September 2016

Social Scene – the B&W Guide to Autumn Events

awards, blogging, charity, fashion, News, Uncategorized

It looks like we will be dusting off our posh frocks for more than one occasion in the next two months. The end of the year sees 3 great events, across the country, which not only look set to be great nights out but also are also fundraising for some top equestrian linked charities.

On Saturday 22nd October 2016, E-Dressage Ltd will be hosting their Annual Autumn Ball and Awards Evening. With a seriously special night lined up, with plenty to keep all of their 350 lovely guests entertained into the early hours. Not only a great night out but also raising money for Redwings Horse Sanctuary throughout the event. Paralympic Gold and Silver Medal winning Grand Prix Dressage Rider Simon Laurens will be attending the Ball and Awards Evening (where Black and White Eventing have been shortlisted as finalists in the Blog and Social Media categories!)

Simon Lurens is an absolute inspiration to anybody; dressage enthusiast or otherwise. He will be on stage, chat-show-style, to talk to the guests, sharing a little of his jaw-dropping and emotional story and answering questions in typical blasé and humorous fashion.

Closing Date for Tickets: 30th September 2016 – so you need to get a wriggle on!

Event Date: Saturday 22nd October Time: 6.00pm-11.30pm, Black Tie

Location: Carden Park, Broxton Road, Nr Chester, Cheshire, CH3 9DQ

Tickets are available here

Starting November with a bang is The Willberry Ball, at Quendon Hall, Essex, on the on 11^th November

Raising funds for a very popular charity, close to my heart, Willberry Wonder Pony. I will be attending with a group of friends and we are set to dance the night away! Tickets cover entry, a welcome drink, a 3 course meal and tea or coffee. Drinks will be available at the open bar. There will be a live auction and entertainment. Tickets for this amazingly popular event have already sold out, however there will be an auction so those not attending can participate and bid on lots beforehand – keep an eye out on the Ball’s Facebook page for details – there are some amazing lots to bid for!

On the 29^th November The Mark Davies Injured Riders Fund are delighted to announce that top international eventer William Foxx-Pitt will be joining special guests Olympic Gold Medallist Nick Skelton and MBE and eventer Zara Tindall at the ‘Quintessentially and Mark Davies Injured Riders Fund Evening with the Stars’. The event to be held at an exclusive venue in London on 29th November will raise funds for this unique equestrian charity and will be hosted by top equestrian TV presenter & commentator Steven Wilde.

Guests will enjoy an evening of entertainment and fine dining at this exclusive and prestigious venue.

Tickets: £100 or table of 10: £950.00

Numbers are strictly limited, for further information: www.mdirf.co.uk

Nick Skelton (GBR), individual Jumping Gold Medalist – Rio 2016 Olympic Games – Deodoro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – 19 August 2016

Zara Philips, (GBR), High Kingdom – Jumping Eventing – Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 – Normandy, France. © Hippo Foto Team – Jon Stroud 31-08-14

It’s the little things… one pair of shoes and a whole lot of lifestyle

blogging, equine, eventing, fashion, horses, kit, News, Reviews, Social media, style, Uncategorized

With Burghley well and truly done and dusted, the touring spectacle that is Eventing has moved onto Blenheim. Despite the awful weather on Saturday, Burghley was a great success, with the publication that I developed, with uptown E Store, ‘A little Book of Burghley Style’ receiving some great reviews from readers and the brands that were involved. If you have yet to read it, I’ve embedded a copy at the end of this blog.

A featured brand was Fairfax and Favor, who I’ve been working with since their early days. It has been wonderful to see Marcus and Felix develop their product and brand identity. From small stands at their local event Burnham Market, to showstoppers at major internationals and the likes of The Game Fair. Knowing how hard it is to work these events, keep stock levels up to scratch as well as running the business itself, their shows schedule is beyond impressive. The team will have earnt a well-earned break after Olympia in December!

I’m sure many of you are familiar with their famed tassled ‘Regina’ boots, always seen at trot ups and a country girl’s staple footwear. As I said in the Burghley magazine,

‘It’s definitely not a case of what riders will be wearing Fairfax boots at the horse inspections… but who won’t be!’

Fairfax and Favor have now established themselves within the eventing and country markets, with some exciting news about brand ambassadors on the way, so keep an eye out for that. Their social media channels are on point with huge followings and almost cult status amongst their customers, who are now not just the country set, but city dwellers wanting classic shoes, that are stylish, classy and comfortable. With the business rocking, and my marketing head on, I set about thinking what makes customers ‘come back for more’ and what makes new customers want to purchase their own little bit of Fairfax and Favor.

So what was my conclusion? Well, in my opinion it’s all about the detail. At Burghley I purchased a new pair of driving shoes, the new style Henley’s. You can read about them here

They are a slightly different shoe from the classic Drivers launched last year (I’ve lived in mine and they are part of my everyday wardrobe on the farm and in meetings… and obviously for driving!). The Henley’s are more refined ‘smarter’ style, with plaited leather detailing, the classic drivers grip sole which makes you feel like you are walking on air, stippled rubber across the outside of the heel which means the shoes aren’t worn away or damaged when you drive. I’d say a smarter, more ladylike version of the driver. There are also little details like the metal ends on the ties and a really smart Farifax and Favor shield stud on the heal. Subtle branding that suits the shoe. Speaking to Felix Favor Parker at Burghley he positively gushed about this new detail, telling me of the trials of finding a manufacturer to get the logo ‘just right’. It’s this attention to detail and careful consideration that really makes a difference and keeps customers coming back. With a few new designs launched every year – from bags, to purses and new boot designs, the brand keeps a fresh identity, but still is very much Fairfax and Favor.

One of the biggest treats (for a packaging geek like me) is receiving a delivery. This is where the brand gets things ‘just right’. Open the shoe box – it slides open like a draw and you want to keep it just for that… and you see two beautiful navy dust bags with gold embossed logos. I’m maybe a little OCD but I’m a sucker for dust bags. Why not look after your treasures well? Next is a lovely navy branded envelope containing a beautifully printed catalogue – because you will be thinking of your next purchase already right? A lovely hand written note hoping my shoes will fit perfectly – a lovely touch! Then two A5 ivory, gold embossed cards, one inviting you to the list of events that FF will be attending, and to stop by for a drink or two – well who wouldn’t? And another inviting FF fans to tag the brand their Instagram images, with a customer every month winning a £250 in store credit voucher for the ‘best Fairfax & Favor photo’. Simple marketing, stylishly executed and totally fitting with the brand.

It’s this quality detail, working with a great manufacturer to keep stock levels up to scratch and the quality high that makes the Fairfax ad Favor work. Using all the best bits of tech, in a classic way to keep the brand faithful happy. Add to this excellent customer experiences on-stand or online, plus the ability to have your order arriving the next day. It is true to say that Fairfax and Favor are here to stay and with marketing and an attention to detail they deserve all the recognition they have received.

To find out more visit: www.fairfaxandfavor.com

The B&W Creative guide to taking on-point Flat Layout Photos

blogging, equine, fashion, photography, Reviews, Social media, style, Uncategorized

Flat lay photos have been popularised over the last few years or so on Instagram, and way before then in glossy mags – they are a classic, simple and chic way to show off your favourite objects and current addictions in a way that captures interest. I’ve seen them used loads in Food & Fashion editorials, blogs and on social media platforms… but now they are working their way into the equestrian industry.

Flatlays are a really simple way to create interesting and very personal posts, specific to your brand and what you do. I personally love Paris in Four Months, Flatlay, @bali_ayu and mamiaoyagi

So, you if you want to try taking some flatlays images here are some B&W tips to creating cracking shots and some ideas of apps and software to help you edit and refine them.

Keep your background clean and neutral

You don’t want the surface behind the objects to take away from the products you are taking pictures of. If you are contemplating taking a series, then consider keeping the background consistent. Backgrounds could be a white or plain wood table top, granite counter, a white sheet or even a simple concrete floor (like my images in this blog – I did sweep up first!)

Find a suitable light source – ideally sunlight

Natural light is the best light source to show off the objects you are taking photos of. For sure you can add a filter later on in an app (but this won’t get rid of unwanted shadows). A good light source will really support the quality of your images, so work in the daytime if possible.Equally I don’t use a flash on my camera as I’m not keen on the quality this gives. At a push I use an angle poise lamp with a super white bulb, but rarely go down the artificial light route.

Theme it up…

Think about creating a series of flat lays with a linking theme, for example, the types of objects or their colours. This not only will help you construct visually interesting images, but when they are uploaded to social media they also show a consistent theme. Consider the colours of the objects, contrasting colours and snippets of really piercing colour can lift a composition. Likewise pairing a shirt, belt and a necklace and show an outfit inspiration and can be laid out interestingly.

Layout

This is the hardest aspect to crack and needs consideration and practice to get it right. Flat objects, by nature are easy to capture as they sit or lay flat. Clothing needs arranging and folding to work well, so in this sense is trickier to capture. Objects can also angle off the image, you don’t have to include the whole object in shot. You can also try layering objects as I have with this boot composition. Experiment with contrasting textures and props to develop your theme. Flat lays are all about creating a lifestyle image so think about what that could or should be.

Space it out

Give your objects space to ‘breathe’, less is more! Too many elements can be visually confusing – especially to someone viewing via their phone. Think of arranging in 3’s and 5’s when choosing your objects as these groupings can often work best together.On an iPhone iOS7 there is a handy ‘square’ function which helps you to template up and arrange a flat lay ready for Instagram uploading – so use tech to your advantage!

So you’ve thought about your background, light, theme and layout… now what are the best apps to edit images in to share?

Instagram – Instagram (iOS / Android) – Pretty much the number 1 favourite for many and growing massively in popularity over the past few years due to the ability to tag. The filters and overlays are pretty good to. A great app, just remember slick images and hashtags are king!

VSCO (iOS / Android) My personal favourite as I like the simple layout and the trademark filters (which VSCO prefers to call “Pre-sets”). It’s like Insta for cool kids. (the images in this blog were edited via VSCO).

Flatlay (Coming Soon) You use any image you have already taken on Instagram, Pinterest or within your library and plug it alongside a collection of products you have curated. Share it with the Flatlay community and the world via your page and social channels. The app that’s set to make flatlays even more commercial.

Snapseed (iOS / Android) A retouching and photo editing tool that helps enhance your photo to give you the cleanest image. Some useful stock filters and effects that will help you make the most of your images.

Lightroom (iOS / Android) An industry standard piece of software created by Adobe. There are a selection of photo shoot pre-sets and you can adjust hues, colour tones and add effects to your images.

Bazaart (iOS) An app to help you make really clean backdrops and crop product shots against a flat white background. You can then collage products together and share via social. There is an upgrade that connects directly with the desktop version of Photoshop for the Mac. New import and export options let users easily switch between Bazaart on mobile and Photoshop on the desktop at will via your Creative Cloud account. A handy one for apple users.

Enjoy your image creation! Let me know how you get on x