We started at the pier and the fisherman/woman kindly moved for us, to be fair they didn’t look as though they had caught anything for a few months!

After some group shots we climbed up to the brick arch for a glass of bubbly (not me, I sway when sober nowadays…)  We climbed up the steps to the battery overlooking the bay/Jerbourg then finally back to the massive puddle in the car park.

Lisa had to nip home for an emergency wellie run (and empty them of some earth/plants ) then we were ready for the final shot.

A great fun morning, here are a few of the pics.

This weekend Martin Dean came down to the studio to for a Creative Photography lighting course.  We looked at the basics and shot our model Eden with one two and three light setups.  Eden wasn’t keen on smiling and to be fair it wouldn’t have looked very natural after 2 hours so we went for the moody look!  We shot teathered to the mac so we could instantly see the results on the big screen, a great help as looking at the cameras display isn’t always easy.

I’ve got plenty more to post in the coming weeks including the first wedding of the year yesterday!

I shot some pictures for the studio this time last year and it’s a job I particularly look forward to!  Hannah Wakefield provided the makeovers and was on hand to touch up where necessary which helps hugely when the pictures have to show of their creations to perfection.

As always Davina and Martine bring some stunning models!  See a few pics of Ash Veron and Jon Burgess below.

Lyndon had Karen’s favorite horse brought to the church (unknown to her) and the look on her face when she saw it as they left was a picture (half a dozen pictures to be honest).  It’s these little touches that make great memories.

The reception took place at The Venue, a great location and they always lay on the red carpet.  The speeches had the guests either rolling in laughter or head in hands, the sure sign of a job well done.  Lyndon had two best men which ensured a pincer movement from Mike and Roger, who did not let up once!

Couples sometimes ask what happens if it rains or the weather is not great on their wedding day.  It rained off and on during day and was far too windy for outdoor pictures, but can you notice?  We changed to plan B and found some really nice moody areas in the hotel, and with the help of a few candles and some lighting made some fantastic atmospheric photography.

Thanks Lyndon and Karen for inviting us to record you big day.  All the best from Shanine and myself for your future together.

Cassie also has Monday’s off being a hairdresser and was kind enough to spare me some time so we could have a bit of a fun portrait shoot.

I took my powerful outdoor lights with me and took some atmospheric shots down at Petit Bot.

Although the studio is warmer in winter those that know me will testify that I much prefer the great outdoors in Guernsey!

After setting up cameras and discussing what goes into making a good photograph in the morning session we went out for lunch and prepare ourselves for what turned out to be a chilly afternoon session!

We went to the Guet for our shoot and didn’t hang around any one place too long with a biting north easterly and fortunately our model Shanine brought a big coat!  We even finished off with some off camera flash work for a bit of fun.

Later back at the studio we reviewed all of the images and looked at a few image editing techniques to enhance the pictures.  There were some excellent pictures, this is my favorite part of the day as everyone sees what they have produced on the big screen.  This was the first time most had used manual mode instead of trusting the camera to make all the decisions for them.  Using the camera in manual mode is the first step to making truly creative photographs.

Below are a few photographs taken by Charles, Kerry, Mike, Paul, Vicki, Emily, Alisha and Alyson.  I think you can see how cold our model was!

Taken by Charles Evans

Taken by Alisha Blondel

Taken by Kerry Tardif

Taken by Alyson Jordan

Taken by Emily Ferbrache

Taken by Mike Torode

Taken by Vicki Allen

Taken by Paul Clark

Here are a few pictures from a finished site I photographed last week.

The first one was taken using my new 58ft tripod and fisheye lens.  There was a lot more Photoshop than looked as I had to get rid of a few bits of scaffolding and other bits n bobs!  The third picture is a panoramic of 6 different image for the sweep around!

A few years back with the advent of digital there was a swing towards a reportage style, this was made easier as essentially there was no longer a problem of film limiting the amount of pictures taken.

Large parts of a wedding day are shot with no input from the photographer, the ceremony, speeches, cake cutting and dancing are shot in a reportage style.  Most couples go somewhere between the ceremony and reception and later in the evening to have some pictures taken, this is where some of their favorite images are taken and often ones that end up on the front of their album.

Here are a few examples of pictures that are very natural, they were “posed” so to speak, but do they look it?  A couple very much in love enjoying each others company on their special day.

In the images below how do you think they would have turned out in a reportage style if we stood around waiting to record something?  My guess is much different to what you see here.  I don’t know about you but when I hire someone I like to use all of their skill!

Becky, Katie and their team came down to the studio for a shoot which was the highlight of my week!  Great fun and hard to keep still enough to photograph but we managed a few!

I sent a few out takes of the girls laughing and Ollie used them in the main site design which gives a flavor of the fun Focus HR are to work with!

Ollie at Hamilton Brooke designed the site which is clean simple and informative, much like me (one out of three ain’t bad).

You can’t complain in January when it is 10 degrees and sunny!  I took our powerful outdoor lights and underexposed (darkened) the sky in camera and lit Shanine with a full pop from the lights!  A low angle gives the image strength and a quick tweak in Photoshop for saturation and contrast and the image is finished!

I’d visited Icart the week before and seen a couple of spots that looked good, then checked the weather and made a plan.  I find it much easier to start with an idea of what you want to end up with and work towards it by thinking about the ideas and equipment needed over a coffee!

I prefer to do most of the work at the taking stage rather than use Photoshop, it slows down the way I work and makes me think more about what I’m doing!