The Review Winter 2020 | Page 10

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Jasmine Lawrie Photography

Ever since a young age , I have always had a

keen interest in photography . I remember receiving a digital camcorder one year for Christmas , and a few years later , receiving a digital camera for my birthday – I was absolutely delighted and excited ! During S5 at school , I decided I ’ d pick up higher photography to learn more about the subject , before figuring that I wanted to pursue it further . I studied photography for 3 years at one of the best educational institutes in Scotland – City of Glasgow College . I went through NC to HNC and finally , HND . Over my time there , I discovered a lot about photography and the fundamentals of it . Each genre was investigated thoroughly and enabled us to get a taster of each . Although I particularly enjoyed portraiture , there had always been an aspect of product and still life which really fulfilled my passion more . To graduate from the HND course , I had a final project to complete which included a total of 20 images for hand in . Originally , I had planned to do a fashion portraiture project because I had been really inspired after my work experience trip to Quiz Clothing Studios and thought I would take my own spin on e-commerce . However , a global pandemic hit , meaning that idea was no longer possible , and I had to start from scratch ; I had to reconsider a brand new project which could be completed at home . After much thinking and consideration , I decided to collaborate with my sister , who has a particular love for baking ! Although food and cake photography hadn ’ t been an alleyway I ’ d been down before , I was ready for a challenge . She baked a total of 22 products , each of which challenged me in new and different ways . The further along the bakes we went , the more confident I felt in my approaches and techniques – I wanted to show off the cakes to their highest standard and make them look desirable ! The end goal , after all , was to achieve a final A as I am a determined , ambitious and hard-working photographer . With much dedication and enthusiasm , I achieved that A back in June . However , the same day that I received my final grade and feedback , I received a message from the well-known cake brand , Mathiesons . With the power of social media , they had found my photography page , and were looking to have some food photos shot for their new product ’ s packaging ! Of course ! I was delighted and over the moon , and jumped at the opportunity – it ’ s a massive offer to have been presented with just as I was qualifying ! Over the course of my final project , I had slowly but surely began buying more lighting and equipment to build myself a home studio , which meant that I could shoot the stollen cake ( as well as future projects !) in the comfort of my own home . Mathiesons provided me with a brief , which I fulfilled and received positive feedback from them , both in terms of my photography itself and my business mannerisms . I am excited to announce that the stollen can now be found in all Morrisons stores throughout the country ! Since June , I have been working extremely hard on building up a strong portfolio . Although I still enjoy food photography , I also find myself going down the product photography pathway too . I strive to create work which is exciting and unusual ; I ’ m naturally an experimental person so I ’ m always trying out new things too , whether it be through colour , lighting or techniques . I ’ m very active on social media , where you can find all my work . So , if it ’ s a product or food photographer you ’ re after , let me help you out ! Based in Stewarton , with access to lighting and kit within my home , proficient skills in the Adobe Suite ( Photoshop etc ), and excellent communication skills – I ’ ll keep you in the loop every step of the way . Let Jasmine Lawrie Photography provide you with the images you need !

time for a treasure hunt

Despite the foul weather

and this week ’ s bad news about entering Tier 4 , local publisher Swan & Horn managed to put in place their very first Storytelling Treasure Hunt for children , in the hope of bringing a little colour into these dreary times .
Twenty-eight clues were placed in shop windows along the high street and in Lainshaw Woods for a whole week , telling a story based on The Ellie Adventures ( Book 1 ): You Have All You Need , written by Dundee-based author / illustrator Jonathan Liddell .
Jonathan ’ s stories are all inspired by the great Scottish outdoors . He says : “ Drawing on location is a huge part of my process – it gets the juices flowing ! And getting out into the world means I can create my own images , get a feel for a place , and enjoy the company of good folk – I tend to find any excuse for a new adventure !”.
Jonathan hopes when the next Ellie storybook is published , he can come to Lainshaw Woods himself and take groups of children on storytelling walks .
As part of this celebration of Scottish Book Week , Swan & Horn also provided free copies of the Ellie book to local primary schools , and invited them to view a free recording of the author reading Ellie ’ s story , on a riverside in Perthshire woodland .
Publisher , Maria Carter , says : “ The more we can do for the community , the better ! Especially in times like these . This is the first of many ideas to encourage children to make use of our great outdoor spaces and enjoy the fine art of storytelling ”.
Maria wants to thank the many people in Stewarton who have helped her make this happen – the shopkeepers , Susan Williamson at Stewarton Woodland Action Trust , the storytelling-bench fundraisers Joanna Deeks-Nisbet and Marion Gilbert , and local do-gooders Sandra Hunter and Bethany Howell .
Swan & Horn clue 6 in LimeTree window