Landscape in New Clinical Block

I am naturally a fairly quiet person who doesn't shout about my work too much, I do literally let my images do the talking. But please permit me to share with you a quite stunning print of mine that has been hung in the New Clinical Block at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital in Guernsey.

The builders of the block, Charles Le Quesne, donated this piece of artwork via Karl Taylor at www.perfectprints.co.uk. The scale of this canvas is quite breathtaking, it is huge! It really does stand out in the crisp, modern corridor.

The scene is of a still evening at St. Saviour's Reservoir in Guernsey and is one of my favourite landscapes. So without further ado, please see below for the pictures themselves.



For those who have asked or have an interest this image was not taken digitally. It was photographed on a Canham T657 camera, (a large format 5x7 inch format), with a 6x17 roll film adaptor, on Fuji Velvia 100, the lens was my amazingly sharp Rodenstock 90mm, (an ultra wide angle lens in this format). Working with equipment like this is another world from the digital cameras most of my work is carried out with now. Everything is entirely manual, there are so many areas to make mistakes, seeing and focusing the image is a challenge in itself, plus you have all the multitude of camera movements to make to ensure you have got the perspective and planes of focus correct. A far cry indeed from the convenience of digital capture.

But above all this you still have to have the eye for a good picture, no matter how you photograph it.

I for one am grateful I grew up with varied photography like I have for the 30 years I have been using cameras, the skills I have learnt serve me well and enable me to draw on my experience to handle situations that present themselves during my wedding photography. There is no substitute for hard earned experience, and no short cuts to developing the necessary skills. I am happy for my clients to know what I am capable of so that they have full confidence in my ability.

Yoga in Herm

Last weekend I was privileged to attend a Beinspired Yoga weekend in Herm.

Everyone had lots of fun and benefited from some great classes and instruction from Emma, Vicky and Sheila. My job was to take some photographs to show the workshop, as well as sneak away occasionally to try and take some personal work. Another prominent feature of the weekend of course was the weather, we saw some disruption to the programme due to the severe gales and rain that hit the area that weekend. But nothing could dampened the spirits of the people who braved the journey. The staff on Herm were wonderful, the classes took place at the White House Hotel and we had some lovely meals at the Mermaid Tavern.

I will let Emma cover the weekend from her perspective on her website www.beinspiredby.co.uk, but here are a few of my images of the weekend.

The classes were very well organised and I must say I have great respect for those who practice yoga, whatever their experience and abilities, it really does seem to be a way of life for many.



Sheila also took an introductory session in watercolour during some free time in the afternoon, what better for people to practice on than scenes of the lovely island of Herm. The enthusiasm was infectious.


Thank you to Vicky for taking the time to allow me take a few photographs of her doing some yoga on the beach, also for being taken by me to the other end of the island in the rain only to find that the conditions were so bad we didn't take any more pictures.

But if you can't do what you want to there are always other opportunities, like this delightful detail of rain dripping off some pine needles.

Now most people probably thought I was still in bed when they started their yoga class on Sunday morning, but no, one of my loves is landscape photography and a gale and driving rain wasn't going to put me off! I got my spiritual fulfilment walking around for a few hours from well before dawn. All the pictures you see here were taken in the rain. But bad weather also means mood and emotion, something I love portraying. Overall I impressed myself with what I managed to achieve under the conditions, though I was limited to pointing the lens away from the wind to avoid the rain. My camera gear is still drying out in a container with lots of silica gel.


There was no obvious sunrise, it just gradually went from black to dark grey and lighter shades of grey, Belvoir Bay is seen here still pre-dawn with one of the highest tides of the year.

Shell Beach in Herm is world famous, here is my view from the weekend, making use of the billowing grasses in the blowing wind.

Herm Common is surprisingly large and on such a wild and windswept day has an appeal that reminds me of moorland such as the Yorkshire Moors, even though the sea is just behind.



The whole weekend was a very worthwhile experience. Thank you Emma for asking me to attend.

Liz & Chris - Engagement Part 2

As promised here is the second part of Liz and Chris' engagement session. Part 1 took place in a cold and snowy London, well the weather also had a prominent role to play in our Guernsey session. A brisk wind and heavy rain showers greeted us, but we ventured forth with our usual great enthusiasm. I enjoy these conditions, bad weather often gives exciting light, and of course photography is all about light, though in these conditions you have to be quick with your decisions to react and make the most of whatever opportunities present themselves in such changeable conditions.

You can gauge the conditions from the opening shot below, but hey we're having a great time!

Like I mentioned grab the opportunities quickly, this fleeting but perfect rainbow appeared, what a beautiful memory of the occasion. A quick wipe of the lens to clear the rain away and we got our picture.

Once again the light brightened enough to give a lovely saturated colour with highlights on the wet grasses. You can tell we're in for another squall by the sky behind.

Not sure what rules of composition this picture adheres to, certainly goes against some advice to get in close. But my over-riding rule is if it looks good it is good! This is going to be a stunning double page spread in the album.

A dramatic sky, a semi silhouette and again that sense of fun all combine to give us another effective image.

When I photograph an engagement session or a wedding I always try to keep in mind the final use of a picture, difficult but often very helpful. In this next image I purposely kept a large amount of negative space, now this would work as an image in its own right. But then see the following picture which is the actual double page spread out of the final album design. It was a bit windy for an umbrella, as was soon proved. But with quick reactions and a deft reversal of the upturned brolly Chris rescued the poor umbrella and it lives intact for another day! A good laugh too.


We had a good variety of work already but were keen for more, so we changed location and braved further rain. I really don't have the space to share many more images here, but to finish off this post here's an image that utilised my vision gained from my darkroom days, with the scene before me I knew what I wanted out of it, it is rewarding when one is able to manage this.

Even later in the day the smiles were still there, and yes, so was the rain! Once more the effort was worth it and we got a nice series of images to close off our session.

So thank you to Liz and Chris for their endless enthusiasm, the album is designed and being printed at the moment. I really can't wait to see the finished result in print.

A special engagement session - part 1

Well this was a rather special engagement session for me. Yes my couples all show enthusiasm and energy, but Liz and Chris spent all day going to various sites in London, not only that but an extremely cold and snowy London. Their stamina and energy never faltered for a long day, it was no surprise to learn that they have both completed the London marathon.

I was lucky to get to London, the airports had seen much disruption due to snow and ice. So it was nice to open our photography with a few images showing some snow. Certainly the grey lighting and covering of snow lent themselves to more graphic compositions, a lot of these earlier shots were better in monochrome to make full use of the conditions.


Battersea power station is such a massive landmark, again the conditions were great to convey the nature of this building.

With a couple who know London so well it was quick and easy for us move through our list of areas to cover, looking for slightly unusual compositions and some lesser known corners of the city.

Even with the colour image below it mainly looks monochromatic, until one notices the splash of colour from the sole of the shoe.


Here's an area I wouldn't have known about, but Liz knew she wanted a picture amongst these beautiful pillars. A slight restriction was the stack of tables there, but I have to deal with things like this without delay and find compositions that work and eliminate distractions. An exposure to enable me to make a higher key picture, with a little use of flash to highlight the couple, meant I was able to realise my vision and make best use of the location.

While by St. Paul's I noticed buses in the background and thought about the shot we see here, of course just when you want a bus there isn't one, or it's going at the wrong speed and stops, or there's people in the way! But with a bit of perseverance I got the shots, thank you for your patience Liz and Chris!

This trip to London also gave me the opportunity to see a few sites that I had never visited, a walk across the Millenium Bridge and onto the Tate Gallery.

It is good to see the use that some buildings have been put to, the Tate is another old power station now used as an art gallery. But no time to admire the exhibits as I had to try and produce some art of my own. I immediately recognised the beauty of the backlighting and sheen from the concrete floor. I also wanted to show Liz and Chris as tiny figures in this vast industrial cavern, drawing attention to them by the use of a slow shutter speed, blurring other people walking by. A result well worth the effort in the end.

A little break for lunch and a chance to warm up, then we were out to play at dusk. A lot more colour in the following pictures, using the artificial lighting from the city lights and the remaining ambient light in the sky. There's always a short period when these light sources balance and give a nice colour in the sky.


One of my favourite images of the session is the next one, a fairy tale scene with the beautiful blue lights on the trees and the London Eye. I chose the order of our night shots carefully to make best use of the dusk light, this image allowed for a darker sky so could be left until later. I was troubled with keeping the rain off the lens, but in the end the droplets of water actually add to the overall feel of the picture.

Then to conclude a memorable day a quick visit to Tower Bridge. Thank you very much to Liz and Chris for this opportunity, we have some amazing pictures that will provide you with a lovely memory of your life in London.

Look out for part 2 of this engagement session in Guernsey in another post, coming soon.

A few portraits....

People might not realise but I also shoot portrait commissions. My aim is not just to create a record of people, but to ensure I portray the emotions and love present between them, whether couples, family groups or children. Using my experience and vision I can transcend the ordinary portrait and provide you with a work of art that demonstrates your bonds for each other.

So a few examples from a recent family session. It's amazing the natural moments one can capture just by watching and lying on the floor for a while, letting children just be children. It is also lovely to see the obvious bonds between parents and children, and seeing children so at ease with their grandparents.

So thank you to Detlev, Katherine, Abigail and Colin and the grandparents of course. We now have a priceless collection of beautiful moments of your wonderful family.

Samantha & Matthew

This wedding was special in that so many people had travelled from all corners of the globe to assemble in Guernsey to join Sam and Matt in their wonderful day. I was aware of a large contingent from South Africa, naturally as this is where the groom's family reside, plus people from Bermuda, New York, Australia and others from not so far away. One of the pleasures of this job is being able to meet some remarkable people, there were plenty in this event, though unfortunately I don't get a chance to stop to chat.

It is difficult to condense such a wedding into a select few images for the blog, so excuse me if you feel left out in this blog. There are plenty more images to show in due course, plus these have taken me 2 long days of effort to get to this stage.

Apart from a minor worry when the cravats couldn't be located for a few moments and a few tight shirt collars, the groom and his party were in a relaxed mood as they got ready. It was nice that everyone throughout the day was on time.

Photography is so much about the use of light and I quickly seized upon the opportunity of this scene as the bride was in her final preparations, the beautiful bridesmaids dresses contrasting with the other colours.

Now when one of my daughters saw the next image as she glanced over my shoulder this evening she exclaimed that the bride was stunning and looked like a Roman goddess.

The service was lovely and the bride really shone as she entered the church. Confetti flew in abundance on the way out.


Now one of the highlights of the day had to be the use of the old cars. The bride's parents have a stunning Austin 16/6, this was immaculately turned out. Several friends had also come in their cars, this ressembled a scene from a by gone era as they motored away through the lanes by the church.


We stopped off on the way to the reception and I was able to take full advantage of the colours of autumn and the immaculately valeted car for this portrait of the newly wed couple, even if it did mean lying in the gutter for the best viewpoint.


With so many people travelling so far it was nice to have a vantage point that enabled me to show the entire wedding party in one go, a precious record.

A bit of fun before the meal for one of the younger guests and a stroll in the gardens.



Some funny speeches followed, I love the match between the groom's brother's waistcoat and the wallpaper. These shots were especially difficult to capture as the lighting levels were low and rather challenging!

Now the first dance that followed was the most energetic routine I have seen at a wedding. Quite breathtaking, note the veil disappears at some point during the dance! The pace slowed up for a second dance with the couple's parents, this was a nice touch and it was good to photograph them all on the dance floor together.



No room to share more pictures with you here, but the party continued at a high pace throughout with lots of great action until past midnight. I was able to record some fun images throughout.
Hope you enjoyed this preview of the images.

Kate & Richard

Oh what a beautiful day we all had, yes myself included!
A great looking couple, lovely venues and lots of fun all add to another memorable day. Now the aim of my photography is to capture this all in a genuine natural way, I want my couples to relive those intense emotions they experienced on their day when they view my work and the album. This is how I measure my success.

Here are a few images of the preparations early in the day. The dress was so pretty, so perfect for the bride.


It is often difficult to get the groom's party in a lighter mood, but no problems here.


Now I can't remember the combined ages of these delightful ladies, but it was pretty close to the triple century and they enjoyed the entire day from beginning to very end!

The bride looked quite radiant.

Onto the church where it was lovely to record the intimate moments from up close.



There are so many things to capture at a wedding, I am vigilant for the grand scenes as well as the tiny details.


It was a sunny but breezy day, love those bridesmaids dresses too.

I can't show everything I want in this post, but here's a few to complete the day. I ensure my editing is thorough and meticulous, the remainder of the images will take me a long time to go through. This is one of the factors that I believe separates me from a lot of other photographers. Hope you have enjoyed this selection to keep you in anticipation of seeing the rest.

Delphine & Chris

Every event has it's own signature, and this one certainly had some unique points. Quite casual and relaxed with the added element of a lovely two part reception. The service was at St. Andrew's church and a short stroll took everyone to the couple's most remarkable house. Now Chris is an amazing designer and he is responsible for the design of the house, I am told Delphine was responsible for the building. I am in awe of your skills, and was very excited about seeing what I could photograph showing the building.

The dress was hung in the perfect place for me, just off a staircase to have enough height to clear the floor. Being able to put the white dress with it's sheen and textures offset by the graphic white interior was stunning, the lighting balance took a while to achieve but well worth the effort. Of course I took full advantage of the amazing interior lighting that is such a clever feature in Chris' design. Photography is all about light, especially to me the edges of light.


Now onto the people, which are naturally the main focus of a wedding. Here we have the bride adding a few finishing touches to her hair with the simple addition of some flowers. I am observing the reflection in the mirror waiting for the perfect moment. Delphine is in a beautiful pose, the lighting is so soft and scattered it is all I can ask for to give this stunning result.

When I want to take a few portraits often all I want is a a blank wall. This is surprisingly lacking in most of our houses, well here I was spoilt. The bridal party are in fine spirits, no nerves evident yet.

I had to include the little flower girl Alex, not once but twice in this blog. Plus I have lots more images of this delightful little girl who behaved impeccably throughout the day. Now one other factor in this event was that the age span of the guests was virtually 100 years, for one of the French relatives was literally 100 years old. What a great occasion.


It was a pleasure to be allowed at the front of the church until just before the ceremony commenced, this enabled me to capture the precise moment the bride and groom saw each other for the first time on their wedding day, a priceless moment. In particular as Papa looks on as he steps aside having just walked his daughter up the aisle.

As mentioned before a short stroll to the house followed the service, everyone sat amongst the trees and enjoyed the fine weather. Naturally a look around the house proved a popular diversion.


Onto the second part of the reception, held at the beautifully decorated Bella Luce hotel. Great speeches were followed by the meal. Toast images are difficult to capture, I was pleased with this image of the groom raising a glass.

Then onto the evening entertainment, some danced, some sat outside in the gardens, but everyone had a great finale to the day.


Look closely and check out one of the craziest dance moves I have seen for a long time!

Lucy & Ross

Another beautiful and special day, this wedding really must have fulfilled everyone's dreams for their wedding day. So much effort must have gone into all the arrangements and well worth it I must say. I know there are a lot of people keen to see a quick preview of some pictures, so I have worked hard to bring these to you as soon as possible. The trouble was I did have a difficult job decided which ones to blog.

One of my favourite getting ready shots is below, when one of the little flower girls admires the just dressed bride, totally unposed and a priceless moment.

Then what can be said about the sheer beauty of the bride and her truly spectacular dress, I feel quite emotional just writing this! Capturing emotion is one of my aims with my photography, so I am allowed to show some myself sometimes! This picture was photographed in a tiny bedroom in a few minutes, fitting in with everything else at this hectic time, just natural light and of course the perfect subject.

I did also get some great shots of the groom's party getting ready, but sorry Ross, no room to show them here.
Fast forward to the church, the groom appears to be showing a few nerves, the final thoughts of an about to be married man.

The bride fittingly arrived in a vintage car, this lovely shot was brilliantly spotted by my assistant (and wife). I reluctantly have to admit this wasn't my picture and shows that sometimes having someone else around can help to capture a different angle I am unable to.

In the church there are always some intimate and highly touching moments, it was a pleasure to be able to capture some of these from slightly different positions to normal.

Now I haven't mentioned Lucy's veil, but this shot illustrates it perfectly. I spent a long time thinking how to show the veil to its best, this shot was taken as Ross and Lucy walked out from the church which was in deep shadow from the strong sun. Again this shows the need to react quickly to all situations, I will not pose something like this as it really is too intrusive and breaks up the natural flow of events, and of course fails to capture the genuine true moment.

A carriage ride to the reception was a relaxing way to travel in a beautifully turned out carriage. I wanted to illustrate the movement so deliberately panned the camera to capture this action. Challenging yes, but this adds the extra special element to the photograph. Now Ross must be thinking I am a bit accident prone, he witnessed my shower at a friend's wedding back in May (see blog entry for that month), well this time I was following the carriage on my bike with two cameras round my neck, and maybe trying to take a photograph at the same time wasn't the best idea. At least the hedge was soft and I was travelling at walking pace!

I am aware this entry is getting a bit long, so a few images to sum up the reception.

Now Donna, (Lucy's mum) had made the cake herself, as if there wasn't enough to do already, great hat too!

Awaiting the first dance.


As expected a vibrant party completed the day. Well done to all for making this day so memorable.

Sam and Gilly

August is a bit of a frantic time for me, it's difficult to keep pace with the weddings and the subsequent work editing the images. I set myself very high standards and will not cut corners in my editing work, it is time consuming but I want to deliver to my clients the very best work. This means long hours editing and selecting the files from the wedding day, but this is one aspect that separates people in my profession. Chose your wedding photographer with care for your once in a lifetime event.

Anyway my last event was another action packed day. Hairdressers, make up and getting ready for the bridal party, a pre-event drink for the groom's party, then the cermony at St. James and a great reception and dance at the Farmhouse.

I am truly passionate about my photography and want to take great images for my clients, pictures I am proud of. I hope you agree the below images give a good summary of the event in a true photojournalistic sense, while providing a beautiful pictorial record too.





Of course I had to record the fact that the couple were lent a special car to go for a drive on the way to the reception.

There is always a need to capture some group shots of family and friends, but I ensure these are done quickly and with an element of fun, of course you all want to enjoy your party and not spend time posing for pictures.

I am always looking for the small off beat moments that others may miss, this next image portrays a new found friendship in a quiet corner of the grounds.

Sam and Gilly decided to break away from the traditional concept of a wedding cake and went for a beautifully constructed "cheese cake" supplied by French Accents. Well worth the effort I would say.


The evening was completed with a dance, it is also a challenge to sum up the atmosphere of the first dance, but I feel this image makes a perfect statement of the intimacey and spectacle that we witnessed.

Sara and Solly

Every now and then I photograph a small and intimate wedding, this one was a lovely affair with just very close family and friends attending. Small events present their own challenges, in some ways there is less to be photographed, but this also allows me to concentrate on obtaining just the perfect expression from many of the guests. It also challenges my creativity, as it is more difficult to avoid repeating the same style of picture.

Here's a brief taste of what I came up with at this event, my coverage as normal commenced with both the bride's and groom's preparations, and finished with their reception at Christophe's before they left for their honeymoon in the evening. Everyone really did seem to have a thoroughly enjoyable day.



Rings are always difficult to achieve something different with, I was quite excited by this composition.

Some details also tell a story, as well as making an attractive picture.

Sara really did look radiant, and they make a great looking couple. Yes I did get covered in biting ants taking this shot, I will go to any lengths to get a great picture for my clients!

Again looking for slightly different angles and compositions helps to give a variety of pictures. The last image is looking straight into the sunlight to provide a beautiful rimlit silhouette.

Yoga in the landscape

My cousin Emma is a very highly regarded yoga instructor, and I love taking pictures of her and her friends. Adding the human element into a dramatic landscape utilises both my wedding and landscape experience. Of course it's no use having the photographic expertise without a willing and equally skilled model. Holding the poses for a sufficiently long time, in often uncomfortable places, is crucial to the success of a picture like this. So a big thank you to Emma for enduring the session last night, this was not an easy image for either of us to obtain, but well worth it as I think the result is truly spectacular.

If you want to see a few more from earlier sessions please see the Yoga gallery on the main site. Or look at Emma's website - www.beinspiredby.co.uk

Juzy & Chris

Everything's so busy, but I know you are keen to see some images asap after your wedding, plus I believe in keeping prospective clients up to date too, so a bit of general chat too before I get more specific. I am always excited to see what I have got, these days it's not quite as agonising as waiting for a film to develop, but even so still exciting. It's got to be a good sign when your photographer is so enthusiastic. Also one thing to bear in mind is the work rate that your photographer is capable of, physical fitness and enthusiasm play a big part in what can be a long arduous day. As one of Guernsey's top sportsmen from not that very long ago, I pride myself in being able to keep going and strive to get great images for you, I often stay until the party's over, not just to the first dance. I try to blog a few images straight after most events so here goes for last weekend's.....

Justine and Chris' wedding was truly fabulous, what a day. I can only blog a handful of images to give you a flavour of what the full coverage can offer, so enjoy these images in the meantime while I try and catch up with my workload.

The day started at the hairdresser for the bridal party, but the groom certainly did an interesting job himself after a few moments of frantic activity.



Then back to mum and dad's house for the final preparations of the bride, Justine was fabulous, and seemingly so relaxed!







Now this is going down in history as the BBQ Summer (a reference to the British Met Office's long range forecast for this summer to those who log onto this from abroad, but recently heavy rain and cool conditions have have led to much amusement on this score!) Well you cannot change the weather, and it was great to see Juzy with a beaming smile as she proceeded to the church in heavy rain and wind. I always tell my clients that whatever happens it is my job to record the day as it occurs and I hope the next shot illustrates this perfectly.



St. Matthew's church is one of my favourites, the craftsmanship in it's construction is quite admirable and I wanted to show the setting in this next picture.



A brief stop at the park on the way to the reception yielded one of my favourite pictures for a long time, at least the newly weds had some shelter, but then marginal weather often leads to more atmosphere. Thanks Dan for carrying my gear bag!



Fast forward to the reception and evening functions, the weather cleared up in time for sunset and the effort so obviously put into the garden and interior of the marquee were so appreciated by all. What a stunning location and amazing atmosphere, well done. I must add that the first dance was beautifully moving, call me a bit of a romantic, soppy or whatever, but one of those moments that I love about my job.





The band rocked and that's how the night was seen out. You hockey people sure know how to party!

Sarah and TK

Well sorry for taking a while to blog this event, but I actually managed to fit in a short holiday myself!

Sarah and TK's wedding was a beautiful and intimate event, with lots of different aspects to cover. Great fun it was too, there was much laughter throughout and the day, especially the evening function was extremely vibrant.

As normal I try to fit in the bride's, and groom's, preparations.



Trying to follow the action discreetly without getting in the way is my goal, as is getting the best pictures I can of course!





These momentary glances are so precious, yet so fleeting.



The service took place at St. James, this beautiful location is spectacular inside and naturally I try to make full use of the architectural features. While outside children are their unpredictable selves, but this can yield photo opportunities if you are quick enough!





The remainder of the day was spent at Le Gouffre, with the reception taking place at L'Escalier. Just a few images to show this aspect, but of course Dean's cooking is legendary and the story of the paella and cake will have to be told another time.

Chantal and Mark

I really haven't had time to attend to the blog for a while, so sorry to those who have looked recently. But I just have to post an entry from my last wedding. This gives the newly wed couple a little teaser of what lies in store for them once back from honeymoon.

Chantal and Mark are a beautiful couple and full of humour. Here are some of my favourites to share for now. I like to start with any preparatory shots and with this event the dress hanging up made for a stunning picture, all lit with natural light from a nearby window. This natural lighting also made the illumination for the lovely image of Chantal wearing her veil, a nice high key image.



At this stage everyone is busy getting ready, I am watching the time as I must get to the church myself, but want to stay with the bride as long as possible in order to capture as much of the story of the day. Displaying great efficiency and team work the next image shows 2 bridesmaids, the bride and her mother all working to ensure that they won't be late.



I haven't got room to post too many images here, but will try to show the key moments of the day. So here's my choice from the church service. Timing was critical with this image as Chantal made her way to the room with the register. A fraction later and her head would not be isolated against the blank wall, it's little things like this that can make a good shot even better.



On the way to the reception it is often possible to stop off at a picturesque location for a few portraits. This is the only time the bride and groom are alone together with me just for a few pictures. My style is to shoot in a journalistic way and I do not set up any images apart from at this time and for family group pictures. Again looking for something different I also chose to try a panoramic image, which I feel works well and adds variety to the normal compositions.




Fast forward to the reception and one of the most memorable events was the song by one of the bride's sisters, who also played the guitar. Again here I tried to capture a bit more than the obvious, purposely choosing a slower shutter speed with a touch of flash the intention was to convey the movement of the hand on the strings, so much more effective than just a static image. Isn't photography wonderful? Challenging too!



Just to finish this post off one picture of the first dance. Hope you have enjoyed this preview and I am looking forward to designing this album. But many days of editing work to go first!

THE Shower Incident.....

Okay, okay by popular request here's what happened on Saturday when I went to the football club to photograph the groom's party getting ready.  With a degree of embarrassment I'll admit that in trying to find the best angle of Simon adjusting his tie in the mirror I was tight in against the opposite wall.  Well my back pressed the shower button and I was nicely drenched in a powerful overhead spray designed to clean off muddy footballers.  My jacket and head were soaked, unfortunately I was carrying 2 cameras and a flash gun at the time.

But fortunately the great merriment at my predicament made one of the highlights of the day for some, I dried off, the gear survived and also I had the presence to keep shooting to record the reactions.  I even laugh myself now when I think about it!

Sara and Simon

Well there's so much to say about this event, how so much was fitted into this wonderful day was remarkable. It was a beautiful and fun packed wedding, quite memorable. Naturally there are a huge number of images to go through, I estimate I spend 4 times the number of hours editing my work than I do photographing the event, and I was taking pictures for a solid 16 hours on Saturday. This is the unseen side of the wedding photographer's workload.

I am keen to share a few initial images on the blog, to give a flavour of the event. So hope you enjoy these images, from the preparations, the service, football on the beach, to the reception and dance. I am looking forward to presenting the images to Sara and Simon when they return from honeymoon, we have some great images to show what an exciting day you had.

Golden Wedding Anniversary

While attending a family celebration today I naturally had to cover the event for the record.  But there is always the opportunity to keep an eye out for something special too.  Here are two images I was very pleased with, just taken as the children were playing naturally in the afternoon.  The saxaphone picture of Alex was in a corner of a room between a couple of windows, a radiator and a set of blinds. Natural light only and some contortions on the floor from me yielded a splendid image that I look forward to getting printed.

This other image of Fern was hastily photographed by looking through a collection of floral gifts.  To me it gives the impression of dense undergrowth or an elaborate hat.  Just goes to show we have to be prepared to deal with unexpected and fleeting chances, and having the eye to spot these opportunities in the first place.

Snowy Owl in Guernsey!

Another surprise in store today.  Amazingly across the lane from our house in a recently planted field of potatoes was a Snowy Owl.  It's only a couple of thousand miles away from where it should be really, and if you see my post beiow on the snow we had, a couple of months too late for that.  So instead of catching up on my backlog of work I spent a total of 9 hours lurking by hedges waiting for this superb bird to do something.  It just sat there until I could no longer see it over an hour after sunset.  I never saw it fly away.

Spot it near the middle of the field as a heavy rain shower passes by.  My favourite shot is the last one, in near darkness the light turns cool blue, and the owl appears soft white in this dusk light. It's probably dining on rabbit tonight.  Enjoy these images.

Getting Ready

Being passionate about making great pictures I want to cover as much as possible of your wedding day as possible.  This includes the getting ready part of the day.  Some people don't think there's anything worth taking.  But I believe this is all part of the story of your wedding, and of course let's your other half see your side of the preparations that they are not privileged to see.  Whether it's at the hairdresser, getting dressed or make-up there is a wealth of photographs to take which help to record a complete memory of your big day for your album.  

Here are a few examples to share:-

Of course don't forget the groom:-

Thank you to Daniella and Gary.  We have some beautiful pictures that you wouldn't have had otherwise.

Here's a very pictorial image and one of my favourites.  All these pictures were completely unposed and unobtrusive documentary work.