A decision to diversify and become less dependent on weddings and events has been the salvation for a Plymouth photography business which has thrived during the Covid pandemic and is now growing and creating jobs.
specialises in aerial, ground and underwater filming and photography, and is now expanding after winning important local authority and construction sector work during the pandemic.
The business, set up by photographer and videographer Jamie Haigh, is also finding as people look to make their homes more decorative.
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And with the roadmap to unlocking the economy progressing as planned, wedding, sport and event photography is returning and it means Shield Media now has bookings for as far ahead as 2025.
“But it has been diversity that has kept up alive,” said Mr Haigh.“In 2019 I looked at the business model and decided I had my eggs all in one basket. I had so much income from one sector – weddings, sport and events - I wanted to diversify. Luckily I did so because in March 2020 wedding and events were all cancelled overnight.”
When the first Covid lockdown was enforced it meant Shield media lost up to 40 bookings, each one worth at least £1,000. But it was able to fall back on the work it had arranged for clients such as Plymouth City Council and private sector businesses, bolstered by its artistic endeavours.
Mr Haigh was also kept busy snapping for business clients who found they had to concentrate on selling their products online.
“When Covid hit businesses realised they had to put more effort into their online presence, and people were reaching out for social media content,” he said.
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That meant a demand for stills and promotional films. Among clients were Dartmoor Zoo, Saltash’s Brunel Recycling, Plymouth’s Cisco Homes, and Destination Plymouth, eager to showcase the city as a post-lockdown destination.
Plymouth City Council also became a major client and needed lots of images of the extensive Forder Valley link road project, currently under way. The authority now wants Shield Media to work with it until at least 2023.
The construction sector has been a valuable client too, including for aerial footage, with Shield Media able to create time-lapse videos of building projects.
“And there is survey work too,” Mr Haigh said. “For instance roof and chimney surveys.”
International jobs are likely to return too and Mr Haigh said: “In May I’m exploring the Inner Hebrides for a company called Maybe Sailing, for about 10 days. I’ve been to the Arctic with them before and this is for promotional work.”
The company is to meet with the team at The Box cultural centre, Plymouth’s major new art gallery and museum, and hoping to potentially work with them. Mr Haigh is also in talks with the BBC about a project involving a celebrity.
And is proving a money-spinner too, as market opens up for artistic photography. Pictures of Dartmoor’s rugged beauty and Ivybridge’s historic Stowford Mill have proved particularly popular.
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“A lot of people saw my work,” said Mr Haigh. “I had never sold it as fine art but we were getting asked when there would be an online shop, so that has become another line of work.”
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Shield Media was set up about five years ago when Mr Haigh decided on a career change. He had been working for the Government in covert surveillance and decided the time had come to move away from that.
Because he was experienced with cameras and filming he decided to set up Shield Media and even went back to college to update his skills.
Today he runs the business with co-director Ashley Hughes. They have one other part-time employee and use some freelance drone pilots.
But recent successes mean the business will need extra hands soon, with Mr Haigh saying it would require at least an admin employee, a drone pilot and a photographer.
“We are looking to bring in more staff,” he said.
The Herald. Plymouth's daily newspaper, is to carry a special Plymouth from the Air feature, packed with Shield Media’s stunning imagery, on Saturday, April 10. Don’t miss it.