Personal Projects

Personal projects are a great opportunity for me to relax and really enjoy using my camera. As a full time social and event photographer, I seem to have less time to do these personal shoots, but when I do find the time, it refreshes me and inspires new looks in my professional work.

This image is an old one, taken about 2 years ago at an early morning shoot on an estate just near to Escrick. The gent in the photo is one of the beaters I met as we waited for the weather to lift. The weather never did lift, so although there was no opportunity to photograph the shoot, i did get chance to photograph this classic chap! He had a classic look and I just had to capture it.

I am planning a trip to India in January for an extended period of personal work, a trip which i have been thinking about for many years.

Battery Tips

There isn’t anything worse when photographing a social event than getting the perfect shot framed and ready to take...only to have your battery die on you. It happens!

Of course something that we should all do is to carry a spare set of batteries around with us. One thing to remember is that if you use rechargeable batteries make sure the spare set are kept charged.

Like people not all batteries are created equal. Avoid Carbon Zinc and Alkaline batteries. Though cheap neither type are appropriate for digital cameras.

The best disposable batteries for digital cameras are the powerful Nickel Zinc variety whilst those who use rechargeable batteries should be looking at either NiCad Cell or, preferably, NiMH Cell types.

Using A Monopod

There are sometimes shoots on which, for one reason or another, it is not possible or practical to use a tripod but often it is possible to use a monopod. They hold the camera in the same way as a tripod and don’t require any extra fittings.

As the name suggests they only have one leg and are consequently not as stable as a tripod. But, with a little practise, they can be used successfully.

The biggest plus-point in favour of monopods is their portability. They are very light and can be folded down to a very small size.

A monopod can be used successfully when photographing fast moving subjects with a long lens for example when taking equestrian photography.

Printing Digital Photos

If there is one thing we are all guilty of it is taking lots of great photos and then leaving them gathering virtual dust on our computer hard-drives or even on our cameras memory cards!

We have all done this but with the huge range of cheap inkjet printers available now there really is no excuse for not doing our photos justice by printing them out and displaying them. But which printer should you choose? Here are a few basic tips:

Always choose a ‘photo quality’ inkjet printer. All printers will of course print photos but those that are true ‘photo quality’ will produce the best results.

Select the biggest printer you can afford. Most of us will have to plumb for an A4 but A3 and A2 printers will produce the best quality prints. Of course the larger size comes with a much larger price tag and are usually only used by professional photographers. But, if you are treating yourself, try and look beyond an A4.

Ink is expensive but printers that use separate cartridges for each colour are more economical to run

Software For Digital Photography

If you have purchased a digital camera there was more than likely a CD included with some software to enable you to transfer your photos from the camera to your PC. But once the images are stored on your computer you will need other software for editing and enhancing.

But which is the best package to use?

Most professional photographers will use Adobe Photoshop which does just about every tool you would ever need to manipulate your images. This package is undoubtedly the best to use but the downside for the enthusiastic amateur is its cost. But don’t be put off.

Adobe Photoshop Elements is basically a scaled down version of Photoshop and is a bespoke package for digital photography. It is a very good piece of software, reasonably priced and idea for editing digital photos on either a PC or MAC.

SarahLee & Adam's Wedding Day

I blogged a video of Sarah Lee and Adam's pre-shoot a couple of weeks ago and I mentioned how excited I was to shoot their wedding. As Hull Wedding Photographer I get excited to shoot all of my weddings, but I knew SarahLee and Adam would look amazing together, I think the pictures above prove testament to that.

They had a wonderful day and I was so priveleged to accompany them on their special day.

Firewalking

One of my networking colleagues talked me into Firewalking at the Hull Business Expo a couple of days ago. It was a great experience and this short video made from stills my assistant photographed hopefully gives a little bit of a flavour of what to expect when you do your next firewalking expedition!

Hull Portrait Photographers Insight Photography

As a Hull Portrait Photographer, I had the real pleasure of photographing Lisa, Marcus and their beautiful son Jamie last weekend. Jamie was just as most other 1 year olds are and was a real dynamo.

The real key to success with this type of photography is working with the child and not expecting the child to work for you. To that end, I never bring out my camera until I have spent at least half an hour getting to know and gaining the trust of the children through play. After that it's all systems go! We spent a little bit of time in the doorway of their home getting some gorgeous portriats under our belts and then spent the rest of the session playing in the garden and then off for a walk down a country lane where we found some great features including an old wooden barn door that looked just great when I threw it out of focus.

This type of lifestyle photography has been popular for a few years now and when parents see the results they are often amazed at the number of 'keepers' I am able to show them.

My goal is to tell a story, my aspiration is to bring families together and hopefully with my lens I can help to reveal a family's true nature - that which is already there.

Rachel and Simon's Pre Wedding Session

As a Hull Wedding Photographer, I get to meet the BEST people in the world (at least I think!).

I met Rachel and Simon over three years ago at a wedding they were attending in Aston just near Sheffield. I now have the pleasure of spending their special day with them in just under 2 weeks time.

These images from their pre-wedding session show how passionate they are about their relationship.

Once again, my clients continue to blow me away.