We would like to begin our Spring update by saying that we hope this finds you in good health and good spirits. The last few weeks have been a huge test for everyone, personally and professionally but we here at CliQQ have faith that we can get through these most challenging times and come out the other side stronger and hopefully living in a kinder and more compassionate world.
Being a fairly small team, we are used to wearing many hats at the Studio and our set up only works as efficiently as it does because we all understand the necessity for regular communication and flexibility. We are colleagues but also friends. Because of this we were able, in a very short space of time, to put systems in place for remote working and a skeleton studio crew but from today, after following Governmental guidelines, we are temporarily closing the studio.
However, while our door might be closed, business is not! And while photography and video production are on hold we are still busy planning shoots for May onwards. Do get in touch if you have upcoming projects, as now is a great time for us to refine those concepts for you.
Going global
2020 got off to a great start for us with our first International shoot in Antigua. Shooting stills and video for a super yacht certainly isn’t a bad way to begin a new year!
It was a challenging project in many ways from transporting the equipment, to battling the elements, but we were grateful for the opportunity and very pleased with the work we came back with.
The brief was to make a short lifestyle video and take a range of stills that could be used on a variety of platforms over a 4 day period. Despite the unexpected wet and windy weather the CliQQ team managed to get a huge range of footage showing off the yacht, its facilities and the beautiful location. By the end of day three nearly every square inch of the interior of the boat had been photographed and filmed.
Our last shoot day started with a 4:30am call time shooting a breakfast setup outside on the deck to try and capture the Caribbean sunshine we had all been hoping for. Unfortunately by the time the sun came up we were greeted with more than 40 knot winds and tropical downpours. With only 6 hours before we were due to fly back to the UK, we improvised and made our own sun with the lights we had brought. If 10 years of shooting in the UK teaches you anything, it’s how to fake sunlight! By the end of the day the CliQQ team got every shot they wanted just in time for a beer at the airport before the 12 hour journey back to Blighty.
Want to see what €95,000 a week gets you? View the images here
Park life
We regularly shoot for DC Thompson Media’s newest Women’s Magazine, Platinum. It’s a fantastic publication aimed at Women over 50 producing articles from fashion and careers to relationships and health.
For the last five months we have taken the photographs for their fashion spreads here at the studio but in February we took Platinum out on location for the first time!
The theme for this particular feature was occasion wear, so think weddings, garden parties and events. This brought its own set of challenges as we needed to find a location that would not only be versatile enough to cover these but also would let us shoot on Valentines Day, plus we had zero location budget! Not to be deterred we managed to source a beautiful stately home approximately half an hours drive from our studio. Braxted Park is the largest walled private estate in the county with it’s own cookery school, golf club and is one the most popular Wedding Venues in Essex.
We had a great time exploring the grounds and rooms of the house to get the most production value from the day and are very grateful to Braxted Park for letting us use their wonderful premises.
See all images here.
Big Drop
We thrive when shooting out on location and solving the various challenges, often unpredictable, that arise when working in new environments but we also love working on often very technical Product Photography in the studio.
For example, we recently had the opportunity to shoot the new product shots for our friends at Big Drop. We have built up a solid relationship with Managing Director James Kindred who knows that we always deliver, on time and often with very short notice. He emails his brief, delivers the product and tells us his deadline. It couldn’t be simpler.
We have shot Big Drop products many times but this particular brief was slightly more involved than usual. They wanted all the products at an angle and spritzed to look like they had just come out of a fridge. Our Production Manager has worked on many high profile drinks commercials including Stella Artois, Kronenbourg and Diet Coke and knows how much drink stylists usually charge, but with our experience and resourcefulness we were able to achieve a high quality result ourselves in house.
See the full range of delicious beers here.
Mixing with the best
Folkington’s are another one of our regular clients who needed some new product photography this February. The company was founded in 2012 with the ambition of creating a brand that replicated the authenticity and provenance that stand behind fine wines into a range of fruit juices and soft drinks.
Folkington’s originally launched with just 6 varieties and has progressively grown to now include a range of sparkling drinks and a range of tonic waters and other mixers based on small batch botanicals.
The challenge for this particular shoot was volume. On top of the product shots required there were also a huge amount of lifestyle shots needed. Due to the time and logistical constraints it all needed to be shot in the studio. Rising to the challenge we used printed backgrounds to create different locations quickly.
On set
Our product images get the same meticulous care and attention to detail as our campaign shoots. Take a look above at the setup for the Big Drop bottle images.
Want to see more? Check out our behind the scenes collection here.
Fashion, celebrities, food… it’s all in there!
All the team at CliQQ would like to wish you and your families the best and we look forward to hearing from you. Please stay safe and do keep in touch.
