Hels Bells ..

Bad weather? Well, I'm not saying it was windy at yesterday's Wedding but just take a look at this. The bloody veil blew off! Then it drizzled, then it rained, then it absolutely hammered down .. and all the bride and groom's family group shots had to be done indoors. Still, we managed to get every picture the couple wanted, and more power to Helen and Simon for braving the elements just to please little old me. Many congratulations, guys. Oh, and Hels Bells? It's not a misprint, it's Helen's name on ye olde Book of Face.
Hell's Bells indeed ..

Safe hands ..

As I plan my trip to a Wedding tomorrow there's a family in France gearing up to visit our gîte. I'll be heading off to the countryside of south Cheshire as they travel to the rural peace of Deux-Sèvres, and this is how my summer is going to be. I'll be photographing Weddings here as our gîte rental business takes off there. We're lucky in that we've found an English couple in France who will 'run' the gîte for us until we can get over there permanently in September. It's nice to know it's in safe hands ..

Today's photograph features a bride enjoying a game of cricket with her ushers at Heaton House Farm. That's where I'll be in the morning and, happily, tomorrow's bride will know her Wedding's in safe hands, too ..

Curtain up ..

And so we're back to Monday, and this week sees the curtain-raiser to my latest exhibitions - another chance to view 'I Remember Nothing' - my series of images from the Joy Division Bowdon Vale gig of 1979 -  and 'Down the Line' - a selection of photographs from my archive of 1970s black and white documentary work. They're both on at the funkily-named Deli-Lama cafe in Salford, and are being shown to coincide with Salford Music Festival, coming up in September. I hope you can make it down there!..

Today's picture? Oh, that came from Friday's Wedding at Heaton House Farm, near Leek. A couple of members of staff were just about to part the curtains as the new Mrs and Mrs Angove were announced into their Wedding Breakfast. It was an absolutely brilliant Wedding day! Sunshine, fizz .. cricket! Have a look here! ..

Anyway, off for an afternoon at the studio now and I'll leave you with the worst joke of the century.

Man: Doctor, I keep thinking I'm a pair of curtains!
Doctor: Pull yourself together, man!

Boom, boom ..

(Don't worry, I'm sticking to the photography ...)

#culchethportraitstudio
www.studiofivefour.com

Bowled over ..

Crikey, blimey, it seems yesterday's Wedding really was all about the numbers, 'cos I put a version of this shot on my Facebook page last night and by this morning it had been viewed by .. 710 people!! 'Owzat?!..

Yes, yesterday's Wedding was an absolute cracker and I'm pleased to say that it all worked out fabulously, despite the long distances between all the venues. We got to Heaton House Farm in plenty of time though, and the highlight of the day had to be the impromptu game of cricket that 'broke out' between the bride and groom, which made some great shots as Jen faced up to the bowling of her new husband as she went in to bat! Two PE teachers, you see! Now that really is a marriage of two halves!

Congratulations, guys .. you bowled me over!

#culchethportraitstudio
www.studiofivefour.com

Drive by shooting ..

The sign's in the window and the boy is gone! No time at the studio today as I have an early start on a Wedding over Stockport way. It's going to be one of the more unusual Weddings I'll have done, as there are absolutely miles between each venue. The church is .. wait for it .. 30 miles from where the bride is getting ready, and then we're off to Heaton House Farm, which I reckon is at least another 45 minute drive after the ceremony. Still, it's a lovely day for a tootle in the countryside. I just hope there's going to be time for some photography!!
Laters ..

#culchethportraitstudio
www.studiofivefour.com

Ding dong!...

Phew! Let me pause for breath! What a weekend! That'll teach me to complain about the rain, because no sooner did I reach Heaton House Farm on Saturday than it began to snow, and boy, did it snow! It actually snowed too much to be able to shoot in, and Plan B was definitely in progress as the guests hunkered down in the Hall. Still, job done, and very well too, if I may say! (What? You want me to be modest about my work?..)  So, one more Wedding this year and then I can put my feet up and think about .. next year's Weddings!

By the way, I know it's getting close to Christmas now because I watched Alistair Sim as Scrooge yesterday - the definitive Christmas movie for me! What do you think?...

Rain, rain go away...

No sooner do I think about Plan B - alternate routes through the snow to today's Wedding - than the snow disappears and it starts to pour down. Nowhere near as photogenic, but at least it means I'll be able to travel safely to the venue. Oh, hang on! The Wedding doesn't even start until 3.30.. so I won't be able to do any shots in the snow anyway, and you try getting 140 people to go outside on a dark, winter's evening! Just as well I've been assigned a room to make into a 'studio'...! Bring it on, Heaton House Farm...

Hair today...

Pity the poor punks in Indonesia, shaved of their mohicans and thrown into a bath to be 'spiritually cleansed'! Still, it gives me an excuse to show yet another Olympus XA 'drunkard in a toilet shot', and this one did make it into my book Don't Miss This!

Hopefully there won't be any unrest on Saturday, as my next Christmas Wedding draws closer. I'm at Heaton House Farm, and I'm keeping a close watch on the weather forecast, but we've already decided to shoot Plan B - a studio light in a back room - as the ceremony doesn't even begin until 3.30pm! I'm going to have no daylight to work with at all and the couple have rather a long list of family groups to get shot - photographically, you understand - although I think last week's bride could have happily shot her mother! She got lost on the way to Willington Hall, putting the ceremony back half an hour. No real problem for the Wedding party, but it made all the difference to me as it scuppered any chance of shooting outdoors at this time of year! Grr, where's my gun? My FLASH gun, my flash!....

Aaagh!...

Well, I was right! The weather did play havoc with yesterday's Willington Wedding, and even the poor bride Kate decided enough was enough, calling off any idea I might have to get more posed photographs!
I chanced my arm early on and tried to get my 'trademark' crowd shot organised, but promptly ditched that idea when only about 20 of the 140 guests braved the elements and came outside! There was, however, just enough of a break in the monsoon after that for me to get this shot at the front of the Hall, and then the sun went down and the cloudburst started again! Still, I shot 535 images, and feel really good that I captured the spirit of their lovely Christmas Wedding.

Next week I'm at Heaton House Farm, near Congleton, and that Wedding doesn't even start 'til 3.30 !!