HERE at Crewe Nub News we aim to support our community, promoting shops, businesses, charities, clubs and sports groups.

We will be profiling some of these businesses and organisations regularly in a feature called 'Up Close in Crewe'.

Pete and June Morris, who run PJM Photography, have found new sources of revenue after the hospitality industry was hard hit in the pandemic. They talk to Nub News about their passion for their trade.

When and how did the both of you develop your passion for photography?

Pete has always had a passion for photography. It was his hobby for many years before becoming professional. I became involved when we started photographing weddings.

At what point did you decide to set up your own business?

In 2013 we moved from Yorkshire back to Cheshire where I am from, and it was then, that PJM Photography was born.

What jobs did you do before and what skills and lessons have you transferred to running your own business?

Pete worked in the mining industry for 20 years, and during that time he worked in IT. I had been an administrator working in primary schools for many years as a School Business Manager.

I still work part-time as a Community Programmes Manager for The Community of Yours CIC, which impacts on local communities and helps to inspire and change lives.

Pete's computer skills have helped him with the post-processing work involved (photoshop and lightroom skills) and my experience with reception duties helps with the interpersonal skills required in dealing with clients.

You specialise across weddings, portraiture, PR/commercial and sport. But what is the bread and butter of your business model and what are the areas that you pursue more for enjoyment?

We are mainly weddings and commercial photography. We both love every aspect of our business, but as Pete used to race a motorcycle for many years, the motorsport photography is definitely enjoyment for him, as well as work.

I love the wedding photography. Your Wedding Day is one of the biggest days of your life and we class it as a privilege to be a part of it.

We love everything from the bridal prep, the look on the groom's face as he catches that first glimpse of his bride to be, the exhilaration and buzz of the guests, right through to the first dance and party celebrations.

Once the official ceremony is over, we like to mingle among the guests, catching those 'off the cuff' moments, emotions and details that tell the real story of the wedding day.

The event industry has been hard hit by the pandemic. How have you been able to adapt, have you diversified and what are your plans for the future after lockdown?

The hospitality side of our business has been closed down for most of the pandemic, along with the motorsport photography too. The commercial photography side of the business has kept ticking over, but much slower than usual.

We diversified during lockdown, in offering a new remote product photography service 'Send, Shoot, Shine and Deliver' which is ideal for Covid times and is a simple way to get great product images.

It works on the basis that people can send or deliver their products to us and we prepare, style and photograph them. We will do any editing and retouching necessary to make the images standout. Then the client receives a personal online gallery on our website, which is password protected, so they can view and download their images.

As part of our Product Photography service, we also offer 360 degree rotational images, which allows products to be displayed from all around.

Rotational photography helps to drive sales; boost eCommerce performance and increase website attractiveness to Google, which can double page views from potential clients. We have recently set up a shop on our website, selling canvas prints of our unique landscape and nature shots, all taken by ourselves, which are ideal for any home or office.

What types of cameras/lenses and equipment do you use?

As far as cameras go we use Canon 1DX, Canon 5D MkIV, Canon 5D MkIII and Canon 7D MkII.

Our lenses include Canon 17-40 F4L, Canon 24-70 F2.8L MkII, Canon 24-105 F4L, Canon 35ml F1.4L, Canon 70-200 F2.8L MkII, Canon 100ml F2.8L (Macro), Canon 400ml F2.8L MkII (Motorsport) and Sigma 50mm F1.4

Among the other equipment we use are a portable lighting studio, camera flashes and a 360degree Rotating Product Photography Table.

Where are you based when you are not out in the fresh air taking photographs?

We are located on the outskirts of Church Minshull.

Copyright is a big problem for freelance photographers. Have you had to tackle this issue? In the age of the quick mobile phone snap is there a danger that the craft of the photographer will be undervalued?

In order to prevent unauthorised copying, we have implemented safeguards on our website.

Mobile phones are obviously extremely popular nowadays and are often used for quick portraits and selfies, but they do not have the quality to take over professional wedding photography or commercial photography.

Nor does a quick phone snap, compare to a studio image with the correct lighting/props etc.

What are your favoured haunts when it comes to getting out into the great outdoors with your camera?

We are very fortunate to live in the beautiful Cheshire countryside, and we love going out for walks capturing its nature, canals, rivers and landscapes.

What's the furthest you've had to travel for an assignment?

The furthest we've travelled for motorsport photography is Belgium, which we do on an annual basis. Regarding weddings, the furthest we've travelled is the South Coast of England, which was a 540-mile round trip and we had to get back promptly for another wedding the next day!

What are the challenges presented by wedding photography?

The two main challenges we've come across are the poor lighting in some wedding venues, and occasionally one of the most difficult things is gathering the guests for group photos when they are quite happy chatting and socialising with each other.

However, there's ways and means of speaking to people and we've received many comments about how friendly we are, and nicely we ask for guests to gather together.

What are your favourite pictures?

With regards to our wedding photography, we love to keep everything as relaxed as possible, which ensures that we capture all the emotion of your special day. We like to tell the complete story of your wedding day in natural images, so you that you can relive the day, over and over again.

Do you offer any special deals?

For weddings, every package we offer, includes a free pre-wedding shoot. We do this, so that couples get to know us a little better and vice-versa, which really helps them to relax on their wedding day, and the photos turn out to be much more natural.

For commercial photography, we offer an introductory price, which allows clients to sample our work.

How do you work as a husband and wife team, do you ever fall out?

We occasionally have our disagreements, but in general, we work well together as a team, as each of us brings different ideas and creativity to our images.

PJM Photography can be found here.

Peter and June can be contacted on 01270 522988 or 07949912693