LA Fitness - a good time to get in shape...

I've developed a good relationship with the staff at our local LA Fitness (Newark). They are a great bunch and I have recently re-done their staff photographs.

We have put together a special offer for their members during January and February. We are offering a portrait sitting with a complimentary 7x5 print completely free of charge. In addition, you can have a £25 off a PureWoman Experience, a location portrait or a Photobooth booking. See one of our leaflets in the club or ask at reception for details. You can also find details at our 'We Love' pages for LA Fitness.

I was at LA Fitness yesterday to complete the last few staff photographs and they had just received new combat kits for their new promotion. So we took some pictures with these and hey presto....

10,000 images later....

I've enjoyed having a look back over some of the pictures I've taken over the past year. We are often so busy taking and then presenting our images that there rarely seems time to pick out favourites. Well that is what I have done.

One of the core aspects behind PureLight is our commitment and passion for great photography. Those who appreciate the difference between a snap and a good photograph will realise what I mean.

In total, I have over 10,000 images from the past 12 months - and as I use film this means that I have shot a lot of rolls.

Here are some of my favourites.

This picture was taken in July this year and is a portrait of Raj, one of our grooms. The setting was quite ordinary - a brick ally. I used a portrait lens - a 50mm or 85mm - with a shallow depth of field. I used black and white film, as I knew the picture would work best in black and white. I have also selectively darkened the image using my computer to accentuate the tones.

This next picture was taken in November at Jonathan and Helen's wedding. I like to add a sense of depth in my pictures, to enhance its composition. One of the ways to achieve this is to place people at different depths in the picture. The picture has more balance than just a row of people.

Pictures of details form a large part of what we do - many people find great pleasure in remembering many of the details of their weddings and if taken well they can also make for very pleasing photographs. The challenge is do more than simply record the detail but use composition and light to create a pleasing image. This picture is a good example:- it was taken at Chris and Keddie's wedding in August. The subtle background colours and soft light work well with the flower and I also like the composition.

The choice of lens was also key. We have invested a lot in our range of professional lenses and this one enables the main subject - the flower - to remain in focus, whilst the background is blurred - this also creates a sense of depth in the picture.

This picture is of Victoria, who was also married in August and held her reception at Branston Hall, Lincolnshire. This picture was taken at home, whilst Victoria was getting ready. Thanks also to Victoria for not throwing me out of her room. She has several brothers, so I guess she is used to boys being around.

The pictures below are some of my all-time favourites. They capture a chance moment. The first was taken at Holdenby House and is of Amy walking down the main staircase with her dad waiting. This was of course a completely candid moment, caught whilst I too came down the staircase.  

The second picture was taken at Fawsley Hall and is of one of the flower girls with a chance look of wonder as she looks up at the bride.

The next picture was more planned. I could see this couple coming down the path and wanted to create an extreme panoramic picture - I waited for the right moment and then took the picture.

I'm not really a twirl sort of person - but on this occasion it just made sense and I wanted to create a sense of movement in the picture, so I asked Caroline, the bride, if she would do some. 

I obviously said the right thing and she seemed to enjoy the opportunity to do some twirling - and this picture made for a lovely image. The wedding was held at Stoke Rochford Hall, just south of Grantham. The hall has recently been restored, following a major fire several years ago. This was one of the first weddings following completion of the work and it is an amazing venue and great for photographs.

We love to photograph Asian weddings for all the reasons you could imagine - the colours and sheer vibrancy are a joy to capture. We have met some wonderful couples this year and have enjoyed every aspect of these weddings. This picture was taken at Jignesh and Meghna's wedding and is during the Hindu ceremony.

Our first Asian wedding was last year, when we photographed Vinesh and Dipti's wedding at the Leicester Marriott - and it was this wedding which lead on to several more Asian bookings last year and more again in 2008. We photographed Salima and Arif's wedding in September 2007 and we were immediately asked to photograph the wedding of Karima - Salima's sister - this year. It was like a family re-union for us and an even greater joy to photograph because we knew so many people.

I love to capture moments in an abstract way, with less emphasis on technical perfection and more on capturing the right moment. This picture of Raj putting the ring on Karima's hand is a good illustration. I love his expression and the fact he is mid-way through putting the ring on Karima's finger. To me it is a priceless moment captured forever.

And here are Salima and Karima with those fantastic smiles, taken at Karima's wedding. 

One of the strongest aspects I have found from working with Samantha and now with Jade is the stimulus this provides for creative development.

When I worked on my own then, to a degree, you stick with what you know and for good reason tend not to stray too far from your comfort zone. We all learn from each other and this provides us all with the necessary confidence to try new things. One area that has been new for us all this year has been portraits. 

You may have seen on our website a growing presence of boudoir, location, fashion and studio portraits, photobooth and now nursery pictures. The technical, creative and people skills are different for each one and this has expanded our own depth of knowledge. The picture above is of Mia and Dom, one of my first portrait commissions - they loved the more relaxed style of photographs and I really enjoyed taking their pictures.

We opened a studio at Hexgreave Hall in the spring, located between Newark and Mansfield, not far from Southwell. The hall is set within a country estate and we have the run of the estate to take photographs. The following picture was taken in the autumn and is also one of my favourites.

Photobooth is an idea brought to us by Jade. We were aware of the concept but this was something that Jade, in particular, was keen to establish. We did our first three events earlier this year and they went down a storm. 

For those who are wondering what exactly I mean by photobooth then the best way to explain is we set up a mobile studio, complete with lights and white background, and then basically we get the guests to play up in front of the camera. It provides great entertainment and makes for some very different photographs. 

The two pictures here are from Matt and Sarah's wedding, which was at Norwood Park Hotel, Southwell. We set up a photobooth in the evening, running after the meal and until around 10:30pm. It was located next to the dance floor and as you can see, it went down a storm.

If you would like to see more then you can see a slideshow containing some of my favourites from the past year.

As you can see, this past year has kept us busy. For those who visit our site on regular basis...a big, big thanks and with best wishes to you all in 2009.

Facebook

It's been a busy weekend. We photographed Emma and James' wedding on Saturday at Belton Woods Hotel, Grantham and then we photographed Jo and Scott's wedding on Sunday at the Priest House, Castle Donington, Derbyshire.

The weather worked out well on both days, although we nearly ended up in Derby for longer than we wanted on Sunday. Jo and Scott were married at Derby Cathedral and the guests were to be taken back by coach. The coaches had been instructed to wait for us, whilst we took a few photographs of Jo and Scott in the Cathedral. As we were coming out, the coaches were heading off, leaving just a vintage Rolls Royce, Sam and me together with Jo and Scott. I waved profusely to Scott's dad, who was driving off in a mini-bus, fortunately he had the presence of mind to see me and so we got a lift back. Otherwise it would have been an expensive taxi ride to the Priest House. The rest of the proceedings for both days went to plan. Many congratulations to Emma, James, Jo and Scott.

Moving to the subject of this post - Facebook - we have created a page where you can access our Page on Facebook. There are tons of new material we need to add to this page...but in the meantime if you are on Facebook then feel free to become a 'fan'. It will spur us on to add new material.

Hope you have a good week and a great Christmas.

Kiddies...

If you follow our recent work gallery then you'll see that Sam has uploaded some PureWoman shoots - including a mum-to-be with her bump - and I have just uploaded some pictures from a lifestyle shoot of Cathy and Andy. Cathy and Andy came across to Hexgreave Hall, where our studio is based, and I took their pictures outside in the grounds. It was a cold but very sunny day in December and the colours have come out beautifully. You see, it does not have to be a hot summers' day for photographs. You can see all these at our Recent Work Gallery.

This is a busy time of year for us, with many wedding albums to complete, we had a wedding last Saturday and we have a wedding this coming Saturday and Sunday as well. I had a day off from official photographs on Sunday, as I went to see my Dad for a birthday meal (it was his birthday on Monday) in St Ives, Cambridgeshire, along with my mum and my immediate family. It was nice to see everyone and we should do it more often.

Many of you may know that I have been doing some nursery pictures recently. I have been granted permission from one of the parents to use the images on our website, so I here are a few pictures of Shannon below. These were taken at Fernwood Nursery, which is close to where I live and is south of Newark. The nursery is run by Dawn and I have to say is a delightful place, even if it does get a bit hectic at times. These pictures were taken in the nursery, using a mobile studio, complete with white background and lights.

End of the week...

...well Friday is here. The week seems to have skipped by quite quickly. I delivered the prints back to my local nursery at Fernwood, Newark, and I understand all the parents have been very pleased with the pictures, so much so that they wished they had ordered more copies. So that was a nice thing to here.

I met up with Jade today in Derbyshire. She is doing a pre-Christmas shoot for families at the Riverside Centre in Derby tomorrow, so I've lent her some lighting equipment and returned her white background that we use for photobooth. It is good to be able to share equipment and learn new techniques from each other.

Earlier in the week I was down at LA Fitness in Newark. They have a new manager, Sarah, and we have done quite a bit of promotion with them in the past, so I offered to do some staff photographs for their display. They have some great offers on at the moment and they all seem a really nice team. They are getting ready for the January rush .. apparently gyms get very busy straight after Christmas, I wonder why...

Samantha has also been busy with PureWoman shoots, which are turning out to be very popular. She had a viewing session last Monday with some girls and they were all taken aback by the results, with emotions running high....in a good way, of course, and she had another shoot this past Thursday.

I was with Jade on Monday in Derby. She was doing a shoot at a local solicitors, Timms, who were launching a new brand and wanted some photographs of the celebration and then we took some staff photographs for their new website. So, you see - we don't just laze about all week....

On the domestic front we have a couple of extra small dogs staying with us...so that makes 6. They are all rather small but sometimes I do wonder if I should get a kennel, so that I can get some quality time to myself....I guess that is my study.

I also saw Sarah and Matt, who were married in early October...as they came over one evening to Hexgreave to choose their wedding album. Matt and Sarah were the first wedding where we did a photobooth in the evening, where we set up a white background, some lights and get people to play up in front of the camera. They were over-the-moon with the results and so were their guests. More on this topic early next year.

I've also been busy creating a Facebook application, as we can now create a slideshow of our wedding album designs for our clients on a dedicated Facebook page, which makes sharing with friends so much easier. The first one is for Amy and Richard, who were married at Holdenby House in August. Here is a preview of their album design below.

Hope you all have a good weekend.

Babies, babies....

Well, it does of course follow on from weddings...and it is so nice to receive pictures from past couples of their babies!

Here are two recent ones:-

This is Nancy and the very proud parents are Tina and Simon, who were married on a rather wet Saturday last June. I was so taken by the picture Simon sent me that it was my computer wallpaper for around a month - so I started my day with Nancy looking at me. Call me crazy, but it was a good tonic. Nancy is a few months old now, as she was born in the spring.



And this is Phoebe, who was born in September. Lucy and Dean were married in May 2006, so they have enjoyed child-free life for a little longer and I know they are delighted with Phoebe and I am sure so are all their families. Christmas will be very different this year.


Both photographs courtesy of the respective parents and a big thanks to Simon and Tina, Lucy and Dean for sending me their pictures.

Silly Sausage

For those of you who have joined up with me on Facebook you may know that I have been doing some nursery shoots this past two weeks. Suffice to say I have survived the unenviable task of trying to get smiles out of many under 3s and have said 'silly sausage' more times recently than I think I have ever in my entire life!

I am fairly used to children - with four daughters of my own, although they have mostly grown up now. You need lots of patience, that's for sure, and a calming approach.

As for the pictures, well they have turned out really well. We use a white backdrop and take several pictures of each child, so the pictures are more akin to a contemporary studio than the more traditionally posed nursery pictures. I can't show them here because of the obvious reasons on privacy but I am really pleased with the results, and more to the point so are the parents. If fact one parent said to me that she never normally buys nursery pictures because they are not very good - but with these she wanted a print from each image. That was nice to hear.

So it looks like I may be saying 'silly sausage' a bit more.

Thrumpton Hall Weddings

Congratulations to Rags and Reena, who celebrated their wedding yesterday. The celebrations were held at Thrumpton Hall, just south of Nottingham. We know the venue well. Debbie and Lynn manage the events and were very helpful and on hand throughout the day. They have a large marquee in the grounds, which can accommodate up to 200 guests.

It was a bit cold and misty, but at least it was dry - the large open fire in the main hallway was a popular location for guests!

We have really enjoyed getting to know Rags and Reena - they are such a lovely couple - and it was nice to meet their families and friends yesterday. I even met one of their friends yesterday who lives in Telford, which is were I lived for a few years, so I asked her to give it a wave for me.

Thrumpton Hall only started to take on weddings around 3 years ago, as it is still very much a private residence. However, it is starting to become a more popular venue, especially now it has the marquee in the grounds - although marquee does not really describe it very well, as it more like a semi-permanent structure.