Hinckley

Rebranding Hinckley Photographed

in ,

Hinckley Photographed - Rebranded

A big old project of mine, Hinckley Photographed has been rebranded to allow for better creativity and more inclusivity.

Hinckley & Burbage Photographed

Since 2012, I’ve been creating work for a personal documentary of people and place in and around Hinckley in Leicestershire. Initially this was set up so I could simply share my work online. I needed a place to exhibit the work I was producing, while I was studying photography and video at NWHC and De Montfort University.
I began by making photographs of the geographical location, looking at the urban environment and the way in which the local community used the spaces and buildings. I also focused on the people that live here in a wider idea to create a permanent place for the community to relate to people they may know and also for a record of the truth of life.

The Concordia Theatre, Light It Red, July 2020

Hinckley Photographed was where it all started and as time went on I changed the name to Hinckley & Bosworth Photographed because I wanted to include the wider area and felt that I was too restricted with Hinckley. However, I soon felt that with Bosworth it was too much alike the Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council and often was miscredited.
I needed to distance myself from the council, so I reverted back to Hinckley Photographed, which now felt wrong when I posted something from outside of those Hinckley parameters. I now actually live in Burbage and often produce nice work from around the village but it felt wrong sharing it on Hinckley Photographed.
So I changed the name to Hinckley & Burbage Photographed for very good reasons.

St. Catherine’s Church, Burbage, Leicestershire.

Until last year Hinckley Photographed was just a way for me to share my photographs from the project. I joined a scheme that is specifically for photographers that is restricted to one photographer per area and I produced the very first calendar that Hinckley has ever seen. I put together some great photographs from my collection and began to sell them to the community. It was strange for me because I never intended to make money from this project. Since creating the calendars and realising that I have an audience that wants to buy my work, it gave me the boost I needed to dive right in and create more products.
Now I’m producing 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzles from the best photographs and they’ve been incredibly popular, especially during lockdown.

I’ve just received my latest batch of new jigsaw puzzles, which include The Marina, Ripples of Nature and Billa Barra Hill.

The Marina Jigsaw Puzzle, Hinckley, Leicestershire.

Ripples of Nature, Hinckley, Leicestershire.

Billa Barra Hill, Leicestershire

There’s no prescription for the way I work with this project and each day is a new day for me.

If you’d like to view the work for Hinckley & Burbage Photographed, there’s a place on my website with selected mini projects here or on the Facebook page.

All in all, I’m just a photographer that enjoys making artwork.
I’m just an artist with a family at home and I hope you continue to enjoy my work.
As you should know already, that I’m easily accessible via the Facebook page or by email to paul@paulhands.co.uk

Please subscribe to my email blogs.

Fine Art Photographic 1,000 Piece Jigsaw Puzzles

in ,

Making Photographic Jigsaw Puzzles.

I now have a new art product on the shelves that is incredibly popular, 1,000 piece Photo Jigsaw Puzzles.

Since lockdown began, I’d lost all of the work I had booked in. A 4 x commercial film deal collapsed in the first week, I lost several commercial photoshoots, one at a laser tag event and all of the weddings for my wedding photography and filmmaking business, rescheduled, leaving me penniless, jobless and with just a creative mind left wandering.

I got creative with a personal lockdown project but also did a bit of housekeeping…

…So I spent some of my free time looking back and tidying up my archives, when my calendar supplier introduced jigsaw puzzles as a new product line. I tested the waters with a few of my archived photographs and they literally flew off the shelves and I’ve been left with almost zero stock from the first order.
This was so exciting, so I went back out with my camera, thinking differently this time and I searched for scenes that could be used as a jigsaw puzzle. I even changed the way I frame a photograph, so that particular elements were placed in specific places in the frame and there was just the right amount of sky to not make the puzzle too difficult.

This was a revelation!

There are 7 puzzles in my collection now, these are the photographs, you can use the link below to learn more and to buy jigsaw puzzles.

Making a photograph for a jigsaw puzzle isn’t straight forwards and you can’t just turn any photograph into a puzzle. There has to be the right elements, not too much sky, not too much detail and the exposure needs to be perfect. Hi res images are what’s really needed and you’d certainly struggle to produce good enough quality with a mobile phone. Not that you’d want to offer an art product made as a snapshot on your phone.

So I’ve taken great care over these photographs and have designed them to offer just the right amount of interest and challenge in different parts of the puzzle. They’re all made with a very high resolution camera so you don’t lose any detail when trying to piece together the puzzle.

Since 2012, I’ve been making photographs around my local area with all the techniques I’ve learned through my photographic education (still happening) and taken great care to produce the best quality photographic jigsaw puzzles, which is completely unique for Leicestershire.

You can click on the link below to get more information about the puzzles and to buy.

Link to the jigsaw Puzzle's / online shop.

Contact me.


2020 Full Programme of Photographic Workshops

in ,

Local Photography Workshops

2020 is going to be a fully packed year for photographic workshops.

I’m planning a large series of photography workshops locally to Hinckley and all will be based around enjoying photography, having fun and playing with making pictures, making photography accessible to almost everyone.

Black Meadows, Burbage

Photography isn’t always about making beautiful and dramatic photographs. My philosophy has always been to be playful with photography. I explore my imagination to create mini stories that use my photographs to help the viewer visualise the scenes in my head.

I create photographs with context that transport you to a place where the world doesn’t exist and only your ideas do, making the ordinary seem extraordinary!

Entrance to Black Meadows, Burbage.

I’m designing a programme of workshops that covers a variety of genres to suit your desires. So far these are the ideas I have for workshops and depending up on the level of interest will depend on how far I delve in to making these workshops happen:

  • Landscape Photography in Hollycroft Park

  • Learn how to make something from nothing - Ashby Canal

  • Landscape Photography - Croft Hill

  • Night Time Landscape Photography & Private Post Production Tuition - Croft Hill

  • Urban Landscape Photography - Hinckley

  • Street Photography Using A Mobile Phone -Birmingham (inc. train)

  • Landscape and Woodland Photography - Burbage Common

  • Night Star / Landscape Photography (Secret Location) & Private Postproduction - Exclusive Workshop

  • Bluebell Photography - Hartshill Hayes

  • Rural Ramble - Location currently unknown.

These are the ideas I have for workshops next year.

Also available is private photography tuition:

  • Half Day - £175

  • Full Day -£300

Please ask about this by contacting me directly - paul@paulhands.co.uk

Also available to buy as a gift for your loved ones.


On each workshop, I’ll work closely with your current skill level to help you get to grips easily with how to do what you want to do and if you don’t know what you want to do, I’ll help you to realise what that is.

Then I’ll elevate your skill level to be more self sufficient in terms of using your camera and managing your ideas.

If you need to learn more about using your camera, you’ll learn that. If you want to learn more about composition, I’ll teach you easily and If you need to work on developing ideas of what to photograph, that’s in the bag!

Let your imagination go wild, for anything is possible!

For me this is so simple, I live and breathe photography and filmmaking.

I can teach anybody at any skill level, unless you’re a master of photography because once the technical side of photography has been succeeded, the rest is about imagination and I’ll help you to tap in to that and begin making work that surprises even yourself.

That terrifying night, creatures from afar, from worlds we didn’t know existed, arrived on Earth. They appeared / materialised in a way that we couldn’t understand. They landed and the first began to open…

Playful Photography is where it’s at!

I’ve been honing my craft for almost a decade professionally and have been taught by the best through official tuition at NWHC (level 3 and HND) and De Montfort University, where I graduated with a High 2:1 BA Honours in Photography and Video.

I’m more than just a photographer, I consider myself as an artist that uses a camera and my intentions are always to make work that I love. I wish to pass on my love for photography and help you to develop a similar passion.

I’ve learned my profession from the masters and offer much more than just how to use a camera.

Street Photography Workshop - Birmingham

This programme of workshops is currently in the design stages and are subject to change.

So for now, please simply register your interest either with an email to me paul@paulhands.co.uk

or subscribe to my blog via email for news as they come to fruition below…

The Norcups - The Wedding Day

in ,

The Norcups Wedding Film

This is the beautiful story of Clint and Gemma Norcup on their wedding day at Bosworth Hall Hotel in Market Bosworth.

Clint and Gemma have been engaged and living together in Hinckley, Leicestershire for 19 years now and have 6 children between them, including two sets of twins. They have a wonderful and large family that bonds them together so tightly.

They commissioned me to create a film for their wedding day, even though I’d never filmed a wedding before. I’m becoming quite experienced at making films per se but have only ever done still photography at a wedding, until now.

I have 8 years of wedding photography experience but was very nervous about filming, just through understanding the pressures of not missing a thing. As it happens I absolutely loved the process and felt more at home filming the wedding than being the main photographer. I think I’ve found my calling!

I made plenty of mistakes in the recording and naturally so with it being my first ever wedding film. I had problems with the audio and some of my kit just wasn’t up to recording in the low light conditions that sometimes presented themselves. The beauty of these mistakes is that it hasn’t affected ‘The Norcups’ film badly and they absolutely love it and I now know what I need to do, to not make those mistakes again, meaning my next wedding film is going to exude a much better quality. I’m not unhappy with what I’ve produced here but I know I can do better, if you know what I mean?

What I’m extremely happy about is that despite the kit issues and audio quality, I’ve got the story and that’s the single most important factor. Their story is beautiful and I believe I’ve told it in the right way.

You may not even notice what I do but I strive for perfection and excellence and it disappoints me when I don’t live up to my own expectations.

So please be the judge of that for yourself and watch ‘The Norcups’, then leave me some feedback.

If you’d like to discuss making a film about your wedding day, then please by all means get in touch and let’s chat.

Islastones World Record Breaking Day

in ,

A short film documenting the community of Hinckley and Islastone’s smashing the world record.

Isla ‘Smiler’ Tansey would be so proud of her legacy.

This film is dedicated to Katherine, Simon, Harrison and all of the Islastones team.

Creating this film was good for the soul and something that I needed to do to help raise awareness for Islastones and Abbies Army, partly because I feel so close to the cause and it’s a way of me giving back to the community. I also get to practice doing something I love, for filmmaking and telling stories has become my way of life. I’ve made this completely for free. It has cost me very little to produce except for my time, resources and use of my equipment, staying up until the small hours, til 2am, editing and tightening up the timeline but it’s been great fun.

I hope you enjoy the film and please do leave me comments, so I know the hard work I’ve put in to it was worth it. You can leave comments at the bottom of this page or on the social media posts.

Don’t forget to subscribe to my blog, which will help me reach wider audiences with my work.

If you're interested in having a film like this being produced for your business or organisation, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch so we can share ideas on how to help. Contact me.

Sam And Dan Get Lost - Comedy Film - Behind the Scenes

in ,

Comedy Feature Film - Behind The Scenes

Sam and Dan Get Lost (played by Robert Lane and Richard Baldwin), formerly Blokes, is nearing the completion of filming the penultimate scenes.

Director - Lee Price

Asst. Director - Cameron Savage

Asst. Director / Lighting / Locations / Media - Paul Hands

Sound - Stuart Tizick

Plus supporting crew.

This blog is about keeping people up to date with our progress during the recording of our comedy feature film. Filming has stopped.

Kind of….

Filming has only really been postponed because of British summer time, the light isn’t fading until 10:30pm and everyone involved is making this film around their current work commitments. Some of our shoots can often go on in to the small hours and it’s difficult to maintain when you have to be up to go to a job in the morning.

We’re aiming at restarting filming again in the Autumn, after the nights begin to draw in again. The whole film is set at night time, one night in the lives of these two guys that have both suffered at the hands of the women in their lives. They collide in an unexpected way and form a comedic friendship whilst on their adventures (getting lost).

The unlikely duo played by Robert and Richard both come from a creative background, belong to an improvisational comedy group called the Improlectuals and have featured at the Leicester Comedy Festival.

Have a look through this set of behind the scenes stills and look out for my next blog.

Don’t forget to keep up to date with our filmmaking, you can subscribe to my blog for news by email.

Feeling the need to check out my photography?

Click here to view my projects.

Sam And Dan Get Lost - Comedy Feature Film

in ,

Sam And Dan Get Lost

A comedy feature film, 95% made in Hinckley, Leicestershire and 5% Nuneaton, Warwickshire!

Formerly Blokes. Film Director Lee Price has changed the title of the film that our small and creative team have been working on since the start of 2019.

Sam and Dan played by improv comedy actors Robert Lane and Richard Baldwin

As a creative team, we’ve almost completed the recording of our new feature film that has been filmed purely around Hinckley and some small parts in Nuneaton, in the middle of England in Leicestershire and Warwickshire.

Director Lee Price gives us information in good faith that we’re about 10% away from completion and then everything that has been recorded has to be put together in post production before we can look at distribution and the possibility of putting a big show on locally for anyone interested in seeing our hard work come together.

I must add that I’ve seen a lot of the footage and it’s really quite funny, I can’t wait to watch the completed version.

Here’s the latest behind the scenes photographs.

You can subscribe to my blog and get these sent directly to your email address.

I don’t write blogs too often, so you won’t be bombarded but I do have some great news coming up soon regarding a 12 month project that I’ve been working on around the English Countryside. I personally think it’s quite exciting because I’ve never worked on a project for this length of time before. So sign up and I’ll let you know when they’re ready to view.

The Film 'Blokes' - Behind The Scenes

in ,

A visual story of behind the scenes for the film ‘Blokes’.

Director Lee Price has written and is producing a comedy feature film about a couple of blokes that unintentionally cross paths for similar reasons.

The two blokes are played by Robert Lane and Richard Baldwin with Kellyanne Mitchell featuring .

We’ve been filming around Hinckley so far and are getting through the script quite well, although have had some poor weather interruptions recently. This is what we got up to last Saturday night.



On this film I’ve been helping out with location scouting, lighting and any other duties. Cameron Savage who has also been directing his own short films, is working the sound, whilst Lee directed on screen, he also manages his crew behind the scenes and much more off set.

I hope to tell you more about Blokes as we progress through the various stages. I’ve been sharing a lot about our filming on social media, Facebook in particular, where I’ve also been releasing new work from a countrywide photographic project that I’m creating. Follow this Facebook page.

If you subscribe to my blog, you can bypass the Facebook algorithms and help to bring things back a little closer to what I remember as normality and get my blog via email.

Recently, I’ve been producing a lot of landscapes and quirky street photography around England and have been sharing this project on Instagram, which is relatively new to me. If you’re on Instagram, please follow me @paul_._hands

Spaced Men

in ,

A New Feature Film

A fictional story written and directed by Lee Price.

Lee Price is an experienced filmmaker based in Hinckley and has created three features, filmed locally and has now sought and joined a talented team of creatives together to work on his more adventurous 4th film, Spaced Men.

The screen play has been written and read, then each of us has spent time wondering how to bring this to life. We’ve been out on a first scout of locations and even completed some test shoots. Now the ideas are really starting to flow and there’s an energy building for something that can become something quite special.

We have Lee Price as Director, Cameron Savage as Assistant Director, Myself Paul Hands as Director of Photography, Mark Hartopp as the VFX, technical expert, Matt Cobb as main character Matt and practical effects, Paul Mackanzie as a main character - Paul, Benjamin Swinton as drone pilot, produced by John Brookes and we have a wide network of creatives and professionals that are collaborating with us along the way.

We’re in the early stages of what is believed to be a lengthy estimated 18 months to bring this film to screen. There’s tons of stuff happening in the background, we’re making solid progress and it’s going to be really exciting bringing news to you about this as we go. You might even get some sneak peeks at some of the footage and trailers.

Mark is building a website where we’ll be able to update with news on our progress and provide a platform for information on the film and the team of creatives behind the feature. I’ll share news of that as soon as it’s ready.

You can learn more information about Lee’s 2nd feature ‘Frettin’, which is available on Amazon Prime and also has a Facebook page.

I’ll also be updating my blog as we move through the production, if you subscribe, you’ll get news by email as I share it.

Remember the name of this film, Spaced Men, it’s gonna be awesome!

Hinckley Bid's 9th Annual Soap Box Derby Film

in ,

The Soap Box Derby

Hinckley BID (Business Improvement District) organise many social events in the small market town centre in Leicestershire every year in what is now becoming an historic tradition.

I was commissioned to create a short film of the whole event and arrived early on the Sunday morning of the race day.  The first thing I encountered was the huge numbers of entrants hanging around in the pits, tinkering around and putting the final touches towards their carts.

The Soap Box Derby is a timed solo race down Castle Street which is a large hill named after a small Mott and Bailey that centered in Hinckley many years ago.  Castle Street is a long downhill gradient and the course is manufactured with a chicane and a ramp with a large stopping and turning area at the bottom of the hill.

Thousands of people come to Hinckley from all over the UK to watch the derby and this film is a short tribute to everyone that takes part in both the racing and the organisation.

The commission was to create this short film with a focus upon the event and the crowds that flock to watch and for the purpose of showcasing the extent the BID go to, to bring people in to the town centre and to show how good for local business are the BID and the events that bring the footfall.

Advertisement:

Documentary Photography and Filmmaking

Public Relations Photography

Corporate Website Imagery

Landscape Photography

Documentary Photography

Clients: Charities, Local Government, Corporate and SME business

Events, promotion and storytelling visual needs