Getting my fix ..

I've had a fantastic weekend, with a Wedding on Saturday and a Wedding Fayre on Sunday. I actually had to leave a photograph of myself on the sideboard so that Lesley would remember what I looked like ..

Saturday was fab, with the Wedding of Jane and Christian in Winsford and a reception at the delicious Willington Hall near Chester. I love this intimate little moment as the newly-weds emerged from the church. Many congrats, you two ..

Sunday was spent at Hollin Hall, where I had a stand at their Wedding Fayre. I spoke to lots of lovely new brides and have my fingers crossed I'll be shooting for at least a couple of them very soon ..

There's now a break in my bookings until next month, so it's just as well I got a good Wedding 'fix' when I could ..

Un-Fayre ..

I had a great day yesterday at the Willington Hall Wedding Fayre -  and I still don't know why it's always spelt like that - meeting lots of 'new' brides and hopefully paving the way for bookings well into 2019. It prompted me to design a new page on my website, showing a full day's Wedding Photography at the venue. You can check it out here ..

Our neighbour dropped dead the other day, aged 72. That follows on from the death last year of my friend at just 65. I know life's a bitch but why are other people of that era like .. ooh, say .. Donald Trump .. just allowed to go on and on.
Life's so unfayre sometimes ..

On show ..

The whole point of being a photographer is to have your work seen by other people, so it's particularly pleasing that there are two of my shots currently being used on Facebook by Wedding venues that I work at. Willington Hall and Hollin Hall are both featuring my photography to promote events - a Wedding Open Day at Willington and a Sunday Lunch. I've been invited to take part in the Wedding event as one of Willington Hall's recommended photographers, and I'm being featured by Hollin Hall because I'm the only Wedding photographer they recommend. How's that for a showing?..

News Flash ..

I was in Photography Heaven yesterday. I'd just received a fantastic message from last Saturday's bride when I got an email saying I'd been nominated in a Wedding Industry competition. Then, just as I'm basking in all of that, the local news comes on and I get a name-check and two of Monday's PR shots shown on telly ...

To fill you in on the detail ..

Emma, pictured here with her cheeky kilt-wearing hubby Tom at their Wedding at Willington Hall, sent me a brilliant message saying they were "amazed" by their photographs - yes, of course they're already edited and online for them - and that they 'couldn't have asked for anything more". How lovely ..

Then .. Hollin Hall Hotel sent me an email to say they'd nominated me in the 2016 UK Wedding Awards. In the photography section I hope. Ha ha ..

Then .. A PR job I shot for the Intu Trafford Centre on Monday got featured on North West Tonight, replete with tasty byline. Stonking ..

Sunny prospects ..

The low seasonal sun was dazzling as I set off to Saturday's Wedding at Willington Hall. I was determined to get an Autumnal shot for the happy couple and delighted I came away with this picture. The pesky sun was in and out all day, causing me all sorts of problems with the light but still, it was better than the hammering rain we'd had the day before ..

There'll be plenty more water at today's PR job, as I'm off to catch a Waxi this morning! That's a Water Taxi to you and I, in which I'll be travelling on the Ship Canal with Father Christmas to launch this year's 'Santa's Grotto' at Manchester's Trafford Centre. I just hope the sun shines ..

Hats off ..

Time to put the Wedding hat on again, as I'm off to Willington Hall tomorrow for a bonfire cracker of a Wedding ..

I was looking for a suitable photo to accompany today's blog and came across this one, from a Wedding a while back in Blackpool, and it occurred to me that I've not seen a top hat at a Wedding for absolutely ages. I guess they're finally out of fashion .. at last. The last time I saw one it had 'Do not throw for photographs' printed on the label inside. Perhaps those pesky photographers have bashed all the hats out of shape. Good ..

(Please God, don't let tomorrow's groom wear a top hat!!)  

Some days are just perfect ..

What a great start to the working week! Monday began with two emails from brides enquiring about booking me for their Weddings - one at the wonderful Willington hall and one at a private venue in London. If that wasn't enough I then went across to the studio to find this Thank You card waiting for me .. from Claire and Stephen, whose Wedding I photographed at Mere Court in between Christmas and New Year. My favourite line? "You seem to have captured every little detail.." - a statement that I hope is not lost on all the great Brides-to-be I met yesterday at the Hollin Hall Hotel Wedding Fayre.

All this and, as it's Lesley's birthday, I get the day off, too! Life is sweet ..

Big Wedding! ..

Man, I'm shattered today! Yesterday's Wedding brought in a haul of 1,655 images .. a record by a long chalk! The fact that there were five after-dinner speeches and twenty-four seperate family and friend group shots - before I even started on the shots I wanted to do - might have something to do with that but wow, it sure was enjoyable! You can check out Liz and Richard's page on my website here. So, feet up and live American Football on the Beeb for me today, for tomorrow I shall edit ..

Oh, and speaking of Big Weddings! Downton Abbey! 9pm...

Don't get me in the picture ...

I treat you today to the business card of the  taverna we liked the most on our holiday last week. Was there ever a picture designed to put you off going to a place?..

"Oh, God! Don't get me in the picture.." seems to be the attitude of the guy there on the left, with the old dear on the right ignoring the camera by gazing intently at the green rubbish bin on the beach! "Has he gone yet? That bloody bloke with the camera?..."

Fortunately the taverna was better at cooking than photography!..

I'm back at another of my favourite 'tavernas' tomorrow, with another Wedding at Willington Hall, near Chester. Slapped botty to anyone who hides their face with their hands ... 

 

Whether the weather ..

Do not ever - ever - let me blog about the British weather again! On Saturday - as you'll have read - it seemed as if all hell was about to break loose over the gorgeous plains of Cheshire, with tornado warnings and torrential rain promised as the day progressed. I was gritting my teeth and packing towels and a waterproof jacket as I set off for Saturday's Wedding.  What happened? It was the hottest, sunniest Wedding I've shot for bloomin' ages! Having said that, I'm not complaining, although shiny Wedding guests and dazzling sunshine did throw me the odd challenge or two on the day. It was great to be back at Willington Hall, too. Have a look at Emma and Dan's page here...

I was thinking, though. Surely it can't be a coincidence that - on a weekend when the Met Office got things so spectacularly wrong - they also lost the contract to supply weather forecasts to the BBC. Of course it can, but go with it, folks! I just think they're spelling it wrong. It should be called the whether!...

Looking for me ? ..

I went to Southport Air Show yesterday! It was a murky, misty day but the organisers did a good job of making sure the 'show went on'. One of the highlights was, as always, The Red Arrows, and the whole of the impressive - and, indeed, impressed - audience gasped and swooned as the pilots did their stuff. All except this woman! She missed the lot! Must have been the only person on the Esplanade who didn't see The Red Arrows. She wasn't looking, see? She 'watched' the whole performance through her ipad! Oh, and then her phone! Jeez! I despair!..

Anyway, that's the point of today's blog. Looking! And what I'm looking for today is new brides who are looking for a photographer! (Oh, God! You're so corny, Martin!) Anyway, yes, today is the Willington Hall Wedding Fayre - the only fayre I'm doing this season - and, as I type, I'm surrounded by all the albums, frames and thingybobs I'll be putting up on my stand. All I can say is, things are looking good ..

Actually, we own the hall ..

The first time I ever photographed a Wedding at Willington Hall I noticed the field next to it had just been mown. It made a fantastic pattern. "Grab your champers .. " I told the bride and groom ".. and take a hike into that there field!" They did, and this was the result. Some time later another couple came to see me about photographing their Wedding at Willington. "We saw you at work.." they said ".. when you photographed the couple in the field" "Ah .. " I said " .. so you were guests at that Wedding?" "No .." they replied " .. we own the hall...!"

They booked me and I shot their Wedding a year later. A little bit of trumpet-blowing there, should you happen to be going to Willington's Wedding Fayre this Sunday...

Hanging around ..

Amazing what you can find on the web these days .. ho, ho! This is a spider who's set up home outside our back door, shot on my favourite lens - the Nikkor 85mm 1.8 - and, for me, it's a shot that sums up the past few days. I've just been hanging around, basically! Don't get me wrong, I've had a couple of cool shoots in the studio,  a PR job for an Estate Agent and a lovely new booking for a Wedding next August but, overall, things seem to have gone into slow motion. It's just that quiet time between the end of Summer and the beginning of Autumn. Neither one thing or the other...

Still, let's hope things start to gear up after Sunday, when I'm doing my one and only Wedding Fayre of the season. I'll be at one of my favourite venues, Willington Hall, in Cheshire. By all accounts the other fayres in the series have been doing very well, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a good show. Lots of brides! That's what we want! After all, there's nothing worse than going to a Wedding Fayre and just hanging around ..

The only way is Willington ..

Done it! For the first time ever I've managed to book myself a stand at the Willington Hall Wedding Fayre in Cheshire! Doesn't take a lot to get me excited, does it? But seriously, I've been trying for absolutely ages to get into this Fayre and, every time I've tried, it's been fully booked. Even so, I've still managed to shoot a lot of Weddings at Willington - including the owners' - and it remains one of my favourite venues. So roll on September 21st, when I can fly the flag for StudioFiveFour and hopefully ensure I get back there many more times in the future!..

A quick word about today's picture. One of the first shots I ever took at Willington - and it's on film, to prove it -  it was one of those gorgeous summer days when everything was just right! When we arrived at the hall I noticed the field at the side had just been mown into these lovely stripes, so I asked the bride and groom to grab their champagne and take a little walk. The Best Man acted as my Communications Officer, chatting to the couple on his mobile. "Left a bit, photographer says stop there, give her a hug!.."
Fab!...

Dry, dry, dry ..

How did that happen? The weather yesterday couldn't have been any further from what I was expecting for the Wedding. It was bloody glorious! After all that rain on Friday, too .. and before the 'storms' we're supposed to be expecting today! The God of Wedding Photography verily he did shineth down upon me yesterday! In fact, he shinethed a little too much, and I had all sorts of problems with the sunshine. It's been three months since I shot a Wedding at Willington Hall, and already the sun is noticeably lower. Lower as in, shining straight into the lens! Anyway, I think I did ok under the circumstances, and I'm sure Jude and Chris will be delighted with their shots! Have a look here .. see what you think!

Stop Press: I kid you not .. The Doors' Riders on the storm has just come on the radio! It's a sign...

#culchethstudio
www.studiofivefour.com

Wet, wet, wet ..

And so to Willington, in what looks like a brief and very welcome break in the bad weather! Given the amount of rain that fell yesterday I'd think I'll be very lucky if I can shoot today's Bride and Groom down in the field with the venue's famous tree! I spoke too soon when I said that Friday the 13th was lucky, as news came in last evening that the Southport Air Show has cancelled its Sunday section .. the bit I was going to go to .. because of the predicted bad weather! Still, I know we'll have a fantastic Wedding come what may although I have packed my studio lights in case we have to work indoors!

Now, where are my wellies? ..

#culchethstudio
www.studiofivefour.com

Lucky for some ..

Friday the 13th is the start of a really fantastic few days for me! I've got another Wedding at Willington Hall - one of my favourite venues - then I'm treating myself to a day off at Southport Air Show, and then on Monday I have a full day's PR shoot for one of the country's leading supermarkets!

It was mentioned quite a while back that 2013 would be a quiet one for Wedding bookings as it has the number thirteen in it! I think, on the whole, that's been true for every one of my Wedding contacts but the up-side to that is that it's now looking busier for next year. I already have bookings right up to Christmas 2014! There's a chance, too, that my music T-shirts will be marketed out to a large chain of shops across Tokyo, and I've started working on a new exhibition that will open soon in Altrincham. All that and I finally hit my mini-milestone of 300 likes on Facebook! 2013? Lucky for some ..

#culchethstudio
www.studiofivefour.com

Fayre enough ..

Hurrah! I've finally been contacted after paying to have flyers put into goody bags at the Tatton Wedding Fayre .. in February! So, a new bride? A forthcoming Wedding enquiry? Nope .. a call from another Wedding Fayre organiser asking if I'd like to take part in their fayre later this month! I ask you!..

Thing is, I thought it sounded quite good, so I've booked a stand! September 28th! St Margaret's church in Dunham Massey. Saturday afternoon too, with a free glass of wine, so you can pop in once you've done your shopping!

Back to Willington Hall on Saturday for the funky nuptials of Jude and Chris, and I've got strict instructions from Jude's Mum as to what I should be shooting. She wants front and side views of the house and garden, lots of "funny" pictures and a selection of family portraits. Now I don't know about Jude but funny pictures and family portraits are the same thing in my family!!
Say cheese...

#culchethstudio
www.studiofivefour.com

Cor, blimey ..

Yesterday's Wedding had it all .. thunder, lightning, torrential rain, a crash that blocked the motorway to the reception .. and a flood at the venue once we got there! Oh, and a deliriously happy couple who didn't give a hoot about what was going on 'cos it was their Wedding Day! Big cheers to Ian and Dee, who smiled all day and even treated me to a pint of the black stuff once we'd got our shots done! Don't be fooled by that spot of blue sky in the photo, by the way. That was just a scudding gap in the clouds before the monsoon set in again! Looks like more of the same, too, as I head off to Willington Hall this morning for Julie and Sean's Big Day. Fear not! I shall rise to the challenge! Mine's a Guinness..

You snooze, you lose..

I managed to go to a gig on Friday night .. and miss the band I'd gone to see! Farewell, Meat Puppets, I hear you were great! Alright, I'm being a bit hard on myself here because, knowing that the band we wanted to see were the support, me and my pals did get to the gig by eight thirty pm but, by then, the lads'd already played and packed up and we were left to put ourselves through the boredom of three Mudhoney tracks before we called it a day ourselves and went off to drown our sorrows! Aaaagh!!! How annoying! How frustrating! How bloody crazy that a gig at what we still think of as Manchester Uni Students' Union had already put the support band on .. by 8.30!!! I mean, it was Friday night for flip's sake! You'd think the dear students were up for partying 'til at least 11 o'clock! Cripes, I went to see Gary Glitter once (Shhh...!) and even he didn't come on 'til half one in the morning! Sob sob, boo hoo .. I've sulked all weekend and had the mickey taken out of me something rotten! But, as all us good old punks say .. "I don't care!" .... (But I do, and isn't it bonkers that ... oh, shut up Martin!...)

Ahem... and in other news this Monday .. another two Wedding weekend coming up this weekend, and I'm back at two of my favourite venues once again. I'll be at Mere Court on Friday, and good old Willington Hall on Saturday. Now if there's one thing I do freak out about it's being late for a Wedding so, if you'll excuse me .. I'm off to Mere Court. I should definitely be there by Friday...