Oh my gosh, doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun! It barely seems a few weeks since I was sitting down and writing our review of 2014 and now here we are on the eve of 2016!
2015 has been another fantastic year in the Stonelock Photography world!
So, what is our absolute highlight? In October we were thrilled to be awarded ‘Highly Commended Best Creative Business’ at the Croydon Business Excellence Awards 2015! It was a tough category and we were up against some brilliantly creative businesses with many more years experience than ourselves and so are delighted with second place! We were also Commended (third) in the best New Business category.
Unfortunately we were celebrating so much we actually forgot to take any photos… So thanks to Nathalie from Buttercup Bus (who came third in the Creative Business category) for taking this one for us!
The acknowledgement in the Croydon Business Excellence Awards was a fantastic affirmation of all the hard work that we have put into the business over the last 12 months. We have had the privilege to work with and photograph many, many wonderful people.
Here are just a few of our favourite moments…
The year started watching the sunrise over the Pacific Ocean during a much needed holiday in Mexico. Relaxed and refreshed we arrived home mid-January ready to go…
Here comes the Bride…
Wedding photography was in an abundance during 2015!
How can we pick one favourite wedding? It’s impossible, there were so many special moments, beautiful brides and stunning locations that we that we had the pleasure of photographing it’s difficult to choose just one!
The rooftop ceremony overlooking the London skyline on a glorious summer afternoon… The tour of London on a old-style routemaster bus filled with the wedding party, guests and champagne… Photographing a wedding at Methodist Central Hall overlooking Westminster Abbey… The list goes on, here are just a few of our memories from the year…
And we’ve had some wonderful feedback from our wedding clients too…
“If you are looking for a wedding photographer, then I cannot recommend these guys highly enough. They truly excel in every part of the process and the proof is in the wonderful photographs that we now have to remember our special day.
Ally & AJ have their own unique style that sets them apart from every other wedding photographer. They possess an amazing skill to capture all those unseen moments that happen between the bride & groom, and also the interactions between the guests on the day…I believe they should be spies as they were so unobtrusive yet they managed to see and more importantly capture all the key moments throughout the day. It was such a joy to look through the gallery as we literally re-lived the day and we also got to enjoy some fantastic moments between guests.
The whole process is collaborative and in their thorough pre-wedding planning, they ensure that all your wants are understood and they make a detailed plan for the day to ensure everything runs smoothly and as efficiently as possible. They really understand the importance of getting the right balance of directed shots but not impeding on the day. They are a pleasure to be around and they will feel like an extension of your wedding party.”
Tai & Janine, 2015
Some of our top wedding blog posts from 2015
- Top ten questions to ask a wedding photographer
- Why should you have an Engagement photo shoot?
- The Deck at the National Theatre: Tai & Janine’s London Wedding
- Islington Town Hall: Tim & Menna’s London Wedding
2016 looks like it’s going to be another fantastic year for weddings. With long, hot gloriously sunny days, July is one of the most popular months for weddings in the UK and 2016 is booking up fast – we actually only have a couple of dates still available in July! I think it’s going to be a busy one!
But it’s not all about weddings…!
A large part of our business is corporate photography; working with other businesses to create images for them to use in their marketing and advertising, we specialise in contemporary business portraiture. In fact, over the year have shot 103 business portraits!
A business headshot is as much a part of your brand as your logo and website is. With online presence in today’s society playing such a huge role in the successes of businesses, the photo on your website or LinkedIn profile is often your first introduction to prospective clients, customers and business associates.
Throughout 2015 we have developed partnerships with several design & marketing consultants who know that our understanding of the importance of branding will be reflected in the photos that we shoot of, and for, their clients.
“We chose Stonelock Photography because of their natural flair, passion and ability to convey a strong sense of understanding and interpretation of the client’s needs – far and away above what they believe is even possible.
They planned the project well, kept both us and the client informed along the way and has delivered on-time, on-budget and above & beyond everyone’s expectations (except maybe theirs!). This, in turn, has reflected very well on us as the primary provider for introducing them to our client.
We have no hesitation in recommending Stonelock Photography to our clients and business associates and have already done so on a number of occasions.”
Clive Wilson, Paramount Web Technology, 2015
It’s always a little confidence boost when a new connection on LinkedIn is using a photo you shot as their profile photo!
In October we undertook some market research about how business professionals use their profile photos on LinkedIn. The results made some fascinating reading and gave us a real insight into our clients thoughts about how photography is used in social networking.
Our pop-up studio made a number of appearances during 2015. Such a fabulous piece of marketing! It is proving to be so much more effective than simply handing out a business card. It most recently popped up for the second year running at the We Mean Business Expo in Croydon
Croydon is a thriving business community described by Mayor of London Boris Johnson as “the economic powerhouse of South London”. We Mean Business is South London’s biggest and best business expo with over 100 of the top local businesses exhibiting, and we were there again!
Check out our We Mean Business blog post!
A Stonelock Photography year would not be complete without some mud, rain and festivals!
Three this year (rained at all three…!); two local festivals including the brilliant Crystal Palace Overground Festival and South Norwood Community Festival and our ninth year shooting for Greenbelt Arts Festival. Despite the mud it remains one of our favourite times of the year. Here are just a few of the thousands of photos we took at Greenbelt over the August bank holiday weekend:
You can see our full review of Greenbelt 2015 here
We photographed many, many wonderful people, from individuals and families to small business owners and large corporations. Charities, NGO’s and foundations. Musicians and bands to scientists and theologians…! The list goes on!
We also sometimes just take photos for fun! The saying is that the best camera is the one that you have with you… Sometimes that camera is my phone. Just a few of the hundreds of snaps on my iPhone this year (and I’ve even managed to sneak a photo of the camera shy AJ in there!)…
What an amazing adventure 2015 has been, we simply cannot wait to see where the 2016 journey takes us!
“Happy New Year to all our clients and readers, we hope you all have a fabulous night celebrating and a wonderful year ahead!”
…And remember, if you, a friend, relative or colleague need a photographer, we are taking bookings for 2016! Please do get in touch with us, we love to talk photography…
Much appreciation,
Ally & AJ xx