Together with Rodney Keith, Heidi Rohm, Managing Partner Riot Art puts the philosophy of her company into focus.
When did you establish Riot Art and what was the rationale for starting the company?
Riot Art was established in 2007 and was born from the passion for great photography. As commercial photographers we believe that great photography is a piece of art, capturing moments and evoking emotions, and looks at it best when well presented - ie printed and mounted in large format. Not able to find a printer that could give us the quality and colour reproduction we wanted - we saw the opportunity to offer a superior and niche product and service, allowing everyone to turn their photography into a masterpiece
How has the firm evolved over the years since its inception? How many people do you currently employ?
We are a team of 12 and growing ……
Our print to canvas has evolved to an online service enabling clients to upload their photographs online and even have them delivered!
We have also created and evolved our own distinct style in the Studio - specialising in attitude and alternative family portraits.
Understanding our client, the brand and getting under the skin of commercial photography projects means that we can capture photography that is to the client's expectations.
What were both Rodney and you doing before you started the business?
Rodney has always been in the design and creative industry and worked with world renowned photographers learning from the best. Heidi's marketing background, and love for photography was a perfect skill set match and then it was just a matter of getting the wheels in motion!
Can you briefly run through your main operations and services? Of these, which do you consider to be Riot Art's unique competitive selling proposition(s)?
At the Riot Art Print Shop we wanted to encourage everyone to enjoy the photographs they had taken - turning it into wall art, by printing their favourite photographs to large format onto canvas or fine art so they could be enjoyed everyday.
We spend time recommending interesting crops, and making minor retouches. Most importantly the quality of the print and the work we produce is exceptional our customers can be guaranteed their prints will be a lifetime memory. We use only the best quality canvas, papers, ink and equipment from leading suppliers. We sum this up as - More than you expect - and I think this applies for all aspects of our business.
The Riot Art Portrait Studio seemed a logical extension to the existing business our studio team wanted to do portraits that were different and edgy.
By providing a relaxed atmosphere we capture the personality and spirit of everyone we photograph - we also encourage personal items and props at the shoot.
After the studio shoot we edit images digitally, the client then returns to view the images and can then chose to purchase images individually, framed, on canvas or from our range of very popular collections.
Our own unique edgy style and ability to capture moments that will always be a memory of a good time spent in the studio apart from having a great portrait to hang on the wall. Our talented studio photographers are dedicated to detail, and their passion for photography and personality are evident in their work.
Riot Art Photography has become synonymous with exceptional bespoke photography which aids communication and tells a story for our clients. We aim to seek out the unique features of our projects, understand the application of the photography and ensure that we deliver photography that is both exceptional, on brand and becomes our clients best communication tools. We believe that our photography should be able to tell a story and make words redundant.
Of most importance to clients is the time we spend understanding and driving a clear brief, this enables us to deliver photography which more than meets expectations, and become their best communication tools.
What are the emerging trends in photography?
Trends change all the time - people often have a preconceived idea of what they like. In the studio our edgy style is popular with high and low key photography is getting very popular i.e: great use of lighting. Clever photography which is emotionally appealing and thought provoking is a trend commercially. We believe every photograph should provoke emotion and this is the key to adding value to the trend and style we achieve.
What changes have you witnessed in terms of the UAE's development as a hub for visual media and branding services and where do you see the market heading from here?
Clients in the UAE expect the best and they also expect delivery to be in line with international standards and very often work produced by local company's not only rivals but challenges some of the best world wide.
What's next on the agenda for Riot Art? Where do you go from here?
We are working on subsequent outlets in UAE and abroad. Our mission is to become synonymous with photography that is exceptional - our joy comes from seeing clients taking a trip down memory lane as they look at their photos and remember the time in the studio - or a holiday photo that they printed to canvas.