Lindsay and Adam - Copthorne Hotel, Dudley

Meet Lindsay and Adam.

Last month I had the pleasure of covering there wedding day. It'd be an understatement to say they made my job super easy, and most importantly - fun!

Some couples like to tell us what they want from there wedding photographs. Some couples tell us to get on with whatever we do. Lindsay and Adam are an awesome couple who were happy to let us do our thang!


I should mention that the staff at The Copthorne Hotel were amongst the most friendly, welcoming and accommodating team I have come across so far. They let us shoot outside the "standard" areas of the hotel which was awesome!

Not as awesome as the cake topper though...


We had a lot of fun trying to understand how the lift worked before we go this sequence.

Adam makes looking cool - look easy.

And Lindsay makes looking glamorous look effortless.

And then it was pretty much time to PARTY!

Thanks for a great day guys!

BBQ and Our Page Boy

So Summer is finally with us which means one thing - barbecues! Danis family we're kind enough to throw a little get together for everyone which meant I finally (after nearly five years) got to meet the rest of Danis extended family!

It also meant that we got to catch up with possibly the most friggin' awesome child on this (and every other) planet. We're on about Ollie ofcourse...

I should add that Dani usually finds children annoying and a complete pest. This next pic suggests otherwise. They look alike, don't you think?

BROKEN HEADS FTMFW!!


Ohh and I am the master of teasing dogs with left-overs in order to score cool pet shots.


Did I mention that Ollie is the king of GTA? On the way home, Ollie explained how much he loves MGMT. The kids three years old and has crazy varied vocabularily.

Joanne & Stephen

We had a crazy busy day last Sunday which meant we were shooting engagement portraits right through the day until the sun went down. Joanne and Stephens shoot was the last of the day, which actually got some of the best of the evening summer sun!

Love this next one! Like Father like Son...

Wear your bra on your head!

It's been a busy few days and i'm trying to juggle keeping this up-to-date with the 1000+ edit backlog from recent weddings etc.

These are a few fashion shots from a recent shoot with Becky, who's been trying to catch us for a shoot since like late '08! Emily was in charge of throwing colours at her face - it was my first shoot with her in a LONG time. This is what happens when you combine the awesomeness of Emily and Becky...

Love this next one! I have a big obsession for close up/beauty headshots.


So there's a funny story behind this next shot:

We wanted to add something striking to the hair to break out of close up beauty shots.

Ideally, we wanted a bow and then Emily shouts "Why don't we use Becky's bra?!"

We all laughed because Emily always says silly things like this. But then she held it to her hair piece and bingo, it sort of went from there.

Mandy and Pete Engagement Shoot

Mandy and Pete are a lovely couple that we met at the start of the year. We'll be shooting their wedding this May, and what a wedding it will be! From Mandy's home to the temple from the temple to the church to Burlington Hotel in Birmingham - it's going to be a frantic day but we're psyched (as always) to be covering their big day!


Blossom this time of year IS FLIPPIN' AWESOME!

Get Out and Go To Work!

Like many photographers, especially those who are still finding their feet or trying to compete on cost by reducing their over-heads - I work from home!

Although working from home has it's advantages (I can work naked...) - there are some serious disadvantages (Family members could walk in at any moment). Currently, my main problem is trying to separate work from home and trying to maintain productivity when working from home as it's very easy to get sidetracked by my dog or something shiny outside.

It's for this reason that (for the summer) I'm considering moving "premises" ... to a local field. You should too!

It's sort of like when I was at primary school and on sunny days the teachers felt like having a doss and getting a tan so they did the lessons outside and called it "Outdoor Education Days" or something like that...

Now obviously I won't be working in fields all summer, there will be days when it's raining/cold/too lazy etc but I really don't think there could be a better place to go out and work.

I'll be surrounded by nothing but open space, silence and nature - which has to be pretty damn awesome! Although I couldn't/shouldn't (but probably will) work naked in public - I can be 100% focused on my work and play my music crazy loud.

You should do it too!

Here's a few things to consider;

Internet connection: Unless your on that clever 3 dongle thingy - Wifi could be difficult in the middle of a remote field. Fortunately I've picked a field that's close to a small country pub so I can pop in and steal they're connection should I require it. (Brainwave... Why didn't I think about just working from the pub?!?!)

Food/Water: Pack some sandwiches and goodies in a lunch box and enough water to last the day. Or go to the pub...

Leaving Stuff At Home: Write a to-do the night before and triple check you have everything before you leave. IE - If you intend to contact clients, make sure you have their details handy!

Have Power: So last time I checked there's a severe shortage of plugs in the countryside so ensure you have spare batteries or near to a local public plug (ie - the pub again!)

It's a bit quiet... - Take some music (PUMP IT UP LOUD!!) or get a friend involved, make the field your office space.

Err - I need the loo... - Without just answering "pub" - it's probably a good idea to have local public amenities nearby. The reason I refer to pubs is because they are probably the only local facilities in the countryside.

With kids? Your joking? - I'm even more serious if you have kids! Although I wouldn't advise this with very young children/babies - most big kids love big open spaces. There's endless games to play outdoors, grab a few games/ideas and let them play whilst you work. You might even be able to enjoy a bit of piece and quiet!

It's going to be uncomfortable - It's free space my dears - we shouldn't be so picky! Millets (and the like) do great camping/portable basic furniture which is ideal if you plan on sitting around all day

http://www.millets.co.uk/camping/furniture/product/095564.html - Table
http://www.millets.co.uk/camping/furniture/product/096188.html - Chair

There's no nearby fields? - So getting out of the city everyday might not be an option, but hell - aim to do it once a week! Or if your not into fields... why not spend the day working from somewhere new; a cafe, bar, from a high viewpoint, or just under a friggin' tree!

The whole idea of this is to make the most of our week long summer and to improve productivity in a new environment!

Shooting Hannah...

Last week I had the privilege of working with one of my favorite clients, Hannah, a local aspiring model & presenter. The great thing about working with models is that they usually have their finger on the pulse in terms of knowing what kind of images are going to "sell" them. Certain styles of photography come and go out of fashion, so for Hannah, it's important that her images stay recent and up-to-date, same goes for me.

I won't go into another rant about how much I hate studio work - but if it's for something unique/different - I kind of like it. Being able to experiment again is a great feeling. The following set of images are my faves from the shoot.

Also loving this black and white image which is pretty much straight out of camera.

Got Milk?
And then we went and spoiled it all and did this... My job is so boring. I dunno what the blog has done to this last image but it looks better big... Obviously.

Bridgenorth!

We love days out to Bridgenorth, and this time it just happened to coincide with a lovely sunny bank holiday Monday. Less talk more pictures...


Danis Dad knows this guy in Bridgenorth and we stopped for a chat. He had this amazing Dog. I asked if he'd mind me taking a photo of her and he warned me that she hates the sound of the shutter. I laughed, thinking nothing of it, I snapped and I was nearly pounced on as she went into a rage.

I found it hilarious.

We also met this little cat who loved the camera. I'm gutted this is horribly out of focus but I sort of like it because it makes me remember how intrigued she was with watching the inner workings of the lens.


I didn't get chance to ask but...



Back home, I caught with some more of Danis cats. This is my Coco and her "Ready to pounce" face. Note that she pulls back her ears to decrease any wind resistance.

1000 Things For Kids To Do In The Holidays

Back in January (I think?) I was asked to join Laura Joy Godwins talented group of children in Bournville to grab a few photographs of them "doing their thing" for TimeOuts new book - "1000 Things For Kids To Do In The Holidays".

I've already flicked through most of the book and promise that this book is not just for kids; building a kite, making a scare crow or baking ginger bread men all sound like my idea of a great time! Then again, i'm a child at heart.

A child that is due to get married in a few weeks time and runs his own business - eek, Dani should be worried.

Here's a selection of photos of the book and the images that made the final print.



The book is available from most high street book stores from 7th May this year and available for just £8.99 (exc. P+P) from Play.com, a direct link can be found below.

http://alturl.com/zavk

Happy Easter by the way everyone!