OntheSpot Photography
Dorchester, Dorset
Dorchester, Dorset
Firstly, a very warm hello from OntheSpot Photography.
My name is Hamish Baird and I'm a photographer who takes pride in getting all the best shots from the day while being as unobtrusive as possible.
From the outset, I'm always keen to get an outline of how you would like your day covered and which specific aspects of your day you'd like me to focus on?
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What’s the secret to taking a great photograph?
Photography is, of course, different for everyone. But fundamentally it's about time, light and composition.
My secret to taking a great photograph is to engage and photograph from one's sense of empathy. After that, it's all about location, lenses, shutter speeds, aperture etc. You have to visually get to know your subject(s) and intuitively sense how they're feeling and to determine whether that moment would be universally recognised by those that know them, as being genuine. It's simply about seeing the best in people - which is why I love my job.
Understanding composition is a really crucial factor in taking a great photo too. Composition is visual grammer and is used to communicate to the viewer what we want to show or say. A good photographer understands how we look at images and why and how they retain our attention
The final secret I would say would be editing. Knowing how to manipulate an image in such a way so as to raise it to its best and most appropriate version, is the art. This is the part where you really have the opportunity to refine and intensify the feeling of the photo, whether it be through temperature, cropping, mood etc. It's the part where the photographer's personality come through and thus gives the work a particular look or style.
What questions might you ask a client when starting a new project?
What would you like me to photograph?
Where would you like me to photograph?
What do you really want to remember?
Do you have a particular style in mind for the final photos?
What do you love most about your job?
My job requires me to look for the best in people and to capture genuine moments that I hope will resonate for years to come.
What inspired you to start your own business?
I had spent many years in a number of different creative careers from working in graphic & website design, to be a 2d character animator for children's TV to being a landscape painter and I enjoyed every moment of working in each field.
But when I began to take photography more seriously and started to take portraits of people, I realised just how powerful photos are. More importantly, I realised this was a direction that I wanted to concentrate more of my time and attention towards.
Why should our clients choose you?
My clients choose me primarily for creativity and my discretion. I like to know exactly what they're after and then to be left to just get on with it. I understand it requires faith on the part of my clients, but hopefully, my portfolio communicates my level of competence.
I am at heart also an artist, illustrator and designer, giving me a huge amount of experience to draw from when creating a photograph.
