Gavin Forster Commercial Photography Limited

𝗔𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗹𝗮𝘂𝗻𝗰𝗵 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁? 𝗛𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗴𝗼𝘁 𝗮 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝘀𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗯𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝘀𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗸? Since opening our new product studio in Newburn, we've been able to come up with some creative ideas for a number of clients that’s really rallied their social media and brought something else to the party from their marketing perspective. We have the space and the colours and the ideas to really make things different for your social platforms and really make your products pop in front of the clients that you want to see them in a way that the white background for Amazon doesn't necessarily do. If you want to just send things through the post to us, we shoot them and send them back. That means that's dead easy for us, which is obviously dead easy for you as well and it reduces time coming to offices and all those extra logistics. Let us take a job off your desk and get your products looking amazing for the upcoming festive season! #productphotography #smallbusinesslife #northeastphotographer

Candid shots, while you're doing what you're great at, what you're passionate about, really let your personality shine through. They show people who you are and are fantastic for sharing on your social media. Thanks Claire for this fantastic feedback! #testimonialtuesday #happycustomer #businessphotography

So this is me writing stuff on a different, old phone. Yeah, I’ve never really had an issue with my phone exploding before, but it went and did it a couple of weeks ago. Or not quite exploded, all right, but the battery expanded and it could have exploded... I find it really hard ADHD-wise, obviously my systems and my regularity and all of that is important, so to then find out that my phone that’s been steady away and just getting honed into a really useful tool for me, now isn’t. It’s my old phone that everything’s in a different place and everything’s doing things wrong and I can’t get access to this, I can’t get access to that and there’s no point in updating that app. It has been really, really difficult process, so yes, I ordered a new phone and I’ll get the other one fixed at some point, but… it’s amazing how you get into these systems and get into these regular things and then any small variation certainly, for everybody, will have an effect, but for the old ADHD mind, it’s been a tough challenge. So, how would you have dealt with this one? Would you have gone, ‘Ah, it’s all right, I don’t need to be able to see my emails on my phone any more, for a week or so,’ or would you have instantly bought a phone? Or would you have procrastinated on, like I would always do, with a significant purchase decision? Would you have worked through that thing the way that you normally work through it, or would this have sped things up? #smallbusinesslife #adhdawarenessmonth #businesssystems

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝟮 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝘆 𝗔𝗗𝗛𝗗 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝘁𝘀, 𝘁𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗜'𝗺 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻... I’ve been taking Methylphenidate, every day and has it changed my life? It’s done more than that. It’s changed my family’s life. It’s taken away a lot of the things that were becoming difficult; we all know as parents that children have that innate ability to prod the right buttons and my reactions to those prods were just not how they should have been. That’s not to say I was aggressive or anything like that, but more that I could stop situations escalating or realise that I could react in a different way. It’s that sort of self-knowledge that’s been an ongoing journey since diagnosis. How do I feel that has impacted my business? Realistically, it’s nothing but positive. Some of the ways I’ve reacted to things are so different to how I would have reacted a couple of years ago. Whether that’s because of the systems I’ve now got in place; the blogging wouldn’t have happened without the systems and support that I’ve got. I could never sit down, I never had the patience and focus to be able to sit and type out blogs but now all of a sudden I can do voice notes and I can get those posts out there. The “easy” bit is done, it’s actually getting the information out of my head that’s the big challenge. That’s been an absolute game changer for me as a business. Rachel Locke was instrumental in helping me implement something Kevin Maddison (Root Cause Consultancy) has been trying to get me to do for years and because of the ADHD, there was just no way I could do it. Now with the medication, and Rachel’s support, we’ve got my CRM system working significantly better and I feel more in control of my business. I’ve tried enough times over the years with 40 different CRM systems to find one that worked but the limiting factor was always me whereas now it’s up and going and it’s had a real impact. So ADHD and me. I'm a better listener than I’ve ever been and much better at reacting to questions in the sense that I now give a lot more thought-out answers because I can pause, take it in, dissect the information and then give out a more valuable response whereas previously it was very reactionary. I think I’m just a slightly more polished diamond than I was previously. If any of this has resonated with you or if you’ve had any thoughts about potentially having something like ADHD or any other mental health issue, I’m an open book and more than happy to have a chat because I think by talking about it a little bit, it will open the door and then I’ll talk about it a lot since and it’s opened so many other doors. It’s a real way of helping each other out. Anything you need, just ask. #adhdawarenessmonth #adhdbusinessowner

𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗮𝘀𝘁 𝟭𝟬 𝘆𝗲𝗮𝗿𝘀, 𝗜’𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗽𝘂𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗼𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗮. That could be from your phone – because as we know, phones are one of the key pieces to any business these days – being able to take photos on-site is something that’s key to getting content out there to showcase your business. But I’ve also done a lot of training with photographers who are starting out or people in businesses who have a ‘works camera’ and want to get that little bit more out of it. I have various packages that can help you and your business – whether that’s 1-1 training, group training, online training, targeted work on specific pieces of equipment or even a certain style of photos that you’re trying to replicate – either through phones or through cameras. If you’re a photographer and you’re just starting out and you want some business support or mentoring directly, I am well equipped to talk you through that. I’ve helped numerous businesses over the years to go from an idea into a structured thought-out business that allows money to come in. In a lot of cases, it’s been a hobby in the past so the business side of things I always feel is the bit that is missed, certainly on university courses - the skills needed to take photos isn’t all that’s needed to make a business make money from taking good pictures. If that sounds like something you’d like to hear more about, I can do one-off sessions, bespoke monthly catch-ups or accountability sessions – to be honest it’s not about the quality of your photography work, it’s about the mindset and the processes that you need to have in place for the business to grow. I certainly won’t criticise anyone’s skills as a photographer – that’s not what I’m here to do. If this sounds like something that would be productive for you and your business, please drop me a line and we can see what best works for you and where you are in your business. Even if it’s a chat for a few hours about your business to identify any gaps or things that aren’t working, like having a CRM system set up – I know a lot of photographers don’t. How about social media? Are you outsourcing it? Are you getting the best returns that you need to? Are you mapping out your income stream so you know exactly which avenues aren’t marketing or working for you? I’ve a workbook of over 50 questions to ask yourself about your business and most of it focuses on the internal dialogue of where you have got to in your business and how you need to just shuffle things a little bit to get a different mindset that can really change things... #photographycourse #levelupyourbusiness #northeastphotographer

We're headed into the busiest of selling seasons for product businesses as people start shopping for gifts (which I'm sure you're all aware - though a bit too early to start using the 'C' word maybe?) With that comes new product launches and generally wanting to add a bit of sparkle to your promo imagery. Product photography is something that I do get asked to do a lot and it’s often smaller numbers of things, it’s not hundreds and hundreds of items or a full product catalogue. It got me wondering... If I organised a drop-in session at the new studio, at set times throughout the day and you can book in a slot for say, an hour, which would get you however many shots out of it and however many styles of it – without the need for worries of hiring full-on studios, or hiring bars and restaurants to put your things in. And you can book two-hour sessions, three-hour sessions, whatever works for you. But it takes away some of the logistics of running these things off your own bat. How does that sound? Is that something you'd be interested in? #smallbusinesslife #productphotography #christmasproducts

One of the things that ADHDers always get accused of is having lots of hobbies. And I think I have. The hobbies of mine have been kind of full and deep with golf, many years ago with the archery and I obviously like my comics and various other things. But it's a while since I've done something and gone, “Oh wait. I can't fit this into my life.” Recently one started to sneak in and due to logistics I can't do it at home. It's probably a blessing but going out fossil hunting was just amazing. It was a cross between Where's Wally, geology and palaeontology - all mixed into one. I absolutely loved it. Not that we found loads. I have some rocks that I brought back because I think there's something in them but they need a bit more than a hammer. Yes, okay, I do need to buy some kit for it. Which means it's a hobby, doesn't it? Then I'll use it once and that'll be it. But I'll try not to. I'm certainly not driving to Lyme Regis just get more. I suppose I could go to Whitby next time I'm passing. But no, it was just that weird ADHD thing. The classic of I've always got loads of hobbies and they last a week. One little thing that weirded me out a bit; I got called out by one of my friends about taking fossils away and ruining our environment. And I totally got his comment. It was half in jest, half in seriousness. I know there's a lot of councils that are being really strict with people taking shells and things off beaches and you should never take rocks off the top of mountains. And I fully agree with it. The difference with these fossils is, having had a full day out with professional fossil hunters while we were down in Lyme Regis, they encourage you to take them away because of the fragility of them. Certainly the pyrite ammonites, which are tiny and so fragile. If you get a full one, it's very lucky because chances are the sea will break them up and they'll be lost forever. So the whole fossil community down there are very encouraging of people having the experience, taking them home and really spreading the word of tourism in these places. A significant find is completely different. The things that we were finding weren't significant. These were regular ammonites and I did check. All of the things that we found completely were not of any scientific interest. It was just for us. So I felt a ping of, “Oh, I'm going to get told off.” And then every single website to do with fossils down in Lyme Regis was like, “No, take them home. It's all fine. There's millions of them.” Again, it's the ADHD kind of kicking in of not wanting to get told off. But also, it was good to just check. And I did check while I was there. So I could have gone and put them all back at the beach if needed. But the whole experience was absolutely fantastic. I can totally see why ADHD has easily fallen the trap of having new hobbies every other week. I think this was very, very near to being one. #adhdawarenessmonth #fossilhunting

I don't believe in gatekeeping when it comes to photography - I think we should all be able to get the best shots possible with the equipment we have to hand, whether that's a fancy camera with multiple lenses or the phone we carry in our pockets. If you want to know how to take better photos on your phone, get in touch! And thanks Peter! #testimonialtuesday #brandphotography #photographycourse

Once again we've seen a lot of aurora activity here in the North East of England! The aurora has always fascinated me – it’s that really elusive thing that not many people see in their lives and, while the scenes here in the UK doesn’t quite fit with my trips out to Tromsø and Saariselkä, to see the sky dancing with the colours that it does in the UK, it’s such a fantastic thing to see. I couldn't resist taking a few shots myself of this most recent activity up in Ryton - look at those stunning colours! (Though remember - the photos that you see don’t necessarily reflect what you see with the naked eye. Camera sensitivity is slightly different to your eye, so it can pull in a little bit more colours than the naked eye, but it is still amazing to see anything with the naked eye in this neck of the woods!) #aurorauk #northernlights

𝗔𝘀 𝗔𝗗𝗛𝗗 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗻𝗱, 𝗜 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗜'𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗺𝘆 𝗔𝗗𝗛𝗗 𝗷𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗻𝗲𝘆... For a lot of years, I’ve known that my brain works a bit differently. It was a massive help to my business early on. I could really see the connections and the synergy between people and how they can work together. Back in the day, I worked for the council, I would walk in and say, “Right, this MP needs to speak to this community group, this community group needs to speak to this housing officer,” and really make those connections. It was easy for me, that’s how my brain worked. I was diagnosed in December 2020 with ADHD. At 40 years old, that was a very strange thing for me. To me, ADHD was a thing when naughty boys at the back of the class were thrown Ritalin to calm them down. So how did I get to 40 without realising that a lot of the traits were why I am the way I am? I’ve learned a lot more about ADHD since then and it’s all about coping strategies. I didn’t realise how my brain was just full of coping strategies to get around these problems and it’s amazing how they’ve dropped off since finding out about the diagnosis and freeing me up in a completely different way. It’s also incredibly interesting how many people I know since my diagnosis who have also been diagnosed. It’s nearly as if there’s this connection between us all. Because of the way our brains work, we do gravitate to each other. You’ll have no doubt seen, if you’re connected with Nicola Little, my big sis in business for 10 years, we’ve always had a close working relationship and been good friends for a lot of years. She kindly helped by pointing out my diagnosis was required, she got a diagnosis about three months before me. Pre-lockdown, it just never came up as a thing. I was just me being me, it was just my personality. I hadn’t realised that quite a lot of that personality was real ADHD traits. Things like loud and fast talking, making those connections, jumping around, having half conversations with people because my brain is already jumping onto the next thing before I’ve finished the last one. It’s quite a strange realisation that you can tie all of those traits into something that I’ve had since I was a child. How does that impact my business? A lot of people have said that to get my business to where it is now without it holding me back, has to be a success and me growing the business to where it is has been tough and may be tougher than I realised and maybe didn’t give myself enough credit for doing some of the things I’ve done and work in some of the places I have. On the flip side, along with that diagnosis did come medication and there’s a whole other topic about that, which I'll talk more about tomorrow. So if anyone is going through similar at the moment or thinking about an ADHD diagnosis, I’m more than happy to have a chat about my journey. #adhdawarenessmonth #adhdbusinessowner