Thinking of summer ..

Delighted to say I've just added another summer booking to the diary but, unlike years gone by, this was a booking for our gîte rather than for any Wedding photography. Funny how times have changed, eh? Yesterday I received a message from my e-mail domain name company, asking if I wanted to renew my 'UK Wedding Photography' domain name. Sadly, I told them 'no', as I won't be needing that anymore. My life is now focused over here in France, where bookings for the gîte are almost as important to me as Wedding enquiries once were. My photography is still the centre of my life of course, and coming soon is a 'Photography Walk' for keen amateur snappers in our village. The weather's getting better and the cameras are out. Seems I'm not the only one thinking of the summer ..

Downhill to summer ..

Time to wheel out Jethro Tull's 'Solstice Bells' for its one and only play in 2016.
It's the shortest day of the year and we're rolling downhill to summer. Bring it on ..

It's also time to cash in those hard-earned Nectar points. I've just bought 18 cans of 'free' beer with my Sainsbury's Nectar card. God knows how much I've actually had to spend over the year to get 'em ..

I think I've officially finished work for Christmas. A pr shoot at a birthday party yesterday was the last thing in my diary so, unless something urgent comes in, it looks like a long, leisurely rest for me until 2017. Perhaps I'll dig out some other records now I've got time ..

How about The Undertones and 'Here comes the summer'? ..

Get ahead, get a hat ..

Hats off to variety, and there was plenty of that at the studio yesterday as I photographed ten day old Noah in a cutesy caterpillar bonnet, and then moved on to feisty 'Tank-Girl' Eleisha and her funky 'steam-punk' army helmet! Click on the images for a closer look!..

Sadly not much sign of needing a sun-hat around these parts at the moment but I live in hope, as does the client for whom I'm working this afternoon. I'm shooting the opening of a new show-home for a building firm, and they've asked me to capture visitors enjoying champagne and a hog-roast and "hopefully" .. as they put it, sunshine! It's not the best summer we've ever had, and if we get a blazing August I'll eat my hat!..

(I had my fingers crossed when I wrote that!...)

Reasons to be cheerful ..

Shot a super Wedding on Saturday, with no fuddy-duddy rules on where and when I could take photographs. Imagine missing out on the chance to shoot great shots like this moment of happiness after the vows! ..

My Joy Division exhibition came to a close yesterday, after a good six week run in Macclesfield. I'm really pleased with how it's gone, but kinda sad that it actually has gone, as I've nothing on the horizon now after two great shows this year. Still, it's July on Wednesday, with promises of warmth and sunshine in the forecast, so it's full steam ahead into summer, at last!
Yeee haaaa.......

Getting a sweat on ..

There's a lot of water around at the moment, what with the 'orrible weather and all that, so I had to laugh when I edited this shot from July for 'one of my brides' the other day. Look at Mike's brow! Dripping with the stuff! Boy, did that guy have a sweat on! Oh, for July's temperatures right now. At least, I think it was the heat, though I know Weddings can be a stressful time for young lads! Anyway, I'm delighted his new wife added this shot to their selection!..

Emily's just one of 'my brides' who's done the 'Christmas thing' and got a spurt on with their picture choices these past few days! It means I'm knee deep in Summer Weddings at the mo although, it's true to say, some of those were as wet as it's been here lately!..

The New Year's looking good for Manchester Wedding Photography, and I've even had two Wedding enquiries this week, something that hardly ever seems to happen this close to Christmas. At this rate, it'll be me that's getting the sweat on ..

Oh, my memory ..

Christine's Birthday Party
Summer 2014

Hot day
Dahlias
Pimms...

****

"Are you Martin?".. asked a young lady I bumped into yesterday. "You took my Wedding photographs!"..

I was embarrassed that I didn't remember her. "When was your Wedding?".. I asked her. "2005 .. " she replied. "Ah.." I said "No wonder I don't remember! I've got a memory like a sieve! How is everything?.." "Oh.." she said "We're divorced, but they were a lovely set of pictures!" ..

Well, it sure is a time for memories at the moment, what with the 100th anniversary of the war and everything, and look how fascinated we are with all those old photographs from the time. Ah, the power of the image. How evocative .. but where the hell will all the images be from today when they look back in 100 years time? The flippant answer for me now is "I don't care!" I won't be here then - unless I'm the healthiest 154 year old on the planet - so it ain't my problem, but I'm sure as hell going to make sure that, at least for my lifetime, my memories get out there to the people who might find them useful...