It was a rather blustery end to summer and if I was able to measure wind force on Heather and Dan's big day, I think gale force may have registered. Worried, by the weather? Never! I laugh in the face of rain! Muhahaha..ha..ha ok, I was slightly concerned. Being a positive thinker and Heather and Dan ready to do anything, we stopped some traffic, commandeered a bridge and used that wind. You'll see the results below, one of my favourite shots from the whole wedding.
Before Becky and Stew head off to sunny California for their honeymoon tomorrow I wanted to give them a cheeky preview of their images from Friday. The weather may have been questionable in the morning, but the sun burst through the clouds as they said their vows leading to drinks on the lawn at the stunning Doxford Hall. A wonderful day, thanks for letting me be a part of it!
Last weekend was my first trip to Italy and I must admit I fell in love with the place. Staying in Eraclea, a day trip into Venice was a must. Having heard mixed reviews, from stunning to smelly (the canals in the height of summer) I was intrigued to see what I would make of it. We alighted our boat at St Mark's square to swarms of tourists and one of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. Ever.
The architecture, the canals, the boats, I can't really describe how amazing it was. With the city so old and historic, steeped in a culture of a by gone era I wanted to convey this in the images I captured. So by playing with the contrast, brightness, curves, vignette, hue/saturation and adding a smidge of magenta I got to the images below, which I'm pretty pleased with. I wouldn't say this effect would suit all images, but for these of Venice I thought it worked wonderfully. It is of course a question of taste, but let me know what you think!
Oh and there's a cheeky one of my lovely companions that made the weekend, much love to Seb, Andy and Ruth. It was a truly prosecco enriched experience ;)
Gone are the days of sheer joy from purchasing handbags or shoes she thinks in a wistful manner. My new camera bag has finally arrived! I must admit I'm really excited about this one (I know, quite sad). I find my existing bags useful in other scenarios, but when I'm wandering round somewhere or out with friends I often end up leaving my camera at home. I find my other bags are quite bulky and troublesome.
Well folks, it's been rather a long time hasn't it? Massive apologies for my distinct lack of communication of late! I'm back though and ready to go! To kick off proceedings I thought an insight into my last wedding and my favourite shots would be a great way to make a come back!
I must admit, this one was pretty close to my heart set in my hometown of Burnley, Lancashire, with the lovely Catherine and Andy. We even got to run riot in the local Towneley Hall, a place that holds rich childhood memories for me, from school trips to Sunday walks in the grounds. One of my favourite shots was actually in the Hall itself, set against one of the grand 19th Century windows showing a silhouette of Catherine and Andy. For entirely different reasons another firm favourite is with Catherine looking over her shoulder (looking absolutely stunning) and the couple sharing a moment, Andy with a comical raised eyebrow. From dramatic shots to the simple, genuine moments shared on a wedding day, I think that's why I love wedding photography so much. You never know what's coming next and it's down to you to capture that emotion and moment in time. When editing photos one thing I do find particularly entertaining is the people watching me. Not in an, ooh look at me kind of way, but rather the images that sometimes arise from them. Whenever I'm at a wedding in a guest capacity I can't help but watch the photographer, how they operate, the kit they're using etc. I'm a great believer in 'you can learn something new everyday' and as a photographer the ability to get a smile may be one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal. I love watching how others work and may often 'borrow' a little trick/tip they employ. I do digress though. As you'll see below, I got a lovely shot of Andy and his ushers having a quiet moment of reflection before Catherine arrived. Look again and you'll see Keith, father of the groom, with a massive grin on his face. Never fails to raise a smile with me. Brilliant.So over the Christmas period there's plenty of photos being taken, good times to be had and with my crew a lot of walking. This photo is from one of said walks and wasn't taken with a camera, but instead an iphone and the cross process app. Voila! Created in a couple of seconds, far faster than anything I would normally do.
The reason I love it is the fact it's taken almost directly into sunlight, always a tricky challenge but as shown can produce some very atmospheric results. It's nowhere near perfect, but it feels like I'm still standing there on that crisp sunny winter's day and makes me smile :)
Well people, it's a been a long time coming! I shot this wedding back in November, but as usual life got in the way and I'm only just posting them now! It still seems like yesterday though, waking up to a rather cloudy day and arriving at Georgina's home with the first spots of rain casually starting to fall down....
Never mind having to work with a rather dim light, but no outside shots on a wedding!?! Luckily the the rain did pause for a few minutes after the ceremony and we got some great shots outside the magnificent Samlesbury Hall in Preston. Even if the rain hadn't subsided this stunning venue would have provided more than enough great settings, but I must admit I love the great outdoors. What's more natural and visually powerful than a vast sky or rolling fields? I think anybody planning a winter wedding should seriously consider their venue. Even with grey skies though a photographer should be thinking on their feet, getting creative and be prepared for anything. Inside the venue the ceremony was held by candlelight and the great hall had huge metal chandeliers to light the rest of the day.
A truly atmospheric winter wedding that will stay with me for a long time. Below are some of my favourite shots from the day :)
So I've been in Norway since Thursday and on Saturday the heavens opened. Apparently in Stavanger this amount of snowfall happens every five years or so - lucky us!
Not so lucky for our hosts who have had to cancel their Christmas party today, but I think this may allow for more time to get wrapped up, get out exploring and hopefully get some stunning shots in the fast disappearing daylight.
As I discovered last night and this morning, photographing snow is a whole new ball game, but one I'm sure I will take great pleasure in attempting to master...... An evening shot of the welcoming front door and the view from my room this morning. It's beginning to look a lot like....CHRISTMAS!
I like angles, photography, skies and colour. But especially balance, in my work at least....grids, white space, rule breaking. Oh and digital voodoo.
