Merry Christmas

This goes out to all my Family and Friends who have supported me throughout this year, may you have a wonderful Festive break and a prosperous New Year.  To my followers, thank you for keeping in touch and watching how I progress, albeit slowly at times.  Have an enjoyable few days, see you in the New year.

Training Opportunity

As many of you know, I was an Apprentice to Mark Cleghorn for a year, during that time I met another phenomenal Photographer in the name of Kenny Martin, he produces these absolutely stunning black and white Portraits that he calls Photo Noir.  I have admired his work for some time no, but as he lives in Peebles, which is along the Scottish borders, I have never got round to actually attending one of his classes, well thats about to change, for those of you who may be interested he's about to go on tour in January 2013 and for a very reasonable price, have a look at the attached link, I can't wait!

http://www.markcleghorn.com/training/seminars/photo-noir-photo-blanc-tour-kenny-martin

Heidi and David's Wedding

Yesterday saw the Wedding of a wonderful couple, Heidi and David Hill-Jones.  Such lovely people, just a shame the weather wasn't as nice.  The service took place in St Peter's Church, Bournemouth followed by the reception at the Royal Bath Hotel, Bournemouth.  The party went on into the night with the dance floor busy, both young and old dancers alike enjoying the atmosphere.  Thank you for choosing me to share your special day, I wish you all the best for the future and I look forward to showing you the entire collection of images from the day after your trip away.

A peaceful week

Last month I had a trip down to Devon, staying near Exmouth for the week for a bit of time to relax and recuperate after a busy Summer.  Thankfully, apart from one day, the weather was on our side and we were able to get out.  The place we stayed at was on a cliff top site with easy access, well step climb, down to the beach.  We took Mollie with us and she really enjoyed the long walks along the shoreline rolling in the sand, except when the Royal Marines started to fire their guns on a nearby rifle range.  The sunsets were beautiful, below are a selection of images from the week, all taken along the Beach.

Heidi and David pre Wedding shoot

After a miserable week on the weather front, it came good for us to be able to get out and have a bit of fun in the sunshine to take some pictures of Heidi and David on their pre-Wedding shoot and discussion.  With only 5 weeks to go to the big day, all the plans are coming together nicely, lets hope the weather is kind to us on that day as well.  I look forward to capturing your Wedding and thanks for being great fun today!

Photovision Roadshow Southampton

Yesterday I attended the Photovision Roadshow in Southampton, it was held at a rather washed out Ageas Bowl Cricket Ground venue.  There were a number of trade show stands there, as well as the opportunity to watch a few free Seminars by Mark Cleghorn and Damien Lovegrove amongst others.  Both of these guys gave great talks; you've got to love Mark's enthusiasm for photography and his willingness to share, Damiens images were simply stunning, I particularly loved his Black and White work.  The other great purpose of these events is to catch up with friends and meet new ones and of course trying not to be tempted to buy from the trade show stands there, look but don't touch until you've done your homework.

Portrait shoot with a difference

Over a month ago now, I did a Portrait shoot with a difference.  As part of my Studio promotion work, I gave out some vouchers that entitled the lucky individuals the opportunity to have a complimentary Portrait session with me.  One of my work colleagues and her Husband are both Petrol heads and also camera shy, she asked if instead of taking pictures of them, could I take photos of their car?  Well knowing what car they have, I was very interested and excited in the challenge to capture such a different subject.

The car in question is a TVR Sagaris and we were fortunate with the weather and the location, which was near Goodwood race circuit.  The paint is a Chameleon type and what was surprising was the range of colours displayed in the glorious sunshine, particularly as the light wraps around the unique shapes and form of the vehicle.  The best part by far though, was the fact that I got driven there and back in the car and I can say it was an awesome experience; the pictures turned out pretty good too!

Michael and Katy's Wedding

The sun shone brightly for Michael and Katy's Wedding yesterday at Sholing.  A fun filled day with a Harry Potter theme.  Below are a few images from the day, including the Order of Service with a distinct cover and the Bride arriving with Dad in a Ford Anglia driven by Ron Weasley and Harry Potter as the passenger.  The cake was by far the most original Wedding Cake I have seen. During the late afternoon we did manage to get to Netley Abbey for a few shots before we lost the light.  A wonderful day for a beautiful couple, enjoy your Honeymoon.

Michael & Katy

Michael and Katy were in the studio and out on location today as we had the final pre Wedding discussion ready for the big event next month.  For a change the weather was on our side and having finished the paperwork part of the preparations, we were able to go out to a local spot and capture some lovely images of the happy couple.  I look forward to the Wedding in September. 

Brooke's 1st Birthday

It doesn't seem possible that a year has gone by since little Brooke graced our presence.  Brooke came in earlier this month so I could capture pictures around her 1st Birthday, she's now up and walking and into everything.  As we had a break in the recent poor weather I took the opportunity to go out to a local venue and capture some images in natural light before returning back to the studio for presents and cake!!  The cake photo session didn't turn out the way I had it planned, bless her she hates getting messy and once she realised the cake has messy pink icing, she was a bit reluctant to delve in.  With a little help from Mum she had a good go!  Happy belated Birthday Brooke.

Hayley and Chris Wedding

Well what a day, yesterday I had the pleasure to Photograph Hayley and Chris's Wedding, assisting Mark Osman (Still Images).  The Bride and Groom were fabulous, nothing was too much trouble and they loved every minute of their day, the weather came decent in the end despite raining before during and after the Church service.  At one point we even had them playing Tennis on the Court at the Hotel reception venue.   I wish them both the best of luck for the future and thank them for being by far, the most interactive and fun loving Bride and Groom I have come across on a Wedding Day. Below is a sample of some images from the day that I took as the second shooter.

Newbury Sculpture

Today I had a few hours to kill in Newbury while I waited for the a car to be fixed.  Whilst there are plenty of shops and Coffee to be consumed, I went for a walk along the canal bank, but also come across these face sculptures near a housing development.  One is made from spherical stones balls stuck together and the other from galvanised steel washers welded together.  Very unusual and strangely placed in a random park area by the side of a main road.

The Wedding of Ray and Dawn

Last Saturday, 21st July 2012, saw the Wedding of Ray and Dawn at the Broadstone United Reformed Church.  Thankfully following the terrible weather of late, it was at least dry for their special day.  Below is a collage of images to give a flavour of the occasion.  Congratulations to you both and I hope you are currently enjoying your Honeymoon to the Sunshine State?

The Olympic Team Photograph, Team GB

On the day of the Olympic opening ceremony an amazing piece of work is revealed, constructed and shot by a team working for the Daily Mail.  This photography collage is the work of a group of people bringing together all 541 UK Olympic athletes to become the official Team GB Photograph.  The link below shows the image broken down into 3 sections for a better view as well as a short video explaining how it was planned and pieced together by the Daily Mail's Chief Sports Photographer Andy Hooper.  It also lists every athlete, row by row.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/olympics/article-2179224/London-2012-Olympics-Giant-picture-541-Team-GB-members.html

Olympic Torch travels through Poole

Well after many miles and numerous cities and towns, the Olympic Torch passed through Poole today on it's way to Bournemouth for the night.  With just 2 weeks to the start of the Olympics and with the weather slightly drier for a change following last nights washed out event in Weymouth, the public were out in force to see the flame go through.  


At the location I took these photos, I believe it was Drew Mcmahon who was holding the flame.  You will see some images of Lady on the top of the Samsung bus, she is a model and friend of mine who I worked with during my time as an apprentice to Mark Cleghorn at PT4U.  As I said the Torch was on it's way to Bournemouth where local residents had tickets to attend the evening event down on the beach, thankfully the rain has stayed away tonight!

MPA Seminar South East Region

I had a very interesting day yesterday, attending the Master Photographers Associations (MPA) seminar for the South East Region.  The seminar was organised and hosted by Claire Hill of Woodland Hill Photography at a location in East Grinstead.  The speaker for this event was Martin Grahame-Dunn who gave a very informative and open seminar on the use of DSLR video footage into a sellable product.  Martin's style of delivery was very effective and is certainly an area I would turn to for future training.  The event continued well into the early evening, with the awards announced for the print competition.  My understanding is that the competition was very well supported and some excellent choices of images from a wide range of photographers.  Well done to all of those who took part.

The Little Princesses

Last Friday I had the pleasure of having 2 little girls in the studio for their photo shoot with their beautiful dresses from a Family event.  Here are the images taken.

Brooke 9 Months

Well I don't know where the time goes, here we are at the 9 Month photo shoot for little Brooke, she is still a little charmer even though her little toothy pegs are giving her grief.  This photo shoot was all done in natural light seeing as we finally had some decent weather to get out in.

Family Shoot

Last month, just before I went away on holiday, I had a family of 8 in the studio, well 9 if you include the dog!  This is the most I have had in for a single shoot so far.  If you look further back through my Blog you will se the pictures of the Octuplets, this was a session I carried out to practice the lighting set up for a large group without actually having that many people in the studio and that was in preparation for this shoot.  The Family concerned have since been back for their viewing and have allowed me to put up their video for others to see.

Final Piece of the Studio Build

Almost a year from the start of construction, the final task to finish the Studio Build Landscaping has been achieved, we have Grass again!  Whilst the actual construction was completed and the majority of the Landscaping done last November, I had to wait to get out of the Winter weather to lay the Turf.  Then with the holiday to Florida last month there was no point in laying the Turf, to then come home and find it had all died, so today was the day, at long last we have a garden ready for the Summer season.  All we need now is some decent weather, well after my Turf has established itself.

Brooke 6 Month Studio Session

Brooke was back for her 6 month photo shoot and the time seems to be flying away.  She was a little angel throughout the session, despite teeth coming through, she was happy and full of smiles.   If you look closely you may catch a glimpse of the front teeth that are already through.

Focus On Imaging 2012

I went up to the NEC a couple of days early to assist the PT4U team to erect their new stand for this years event.  There was quite a lot to do, to get to the final layout/build, not to mention all the preparatory work they had gone before it got to the construction stage, by getting the images designed and printed as well as defining the final layout of the stand.  The stand area they had this year is much larger than previous years, which is just as well judging by the numbers that attended during the 2 days I was there.  To their credit, they had a Sign Linguist for the first day of the show, which proved to be a tremendous success.  Below is a sequence of pictures taken as the stand was built over the 2 days leading up to the show.

 Unpacking the van

 Open the boxes and sort the bits out

 The construction begins

 The main stand area complete

 Outriggers attached

 Lighting goes on during Day 2 as well as sound/video

 Ready for the show

Let the show commence!

Octuplets

I have been in the studio working with the lighting, working out what is best for large groups and the lighting there of.  Obviously it is not feasible to get a family in and move them around for my practice, no in fact it was much more fun to get Tash to pose for me several times and then blend the layers together to get the final result.  This was achieved by putting the camera on a Tripod for a consistent image view, the lights were set to avoid burn out on the nearest person to the light and then a sequence of images were taken as Tash moved around the Sofa.  She came up with the idea to pull faces at the central Tash, what was impressive, was the poses she pulled for the symmetrical places, particularly the Tash either side of the central Tash.  This was achieved in one attempt, as you go down the set of images you will see at the bottom the completed image followed by a wide angle view of the set up.  Note I am using a Lastolite Highlight as the main light, top right of the setup image you will see the fill light, the background was only lit from light that spilled over from the main light.

February Cold Spell

As we all know it was bitterly cold for a few days at the beginning of the month, we took our dog for a walk down to Sandbanks over the weekend and I was surprised to see that the Poole Harbour side of Sandbanks, where the water is shallow, had actually frozen in places.  Further more on the open sea side of the peninsula, there was what could only be described as a slush of ice floating around as the tide took it out to sea.  Also very randomly on a wall to a property on the road to the beach were a pair of ice sculptures in the shape of Swans, amazing detail in them, especially when you get close and see the ice cracking/markings within.

SWPP Convention 2012

I have just returned from the trade show element of the SWPP convention.  As always it is great to meet up with like minded Photographers and friends to see what is in the market place and how my friends are getting on in their respective Photographic businesses, share ideas and generally socialise, catching up in some cases on a years worth of activity.  It is also great to observe some of the speakers and what they see as the current hot topics in the industry.  Now back at home, it is time to pick out the pieces of information obtained over the last couple of days and how to implement them for the benefit of my business and my clients.