The Black Paintings hosted by Hamilton Kerr

The Black Paintings, by Alan Reid have proved to be anything but dull! With what can only be called a hugely successful opening night, this new collection of oil paintings was very well received and proved to be very sought after.

For many years Alan concentrated mainly on his poetry.  Achieving accolades, including the Arvon International and the National Poetry Awards. It was always a case of either painting or poetry,one tended to cancel out the other.

Recent events however changed the way in which Alan works. Since the passing of his beloved wife Heather, Alan now has found a way to channel his creativity into both his passions. This collection of paintings are coloured by the death of Heather. The images are created from the state of mind, often subconsciously incorporating elements of Kirriemuir.Each and every one is different, and each piece shows a glimmer of light.The choice of colour pallet is very striking, making this exhibition a must see.

Previously Alan has had 5 solo exhibitions in London.  This is the first exhibition of Alan’s work in his home town of Kirriemuir.

The exhibition runs until the 19th June.

Venue: Hamilton Kerr, 2 High Street, Kirriemuir, Angus, DD8 4EY. Tuesday - Saturday 10am-5pm
Contact:  01575573052  louise@hamiltonkerrstudio.com

L'Oreal Colour Trophy Scottish Finalist - photographs by Hamilton Kerr

The L'Oreal Colour Trophy is a prestigious hair competition that is now in it's 60th anniversary year, making it the longest running live hairdressing competition in the world. 

Showcasing British hairdressing, the competition celebrates hair, beauty and fashion in a unique, creative and inspirational way.





We have worked closely with hairdressers, capturing their creativity and skills. A photograph of their work is submitted for the first round of judging. The winners then present a model in a live final catwalk showcase. 

Samples of recent photographic entries are below;

Hair - Louise Chrystal at Capello
Make up - Rae Mathieson

Hair - Toni & Guy Edinburgh

Hair - Toni & Guy Edinburgh

Rae Matheson working her magic on one of the models.













Photoshoots are available in your own salon or in our studio. Please get in touch for further information. 

Property brochure photography by Hamilton Kerr

Selling your property can be a life changing move forward for you and your family. 
All too often property owners are provided with less than adequate photographs of their home. 
At Hamilton Kerr, we offer a property photography service that focuses on achieving high quality images of your property which will be used online and in print to produce high quality magazine style marketing brochures to raise your property’s profile for potential buyers.

If you are selling your property, don't lose potential buyers - have Hamilton Kerr photograph your interior and exteriors. Whether you have a light, bright spacious new build, or a warm cosy traditional home full of character, we will capture it at it's best and provide eye catching images. Professional photographs enhance a property's appeal, leading to increased viewings and ultimately a sale. 

Get in touch for details, follow us on facebook and twitter

Hamilton Kerr Junior

We are delighted to introduce the arrival of our new son - Cairn Hamilton.
We have been off on maternity/paternity leave recently, so apologies for not posting any recent work.
We are now back open and looking forward to sharing lots of new exciting photo-shoots with you throughout the year.

As well as family portraits, we also provide commercial images for the Hair & Beauty industry. Our premises in Kirriemuir, Angus has a selection of landscapes and fine art for sale. Samples of these can be seen on the website.
We also offer a professional framing service. We have a wide selection of frames to choose from, suitable for your own artworks.  We look forward to seeing you soon!

Outdoor Portraits by Hamilton Kerr

As the seasons in Scotland are forever changing, it's great to use outdoor locations as a backdrop for portraits. The changing light also provides great opportunities for more creative images.
The Spring presents a beautiful carpet of bluebells, a perfect soft backdrop as seen in these 3 portraits of two young brothers. This was a great location, no too far from our studio in Angus. It was a great afternoon out for the boys and it produced some really sweet photos.

We were recently asked to capture the character of a fun 9 year old girl - Caitlin. Caitlin loves the outdoors and has such character that we knew the studio wouldn't show off her personality to it's best. After a chat about her favorite hobbies and places, she chose her local woodland and her favorite outfit (wellies included!) and we set off on a Summer's afternoon of fun in the trees.
Her Mum Jo came along too - and kindly sent us some behind the scenes snaps from her phone. In these three photos, you can see how we used off camera flash. This helped fill in any dark shadow areas as the sun was quite strong.  This also created side lighting when extra tonal detail in the shadows were needed.

Caitlin and her parents came in to the studio and chose their three favourite photos. We presented them in one frame as a triptych. Below is the finished design.

The recent introduction of Autumn colours makes for a beautiful, rich, red background for this dog portrait. The rusty tones of the Labrador against the foliage makes for a very striking result.

With winter now just around the corner, watch this space for some new shots, possibly even some snow scenes with families wrapped up and rosey cheeked.

For more examples of our portrait work, please visit the galleries on this site, we also have one dedicated just to dogs too!

Landscape photography by Hamilton Kerr

Capturing the scenery of the great outdoors can be a rewarding experience. Landscape photography is an excellent field of study that can be as creative or as simple as your own individual style. The majority of the landscapes here at Hamilton Kerr are by Kyle Hamilton. Kyle grew up on the Angus coast. He frequently visited the beach and coastal villages up and down the Montrose area. He often revisits favorite haunts from his childhood.  I (Louise Kerr) was brought up in Edinburgh, and still find myself drawn to townscapes and more urban landscape images. We are now based in Angus and are fortunate to have gorgeous glens not too far away. We plan to capture these throughout the changing seasons.

This is Kyle, perched on a rock at Loch Lee, Glen Esk, Angus, Scotland. March 2013.







What's in the bag? There are a few essentials in our kit bag when planning a landscape photo-shoot. A tripod is always top of the list. This not only ensures your images are as sharp as possible whilst out in the elements, it also gives you greater options for small apertures and slow shutter speed and ensures you can achieve broad depth of field. A wide angle lens will allow you to capture more of the landscape in one single frame. A polarising filter is great for both skies and water shots. It can make a fairly plain sky really come alive. It is great for both colour and black & white photographs. It also can help with water reflections. A neutral density filter will cut down the amount of light passing through the lens and give you more control if you require a slower shutter speed, essential for slow moving water and more creative images. Other that that, the rest is usually down to the location, weather and lots and lots of patience.

Using the rule of thirds in landscape photography really does elevate your images to a greater level of interest. It encourages you to be more considerate of composition. It makes the eye roam around the image more pleasingly, plus keeps viewers interest longer. Keep this in mind next time you venture out.

This is another behind the scenes shot from a recent shoot at Loch Lee.  You can see there is a dead ram on the right, with the Loch in the background. We came across this unfortunate sight along our walk. Although this was a particularly unusual subject matter, Kyle felt that this captured the true tale of the harsh winter that both the farmers and the livestock have suffered this year.

This is the final image, exactly as it was shot - in one single frame. 

We will post more landscape images throughout the year. We are happy to visit places of interest that are special to you and your family and capture an image especially for you. If you have somewhere in mind, then get in touch. 

Cake Smash Portraits at Hamilton Kerr Studio

        Happy Birthdays, captured forever.

Capturing good photographs of your young ones special birthday can be tricky, especially with other kids, extended family members, friends, and clutter around on the day. Why not take time out either the day before or the day after the big day, and book a 'Cake Smash' photo-shoot with Hamilton Kerr. 

We provide a fun setting with lots of space to get great, natural photos of kids experiencing birthday cake, often for the 1st time. 

The expressions and fun action shots make a fantastic keepsake to treasure of your son or daughter. You bring the cake and we provide the rest, and best of all, you get to leave behind all the mess!

Our package includes a personalised montage of 16 squares. This is professionally mounted and framed, ready to hang. 

Book your little one's birthday Cake Smash now - 01575 573 052  or contact Louise

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