"I don't like having my photo taken"

How many times do people say that?

One of the aspects of my work that gives me the greatest satisfaction is when someone who has said that then looks at the picture I have just taken of them and says, "That is really nice". A smile appears on their face, they seem uplifted, I am encouraged and they will probably buy a copy. This is especially common when doing event photography.


This is one time when people actually see the difference, and value gained, by employing the services of a professional photographer who has an eye for composition and background, and has invested in equipment that enables them to capture an image that is of higher quality and better exposed, and is more experienced at knowing at what moment, angle and perspective to actually press the shutter button.

It is these things that become "second nature" over years of taking pictures, that us photographers almost need to give no thought to as we take photographs, but which we easily notice the lack of when they are not there in pictures taken by others.

It is also these qualities that we need to maintain, and improve upon, in order to stay ahead of the amateur field of "uncles with a decent camera" at weddings, and the influx of people who have been told they can take "lovely pictures" and offer themselves as professional photographers based on their family and friends reactions to nice holiday snaps.

Within the ranks of professional photographers who are very capable of producing consistently good images, it is important to be always seeking to stay ahead of the field by improving what we do in terms of quality, technique, levels of service, and products offered, if we are to maintain our edge for competitiveness and above all, satisfaction in what we do.

After all, if we get no satisfaction out of what we do, it becomes only a "job" and where is the pleasure in that.

I have a passion for what I do, I enjoy my work, and I get a lot of satisfaction from seeing the (positive) reactions to photographs that I take. The thought that pictures I sell will be in people's homes and bring them pleasure for a lot of years to come is something that I find extremely fulfilling, and makes what I do all the more worthwhile.

Mottram Hall Wedding - Second Camera

I have a couple of friends who also shoot weddings and we call on each other, when required, to be the second camera when a couple books a two-camera package (or to pass work on to when we are already booked).

I had the pleasure of working with Alan recently for a wedding where the reception was at Mottram Hall, for an absolutely lovely couple.

It is a pleasure to shoot second camera as not being the main photographer allows you to capture moments from a different angle and the freedom to think around the obvious and capture the little "aside" moments.

If you've never thought of the benefits of having two photographers, just think how much this contributes to the overall storybook album design.

Used with Alan's permission, here are a few of my favourite contributions.

UPDATE:
I have since had the pleasure of shooting a full wedding at Mottram Hall. To see the photos CLICK HERE.
A rather interesting twist from this wedding was that the couple were in their local pub one night, and bumped into another couple who were looking at the brochure for Mottram Hall Weddings. They also had my name on a piece of paper to ring me later. The first couple were able to recommend me and let them know the service and quality I provided, so I now have another wedding to shoot at one of the nicest wedding venues in the North West. Word-of-mouth is always the best for of advertising.

Commercial Photography - Spray booths

I was recently given the job of taking some brochure shots for a company that manufactures drive-in spray booths for car repair workshops (Junair Group of Companies).
While not sounding like the most exciting prospect, as a commercial photographer, I relish the challenge of getting some pictures that will enable my client to better sell their products.
I have yet to hear any feedback, but I feel that the set of images I delivered to them should look great in their new brochures, and suitably show how good the spray booths actually look.

I couldn't help but self-indulge in a few car photographs.

A day in the park

I love capturing images of people when they are relaxed and enjoying theselves.

Not much comes as close to this as a child playing on a park, as these lovely pictures of Layla show.

The shot in the tube is one of my favourites where, exposing for the shade inside the tube, the outside sunshine has been rendered completely white, giving the surreal glow around her.

Please visit my main website for more portrait photography examples, including studio portraits.

Baby Owls

My son rang me yesterday to say that there are some baby owls sat in a tree where he works and that he thought I might like to pop down and take some photos. How right he was!

Mummy owl just sat and watched while I circled the tree taking pictures, posing herself quite nicely when called upon to do so.

The babies moved around a little, and proved quite inquisitive when I inadvertantly made a little too much noise (spot the photo of that one).

Here are some of the resulting pictures.

As well as my usual wedding photography and portrait photography, I do like to get out to play sometimes.

Heaton Park Wedding - Ruby & Nik

Another great day with a great couple. What a load of fun, a nice location and the weather stayed fine. What more could they ask for?
The wedding was held in Heaton Hall, Manchester, with the reception in the Orangery.
Here's a selection of the finished pictures. Now they have the challenge of narrowing the set down to fit in their album - a Graphistudio storybook. Can't wait to see what they choose.

 

While based in Rochdale, I also carry out wedding photography in Manchester and surrounding areas.