Archive for August, 2008
Cough, Hack, Splutter
Posted by: | CommentsI’m still struggling with my flu/cold…Its been going on for too long now. The problem is that last week I had a wedding every 3 days…so no real time to recover. I spent all of Bank Holiday Monday laying around and today all I am doing is the blog. Nicola’s birthday is tomorrow so I’m hoping to feel better for her. I’m quite fed up with it now!
As such, I’m going to keep it simple and to the point.
Tracey and Stefan — Heckfield Place — Sunday, August 24, 2008
I asked them what they should be called…ladies and gentlemen…SP 10 (beats me)
Airing the laundry
Its been a while since I put some flowers in the bath
Tracey prepares the bridesmaids dresses
There’s always a mirror…how I managed to stay out of it I’ll never know
A surprise message from Stefan…
…and a wee bit of advice
OOF (motion blur…never looked through the lens)…but I likes it raw appeal
My boy (not literally) Jenson…named after the racing driver and cute as a button (cringe)
Grab on…hold tight
Its that stare that actually says “no, honest, I’m not gonna cry”
OK…she’ll probably kill me for this…Stef organised a surprise choir to bolt up and sing ‘All You Need is Love’..you know, ‘Love Actually’ style. I was instructed by Stef…get a shot of her reaction. So if anyone is to blame its him. Of course, throughout the remainder of the day all I got from guests was “did you get her reaction”. Does this get me off the hook?
“Nothing you can do, that can’t be done”
“Its easy………..All You Need is Love” — to which I replied “bump da da da dum”
Receiving lines…chaos, confusion and bloody fantastic
Stef’s sister…shortly after she gave him a noogie
See…everyone loves receiving lines
Its been a while since I had some cake…hmm…love the cake
The Wishing Tree. No, you can’t wish for more wishes.
“Forgetaboutit”
Quick…someone check her chair
Dad does the whole speech thing
I’m always amazed at how many different ways folks find to fight off the tears
Once again…wild man Jenson…I’ve seen grown men more nervous to collect their gift than this 2 year old
Tracey knows the dirt is coming…its only a matter of time
Stef plots his retaliation
A pair of Armani pants and he’s a dead ringer for David Beckham
Not quite American Gothic, but it’ll do
She said she hated having her picture taken…yeah…ok…whatever
It had to happen
No lies…pure accident
E baby, E!
Anything for attention
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Sarah and Tom
Posted by: | CommentsWhen Sarah and Tom booked me for their wedding in Lincolnshire, I thought “hey, that’s a place I’ve never been”. What they didn’t tell me was that it was about 500 yards inside the Northants/Lincs border. So I never really got to see the flat landscape promised to me by everyone when they found out I was heading to Lincs.
Sarah and Tom — The Lady Anne’s Hotel, Stamford — Friday, 22 August 2008
The Best Man, already nervous about his speech, takes on some liquid reassurance
Tom apparently had a childhood fascination with Willy Wonka
No one got the in joke when the George Galloway impersonator arrived
The moment the Bride arrives…and then realises that she left her bouquet of flowers behind…in Peterborough
The natives grow restless when the main protagonists fails to deliver on his chocolate promises
Rather cute together…don’t you think?
Sarah’s dad…you know what’s gonna happen
The second reading was read by…the bride. Different, wonderful and emotional….
…which set the bridesmaids off in a hurry
I only show this because…well…I’m jealous
They only did the whole top hat thing so that they could do this
The fact NONE are actually in focus just adds to the mystique (no…honest)
Skill, practise, concentration…I’m not talking about Rebecca Adlington either!
Viola players get NO respect
Honest Tom
“look into my eyes, not around the eyes…snap…you’re under!”
Yowsa!
Mind goes blank (mine that is)
Its all starting to get a bit emotional….
…the the Tom bashing starts…yay!
So…why would I keep this shot…much less use it on the blog. Perhaps its a moment that you had to be there. Was he nervous? Yes. Did he fall over his words? Yes. Was it one of the most from the heart BM speeches I’ve head this year? Yes. I think if you were there, this sums it up…perfectly.
Some folks sign the register while the lady on the right wears her hat from the Flintstone’s Grand Poobah of the Loyal Order of Water Buffaloes…or maybe its just a lampshade…who knows
…in the name of love (groan)
“This week, Bob, I’ll go for the prize behind the red door please”
I loved it…they were walking and she turned to see where I was…BAM!
Catching the light…just right.
Straight out of camera…no…honest
Sarah watches the special video presentation (which I think was done by her dad)
At this point I felt it was better to show you the reaction, rather than the subject. Another video of the boys antics in Bulgaria on the stag do produced an image showing the effects of food poisoning (now known as the T-Virus) and the results in a cold porcelain bowl…no thanks!
Tom didn’t seem to mind
Who knew they all loved S Club 7 so much :)
Not just any old saxophonist/tamborinist…but Sarah’s dad!
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Ruby Tuesday
Posted by: | CommentsNot much verbage today. I can’t get myself away from all that Team GB magic going on. Plus, I’m trying to shake a heavy cold before the weekend. So I’ll just cut to the chase….BTW..I’m not really my witty self today. So I apologise in advance for my rather straight forward comments this week.
Emma and Steve — St Mary’s Buriton then Tithe Barn, Ditcham
Tuesday (its not a typo), August 19, 2008
The facilities at St Mary’s were less than some expect
White dress, white car, blue sky…but would it last?
Steve got a heck of a view…of the vicar…BRIDES OF BRITAIN! Pretend the Vicar is a car in front on the motorway and keep at least 2 bridal dress trains between you and him/her
I do love St Mary’s Buriton!
Caption competition….entries by email by Monday
Rev Dave (top bloke incidentally) quizzes them on the whole Tuesday thing
Emma’s Dad threatens to take it outside
I just liked the way the light hit his nose and eye
One of those accidents that..well…worked
Steve would be found doing this alot today
The wind played havoc with Emma’s veil…this was one of those great “right place at the right time” moments
…and when the wind blew Steve’s mum’s hat off his Dad couldn’t resist a bit of banter…suits you sir.
Rattle and Hmmm
I did explain she was a bit young for the Bucks Fizz
No wedding at Tithe would be complete without a shot down the road…
…or the blue door
Emma…ouch…hot
You know, you work at a venue enough you guess what happens next. Totally ready for them to make their way through the middle of the guests tables I took up my position. I snapped at precisely the right moment only to find they kept going and went up the side…no one has ever done that before. Saying that, this is one of my favourite all time entrance to the wedding breakfast shots
Kate (more on her later) let me play with her fish-eye
Ohh…I do love something new. Emma returns from the Bride’s Room
Just another excuse… :)
Bubbly…shame there was no spray
Dad kept the speech short…but sweet enough for Emma
I always like to spring my contract them at the last minute to see if they notice Clause 44 which states I get first dibs on the wedding presents
Steve’s Dad takes notes during the Best Man’s speech
The clouds came out to play
Seconds after bulleting a matchbox car straight into my lens…good shot!
So…you walk outside, the sky is…well…amazing. You know the bride and groom are busy but thankfully right outside the door is a couple where were already engaged in the requisite activity. You ask, politely, to move the ‘exercise’ 8 feet to the right. Ta da!
Steve managed to endure 1min 32 seconds of hold and sway
Look..I know that chap on the right has his eyes closed…and that there is a odd bit of flare on that guys face…but you have to believe me…I had no idea what I was about to take. I kept my distance from him from that point onwards
I mentioned Kate’s fish-eye lens. Kate Jackson is another full time professional photographer who politely asked if she could second shoot with me. Kate and I have very different styles. We see similar things but record them a bit differently. So it was good for both of us to see how the other works. I got some ideas from her and I hope she did as well. However, I draw the line at powdering the foreheads of the Best Man and Groom before the speeches. I did stand there, in total disbelief…but then, that’s what makes Kate fun. Here’s a few of Kate’s images I liked.
Rev Dave paces
One of those great, natural, Bridesmaids moments
Cool shot…great composition
Kate got to go up in the bell tower…thankfully she left her rifle behind
25 people all set in a formal…then this joker turns up…we all had a chuckle
Great moment…and incidentally this is the couple I used for the sunset silhouette shot…ahh..young love!
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Hide and Seek
Posted by: | CommentsEvan loves to play hide and seek. Sadly, he’s not very good at it. “Let’s play hide and seek, Daddy.” “Ok” “Count to three!”. “One, two, three”. In that time he’s only hopped over the arm of the chair and has now wedged himself between the sofa and the armchair. Great. I pretend for a few minutes then ‘find’ him. He giggles the whole time I look and then erupts in fits of laughter upon finding him. Then he says “Count to three!” but doesn’t bother moving to a new hiding place. Just stays where he is. Go figure.
If Mummy is lovely (see the post a few days ago) then “I’m a good man”. Its true…and I know this because Evan told me so!
The cheeky chappie in front of the Winchester Guildhall
All too camera aware
Looking at bedding and themes for his new room
He’s actually drinking the Innocent smoothie behind the Starbucks cup…
Hanging out in his favourite train at the Water Meadows park
Getting braver every time we head out
One of those accident shots that I really like
After some persuasion at the beginning of the summer, he won’t take off his sandals now
I love it when this happens. In 2005 Gene (as in I dream of) and Stu get married and hire me to shoot the wedding. A few years goes by and Gene’s daughter, Lisa (scroll down, its not the first wedding), gets married and I’m lucky enough to shoot her wedding as well. One of Lisa’s bridesmaids had also booked me and that brings us to Saturday.
Julie and James — St Anne’s Church and HMS Nelson — Saturday, August 16, 2008
I’ll never win awards for the first shot of the bride, huh?
I love it when Dad’s leave the speech lying around…in this case on the clothes hamper
Speaking of Dad…here he is getting in some practice
The biting of the lower lip says it all…she’s well chuffed!
2 (Lisa’s the one of the left) of the bridesmaids sees the hair for the first time
Mum’s dream of this stuff from day 1 I reckon
Prison is no place for a bride like Julie
BTW…that’s not James, but one of his ‘guard’ practicing for the recessional…BTW, he could kill you with his bare hands
Finally…the groom. Big respect to him and his mates. They’ve been to some of the most dangerous places on earth…but nothing prepares him for what comes next
Slightly nervous, knees knocking, medals jangling…there’s no way out now!
but why would you…
Julie reads her vows with the help of an analogue teleprompter
We’ve all done it…the hymn starts, you’re not paying attention and then it takes all of your concentration to find your place….
…and clearly the organist wasn’t best pleased :)
An inspired choice of a wonderful women’s choir. Awesome!
The Captain and the Mrs
Now I get worried…11 Marines (not true, 10 Marines and 1 Army), 8 swords and my head beneath each one
American Marines wear white gloves…so the brown leather was a new idea for me
For the records, confetti is not standard military issue
LADIES…Brace yourself….this one is for you!
Breathe deep…
A moment you can’t buy, you can’t pose and you can’t do over
The Wardroom at HMS Nelson…not bad for a ship disguised as a building
You knew at least one silhouette would find its way in surely
3′s a crowd
Gene (pronounced Genie) and Stu…the reason I found myself in this whole affair…thanks guys.
OOF and full of emotion. Let it ride!
Still OOF…but I really don’t care. You can’t beat that kind of emotion
Sadly, the hand dryer in the ladies room was out of order…this guest decided to respect the dress
There are probably no better entrances than the Wardroom
Patch (aka Patrick)
Julie doing the rounds
Ian…you dog! You’ve only been married 7 months and she’s only been married 3 hours and 7 minutes!
Everybody needs a bit of rim light
With James being an officer, I was desperate to use the whole “only two things come from Oklahoma son” speech from ‘An Officer and a Gentlemen’…
“steers and queers…and I don’t see any horns” — Lou Gossett Jr..my hero!
After the speeches we tried to do a bit more…we were cut short before the meal. This is near total darkness.
and this is just something I found on the way to the gents loo
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Grumpy Old Man
Posted by: | CommentsI’m by no means old. 37 thank you very much…although this didn’t stop me once being accused of being Darren’s dad at a wedding a few weeks back. However, I have found myself in a few Victor Meldrew moments lately. I won’t even begin to touch on the whole Barclays (their new strapline should be “We’re the most useless bank in the world…why not screw up your life by banking with us) issue. But 2 things happened yesterday which really pee’d me off.
We got the 2 for 1 Strada vouchers out of the Guardian on Saturday. We decided to go to Gunwharf, get some dinner and then see ‘The Dark Knight’. So I ordered the tickets online, the intention of saving time and hassle, for a premium price of £1.30. Not groundbreaking cash but a premium all the same. We arrive at Stada with good time and get a bruschetta and a salad as a starter. Our comes the bruschetta…a single slice of French bread, toasted on the grill, 4 tomato chunks and some olive oil. £4.50! What? The salad was £2.75 and it had 5 different types of fresh ingredients. I can handle that…but £4.50 for that. I complained to which all I got was “that’s the way it is…I can’t change the portion sizes”. I understand that, but how about make a dissatisfied customer happy by simply knocking it off the bill or something. I was fuming at the indifference. If you work for tips, do something for the consumer. I’m sorry to say, that I didn’t bother with a gratuity. I was that annoyed. I’m a generous tipper. In fact, I would have factored in the discounted meal to the tip so that they don’t get screwed for the company’s promotion.
So off we go to the cinema. Automatic tickets machines (all 4) are out of order. That’s not true, 3 were out of order and one just wouldn’t respond to anything. So, I find myself in the queue…30 deep…to collect my tickets which I paid £1.30 extra to avoid. When I slightly moaned all I got was “that’s the way it is. I can’t change it”.
GRRRRRRRRR!
Anyhow, this morning I’m editing Nicola and Tom’s wedding. Only part way through but I found an images that I didn’t include on the blog that is just fantastic! Here it is.
I Saw A Werewolf Drinking a Pina Colada at Trader Vics
Posted by: | CommentsEvan’s really been pushing the limits lately. He’s been testing our parenting skills to the max. Lately he’s had this obsession with the word ‘kill’. We’re not exactly sure if he even knows what he’s saying. Its not something he’s learning at home. So naturally the finger blame goes back to nursery. All it takes is one kid with an older brother or sister and the whole thing goes south. We figured that we weren’t helping by giving him the benefit of the doubt. So we laid down some clearer boundaries and so far things are going well. The single secret is to simply give a single warning and then follow through on what you say you will. So don’t threaten to take away things that you clearly won’t do. Sometimes its hard in the heat of the battle not to go a bit overboard.
It would seem that since I’m an American I’ve been asked on more than few occasions what I think about Kid Rock and the All Summer Long song. Its very flattering that folks realise that Sweet Home Alabama is a truly iconic American song. So yesterday I had a bit of shower cubicle epiphany and have decided to share my thoughts (go on, you know want to know).
Reasons to Like Kid Rock’s ‘All Summer Long’
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the main protagonist is an 17 (or 18) years old in 1989 (I was 18 in 1989)
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he seems to get up to quite a few things listening to SHA (Sweet Home Alabama) — good on him
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whilst he (Kid Rock) could be accused of blatant musical blasphemy he does do one thing right…he gives additional credibility to it by mixing in Warren Zevon’s ‘Werewolves of London’…a song which many of my British counterparts seem to know nothing about (hence the title of this week’s blog entry)
Reasons NOT to like Kid Rock’s ‘All Summer Long’
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you just know it will be a favourite at summer weddings NEXT year — yuck
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SHA is a great song…but why in 1989 was it the soundtrack to his (or the protagonists) summer when the song was first released in 1974. The soundtrack to my summer of 89 was Guns and Roses…but what do I know
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Who the hell is Kid Rock anyway?
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Choose not to like it for the behind the scenes video on you tube in which one the So Hott Sisters (beats me guv) says “this is the camera boat” (the video is largely shot on a lake…not in Michigan as the song eludes to but rather Nashville Tennessee) sorry, got off track…”this is the camera boat….they shot all of the lake scenes on it and even though you don’t seem this boat its really, really important”…DUH…and at that point I switched off
So…make your own mind up…but in the process I do recommend that you buy, beg or steal the MP3 for Warren Zevon’s ‘Werewolves of London’
A few shots of Evan
His favourite toy at the moment
jumping motorbikes
Van Gough with the ear
Joanna and Matthew — Bury Court Barn — Friday, 8 August, 2008 (08/08/08)
I’m sorry…I can’t think of anything to say.
Nice window dressing (geddit?)
Cuppa tea love?
Crossing my fingers we didn’t get one of the Heroes girl in the mirror incidents
Lucky escape
One of the few times when a mixed lighting environment really works
O Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo? Deny thy salmon and refuse thy cracker
Nothing like a good bit of juxtoposition…but get ready…because for the first time ever
the blog has not 1, not 2 but 3 shots of the brides flowers
Flower Shot 2 — Probably a safer shot, sweet and to the point
Flower Shot 3 — But this..this is my piece of resistance! I laugh in the face of convention (btw, that whole resistance thing…totally intentional)
Not often I like a ”moment’ shot where the subject looks directly at me.
But I was swayed by her smile and genuine sentiment.
An avalanche of buttons
She knew it would be long day holding Joanna’s hair in lieu of a simple hair pin
Helping dad with the buttonhole (one word or two…I never know)
Matthew gets a lecture from the registrar…there is only half a jest in there I assure you.
One of my favourite bits of Bury Court…all the light that awaits the bride in the final few steps
What I don’t like about Bury Court…their new beaming tungsten spotlights. Did you notice?
I couldn’t decide if I wanted to jest using Come on Eileen or The Devil Went Down to Georgia
Shortly after chimping the back of my camera I found the bridesmaid in total awe of my handiwork…yes, of course its a lie. In fact both bridesmaids (even the one holding Joanna’s hair) participated in a musical trio. Awesome…unique…and something I had never seen before. Well done!
Signed, sealed, delivered…etc, etc, etc.
All smiles before realised he signed as Mr M Mouse
Its only the bride…she won’t bite
Its taken something like 5 attempts at Bury Court to finally get a barn shot with no guests or staff…YAY!
The usual response when you ask the groom to hold the flowers
One of the best feelings is returning to a venue and finding something totally new
The dark side of Matthew
Dad gets his speech out of the way before the meal
Harry (the B&G’s son) and Grandma
Sometimes folks wonder what you can get during the meal. Whilst I wouldn’t shoot at tables who were eating
its good to know that not every table starts and finishes at the same time.
See what I mean?
The bridesmaids were disciplined for passing notes around during the meal
Everyone takes a moment to remember a very special person
Clink!
The PolkaDotted Tickle Monster wasted not time in torturing the younger guests
Balls! (disco, that is)
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