Whether you’re looking for photography & equipment tips, event write-ups, inspirational articles featuring our Ambassadors & Visionaries, or just a good read, this is the place for you. Make sure to check back regularly for the latest posts!
ROMAN BATHS PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
by Gavin Hoey
One of the many amazing things about being an ambassador with Olympus UK is getting the opportunity to work in locations that I would never be able to access myself. So when Olympus asked if I’d be interested in running a portrait session during a low light workshop at the Roman Baths in Bath, I jumped at the chance.
CROSSNESS ENGINES PORTRAIT WORKSHOP
by Gavin Hoey
One of the reasons I love working with Olympus UK is their willingness to run workshops in unexpected places. So when they asked me to find a portrait workshop location and I suggested a sewage pumping house, Olympus said let’s do it!
VINTAGE LOCATION SHOOT AT CARTERS STEAM FAIR
On one not-so-fine day in October, we headed to Reading for an exclusive event at the incredibly picturesque Carters Steam Fair; a traditional English travelling funfair with rides dating from the 1890s to the 1960s!
WHY THE PEN IS MIGHTIER THAN THE (I)PHONE
by Katherine Ormerod
If you’re thinking of changing the game for your blog or social imagery, but don’t want to be lugging around a massive kit of equipment, join the Olympus club—and you’ll never look back.
JURASSIC COAST VIEWS, ROCKS & STARS
by Tom Ormerod
At the end of August, I had the pleasure of running my first workshop for Olympus on the wonderful Jurassic Coast in my home county of Dorset. Olympus had been fantastic and helped get all the admin sorted and the people booked in. We had a possible 11 hours of activity planned and I couldn’t wait to get going.
PARIS TRAVEL PHOTOGRAPHY WORKSHOP
On a summer’s morning at the unholy hour of 05:45, our group of 20 intrepid photographers gathered outside the Eurostar check-in at St. Pancras International station. We were heading to Paris for a day of photography and exploration guided by the inimitable Martina Govindraj. After passing through security and fortifying ourselves with strong coffee and croissants it was all aboard the 07:01 London to Paris express. A couple of hours later we were disembarking at Gare du Nord and having a briefing about the day ahead.
TOUGH TG-6 LAUNCH EVENT
We took a trip down to SEA LIFE Brighton (AKA the oldest operating aquarium in the world) for the launch of the new flagship member of the Tough family; the TG-6.
BTCC EVENT REPORT & MOTORSPORT SHOOTING TIPS
It is now halfway through the season and the teams are on a summer break, so this seemed like the ideal time to have a quick recap on what has been going on at our BTCC events, plus provide you with some top Motorsport shooting tips!
GIFFORDS CIRCUS 2019
University Parks in the ‘city of dreaming spires’; Oxford, was the venue for this year’s spectacular photography event with our old friends Giffords Circus.
KENT COOKERY SCHOOL
What could be better than a day photographing mouthwatering food prepared by two top chefs….Oh yes eating it too! That’s what 20 keen photographers got to do on the recent Olympus Food Photography event at Kent Cookery School, where an eclectic array of fresh dishes were cooked up using delicious seasonal ingredients.
FOOD & DRINK PHOTOGRAPHY MASTERCLASS
Picture the scene: 10 keen photographers grouped in a stylish restaurant in St. Margarets, hungry to learn all about the ins-and-outs of Food & Drink Photography. Enter Olympus Ambassador Marcus Clackson, ready to teach exactly that!
EXHIBITION: TRANS SIBERIAN WORLD CUP
Last summer the world’s greatest football tournament saw thousands of fans head to Russia to watch 32 nations compete to be world champions. It was an opportunity Olympus Visionary Peter Dench could not resist and so he set out across the country on the Trans-Siberian Railway, travelling more than 5,000 miles in seven days.
THE GREAT OLYMPUS FESTIVE PHOTOWALK
On a crisp, November morning, we invited 9 lucky DSLR users to try their hand at street photography, using a compact mirrorless camera with a big reputation: the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark II.
PORTRAIT SHOOT IDEAS WITH GAVIN HOEY
Give your next portrait shoot a fresh look with these three simple but creative ideas.
FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY WITH OLYMPUS PEN
Lifestyle bloggers Julia Rebaudo (@stylonylon) and Milly Kenny-Ryder (@millykr) teamed up with Soho House to host a Food Photography workshop of 15 attendees using the Olympus PEN cameras and 17mm & 12mm lenses.
VINTAGE PORTRAITS AT SANDFORD LIDO
Built in 1935 Sandford Parks Lido is located near the centre of Cheltenham and retains many of it’s original 1930’s architectural features. It provided an ideal backdrop for our vintage portrait workshop hosted by the inimitable Gavin Hoey, ably supported by the Olympus team and our two models for the day Erin and Roger.
GIFFORDS CIRCUS – MY BEAUTIFUL OM-D E-M1 MARK II
On a fine summer’s afternoon, in the grounds of the majestic Blenheim Palace, with Giffords’ 2018 production ‘My Beautiful Circus’, 60 lucky photographers gathered for the circus themed photography workshop.
GLORIOUS COLOURS AT KEW GARDENS
GUEST POST BY NEILL TAYLOR
Last weekend I enjoyed a day shooting at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. It was an event organised by Olympus UK, and provided by them as a free benefit of having recently purchased an OM-D E-M1 Mark II (to replace my trusty Mark I).
SEEING NEON AT GODS OWN JUNK YARD
Despite the weather taking an unexpected turn for the better, twenty intrepid photographers shunned the sunshine and gathered instead inside the neon ‘Mecca’ that is Gods Own Junk Yard for a different kind of lighting experience. Olympus Ambassador Gavin Hoey was the host for this portrait masterclass, with the Olympus team on hand to offer advice and loan out kit to experiment with.
BASKETBALL WITH THE LONDON LIONS
A basketball game featuring the London Lions and the Plymouth Raiders was always going to be an intense and exciting clash – so who would turn down an invitation for full press courtside access at one of London 2012’s iconic Olympic venues to capture the event? On the night we were joined by 9 keen photographers in the Copper Box Arena for what proved to be a truly fulfilling photographic experience.
BEHIND BARS WITH OLYMPUS AT GLOUCESTER PRISON
I have to say, going to prison wasn’t exactly number 1 on my bucket list – but who could possibly turn down an invite to a photography workshop in Gloucester’s very own recently decommissioned prison? So, on a crisp January afternoon I joined 30 other keen photographers in the prison’s Chapel for what promised to be a truly one-of-a-kind experience.
PERFECT VIEWS: OUR FAVOURITE PHOTOS FROM LANDSCAPE MONTH
We’ve had a blast during Landscape Month. As the days get shorter and sunsets get more accessible, this has been an amazing time to get inspired, get outside and make the most of the world around us. But by far our favourite aspect of Landscape Month has been watching your images flood into our social media streams. From urban to rural landscapes, and from sunrise to sunset – and even a few in between – it’s been you, our photographers, who’ve been setting the standard.
‘SPEED DATING’ WITH THE OM-D E-M1 Mark II
Love was most certainly in the air for the latest Olympus event at Soho’s vibrant Graphic Bar, with a group of lucky photographers assembling for a ‘Speed Dating’ workshop like no other! The group was split into smaller groups, each starting off by taking part in one of three sessions hosted by the Olympus Ambassadors and experts.
GOING UNDERGROUND IN ALDWYCH STATION
40 intrepid photographers spent the afternoon exploring the booking hall, tunnels and disused platforms of the decommissioned Aldwych Tube Station. The location provided the backdrop for two differing photo shoots directed by Olympus Ambassadors Gavin Hoey and Marcus Clackson. Splitting into two groups, half the party travelled back in time to photograph a vintage set up with model Beth and a 50’s themed set-up led by Marcus in the station booking hall.
GIFFORDS CIRCUS – A CLOSE ENCOUNTER WITH THE OM-D E-M1 Mark II
With temperatures peaking at over 30˚C this was always going to be a hot ticket – so it was a fortunate 60 photographers who joined our OLYMPUS experts and Ambassadors for a day of E-M1 Mark II inspired fun at Oxford University Parks with the fabulous Giffords Circus.
OLYMPUS OM-D E-M1 Mark II Experience Day at Kew Gardens
BY LUCY CLARKE
On 5th April I was lucky enough to be invited to the OLYMPUS OM-D E-M1 Mark II Experience Day at Kew Gardens, hosted by OLYMPUS Ambassador Marcus Clackson. The sun shining, birds singing and OLYMPUS camera in tow I set off and made my way to Kew.