Bank Holiday Monday

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is Prince's Park in Irlam, an area I used to cover for the Cadishead and Irlam Guardian until 1982. It should be a lot busier than this today though, as it's the site of an annual August Bank Holiday festival. I hope the weather's behaving for everybody. Bank Holidays meant only one thing as a press photographer .. you'd be guaranteed a really busy day as you tried to cover all the events going on in your 'patch'. And this particular Bank Holiday will always stay in my memory, as it was the date of the very last wedding I shot in the UK. Great memories .. 

Mama Mamiya ..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's a Bank Holiday weekend in the UK, the last break before that long, slow slog to Christmas. The date means something else to me now because, six years ago this weekend, I photographed the last wedding I would ever shoot before I moved to France. It began at a church in Altrincham and moved to a reception in Manchester city centre, and I remember sitting at a roof-top bar whilst I waited for the meal to finish, reflecting that I would probably never do anything like that again ..

The thing is, I thought I'd miss it like hell. After all, I'd concentrated on wedding photography for seventeen years up to that date. But the surprising thing is, I didn't. Once I'd got into the swing of life in France, I never gave wedding photography a second thought. (In fact, I've even turned down the offer of shooting a couple over here). Those days have gone. I'm a different 'me' now. A retired 'me', a more relaxed 'me', a 'me' that doesn't have to work all the hours God gives me just to maintain a presence in a completely flooded and clichéd market. So never again will you see me at Peckforton Castle, up a ladder with a Mamiya RZ67 Pro strapped to the top, shooting a mere twelve frames before I had to change the film ..

Come to think of it, they were bloody great, those days ..   

Four years!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's the late summer Bank Holiday Monday in the UK, a date that will stay with me forever. It was on this day, incredibly four years ago, that I photographed my last ever Wedding in England. Now, as I sit here - completely retired - it feels a different world. Weddings filled my days back then .. either shooting them or editing them or promoting myself and looking for bookings. Man, the hours I spent trying to get couples to book me for their Big Day. I don't miss it a bit ..

Ten years into the future ..

I had the most lovely surprise yesterday ..

"Just wanted to say hi .." said a message I received. "Ten years ago today you photographed our wedding at Manchester Town Hall. You probably won't remember it as you've done hundreds but you did make our day and we've got lots of captured memories thanks to you."

Well, of course I remember it, and what a lovely message .. and how absolutely wonderful of the couple to think of me on their wedding anniversary. It really made my day ..

'Future Everything' said the poster that I posed them by all those years ago and now that we're in 'the future' it just reinforces the importance of a good set of Wedding photographs. It makes me feel great to think of all those 'hundreds' of couples who now have a set of my photographs in their homes ..

Happy anniversary, Judi and Chris ..  

Best foot forward ..

Here's an intriguing photograph for you! I took it last weekend during what will probably be the last shoot at the studio, as I'm now busy taking down all the gear to move it over to its new location ..

The picture will be used at Bent's garden centre near Culcheth as part of a children's adventure game. Not quite sure of the details but I'm looking forward to seeing the shot in situ ..

So yes, the studio is on the move and I am - as they keep saying at Euro 16 - on the front foot.

It's going to be great being based at The Village Club, as I'll be able to work at any time from 9am until 'chucking out time' at 11pm and anyone coming in for a shoot will be able to get refreshments whenever they want ..

Anyway, time for me to hot foot it to Salford. I have a great Wedding tomorrow involving the Tudor grandeur of Ordsall Hall and the stark modernism of the Imperial War Museum North.

A boat trip down the Manchester Ship Canal will connect both venues. I can't wait!..

Getting my back up ...

I've had some lovely words said about my websites lately - both the StudioFiveFour and Manchester Wedding Photography sites - and they've coincided with a chat I was having with another photographer about 'the old days', when a snapper would have to physically lug a portfolio around to clients when he was looking for work. Nowadays you just shove some shots on a website and wait for the work to roll in! Makes it so easy for anyone to seem like they are a photographer, doesn't it?..

I was covering a dinner for a company the other evening - I shot today's picture there and I'll expand on that in a minute. One of my 'tasks' was to get photographs of couples as they arrived at the event. One couple I photographed who, please bear in mind, worked for this company!! .. told me how strange it was for them to be on the 'other side' of the camera. When I asked what they meant they told me they were both 'photographers' too. "Oh, you're photographers for the company..?" I asked "Oh no.." they said "We do Weddings on the side ..."
I hope they're paying their taxes!!..

Anyway, now that I've calmed down I'll tell you about my photo today. I have a long-term project called 'Social Seen' - based on .. well, things I've seen at social events! Today's shot is one of five I got from Friday's dinner. A veritable flock... 

Normality ..

Back to normality at last and that, for me, means another whole Wedding to edit and a new Wedding album to design before I buzz off to shoot my next Wedding in less than three weeks time. Something that wasn't so normal was a phone call I had yesterday from a young bride-to-be who wanted to talk about Wedding photography. She was ringing from Norway!..

On the Joy Division front I'm quite excited too, as it looks like I'm going to be part of a new exhibition later on this Spring in Macclesfield. Off for a meeting about that this Saturday..

Actually, I said we're back to normality and that often means me having a grumble on the old blog! Well, who'd want to start a New Year by complaining? Certainly not me! I'll leave that for tomorrow's blog ..

Strut yer stuff ..

Now I'm not one to blow my own trumpet .. sorry, I'll just wait for the laughter to die down .. but I had two lovely things said about me this past week.
Unsolicited testimonials, as it were!..

The first concerned my pr work at the Motorcycle Live show last week. I was tasked with getting lots of detail shots of quite a number of machines on show, and the company I was doing the work for then fed them onto their Facebook page throughout the week to show the range and style of the motorbikes. They received a comment which they passed on from a chap who wrote to them saying "With images as good as this, you almost don't need to go to the show!.."

The second feather in my cap was very unexpected. One of Lesley's friends was married at Crewe Hall a year or so back, and I was invited in the evening as a guest. Well I'm not very good at doing 'Wedding guest' so, of course, I passed the time wandering the room and taking the odd shot or two. At one point the bride jumped onto the illuminated dance floor and started to 'bust some shapes'. She was wearing some really high shoes, which I closed in on - foot fetish and all that - and shot with a hint of movement. Lesley told me on Sunday that that shot was the bride's favourite picture from her entire Wedding!..
   

The Photographer's Apprentice ..

The phone rang bright and early yesterday and a young lad asked if he could speak to Martin O'Neill. "Wassup?.." I said, in my best 'down wiv de kids' voice. "Hiya, mate!.." he said, blandly "Have you got any apprenticeships in photography?.." Delighted that I was his mate already, and detecting no hint of sarcasm whatsoever in his voice, I politely told him I hadn't. "What area of photography?.." I asked, out of curiousity. "Weddings .." he said "Where the money is!"..

If I'd had an old-fashioned phone I'd have banged it down on the cradle there and then but, this being my mobile and, therefore, requiring me to remove it from my ear, wait for the keypad to illuminate again and then stab the red phone image - none of which I could be bothered with as I was walking home with a bag of shopping - I was forced to carry on the conversation. "I think you'll find it's not as lucrative as you think.." I said, helpfully. "Why not?.." he asked, slightly put out. "Because there are so many people trying to get into it!!" I barked!
I don't think he picked up on the vibe!..

I always used to say that if you had to ask how to be a photographer, then you'd never be one and, Lord bless 'im, I don't think 'my mate' will be challenging me for bookings any time soon..   

How lovely ..

Well, you could knock me over with a feather! Just gone 10 on a Sunday morning, and I've already received an email from a young lady I've never met saying I was a "very highly recommended" photographer and she'd be "happy" to have me as her Wedding Photographer next year!..

Am I still in bed, dreaming? What a fabulous start to a Sunday! Thank you so much, Melissa! I'd love to be your Wedding Photographer!..

How lovely ..

Beware the cowboys ..

I've probably told you that I play badminton. Unfortunately, I'm the man who put the bad in badminton as, despite all the years of trying, I'm still absolutely hopeless at it! I sweat, I strain, I try to take on the advice of fellow players and yet nothing improves my game. I am not a natural sportsman. I just can't do it...

But the thing is, I look like a badminton player! I've got the expensive racket and the fancy 'wick' sports shirt, not to mention the serious looking strap to keep my tennis elbow in check, so when I turn up on the court I look like I know what I'm doing. A bit like all these people who say they are Wedding Photographers, in fact! Good camera = proficient photographer, eh? Not so! The thing is, I've joined yet another Wedding site on Facebook and am encouraged to see a lot of posts from Brides-to-be about the dangers of 'cheap photography'. Don't tell me the message is finally getting through!??..

I thought this shot of a 'cowboy' atop a Wedding cake would illustrate today's blog perfectly. Now where's me shuttlecock?...    

God bless America ..

Interestingly, I now get more readers of my blog from The States than I do from the UK! Hi, y'all.. and thanks for checking in! I wonder what you make of my typically English humour, and my good ol' British rants and moans! It'd be nice to hear from one or two of you, if you have the time..

How much difference is there between American and British Wedding Photography? I know that, on my travels, I've come across a couple of American photographers giving talks about Wedding photography, and it comes across as so much more based on 'set poses' rather than spontaneity or free-flow. One guy was even selling a small book of images of 'set-poses' which a snapper could clip to his or her key-ring so that they could work their way through a 'repertoire' of poses. This, I shuddered to hear, was so that the photographer didn't get sued by the couple if they missed off a shot from the collection! Yowzer! I don't think I'll be working in America anytime soon ..

Pin it ..

Phew, I'm all pinned out! I've just spent the whole morning adding over 100 new images to my Pinterest Wedding board. I thought it was about time for an update and I'm really pleased with how it's all looking now. Click on the montage to see it larger ..

So, off we go into the second half of August and I still have another two Weddings to go before the month's out. Next week sees me back at Willington Hall - one of my favourite venues - and then the week after I'm off to Southport to shoot the Wedding of an old friend of mine. It's actually her second Wedding and yes, I did shoot the first one .. way back in the nineties! It'll be odd to be photographing a 'bride' for the second time but hey, despite my rose-tinted slushy old view of marriage, I have to accept that they do sometimes break down! Just don't try and pin this one on me ..

Gizza hug ..

These are literally the first and last shots from last week's Wedding. I thought it was so great that the whole day was wrapped with hugs! To me the shots are so honest yet capture the all-important minutiae of the day - the toast and jam of the 'first' Wedding breakfast of the day, the bride with the orange juice for the Bucks Fizz and - at the other end of the day - the groom and a pal proving they might have sampled quite a lot of those drinks during the day! This is what Wedding photography's about. Forget all that posed crap that seems to pass as the 'right way' to shoot Weddings these days - silhouettes, smoke bombs, blurry shots through trees and railings! It's all art for art's sake! A lot of Wedding photographers seemed to have crawled up their own proverbials, and they're staying there. Well great, 'cos I'm happy to say there are still plenty of brides and grooms that can't be bothered with all that fakery. They're the ones that book me, and get the nitty-gritty of it all. Captured moments that actually happened on their Wedding Day. Now, of course I'll shoot a great set of 'posed' shots too. One just doesn't need to go over the top, that's all! Real Life! Just saying ... 

To have and to hold, maybe ..

There was a programme on TV last night called 'Married at first sight'. I didn't watch it, so this blog is only based on what I heard on Breakfast telly this morning, but it seems the concept of the programme is that two people are 'scientifically' matched to suit each other and the programme makers then proceed to marry them off - the couple only ever meeting each other at the moment they marry. Now, as I say, I haven't watched it, so will reserve judgement until I see it on 'Catch-up' but, excuse me, isn't that just taking the p*ss out of the whole concept of marriage? Ok, I can accept that in some cases this might work but, in general, this to me seems almost disgusting. One of the joys of Wedding photography is seeing that moment when two people - IN LOVE - are actually, actually, actually married! It's a joy to behold! To be continued ..

  

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.......

Buzzin' ..

A particularly Mancunian expression but it sums up nicely how I feel about today's forthcoming Wedding. I think it's going to be Buzzin', our kid! Great couple, fab Manchester venue, good weather (Sh!) and a really laid-back vibe about the whole day. Even the toastmaster has put in a good word for me, telling the bride she's in "good hands" with me as the photographer! All I know is, just like a bee, I'm gonna be really busy this afternoon...

Pr, Weddings .. and churches!

Ok, that's the Mexican Ambassador shot - Hmm, I'm sure there's a better way of phrasing that! - and I'm onto other things this fine summer's day. Actually, I'm supposed to be photographing a church for its website but the weather's not looking as fine or summery as you'd want on your web pages, so that might get postponed until tomorrow..

I got a great Wedding booking last night. One phone conversation after dinner and a confirmed booking by 8.30pm! Now that's how it should be done! Some people take such a long time to decide on their photographer. I mean, I understand it's a big decision but some couples, like last night's, just go with their gut feeling and get the job done rapido! So, it's off to the Imperial War Museum North next summer. Can't wait ..

You have to laugh ..

It's freezing cold, blowing a gale and raining on and off. The ground is soaked, the skies are grey and .. I'm off to Rookery Hall to shoot a Wedding!  Never mind, the show must go on. It'll buck up later, and all those other clichés ..
Still, you have to laugh!..

PS: It's half an hour since I wrote today's blog. The sun is out, and blue sky is beginning to dominate. I'll be complaining soon that's it's too bright for my photography! Then I'll definitely have to laugh ..

Falling for you ..

I went to the doctor yesterday. The old shoulder has been giving me 'gip'! Turns out that's why .. 'cos it's old! Degeneration! OMG! (And I thought it was only my grey matter that was going downhill!) Anyway, painkillers with possible physio in the future and that's that. The doctor, who I'd not seen before, was a very nice young Indian lady who looked at my notes and said 'Degeneration's not really surprising, you know, looking at the lifestyle you lead.." "Oh?.." I uttered, with a sharp intake of breath and slight reddening of the cheeks! "Well.." she said "Badminton, swimming, photography..." Phew! I nodded my head, enthusiastically. "How often do you take photographs?.." she asked. I laughed, and pulled open my jacket to reveal the Fuji X10 around my neck (Yes, I know...) "As often as I can.." I smiled "I have the studio across the road.."
"Oh.." she said "Have you got a card?
I'm getting married next year!.."

I was editing Friday's Wedding yesterday, and came across the picture I'm showing you today. It was one of those shots I knew I'd got as soon as I fired the shutter. The briefest of moments as the little flower girl - called Poppy, appropriately! - took a tumble during the line-up. I put it on my Facebook page last night and, when I checked this morning, it had been viewed by 475 people!
Well, I nearly fell over backwards!..