Congratulations to Tony and Donna on their fantastic wedding that was held at the Old Hall Hotel in Buxton, Derbyshire. I'm led to believe that the hotel is in fact the oldest in England and has had many guests of note in the past including royalty.
The day was made even more special by four of the cutest bridesmaids on the planet who never complained, and had so much fun (even when it was cold outside).
I don't think it's an accident that the majority of photographers I know have an eye for details.
It's like a sixth sense where we can spot things out of the ordinary, things that may make or break an image. For some reason today whilst I was in town I was drawn to the local petshop window, I don't even have a pet but the old sixth sense or spidy sense kicked in. Any way long story short this is the poster that I saw ..... I wonder how many others didn't see it.
But in all seriousness I guess it's a knack built out of the desire to not spend hours in photoshop removing crisp packets or people from backgrounds. It's so much easier to ask people to move than to try and photoshop them out of an image .... or it used to be, I saw a sneak peak of the next photoshop thats due in April today and that looks a mighty powerful tool. I'm guessing that's an upgrade I may not need too much talking into buying.
I haven't put them in any order and like all things they are completely down to personal taste but it might be a start and I'm always looking to try and reduce any stress from my couples wedding days that I can. If you click on the link it will take you to the tune on you tube (as long as they haven't been removed).
A few weeks back I had the honour of recording young Jacobs Barmitvah, well at least the practise run anyway. The actual ceremony takes place on the Jewish Sabbath (Saturday) and as it is a day of rest and a religious ceremony no-one is allowed to work.
Jacob had learnt his Hebrew well and read through his readings with very little trouble, overwatched by his father and grandfather. I hear the actual ceremony (a few weeks later) went completely without a hitch making his whole family extremely proud.
Of course having successfully been bartmitzvahed there is only one thing to do and that's have a massive party so friends and family can join in the celebration.The chosen venue for the party was Dyram Park Country Club, all in all a very nice venue and with very easy access just of the A1 (a photographers dream).
I absolutely love learning of other traditions and religions. I feel the more you learn the less there is to fear. I have always found with any Jewish work I do whether it's weddings or Barmitzvahs the parties are always legendary and great fun! Congratulations Jacob, I hope you had as much fun as I did in capturing it!
Pin It This weekend I headed over to Peldon near Colchester where I was due to meet up with Hannah and Dylan at Hanna's parents house. it was great to meet up after we had spoken a few times on the phone and could finally put a face to a name. We sat and discussed their plans for the day then set off to capture some images. If you watch the slideshow below I think you'll see the fun we had, I don't think Hannah stopped smiling all afternoon, even when wading through the sludge and mud. I thought the shots came out great, hope you enjoy them. You can download this slide show (and any of the others on this blog) from i-tunes by clicking here. You can then add them to your i-phone or video i-player etc.
Another year and it was time to take the long trip to the midlands to check out what was hot (and what was not) for the world of photography for the next twelve months. For those that have never been, Focus on Imaging is held at the NEC and is the largest annual imaging show in Europe.
It carries knowledge and equipment from the initial capture through to editing and output. Whilst many of the same old faces were there I always try and seek out the smaller individual companies. It's these small companies that sometimes have new ideas and products that I crave over.
So what was new? In truth not a lot, a few little ideas here and there. When I first started visiting Focus there were several large stands all selling dark room equipment with huge enlargers and chemicals a plenty. I honestly don't think there were any at all this year. A sign of the times but at the same time a little sad.
However the one thing that will never change and always raises a smile are the hobby photographers that insist on having as many camera bodies strung around their throat as they can possibly carry. Not only that but they have as many extras bolted to the bodies as they can afford, and are normally dressed in enough webbing straps that they wouldn't look out of place at the start of an Army assault course. I've yet to see a herd of wilder beast come streaming through the NEC weaving between the stalls but rest assured should this happen the hobby guys will be there to get the shot, they'll probably miss it mind you but at least they'll look the part (or they think they will).
If you haven't gathered It is considered by most pros as highly uncool to be seen with a camera at the show (hence the photographs taken on my phone). I don't go to photograph anything, I go to enquire and try new equipment and talk to suppliers.
Another thing that struck me is the amount of photoshop lectures going on, all very interesting but I kind of got the idea many of the instructors were there to show how good they were (or the software they were selling). I remember hearing one guy rip into a photographer because he shot in jpg rather than raw, he went on a long explanation of how raw is so much better because it can capture more levels of light and help to recover blown highlights, the guy simply said why have the highlights been blown? Again the instructor went into the explanation that not every shot is perfect and raw files could recover more than jpg, to which the guys answer was, why not shoot film then? The instructor gave up ...lol. moral of the story is do what you like and if you're happy with the results don't worry what the pipe smoking men with beards say.
In all it was a good show and I bumped into a few old friends including Catherine Connor (see pic) from Contemporary Photographic Training. Catherine is the engine behind the famous Annabel Williams training course in the peak district and has helped launch many photography businesses throughout the UK (including mine).They run some really excellent courses up there and it's been a little too long since i've been on a visit. Perhaps, i'll check out what seminars they are running this year.
Of course focus saw me leaving with another Nikon camera body and a hole in my pocket .... let's hope this weekend shoot goes well to pay for some of it.
I have to say some of the judges comments are just wrong. A good photographer would be able to get a good image regardless of what camera they are using and how much it costs. I mean does anyone believe all Ferrari owners are good drivers?
So if you can't judge a book by it's cover what should a couple do? Well in most cases it's a case of asking friends who they would recommend. The problem with that is of course they only had the experience of one photographer on their day so what makes them the expert?
The answer for me is a test drive. Any bride who calls me (e-mail etc) will know the very first thing I do is offer a free pre wed shoot, no strings attached. Once they've seen the pictures then we can they will know exactly what they will be getting for their day.
If they're happy with the pictures we can then move on with arranging their day. Peace of mind for all involved. I really love my job and I want to remove as many worries from the couple prior to the day as possible .... haven't they got enough to worry about?
Don't believe me .... call my bluff 01376 567 995, It'll be one less thing to keep you awake at night. Of course if you live more than an hours drive from me travel costs will apply.
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