FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Absolutely.  If you have a favourite place, such as a beach, farm or woodland, let's talk!

No.  However, I do work with a number of individual freelancers whom I trust and whose work I respect.

So, even if I can't be of help, feel free to get in touch and I'll be happy to point you at someone who can.

Yes, although most photo ID including UK passport applications don't require a professional photoshoot. Max Speilmann in Tesco Elgin can help here.

However, if you need photos for a Canadian passport or immigration application, I have experience of this and can help.

When applying for a Canadian passport, your photos must follow strict government standards, to avoid delays or rejection. Each application requires two identical, unaltered photos taken within the last six months.

Unlike UK passport photos, Canadian passport photos must be taken by a professional photographer, and conform to specific lighting, pose, facial expression, dimensions and layout. These requirements apply to both new and renewal applications and failing to meet them can result in rejection and/or delays in your application.

I can provide you with a short (20-30min) studio shoot, to create two 50x70mm colour prints which meet all the specified requirements. Price for this service is only £65. It hasn't happened yet - but, in the unlikely event that your photographs are not accepted by Canadian government offices, Ie will re-shoot at no additional charge.

No.  I'm fully focussed on ground-based stills photography. However, I can recommend a licenced drone photography & videography company.

Let's debunk the myth of you not being photogenic! it's all about capturing your authentic self! Your comfort is the secret ingredient to beautiful images. I'm here to support you every step of the way, ensuring you feel at ease and confident.

Yes. I understand that you are living a busy life hence I always try to accommodate my clients' needs. We will find the date that works for you

As long as there's room, then yes, of course! Pets are an integral part of any family and are most welcome.

For multiple or larger dogs, please check first! Larger animals won't fit in my studio - but - a studio shoot can be set up on your premises, if space permits.

Select wardrobe choices that reflect your personality and style. Think about colours and textures that make you feel confident. Jot down any questions or specific ideas you have so we can discuss them during our pre-shoot call.

Highly reflective or fluorescent fabrics, patches, logos, etc. - these can really spoil the look of your photos.

Fine stripes or fine checked patterns - these play havoc with digital photos (a thing called "Moiré").

Tartan's fine!

Absolutely! If you have inspo images, such as your favourite artists, celebs or magazine photos that have a particular "look" you'd like to reproduce, send them to me or bring them along to the shoot.

In the studio, we can recreate different styles of lighting and poses, so can work with your inspo images to create something special & unique to you.

It depends on how many people are being photographed: In the studio, I'd recommend at least a 30min session. It can take a bit of time for us both to settle into a relaxed flow and the best shots tend to come after the first 20-30mins of settling in.

Headshot shoots for business organisations tend to be more functional and, once the lighting is set up, Individual sitters can be processed more quickly than would be the case in a personal shoot.

The minimum slot for portrait shoots is 30mins. Again, it take a little time for everyone to settle into a relaxed flow, and the best shots tend to come after the first 20-30min of settling-in.

Typical shoots will be 1hr to 1¹/₂hr, although you can book a longer session if you like. Longer sessions allow for changes of clothes & lighting setups and to create beautiful images without any rush. I won't be paying too much attention to the clock - my focus is on capturing stunning images.

Yes & No.
For personal clients, any physical wall art products you buy would come with a JPG copy of that image, sized at 300dpi for the products actually purchased.

(Wall art would include: Mounted paper prints; Framed prints; Framed & unframed photo panels)

Yes. For commercial clients there's an expectation that you require the images for publication, websites, marketing, etc. JPGs are supplied as standard. Other file formats are available by request.

Unless requested otherwise, images are provided via a client gallery in JPG format, sized for your required print size at 300ppi (pixels per inch, sometimes referred to as dpi or dots per inch)

No.  If I were to do this, I would have no control over the quality of the finished product.

Think of the RAW & unedited files as the ingredients that go into creating the final images.

(You'd expect a restaurant to only serve you a fully prepared dish - not a bunch of raw ingredients, a half-cooked meal, or other stuff you didn't choose from the menu!)

No.  I reserve the right to select which images are suitable, from those taken during the shoot.

Not all photos shot will be usable and I make the final decision as to which images are rejected and which ones are offered for purchase.

By default, legally, copyright is held by the photographer who took the image. This is standard within the industry.

I do not normally sell the copyright to any of my images. If you really need to buy and own copyright, then this would be by written agreement and involve agreeing and paying a "Copyright Buy-Out" fee. This fee will vary, depending on the intended usage.

When framing, whether or not to add a mount (or "mat" in the USA) to your artwork is entirely up to you. Practically, an acid-free mat is a good way to protect the artwork from condensation, or from sticking to the glass.

Personally, I like to view a frame as a border or barrier between the artwork and the surrounding room / environment. A mount then leads the viewer in from this barrier, into and interacting with the artwork itself. If you're going to have one, it's important to choose a mount that will enhance, rather than detract from, the artwork.

A good strategy when choosing a mount colour, is to pick a colour that draws attention to the main subject, or elements, of the artwork. This is ultimately a personal choice but I can offer suggestions or recommendations for this if you'd like some help.

It's imporant not to have too narrow a mount, as this can lead to it being more of a distraction than enhancement. For artworks in the range 11x14in to 30x20in, mounts are typically 2in wide.
For smaller artworks, mounts can be smaller, for example 1³/₄in or 1¹/₂in wide. For larger artworks, 3in or 4in may be appropriate, to retain a sense of good proportions.

Printing onto aluminium photo panels uses a process called "Dye Sublimation". There are three separate stages to this:

1. Create a print master

The digital image is re-sized & cropped to fit the area of the chosen panel, based on a print resolution of 300 pixels per inch. The "print master" includes an extra bleed area printed all round, to ensure a borderless print, and fiducial marks to help keep everything aligned during the third (pressing) stage.

2. Create a transfer print

The print master is sent to a Mutoh VJ628 wide-format printer, to create a mirror-image transfer print. This printer is loaded with special "sublimation" inks and paper - more on this in the third (pressing) stage.

3. Transfer the paper print to the aluminium panel

Chromaluxe high definition photo panels comprise a 1.14mm thick aluminium sheet, with a thin polymer layer bonded to one side. It's this polymer layer that accepts the photograpihic image. Blank panels are available with gloss or matte, white or silver finishes. I prefer to use gloss white, as this produces prints with deep blacks, brilliant whites and rich, vibrant colours.

The the tranfer print is taped face-down onto the blank panel. They are then pressed together and 'cooked' under pressure at 180^oC for 150s. During the pressing stage, the ink sublimes (changes directly from solid to gas) off the paper and is deposited (directly from gas back to to solid) onto the coated panel.

In my studio, I'm limited by the size of my heat press to printing panels up to 24x20inch. Larger panels are available - I just don't do those myself, subcontracting them out instead. Depending on the image, max single panel size is 8ftx4ft - Same as a sheet of plasterboard.

Equipment list - Camera bodies & lenses:

• Nikon D850 (45MP DSLR)
• Nikon D800 (36MP DSLR)
• Wide range of Nikon manual and auto-focus lenses
• (Fixed primes & professional zooms)

Equipment list - Lighting:

• (Up to 6) Elinchrom studio strobes
• (Up to 4) Nikon speedlights
• Various modifiers, V-Flats & reflectors

Equipment List - Computer Software:

• Nikon Capture NX Studio
• Adobe Photoshop
• Capture One
• Topaz Photo Ai
• Topaz Gigapixel Ai
• 3DVista Stitcher 4
• 3DVista Virtual Tour

For specialist work such as photo restoration, digital capture, reproduction of original art works, 3D virtual tours, we use a variety of additional equipment:

• Copy stand
• Light box
• Macro stage + lenses
• Polarised light sources
• Geared, 3-way, nodal and gimbal tripod heads

• Dedicated photo editing monitor
• Colour-profiled (calibrated) monitor
• Printer & inks colour-profiled to individual specific papers
• We use only original Canon inks for colour consistency & permanence
• We use only high quality photo & fine art papers
• We use only the industry leading (Chromaluxe) aluminium sublimation panels

Moraylight is not a camera sales or repair centre but I'm happy to help with advice, regarding camera problems or something you think may be at fault.

I have a fairly extensive knowledge of photography, including Nikon cameras & lenses going back as far as the 1950s

Moraylight doesn't buy and sell camera equipment as such but I'm always on the lookout for collectible Nikon gear. If you have an old Nikon bits hiding in a cupboard, I might be interested in buying it for my collection!