Early in 2019 I was asked by Gateway Housing to come and take individual photographs and also group photographs of their senior team. We did this over two days. The first in their East London office with the Executive Management Team and the second at a Board Away Day. It's always good to use events like this for headshots as you have everyone in the same place and don't have to arrange a special day. In order to get as much variety as possible and give us much choice in the future I photographed everyone infront of various different backgrounds. I have to thank all the staff for trusting me when I suggested using the entrance grill to the side of the building and the contractors who kindly moved their vans so we could use it. I think it was worth it. 

The location of this stock shoot for A2Dominion was a Community Centre which is conveniently next to some housing for older people. The easier we can make it for residents the more people we are likely to photograph in a day. Having access to a garden also gave us more variety today.

I was really pleased to see that Kate Dodsworth had been appointed the new Chief Executive of Gateway Housing Association. Kate is a fantastic person, who I have taken photographs of at Optivo. It was great to see she had chosen to use a picture that I'd taken of her as her launch photo. 

I couldn't have been more pleased to have been asked to take photographs at the Benefit to Society campaign launch. After taking photographs for housing associations for over 10 years, it is a campaign close to my heart. 26 housing organisations across the country, are working together to tackle the problem of stereotyping social housing tenants. They are challenging the way the public think and tackling the stigma often associated with social housing tenants.

The launch event was held at the House of Commons and attended by the Housing Minister, Shadow Housing Minister, MPs and tenants from across the country. Despite the snow there was a very good turnout, proving how passionate those involved in the campaign are. Here are a few of the photographs and the places that they have been used. 

More information about Benefit to Society can be found at benefittosociety.co.uk

Today I was back at Lansdowne Green with Optivo. We were photographing a fitness club that they have been running for older residents, but whilst we were there also took the opportunity to photograph a resident in her home. Stock photographs of residents are always so useful for newsletters, posters, social media etc. 

As the cold wind blows outside, I thought I would warm my website up with some reminders of summer. For the past three years I have photographed International Day at Landsdowne Green for Optivo (formally AmicusHorizon). It is always a fun and vibrant event and each year they've even managed to book wall to wall sunshine. 

First stop for the photos is the press release. Each year several have been used in the South London Press. But the photos have a much longer shelf life. As well as capturing the event itself, I'm also asked to take photographs that can be used, in different ways, throughout the year. This is where my ten years of experience of working for various housing providers really helps. As well as looking for great photos, I'm looking for shots that will work in a variety of ways, to give my clients value for money.

Here's what Optivo have to say about working with me:

'Victoria has a great eye for photographing exactly what we need at different events. She takes amazing images every year at our International Day at Lansdowne Green in Stockwell.

The great thing about Victoria’s photographs are the fact they can be used in different ways throughout the year. This includes our website, annual review, other publications, social media and the press.

Victoria makes people feel at ease and, to steal a cliché, her images say more than a thousand words. She captures everything we need in a brief (and more) and we’re always confident Victoria will deliver when she’s booked to cover a job.'

                                                                          Ross Lidbetter, Communications Officer, Optivo
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Here are some of my favourite pictures from the last few years and how they've been used:

A lot can happen in 10 years and that is certainly true for Phoenix Community Housing, who marked their 10th anniversary with an exhibition celebrating their local community. For me, the wonderful thing about working for Phoenix has been seeing ideas turn to reality. With my husband Mark, I also run a film company, End 2 End Productions and in 2007 we made a film to launch Phoenix. Over the years we have got to know the staff and residents and seen the organisation blossom into a major influencer and force for good both within the local community and the housing sector. We've loved being involved. Happy Anniversary Phoenix. 

This year I met many wonderful people whose photographs I took for the A2Dominion Annual Report. Of course, the photographs won't only be used in the Annual Report. They are added to the stock photo library and used throughout the year on different publications. 

On Thursday 7 December, Shepherds Bush Housing Group hosted an engagement event between social housing tenants with the Housing and Planning Minister, Alok Sharma. The event was organised on behalf of PlaceShapers for the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG). At such a crucial time for housing, it was a great privilege to photograph the event. 

This year was my forth PlaceShapers Conference and once again it was an absolute pleasure to photograph. Good to see many familiar faces.