Rangefinder Magazine

Features

Profile: Ivor Innes by Linda L. May
Commercial Photography in the UK

Front cover shot for a potato chips brochure. We constructed a see-through tank filled with cooking oil, created the bubbles with a controlled airline and the steam with chemicals. Sinar P2, 180mm lens, shot at f/22.

Ivor Innes, East Yorkshire, England, shoots a wide range of commercial subjects, including architecture, sports, room sets, landscapes, executive portraiture, still life and food and drinks. However, food is his specialty. Almost daily, he produces images for food industry clients. The 8500-square-foot studio boasts spacious, functional in-house kitchens, complete with frozen and chilled food storage areas. After 30 years, he has collected quite an assortment of plates, glasses and tableware to enhance the sets.

“Because of the strict consumer protection laws, most of the food is real, but must be handled properly,” Innes says. “Making food look good comes down to careful selection of the subject, focal length of lens and beautiful lighting. Expert food preparation by the stylists is essential. Lighting towards the lens is a good approach because the modeling on food shows up better. I use a mixture of several light sources, both broad and narrow. The secret with lights is to be able to place them wherever you want, control their brightness, and maintain correct color temperature.”

	Hazelwood Foods. Shots for pasta-making factory wall decor. Presented as a Polaroid “lift.” I had to think of 20 different subjects relating to pasta making and within three days, produce all the images. Presented as 30x40-in prints. Sinar P2, 150mm lens, shot at f/11.

Many high-profile clients use Innes’ photographic services, including Armitage, Sara Lee Corporation, Asda/Wal Mart, Brake Bros. Food Services, Hazlewood Foods, Wolf Ollins, McCains, British Petroleum and British Aerospace, just to name a few. Three other experienced photographers also work at the studio: Amanda Finnimore, Paul Cox, and Martin Bignel. A total staff of 30 employees keep this large operation running smoothly.

The image of the hands under running water is a good example of the kind of challenging work Innes produces for clients in the studio. Ivor Innes describes the image—how he set it up, lighted it, and the problems he had to solve:
“The shot of the faucet was taken for Tantofox, a division of Ideal Standard, owned by American Standard. This photograph was quite difficult because it involved shiny objects, running water, models, and the correct positioning of all the elements to fit the complex layout,” Ivor explains.

	This is the first in a series of up-market bathrooms using Italian pottery. A large studio shot with glass bricks and mosaic tiles, which were a nightmare to lay. I was petrified that someone would push over the glass bricks during the shoot. Done for HomeBase. Sinar P2 and 150mm Symmar.

“Shiny objects are always tricky, but adding the element of water requires extra care and safety when using electronic flash packs. The power packs had to be raised off the floor in case of flooding or leaking from the faucet connections. The overall soft lighting effect is accomplished by an overhead Broncolor Cumulite, covered with a 12x6-foot soft frost screen. Background illumination comes from two Broncolor Pulso F2 flash heads, with reflectors. Two flash heads with 75mm wafers are placed on each end of the set, acting as side kickers. A honeycombed lamp head shines directly on the hands and splashing water. The image was shot with a Sinar P view camera fitted with a rollfilm back. The extra water splashes were accomplished using a fine mist hand sprayer. The basin was plumbed using domestic water hoses attached to a pump for increased pressure.”

Another great example of Innes’ work is the spoonful of peas shot as part of a series promoting the benefits of frozen vegetables. “Stainless steel was featured in each shot as part of the concept,” Innes explains. “The spoon was clamped in an adjustable arm and the peas balanced in position. Lighting was established with an overall top light from a Cumulite, placed in front, with a lower barlight. Two ellipsoidal spots were used as back kickers, illuminating the stream. A Pulso 2 flash head, with a metal reflector, provided the backlight. The steam came from a kettle boiling beneath and behind the spoon. This image was captured on a Sinar P2 4x5 view camera with a 240mm lens.”

About five years ago, Innes added digital imaging services to his product line to serve his clients better. His digital equipment includes: Carvinal 3020 Chips x2, Macintosh G4 computers, Fuji Pictography 3000 printer, Iris Realist proofer, Epson 1200 printer, Epson 850 printer, Ilfojet 50-inch large format printer, Encad 850 60-inch large format printer, Agfa 35mm slide maker, Scitex Smart Scanner, and a Nikon scanner.

The last of a series of six shots using blue and green glasses. Printed by finishing as a Polaroid “lift.” Lighting: one single light, mini cove and two reflectors. Sinar P2, 150mm lens, shot at f/11.

“In the beginning, I was interested in the speed of digital photography, plus the fact that I could control and retouch images in both color and content,” Innes says. “I could see opportunities for increasing revenues by converting files to CMYK and writing to CD. Additionally, my clients save big when not using traditional film. Some clients request digital, while others are still prejudiced against it.”

Because the studio is well established, much of its business comes from repeats and referrals, however, Innes also knows the value of advertising and promoting his operation. New clients are generated via a myriad of media sources, including: PR, ads in trade journals, direct-mail campaigns, attending shows and exhibitions, Yellow Pages, websites, telemarketing, and others. Changes in the prepress market in recent years have allowed Innes to expand into this field and also better control how their images appear for publication. Currently, Innes is in negotiations with a U.S.-based photo library specializing in food-related images, to further expand his business overseas.

Innes uses Nikon, Hasselblad and Sinar cameras, with a wide range of focal length lenses for each format, depending on the job and the desired results. As for lighting equipment, Innes uses Broncolor, including: Pulso and Grafit power packs, Picolites, focusing flash heads, Hazylights, Satellites, Cumulites, box lights and Impacts, with a range of accessories, including: metal reflectors, barndoors and honeycombs. All the film is done in-house on a Refrema E-6 processor, so jobs can be completed faster than sending the film to an outside lab.

Larderfresh; cover shot for cheese brochure. Strong backlighting. 135mm lens with Sinar P2. Lots of reverse yawing was used to defocus the image. Shot at f/8

At the tender age of five, Ivor Innes helped his father, Donald Ivor Innes, who was a freelance press photographer, by rotating prints in the fixer, and washing and glazing photographs. Ivor attended Junior Art School on weekends to further his photography education as a youngster. For three years, he studied graphic design and photography at Hull College of Art & Design in East Yorkshire. After a decade of teaching photography at Plymouth College of Art & Design in England, he finally joined the family photography business in 1970. Unfortunately, his father died in 1971, and he became the owner of Innes Photographers studio.

The future for this UK imagemaker looks as bright as his colorful images. Currently, he is in the process of streamlining the traditional lab and closing down the areas that are not profitable. In keeping pace with the times, Innes is also expanding the digital capture facilities.

	One of a series of shots to sell frozen game and poultry. Set built in the studio. Various props acquired from antique and junk shops. Smoke effect from an aerosol can.

Readers may contact Ivor Innes via e-mail at: info@innesphotographers.co.uk, or view his website at: www.ivor-innes. co.uk.

Linda May is a freelance writer based in the Midwest.