Master Photography Awards – Commercial and Wedding Photography Success

I really feel honoured today. Last night I was at the Master Photographer’s Association 2011 Awards. I had received merits for three of my images – which I was thrilled with, and I was really looking forward to the Awards night, as they are a good night out, a good chance to catch up with photography colleagues and an opportunity to see what the best in the industry are doing. There were some truly inspirational images on display in the exhibition and I was genuinely pleased to be sharing a platform with my fellow MPA merit winners.

After the meal the awards started. One of the early catagories was the Mario Acerboni Creative Wedding Award – 3 Images from 1 Wedding. I knew I had been awarded the West Midlands region award and went up on stage to collect my trophy with the other regional winners, but having just sat down again, I was thrilled to hear my name called out to win the overall national award. The photos were from Christine & James’ gorgeous wedding at Edgbaston Golf Club, and it was such a surprise to win.

These are the images:

However, that was just the start of the night…..

I have been quietly developing my architectural photography over the past couple of years, and although it is not something I shout about much, I have been building up a portfolio of both interior and exterior architectural images, and it was one of these that really took me by surprise.

First up was the Architectural category – with some very strong competition, and I assumed that I was just going to be given an award of excellence, so I was excited to be given MPA Architectural Photographer of the Year.

To be honest, I hadn’t really considered what might happen if I won a category, so it was even more of a surprise when all of the commercial awards winners were shortlisted for the award of MPA Commercial Photographer of the Year – which I won…..!

I almost fell off my seat when I was announced as the winner….

At this point I was just gobsmacked and had been furiously texting Kat (who was not able to make the awards), and was just enjoying the rest of the ceremony… until the point I realised that I was then shortlisted for yet another award – Best UK Image…. and I almost fell off my seat when I was announced as the winner. This is such a prestigious award to win, and it was incredible to be given an accolade.

What an amazing evening….

The image that did so well was from a Birmingham client of mine, who has been involved in building some amazing new schools in the region, and I was commissioned to photograph them as they were finished. As I was going around one of these schools, there was this one particular water fountain that caught my eye, with a bright red background. It had such a strong visual impact I had to make sure I got a shot of it… quite glad I did now….

So here it is:

Posted in architectural photography, commercial photography | Tagged 2011, Architectural photography, Best UK Image, Commercial Photographer of the Year, commercial photography, James Crockford Photography, mario acerboni 3 from 1 wedding photography, Master Photographers Association Award Winner, midlands photographer, MPA, newcastle | 1 Comment

Jo & Scott’s Jersey Wedding Photographs

As Kat is originally from Jersey, we go back there regularly, and it is always a pleasure to work over there too. It is particularly enjoyable taking photos for the Pitcher family. They have been very close family friends to Kat and her family for many years. Scott went to school with Kat’s brother Nick, and they have been best mates all their lives. I was really pleased to be asked to photograph their wedding – it is never a hardship working in Jersey – and their wedding was absolutely lovely.

They got married at their home, and after a reception in the garden, went over to La Moye Golf Course for the evening. As it was at their home it had such a relaxed and personal feeling to it. Jo and her mother had spent absolutely ages making the bunting – I overheard several guests talking about it and refusing to believe it was home made, it was that good – and they had made the garden feel like it was the perfect place for a wedding.

The week before had been very mixed weather-wise; two days before the Jersey Airshow had been cancelled because of fog (I actually drove past the airport and couldn’t even see the airport building…), but by the Saturday morning it was beautifully sunny… right until Jo stepped out of the car just before the ceremony when it absolutely hammered down with rain. But the great thing about weddings like this, no one cared, and within an hour or so, the rain had stopped, the sun had come out and we had a beautiful Jersey evening overlooking St Ouen’s.

We had originally planned to go for some photos at some of Jo & Scott’s favourite beaches, but in the end we decided that it was much more personal having photos of the two of them around their house – after all they had decided to get married there because they loved it so much. So here are some previews of Jo & Scott’s relaxed and very personal wedding and check our Facebook page for some more sneak previews.

Posted in wedding photography | Tagged at home, channel islands, intimate, Jersey, la moye golf course, wedding, wedding photographer, wedding photography | Leave a comment

Hannah & Mark – Talton Lodge Wedding Photography

There are so many elements that make up a wedding, and brides and grooms spend a lot of time and effort into making sure everything looks and feels just how it should do on the day. There are always special little touches at weddings, but Hannah and Mark had almost too many little touches to mention – they had just put in so much thought into the day.

It started in the morning at their flat in Kenilworth, with James from Shotgun Finish working on Hannah and the bridesmaid’s hair, and where it was beautifully relaxed and calm. I also got to see Karen from Passion for Flowers when she dropped of the stunning bouquets (Passion for Flowers also did the lovely table displays too). Hannah had two sets of footwear on hand… if that’s not a oxymoron… depending on the weather – a lovely pair of Rachel Simpson Shoes - Mimi’s – as well as something a little more substantial in case of inclement weather – Weddington Boots. As it turns out, the sun shone throughout the day, and Hannah mostly wore her shoes (with the addition of the fantastic Heel Stoppers) – having said that, the Weddington’s were invaluable when we did some off-road photography at the castle…

The ceremony was at the church over the road from where they lived, with a beautiful tree lined drive so they could arrive and leave in style, and immediately afterwards we made a slight detour to Kenilworth Castle for some photos, before heading over to Talton Lodge for the reception. Although I knew Talton Lodge (which is near Stratford), I had never photographed a wedding there. It really is a very special venue, and Hannah and Mark had made it their own for the day. There are several parts to the venue – Talton Lodge, Talton House and the Kitchen Garden, in which there is a large double tipi, as well as several yurts and tipi’s dotted around. It is a working small holding, so they grow a lot of their own fruit and vegetables, and there are chickens and guinea fowl (and Magic the lurcher) wandering around too. They are also very keen in pigs, and there was an excellent pig roast in the evening.

The whole venue had been lovingly decorated by Hannah & Mark – everywhere you looked there were more personal touches, all carefully thought through. The guests had some bubbly on arrival, then had afternoon tea and cakes, and spent the afternoon chatting enjoying the summer sun. In the evening they sat down to the pig roast, before the first dance – which was also excellent; they had choreographed it brilliantly, and then once it was dark a huge fire was lit to warm the celebration into the evening. Hannah even had a second outfit to change into for the evening which Mark had no idea about (and I really have to thank my wonderful assistant Hannah for her help with that … )

I have already posted some different photos on my facebook page, and will be putting plenty up in the Gallery Page too. Hannah and Mark really had such a special wedding day, and I hope you enjoy these preview wedding photographs.

Posted in wedding photography | Tagged heel stoppers, kenilworth, midlands, passion for flowers, pig roast, Rachel Simpson Shoes, relaxed, Shotgun Finish, stratford, talton Lodge, tipi wedding, warwickshire, wedding, wedding photographer, wedding photography, weddington Boots | 4 Comments

Vicky & Ian – Alrewas Hayes Wedding

Last Thursday I was up near Lichfield for Vicky and Ian’s wedding. I really enjoy Thursday weddings – although I am slightly biased, as Kat and I got married on a Thursday… and this particular day was a particularly good choice – any guests taking the end of the week off got a very long weekend with a bank holiday monday too.

I met up with Vicky as she was getting her hair done, and then went back to her parents house where she was getting ready. I love this time in the morning – I already know the brides well before the wedding day, but I really enjoy getting to know the bride’s family and bridesmaids, and getting there earlier in the morning means that everyone gets to know me before the ceremony.

Vicky’s parents house was immaculate & the garden had the most incredible hanging baskets, and we had a nicely relaxed morning chatting and getting ready. A friend had offered his beautiful Austin car to transport the bridal party to the church in nearby Wigginton – the car perfectly colour coordinated with the wedding colours, and much of the wedding detail had been arranged by family and friends – the flowers in the church for example were arranged by Vicky’s parents, so it had a real family feel to the event.

After a lovely ceremony the reception was held at Alrewas Hayes - one of my favourite venues in the area. It is one of those wedding venues that works well if you had 20 people or 200, and whether it was inside or out. The staff are always friendly and it has a very relaxed feel. It also gives a great variety of places for photographs, so I am always pleased to go there – thanks to all at Alrewas Hayes for making everything run so smoothly.

So, here are some sneak preview photos from the day – a few have already gone up on my Facebook page - and I’m really looking forward to posting the rest of them in the gallery pages once they have been seen by Vicky and Ian…

Posted in wedding photography | Tagged alrewas hayes, bride and groom, church, midlands, near lichfield, relaxed, staffordshire, stylish, vicky and Ian, wedding, wedding photographer, wedding photography, wedding venue, wigginton | Leave a comment

Harford Family Portraits

Although many of my family portraits are of younger children, I always enjoy taking photos of teens – not only are there are different opportunities for photos, but the dynamics of the session are also different. I spend a lot of time with my clients, so I really get a glimpse into their personality and their interests, which I can then incorporate that into the photographs.

I’ve known Mo for a while through business networking – she runs a brain-friendly sales training business called Momentum Training (and she is excellent at it too), but more importantly she has two daughters, Alex and Laura, and she wanted to have a photo shoot with them. Mo actually won the shoot at a charity auction in aid of Edward’s Trust and Ovarian Cancer earlier this year, so it was great to meet up with them at their home in Sutton Coldfield to take the pictures.

Most of my work is out and about in parks etc, but Mo particularly wanted some more studio-looking photos as well, so I split the session – some indoors with a studio setup, and some outdoor – and I just had such a blast with them. All three of them were just such a laugh to photograph, and as sisters Alex and Laura really have such a great bond they made it easy for me.

Here is a selection of the favourites from the shoot…

Posted in portrait photography | Tagged alex, edwards trust, family, gorgeous, harford, laura, mo, momentum training, ovarian cancer, photographer, photography, portrait, Sutton Coldfield, teenager | Leave a comment

8 Top Tips To Truly Tremendous Holiday Snaps Part Two

Hopefully by now you will have had a chance to practice the first four techniques in my 8 Top Tips to Truly Tremendous Holiday Photos Part One. These are simple ideas to help you make the most of your camera when you are on holiday with your family or friends, so you can enjoy photography more.

This is not about getting award winning photos with thousands of pounds worth of photo kit, but about getting photos of your family that will make you smile.

So, without further ado….

Five: Start to see the light… (Daaaahling)

Your brain is incredible – it distinguishes a huge range of light and dark, and automatically adjusts for the colour of the light (without being technical daylight is bluer, tungsten is orangey and florescent lights are greeny, but your brain corrects them all so they look ‘normal’). This can be frustrating when your photos just don’t look like the scene does in real life. Photography is all about compromises – you cannot correctly expose a photo so that the brightest whites and the darkest darks still have detail in them, so you have to choose – which part of the photo is most important, or how can I change the photo to make it better?

If you are shooting in bright harsh light you can either

- live with it
- find some shade – the sun is diffused and softer
- add some fill-in flash – if you can’t take light away, can you add some in to fill in the shadows?
- put the sun behind the subject (effectively they are creating their own shadow, but you have to be careful you don’t just make them into a silhouette, usually by filling the frame with their faces as much as possible)

See the light 8 Top Tips To Truly Tremendous Holiday Snaps Part Two

Six: Get as many photos from one scene as you can…

Take a photo….. move about…. take another photo….. zoom in…. take another photo…. move about…. zoom out…. take another photo…. you get the idea…. Try to get a variety of photos from the same scene – you can get such a range of photos just by moving around and getting in closer.

This will make your photos so much more interesting than just having 10 almost identical shots. Particularly with children (and certainly with mine) you may not have much time before they go off to the next exciting play opportunity, so make the most of each scene while you can.

Vary the angles 8 Top Tips To Truly Tremendous Holiday Snaps Part Two

Seven: Tell the story of your holiday

Try and tell the story of your holiday, beyond the obvious places you saw or people you met

- what were you eating and drinking?
- what surprised you or made you smile?
- look at the less obvious details not just the usual tourist snaps
- if everyone is looking one way, try looking the other way

tell the story 8 Top Tips To Truly Tremendous Holiday Snaps Part Two

Eight: Do something with them….

How may people have files of images that they never look at, or even take off their camera? What is the point of taking great photos of your family if you never see them. There are so many ways of printing or viewing photos these days you just need to something…

- print them out and frame them
- make them into a photo book – there are many online companies that make photobooks easy to build, including Apple, Snapfish and others
- put them in a digital photoframe or set your computer screen saver to scroll through
- print them on a mug… anything, just make sure you do something with them otherwise there is almost no point in taking them

Nine Tips for the Price of Eight: Backup. Backup. Backup

One thing that many people over look with their photos is making sure they are backed up. I am fortunate enough to have a computer geek friend who is also a bit paranoid, that pesters me regularly to make sure all my systems and information are backed up properly. This is crucial for me, as it is part of my business, but most people don’t.

When asked what they would save if their house was on fire (apart from pets and people), most people say their photos, and yet if your laptop or PC dies would you be able to get your photos back again? If the answer is no then you really need to sort out a backup system. I have a complicated automatic process, but it could be as simple as just burning your files on to a DVD. There are now online options such as mobileme (soon to become iCloud) from Apple, or Drop-Box (which offers 2gb of online storage free, which we use for sharing documents) – these not only backup your images, but you can also share them with friends.

Backup 8 Top Tips To Truly Tremendous Holiday Snaps Part Two

Posted in Personal Photographer, portrait photography | 3 Comments

Stress-free, family-friendly getaways

Deciding on a location for your family holiday, whether it be a long weekend, last-minute getaway or your annual summer fortnight escape, can be stressful at the best of times. But include the words ‘family-friendly’ in your search for the ideal holiday bolthole and in most cases you end up packing up your entire house into your car in order to create a ‘home from home’ that inevitably takes you six hours in motorway traffic to get to. Are you wondering why you bothered now?

Being the blessed and extremely proud parents of two energetic boys ourselves, finding the perfect destination that suits their needs and gives us the relaxation and enjoyment we crave is of utmost importance. So when we were found out about The Big Cottage Company, after being booked for a family portrait session in one of their UK properties, we just had to experience their offering for ourselves.

We never recommend companies to our clients unless we have experienced their services ourselves, and so after what can only be described as a perfect family weekend break with the entire family earlier this year at one of the dozens of properties available throughout the UK, we were so impressed and had such a lovely time that we knew we just had to work with them and tell others.

This is not just a nod to ‘family friendliness’, it is a full-on understanding of a parents need to keep their children entertained in an environment not of their own.

These are THE places to stay when looking for a larger house suitable for a family break, reunion or celebration. There are a wide range of properties, all of which are beautifully appointed. Every conceivable idea to entertain the young or ‘young at heart’ has been thought of including board games, snooker tables, Sky tv, dressing up boxes, adventure playgrounds and even in some cases swimming pools and tennis courts.

Their core houses are within the Cotswolds where they started out, but they have expanded beyond and offer their signature service all over the country now. And did we mention the chef?! James Benson from Benson of Broadway came over to cook our celebratory dinner, and we seriously cannot rave enough about James and his culinary brilliance.

Call all the members of your family, book a holiday Big Cottage and we’ll come over to take timeless photographs documenting your time together.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

8 Top Tips To Truly Tremendous Holiday Snaps Part One

People often say to me that they are disappointed by photos of their family – they just don’t seem to look as good as they should. When you are on holiday, whether it is Bermuda or Bognor, you want photos that you can look at and love, and there are a few simple things that can really make a big difference.

So here is part one of my 8 top tips to truly tremendous holiday photos…

I spent an hour with my own family and a couple of cameras at the seaside (one of them was an affordable consumer camera, to show that you don’t need thousands of pounds worth of kit to get good photos), to show you just what I mean.

“a few simple things that can really make a big difference“

One: Compose yourself…

Think about where your subject is in the frame. Often people put their subject right in the middle of the screen, but having them off-centre can make a real difference to a photo. There is a simple rule that you can follow – the rule of thirds. This is where you draw an imaginary grid over your scene, with two vertical and two horizontal lines dividing the picture into thirds. If you look at photos or paintings across the years you will notice that artist have used this rule for centuries.

Techy Tip - most new camera will have a setting to put ‘rule of thirds’ lines on the viewing screen (they don’t show up on the picture, don’t worry), so you can get used to using this simple but effective rule.

Two: Set things up & let them happen…

It is great to get some posed photos of everyone on holiday, but also just let things happen – if your children are engrossed in something just stand back and photograph things as they happen naturally. You can get some really lovely shots that reflect your child’s personality, whether that is calm and considered, or into everything at 100 miles an hour, try and predict what you think they might do, and just see what they do.

Three: Get high. Get Low…

As an adult it is easy to take photos from where you are standing, but if you want to really make your photos stand out think about moving away from eye level. For children and animals get down to their level and your pictures will be so much more intimate. You could also get up high for a different perspective – try standing on a wall and looking down at your children

Four: Look for something different…

Get the obvious shots, but once you have done that try and get something a bit more unusual – just experiment. Look for unusual backgrounds, try a different view and have some fun. Why should all your holiday photos look the same as everyone else’s? If you have a family group, try dotting them around the photo in different or quirky way, and don’t forget, you don’t all have to look at the camera and say ‘Cheese’ (my pet hate…) – some of the most fun photos are when you are interacting with each other.

So, that’s it for Part One. Part Two is here, so grab your camera and your children and practice in the garden before you go away for your holiday.

Posted in portrait photography | Tagged family, holiday, james crockford, photographer, photographing families, photography, portrait, top tips, west midlands | 1 Comment

Chuffed

I love being a member of the Master Photographers Association, they make me work hard to be a member so it makes it a more valuable organisation to be a member of, and it great being able to spend time with other photographers with the same passion for great quality photography as I do.

But then I am feeling extra happy about being with them, as they have just awarded me the titles of both West Midlands Pet & Commercial Photographer of the year and given me Highly Commended awards for one of my Under 5s photographs and an additional Commercial photograph.

So I thought you might like to take a look at the photos that I won the prizes for…

West Midlands MPA Pet Photographer 2011 - Winning Image

Winning Image for West Midlands MPA Commercial Photographer 2011

West Midlands MPA Under 5s Photography - Highly Commended.

West Midlands MPA Highly Commended Commercial Image

Posted in corporate photography, Personal Photographer, pet portrait photography, portrait photography | Tagged birmingham, commercial photography, pet photography, photographer, portrait photography, solihull, warwickshire, west midlands, worcestershire | 2 Comments

Big Recommendation for Big Cottage

We never recommend companies to our clients who we have not experienced ourselves, and so after a fabulous family weekend break with the entire family earlier this year at a beautiful property owned by the Big Cottage Company, we were so impressed and had such a lovely time that we knew we just had to work with them and tell others.

Owners Michael and Catherine Foster are very passionate about what they do – and it shows in the attention to detail which you experience when you stay at one of their properties. Everything, from the fully equipped kitchens to the family friendly items such as the art box, great toys and even suitable crockery and cutlery for the little ones, is carefully considered and provided. This is not just a nod to ‘family friendliness’, it is a full-on understanding of parents need to keep their children entertained in an environment not of their own. These are THE places to stay when looking for a larger house suitable for a family break , reunion or celebration. There are a wide range of properties, all of which are beautifully appointed and in some cases include swimming pools and tennis courts.

We originally found out about The Big Cottage when clients of ours asked us to photograph them whilst at a family celebration at one of the properties – it is the perfect opportunity to get beautifully natural family photographs when everyone is relaxing together and enjoying themselves, and often it is the only time they are all together (we don’t count Christmas as relaxing…). The Goodwin family – three generations of them, met up to celebrate a Golden Wedding Anniversary, so the photographs below are from both that session and our own time at another Big Cottage property.