The Local Business Accelerator Awards has attracted support from the CBI and several local Chambers of Commerce while Deborah Meaden, one of the toughest Dragons’ Den’s judges, will be providing top professional business advice to one lucky finalist from all the regional entries.

Over 500 local newspapers across the country are pledged to provide £15 million of free advertising to 1,500 enterprising new businesses who catch the judges’ eye with an innovative idea to boost their business, while successful local businesses have pledged professional business mentoring for the regional winners. Speaking in Yorkshire when the award scheme was launched, Ms.Meaden urged any new business with a great idea to take advantage of the opportunity by entering for an award.

Based in Hadleigh in Suffolk, Ms.Drouet has been in the photography business for over seven years and launched her own business one year ago. She is committed to providing excellent customer service and, as her main interest is in portrait and wedding photography, essential that she understands exactly how her clients want to capture their big day and take photographs which will be treasured.

Ms. Drouet is also a commercial photographer and no matter whether based in Suffolk or Yorkshire, commercial photographers need to be passionate about their work; it is this passion which has given Katie Drouet the chance to further expand her business.

Nikki Allan, mother of two year old Omnee Allan, criticised photographic company Little Stars based in Exeter saying:

“I cannot begin to tell you how upset I was. Her birthmark is a part of who she is. Her birthmark was shown in the preview images we were given.

“We liked the photos so placed an order. We were just completely gutted when they arrived and realised what had been done.”

The photos were taken at Omnee’s nursery in Exmouth by Little Stars and parents were then shown the pictures so they could place an order.

Upon receive the images, Mr & Mrs Allan realised their daughter’s birthmark, which is spread from her cheek to her upper right lip, had been digitally removed.

“I was furious and called them to see if they would apologise.

“We have considered getting it removed but that is our choice to make, not a photographer’s.”

Luke Joyce, who runs Little Stars was incredibly apologetic, placing it down to human error.

He said: “I had a note to remove a mark from a photograph but it had the wrong reference number.”

Sophie Edwards who managers Omnee’s nursery, Pebbles Day Nursery said other parents had also noticed changes to their children’s appearances such as blue eyes to brown.

Commercial photographers in Leeds will almost always enhance photos but when it comes to digitally changes people’s appearances – well there’s certainly a fine line there!

Jack Long photographs the splash that comes from a cup of coffee after something has been dropped into, producing rather amazing flower-like results. In fact, Long’s interesting technique also creates shapes likened to jellyfish and mushrooms – of the brown liquid variety!

“I do enjoy using coffee as a subject depending on the technique used. Coffee is so universally enjoyed by so many people that a unique coffee image can be enjoyed by coffee lovers as well as splash photography fans.” Long said.

Explaining the high speed technique he uses Long added: ‘The shutter speed was set at 125, but because I was using high-speed flash, I just needed to trigger the lights while suppressing ambient light.

“I have used an infrared flash trigger at times but these are triggered more by eye and feel than with an electronic”

As for his favourite images Long said:

“I like the floral shapes because of their uniqueness, but all are fun and visually appealing.”

In creating these weird and wonderful images, Long uses a Canon 1Ds MkII camera with a Canon 28-70 f2.8 lens at 50mm.

This just goes to show how some of the most impressive photographs can come from everyday items – giving commercial photographers from Leeds even more inspiration.

“he has decided he wants the opportunity to pursue long term and creative projects beyond the National Media Museum (NMM) which include the publication of a book in Autumn next year,” a statement from the Museum read.

Home to exhibitions of many leading commercial photographers, the Yorkshire-based museum is also the UK’s leading venue dedicated to film, TV and new media.

His move comes at a time when the National Museum of Science & Industry, of which the NMM is a member of, is going through a restructure.

“Colin’s announcement is part of a reorganisation at the senior levels of the National Museum of Science and Industry (NMSI),”

A newly created position of head of the National Media Museum will report into the deputy director of the Science Museum,” The statement continued.

The NMSI director Ian Blanchard says the new NMM head:

“will continue to work with the NMSI Executive Board and we are fully committed to the development of the National Media Museum in the years ahead.”

According to the NMM, the restructure is focused on to forging closer links to the NMSI.

The NMM is committed to establishing a London presence and has already backed a photo gallery, due to open in 2013, behind the London Science Museum.

Philpott is due to step down from his directorship in the spring of 2012.

Jules Mattson, who was 15 at the time, was initially told by police that he needed parental supervision in order to photograph the parade.

“I was quickly and aggressively stopped by one of their [police cadet's] adult officers asking me who I worked for …’ Mattson wrote on his online blog at the time.

“I responded that I was a freelance and upon being told I needed parental permission to photograph them, I explained this was a public event in a public place and that I didn’t for editorial use.”

Police then told him he was a public hazard and that his photographing the parade was seen as anti-social behaviour. He was then accosted by police after refusing to give them his personal details. Mattson, who works as a commercial photographer in his spare time, recorded part of the conversation with the police on his phone and uploaded to YouTube. Police told him if he continued photographing the parade he risked being ‘trampled on by soldiers’.

Mattson’s solicitor Chez Cotton said in a statement: ‘The police had no right to stop him photographing in a public place. The Inspector attempted to justify his actions in shocking and absurd ways.’

The Met police paid Mattson an undisclosed sum and issued a formal apology. Amateur and commercial photographers, whether in Leeds or London, often have to face police intervention when taking photos publically – often told they are breaching laws such as the Terrorism Act and child protection laws.

As a result of the accident Marigiocchi was unable to work being bed ridden for four months. He has launched a personal injury case against the Metropolitan Police claiming loss of earnings.

The commercial photographer described the incident:

“We were outside the nightclub when someone shouted ‘get out of the way’. The double doors swung open and the car shot out across the pavement. Nobody knew what was going on. I tried to get out of the way but the car caught me with its left front wheel and I was flung into the kerb.”

However, the police officer who was driving the vehicle that collided with Marigiocchi said he was unaware there had been an accident saying:

“I was informed over my radio that a photographer had been hit by my vehicle but I had been aware of it at the time…I could not return for security of my principle (Prince Harry).”

It just goes to show the hazards that commercial photographers in Leeds and around the UK face when trying to snap celebrities. The case continues.

Berlusconi is pictured holding hands with women who described as Berlusconi’s Angels. Others showed him with women sitting on his lap and in one shot Berlusconi has his hand up a lady’s T-shirt.

Oggi published the photos over 11 pages running with the headline ‘Berlusconi’s Harem.’

Berlusconi said of the images:

“The way the pictures were taken, they deliberately excluded images of male guests because the photographer was looking for a sale.

“To take the pictures that he did he would have to have come onto the property – it would not have been possible any other way.

“My staff found that branches and flowers in the area where the photographer was had been broken and trampled of.

“The grounds and garden of villa Certosa are wonderful – I have the largest hibiscus in the world and there is also a working pizzeria, ice cream parlour and fairground. People who are my guests leave very reluctantly.”

The prosecutor claims the photos were taken illegally and it was illegal for Oggi editor Pino Belleri to use them. The case has been adjourned to early next year. A case commercial photographers in Leeds will certainly be watching very closely.

“Due to their combination of high-quality sensor and high resolution, digital SLR cameras are unfortunately not permitted inside the station”.

Budding amateur as well as commercial photographers who brought along their professional kit would have no doubt been disappointed at the ban on the use DSLRs on the tour.

However, Wendy Neville, a spokeswoman from London Transport Museum, who manage the tours to Aldwych station, explained the terms and conditions clearly stated:

“that digital SLR cameras were not permitted, as these are classed as professional equipment.”

“There was not a ban on taking photos during tours,” she added. “However, there were restrictions on professional cameras and tripods because we were concerned that people using them could delay the tours for others, as it was a very tight schedule with more than 2500 visitors going up and down a spiral staircase of about 160 steps to get to and from the platforms.”

London Transport Museum was also concerned about the safety of the visitors to the station and therefore took the decision to ban DSLR cameras.

However, Neville did not go on to explain why the sign out the front of the station referred to the high quality sensors and high resolution of the DSLRs meant they were banned on the tour.

Certainly something amateur and commercial photographers from Leeds will be scratching their heads about.

Across Frankfurt, Schneider’s home city, a pair of eyes has appeared on all sorts of everyday objects from street bollards to recycle bins. In fact, the photographer’s favourite piece was when he stuck eyes onto a blue waste bin looking not too dissimilar to Sesame Street’s Cookie Monster.

“That’s when I realised that a little twist can turn something into someone – even something disgusting suddenly becomes cute.” Schneider said of his beady-eyed waste bin subject

.

“As well as being art I thought it was nice because feeding a trash monster teaches environmental responsibility through fun.” He added.

Other subjects that Schneider has being eyeing off include a tray full of sweets, an on-board ticket reader on a bus and a public toilet. Locals have been doing double takes of these new-found colourful characters with even dogs thinking twice before cocking their leg on an eagle-eyed lamp post.

However Schneider is not doing this to make money, but more for the love of his art and to bring a smile to people’s faces as he explained:

“Most people are thrilled when they see it on the street, I think because of the simplicity and the optimistic message.”

It just goes to show how commercial photographers whether in Frankfurt or Yorkshire can turn a simple concept into something genuinely innovative and memorable.

Steakzer received the nomination for his exhibition at London’s Whitechapel Gallery in London earlier this year. He is well known for his use of his old imagery such as vintage postcards and book illustrations to give these old pictures a more contemporary meaning.

The other three photographers shortlisted include South African Pieter Hugo, American Christopher Williams and Rinko Kawauchi from Japan.

The competition is organised by The Photographer’s Gallery in London with the winner walking away with a £30,000 cash prize. Entrants are judged on a body of work either through an exhibition or in publication format which ‘has significantly contributed to photography in Europe’.

Brett Rogers, director of The Photography Gallery commented:

“Each finalist addresses in a timely way issues of critical importance within contemporary photography. Operating between portraiture and social documentary, Pieter Hugo confronts us with the unsettling reality of the impact of e-waste in Ghana; Rinko Kawauchi brings her highly personal sensibility to bear on fragments of everyday life; John Stezaker demonstrates a rigorous exploration of the subversive force of the found image; and finally, alluding to the language of commercial photography, Christopher Williams continuously questions the aesthetic conventions and communication tools that influence our perception of reality.”

The works of the nominated photographers will go on display at The Photography gallery next summer – an exhibition that no amateur or commercial photographer from Leeds should miss.