Wow, what a busy week so far!

I’ve spent 3 days shooting for NG Bailey Offsite on a project they are working on in Penrith. I was shooting a corporate video for their website which involved starting at the factory in Bradford and chasing the trucks up the motorway to Penrith to watch the installation at a new Morrisons store.

We were booked in a hotel right next to the lake at Ullswater which I have to say is one of prettiest places I’ve ever seen in the UK.

The last time I was up in the Lake District I was playing the part of Wedding Photographer, in such an amazing location its a real treat to come up and work for any reason. I’m not normally one for landscapes but I gave is a quick go for fun…

And here is the real reason we were there, it was a great crew onsite so we took a quick snap for them.

Some of our crew members were a little more reluctant to b filmed

I’ve got a couple of days editing to do and I’m looking forward to the pre-wedding shoots coming up this weekend as well as the Pan Asian Awards on monday. Mmmmm free curry!!!!

Sometimes as a photographer its good to just go out and take pictures you want to take, not for anyone else just yourself. It’s a chance to experiment with new ideas, places and people. I am lucky enough to know some really great people who are ever willing to help out and muck in. Fellow photographer Mike Galley joined me for the day along with models Charlotte, Stef and her sister Natalie. Zaiba Rafiq joined the team for the first time on Hair & Makeup. We spent the morning shooing vintage wear inside the house and moved outside later on for some totally different stuff.

Debbie kindly lent us the use of her amazing home for the day. As a thank you I shot a couple of family portraits with a difference…

A little bit more traditional for this one, but still a little different I think.

Having never modelled before, I think Natalie really pulls it out of the bag for this shot.

This will give you an idea of the setup I was using. These lights are very powerful and allow me to control even full on direct sunlight which is what makes these shots look so punchy.

We moved round the back for some more shots. The boys look like they have given up their “revision” for the day, I can’t say I blame them

I love this shot of Stef, it’s currently my favourite picture in my portfolio.

I almost threw away this shot, but when I went back through the collection I did a quick B&W conversion and changed my mind.

Colour or Black & White ??? I couldn’t decide, I love both of these shots.

So that was just a small selection from the day. I think practice is so important if you want to keep on improving. I am a big F1 fan, I can see that like in that sport things keep changing and moving forward, photography is just the same. You have to keep practicing and trying new things, not every works but it sure does feel great when you get something right! I have a studio session booked for next week so expect some shots from that in the coming weeks.

After a very brief tourist’s guide to Liverpool, and by brief I mean driving down Penny Lane with some most excellent pointing by Geoff, we headed over to Sefton Park to have a walk, a chat and to take a few pictures. Louise had already pointed out that Geoff loves having his picture taken, but she was a little nervous herself. Without reason I have to say.

“I call this one Blue Steel…”

Straight of the magazine pages, gorgeous!

It was difficult to capture this one without giving Geoff the blond wig look

The Palm House was just closing to prepare for a Wedding but we snuck past security to snap the last couple…

After we left Louise & Geoff at the park we headed over for a quick peek at their venue. Stunning is not the word, can’t wait for the big day!

I’ve known Louisa & JP for about 6 years now, and I was delighted when they asked me to photograph their wedding later this year. Even though I’ve known them for so long it’s not really been from behnd the lens so we set out on a very hot and sunny day for a walk up to the Pigeon Tower starting at Rivington Hall Barn for a pre shoot.

We hadn’t walked more than a few meters before the first shot was in the bag…

And here is the view from the Pigeon Tower itself…

“The Hills are alive with the sound of…”

Well done to Nicola with the most excellent reflector action on this shot!

Taking an influence from Melissa & Matt’s Bluebell Shoot.

Although it’s not the end of the world if you don’t end up shooting on a day like this, it doesn’t half help!

I’m really looking forward to Louisa & JP’s wedding later this year, especially seeing how much Ukrainian style drinking/dancing can be squeezed in

Just at the start of the mini heat wave we had a couple of weeks ago I photographed Elaine & Keith’s Wedding. It was a quite a simple wedding which made it all the more special. Nicola didn’t join me this time, which is a shame as Elaine and her used to work together. It was the perfect day to get married, it felt more like we were in the South of France than Sale in Manchester!

I get asked quite a bit if I do formal shots or not, they form an important part of any wedding, it’s just that they are quite often quite personal so I don’t tend to share them on the blog, I prefer shots with I more relaxed feel like the lovely bunch are showing us here

Now if I had shown you just this shot and told you I had flown to Spain to photograph this wedding I think you may have believed me? The fabulous Oca Restaurant was the venue, which is surprisingly no where near Spain!

The speeches were a bit of a last minute thing, but who has ever heard of an Irish Wedding without speeches ??? That was never going to happen.

I wish Elaine & Keith all the happiness for the future. It was so lovely to share your day with you, I only wish I wasn’t on this silly diet and I could have had some of that amazing food

Friends and Family can view the whole wedding and order prints and downloads at my eShop. If you need the password please send me an email and I’ll sort that out.