Workdays and Weekends: Gill Murray

Our gorgeous resident photograher and foodie guru Gill Murray is in the hot seat this week! 

Gill is a commercial photograher, food lover and busy mum. Her days are varied usually half of her week is spent on location or in the studio shooting food or a commercial job, and the other half is spent at the computer editing the photos, marketing and blogging.

We love Gill and her pics, recipes and 'glamness' she even looked great in a wetsuit on our day in the river! 

1. What does a typical day at work look like for you?

There isn’t really an average day in food and commercial photography. Each day is so varied and each job is different. A typical week can be one day on location shooting all day for a client. That means up early, car packed with equipment and ready to leave around 8.30am after the kids are dropped off at school. A full day is around 8 hours and this is a physically demanding day as you are on your feet all day, with a grabbed lunch on the go, and moving around with heavy equipment and in different positions to get the shots required. When the back starts to ache the yoga moves come in handy!

Other days of the week can involve client meetings to discuss upcoming shoots – to talk over client requirements and objectives.  There are also days needed for editing images. If I have been shooting one day, I aim to make sure the next day is less strenuous and involves editing the job and other tasks needing done like invoicing, marketing, blogging.  I also spend the early part of the week working out the dish that I will be cooking and photographing for the recipe section of Small City, Big Personality which runs each Thursday. 

2. What signals the start of your weekend / days off?

Weekend time is recharge time and I love to start it off with a great meal.  If I’m cooking I like to try new dishes, with Mexican and Thai cooking top of the list.  For great eats in town, you can’t beat Grand Italia or The Postbox.

3. What makes for a perfect night in?

I love relaxing at home – getting the log burner on (it’s always cold in Scotland), limiting phone time (stick it in a drawer for a few hours) and chilling out to a great box set with a glass of white wine.  Simple but blissful.

4. What makes for a memorable day or night out?

Packing a picnic with delicious food and a cosy blanket and heading out to one of Perthshire’s beauty spots – favourites include St Fillians and Kenmore.

5. Tell us about the weekend you’d love to live again?

I love food and travel. Last year I visited Venice – I was blown away by the beautiful architecture and the history of the city. 

A memorable moment was walking around the Rialto food market on a Saturday morning with my camera. I loved seeking out local restaurant gems in the quaint neighbourhoods and sipping on Italian wine. I finished the weekend off at the opera to see Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. I would definitley re-live that weekend again.

In a couple of weekends time I am heading to Barcelona and top of my list to do is the Boqueria Food Market which is one of Europe’s largest food markets. I plan to spend a good few hours there with my camera. Food, travel and photography make for the perfect weekend for me!

6. And now your best ever day at work? 

I photographed for Murray’s Bakers last year and the first half of the shoot was in the working bakery at the back of the shop.

That day I started at 6am for me so it was an unusually early start to get up and ready and out the door to be at the bakery for that time. However it was such an amazing experience. To be at work before the city has even really woken up, and to be watching and photographing these experienced and talented bakers at work rolling the dough and preparing the cakes…that was a really interesting job.

7. Any workday or weekend rituals?

Taking a break from my screen if I am having a day editing and taking my dog for a walk.

8. What’s in the perfect day off breakfast?

Waffles with salted caramel sauce.

9. Any words of wisdom for us?

Reach for the stars! 

For more information on the fab work that Gill does see Website | Facebook  | Instagram

Gill has also been a Big Personality read her story here >>>

Be inspired by Gill's #SmallCityRecipes >>>