PR Photoshoot for the Launch Day at PACK & SEND Harlow

Last Friday I headed over to PACK & SEND's new branch in Harlow to shoot the photos for their launch press release. Franco Capaldo is the man behind the new franchise, and the brief was to get a proper editorial-style shot of him for the story - the sort of thing you'd expect to see run alongside a piece in the local paper.

The idea behind PACK & SEND is that they'll ship pretty much anything, anywhere, safely - fragile stuff, oversized stuff, awkward stuff other couriers won't touch. So the challenge was getting all of that across in one photo. Franco packing something, looking up at the camera with a genuine smile, branding visible but not shoved in your face.

We only had an hour on site, which is tight for a shoot like this, but Franco had done his homework beforehand. He'd picked out a striking piece of artwork to use as the "item" being packed, and the unit was clean and clear of clutter before I'd even got my camera out. That kind of prep makes a real difference - it meant we could spend the hour actually shooting rather than moving boxes around trying to find a decent background.

Once we had the main shot in the bag, there was just enough time left to grab some more relaxed, natural shots around the shop floor. Nothing posed, just Franco going about the job, which gives PACK & SEND some extra images to use on social media or in future marketing without needing another shoot.

I always think about who's actually going to use a photo like this and what it needs to do for them. In this case it needed to work as a press shot first, and everything else second. That's the difference between a nice photo and one that actually does its job.

If you've got a launch, an opening, or a story you need telling in a single strong image, I'd love to help. I'm based in Hullbridge and cover Essex and London, including Rayleigh, Harlow, Southend and Chelmsford - get in touch and we can have a chat about what you need.