A client had requested we complete a shoot with more of a lifestyle focus than the usual almost-empty kitchens we photograph. Therefore for this project, we hired a group of fantastic models to help sell the idea. The subject was a beautiful traditionally designed shaker kitchen with blue cabinets and bespoke furniture.
Driving down the motorway at 3 am towards the Peak District I found myself questioning why I was doing this and whether it was worth it. Turns out, it most certainly was.
I shot at Liverpool Women’s Hospital for an architecture client. This included a brand new ward interior along with an ambulance drop off bay.
I had a the pleasure of shooting this full house project for an interior design client. The eclectic property included some beautiful solid wood pieces and some great choices of colour to add some vibrancy to the spaces.
A client had requested we complete a shoot with more of a lifestyle focus than the usual almost-empty kitchens we photograph. Therefore for this project, we hired a group of fantastic models to help sell the idea. The subject was a beautiful traditionally designed shaker kitchen with blue cabinets and bespoke furniture.
This kitchen, photographed for a client, had clean colours and traditional lines. The stainless handles and distressed, mirrored splashback gave it a more contemporary edge whilst still fitting the properties charm and character.
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Driving down the motorway at 3 am towards the Peak District I found myself questioning why I was doing this and whether it was worth it. Turns out, it most certainly was.
Back in 2017, I made it my mission to try and create a photograph I’d dreamed of for over a year. Having had my ambitions quashed the year before, due to weather, I found a weather window and set off out deep into the Lake District with high hopes.
A local Leeds-based gastropub were so pleased with the interiors images I provided them with, they had me back to shoot some cocktails and food. Whilst this isn’t my usual area of speciality, being close friends with the bar manager we were able to collaborate in a relaxed way and as a result produced some beautiful results.
Whilst working on a week-long project in the Lake District back in 2017, Storm Doris was forecast to pass over the UK. The final day of the project the storm passed over through the night. We started shooting later that day so I took the opportunity to get out onto the hills for sunrise. Photographing after a storm can be particularly magical due to all the moisture in the air catching light from the low sun, moody clouds and lots of contrast.
Leeds, England, February 22, 2020 – Rob Crawshaw Photo of Leeds has won a “Best Of Houzz” award for Customer Service” on Houzz®, the leading platform for home renovation and design. The photographer, now in his 5th year in the industry was chosen by the millions of homeowners that comprise the Houzz community from among more than 2.5 million active home building, remodeling and design industry professionals.
For the above image I shot 1 set of exposures with the lens shielded by my hand to block flaring and another set whilst I was stood in the frame. Both sets of brackets were merged to HDR in Lightroom where I did some minor tweaks to get the largest dynamic range out of the file. I then synced both images and took them in to Photoshop.
Leeds, England, January 30, 2018 – Rob Crawshaw Photo of Leeds has won “Best Of Photography” on Houzz®, the leading platform for home renovation and design. The architectural and interiors photographer was chosen by the more than 40 million monthly unique users that comprise the Houzz community from among more than one million active home building, home improvement and design industry professionals.
In the middle of a cold December at the end of 2016, I thought it would be a good idea to travel out to the coast in search of some new scenes to photograph. The location I had in mind was the North Yorkshire coast, particularly Saltwick Bay in Whitby which runs along the edge of the North York Moors National Park.
Day 1 was reserved purely for travelling and scouting. I made my way over using public transport, taking in the increasingly beautiful scenery as I left West Yorkshire and started to head through the moors of North Yorkshire. I arrived in Whitby town centre and it was already starting to get dark so I immediately headed to Saltwick Bay to have a look around. The relatively short walk involved traversing up the famous 99 steps, past Whitby Abbey and on to the Cumberland Way. I walked at pace, eager to arrive at my location before it was too dark as I'd hoped to return later that night to shoot the moonrise and then once again for sunrise.
I arrived at the bay and there was just about enough light left for me to walk around and get a sense of the location, along with the relationship between it's main features - the Saltwick Nab and the Black Nab. I wasn't helped by the fact this bay faces North East, meaning that any light that did remain from the sunset was being blocked by the large cliffs that surround the bay. However, the time I spent there gave me a few ideas and I felt confident returning later that evening.
After very little sleep I headed back out to the bay just before 1am. The sky was clear and the stars were out in full force. As I arrived the moon was just peeking above the horizon so I set up my camera and shot a small time lapse whilst I monitored the tide. It was important to make sure the tide was on it's way out as I'd hoped to head out on to the rocky headland on the bay which is only accessible then.
As I was shooting the time lapse, although clear skies were forecast all night, I noticed some cloud start to move in from the west. I wanted the moon and stars to be visible in the image I had envisaged so this meant I had to cut the time lapse short and head down on to the beach to set up a composition. I had no time to get out on to the head land so I set up on the shoreline amidst some interesting rocks and pebbles. The cloud moved in very quick and had occluded the moon and most of the sky that was to be in my shot by the time I got down there and set up. This now presented a scene with a totally different feel, it had more atmosphere and mystery to it. The clouds weren't particularly thick so the moonlight was still casting subtle highlights across the rocks on the shoreline so I took the image.
Canon 6D + 24mm TS-E. 30 sec at f/3.5, ISO 3200. In hindsight, I feel this image told a more truer story of the event - mysterious, eerie and intense.
Pleasantly surprised by what I saw on the cameras LCD, I packed up and headed back for another short nap.
After another short sleep I was up and out for sunrise. Again the forecast was for clear skies yet there were still a few lingering clouds which I had no complaints about. Arriving at the bay I knew where my first composition was to be due to my brief scout the night before, so I set up and waited for the sun. As the sun came closer to the horizon it lit the lingering clouds with a beautiful firey orange. This was exactly what I'd hoped for so I waited for the right wave, took the image and then moved to search for other compositions whilst the colour remained.
Canon 6D + 24mm TS-E. 1/5 sec at f/9, ISO 50. 2 degree tilt, 2 image vertical panorama using shift. Sky masked in from darker exposure. I should have used less tilt and a smaller aperture here but I think it still works. Didn't notice this till I got home.
I took only a few steps back to find a very simple, yet pleasing composition. A lone rock, placed perfectly at the edge of the incoming tides reach. I dialled in my composition, focussed my lens and waited for the right wave. To my delight this happened almost immediately and I hit the shutter.
Canon 6D + 24mm TS-E. 1/10 sec at f/14, ISO 50. 1 degree tilt. Sky masked in from darker exposure.
By this point, as anticipated, the golden sunlight had started to break in to the bay, illuminating the cliff tops at the North end. I walked up the beach looking for some foreground interest for which I could use the cliffs and the Saltwick Nab as a backdrop. I found an old, worn down groin by the waters edge. As the waves came in and out this created a nice leading line to the cliffs and rocks in the back ground so I set my composition and took the shot.
Canon 6D + 24mm TS-E. 1/4 sec at f/14, ISO 50. 1 degree tilt. Sky masked in from darker exposure.
By this point I was more than happy, having ended up with not 1 but 3 images so I packed up and head back, for a well earned cup of tea.
After I'd had a rest and something to eat, the plan was to make my way down the Cumberland Way towards Ravenscar. I'd heard of an interesting rock formation call the 'Mermaid Tables' that I wanted to shoot around sunset. Unfortunately, upon checking my travel options I found there would have been no way for me to make my way back into Whitby for my train home so had to abandon this and decided I'd head back down to Saltwick Bay for sunset.
Arriving at the bay approximately an hour before sunset, I was disappointed to find a clear, featureless sky and lacklustre light. It was low tide so I took the opportunity to have a scout around on the headland. The Saltwick Nab looked imposing and really impressive from up close. There was definitely a composition to be had here but the conditions just were not up to it. I headed back to the beach and towards the other end of the bay to get a closer look at the Black Nab.
It was tough work navigating through and over large, wet boulders and I was tired, hungry and wet. I wanted to call it a day. I made sure that I stopped every now and again to look around me knowing that conditions can change fairly quickly at this time of the day. After about 10 minutes of clambering over wet rocks I stopped and noticed some cloud cover had come in over the Saltwick Nab where I'd just come from. The sun at this point was below the horizon and as a result was casting a lovely purple glow on to these clouds. I thought, this is it. If I'm going to get an image tonight this is my chance. I'd previously noticed a scarred shale shelf sticking out above the receding tide which created a leading line towards the Saltwick Nab. I knew this would make a great foreground so set up my composition and took the image.
Canon 6D + 24mm TS-E. 1 sec at f/9, ISO 50. 1 degree tilt.
Feeling incredibly satisfied with this result I decided to end my trip here and head back into Whitby to have some food and catch my train. Safe to say, however, if I'd have caved in and head back earlier, I would have likely missed this opportunity entirely. Yet again, proving that persistence in landscape photography, certainly pays.
Thank you for reading! I hope you have enjoyed this article and if you have any thoughts, feedback or comments feel free to put them down below. You can also watch the full video series of this trip either over on my YouTube channel or using the embedded video below.
I've recently started a new series of vlogs, or video diaries of my experiences out in the field shooting landscapes. In these diaries I'm aiming to share with you the journey, story and experience behind the images I take. Going into my head with the thoughts, feelings and emotions felt when photographing, along with some thoughts on composition, preparation and anything else that may come out!
You can check out the first two videos below. If you like the videos, consider sharing them with your friends, subscribing and leaving me a rating.
I was recently approached by Mason & Vaughan Group in Manchester to shoot one of their apartments over here in Leeds. They wanted something a little above the usual as they were getting an interior designer (Michelle Mansfield) in to stage the property beforehand.
The only things that were in the apartment prior to this arrangement were 2 black sofa's and nothing else. These can be seen in the below image. The rest of the apartment was very neutral and an empty carcass. As you can see from the below images, the additional touches Michelle made to the apartment really brought it to life. Granted, she brought in multiple pieces of furniture, but this was an extreme case. In most property sales you could get away with the little touches that really bring it to life.
Adding throw's to sofa's and bed's, books to side tables, flowers, setting the table and other accessories is what makes this. It looks lived in, but also very neat and together. Each piece fits together in the design of the room, while making the room look more attractive, warm and inviting.
This helps the potential buyer picture themselves in the home and gives them ideas as to what the home can do for them. It also makes the images stand out on the listing and attract more interest.
It also makes for a fantastic subject to photograph, giving interest from a number of angles. This helped us capture the entire apartment without having any empty and uninteresting photographs.
What do you think? From zero to hero? Or a waste of time?
I recently had the opportunity to photograph the brand new Leeds College Of Building premises in Leeds City Centre. I worked with Metal Technology to show off the curtain walling solutions they had provided for the build.
The feature that struck me first about this building was the deep, green exterior window reveals. These greatly contrasted the red brick that made up the majority of the exterior. This along with the other variations made on the dimensions of the windows around the building, made for a great subject to photograph.
The building was split in to two distinct sections - the main 'sit down' learning and office environment which is characterised by the red brick and green reveals and the workshop area which is seen coming in to frame to the left below, where a dark grey brick is used along the South West side, while the North East side is covered in translucent walling panels.
The building also uses a traditional industrial roof line which fits the area and purpose of the building, while being distinctive.
Building: Leeds College Of Building
Client: Metal Technology
Architect: Fuse Studios
A client had requested we complete a shoot with more of a lifestyle focus than the usual almost-empty kitchens we photograph. Therefore for this project, we hired a group of fantastic models to help sell the idea. The subject was a beautiful traditionally designed shaker kitchen with blue cabinets and bespoke furniture.