared surfaces (door handles, etc.) will be kept to an absolute minimum. I will be carrying 70% alcohol disinfectant gel with me at all times and will be maintaining a strict handwashing protocol to minimise the risk of contamination.
All my equipment will be thoroughly cleaned between shoots.
Every shoot and every client is different. So, alongside the changes I’ve implemented above, I will happily tailor the way I work to meet your/your company’s specific needs and ways of working to keep you safe, and stress-free during your shoot.
All of the changes I’ve implemented are in line with the current government guidelines, but I’ll be regularly reviewing and updating my work practices as time goes on to make sure I’m always adhering to the latest advice.

Please get in touch if you’d like to chat about any of the above in more detail, or if you want to book a safe, socially-distanced photoshoot.

Thanks for reading. Stay kind and keep safe x

a painting of a rainbow with the word NHS written below, placed in a sunny window

Posted in Photography Tagged booking, coronavirus, covid-19, guidelines, lockdown, Manchester, pandemic, ppe, safety, well-being |

2,000 Rainbows

June 10, 2020 by admin | Comments Off

I wanted to share one of my lockdown projects with you. This took me about 3 weeks to make, features over 1,700 photographs and involved walking about 60km around the streets of Chorlton. Hopefully it highlights how important community and creativity are in times of trouble and what we can achieve when we come together to support one another.

If you enjoyed this video, and if you are able, please consider donating to one of these organisations (or another of your choosing), supporting some of the people most affected by the Covid-19 pandemic:

Mama Health & Poverty Partnership www.mhapp.org.uk (supporting BME women in Manchester)
Refugee Action www.refugee-action.org.uk (support for refugees and asylum seekers in Greater Manchester)
Refuge www.refuge.org.uk (supporting those affected by domestic violence)
The Trussell Trust www.trusselltrust.org (food banks)
Mind www.mind.org.uk (mental health support)

Big love to the people of Chorlton and to all the wonderful individuals, organisations and local businesses that have kept us going through the past few months

Many thanks to @electromotive for allowing me to use their music for this project.

Keep safe and stay kind xx

(If the video is not visible below, please try reloading this post here)

Posted in Documentary photography, Places Tagged Chorlton, covid-19, film, hope, lock down, Manchester, pandemic, rainbow, windows |

House of Suarez Ball of Atlantis 2019

October 30, 2019 by admin | Comments Off

Feast your eyes on some of my favourite photos from this year’s incredible House of Suarez Ball of Atlantis at Liverpool’s Invisible Wind Factory!

Posted in Arts Photography, Documentary photography, Events Tagged atlantis, Ball, Ball of Atlantis, Dance, House of Lipa, House of Suarez, Invisible Wind Factory, Liverpool, The Vivienne, Vogue, Vogue Ball |

Bluedot 2019

July 21, 2019 by admin | Comments Off

I spent Friday at the fabulous Bluedot Festival at Jodrell Bank in Cheshire. A mix of Science, Music and Art its unlike another festival I’ve ever been too. Alongside seeing amazing acts such as Kate Tempest and Hot Chip you could also join talks and workshops about cutting edge science, and enjoy incredible interactive artworks and installations. Unfortunately the British weather was not at it’s finest. It rained. It was muddy. But it couldn’t dampen the festival spirit and it was so still much fun! I wish I could have stayed for the whole three days. In between hiding from the downpours and wading through the mud, managed to get a few shots in. Here are some of my favourites…

Posted in Bands, Documentary photography, Events, Gig Photography, Music Photography

My Favourite images of 2018

January 6, 2019 by admin | Comments Off

So long 2018! The passing of a year is always a good time to reflect on the past 12 months, and for me that means looking back through a LOT of photos. Taking a step back and looking at my work over the course of a whole year, I’m struck by varied it has been – I’ve documented community projects, music events, travel destinations; taken portraits of new-born babies, business leaders, artists and musicians; and I’ve photographed weddings, gigs, poetry readings, conferences and festivals. It’s been a blast!

To save you having to look through a year’s worth of (rather splendid) blog posts, I’ve collected together a selection of my favourite images from 2018 to create a super-duper-blow-your-mind-with-it’s-awesomeness gallery, which you can view below. There’s a mixture of portraits, documentary shots, gig pictures, landscapes and wedding photographs. I hope you enjoy them (please let me know your favourites in the comments section).

Heading into 2019 I’m incredibly excited to see what the next 12 months will bring. Thank you so much to all of the wonderful people and organisations that I’ve worked with in 2018, and to all of my fabulous family and friends for their continuing support. Happy new year everyone, lets make 2019 a belter!

Rachel x

Posted in Arts Photography, Bands, Documentary photography, Events, Gig Photography, landscape photography, Music Photography, Photography, Places, Portraits, travel photography, Wedding Photography Tagged 2018, best photos, both sides now, Brighter Sound, collection, Concert, dazzley badger, Event Photography, favourite images, Manchester, Music Photography, retrospective, Scotland, Travel, Wedding, year in review |

A Week In Provence

November 15, 2018 by admin | Comments Off

I love my home town of Manchester but it can get a little grey and drizzly sometimes, especially as winter approaches. So, to recharge our batteries enough to see us through the dark winter months , we managed to steal a week away in sunny Provence a few weeks back. The lavender may have been out of season but the region is full of incredible natural beauty all year round. From picture-postcard coastal towns like Menton and Villefranche-Sur-Mer along the Cote D’Azur, to the luscious green valleys of the Gorge du Verdon, we found ourselves surrounded by jaw-dropping scenery almost every where we went. I’ve collated some of my favourite images fro the trip in the gallery below. I hope you enjoy them!

See something you like and want to buy a print? Please contact me for details.

Posted in landscape photography, Places, travel photography Tagged Cannes, Cote D'Azur, france, Gorge du verdon, holiday, Menton, Provence, South of France, Travel, Villefrance sur mer |

North Of the Wall

November 3, 2018 by admin | Comments Off

We saw out the end of October with a trip up to Northumberland, just past Hadrian’s Wall, and then onwards up to Loch Awe in Scotland, accompanied by friends and the worlds cutest little black pug.

The idea behind the trip to Northumberland was to take advantage of the incredible dark sky park they have around the Kielder area for some stargazing and astrophotography. Unfortunately the weather had other ideas and we only had a single briefly clear night during our 3 day stay. On the plus side, the stormy clouds made for some incredible landscapes during the daylight hours.

We continued northwards up towards Oban and Fort William, where we took a trip on The Jacobite – a fully working steam train that many will recognise as the Hogwarts Express in the Harry Potter films. Scotland was rainy, windy and unbelievably beautiful. It was a long 6 hour journey home but it was worth every second.

You can see a selection of my favourite images from the trip in the gallery below.

(If you are interested in purchasing prints of any of these images, please contact me for details)

Posted in astrophotography, Documentary photography, landscape photography, Places, travel photography Tagged fort william, harry potter, Jacobite, kielder, landscapes, mallaig, Northumberland, oban, rainbow, Scotland, steam train, Travel, weather |

Dazzley Badger 2018

September 6, 2018 by admin | Comments Off

In July, 2018 two local micro-festivals – Velvet Badger and Dazzley – blended together to form Dazzley Badger, and a legendary weekend was born.

Here are some of my favourite images from this perfect little festival of friends….

Posted in Bands, Documentary photography, Events, Gig Photography, Music Photography, Places

Both Sides Now, Fatima Al Qadiri Residency

August 31, 2018 by admin | Comments Off

Last month I headed down to the People’s History Museum to shoot the latest residency in Brighter Sound‘s ambitious ‘Both Sides Now’ programme, which aims to support and sustain gender equality on the music industry.

This residency was headed by artist, musician and composer Fatima Al Qadiri, alongside curator and researcher Amal Khalaf. Working with 8 female musicians, artists and performers, over the course of 5 days in the People’s History Museum, they created a unique and powerful piece of work – a combinations of performance, music, video, spoken word and protest art, all inspired by the ‘Represent! Voices 1200 Years On’ exhibition that was running at the museum.

The final piece was performed in a special one off event at the PHM. I joined the group on the final day of the residency to document their final rehearsals and the evening’s performance, all in the beautiful pump room at the PHM. A selection of my favourite images from the event can be seen below.

Posted in Arts Photography, Documentary photography, Events, Gig Photography, Music Photography, Places, Portraits Tagged Amal Khalaf, Arts, both sides now, Brighter Sound, equality, Event, Fatima Al Qadiri, feminism, Gig, Manchester, Music, Peoples History Museum, Performance, Protest, Pump Room, Represent! 100 Years On |

Riku and Valpuri Got Married!

August 29, 2018 by admin | Comments Off

Oooh I love a good wedding! Earlier this month I was pleased as punch to photograph the lovely Richard and Valpuri’s nuptials at St Clement’s Church in Chorlton. I’ve included some of my favourite images below. Friends and family of the happy couple can see the rest of their wedding photos in this private gallery – you’ll just need to ask Rich or Valps for the password.