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.
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