Tuesday 31 August 2010

Wedding Fairs in Sussex

The silly season is upon us as as ever some of our favourite venues are holding wedding fairs to showcase themselves as dream locations to hold your wedding.

Of course, its lovely for us to be invited to support them and in addition as part of the Wedding Workshop, i will also be at two of the group's fairs this autumn.

Wedding Fairs are a great place for us to showcase our new albums, ideas and to meet new clients. It is a good opportunity to speak with couples about their ideas and really give them some inspiration for their wedding photography. Many will not know about how different and exciting their images can be.

It would be lovely to meet and speak to as many couple as possible so if you want to take a look, ask any questions or even just say "hello" please drop into to one to shows below.

5th September: The Yacht Club at Eastbourne's Sovereign Harbour (11-4)

19th September: The Cavendish Hotel, Eastbourne (11-4)

26th September: Ashdown Park Hotel, East Sussex (10-3)

10th October: Loseley Park, Surrey (11-4)

31st October: Wiston House, West Sussex

Friday 27 August 2010

Phil and Leslie's Wiston House Wedding

Last week saw me covering yet another stunning Wiston House wedding.

This was my 6th wedding there this year, but even though i have covered many weddings there over my career, it is still a place that makes the hair stand up on the back of your neck as you drive through the estate on the long approach. The imposing house in the distance, really commands the landscape.

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This was the first Civil wedding that i had covered at Wiston for years and the venue is perfect for holding your wedding in one place. It has space, style and character, backed up by superb staff who seem to be able to cater for your every need.

Phil and Leslie had seen my work at the venue's wedding fair earlier in the year and really loved my informal approach to photographing a wedding combined with strong compositions and dynamic story-telling.

We were faced with a very mixed bag, weather-wise but despite the elements everyone seemed to have a terrific day and i managed to capture some great images. In fact i am really excited about seeing their finished album when it arrives, hand made from Australia.

Flowers were by the talented Bo-K Flowers of Worthing and the Great Hall and ceremony room looked stunning.

Here are a few images from the day.

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Thursday 26 August 2010

Vintage Images

I am still working on my warm monochrome look for my vintage wedding images. The aim is to have a timeless, look but with an up to date modern twist and i think i have finally got there!

These are all from recent weddings that i have covered and i hope to be showcasing my new vintage sample album very soon.

We are now offering Vintage Wall Art for past, current and future clients, so if you are interested in having something extremely special to display at home, please do not hesitate to give me a call.

enjoy.

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Monday 23 August 2010

Your Sussex Wedding Magazine's Wedding of the Year Competition

GREAT NEWS!

I have just been informed that the wedding of Helen and Gavin, that i photographed on 17th April this year at Wiston House, has just won the quarterly competition for Wedding of the Year and is now being put forward to the grand final.

It was one of the best weddings i have had the privilege to cover and Helen and Gavin were certainly one of my all-time favourite couples.

Fingers crossed for the grand final.

Here is one of the images from their day.

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Friday 20 August 2010

Winter Wedding Images

I love shooting all year round and especially in the autumn, winter or early spring when the light, weather etc tend to be more dramatic or challenging.

December has become one of busiest times of the year and weddings in the run up to Christmas can offer all sorts of photographic possibilities that aren't achievable throughout the rest of the year.

I thought i would share few recent winter wedding images. The colour images have had the "Vintage" treatment.

This one was taken at the lovely Loseley Park near Guildford in December at about 4.30pm, so it was getting dark. It was very cold and drizzle had set in. The image was shot by available light, hand held on my Nikon D300 and 17-55 2.8 lens.

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Another shot from the same wedding. Taken a few minutes later with a shutter speed of around 1/4 second off a tripod using slow sync flash.

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This was taken at Buxted Park Hotel in March on a very mixed day. Hail, sun, and amazing clouds helped to produce some dynamic images,

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Same wedding by available light before the action begun. It really tells the story of the guys getting ready without any interaction from me.

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Here are a couple of images from my wedding at the Lodge on Loch Goil in Scotland. It was -10 degrees centigrade!

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A stunning dress detail.

Peter Prior Photography; Art Visage

A wet day in October.

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A wet and very foggy November wedding at Ashdown Park Hotel in Sussex.

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Ashdown Park again but in December.

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A couple of candid shots from a Guildford wedding in December last year.

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A couple of moments from an October wedding at the stunning Babington House in Somerset.

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A couple of late December images at the wonderful Amberley Castle.

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And a couple of late December images taken at the Grand Hotel in Eastbourne.

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Choosing Your Wedding Photographer: A Warning.

I hear it all the time from photographers and brides. What i am talking about is the excuses and moans about not being able to produce good images because it was "TOO COLD", "TOO WET", "TOO WINDY", "IT WAS DARK","ITS WAS IN THE WINTER YOU KNOW" or "WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME" etc etc.

OK shooting in less than ideal weather, at colder times of the year and when daylight is at a premium can make life tough for a wedding photographer. However, surely one of the main reasons a couple hire a "professional wedding photographer" is that they assume their chosen one is able to produce images way and above those that will be produced by their uncle, mate, or colleague with a camera who "like to snap a few shots".

In my opinion, if a professional can't cope with the hurdles that nature may throw his/her way, they shouldn't be thinking of taking a client's hard earned wedding budget money in the first place.

Time and time again i hear wedding photography horror stories and the post wedding regrets that they didn't find the money for a decent wedding photographer. However many couples are still taking a huge risk and booking someone from the ranks of the Saturday Cowboys who are often working uninsured for cash in hand, with little idea of how to shoot a wedding to a decent standard regardless of the situations they may find themselves in.

More than once in the past year, i have had a tearful bride call to see if i am available to cover her wedding at short notice because the "photographer" they booked has left them high and dry because he/she has to go to work!

I feel this is wrong with both my profession and clients suffering. Personally i would like to see some sort of licensing of photographers or some kind of "Corgi Standard" to protect consumers and the industry for the long term, but this seems a long way off.

For couples reading this there are a few things to do and questions to ask when selecting your wedding photographer.

1: Form a short list of wedding photographers from recommendations. Friends, colleagues, venues and other wedding suppliers may be able to help with this.

2: Carefully check the websites of these photographers. Look for dynamic composition, strong expressions, good lighting, variety, and surprisingly sharpness within the images. Be wary of websites that show a high proportion of still life and detail shots.

3: Make sure you see a few complete weddings, preferably as full albums in the flesh. This will enable to see the print quality for yourself.

4: Check the work that has caught your eye, was taken by the photographer him/her self and that the images are from real weddings and not portfolio days, model shoots or taken as a second photographer.

5: Discuss the options available and get the price you will actually end up paying rather than a "starting from price". Post wedding upgrades can really mount up!

6: Check to see if the photographer carries professional insurance, which is for your protection.

7: Don't skimp on price (i know i would say that) as too often i hear about post wedding regrets. A top photographer will produce a priceless record of your day which should show the full story of your wedding rather than a few happy snaps.

8: If you have any questions, worries or concerns about your photography ALWAYS ask you photographer. A professional will be happy to put your mind at rest.

Finally here is an image i took in Scotland on 27th December. I had never been to the venue or Scotland before, hadn't met the couple and the air temperature was -10 degrees centigrade! I had to move fast and the contrast with the mist over the loch combined with the bright sunlight far bank made life interesting.

This has received my "Vintage" treatment.

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Sunday 15 August 2010

Gina and Ian's Wedding at Herstmonceux Castle, East Sussex

I really enjoyed this wedding. Gina and Ian were married at the St Mary's Church, West Ham which is next to Pevensey Castle of 1066 and Roman fame. Indeed the church was the first one built by the Normans following their invasion and subsequent conquest of Britain.

It was also the site of the first wedding i covered 14 years ago!

Following the service they were driven to Herstmonceux Castle in a stunning classic Aston Martin.

Once again i am show casing a few images of the day using my "Vintage-look" for the colour pictures, although Gina and Ian's imagines have received my normal treatment.

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