Nicola and Neil Engagement Session

Sunday it poured down, and to be honest I wasn't in the mood for getting drenched, so I was really glad when Nicola and Neil were also concerned I was going to drag them outside. We decided to stay inside.

The couple have a great home, incredible soft light poured in through French windows into the stunning contemporary reception area, so my job was made easy.

Both were a little nervous, but were soon put at ease and within minutes we had completed a whole range of poses. I tend to use the e-sessions as more of a practice photo session, rather than a dedicated shoot, so we practiced different techniques for getting spontaneous smiles and giggles.

Before long we had acheived just about all I needed to do, so we had a play with some ideas the couple wanted. Best of all Nicola and Neil were happy with the way I operated, and were more confident about spending time in front of a camera.

This was a perfect example of why I include a portrait session with my album packages.

Claire and Adam..........Sometimes its all in the detail

Here are few of my favourite shots from Saturdays wedding that I have processed so far. I was so struck by the location, the light and the fine attention to detail that I had to post a few images early.

Thrumpton Church was simply gorgeous, a perfect example of an old English Church, its tiny interior was subtly lit through some amazing old stained glass. The interior was very dark in places, but was beautiful where it mattered.

A stunning Bride in a simple traditional dress, given away by a very proud Mum, lovely.

A simple service, were the congregation also vowed to support the couple, extremely touching.

The Rose Garden was a stunning location for everyone to chat and mingle, the weather held off long enough for us to shoot the groups in this idillic location.

The Library provided a the perfect location for a few old fashioned portraits of the couple, as well as allowing the guestes to soak up the atmosphere of the location.

All in all, I had a fantastic day, the perfect couple at a stunning location, I could not have asked for better.

Newark Jazz Festival

Canon 1DMKIIN 120-300 f2.8 set to 300mm

Newark has become the location for one of the Uk's premier music events, those of you who have read my previous posts will already be aware that I am a huge music fan. I managed to use the oppurtunity to photograph some amazing artists from all over the Uk and abroad. Artists played in pubs, clubs, bars and restaurants all over Newark, some of the events required tickets, but most were free, opening up Jazz music to thousands who had probably not enjoyed the experience before.

The ultimate experience was the oppurtunity to see the great Jazz Legend George Melly, the wonderful blues singer, who had not been well recently, performed at the Palace Theatre. He was being filmed by the BBC for a documentary, and he was the ultimate entertainer even though he had to perform from a wheelchair.

Canon 1DMKIIN 12-24 set to 12mm

Canon 1DMKIIN 12-24 set to 12mm

Canon 1DMKIIN 24-70 set to 70mm

Canon 1DMKIIN 24-70 set to 70mm

Canon 1DMKIIN 24-70 set to 70mm

Canon 1DMKIIN 24-70 set to 70mm

Canon 1DMKIIN 120-300 f2.8 set to 300mm

Canon 1DMKIIN 120-300 f2.8 set to 300mm

I won't go into details, but I hope you like the images. More will be posted on my main site later this week.

Jammie Dodgers and Fogburn......

Alison and I decided to take a quick break and make the most of a quiet few days before the busy summer season kicks into gear.

Canon 1DMKIIN 24-70mm set to 70mm

We managed to get booked into a very nice little cottage in Coniston in the lake District. As usual with the Lakes the weather was changeable, erring on the side of wet, but on the whole the trip turned out to be the best idea we had in ages. It was a very relaxing and stress free few days away from e-mail and telephones, well worth the money.

Canon 1DMKIIN 24-70mm set to 24mm

We spent a few days on the hill, but most of the time we just toddled about the area, wandering around the lakes and mooching around the shops. We did have a wonderful evening on the solar powered Coniston Launch, this super quiet tourist boat took us around the Lake as the sun set, we even enjoyed a bottle of wine. Lucy was very well behaved, especially after we let her look over the side at the water.

Nikon P1 compact camera

Our only really wet day was the day we decided to climb the Old Man, we took the miners track past the old workings to the top. It was quite a site to see the disused buildings that have fallen into disrepair, it must have been an extremely arduous job working moving green slate and copper ore on the mountain, especially when you have to walk all the way up there to start your working day.

Canon 1DMKIIN 24-70mm set to 24mm

Canon 1DMKIIN 24-70mm set to 50mm

Visibility was down to less than 20 metres on the top, Lucy, who had behaved wonderfully on the journey up, had become covered in a fine layer of mist that had frozen on her whiskers. As we sat out of the wind enjoying a cup of tea and a jammie dodger I could feel my head getting warm. When we got down it seems that even though the weather was poor I had still managed to burn the top of my baldie head. I should have put on my hat earlier.

Canon 1DMKIIN 24-70mm set to 24mm

Canon 1DMKIIN 24-70mm set to 24mm

Changing Seasons

Canon 1DMKIIN 24-70 set at 70mm

One reason why I particularly enjoy walking my dog Lucy, is getting the oppurtunity to connect with the great outdoors and watch the seasons change. Here are a few images from yesterday, Lucy was doing her thing in the undergrowth, so I took the oppurtunity to do mine.

Canon 1DMKIIN 24-70 set at 70mm

Canon 1DMKIIN 24-70 set at 50mm

What an fantastic job

Canon 1DMKIIN 24-70 lens set to 70mm

I am always amazed at just how lucky I am, I may not be, financially, the richest person in the world, but I am rich in another respect. I get to meet some of the most interesting, and inspiring, people as well as getting involved in some fascinating projects.

Last week I got to meet Scott, he is an inspiration to all of us who want to better ourselves and do something for their local community. He was a mineworker for 15 years, working a tough physical job, in extreme conditions for long hours and for very little pay. After many years of soul searching he made the decision to do something different with his life and he went back to school. Now 5 years later he now teaches the very course he did, and now inspires others to make the move to improve their own lives.

Canon 1DMKIIN 24-70 lens set to 70mm

A simple decision on his part not only enabled him to improve his own lot, also means that others get to improve their lives. His ability to communicate with, and encourage, others was quite apparent, his friendly attitude proving popular with his students and those he works with. He is someone that we should all aspire to be like.

Good Luck for the future Scott, you are an inspiration to us all.

Rare Night Out

Anyone who knows me also knows just how much I like good quality music, I love to go and see live bands in concert of all genres but I really appreciate good Jazz played in small clubs and venues.

Saturday night was a rare oppurtunity for Alison and myself to go out, as I am usually working, but I had deliberately kept this weekend free as Curtis Stigers was coming to town and playing in our local flea pit the Palace theatre.

I was never a fan of Curtis in the early nineties when he had a string of rather mediocre hits here in the UK. I think it was his awful hair cut(or lack of it) and his bad collection of waistcoats but he was not for me. I was convinced to go and see him by Alison, as she had not had a night out in ages, I must admit I was really impressed, he is a very talented performer, and supported by some extremely talented musicians he absolutely stunned the audience.

He performed a range of tracks from his back catalogue as well as some of the newer stuff on his latest album, but I was most impressed by his covers, most of which were better than the originals.

Unfortunately photography is not permitted at the palace, so I don't have any images to post, but at least it gave Alison a night away from the camera.

Newark is hosting its annual Jazz Festival in a few weeks, something I am really looking forward too, I will be able to get some great images of the performers as they tour a range of pubs and clubs around town. I can't wait.

Two weeks old and oh-so sweet

Canon 1D MkIIN 24-70 mm set at 70 mm

After a busy couple of weeks I finally managed to get to see my new baby niece, Niamh Emma. She absolutely gorgeous, an expert at sleeping, (she must take after her Dad for that one). Brought into this world with the help of a surgeons knife, she is happy, and fitting fit, and keeping her parents, and Grandparents, busy. Mom is also doing fine, with strict instructions to keep still, I arrived to find her power-washing the patio(Mom that is, not Niamh), a bit sore but active as ever.

Canon 1D MkIIN 24-70 mm set at 70 mm

Niamh is the families’ first daughter; the two older brothers are very protective of her, even though they themselves are only 4 and 2 years old. I can see her being very well looked after, God help her first boyfriend.

The boys were busy helping their Dad build a new playhouse in the garden, as soon as the roof was on; they disappeared, only to reappear hauling their bedding into the garden. Apparently they wanted to spend the night in the new playhouse.

Canon 1D MkIIN 24-70 mm set at 50 mm

Helping Dad whack a few nails in....

Canon 1D MkIIN 24-70 mm set at 70 mm

Look at those eyes

Canon 1D MkIIN 24-70 mm set at 70 mm

Climbing a ladder, with help from Nana

Canon 1D MkIIN 24-70 mm set at 24 mm

New windows

Canon 1D MkIIN 24-70 mm set at 70 mm

Must be a bigger hammer in here somewhere

Canon 1D MkIIN 24-70 mm set at 24 mm

Out comes the bedding

Canon 1D MkIIN 24-70 mm set at 50 mm

Time for bed, probably not.

Big Skies

Canon 1D MKIIN 24-70mmf2.8 set to 24mm

Using colour to enhance your composition can be a useful tool to improve your images. One of the most effective ways of using colour is to use a single blanket of one hue to cover the majority of your frame, and then accent that colour with another.

Skies can produce some wonderful blues, depending on the direction of the sun, and the time of day they can be soft pale pastels or super saturated sheets of solid colour.

Canon 1D MKIIN 24-70mmf2.8 set to 70mm

I originally saw this image a simple black and white image, but when I downloaded the file from my 1DMKIIN, the blue just jumped out at me, a simple vignette and the image was complete.

A Few Days Off...

This Year I deliberately made the effort to spent Easter with my family, something that was almost always an impossibility, but this year I managed it.

Alison and I decided to get off our backsides and get away from home and go walking. We have always enjoyed walking and climbing but the last couple of years have been difficult to fit the time in. As we have done anything particul;arily difficult for quite a while we decided to stay fairly local and visit the Dark Peak area of the Derbyshire Peak District. Great hills, with loads of fantastic pubs, perfect.

Considering I used to be a volunteer member of a Mountain Rescue Team, and I was extremely fit, I really puffed up the first hill, Alison lead the way for quite a distance, but I soon found my pace and we managed a stroll along quite nicely. Our main summit was Mam Tor, the site of an ancient Bronze Age fort, which can be easily reached from the road, but we decided to attack the hill from the far side, which is much steeper and much more satisfying.

Lucy and I at the summit of Mam Tor.

On the summit were a large group of Parapenting enthusiasts, enjoying the thermals, one landed very close to use which upset Lucy,my Labrador, and set her off barking madly, but no harm was done.

The walk was over in a few hours, much shorter than we had planned, but this gave us plenty of time to enjoy the food in a local pub and enjoy a pleasant drive exploring the area.

Lucy recovering from her walk

We hope to continue walking this summer, when work allows, there is something special about the hills.

Lincoln Wedding and Event Show




Just a short post to thank all those who came to visit my stand at the Lincoln Wedding and Event Show at the weekend. I had a great day, met loads of new couples and a even a few who have contacted me previously.


My stand was postioned between a Fetish Corset manufacturer and a Teddy Bear stand. A change from the usual exhibitor at Wedding fairs, but at least we had a great time. I met up with several other photographers, and exchanged ideas and discussed the future of the business. Some of us are considering an evening out on the town, something I am really looking forward to.


Thanks again everyone, hope to see you all soon.

Faye and Matthew

Another crazy weekend with a fantastic couple. I met Faye and Matthew at the National Wedding Fair last October, when they booked me to photograph their wedding later this year. They are a great, fun-loving, couple that have made me laugh every time I have met them.

I made a special journey down to Cardiff to photograph them for their engagement session. It was a trip worth making, the weather was lovely, the traffic almost non-existant, and the locations were fantastic.

We started of in Cardiff Bay, were we took advantage of the architecture and stonework of the harbour. The crowds started to gather to watch us, while I was photographing Faye, Matthew was asked if she was famous!

We then made a short trip to a local beach, where we had a splash in a few rock pools, clambered over the rocks and finished witha stroll along the beach.

I had a great time, and I am really happy with the images, I just hope Faye and Matthew like them too. Look out for the wedding photos in a later post.