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Blue Pig Photos: From Humble Beginnings to Leading Event Photography

Blue Pig Photos stands proudly as one of the UK's premier event photography companies. Attending more car shows than any competitor, we capture over 65,000 people annually with a dedicated team of 15 photographers.

Meeting Dragons

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But this success story had modest beginnings. Let's rewind to 2007, where it all started from my small home office

Back then, I thrived as a corporate photographer for multinational giants like RBS, Barclays, Bank of New York, Sky, and Standard Chartered. With one client accounting for 65% of my revenue, life seemed stable. That all changed when the head of design, my key contact, announced he was leaving. Although he recommended me to his replacement, the new head canceled our meeting the day before and informed me my services were no longer needed—her husband was a photographer.

I felt blindsided. Despite doing nothing wrong, I lost 65% of my income overnight.

Then the financial crash hit, and my primary clients—banks—struggled to stay afloat.

With a new wife, a baby, and mounting debts, sleepless nights became routine. Desperate to survive, I realised I had to pivot fast. That necessity sparked the birth of Blue Pig Photos.

I had to change and I had to do it fast.

Letting go of plush corporate clients and their generous day rates was daunting. It felt like stepping back 20 years to when I first started as a cruise ship photographer.

I sought help from a former cruise ship photographer friend. Together, we had once worked on the world’s biggest cruise ship, the SS Norway—a challenging liner nicknamed "The Blue Pig." The company's name honors those formative experiences and friendships forged through long, grueling days.

As teenagers working in Miami, the Caribbean, Brazil, Argentina, Hong Kong, and China we though we knew it all. As 40 year olds it was becoming very obvious we didn’t. 

At a networking event, I met Doug, a coach who became instrumental in Blue Pig Photos' growth. Despite financial strain, I borrowed £7,500 for coaching—a decision that was both terrifying and transformative.

With Doug's guidance, I developed skills I never imagined I could: team building, training, face-to-face selling, multi-event logistics, on-site printing under challenging conditions, entering different markets and learning new marketing strategies.

Our first car show was unforgettable—a Porsche event at Harewood House in Leeds with 800 cars gleaming in the summer sun. Surrounded by beautiful vehicles and happy customers, we realized a new market had emerged.

We proved we could photograph 800 cars and print photos from a gazebo in a field. Since then, we've evolved to photograph over 2,000 cars in just three hours, with prints ready in 10 minutes.

Our reach now spans the UK, from Brighton to Newcastle, and international events in Ireland, Belgium, and France. We’ve partnered with iconic brands like Porsche, Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Aston Martin, and organizations such as Battersea Dogs Home, working with prestigious locations including Silverstone, Brands Hatch, Goodwood, Beaulieu, and Sandringham Estate. 

Though car shows are our foundation, our client base now includes working with dance and theatre companies Stagecoach, Pauline Quirke and Razzamataz and motor bike shows, nurseries, universities, and sports clubs.

From our first season of 15 events, we've grown to cover up to 70 in a single season, sometimes managing eight events in one weekend.

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Through positive actions, strong relationships, and sheer determination, I could see a future brighter than I ever imagined. What began as a desperate pivot I have to say became a journey of joy, success, and growth. It didn’t feel like work, we were having fun.

Whether photographing cars, dancers, children, or students, our passion remains unchanged. We’re confident in our ability to capture memories at any scale and have those photos ready in minutes.

I believe Blue Pig Photos is not just the best car show photography company in the country—we are one of the UK's leading event photography companies.