Darryl Brooks Photography

I was asked to cover a fundraising event for a local charity, Hull 4 Heroes, who support veterans returning from service, helping them find employment, learn new skills and generally help with their well-being.  It was a black-tie event, so everyone was looking dapper, and they wanted some posed shots and more informal natural photos, which I enjoy immensely! The night had music, dancing and dinner, with some presentations and reminders of the good work they do, so there was a mix of some serious subjects as well as a lot of joy, as the photographs show.

I had the opportunity to visit the office of Marketing Humber Bondholders in the middle of Hull this week, with a commission from the University of Hull to photograph one of their students on the Humber Internship Programme who had been offered a permanent position with the company.   Well done Saffron!

Lauryn came to me a few weeks ago wanting some headshots for her portfolio, as her agency had suggested she needed professional photographs doing. I had been recommended by of her friends who had been to me a while back for the same thing.  It's always nice to know that people are saying good things about me, so I must be doing something right. She sent me some examples that her acting agency had given her, telling me they wanted some three-quarter length shots as well as the typical tight actor headshots, so from all that we deduced that there was a broad range of possibilities, so nothing too restrictive or prescriptive in the brief!  On the day of the shoot, she brought a few outfits to wear and we swapped through a few different backgrounds, so she ended up with a nicely varied set of images to pick from for her final edited set. If you need some headshots doing, either as a performer or a business profile, or your entire team for your website, get in touch through my webs...

So, you've booked your photoshoot, but what to wear? I've seen all sorts of things over the years, and whilst it's isn't really a life or death decision, a bit of thought about it might be the difference between an "okay" picture and a lovely one. My main suggestions for what to wear centre around two things:  1. Feel comfortable and confident in what you wear.  It might seem like a good idea to get him dressed up in a fancy suit and bow tie, but your 3 year-old isn't going to appreciate it, and will most probably spend the whole time trying to escape from it.  Same for headwear - hats and jo-jo bows might be cute but you'll spend a lot of time keeping it straight and sorting their hair out after they've removed it a dozen times!   Simple Tshirts and jeans will do the job just fine.  2. Think about patterns and colours. Avoid anything too distracting.  It's all about the people, not their clothes.  Big bold patterns and large logos emblazoned a...

From the minute I arrived to photograph Helen and Steve's wedding, it was obvious there was a definite colour scheme going on!  "I really love emerald green," she said.  It was in her jewellery, her shoes, her bag, and even a little bit of emerald green detailing on her wedding dress.  So when it came to choosing her album, her request was not a surprise - can you do a green one?  I looked through the dozens of swatches available and found the perfect emerald green in a linen finish.  We upgraded to the embossed text in gold as the final touch.  And here it is!

 Another wild bash for the showmen and women coming from far and wide to give us Hull Fair.  They sure know how to put on a party, having covered quite a few over the years.  This time is was a triple  18th birthday party at The Piper Club on Newland Avenue in Hull.  The ice sculpture was the centrepiece and was at least one source of the vodka shots! My job was to photograph anything and everything, keeping up with the partying!