References for Paul David Smith

Ivory Flame

I had a BEAST of a weekend with Paul and Rhian on their Snowdonia workshop in March. The beast was from the EAST and it was MEAN! The freak weather conditions turned it from what have been a manageably cold location shoot into what was, at times, unbearably freezing and literally breathtaking. YET we were with a group of absolute stars... Paul and Rhian had planned such amazing outfits and creative concepts, and the attendees were extremely considerate and worked brilliantly under the pressure of the weather, resulting in some absolutely STUNNING all-time favourite kinda pictures being created!!!

Paul & Rhian looked after both myself and the fantastic Amelia Mary, and were respectful of our limits, and we did work indoors for some of the time, but as everyone knew, the bad weather also brought amazing backdrops of snowy mountains and misty blizzards which added such amazing atmosphere - so we had to work through and capture that magic despite the difficulties. I did struggle with the weight of the chainmail and armour which made up my outfit, but Paul took that on board and reduced the durations I was in it.

The weekend was made by the wonderful evening meals we shared at local pubs, laughing about the days adventures, reflecting on our experiences and discussing photography.

Warm showers have never felt so good, but I don't regret being part of this weekend, it just goes to show that with positive attitudes, quality tuition, experience and imagination, the best can be made from any given workshop situation no matter how extreme the weather. Photographers should definitely check out Paul's other location workshops - for the magnificent outfits and attention to detail, stunning environments, creative challenges and thoughtful guidance of these events that make them unforgettable and one of a kind!! :-D

Amie Boulton

This was my second time working with Paul and it was equally as awesome as the first. Paul is a cool guy who is great to work with. He joined myself and Chris Conway on an event at Map studios. Very easy to model for and he worked great within the group setting. The only downside is that he had to shoot off quickly at the end so he managed to escape the group photo ha! never the less, it was great to have him join us again. 100% recommended by me and i'd happily work with him again at any point in the future

Thank you for joining us Paul

Bernadette Lemon

I have worked with Paul several times now and each and everytime has been absolutely marvellous. The latest shoot we did I was honoured that Paul invited me up to join him and a few other photographers on a Photography trip to Glencoe.

Before the adventure Paul was fantastic at introducing everybody and really encouraging everybody to put forward their ideas and aims for the trip. I was incredibly grateful that Paul had sourced various locations for us to shoot giving us a relaxed yet organised couple of days filled with a variety of locations meaning we had options for the numerous types of weather we were greated with.

Not only is Paul lovely to work with on his own but it was great to see him pass his knowledge onto others and really encourage everybody to bring out their creativity and capture some absolutely gorgeous images.

During the days shooting Paul was marvellous to work with and chat to as well as being incredibly polite and thoughtful towards myself, the other models and photographers meaning we all had an absolutely great trip.

As ever Pauls photography was fabulous as you can see from his port here and I cannot wait to see the final results - back of camera looked amazing already!

I would absolutely recommend Paul to all Models, photographers, MUAS etc as he really is a joy to work with and I hope to work with him again soon! x

Apple Pi

Well this is an overdue thank you and a reference for Paul. I joined him on his photographic workshop in Glencoe back in September. The organisation of the workshop was great, with Paul turning up with some well chosen models, and a big array of outfits and props. He did an excellent job of focussing on our individual needs, finding a nice balance moving from instruction at the start towards more coaching as we became more independent at each location. He invited creative input from all of us, including the models, always remaining flexible to make the most of the available locations and working around the weather and the light. His energy and enthusiasm kept us all going throughout. I would definitely join Paul and Rhian on a future trip. As for the results… it would be fair to say they exceeded my expectations, with three now achieving FPI status! All in, a very rewarding and inspiring few days.

Andy Boreham

Paul and his partner Rhian organised a photo workshop in Glencoe for 3 models and 3 photographers (unfortunately one had to pull out due to ill health).

They had scouted out all the locations beforehand, brought with them more outfits, accessories and photo lighting equipment than you thought possible.

Their enthusiasm and knowledge of the area, subject and models was fantastic and we, as photographers learned so much from them both. They worked us all pretty hard, up early and shooting until late afternoon but that is in no way a bad thing!

Away from the photography, the evenings were very relaxed, chatting and laughing all the way.

I have also been on two of Paul's photo walks around Peterborough, where again his enthusiasm and organisation works so well. Paul will provide guidance where required or freedom to do your own thing.

Highly recommended and time/dates depending will most definitely attend more of his workshops.

Thanks again Paul and Rhian

Gary Cassidy

Paul booked me for a shoot in Glencoe yesterday and I can't recommend him highly enough.

Everything, from him initially contacting me until the very end of the shoot, was spot on. Pre-shoot, Paul messaged me in plenty of time to ask me some questions and discuss shoot ideas and outfits with me, being very open and informative about what the shoot entailed. As the shoot was a bit far from home, Paul picked me up on time from an arranged location and took me to shoot.

Paul ensured I was comfortable very quickly, being really friendly and introducing me to the other model and photographers, and openly discussing ideas, including everyone. Paul was also incredibly complimentary all day on my work and more than happy to direct us to get the shots he wanted, as well as helping out the other photographers too. Not to mention making sure everyone was happy, comfortable and warm enough all day.

Paul was incredible to work with - the ultimate professional and an all-round nice guy. I would love to work with him again and I would recommend that any model with the chance to work with him snaps up the chance immediately!

Amie Boulton

What a cool guy Paul is.

Paul decided to join us on a workshop held at windmill art hosted by Chris Conway and it was an absolute pleasure to have him there! He was down to earth, good fun, respectful to me as a model, Chris as his tutor and his peers who also came along for the day. I would recommend Paul to anyone and hope to have the opportunity to work with him again in the future

Thank you for joining us and helping make the day fun and productive :-)

Chris Conway

Paul was one of the photographers that attended a lighting workshop that I hosted at Windmill Art Studio with model Amie Boulton last Saturday, and it was an absolute pleasure to have him there.

Although we didn't have a huge amount of time to get to know each other, I'd have no hesitation in recommending him as a photographer to anyone looking to work with him, either on an event like this or on a 1-to-1 basis!

Hopefully catch you on another event in the future :)

Melyylilz

Paul arrange a photowalk and it happened to fall on my birthday too woohoo lol

It was a great day, paul was very helpful in guiding all the other photographers that were there. Also had awesome ideas, thankfully all the holi powders came out of my hair after having loads chucked at me! That part was definately a new experience for me & i loved it!!

Made me feel welcome and was a great day!

Hoping to work again with paul on another photowalk or just with paul alone on a project!

Highly recommend!! Pre shoot communication was awesone too!

Frances Elizabeth

Paul arranged a shoot that was a bit different, so exciting to be involved with. He sent a brief detailing the shoot so I knew what to expect.

Pre shoot communication was perfect.

The morning went so fast as it was a great variety of locations and outfits. He had lots of ideas and enthusiasm for what he was doing.

Everyone at the walk was friendly and a pleasure to work with. Really happy I had the chance to work with Paul and his team. I hope to get the chance again.

Definitely reccomended!

(sorry I got lost)

Frances E

Belle Eve

I had the wonderful opportunity to spend two full days up in Glencoe with Paul. Goodness knows how Paul survived it. Two full days of hunting locations climbing hills and getting very grubby in blogs and in waterfalls. Paul also brought some beautiful outfits to shoot in including a PARACHUTE.

The two days was a massive variation of shots, from walking down cold empty roads at 5am to stunning sunsets on the beautiful lochs, to massive dresses on cliff edges.

This was by far one of my favourite shoots I have ever been apart of and I am so glad I got the opportunity.

Paul is an awesome photographer with fab ideas and generally was a joy to work with. We had a good laugh and managed to survive the early morning without killing each other :P Paul may have had his own awesome ideas but he was also open to my ideas too which was super cool! I am beyond excited to see the images from this little adventure and I really hope I get the opportunity to work with Paul again soon, I cannot recommend him enough!!

Much love,

Eve

Liz Staniland HMUA

Paul hired me to do the hair and makeup for 2 models. We had an early start and Paul bought everyone breakfast while we were getting ready. He's a really kind guy and always appreciative of everybody he works with. Look forward to working with Paul again in the future on more exciting projects that I know he'll have up his sleeve.

Highly recommended!! Liz x

Rebecca Pearce

This is my second time working with Paul, and I hope there will be many more. He is very professional, kind and creative and is a fantastic leader. He led the photowalk with ease and provided help and tips to everyone who asked. I'm sure everyone learnt lots from the day thanks to his input.

Fascination

I would highly recommend Paul to work with. He has some fantastic ideas and really knows how to get the best from his shoots. I have worked with Paul previously and would gladly work with him again!

Bernadette Lemon

I had an absolutely great shoot with Paul in the Snowdrops yesterday!

Prior to our shoot Pauls communication was fantastic putting across a clear idea of the sorts of images he would like to capture as well as being very organised with our start time, location etc.

During our shoot Paul was incredibly easy to get along with; very professional but also super friendly making a wonderful working environment. Paul was great at giving direction as well as 'going with the flow' to see what we would just create naturally and from what I saw on the back of camera they were fantastic results.

I would thoroughly recommend Paul to anybody and hope to work with him again in the future!

x

Luna-louise

Had my first shoot with paul today i responded to his last minute casting call but despite the both of us having little time to prepare the shoot was a huge success! (Asside from me falling over and cutting my hands! All in the fun of urbexing i suppose!) Paul was right on time and brought great equipment to get the right shots! Including his very own "dslr selfie stick" which i think captured both of our favourite pictures! He was Very friendly and easy to get along with and made me feel very comfortable in his company straught away. Great photographer who knows exactly what he is doing would definitely reccomend. Hopefully work together again in the future!

LittleLiz

Really enjoyed my shoot today!

Paul is very enthusiastic about his work and and knew exactly what he was looking for.

Really polite, friendly and respectful.

His work looks amazing, he clearly knows his stuff. Can't wait to see the final images from our shoot!

Highly recommended

Little Liz :) x

Rebecca Pearce

I had the pleasure of working with Paul on a family shoot with my baby and husband. He had a clear vision in his head which meant that the shoot was very quick and efficient. He was also very understanding when working with my son who was a bit under the weather, and generally had a nice air about him which helped us all relax into the shoot.

I would definitely recommend him and hope to work with him again!

Gabrielle

This was my second shoot with Paul and he's one of the few photographers I completely trust for my shoots. He always has a lot of ideas and is more than willing to adapt to mines (even if they're crazy!). Paul was very well prepared for the shoot and had a clear idea about the outcome he wanted to achieved, the shoot went really smoothly and he allowed me to take my time for getting ready, etc.

When I shoot with Paul, I know that my time is well spent and that the outcome will be incredible.

Very much recommended and more than willing to shoot in the future.

Studio10 said...

Had the pleasure of welcoming Paul to the home studio recently and was a total professional who obviously has a good eye for what works well shooting in a few of the areas. Would welcome him back at any time.