Insight's New Wedding Showreel - Part 1

As an East Yorkshire Wedding Photographer, I have the privilege of meeting the best couples and families in the world! Sharing their wedding days with them and all of the emotions that go with it is a unique experience and gives my work as a photographer a very special meaning.

Clair and Andy got married on the 18th July this year at the Ramada Jarvis in Hull and when I began to think about a couple to ask to help me with my new wedding showreel, I immediately thought of them. Part 1 of the showreel introduces you to Clair, Andy and some of the preparations they went through in finding a wedding photographer and ultimately giving me the honour of capturing their special day. PArt 2 of the showreel will be posted tomorrow, so stay tuned to this channel!

Russell & Suzanne - 09/09/09 - 9 Years Together!

As an East Yorkshire Wedding Photographer I had the pleasure of spending 09/09/09 with my good friends Suzanne and Russell. Here's the story - 2 weeks before their wedding, they decided to get married! I got a call from an excited Suzanne who told me her and her hubby had decided to organise a wedding with 14 days to play with!

The best thing in the world is that on their wedding day (remembering that the date was the 09/09/09) they had been together exactly 9 years! Russell and Suzanne managed to organise the beautiful Hessle All Saints for a Wednesday wedding and then I took them down to the Hessle Foreshore for their 'Penny Drop Session'.

Carol & Rich - Rudstone Walk

As an East Yorkshire wedding photographer I had the pleasure of photographing Rich and Carol's wedding yesterday at St James in Sutton and then afterwards at Rudstone Walk.

Such a beautiful day, Rich being the ever Artful Dodger got what he predicted and the sun shone all day. The East Yorkshire Wolds looked amazing over Rudstone and the clear skies made for an epic background for their 'Penny Drop Session'

A selection of images in the collage show how great the day was, a lovely family, great friends and a super vibe all day. Can't wait to show the story of their day when Carol and Rich get back from their honeymoon.

A Couple More Tips For Better Photos

Following on from a previous post, here are a couple more very quick tips on getting a little extra from your digital photography:

1. Remember your focus.

Get closer to your subject. Fill the frame with your subject and there will be no doubt as to what the picture is saying.

2. Don't put your subject dead centre.

Try putting your subject just slightly off centre; not a lot just a little. When you’re shooting groups of people, find the imaginary center line of your group and put that line just a bit off centre in your view through your lens or screen.

Andrew Crozier is well known as an East Yorkshire wedding photographer and portrait specialist

Quick Tips On How To Take Better Pictures With A Digital Camera

Here are three really quick tips on getting a little more from your photography:

1. Always be aware of the background.

You don’t want to find trees growing out of people’s heads or a passing vehicle to draw attention from your subject. Pay attention to the background as often moving your subject just a couple of steps to either side can make all the difference.

2. Use available light.

If your digital camera has an option to turn the flash off and it’s light enough outside to read a book, then use the available light, and turn the flash off. In general camera flashes are too harsh for human skin and make all of us look pale. Indoors, where there isn’t enough daylight, place your subject by a window and use your fill flash feature.

3. Aim your camera slightly down at the subjects face.

Also don’t shoot just face on to the person, try a little to the side, a three quarter view, so that you are to see more of their face.

Andrew Crozier is well known as an East Yorkshire wedding photographer and portrait specialist

Amanda Evans Consultancy - Headshot

As a Hull Headshot Photographer, I had the pleasure of working with Amanda Rose today of Amanda Rose Consultancy. Amanda is a life coach and counsellor and is in the process of a website overhaul.

We spent about an hour this afternoon creating a new set of headshots using natural light and reflector panels alone. I used my Nikon D700 set at 1/200th Sec @ f5.6 800 iso with the gorgeous 24-70 2.8 nikon lens for lovely control of the background.

Creating this type of natural 'true nature' headshot is what I do best, it's a honest statement and one which I hope will help towards Amanda's business growing and growing.

History Of Photography - Part 5

The move to photography as we know it today occurred in the late 19th century.

George Eastman developed a process which removed the need for photographic plates and toxic chemicals to be carried around by photographers. The new format involved dry gel on paper or film.

With the launch of the Eastman Kodak camera in the summer of 1888, virtually anyone could take photographs. The slogan was "You press the button, we do the rest" and in 1901 the first mass appeal camera - the Kodak Brownie - was put on the market.

Quality improved with the introduction of 35mm film – the 35mm Leica camera was introduced in 1925.

Subsequent developments in photography have been remarkable, as colour film, automatic focus and digital cameras have achieved popularity.

Insight are specialists in producing Hull corporate photography for businesses based in Hull and Yorkshire

Claire & Nick @ Ramada Jarvis

As a East Yorkshire Wedding Photographer I had the pleasure of photographing Nick & Claire's wedding at the Hull Ramada Jarvis today. Such a beautiful wedding, with a beautiful family surrounding the whole day. Claire looked gorgeous and the light really helped today as it wasn't as bright as last weekend. Met some Canadian guests who knew the bar I helped to run back in Port Dalhousie, that was such a great blast from the past!

A little selection of images from the wedding above and I can't wait to show Claire and Andy their collection when they get back from Egypt with little man Riley! (He loved the camera all day!)

History Of Photography - Part 4

The popularity of daguerreotype photographs was because they could provide portrait pictures far quicker than the traditional oil painting.

Also the growth of the middle class, with artistic pretensions and the cash to spend, led to growth in demand for portraits.

But the cost of a photo was very high, exceeding £800 at today' prices.

As well as the expense there were other problems with daguerreotype photographs.

Copies of these photos were difficult to produce and they were also fragile, meaning that as well as costing a small fortune they could be easily destroyed.

The solution to this problem was to be handed to the chemists who sought to improve the process of producing photographs.

Insight are Hull Commercial Photographers based in South Cave

How Haddock and Photography come together!

As a Hull Wedding Photographer, I took this photo on my day off in sunny Brid! For all of you who know the East Riding of Yorkshire, Brid is a coastal town famous for it's beaches and fishing haul.

I was waiting for commercial job to start in a restaurant and whilst I had time I noticed how amazing the harbour looked, couldn't but resist to the frame above and it coninuously reminds me how beautiful this part of the country is. I feel reallly lucky to live in East Yorkshire, it's our hood and let's dance around!

Rob and Emma - Millhouse - Skidby

As a Hull Wedding Photographer, I had the pleasure of spending yesterday with Rob and Emma who tied the knot at St Peter's Church in Anlaby and then onto The Millhouse at Skidby.

We couldn't have asked for a better day, every detail was straight from a fairytale and nothing short of a feast for my camera! In fact the weather was a little too good as my Nikon Flash units worked double time to overpower the intense September sunshine!

Mark and Graeme at the Millhouse did an amazing job with their unique brand of hospitality and anywhere that has Peroni and Becks on tap is a keeper in my books! Their venue is perfect for couples who want a stunning setting with amazing food and the greatest of attention to detail.

Our early evening 'Penny Drop Session' was a joy with Rob and Emma in such an amazing environment with Skidby Mill and the Millhouse as our backdrop.

I can't wait to share the collection with Rob and Emma when they come back from their honeymoon in Hawaii, San Francisco and Las Vegas congratulations to you both - I had a blast yesterday!

History Of Photography - Part 3

One of the early innovators in photographic technology was Slovene Janez Puhar who invented the process for putting photos on glass in 1841.

This earned Puhar recognition at the French Académie Nationale Agricole, Manufacturière et Commerciale on July 17th 1852.

A year earlier Frederick Scott Archer developed the collodion process, which was used by children's author Lewis Carroll, whose photos are popular to this day.

Meanwhile,the daguerreotype photographic process,developed by Louis Daguerre in the late 1830s, was enjoying continuing popularity as the demand for photos continued to grow.

But Daguerreotype photos were expensive to produce. This led to a revival in William Fox Talbot's inspired, but secret process.

Insight are Yorkshire commercial photographers based in South Cave near Hull

Doing the Work I Love

Hopefully you will have gathered from my past blogging, that as a Hull Wedding Photographer, I am extremely passionate about what I do. I feel so very privileged to do work which is never boring, always fulfilling and brings me into contact with some of the most amazing people.

I thought I'd share some images which show me doing what I do best and that is working with couples to create memorable images for their albums. The images above were shot during Jane and Neil's wedding which took place at Rowley Manor on the 8th August this year. They were an awesome couple to work with and in fact I am going to see them tonight to show them the 399 photographs that I have selected from over 1500 I shot on the day. I think Jane will need a box of Kleenex when she sits through their story!

History Of Photography - Part 2

Louis Daguerre, a former collaborator with Nicéphore Niépce in early photographic techniques, made a major break through in 1839 developing a process called daguerreotype.

This used silver on a copper plate and is still the basis of the process utilised today in Polaroids. The French government seized on the development and bought up the Daguerreotype patent.

There were also developments across the English Channel where William Fox Talbot was working on a similar process to the daguerreotype, but had kept his findings a secret.

By 1840 he had invented the calotype process,which enabled him to produce positive prints.

Constant battles defending his patents saw Fox eventually give up his research in photography.

Andy Crozier specialises in Hull wedding photography and is now accepting bookings for 2010/2011

History Of Photography - Part 1

The forerunner to photography was the ability by artists to trace scenes onto canvas with the aid of projected images.

They were able to do this from as early as the 16th century using the camera obscura and the camera lucida.

These early cameras were not able to fix an image. That did not happen until 1826 when a Frenchman named Nicéphore Niépce produced an image on a polished pewter plate covered with a petroleum derivative.

The exposure time as an incredible eight hours and he later went on to improve his photographic technique using a silver and chalk mixture which darkens when exposed to light.

Niépce refined the process further when he formed a partnership with Louis Daguerre. When Niépce died in 1833, Daguerre carried on his work.

Andy Crozier is a Hull wedding photographer and portrait specialist

Sam & Gary - Tickton Grange

As a East Yorkshire Wedding Photographer, I had the pleasure of being with Sam & Gary who married at St James's, Hull and held their reception at Tickton Grange, East Yorkshire today. Such a beautiful day, such a beautiful couple, lots of great photo moments and tried a few new techniques today which I know Sam and Gary will really love.

Off camera flash was the order of the day with East Yorkshire clouds giving an amazing backdrop, couldn't ask for anymore! I actually shot more pictures today than I I ever have at any other wedding and I can't wait to put the story together.

The church was gorgeous, Tickton Grange, as always were impeccable and the couple were a joy to work with and I'm sure an amazing album will follow!

Yoga Meets Commercial Photography

As Hull Commercial Photographers, Insight Photography are often asked to create images for businesses that need to position their products and services in a modern and creative way. The shot above was made today for the Village Hotel, which is located on Henry Boot Way in Hessle, East Yorkshire. I work quite closely with this hotel on a number of their commercial photography projects, but this one today was a little different.

Tracy, the leisure club manager is also the national training manager for all of the Village Hotel's lesiure clubs and is presently re-writing all of the training manuals for the different style of fitness classes they offer. She asked me to create a portfolio of images that she could use to train instructors in what is called 'Velocity Stretch' - a hybrid of yoga and pilates, both of which I have a keen interest in myself.

We set up and photographed around 55 different poses, all of which had to show the stretch/pose in perfect form. Sarah, our model, is an experienced Yoga and Pilates instructor who held the moves for us as I captured them and let me say, anybody that says that Yoga is not demanding should see some of the moves Sarah pulled off today!

The shots were made on my Nikon D700 with the 24-70 mm 2.8 lens attached. I had a Quantum QFlash camera left into a white shoot through Brolley with an SB800 flash gelled red camera right for a little accent/fill. The camera settings were 1600 iso, 1/250 sec at f5.6

To see more examples of my commercial work please check out my portfolio at http://www.insightphotographers.co.uk/COMMERCIAL.aspx.