'Signwriting' for Katielee Catering

It was a dilemma! Katielee Catering has just had the first of two purpose built Jiffy vans delivered to its operation centre at Newbury Racecourse - but it was not going to be sign written before the deadline for the forthcoming edition of Newbury Business Today!

Sisters Denise Matthews and Bev Frame founded the company 19-years-ago and are acknowledged as one of the foremost providers of both corporate and social buffets, together with sandwich rounds - something the new vans will help them deliver with even more efficiency and choice.

So what to do with a blank van and a punishing deadline? Well a little Photoshop alchemy came into play... The combination of a photo of one of the company's other sign written vehicles and the magic of Photoshop and what do you know...


Is it any wonder no says 'the camera never lies' anymore? Let alone play the Bucks Fizz song of the same name!

Square Mile Smile

Among a myriad of jobs todayI was back at Square Mile today to take photographs of the company’s new non-executive director, a human resources guru Suzanne Goodland.

Everyone was mid board meeting which presented a challenge of finding a good spot for a photograph within a few yards of their offices in Newbury. I had already taken a shot of Mia outside the office with the obligatory name plate outside, so wanted something else – not that it would have been possible as vandals had nicked the sign!

A handy piece of street furniture and some urban sprawl in the background and a few minutes later we had taken this shot, of (left to right) Nicola Ogston, Mia Drennan and Suzanne Goodland.

• Quick Photoshop tip for you all: to throw the background a little more out of focus when you have had to use a reasonable depth of field, create a duplicate layer, add a subtle blur with filters and then erase that blur from the parts you want in focus, allowing the background layer to shine through.