Posted by admin on May 8, 2012 – 12:34 pm
A few weeks ago I ran into an old colleague of mine on LinkedIn. I knew that he’d gone off to work for Google after we both left LizardTech, so it was good to catch up. I shared my photos and he shared the project he’d been working on, Google Street View. I was really impressed. I’d kept tabs on him over the course of years, and I was delighted to see someone I respect a great deal doing something so cool. He asked if I ever shot interiors. While I haven’t really done a big push on interior photography, I have worked with a number of companies over the years photographing interiors. He told me that his team was moving ahead with a project called Google Business Photos, and asked if I would be interested in working with them on this. He got me in contact with his associate in Bulgaria and within a few weeks I was ramping up to become a trusted Google Photographer.
After a number of weeks studying, taking the trusted photographer test and now doing my preliminary shoots, I’m on my way to become a Certified Trusted Google Business Photographer. It’s pretty cool. Effectively what I’m doing is taking panoramic walk-through photos of businesses and then integrating them into their Google Place Pages and within Google Street View. This allows anyone to go to a business online and explore it from the comfort of their own computer. Google started this out in the US, but London was one of the first places outside the US that they ventured into.
While it is clearly a really cool opportunity, as I’ve spent the greater part of the last decade building up Mark Weeks Photography, I certainly don’t want to lose the momentum there. Because of this, I’ve launched Weeks360, a sector of my main business, but solely focused on doing Google Business Photos. The service offered is simple and straight-forward: photograph the business, stitch the images together, post them on Google and job done.
About a week ago, Lee and I spent the weekend working on the name, the service offering and then of course the logo, the branding and the marketing materials. We are both really happy with how far we’ve come to reach this point, now just are looking to get more businesses up on the map. That should be the fun part!
Posted by admin on January 24, 2012 – 3:42 pm
Filed under Life, Shoots
Tagged as bev, bonfire night, christmas crackers, guy fawkes, guy fawkes night, Harrington's, jellied eels, mark weeks, mash, photo journal, pie, pie shop, tooting, traditional English
Having spent over five years now in London and nearly a decade with a British partner, I am fairly confident with my comprehension of British culture. Sure there are all the stereotypes that Americans tend to associate with the Brits–tea, crumpets, the Queen, color with a “u”, black cabs, double-decker buses and bulldogs –those are easy. Then there are the references and institutions that fly well under the radar of the average cultural voyeur. From popular culture to local traditions to occasional encounters on the street, there are some things that are so uniquely British that if I didn’t live with a Brit, they would go completely over my head. Read More »
Posted by admin on August 31, 2011 – 1:26 pm
Filed under Life, Shoots
Tagged as dieting, exercise, obeses, overeating, overweight, photoshopping, pilates, sitges, weight loss, yummy mummies
One of the greatest things about being a photographer is chance to learn life lessons from the people I shoot. Though my interaction with each of my subjects may range from a quick portrait to a full-scale production, I generally have the luxury of my subjects’ undivided attention at least for a few frames. By watching them, examining them, preening them and of course talking with them, I am able to assess their character quickly with relative ease, and generally take away something of value (besides a photograph) from the shoot. Read More »
Posted by admin on August 18, 2011 – 11:49 am
Shop closed in the middle of the afternoon
Over the last week, images coming out of England have painted a dark and dire picture of this country that is now my home. Scenes of riots, looting, and the silhouette of a woman jumping out of a burning building are now ingrained into the psyche of people across the globe. Videos on YouTube of people flagrantly oblivious to the suffering of others, endless Twitter messages and the non-stop barrage of politicians, police and pundits stepping forward (now) to discuss how to fix “Broken Britain” has created a complete sense of unease here in the Capital, as well as across England. Read More »
Posted by admin on April 20, 2011 – 10:03 am
A few years back I met Rod Titian at a breakfast meeting in the city. Though a charming and handsome man (I actually think he is the love-child of George Michael & James Caan), I was most impressed by his talent for restoring, gilding and creating beautiful works of decorative arts. Rod’s company Titian Studios was founded by his father, and Rod and his wife have carried on the legacy, and over the course of years, grown the business even more. Royalty, rock stars and ambassadors all know his name and like me, are in awe of his craftsmanship. Read More »
Posted by admin on March 2, 2011 – 1:24 pm
Shooting—that is what gets me out of bed in the morning. It’s funny, but when the days are filled with marketing, phone calls, web updates and accounting, it’s all I can do to pull my head away from my pillow. But when I am shooting, it’s a totally different story. The chance to make a beautiful image is sublime. Whether it’s a beautiful blonde in a swimsuit or an overweight businessman in a slightly snug suit, when I take a shot and know that the lighting and the positioning are right, I can feel it in my toes. I guess that is what makes my work so exciting, having the opportunity to shoot so many different subjects. I guess if I was a fashionista or a foodie, I’d completely dedicate myself to one of those fields, but let’s face it, who doesn’t enjoy a change of scenery. Read More »
Posted by admin on December 2, 2010 – 1:26 pm
Christmas has to be one of my most loved and most hated holidays. I love what the season is all about, giving, sharing and fellowship. I detest the stress and hype that is part of the Christmas I know now. Read More »
Posted by admin on August 24, 2010 – 2:55 pm
While flying to Austin for a meeting the other week, I realized that over the years, I have formed a rather biased opinion about Texas without ever having been there. J.R. from Dallas, an episode of Charlie’s Angels where Kelly and Chris go undercover as Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders to take down a conniving southern belle murderess (aptly played by Audrey Landers), the big boss in the white suit from Smokey and the Bandit with his little side-kick, and of course George W. Bush have all been instrumental piecing together a rather negative opinion of “the great state of Texas.” Gas guzzlers, ten-gallon hats and bull horns on Cadillacs all race through my mind when I think of Texas. Read More »
Posted by admin on August 4, 2010 – 1:31 pm
The other morning, just as I had finished up making Lee’s lunch and was making my way to the shower, there came a knock on our door. Since moving to our new place in Tooting, I have noticed what appears to be a marked increase in the number of people who knock at the early morning. Perhaps it is because we are relatively new to the place and are still getting deliveries on a regular basis, or simply because our new place invites knockers. Not totally sure about this, but I’m sure that over the course of time, I’ll have managed to make a fair assessment of the situation. Read More »
