Well they do say variety is the spice of life…..and my portfolio is definitely varied! As we are well into 2011 now,  I thought I’d review my photography portfolio and look forward to the challenges to come!

Whitby Seafoods - portrait photography, location photography, creative photography and reportage.

Whitby Seafoods, based on the east coast of Yorkshire, commissioned me to photograph a library of creative images that could be called upon for rebranding, web site redesign, and general promotional purposes. My brief was to photograph the main personnel of this family run business, in a relaxed and approachable style, in a location that connected them to their business. I was also asked to provide descriptive “reportage” pictures that told a story about what they do, plus generic images of Whitby.

The project was a tremendous opportunity for me to demonstrate my skills, as a professional location photographer. I have undertaken projects in Africa, Asia & Europe, so travelling to Yorkshire was a piece of cake! As a location photographer, the locality of the commission is irrelevant. The travel is part of the project, and helps me to appreciate the location and focus on the task in hand. In fact I believe that in many cases, clients actually get a better result using photographers from outside their location, as they view the scene with a new pair of eyes and pick up details that are missed by local photographers.

http://www.whitby-seafoods.com/about/
Midsummer House, East Anglia – specialist food photography, interior architectural photography, location photography, reportage, portrait photography

Midsummer House, a beautiful Victorian villa, is home to the renowned restaurant run by Daniel Clifford. Daniel really appreciated the work I had been doing for another 2 Michelin starred restaurant, Hibiscus in Mayfair, and commissioned me to undertake a series of images to promote the venue and illustrate the quality of food on offer.

My brief was to provide high quality food images that bore the same care and attention to detail that any Michelin starred restaurant applies to their food presentation. This was a delightful project as the culinary dishes were spectacular, and the chef’s concentration on presenting a masterpiece on a plate was inspiring to photograph.

In addition, as the restaurant had undertaken a complete refurbishment, I was to provide interior photography, reportage in real time in the kitchens, and general location images of Cambridge rounded up the commission.

http://www.midsummerhouse.co.uk/

McLaren F1 Technology Centre – Interior photography, architectural photography, editorial photography

F1 Racing Magazine came up with a fantastic commission, which was to be the first professional photographer to have a free run of the interior of the McLaren Headquarters, designed by Norman Foster. To an architectural photographer, this project was a dream come true!

Clean lines, simplicity, natural light, and space provided the canvas for me to come up with these images, which are some of the best shots I’ve ever taken in the interior photography genre. The entire building is an inspiration; totally state-of-the-art and truly innovative.

I felt like a young boy in a sweet shop!

http://mclaren.com/technologycentre/

Farmers Livestock Market – portrait photography, reportage, regional photography

I love to photograph people going about their lives, and being there to capture “real life” in “real time” from the perspective of a fly on the wall. Whether it’s commercially or for personal work, it is the opportunity of being there, and the privilege of being asked to capture what I see that inspires me.
The skill in portrait photography and reportage is to capture a ‘natural’ image, without any hint of posing. This commission allowed me plenty of opportunity to do just that. The market was buzzing with activity, with a real life event, the outcome of which would have a tremendous impact on the farmers’ lives. The concentration, conversation and commentary between the farmers was exciting to capture, especially as they were all so engrossed that they barely noticed the intrusion of the camera on their every day lives.  I am extremely proud of this portfolio of images which are a fascinating review of social history.

http://www.robwhitrow.co.uk/portfolio/slice-of-life/#!/91/livestock-market

Well that was a taster of what I’ve been up to,  and I’ll be ready with an update very soon!