North-East Now: Photographer adapts to offer woodland family portraits during lockdown

A varied line-up of local businesses have taken to social media to take part in North-East Now’s highly-anticipated Power Week.

Running until Sunday, the new campaign has been launched to allow firms the opportunity to boost their exposure online.

The Power Week will involve businesses sharing their inspirational stories, news and videos on social media to highlight everything the region has to offer.

It will also encourage people to do what they can to support the local economy.

Graham Dargie, from Cove Bay, is one of many business owners who was forced to think fast and adapt when lockdown set in.

Graham, who provides photography tuition, workshops, and even safaris in the Maasai Mara in Kenya, said: “I started my business in 2005 and began teaching photography classes in 2009.

“As well as one-to-one tuition, workshops and safaris, I run an event in local independent coffee shop, Cult of Coffee, called Three Steps to Better Photographs.

“Through my photography classes and workshops, I’ve helped hundreds of local photography enthusiasts in the north-east improve their photography for over a decade.”

North-East Now has been shining a light on regional businesses whose survival has been threatened by the pandemic.

The Power Week shares this same aim, with the social media accounts of the Press and Journal, Evening Express, Society and Original 106 retweeting any company that uses the hashtag #northeastisopen for the seven days.

Graham, 41, added: “The initial lockdown essentially made my usual work impossible, so I decided to spend the time I had working on my YouTube channel.

“Alongside this, I launched a new family portrait brand called Cove Woodland Photos, after photographing my daughter in the woodland.

“This involves family photo shoots taking place at the Cove Woodland Walk and a donation is made from each session towards the Cove Woodland Trust, the group of local volunteers who maintain the beautiful trail.

“As a small business owner, I think you have to be adaptable and open to new opportunities, especially in 2020.

“The future is still uncertain for all of us but I’m optimistic that Cove Woodland Photos will be a big part of my businesses bounce-back from what has been in incredibly challenging few months.

“As for North-East Now, I love the idea of having lots of ‘buy local’ information in one place.

“Supporting local has become really important to a lot of people this year, so it’s a really good resource.

“I think it’s a great addition for locals and people visiting the area, as well as for the businesses featured on the site.”

For more information on his business, Graham Dargie Photography, people can visit grahamdargie.com

Power Week

If you are a local company, there are numerous ways to get involved:

First steps:

1. Go to www.northeastnow.scot and see the sort of information that is available, from listings in external directories to being included on our ‘shopping list’. If you have a news story, a blog, a special offer or something else you think should be on there – let us know.
2. Follow @NorthEastNowAbz on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn and tag us in any of your posts so you can tap into the wider network using the #NorthEastNowAbz along with your own
3. Help spread the word and encourage other businesses in your area to get involved too. The bigger the network, the more people your business can reach.

How to take part:

1. North-East Now has created a free toolkit jam-packed with logos, posters and graphics to get you started.
2. You can choose to print the poster for display in your premises.
3. Use the ready-sized graphics on your social posts, on your emails or even on your website throughout the week.
4. Feel free to share the pack with other businesses you think could benefit from joining in.
5. Consider running a discount or a special offer during the week. You can shout about it on social media and North-East Now will maximise your exposure
6. If you have a great story to tell, share it via stories@northeastnow.scot Your story might end up being a good news article in the Press & Journal, Evening Express or you could be interviewed on Original 106 during Power Week, giving your brand a great profile boost.
7. Do your bit and like, share or comment on posts from other local companies tagging @NorthEastNowAbz or using the hashtag, it’s a great way to grow your contacts.
8. At any time from September 7-13, do one special social media post using the steps below:

• Write #northeastisopen on a piece of paper/card/banner
• Take a picture of employees or owners holding the sign with the hashtag outside or inside your business
• Upload the image to Twitter including the hashtags #northeastisopen and #NorthEastNowAbz on your post
• The Press and Journal, Evening Express, Original 106 and Society will all retweet your post, gaining you maximum exposure