BROWN WEDDING

Last weekend I had the privilege to photograph the wedding of Daryl and Victoria Brown at the lovely Barton Grange Hotel. The bride was dressed in a beautiful vintage lace dress with a rose and half head veil, the groom and others in the bridal party wore hand made floral pins..it was all so sweet!

These images were taken on my new PEN camera as I thought it would be a great opportunity to test it out in all circumstances. I love the end results but still trust my 'big' camera to do the job properly.

THE OLD ROCK FACTORY

First I have to apologies for the lengthy photo post but I really couldn't cut any from the series as they all bought the story of The Old Rock Factory to life!
Some of you may or may not know the studio space but here it is. A place for creatives to be..well creative! As you can see Robin Ross the owner has his own printing studio located on the first floor and it is filled with lots of interesting things from the actual screen prints, paint pots, work areas and all with the back drop of a beautiful old factory setting.
Robin holds many printing sessions here for people of all ages and on a daily basis is there to make his own art work in which he exhibits all over the world.
The annual event 'Sand, Sea and Spray' that features Robin (and who has also curated it!) will be held in Blackpool on the 16th June this year. Over three days the town will be 'sprayed' by various artists in various urban locations. Want to know more? Click here.

I think its great that Blackpool finally has studio spaces for creatives to work in and I urge anyone who is passing to pop into the factory!

GRANDAD'S SHED

Over the past few weeks I have been spending time at my grandparents house and this usually means helping with odd jobs about the house. While in and out of the shed I noticed a few things that really meant something to me. The top image is of my Grandad's skipping ropes, hung up and showing signs of the how much they have been used over the years he trained as a boxer.
The second image is of the family scooter that has been used by my aunt, uncle, mum, me, my brother and my cousin. Its now hung up ready for the next arrival and still looks in good shape!
What treasures have you found recently? I'd love to know!

Motram Hall

Wedding season is still upon us and this weekend it was Motram Hall near Presbury in Cheshire. It was a beautiful setting and the bride and groom were just as perfect!
The weather held out for some fun shots on the green at the back of the hall and we were all pleased with the outcome.

Here are two from the wedding..more on my website!

Iphone May

  Iphone. May.Enjoy!

Jock

While out shooting for a client I was able to get this shot by chance. The pose is mimicking the mosaic one and the Jock t-shirt and kilt are indications to the gentleman in the shot. All the elements are there to make this an interesting portrait!

Childs Play

I was shooting a wedding over the weekend on Manchester and during the evening I managed to photograph a child in mid dance...and I love it!
The little girl was full of energy and smiles running around the dance floor. She came close and I was able to shoot in mid jump, creating this lovely movement in he hair and dress.

I toned it down in Photoshop and also muted the colours. What do you think?

The man in the photograph

I have always been interested in how these frames, photos intact, make it to a charity shop. Being passionate about any photograph it makes me sad that it was discarded to the charity shop bag without a thought to the image inside.
These questions come to mind when looking at most objects in a charity shop (as some are brand new!) but this one in particular struck a chord with me as it was shot so well!
What do you get from this shot?

Scorpion

Portraiture is one of my favourite subjects and as with this image, it is the chance encounter portraits I love the most.
Simply scanning around and observing the people about you as they observe an event is an easy way to capture these. Their attention is focused else where so shooting in their direction ensures they aren't looking your way. This is a good way to capture these style of images.
I was lucky with this shot as I was able to get a good frame of lights almost pointing in his direction.

Hostess

Portraiture is my favourite subject and today I got this shot down at the Showzam Festival.
I try to take six or seven shots of the same person in a short burst as I am able to get the best expression from at least one.
I always try to get a background that compliments the subject and their clothing. Here I only had a few seconds to get the shot so I was lucky.
Its sometimes nice to look around before you approach a person to take their portrait to find a suitable background and guide them to it for the shot. Most people are happy to do so, so don't be afraid to ask is my tip!

Jasmine Tea

I came across this image when searching through my archives.
Its one of those shots that get lost when looking through reams of images taken from travels and usually never sees the light of day.
After a few changes in Photoshop I thought the skin tone really stood out, making it a moody shot.

This was taken Christmas last year when the snow had fallen and turned to ice and there weren't many people about. Me and a friend went for Thai food and managed to get some hot Jasmine Tea to keep warm before the food came.

I have to say its grown on me the more I look at it!

Laura and Ben

Baby photo shoots have always been a great way to get out and about with my camera in the Sunshine.
Here is Laura and Ben at Stanley Park enjoying the afternoon!
I have posted this shot so that people can see that you don't always need a studio and plain background to achieve great shots with the kids.

'Freddie Rock'

This is an image taken from a shoot for my exhibition. This isn't the one I will be using but I thought it was such a great shot I had to blog and share it! 'Freddie Rock' owned a rock stall on Blackpool's Golden Mile for about 30 years in total and was quite well known on the Blackpool circuit for a long time. Bringing him back to the Golden Mile area we talked about the different characters and stories of what happened back in time when he had his stall - it was a great afternoon.

Let me know what you think of this photo or to see more photos look here or here!

Kacee

A personal shot here from the weekend while meeting my cousin for her 18th birthday lunch. I love the candid style of shots and here I have pulled out the badge using a layer and the eraser tool. Not too tricky to do (if you have a steady hand!) but I think it looks really effective - especially when the location isn't ideal.

Let me know what you think of this photo.

Standard Bearer

During bank holiday I was asked to photograph the Mayor at his annual Civic Service at a church in Bispham, Blackpool. The Standard Bearers are there to lead the way into the Church and bear the flag of their particular military unit. These are also usually ex-service men and women.
I took this shot while the Mayor was greeting his guests, I always try to capture something that is happening without the person noticing me taking the photo. In this case I was trying to capture the gentleman talking to the Mayor but he caught me and looked over. I like the shot because although the man knew I was taking his portrait he still didn't preset the usual smile we all do when a camera is aimed at us. It makes the image more interesting and like how the flags frame him.

Let me know what you think of this photo.

Blowin' in the Wind

This is the start of a new series of images taken around Fairhaven Boating Lake in Lytham. Most weeks you can find the Model Boating club down there sailing the various boats and ships all hand made and controlled by the owners. This type of hobby is something that I didn't even know existed until an exhibition at the local art gallery showcased some of their most prized pieces.
I have slightly muted the colors of these images as it was already an overcast day and I like the soft coloring it provides. I have focused on the people mainly as I found they were quite the characters after getting to know them!

Let me know what you think of this photo.

Self Portrait in Wheel

I always try to look at things differently when out on a shoot, as a photographer I think its important. The self-portraits I take are usually a result of looking at details or objects that you usually don't think twice about.
I love the camper van in the back and think the composition of the floor markings makes the image more interesting than a few others I took.

Let me know what you think of this photo.

Biker Chick!

I went to the vintage car and bike event in Lytham this week and while photographing the cars I hear a voice say "No one ever wants to take my photo." To this I couldn't resist but to say I will! I then discovered the biker chick was this lady, the mother-in-law of a monster trucker at the event. The lady explained she goes with her family to all the events and they take her a seat and make sure she has enough brews to keep her warm. Such an interesting evening!

Let me know what you think of this photo.

Havin' a Smoke

I took this while trying to shoot the fountains at St.John's Square in Blakpool. This guy was in the way so rather than wait until he went I decided to take a few snaps of him. He had no idea I was there which always makes for good shots as the sitter isn't aware of the camera so there is no posing. This is the type of portrait I like to take as you can get a sense for the person without intruding on them.

Let me know what you think of this photo.

St.John's Self Portrait

Shooting at St.John's Square in Blackpool is always fun as there are so many people about and as you can tell by now I like taking portraits. You also must know by now I like taking self-portraits when I am on shoots and today was no exception! I liked the way the reflection in the Wave sculpture distorted everything.

Let me know what you think of this photo.