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Colwick Hall – Wedding Photography Nottingham – Kathryn & Matt

Kathryn & Matt were married at Colwick Hall on a gorgeous Spring Day. It was one of those rare days when the sun shone from beginning to end, adding to the fun and relaxed atmosphere. The Colwick Hall staff performed flawlessly to give the couple and guests a fabulous day – all topped off with fireworks in the late evening. Sarah and myself were married at Colwick Hall and it remains one of the best venues in the area, with its timeless Georgian architecture and great atmosphere. A big thanks to Kathryn & Matt for allowing us to share their special day! Here are a few favourites of mine…

Apr 06, 2012 | Categories:Featured, weddings, weddings & portraits | Leave A Comment »

Council House, Nottingham – Wedding Photographers Nottingham – Alina & Antonino

It was a real pleasure to join Alina & Antonino to photograph their wedding at the Council House in Nottingham last week. It was a real cosy family affair, with just close family from both sides – Alina’s Mum & Dad had flown in from Russia, while Antonino’s family had made the trip from sunny Sicily – just in time to catch our distinctly chilly Spring weather! Its the first time I’ve photographed a wedding in the Council House, since Civil Ceremonies moved over from Shakespeare Street – and what a fabulous building it is. I think there are 7 room in the Council House which are used for wedding Ceremonies – our small gathering had the lovely Sheriff’s Room, with its subtle decor and gorgeous natural window light. After the ceremony, everyone made their way up to Hart’s Restaurant for the wedding breakfast. We couldn’t resist stopping off on the way through Market Square to have some fun with a few pictures:) Here’s a few favourites from the day.

Apr 06, 2012 | Categories:weddings, weddings & portraits | Leave A Comment »

Premier Legal business portraits

I met Sarah and her team at Premier Legal at a recent breakfast seminar at Hart’s Hotel in Nottingham. The conversation moved onto photography and Sarah asked me to shoot some business portraits for their swanky new website (http://www.premieremploymentlaw.com/). A big thanks to Hart’s for allowing us to roam around and find the nice light. Here’s a few shots from the day.

Mar 14, 2012 | Categories:Featured, weddings & portraits | Leave A Comment »

Breadsall Priory, Derbyshire – Wedding Photographers Nottingham – Ruth & Tristram

Ruth & Tristram chose the splendid Breadsall Priory for their wedding on what turned out to be a very sunny Saturday in December – and there’s not many of them about! Ruth and a few friends stayed over the night before and I arrived early to shoot the bridal prep. and get a few pictures of the venue in the early light. Breadsall Priory is the oldest Marriott Hotel in the world – as the plaque above the main entrance proudly announces. Its a similar venue to Thoresby Hall in North Notts, where we had the fortune to shoot a Christmas wedding during the ‘big freeze’ of 2010. Both venues have a charming original building which has been sympathetically extended by adding newer bits to the building. All very nice for wedding photographers!

Although sunny, it was a tad nippy and so after a few group pictures, everyone returned to the warmth of the bar for a glass or two of mulled wine. We carried on for a while and took a few portraits in the gardens – I can’t wait for the chance to do the wedding photography at a summer wedding at Breadsall and see the garden areas in all their glory.

Here are a few pictures from the day. Thanks again to Ruth and Tris for sharing their special day with Sarah and myself.

If you’d like to discuss your own wedding photography, please see our prices and packages section or feel free to contact us for a chat on 0115 9611048.

Dec 17, 2011 | Categories:weddings & portraits | Leave A Comment »

St Giles Church, West Bridgford, – Wedding Photographers Nottingham – Emma and Nick

Nick and Emma chose St.Giles Church, West Bridgford for their wedding, followed by The Staunton Arms in the Vale of Belvoir. Emma and Nick have a strong connection to this particular pub – Nick is the chef and a part-owner, so it was an obvious choice for their wedding reception. He just can’t keep away from the place! So after a traditional church service and a spot of wedding photography, we left Nottingham for the Vale of Belvoir. The Staunton Arms is a charming country pub, recently refurbished and with a growing reputation for good food – this comes as no surprise to those familiar with Benton’s Brasserie in Hockley, Nottingham - Julian Benton is a co-owner with Nick. The wedding reception was held in a super marquee at the pub – very plush and complete with a ‘starry sky’ ceiling. There was a definite air of anticipation as the wedding guests eyed the wedding breakfast menu – no pressure there then Nick! So what does a chef arrange for his own wedding breakfast. Great British classics naturally, with locally sourced produce from the Vale Of Belvoir – superb! Here are a few wedding photographs from the day. You can see more photographs from the day in our wedding gallery.

I love photographing details on a wedding day – they make great images that make a wedding very personal to the couple and show the care and effort which they’ve put into the preparations.

Boys will be boys… I started it – sticking my tongue out to get the attention of the two boys – who then gave us all a masterclass!

Emma was prepared for a spot of rain – but luckily we avoided it. A very practical lady – Nick take note!

The Staunton Arms looked very inviting on a cold November evening.

…and so did the marquee.

The party went on ’til late – but it was an early start for Emma and Nick as they jetted off to Thailand for their honeymoon. Thanks for a great day!

You can find out more about our wedding photography services in Nottingham and the surrounding areas in our About section and in the FAQ area.

Dec 03, 2011 | Categories:wedding photography, wedding photography nottingham, weddings, weddings & portraits | Leave A Comment »

Low key family portraits

Its a while since I shot any low key portraits and you sometimes need reminding just how fantastic they look. Here’s a few pictures of a recent family shoot. I simply used one key soft keylight as close as possible to the children and let the soft, wrap-around light do the rest. I find that low key lighting is a refreshing change to the ever popular high key portraits – its calmer, more soulful and gives great depth – even without a hair or background light. Its also easy to set-up for and most importantly, customers love the look and feel of low key pictures. Judge for yourselves…

Nov 26, 2011 | Categories:childrens portraits, family photshoot, family portraits, Featured, portrait photography, weddings & portraits | Tags: children, family, photoshoot, portrait photography, portraits | Leave A Comment »

The Priest House, Castle Donington-Wedding Photography Nottingham- Jo and John

Jo and John chose the Priest House for their wedding because of its comfortable atmosphere and great location beside the River Trent. We’ve been really lucky with the weather on our weddings this year and this was no exception – the Autumn sunshine was fantastic! The low angle of the sun at this time of the year makes for some great light for wedding photography – it adds more depth and atmosphere to the pictures. Anyway, enough of me fantasising about the light! The day began nice and early, with guests arriving from far and wide. Jo had stayed over at the Priest House and had a leisurely morning getting ready for the ceremony at 1pm. Following the ceremony, it was drinks and canapes in the afternoon sun before the wedding breakfast. We took the opportunity for some more pictures as the sun went down – after which the party really began! Thanks again to Jo & John for a great day.

Wow, those shoes – I just couldn’t stop photographing them!

See what I mean…?!

The dress was equally stunning, with lots of detailed work.

The boys…

Don’t worry Jo, its a bride’s perogative to be bit late!

If you haven’t been, the Priest House really is a lovely place to visit – with great food in the bar/restaurant. More details here.

You can see more pictures in our gallery section.

Nov 12, 2011 | Categories:Featured, wedding photography, wedding photography nottingham, weddings, weddings & portraits | Leave A Comment »

Groby Lodge, Leicestershire – Nottingham Wedding Photographers – Andrea & Alan

Andria and Alan were married at the charming St.James the Greater church at Oaks in Charnwood, deep in the Leicestershire countryside. The reception was held at Groby Lodge Hotel which is a short walk from Groby Lodge Farm – where Andria has many fond childhood memories of the times she spent on the farm with her grandparents. The wedding had a lovely country farm theme, complete with flower-filled milk churns and mini cows on the wedding cake! The day was made perfect by the their daughters who looked fabulous in their bridesmaids dresses – one of the things we love about being wedding photographers. Here area few favourites from the day.

After the ceremony it was off to Groby Lodge in their vintage VW camper van.

You can see more of Andrea and Alan’s wedding photographs in our gallery area.

Oct 26, 2011 | Categories:Featured, wedding photography, wedding photography nottingham, weddings, weddings & portraits | Leave A Comment »

The Carriage Hall, Plumtree – Nottingham Wedding Photography – Nikki and Ian

Nikki and Ian were married at St.Mary’s Church, Plumtree and then went on to the charming Carriage Hall at the other end of the village. The weather behaved nicely all day, with sunny blue skies and fluffy white clouds. After the ceremony, the guests made their way to the Carriage Hall for drinks and canapes while we nipped off to Clipstone-on-the-Wolds for a bit of wedding photography in the lovely countryside around Nottingham. Following an excellent wedding breakfast, the guests enjoyed a great evening celebration – a big hats off to Jeremy who apart from being Nikki and Ian’s neighbour, doubled up as the wedding car driver. Jeremy’s also (rather conveniently) a professional DJ – so everyone was assured of a good night! Here are a few favourites from the day.

Nikki and daughter Maddie looking gorgeous…

Jeremy – a perfect gentleman and just the man to invite to your wedding – his drive turns into a great wedding car and he’s a pro-DJ – so the entertainment’s covered aswell!

I’m liking the shades – and especially the cool reflections…

Then it was into the car for a 2 minute ride to Clipstone-in-the-Wolds for a few pictures of Nikki and Ian.

After the speeches, Ian revealed his silky dancing skills as he lead Nikki through their first dance, followed by Jeremy’s set as the DJ… a fab night.

For more wedding photographs, please go to the wedding gallery.

Oct 25, 2011 | Categories:Featured, wedding photography, wedding photography nottingham, weddings, weddings & portraits | Leave A Comment »

Stubton Hall, Newark – Wedding Photography Nottingham – Claire and Darren

The newly refurbished Stubton Hall near Newark is an amazing hotel and wedding venue and you can understand why it was voted one of the hundred best wedding venues in the world by Brides Magazine. Its a fine old English country house, set in 24 acres of park and gardens. But the best bits for us (as photographers) are the beautiful interiors and the lovely natural light coming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. So, as you can see, we were really looking forward to carrying out the wedding photography for Claire and Darren! On the day, everything was perfect…. the weather, the atmosphere, the food – I could go on – all efficiently helped along by Rachel and her discreet staff at Stubton.

Thanks again Claire and Darren for sharing your day with us. Here are some of our favourite pictures from the day.

The day began at home for Darren, assisted by dad and bestman John.

The girls dressed at Stubton, in good time for the 1pm ceremony.

It was a nervous couple of minutes for Claire and mum as they waited in the reception area before making their entry into the elegant Music Room for the ceremony itself.

After the ceremony, it was time to relax with a well earned glass of pink bubbly!

And there was time for a few portraits with the new Mr & Mrs Lomas and that lovely natural light…

Then it was on to the wedding breakfast and the evening’s entertainment…

I always like to capture a few moody, romantic portraits at the end of the day. We came away with literally hundreds of great images of the day for Darren and Claire – it’ll be interesting to see how they manage to slim down their selection for their wedding album – but atleast they’ll have all of their images from the day on the ‘all images’ DVD’s we offer in our wedding packages.

Oct 25, 2011 | Categories:Featured, weddings, weddings & portraits | Leave A Comment »

Wedding Photography at Holme Pierrepont Hall, Nottingham – Sophie and Dave

Sophie and Dave began the day with a traditional service at the small church of St.Edmunds, followed by a short walk to the delightful Holme Pierrepont Hall which is literally next door. Its the first time we had photographed a wedding at Holme Pierrepont Hall and we were very impressed – the hall itself has been the home of the Pierrepont family since 1280 and Robert and the current family do a great job in providing a warm and personal wedding venue. We had a few showers which didn’t spoil the day (or the wedding photography!) and probably helped water the lovely gardens.

Dave and the boys scrubbed up well and then headed down to the Test Match pub in West Bridgford for a quick pint before catching their very own London Routemaster bus to the church.

The church (hidden behind the big beech tree!) and Holme Pierrepont Hall looking impressive under the brooding skies.

We managed a few portraits of Sophie and Dave before running for cover – the picture doesn’t really do justice to the rain…but believe me, it was pouring!

As often happens the weather came good right on time for some evening pictures – looking very glamourous girls!

Sophie and Dave’s first dance was followed by an excellent band which played on into the night.

For details of the various wedding photography options we offer, please see our FAQ and Prices & Packages sections.

Oct 24, 2011 | Categories:Featured, wedding photography, wedding photography nottingham, weddings, weddings & portraits | Leave A Comment »

Nottinghamshire Golf & Country Club – Wedding Photography Nottingham – Emma and Lee

The lovely church of St.Mary in Clifton Village was the location for the wedding of Emma and Lee. The church is a hidden gem, set near the River Trent at the end of the quiet road through Clifton Village. The weather was perfect, with warm sunshine lasting all day. After the service, it was a short ride to the Nottinghamshire Golf & Country Club near Cotgrave where everyone took advantage of the sunshine with a drink (or two!) on the patio overlooking the golf course. Its a great venue which is soon to be further improved by the addition of huge panoramic windows for the function suite – can’t wait to see the finished results. The warm evening sun was too tempting to miss and perfect for wedding photography – so we borrowed a golf buggy (yes, we asked permission!) and drove off to get some pictures at a couple of places around the course.

The light in the church was fantastic and really easy to work with – adding to the great atmosphere and beauty of the ceremony.

A fine vintage Rolls took Emma & Lee to The Nottinghamshire Golf & Country Club near Cotgrave, where the much needed cool drinks and canapes were waiting.

After the wedding breakfast and speaches, it was off onto the golf course to enjoy the evening sun and for some well deserved larking around!

We finished on the 18th green where Emma & Lee had a giggle with a few Hollywood poses – before joining the party at the 19th! A big thank you to the gorgeous couple for sharing their day with Sarah and me – and to the staff at the Club for making everyone so welcome.

To see more of Emma and Lee’s photographs, please click here.

Oct 24, 2011 | Categories:featured posts, wedding photography, wedding photography nottingham, weddings, weddings & portraits | Leave A Comment »

Starting a model portfolio for Nicole

I had a great time this week shooting with a Nicole. After getting some good advice from a relative, Nicole decided to start putting together a modelling portfolio. Although she’s no real experience at the moment, we had a great time as we went through some simple beauty lighting pictures as a start to her portfolio.

Its so easy for new models to get ripped off by so-called agencies charging high prices to supposedly give them a fashion photography portfolio and put their names forward for jobs – which invariably never materialise! There’s loads of good general advice on the web which describes the various ways into modelling. One of the best ways is to do test shoots with photographers who are willing to do ‘time for prints/dvd’ (TFP) – this is where both the model and the photographer have a photography session to produce a series of portfolio shots for both parties – the model can also get a lot of advice on how to pose effectively and achieve some great pictures. The photographer also gets additional portfolio images – studio photographers are always experimenting and developing their photographic style and TFP is a great way to do it. Sites such as Purestorm are a good staring place for new models wanting to put a portfolio together and contains a listing of photographers willing to work on a TFP basis. I’ve been a portrait photographer in Nottingham for a while now and have occasionally shot on a TFP basis when I’ve been approached by a really interesting model. Otherwise, I can offer reasonable prices for new photographic models to put together a portfolio or for established models to add a new look to their modelling portfolios. Don’t hesitate to contact me for further details or advice.

I’ll be putting up more posts in future weeks on this topic of getting started in modeling an developing a portfolio.

Oct 24, 2011 | Categories:model portfolio, weddings & portraits | Leave A Comment »

Great portrait photography weather in Nottingham!!

I don’t want to say too loudly incase it changes… but hasn’t the weather been brill over the past week?! We went to Woodthorpe Park in Nottingham last Thursday evening to walk the dog and catch the last hour of the sun. There’s something magical about this time of day and especially the soft that photographers love and often call ‘the golden hour’. I find the best light happens just after the sun goes down – the light from the sun is still directional but the effect is more like open shade with non of the harshness of full sunshine. Magical. But you need to take your photographs quickly in this light, because the light levels soon drop as it turns to dusk – with the sun dropping well below the horizon, the light becomes very low level and flat – pretty useless for photography.

I couldn’t resist taking the camera. Nottingham City Council have taken the trouble to sow areas of wild flowers in the park and its been well worth the effort – you could almost forgive yourself for thinking you were in the Swiss Alps rather than suburban Nottingham – well almost! One of the things I love about portrait photography in Nottingham is the variety of parks and public places where you can take photographs. Other favourite of mine are Wollaton Hall and Rushcliffe Country Park - both of which have a cafe for that essential coffee and slice of cake!

Like most kids, Andrew loves nothing better than simply running around a park – he reckons it beats playing on the Playstation anyday – well maybe not on a rainy day! And that’s what I find makes good photographs – just let kids do what they love doing and capture them when playing. I like to open the camera lens wide open to give a shallow depth of field and blur the background – that way you can get rid of any background distractions and let the images simply show your kid having a good time.

Oh, and don’t forget that aswell as doing studio photoshoots at my studio in Nottingham, I’m always available to take environmental portraits of kids or families, either at a client’s house or in a local park. Why not check out my prices and the FAQ for more information about my work as a portrait photographer in Nottingham. Please feel free to contact me to discuss a shoot that you may have in mind. Thanks for visiting.

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Jun 09, 2011 | Categories:environmental portrait photography, portrait photography, weddings & portraits | Tags: environmental photography, portrait photography, woodthorpe park | Leave A Comment »

Portrait photography in Nottingham – from bump to baby!

I can remember exactly when Danielle & Glen came into the studio for a pregnancy shoot – it was 11 months ago – how come I’m so sure? Well, Danielle still had 2 months pregnancy to go …… and Saturday is baby Summer’s first birthday! To celebrate, Danielle’s mum Mandy asked me to quickly shoot a few pictures of her gorgeous grand daughter as a surprise present for Danielle & Glen – it only took 10 minutes nifty camera work in mum Mandy’s garden and by the afternoon the prints were framed and ready for Saturday.

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May 30, 2011 | Categories:family photshoot, weddings & portraits | Leave A Comment »

Portrait photography with baby Storm

Some babies are just sooooo photogenic and that really applies to baby Storm – and her sister and mum Wendy for that matter! Portrait photography in Nottingham can be such a joy – and when everyone is so up for it, you can be sure of some great images!

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May 26, 2011 | Categories:family photshoot, weddings & portraits | Leave A Comment »

Portrait session with Illy

One of the great things about being a portrait photographer in Nottingham is the fantastic people I get to shoot. Illy contacted me to take some relaxed beauty photography pictures for her. Although she lives just north of Nottingham, her parents are from both Jamaica and Russia – quite an exotic mix! Illy is a part-time model and after our shoot, she shot off to Derbyshire for an assignment which involved being photographed walking through a field of yellow rapeseed – sounds a bit like an old-style Cadbury’s Flake ad!

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Apr 27, 2011 | Categories:fashion, weddings & portraits | Leave A Comment »

Jane and Matt’s Wedding Photography at The Riverbank, Nottingham

Sarah and I had a great day on Saturday at Jane and Matt’s wedding in West Bridgford. Everyone was well wrapped up and enjoyed the ceremony and celebrations at West Bridgford Registry Office, followed by a reception at the newly refurbished Riverbank Pub and Restaurant on Trent Bridge. The upstairs function room and the outside areas make it a really good wedding venue – especially the ‘fire pit’ in one of the covered outside seating areas which kept our hands warm. Jane and Matt were really good sports and braved the cold for a few minutes while we jumped in the car and took some dramatic portraits by the old Victorian bridge on the embankment – thanks guys for the nice comments. The day was rounded off by a rockin’ (and very loud!) set by the band ‘Busted’.

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Apr 26, 2011 | Categories:weddings, weddings & portraits | Leave A Comment »

Katie Green shoot in Aylesbury

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to join Jon Gray in a shoot with Katie Green at the BIPP headquarters in Aylesbury. Jon is a well established fashion and editorial photographer who has worked with some of the top photographers of our times – he’s worked with the likes of David Bailey and was an assistant to Lord Lichfield in the swinging 60′s.

Katie is a very successful fashion and lingerie model and was the Wonderbra girl in 2008 and was then the new face of Ultimo alongside Melinda Messinger and Spice Girl Mel B. She’s an inspiration to a lot of models who come under pressure to be super thin and resigned from the Wonderbra account when Premier Model Management insisted she lose 2 stone to go from a size 12 to a size 8-10 (and she’s 5’10″ !) – insane, but still a definite issue.

Needless to say, the shoot went fantastically well and we captured some great images from various set-ups.

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