Happy holidays, comrades, I hope you had a good time over the past few days. I’m a lot less miserable now that the festive season is done and I’m coming to realize it’s the build-up to Christmas that I don’t particularly enjoy, actually spending a few days at home, just the current wife and me, eating cheese and drinking wine, building Lego, making puzzles and watching Star Wars is just what I need after such a busy, hyper-social period. A good balance of creative thinking, problem-solving, and endless hedonism… love it!
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As I mentioned in my previous newsletter, 2024 has been a tough year, especially for my self-confidence. I started the year with huge plans, maybe too ambitious making a few mistakes I shouldn’t have made in the first place followed by drastic changes in the way I do business, or I used to.
I understand now that none of these challenges were personal, just the perks of working with people and the result of the current climate we live in combined with the nature of a very tough industry as is the case with hospitality which was my bread and butter for the past decade.
The truth is that nothing is a constant in life, nothing is permanent, and most importantly, nothing is guaranteed, especially in business. If I learned something this year is that innovation and an open mind have to be always present to avoid any business becoming stale; that therapy and having a mentor are essential; and that actually my work is worth a lot more than I think it is.
Towards the end of the year, I realized that by making these lessons habits and allowing opportunities to take their natural course I’m growing not just creatively but as a business too. This year I stepped out of my comfort zone into new challenges, the experience I already have allowed me to solve the technical difficulties but the rest I’ve learned along the way. The possibilities for the kind of work I like to create are endless, I’m ready for 2025!
Anyway, enough with my jibber jabber, here’s a review in pictures from my favourite commercial jobs during 2024 with descriptions in the captions:
January.
Location work with local florists gobotanica who has now become not just a regular client but a very dear one; they are an amazing family-run business.
Portraits and documentary work at Southampton University for PeBe, a sports bra brand designed based on the science of movement, not on fashion needs.
February.
A press trip to Napoli with a regular client who makes the best Neapolitan pizza in the UK!
March.
Studio work with a stylist friend of mine for Aura-Soma, a brand I’ve worked with before on several lifestyle productions. This was the first time we shot something entirely focused on the product and in the studio.
This portfolio session is for a client who worked towards setting up his personal training gym. A few weeks after the shoot, Jordan became my trainer.
April.
An outdoor portrait portfolio for a client who is starting his business as an empowering influencer and life coach. Right before this shoot, I was attacked by a fella that was off his tits on booze and drugs. I was so ready to either get a knife or bronze boxer for self-defense (both illegal in the UK) or get the f*ck out of this country for good. Not even in Mexico I’ve encountered such behaviour. I channeled that intense energy into these portraits.
May.
My favourite food documentary shoot of the year not just because of the challenges of photographing in a fast-paced bakery but the chances of getting the northern lights in frame…
I was doing a food shoot at the Saltdean Lido which just reopened to the public after years of restoration and I had to shoot the architecture, look at this, is just incredible!
Shooting the vibrancy of spring again with gobotanica and having a good time breaking floristry stereotypes!
Stepping into Thames Water HQs in London to photograph the executives of a new project was a good lesson in making people with very little time feel at ease in front of the camera and keeping them engaged.
June.
Working with friends can be challenging, when is friendship? when is business? but I think I managed to find a good balance with Happy Go Souvlaky helping them elevate their brand and refresh their visuals.
I’m always happy to go back to London and photograph at The Chocolate Cocktail Club, a business I’ve seen grow from a small pop-up to an award-winning cocktail bar.
One of my rules in photography is not to shoot events unless they allow for emotion and visual narrative and that’s been the case photographing a monthly small networking event in Brighton: The Big Fat Greek Networking Club.
July.
Once again with PeBe, the sports bra brand this time refreshing their brand identity photographing tons of action in Hove’s industrial estate on the hottest day of the year.
This has been my favourite job of the year and the work I’m the most proud of.
We had many challenges on top of shooting at 35 degrees in the sun, the harsh light, improvising with locations and having a film crew at the same time as shooting stills. Learned so much on that day!
August.
At the end of 2023 I started working with a local charity (The Launchpad Collective) supporting their clients through mentoring and professional support.
This time I was asked to photograph different scenarios of the work they do to be able to show on presentations and to possible investors. Loved this challenge!
I love working with my friends at TheBox, a fitness studio in Brighton who ignited my interest in the human body and the amazing things it can do. I enjoy getting into challenging light conditions to create powerful images. I treat these shoots with TheBox half as personal projects, half as commercial work and the outcome is always fascinating.
September.
More event photography but this time outside of the networking group but for the same client who has a catering business. I really don’t like shooting events unless I can give them a creative twist.
Pre lockdown I used to shoot lots of books or different publishers, coming out of lockdown, most of my contacts moved on so I truly enjoy when a publisher gets in touch and asks to commission a book shoot.
This time I jumped into the studio of local collage artist Maria Rivans to work on her Christmas book. This is the second time I shoot with her commissioned by Thames & Hudson and I love the creative challenge of photographing an artist at work!
October.
Local gin producers and one of my favourite clients launched a collaboration with another local legend with an Indian spice inspired gin. I was commissioned to produce all their stock, marketing and PR images for this project. Loved it!
I got commissioned by a local wine bar and one of my favourite places to sip wines at in Brighton (Ten Green Bottles) to produce a series of photos for their new website and socials. How could I say no to such wonderful people?
Also, local legends Cassie and Henry (together with Bubbles) of Butlers Wine Cellar, a tiny but incredibly well-stocked wine shop in town asked me to do a few portraits for their new website. They’re my favourite wine people!
I was a few days down in Bethnal Green, London to photograph the opening of the new restaurant by Fatto a Mano, the same guys I went to Napoli with. It was challenging snapping during the busy soft launch services but knowing how to move on a busy restaurant and staying a step or two ahead of the action help!
I photographed a couple of these stainless steel capping machines for the manufacturer. It was an incredibly challenging job technically because the machines were photographed in the factory’s production warehouse under very difficult light conditions and with reflections on the machine coming from every possible angle. Both the client and me were very happy with the result.
November.
The first festive shoot of the year with gobotanica and their incredible range of wreaths. Funny story: I walked home with this massive wreath on my shoulder, I got stopped at least a dozen times. The thing is huge, wider than our door so it’s hanging on the wall of our living room.
I was commissioned to do the photography for a newly opened cafe/restaurant in the seafront. Reading Room is a restored Victorian venue with an incredible atmosphere, decor and food. Very difficult to photograph though because of the warm lighting and the large windows allowing tons of natural light.
December.
Photographed a new collection of greeting cards and wrapping papers for a very dear regular client: Lagom Design who are a local design studio and have an amazing gift shop as well. Consistency and attention to the tiniest details are always the challenges when photographing over 200 products like this one but I love it!
You already saw this on my latest issue of Shake n Bake. Working with such an important charity covering and event and documenting chefs at work revived my passion for the food industry!
Following our first shoot in March, Jordan finished his studio and just a few days before the holidays we managed to photograph him at the new space. What a place!
Lastly, a few days before Christmas, an architectural shoot for a design studio that builds bespoke sheds like this one. I love design and architecture but I don’t get to shoot them as often as I’d like to. Maybe that’s a good thing so I enjoy these opportunities even more.
Thank you comrades, for being here and joining me on this journey. Which photo is your favourite?
I wish you a very happy new year, peace, love, health and lots of success for the coming year. See you in 2025!
Nice write up, Xavi. The shot of Saltdean Lido gets my vote. 👏🏻😎
it looks like you had a great professionally creative year! congrats and sorry to read about your drunken run-in. stay strong in '25!