Balloons and Photography - Nicci Rene Shares Her Two Passions.

When I look at all the amazing balloons and designs posted on Facebook and Instagram, the photographs that stand out most are those that have been taken in a creative way — the photo captures the emotion of the event, or makes the balloons look exciting and fun! Balloons are very much a product that is sold on emotion. We don't sell a Column or an Arch; we sell the "Wow!" factor. Balloons are "trendy" and used in a variety of adverting campaigns as well as many different types of events.

Nicci Rene.

I recently interviewed Nicci Rene, of Balloon Boutiques, London, U.K. I have known Nicci for a number of years and  had the pleasure of working with her on several occasions at events in London. Nicci was part of the team that recently worked on the incredible Chelsea Jungle project at Chelsea Flower Show earlier this year. Balloons at Chelsea Flower show — wow, another amazing first! Even more proof balloons are on-trend!  Not only is Nicci a very talented balloon artist, but she is a very competent photographer, too. 




Nicci started to work with balloons when she worked as a Saturday girl in a party store. Her boss did not believe in training and left Nicci to her own creative devices. Twenty-nine years later, Nicci is still working with balloons but in a very different way.

Earlier this year after twenty-five years of working at and then later owning a party store, Nicci decided it was time to close. 

"I felt that I had out grown my shop and wanted to take my ideas and business to a different level. The shop was holding me back. Retail shops were struggling, and the location I was in was not busy enough. I noticed a significant decline in sales, and it was becoming worrying. 

It was the perfect time to close. Over the past 5 years, I started to change the way I designed events with balloons. I had built a good name and reputation as Balloon Bouquets and this gave me the confidence that I could work from home and make a living. At first I was really out of my comfort zone and it took a bit of getting used to, but now I absolutely love it — I feel free!" 

I asked Nicci what she believes has helped her to grow her business.

"My business is growing every day through the help of social media. Facebook was great for me when I had the shop, but I discovered Instagram a few years back and this has proven to be amazing. I love it! It connects you with like-minded professional people, be that companies or independent people. For me, I felt Instagram was more classy, and people's profiles were more elegant and of a higher standard. It was perfect for me with the new direction I wanted to take my company. It has connected me with lots of corporate companies and private clients.  In my own experience, I have found people connect with you more on Instagram than Facebook.

Currently, with the way I have changed my business direction from party and classic décor to detailed elegant pieces that range from simple designs to the organic style, I am finding that my clientele love my style and are always looking for something different, from personlised bubbles and centerpieces with the addition of lots of non-balloon materials. Big balloons and organic is very popular at the moment. At this time, the most popular colours vary from gold, silver, pinks, and ivory, plus different shades of greens and blues."

What do you believe is the secret to success?

"A successful business needs lots of great qualities. I’m very conscientious in the way I present my balloons, and I do my best to deliver a high standard at all times. It is important to me from the start, when the client first contacts you through to the very end of having a highly professional attitude and service. I love having a good relationship with my customers and making them feel comfortable with anything they need. I set the standards high from the beginning; I do not lower my standard or devalue myself doing things too cheap. Presentation is very important from how you deliver your work right through until the photographs and showcasing, either via my website or through social media, and I like to keep my style consistent."

What are your favourite Qualatex^® balloons to work with?

"Some of my favourite Qualatex products currently are Deco Bubbles, as I love the amazing things you can do with them and the fact that they look stunning and elegant. Big 3ft. balloons are one of my favorites, too — the impact when you fill a space with them are just wow. And Superagates are so pretty. I love adding these to design, and my clients love them as they are very unusual."

Where do you find your inspiration?

"I get my design inspirations from many different places. I am always looking at balloon artists from around the world, seeing what they do, and how they stylise their decor. I also look at the floral industry and get inspiration from there. I love the pretty side to balloon designs. I make a lot up as I go along. Once a client contacts me, and I know what they want to achieve, and I've seen the venue and know what the event is, then I get creative!"

How important is taking a good photograph to you?

"I decided to teach myself photography as I would produce some amazing designs and take pictures on either a standard camera or my smartphone. When it came to showing the photographs, they just didn’t do the balloon decor any justice and you could never get the true feeling of how amazing the balloons actually looked.  I wasn’t happy in showing them to clients or happy about putting them on my website or on any of my social media channels. I knew the look I wanted and it was all part of my change in direction for my business. I bought a good professional camera and started to take pictures the way I wanted the balloons to look. I create different looks and styles of pictures depending on what the event was. You still need to have an eye for shooting pictures. I always think about angles and always have the editing in mind when I'm shooting. I always shoot in raw* so when it comes to editing the pictures you can do so much and create different effects. I really enjoy the photography and editing part of the balloons. It’s changed my whole image and would highly recommend it to anyone." 

I totally agree with Nicci; learning to take a good photograph could really help your business stand out against other balloon companies. A great photograph is worth a thousand words and in our very visual industry, it is important that we find the best way to take those amazing photographs. There are some great articles that you can read, and of course, you could take a course.

A huge thank you to Nicci for sharing her very inspiring story. Moving her business from the high street to being home-based is a big decision, but certainly for Nicci it's proven to be the best move and the opportunity to follow her dreams. Her dream job would be to drape balloons from all the windows at Buckingham Palace, organic style!

Happy ballooning!

Sue
www.suebowler.com

* RAW is a file format that captures all image data recorded by the sensor when you take a photo. When shooting in a format like JPEG image, information is compressed and lost.

The importance of good photographs to market your balloon business.

Having great photos in our portfolios, websites, and our social media business pages can truly make a difference when it comes to promoting our company and more importantly the services that we offer!

Photo courtesy of Pioneer Europe Ltd.

Our portfolio makes up a big part of our company image, the type of balloon business that we are, and the type of balloon work we undertake. Let's be honest, when someone is searching the internet for a company to do a job for them, they only have the photographs on a website to grab their attention. Those photographs could ultimately lead to a fantastic ballooning opportunity!

Many years ago when I first started out, I made the huge mistake of filling my portfolio with as many photographs as I could, mostly showing the same decor but in different locations and in different colours! In those days (I am showing my age now), we did not have digital cameras or home computers and the quality of my photographs were very poor. 

Today, we have no excuse! With a little time and effort, and of course a camera, we can take good quality photographs!

Camera Types

The two most popular kinds of cameras are compact (also known as point-and-shoot) and digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) cameras. Both can produce high quality results, but there are some basic differences that you'll want to note before choosing which one to buy.

Is the size and weight of the camera a big issue?

Due to their lens mounts and internal mirrors, DSLRs are simply bigger and heavier than most compact cameras. If you want a camera you can slip in a pocket or a small bag, then a compact is the best choice. 

Do you like composing photos using the colour screen?
Composing photos with a nice big colour screen is one of the joys of digital photography, but sadly it’s something which traditional DSLRs find tricky; until recently it wasn't even possible at all. 

How important is taking photos in low light?
DSLRs have physically much larger sensors than most compacts, which allow them to be more sensitive to light. This in turn means much better picture quality at higher sensitivities (the bigger ISO numbers) whether you’re shooting under low light conditions or with the fastest shutter speeds to freeze action. This is a key advantage of DSLRs.

One really great thing about compact cameras is that they come with the greatest range of pre-programmed modes for taking photos of portraits, nighttime, action, kids, etc. Another advantage of the compact camera is the price tag. For a fairly small investment, you can purchase a high-quality camera that will stack your portfolio with amazing photos... assuming you use it correctly.

A DSLR camera comes at a much greater price. But if you are looking for more setting options to fine tune your portfolio work, this could be your investment in future business.

Smartphones and Tablets
Having a camera included on your high-tech gadgets (such as Smartphones and tablets) is all the rage these days. They just make is so convenient to be able to snap photos without the hassle of carrying around an additional gadget. This is great for a day at the zoo with your family or a night out with your friends, but when your photo represents the work that you do and can make or break whether or not you get the job, sometimes it's worth a little extra hassle.

More tips for Superior Photos
In addition to having a quality camera, there are other things you can do to showcase your balloon work at its best:

• Keep the background clear of clutter that distracts from your designs (if possible). When taking a photo of a design in your store or studio, use a solid-colour wall. Pieter van Engen, CBA recommends using an IKEA Roller Blind. It works perfectly as photo backdrop! They come in a range of colours including white and black. They can be mounted to the wall and pulled down when required! And best of all, they are inexpensive and work really well!
• Enhance your photos with software that allows you to make basic edits such as cropping, adjusting white balance, or colour correcting. Check out my blog Making your photographs look professional with a little help from image editing. This blog will teach you how to work with some great tools that will help you to make your photographs look very professional.
• Use a tripod to take clearer, sharper photos - especially those of close-up details or taken in low-light conditions. Tripods for digital cameras can be small lightweight, and inexpensive.
• Lighting is such an important factor. Make sure the room is well-lit. Use bright lights and soft boxes. Soft boxes are a common piece of equipment used by photographers to create even, diffused lighting that reduces shadows and minimises overexposure of white items. 

Technical information and extracts for this blog have been sourced from the below mentioned Balloon Images magazines & from Camera Labs.

For more detailed photographic articles check out; 

APR/MAY/JUN 2007 Balloon Images - Tips for Taking Winning Photos by Cam Woody, CBA.
OCT/NOV/DEC 2012 Balloon Images - Put Your Best Flash Forward.

APR/MAY/JUN 2015 Balloon Images - Focus on photos that sell. 

Happy Ballooning!

Sue

www.suebowler.com