Image of the Day - Shoes!

Hello!

I've been trying to think of new ways of using the blog and interesting, weddingy things to tell you about. I thought it might be interesting to show you a different photograph every day, one that shows some aspect of weddings and wedding photography. And here it is "Image of the Day" (insert fanfare here). Let's see how long I can keep this up for....

Being a girl, where else was I going to start but SHOES! Don't worry, I'm not about to launch into a Sex and the City style homily on the virtues of Louboutin and Blahnik. But I have seen some gorgeous wedding shoes I'd like to show you.

2008 introduced me to a new name in wedding shoes - Diane Hassall. Designer, Diane Hassall has created some stunning designs and each pair is handmade to the bride's specifications, making them even more special.

Also, they come in a really nice box! And if you're like me you're a sucker for anything in really nice packaging.


The ones at the top belong to Emma, who married James in December at Belton Woods and the pair on the right are Sarah's, who wore them at her Norwood Park wedding earlier last year (both were Lincolnshire weddings). I can report neither had sore feet by the end of the day, despite the killer heels!


Wedding shoes don't have to be white: here are a couple of gorgeous examples of gold and silver shoes. As you can see, Jimmy Choo is still a firm favourite!















Tomorrow - veils!

Sam
x

Calling All Musketeers!

Hello!

Well it's now February (and f-f-f-freezing). If you're anything like me that steely determination to become a paragon of fitness and virtue has seeped away. Never fear, help is at hand, with a unique way to keep fit whilst learning how to be the next C'pn Jack Sparrow.

A couple of years ago myself and Andrew (him indoors) decided we wanted to learn something new and do "something" vaguely sporting. We found a fencing club in Nottingham. We'd started out looking for dance classes, well I did, hoping to turn Andrew into the next Anton du Beck, but Andrew had different ideas and thought that attacking each other with swords was much more our style. It turns out he was right. Since then Andrew has started our very own club, right here in Newark on the Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire border. And now we're recruiting a brand new team of budding musketeers to join us in our new beginners' course.

Fencing is immense fun, and surprisingly hard work! It also looks pretty cool, which always helps! And it's a great way for couples to let off steam together. There's nothing like a sword fight to restore domestic harmony.

The Newark Advertiser has run a feature on the club, which you can find here

So what are you waiting for? We're taking new members up until 10th February and you can find more details here: www.fernwoodswordclub.co.uk or email us at fernwoodswordclub@hotmail.com

Sam
x

Great Wedding Venues

I can always remember one of my daughters said that she chose her wedding venue because she wanted some great wedding pictures. That seemed an odd statement at the time because of course venues don't sell photography - at least this was not what she meant. The choice of venue was important because of the pictures that it would allow.

We are privileged to work in some great venues, both across the East Midlands and further afield. A good venue will provide sufficient space for your guests and inside rooms should be spacious and ideally with high ceilings. Natural light is important and look out for venues that are designed in such a way to allow lots of natural light to come inside.

Thinking of locations for any formal pictures is also important, both inside - if the weather is poor - and outside. It is also helpful if there are some more discrete areas for a few pictures of the bride and groom, away from the crowds. It is unlikely that a venue will be perfect in every respect - but most of all think about how the venue will work with your wedding day and whether it has the look and feel you are wanting.

I have just updated our We Love... pages with details of a number of wedding venues that we love. I can't express just how important the venue is to your photography. Here are a few pictures and you can see more at our We Love... pages

Barn at Bury Court, in Surrey


Fawsley Hall, Northamptonshire


Holdenby House Northamptonshire


Norwood Park, Southwell, Nottinghamshire

Holga's Trip to Prague

Hello!

A while ago I posted some photos I'd taken on my trip to Prague. However, it wasn't just my beloved 5D that came with me, I also took my Holga for it's first trip out.

For those of you wondering, a Holga is basically a very, very simple camera made entirely out of plastic. You focus it by choosing the picture of one person, three people or a tree. Choosing your aperture is a matter of choosing the picture of the sun, or a cloud. As you can imagine, there is a lot of pointing the camera at things and hoping for the best.

Much of what came back from the lab. was, frankly, rubbish! However, there were a few shots that, with a bit of Photoshop TLC, were magic. There is a "sweet spot" in the lens, which means only a certain point is ever in focus, the camera leaks light onto the film creating weird artifacts and it's incredibly easy to double expose frames. The results are photographs that you simply couldn't create any other way.

Now I'm really tempted to crack this open on a wedding! Don't worry, I'm not suggesting replacing my thousands of pounds worth of digital kit with a camera that cost... oh I think about £15. But I do think it could create some really beautiful and original wedding photographs. So, next time I find myself with a spare moment during a wedding, I may just get out my Holga...

Wedding Shows

I hope you've all had a good week. We've still been quite busy - finalising pictures for some weddings we did just before Christmas, sorting out albums, reviewing our marketing plans for the year and getting the photobooth section live on our site - and for those in the know then you will appreciate anything related to websites consumes time big style.

It is that time of year for wedding shows and we have several lined up. So if you're around then feel free to call in and say hi.

We have an Asian show tomorrow (Sunday) in Leicester - www.shagunexhibitions.com.

We are attending two shows next Sunday (25th January) - one is at the Priest House Hotel, Castle Donington, and the other will be at the Village Hotel, Nottingham.

On Sunday 8th February we will be at Goosedale Hall - north of Nottingham.

On Sunday 1st March we will be at Prestwold Hall, Leicestershire.

On Sunday 29th March we will again be at two shows, one at Hodsock Priory and the other at Stamford Hall, Leicestershire.

On Sunday 5th April we will be at Stoke Rochford Hall.

I'm looking forward to all that Asian food tomorrow - although my wife is never that impressed when I come home...I wonder why?!

Hope you have a good week.

Photobooth by PureLight - is here....

I've created a section for Photobooth on our site - why not have a look. The pictures are really fun.
Glen

StumbleUpon

If you see the above sign on a page within our website and you really like it then just click the button and your selection will be registered on StumbledUpon. Neat, eh!

Ps - for those unsure or unaware, StumbleUpon is a site that enables people to select their favourite websites and find popular websites based on how many people have rated them. Think of it like a Top of the Pops for websites - the more people rate a particular site then the more it shows in searches, and so the more people get to see it. You have to sign up but it is free and hey you might find it useful too.