Shooting with ONYX
Onyx are a wonderful company based in Lymington on the South Coast of England, but operate world wide for some of the largest companies in the world. They specialise in creating and delivering corporate events that excite, immerse and emotionally engage people from start to finish.
Growing for 4 decades, Onyx work with FTSE100 companies and local businesses alike, and it has been an absolute pleasure shooting both video and photography for them.
Being based so close to one of the UK's most upmarket sailing locations, it's not surprising they've often popped me on the front a high speed rib to photograph various CEO's and directors either having a whale of a time or fearing for their lives - either makes great pictures!
Onyx also specialise in custom bars for events and partner closely to various well known alcohol brands from all over the world. If you've ever bought a drink at a festival or major event, there's a good chance it was Onyx who made it happen. Occasionally I'm asked to produce promotional content for those brands - as seen below.
My extensive experience in filming weddings has made producing videos (while often shooting photos simultaneously) like these second nature. My kit is set up for broadcast quality, but it is light weight enough to haul around festivals for hours. Like weddings, many events have moments that cannot be recreated - you need to be on your A game and your equipment needs to be an extension of your body.
An extra eye in the sky is also a huge advantage and being fully licenced and insured to fly my drone really can make the difference in event documentation. With laws and regulations changing all the time, it's important to keep up to date - both on paper and with technology. DJI's new Mini Pro 3 is less than 250 grams, allowing me to fly above people and in places previously banned to fly in.
It's not all about the gear though, much of my time is spent either hiding in plain sight or making people feel comfortable and relaxed in front of a camera. Onyx hosts events for global companies like Bunzl and Essity and the big wigs who work for these giants need excellent headshots for their business cards and online social media accounts.
This is where catching the right moment can create a head shot portrait that will be treasured for years to come - check out a few of my portraits in the gallery below.
