Covid-19 hit. Photography suffered. Really suffered. Now as we all slowly creep out from under our rocks I’ve found it fascinating watching how companies are changing to reach their customers. High end Japanese restaurant Zuma is no exception.
These shots are for online orders. Hungry?
A bank. In a small London office on a mezzanine level (think dropped windows) and bankers flying in with next to zero time. Cue the generalist. Be polite, appropriate and find the right light when there isn’t any. So I met bankers from all over the world in my little makeshift studio in the stairwell. Yes, the stairwell.
Did you know that I also take photos of kids? That was my first business and it still runs strong… Emily Manos Photography. Bumps, babies, kids and families. Sometimes dogs too.
I try to capture candid shots. The sort you want to take yourself. I then throw in a few more formal shots for good measure. The clients that I attract with this approach are brilliant. We click. We hang out and have some fun. I’ll often take the kids on my own nearby for a bit and give the parents a break. Let the kids feel like they’re calling the shots.
On this paticular shoot, the littlest one ran up to me the minute I arrive and gave me a big hug and said, “It’s you Emily!” Turns out his favourite power ranger is Emily and, to him, I was her.
I spend more time than I’d like to admit at Thrown Contemporary. Not just because it’s my friend’s gallery but because I have a thing for pots. The feel of a seriously good mug at just the right size and thickness. I love a good handle too. And don’t get me started on water jugs.
When my friend Claire, the gallery owner, said that Leach Pottery (one of the oldest and most respected brands in the business) was making her some dinnerware, I was already impressed. But then also coming down to London for a supper club in the gallery to eat off their work and talk about it… I said YES PLEASE.
All I have to say to you is.. Google! Google and The Dots got together to make the ‘Fast Track’ 50. People that otherwise might not have got the chance are guided through a process to present their talents.
You shoot the jobs you get and then you get the jobs you want to shoot.
I think we’re at 4 years now. Every year I go to The Dots Xmas party, watch everyone get tipsy and take some really fun photos. Some they love me for, some they don’t. But that’s family hey…
40 is a big deal. I learnt at Gabby’s 40th that Mexicans know how to party.
This is how it should be done.
The big 40. Not me, my husband. Mine isn’t for ages (147 days). He didn’t want a big party. I had to promise him I wouldn’t throw a big party. Instead, I made a series of small events with all the people he cares about. My favourite was our short break with our little family of 3. I booked a place on Canopy & Stars and away we went.
One day, I found myself just wandering and shooting. I started taking shots of all the quirky things about the place. It was beautiful and peaceful and built with such love. I came home and edited the shots an embarrassing amount of time later and thought I might as well send them to the owners.
Turns out they loved them. And invited us back as a thank you. :-)
It may have only been 4 photos but this shoot was a big deal. I am a lover of Apple. If they had a church, I’d go there. Religiously. What am I saying, they do have a church and I do go! Their stores reflect the feeling of a vaulted ancient cathedral and I find myself in them from time to time, just for the feel of it.
I’ve been photographing for The Dots for a while now but when they said they needed some images to send to Apple for a potential feature in the App Store, I nearly fell off my chair. My palms sweat. I was nervous. But the shoot went well and the images were accepted and, yes, they made App Of The Day. Woo hoo!
My email from Wonderland Agency (my employer) read... “wear leather”. I laughed. I didn't realise until I reached the event how serious she was. I mean, these guys are COOL (is cool still the word you use for 'cool' these days?).
Marshall were announcing the release of their new wireless headphones; an intimate event at the famous Angel Studios. The small space and the dim lighting presented a decent challenge but the intrigue in the detail of an old chapel and the sheer technology to make the music happen was awe inspiring.
Note to self, get leather pants out of back cupboard for next time.
As a self confessed shopping addict I’m embarrassed to say I didn’t know who Vestiare Collective were before I did this shoot. I didn’t know the famous supermodel hosting the event either but that’s not unusual for me. I pretty much know Madonna and Paul McCartney and that’s it.
Am I in the wrong profession?
We now have a little human. His name is Archie and he popped out pretty much perfect. A photographer’s delight.
We’re still adjusting to our new life with 3 but I have found myself reflecting on my time working while pregnant. It’s been wonderful actually. Apart from looking at every chair on every job and wishing I could sit in it forever, the friendliness and kindness of others has pleasantly surprised me. The belly was a way to talk to me without looking like a weirdo. I liked it. I wish there was more of it. I wonder what it will be like the next job I go to without my baby belly ice breaker.
Shooting for an events company is like gambling. Where on earth will they send me next?
I wouldn’t have even known this vast and beautiful space existed before this job. Although I was there to photograph the setup, I found myself drawn to the old place and wondering what it had been in the past. It’s rare to shoot in such a large space, with so few people, right in the heart of London.
Anything with the word Olympic in it feels a bit next worldly to me. These two big brand household names came together to announce they would be hosting the Winter Olympic Games for 2018 in Korea and it was grand. A hand built stadium, virtual reality gear and priceless items from Olympic history. I met Olympic greats Jonathan Edwards and Jason Kenny. Edwards still holds the the world record for his triple jump in 2015 of 18.43m at the European Cup!
Successful companies have great stories. These days, startup world is where a lot of these stories are born. Pip Jamison founded The Dots and asked me to photograph some key events in the early days of what is shaping up to be a big story.
I continue to be their in-house photographer.
Diversity of work keeps me ticking. Getting in the studio for product shots is more than it looks. Don’t judge. It is logical, systematic and works your skills. And at the end, when all the photos line up looking all consistent and pretty… such satisfaction.
What can I say… Picasso. I met one of Picasso’s muses. In the flesh. Took her photo and everything.
A Primrose Hill gallery was having a unique private view and book launch. The book was about the author’s mother, who happened to be a muse to Picasso. The paintings on the wall were by her mother. I mean, what!
Customers play an integral part in the story of a business. In the case of dentistry, you want to see examples of how it’s done right. In this shoot for one of Sydney’s leading dental practices, I photographed real patients and cases. These stories are the business’s success.
“Watching Emily connect with each of her subjects, allowing them to lose their staged smile and let the genuine personality show through was inspiring.”
Stock images can serve a purpose when creating a website but we we can all tell these days, right? My client wanted images of happy and relatable children. They were her children and her friend’s children. People that really love her product.
“Emily has the most beautiful, natural way with children. They warm to her instantly and she seamlessly works with them to capture truly beautiful photographs.”
