A Day Off - So we went to Whitby and took some Photographs!

So what does a wedding photographer do when he has a day off?  Well, in my case we went to Whitby for the day and what did I do?  Take a load of photographs!!  Well, at least it makes a change from wedding photography!  I just can't stop myself from getting a camera out wherever I go.  But having said that, Whitby really has some fantastic places for great photos.  Here are some of my favourites.  Yorkshire really is a great place to live and work.  Tomorrow it's back to normal.  I have a meeting with a couple getting married at Weetwood Hall in Leeds next Monday followed by a church wedding rehearsal in Morley for Saturday's wedding at the Woodlands Hotel in Leeds.  After that I am seeing a couple who are getting married at Waterton Park in Wakefield later in the year, whilst Alex has an early start for a dog photo shoot at Newmillerdam.  It feels like summer already!

Commercial Photography in Wakefield

Most Saturdays I usually find myself at a nice hotel somewhere in Yorkshire photographing a wedding, but last Saturday was quite different.  It's actually rather nice to do something a little different and I was very pleased when James Toomes asked me to take some corporate photos for their website.  I have actually done quite a bit of work for James,  photographing fantastic bathrooms that his company have installed throughout West Yorkshire.  I first met James when he installed a new downstairs cloakroom for me.  I was so happy with the work that I later had him back to install a complete new bathroom and wetroom.  If you need any plumbing work done, then I can certainly recommend James and his staff.  They do an absolutely fantastic job!  Next Saturday it's back to normal.  Alex and I are photographing a wedding at Oakwell Hall, one of our favourite wedding venues for photographs, whilst Yvonne has a trip into North Yorkshire to video a wedding at Ripley Castle.

Oulton Hall Wedding Exhibition

We will be at the Oulton Hall wedding fair in Leeds tomorrow, so if you want to call in to see us and have a chat then we would be delighted to see you.  We have filmed and photographed dozens of weddings over the years at Oulton Hall and are proud to be one of their selected suppliers, as it's a great venue both for your wedding ceremony and your wedding reception, with both fantastic grounds and beautiful rooms for your photographs.  We will also have with us a new Oulton Hall display album and presentation box, produced by Graphistudio in Italy.  Graphi have only recently started to produce these presentation boxes, which can hold both your album and a disc of wedding images.  They look absolutely fantastic, so if you have never seen one then come along and have a look!  Oulton Hall is just five minutes from junction 30 of the M62.  If you are using Satnav then the postcode is LS26 8HN.  See you there!

Wedding Photography at Holdsworth House

We were back at Holdsworth House in Halifax yesterday for the wedding of Leanne and James.  We've been to Holdsworth House many times over the years - in fact we were there just two weeks ago  videoing a wedding - but we have never been there in the snow.  I'm just starting to edit the photos from yesterday's wedding and this was one of the first of the day. Holdsworth House always makes a very picturesque setting but even more so in the snow.  It actually came as quite a shock when we arrived as there was practically no snow in Wakefield when we left home, but it was about 4 inches deep at Holdsworth.  This was also the first wedding photo to be taken on the first of our brand new Canon 5DmkIII cameras.  As full-time professional wedding photographers we change all of our cameras every two years to ensure that we are always working with the latest and best cameras.  This is something that the week-end photographers cannot afford to do and is another good reason to employ a full-time and qualified wedding photographer.  Couples always assume that when they book a wedding photographer then he will have all of the equipment needed to complete the work.  Sadly this is very often not the case.  If every photo with the 5DMkIII looks as good as this, then I shall be very happy.

Bump Portraits at Cannon Hall

I usually meet wedding couples two or three times before the wedding but Maria and Andy booked me entirely by e-mail for a Mum and "Bump" portrait session before the big event, so we had never met which added an interesting dimension to the shoot.  As a photographer, it is essential to make your subject feel entirely comfortable in front of the camera. This is much easier if you have met each other beforehand and have established some form of rapport.  It is a touch harder if you have never met!.  However, I need not have worried as Maria and Andy were very natural and we very quickly felt comfortable working together.  Maria chose Cannon Hall near Barnsley as the venue for the shoot, as this is where Andy and her were married.  A low sun blazing out of a cloudless sky proved to be quite a challenge, but we found some shade and got some lovely shots.

Churches and Weddings

As a wedding photographer there are times when you wear the hat of a portrait photographer, at times a fashion photographer, at times a landscape photographer to name but a few.  However, one of my favourite hats is that of the architectural photographer.  I've always had a great love for history, so when I have the opportunity to photograph a beautiful Norman church then I try to make the most of it, arriving well before the wedding party to have the time to walk around the church to look for the best angles.  Last month I found myself in Riccall for the first time for a wedding and the church of St. Mary's is a real gem.  Riccall is famous as the landing place for the Viking fleet in 1066 prior to the Battle of Stamford Bridge, which preceded the Norman invasion and the Battle of Hastings.  The church of St. Mary's was built shortly after the Norman conquest on the site of an Anglo-Saxon church.  The doorway dates back to 1160 and the lovely three stage tower was added on 1180.  The church itself is very typical for this particular part of Yorkshire, being built from local Tadcaster magnesium limestone, giving it a very light coloured appearance.   It really is lovely and is well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Wedding at Waterton Park, Wakefield

Yesterday's wedding was just down the road at the Waterton Park Hotel at Walton near Wakefield.    Stacey and Tom had seen my wedding photographs in the Waterton Park wedding brochure and had got in touch with me from there.  Due to the Wakefield registrars being busy on their wedding day (can't imagine why!) they were only able to offer Stacey and Tom a 3 o'clock slot.  Since it now starts to get dark just after 4 then it didn't allow us much time to get in some photographs in the daylight.  It was decided that the best course of action would be to capture the couple and wedding party photographs outside in the daylight before moving into the library for the family photos.  One of the great benefits of Waterton Park is that they always keep this room available, so we can always take great group shots whatever the weather.  Besides getting all of our couple shots done while it was still light, we were also very fortunate to have the benefit of a decent sunset.  After the meal we took the opportunity to get some rather special shots around the hotel, including a rather unusual shot in the bedroom that they requested, before Stacey and Tom joined their evening guests in the Squires to make full use of Shane's fantastic lights on their first dance.