The NEXT Evolution of Karl Drage Photography
My photography seems to be on a constantly-evolving journey, which, in my opinion, is the way it should be. Stand still, and you run the risk of going stale. As such, I’m always on the lookout for new techniques, ideas, and simply different (usually better) ways of doing things. So what does the future look like, and how did we get here?
The Start of the New Journey
After starting to make the switch to mirrorless cameras at the end of March 2022, I photographed a wedding a couple of months later and became quite disillusioned while editing the pictures. The converted RAW files that Lightroom had churned out from the bridal prep part of the day (admittedly in quite a dark room) were as noisy as anything. They were horrible. I did some reading around and discovered that this issue was not unique to me!
To cut a long story short, I ended up incorporating a new piece of software into my workflow. For a while, it was a massive learning curve, and it added days onto the already-lengthy process of editing a full wedding. BUT the main thing was that I was far happier with the output. Not only did the edited images now meet the standards I expected, they actually far and away exceeded them.
Digital or Print?
Ironically, this left me somewhat disillusioned in another way. We have become a generation who are quite happy to view things at little more than thumbnail size on our phones on social media etc. Pretty much anything looks good at that size (and if it doesn’t, it must be REALLY bad).
Google actually punishes us photographers if the quality of our images impacts the speed at which our websites load – we appear lower in search results as a consequence!
We spend so much time and money trying to produce the highest quality imagery that we can, only for it to then have 90% of that goodness compressed out of it in order for it to be sharable and likely to be seen by potential clients on the internet. It makes no sense.
The Answer is Print
As a direct result, I have found myself printing an awful lot more. Not only that, I have started printing bigger. I have never understood the point of printing photos at 6×4 (you’re wasting so many pixels and therefore details), and with the quality we are able to output today, it makes even less sense. Big prints look incredible!
New Print Products
I have started to purchase sample products from a number of print houses that I’d never previously used. Over the last few weeks, the products have started to arrive, and some of them have literally blown me away. They convey the image quality I am looking to show perfectly and are presented in truly beautiful ways. These are heirloom products that will stand the test of time.
2024’s Offering
I’m still to finalise precisely what I want my final offering to look like, but it’s fair to say that stunning, high-quality print products are going to feature prominently in my packages in 2024, across all genres I photograph. It’s time to step things up.
The images attached to this post are little more than teasers of some of the items I intend to offer. There will be plenty of new wall art products, too. There are still plenty more items on order that might prompt a slight rethink. Check back in early in 2024 to find out what made the final cut!
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A Typical Newborn Photography Session – Kettering Newborn Baby Photographer
Karl takes you through the stages of a typical newborn photo shoot. It's important to remember that we work at Baby's speed and take our cues from them, so we don't have to rigidly follow this structure.
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Karl Drage Photography – 2023 in Review
Karl looks back at his 2023 from behind the camera, a year he loved, and looks ahead to what the future holds in store, including the launch of a fantastic range of print products.
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Moulton College Equestrian Centre Arena Hire – Equine Photography
Stunning photographs from an equine photography session captured during an arena hire at Moulton Equestrian Centre.
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The NEXT Evolution of Karl Drage Photography
Photography is a constantly evolving journey, and I've decided it's time to add increased emphasis to print. Big changes are coming for 2024, and this is a teaser for that.
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How I Edit A Newborn Baby’s Skin – Kettering Newborn Photographer
It is perfectly normal for newborn babies to have imperfect skin. Please don't be fooled by the images you see on newborn photographer's websites! Karl Drage discusses his ethos and the techniques he uses to edit images from a newborn photo shoot.
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H&P Equine Events – Hunter Trial – Milton Keynes Equestrian Centre
Saturday 14th October 2023 was the first cold morning of Autumn. In the main it was a beautiful day, and I was very happy to be photographing my first event for H&P Equine Events – a hunter trial at the amazing Milton Keynes Equestrian Centre.
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Clear Round – Boughton Mill Equestrian Centre – 30/09/23
Boughton Mill Equestrian Centre hosted a morning of Clear Round showjumping on Saturday, 30th September 2023. Here are some of the results.
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Newborn Baby & Parent Photo Ideas
We explore a range of posing options for parents of newborns, whether you're comfortable in front of the camera or not, because it doesn't have to be daunting. Even if it's your idea of hell, there are still some really easy shots to set up with your new arrival that you can feature in.
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Equine Photo Shoot Competition – The Results
Back at the start of the year, I ran a competition to win an equine photo shoot with me here in Northamptonshire. This post contains some of the results that came out of the session.
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Horseboarding UK – Burghley Game & Country Fair 2023 – Equestrian Photography
Horseboarding is a super-exciting sport combining horses with boarding, with races taking place against the clock around specially designed courses. My first taste of such came at the 2023 Burghley Game & Country Fair.