I have just been informed the post that contained my review of 2009 has disappeared from my site. It was posted during the server change which is maybe where my post has got too!
Anyway, here is the reposted review of 2009 in movie form
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This is a short video of some of my favourite shots of the year.
This list is by no means exhaustive, I had to keep editing the list down so I could bring the video in under six minutes. I think it is a true reflection of my work this year though and I’m very proud of it.
Last week I spent the afternoon shooting Lizzie & Paul’s wedding in Warwick. I started off covering Lizzie’s preparations at the Warwick Arms then moved down the road to the Lord Leycester Hospital, Its a fantastic old building dating back to the 15th Century.
We had hoped to spend a few hours in Warwick getting some great portraits of the newly married couple but unfortunately the great British weather didn’t oblige us although it stayed dry enough for us to get some shots down by the river at the foot of the castle.
For the reception we moved to a small central restaurant called 7 Square. The restaurant was beautifully decorated and a perfect size for the wedding. I often comment how much I enjoy winter weddings because of the soft, low light. Well this wedding was no different but it was really pushing the limits of what was possible without using flash. Throughout the whole day, apart from the portraits in front of the castle I was running at 3200ISO to avoid using flash but I think the extra effort was well worth it as the low natural light gives a 3D effect to the images.
I had the pleasure of shooting Andrea & Rob’s wedding last weekend at the Mount hotel in Wolverhampton.
It was quite a late wedding, the ceremony was at 4pm and with it being winter here in the UK it was beginning to get dark at 3! I have mentioned before that I like shooting in the winter because of the soft light but it brings its own problems, the Great Hall where Andrea and Rob got married is oak panelled and lit from only one side so the amount of light I had to shoot with was incredibly low. Tough conditions always seems to bring the best out of me though and some of the images captured during the ceremony have managed to capture the beautiful soft winter light as it cascaded through the tall side windows.
All of the guests were great fun, as is usually the case with my weddings and because of the late start, many people had lots of energy to spend during the dancing which went on well into the night.
While I was at the Chillington hall wedding open day yesterday I was told by two couples they were either having their photographs taken by a friend or by someone who was charging them a couple of hundred pounds for the day. I really can not stress enough how much a risk this is.
When things go bad they can have a great impact on your wedding day and for a long time after, an example of this can be found on the BBC’s website and a text version can also be found of the Daily Mails site. A couple have taken their wedding photographer to court, and won damages after the pictures they provided were of a very poor quality. Yes the couple have won their court battle but for the rest of their married life they will still be without their wedding pictures. (more…)
As recommended photographer I will be on hand to answer any of your questions, I will also have on display some of my albums and a slideshow of my work. If your really lucky I may even be showing a few of you around the hall!
I look forward to seeing all our confirmed couples as well as anyone considering Chillington Hall as their wedding venue.
Its always nice to hear from past clients, what they are up to, how they are settling in to married life etc.
I recently spoke with Jemma, a client from earlier in the year. She told me she was starting her own business designing and selling wedding favours. She has now opened her website for business and she seems to have a pretty large stock to chose from.
If you looking for wedding favours and want them pre-assembled or maybe you want to help with the design, take a look at Favours with Flavours
When I was fortunate enough to be asked to photograph Louise and Roger’s wedding in the picturesque setting of Lake Garda in Northern Italy there was little hesitation in my reply. The location was absolutely stunning and the weather on the day was near perfect. The ceremony itself took place in Castello Scaligeri, a medieval castle that boasts a 360° view overlooking the lake, mountains and the rooftops of Malcesine town.
Following the ceremony, guests followed the bridal party through the cobbled streets of the old town to a champagne reception overlooking the lake. Pizza was served along with slices of hand-carved prosciutto, fresh fruit and the largest wheel of parmesan cheese I have ever seen. While the guests were relaxing we took the opportunity to take some location portraits around the old town before moving to the lakefront restaurant for the evening reception. In true Italian style the meal was long, relaxed and lovingly presented.
Guests attended the wedding from all around the world and after spending time with Louise and Roger I can really appreciate why their friends and family would be prepared to travel anywhere to join them, it was little surprise that they were welcomed so heartily by the locals and I’m sure it won’t be the last time they or I visit the area.
Last weekend I was down in London shooting a wedding for Emma & Will. They had been granted access to a very unique venue for their ceremony and wedding breakfast, The Houses of Parliament in Westminster.
The morning preparations went without a hitch and the bridesmaids travelled in true London style in a Hackney Carriage to the Houses of Parliament. The chapel where the ceremony was conducted dates back to the original building and is very private. It is not an area which is normally included in the public tours so not particularly well known. Although the whole building is very grand the chapel itself really is a magnificent sight to behold, full of tradition and grandeur.
The formal service was followed by the wedding breakfast in the Speakers Chambers, after which the wedding party and guests were able to enjoy a drinks receptions on the terrace overlooking the Thames. The evening reception was held on a Thames river boat ‘The Pride of London’ and much fun was had by all admiring the fantastic London skyline.
I was shooting Jemma and Stuart’s wedding at the weekend. The wedding was held at Saint Luke’s Church in the middle of Cannock, Staffordshire. I always enjoy shooting in the middle of towns and cities as you always get a large gathering of passers by looking on which I feel adds to the excitement of the wedding party.
The reception was held at Alrewas Hayes near Alrewas in Staffordshire. The venue only opened this year and looks stunning. The staff were very helpful and well rehearsed which is very important in my opinion.
The day itself started quite overcast and stayed that way until halfway through the service when the Sun eventually managed to burn its way through the clouds. We were all treated to a sunny summers day all the way through the drinks reception at the venue and halfway through the speeches but then the clouds broke and rained for the rest of the evening. All in all we were lucky that we had such great weather while we were outside.
The couple and all of the guests were a delight to work with and I don’t think I have laughed quite so much at a wedding, everyone was that funny!
I have wanted to go into further detail about what I offer in our packages for some time now and I think now is a great time to start. A lot of things in my packages are fairly self explanatory but what isn’t is the benefit it can bring to your wedding. When I meet with clients I always make a point of going through each part of the package and explain the benefits and features of each part of my service.
Part 1 – Projection or “Projected slideshow of images at reception”
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