Rachel and Ian booked their wedding with me nearly two years ago now, so this one was a long time coming but very much worth the wait. They married at Bowness on Solway Church, about 5 mins drive away from my house in an area of outstanding natural beauty on the Solway Coast. After an early start at the hairdressers, we moved on to Rachels’ mums house on the mouth of the Solway in Anthorn, where I shot a mass of images capturing the finer details of the wedding before moving onto the Kings Arms pub where the boys were having a pre-wedding drink. after the ceremony, we moved on to Glasson Moss for more photos. Their venue was the imposing Greenhill Hotel near Wigton, where Malcolm made the day flow like clockwork.
Rachel made a stunning bride and photographed really well and her images are fantastic as a result. Check back here soon for an update once the film images come back from the lab. The photographs at Glasson Moss near Glasson were perfect too. The cars were provided by Monarch wedding cars of Gretna (their cars always look amazingly clean) and the hair was done by The Gallery hairdressers Carlisle. Makeup was done by two lovely girls from the Loft Beauty Rooms at Orton Grange in Carlisle and Rachels dress was from The Wedding Warehouse on Lowther Street in Carlisle.
The wedding was also the first run out of our new entity, the Popup Studiowhich will be coming to a wedding or event near you soon. Thanks for a great day both and I hope you love your images as much as I do.
coming into the church.what a beautiful church to photograph in.Rachel was very natural.Inside the beautiful church at BownessTaken at Glasson Moss.For some reason I just adore this image.Rachel watching some of the group shots.some mixed shots of people milling around.In the grounds of the GreenhillThe first danceAll of the beautiful bridesmaids
A conversation that I had on a blog recently with a friend of mine who has a studio in Bowness-on-Windermere set me off thinking about why I still shoot on film as well as digital. I thought I might clarify this for anyone wanting to book me to photograph their wedding and also add my two cents to the wider debate on film vs digital etc….
Digital images are synthetic versions of their film counterparts, so a digital image is one that seeks to replicate and improve upon the older film process that we used to use to create our photographs. Film is an organic or largely chemical process which works on the same principal as digital of having something behind a focused glass lens to capture an image of whatever your camera is pointed at.
Film: fuji 400 pro vc: camera Nikon F4: 85mm lens.
I found that when post processing my digital images on the Mac that i was striving to achieve a filmic look from the effects that I was employing on the images, bearing in mind that this period was after I had already invested significantly into digital technology, learned how to use it and done my Adobe Photoshop accreditation.
The reality of the situation was that if I shot film, I would make my images look exactly how I wanted them to look in camera. This would mean that whatever came out of the dark room to be scanned would be the finished image, plus a little retouching for imperfections. However……….. There is no denying that digital has its advantages of which the chief advantage is cost. Memory cards can be used for an indefinite period as long as you format and keep them clean, to clean a sensor on a digital camera costs around £35 every two or three months of heavy usage.
Film costs around £7 for 36 images once chemicals to process the film and scanning time at the computer are taken into account.
Shot on a Nikon F4, Ilford HP5 400 film with a 50mm F1.4 lens.
I decided that I would work on a percentage at all of my weddings from 2010 up to the weddings that I will be shooting in 2012 and 2013. That split would be 80-20. 80% digital and 20% film, carrying two cameras at once with the digital backup in my bag so I can always shoot on either, freeing me up to shoot the images that I want to shoot on film and the bulk digitally.
There is no doubt that I am an oddity in this respect as far as how I work with the two mediums together and I can find no-one locally doing anything similar or even considering using film based alternatives to digital.
Digital rules the roost in wedding photography because the technology allows us to do things that with film were impossible, so film has been left behind with only Kodak pushing the technology and Ilford in financial trouble and Fuji struggling to justify opening its plant to produce the stuff.
The future for film looks grim……
shot on a olympus om40, kodak tri-x 400 film and a 50mm f1.8 lens
Does this then mean that images like these will become a thing of the past? Shoe boxes of photos in the cupboard will no longer exist because they are all online in our cloud storage and film cameras will become obsolete with expensive ones going to museums and collectors and the cheap ones going to the dump? For all intents and purposes, yes is the answer. Film will die eventually, no matter how many resurgences it goes through as its production cost will become astronomical. A cost that will be passed onto us as photographers which we can little afford.
shot on a canon eos 50e with a 70-200 f2.8 lens. Ilford fp4 100 film.
So we have resolved that film is expensive and because it is no longer a popular medium, the emulsions used to capture images on film are at least ten years old and it takes a lot of time to develop and get right……
But just look at it.
The range of tones that film can capture, the subtle way that with care you can make light fall off a subject, its muted but accurate colours and the sharpness and clarity with which it delivers black and white make film completely unique.
Its not about delivering an image that your clients are happy with but rather an image that your clients are ecstatic with, being able to reproduce images from negatives that are real and have a permanence, with a tactile finish to each negative and print.
From my own point of view the smell of chemicals used to develop the film at home will be a memory that my little girl can revisit hopefully when she is old enough to pick up a camera. Seeing the negatives soaped and coming off the reel for the first time and knowing that what is on that strip of negatives is going to look exactly how I saw it in my mind when I pressed the shutter on the camera.
shot on a Nikon F80, 50mm f1.4 lens and Ilford HP5.
The reason that my images look so different to everyone else’s is because I use techniques and processes that nobody else has the time or patience to use. My background is in modelling, editorial, fashion and studio work, so my influences are different to everyone else’s too and I take ideas from all over the media from MTV to Vogue, Harpers, ID and a pile of American wedding magazines that I subscribe to and love.
Film is perfect for vintage styled or themed weddings of which I have a few this year and am really looking forward to. The future is without any doubt digital and what I continue to use for at least 90% of my photography and 80%-90% of weddings, but as long as my clients still demand the type of images that only film can produce, it will always accompany the digital.
Shot on a Nikon F4 with an 85mm f1.8 lens and fuji 400 pro film
Some days you just get lucky with certain shots that you take and no matter how much preparation you put into setting up a perfect sunset shot on the front of a beautiful steamer, something random comes along to make that shot even better. As you can see in the shot below taken on Ullswater on an evening cruise, the surprise came in the form of two Eurofighter Typhoons screaming over our heads and directly into shot. You had to be there…. No really, you had to be there, so in many ways I have the RAF to thank just as much as Donna who remained composed throughout.
The lucky shot.
Donna and Scotts wedding was an absolute dream to shoot from start to finish. Jonathan and the staff at the Inn on the lake were impeccable as always and made things flow as smoothly as possible. Sailing with Ullswater steamers was a great way to finish the day that since Scott and Donna come from Scotland, had a distinctly scottish feel to it including piping and an addressing of the haggis by the excellent and Talented Roddy the Piper.
Lyndsey the excellent makeup artist perfecting.
The makeup was applied by the amazing Lyndsey Findlay from the Girls’ home town of Glasgow who was also a guest at the wedding. I was mighty impressed with her makeup style. The girls looked very natural and the smokey look to Donnas eyes was perfect.
The Dresses laid out in the girls room.You can keep your Jimmy Choos and give me Auntie Viv anytime.Inn on the lakes new gazebo. very idyllic.
Donna and Scott chose to get married outside which was a great idea considering that there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It rained all the way down and most of the morning, but the heavens ceased pouring and only started pouring again once we were all inside. Its like me and mother nature had a deal that day as the cruise was nice and sunny too.
We nipped down to the lake and in the grounds for a few more pics.Donna on the way down to the lake.Scott and Donna walking back off the Jetty see their gallery for more.A confetti shot with a difference.I love my job 🙂These beautiful trees were the perfect frame.These shoes are very, very cool.Had to get one with the Aston.Donna and the unintentional shot of the royal ensign.. ahem.Donna and Scott at the front of the boat looking towards Pooley Bridge.
All in all the day could not have been topped off in any other way. Scott and Donna chose the Lake District to get married in, they chose a beautiful location, had beautiful weather, did everything with a little style and panache and I was lucky enough to have been their photographer.
To see more images from their wedding, please view the your pictures section where, if you so wish, you can see the entire day at inn on the lake in full.
This is a wedding that I shot back in 2010, but I thought that people would like to see it as it is from a venue that is little talked about with photographers and wedding planners in Cumbria, but just happens to be one of my all time favourite places to shoot a wedding. Emma & James booked me to cover their wedding here over 18 months in advance, which is always nice. They were both happy to be led by me when it came to their photography and I was in my element with a venue with both history, pedigree and style in Windermere Boat Racing Club.
This is a really exclusive venue which can only hold six weddings a year due to it being a private members club and is neatly tucked away not far from Bowness, just around the corner from Storrs Hall, another great venue.
I can’t go on enough about this place, but if you look up hidden gem in the dictionary, there should be a picture of this beautiful house in the byline. Here are the images from a wedding at Windermere boat racing club.
Please bear with me, these are only the select few that I loved from the day but there are lots more.
The final checks before heading to the church.James waiting to leave Windermere for the church in Wasdale.Emma in front of the art deco windowwaiting at St Olafs, Wasdale Head.Emma and her sister at St Olafs.Back at the boat racing club.at the front of the club looking backwards.The table layouts.Just the two of them down at the jetty.We nicked the union jack from the club. worked a treat.Emma at the end of the pier on Windermere.A final shot at the lakeside.
I know Sarah very well at Mia Bridal, as she is the talented one who designed my wifes wedding dress from scratch. To say she is unique is an understatement as there is nowhere else that I know of that can make a dress from scratch from sketches or drawings that you make yourself. She also stocks dresses from some of the best and most sought after designers in the world. The most impressive (and most famous) of these has to be Jenny Packham, a designers name that passes over every brides lips. Here is a shoot styled by the talents of Fran at goodbye Norma Jean pop up boutique.
Distinctly vintage.Jenny Packham dress number 1.Hairpiece also available at Mia Bridal.Certainly a unique dress from Jenny Packham.Vintage Grecian style wedding dress at Mia BridalFinishing on a high.
An exclusive shoot for Chocolate Tiers cakemakers in Carlisle. This shoot was requested by the owners who wanted something a little more personal than a shot of their cakes taken by a photographer at a wedding fair. I went up to their home and country kitchen to capture the essence of their style of cakemaking which as you can see below is spectacular.
I love vintage country kitchens.Heating chocolate for the cakeThe lazy cat.MMMMMM... Chocolate wedding cakeA final dusting of glitter for this order.Where else will you get a cake like that?
There are plenty of wedding venues in the Lake District. If you throw a stone in Windermere, you are quite likely to smash a window of at least one. In Carlisle however they are far fewer, especially if you want 200 plus guests. The Shepherds Inn commissioned me to produce its new set of images for websites and brochures and here are the results. The Shepherds Inn can hold massive volumes of people for a wedding or event, so give them a call for more info on pricing.
P.s, the locally sourced Lakeland beef is outstanding.
The front entrance of the Shepherds InnThe entrance to the banqueting suite.Lakeland Beef at the auctioneerMartini at the AuctioneerCakes made in-house at the Auctioneer
More to follow later in the month. Thanks to all the staff for allowing me to invade the backrooms and corridors to get the images that I had wandering round in my head.
Another wet day that lead to glorious sunshine at Armathwaite Hall near Bassenthwaite Lake and just up from the thriving Lake District town of Keswick.
I first met Matt and Adele photographing their Husky dogs several years ago now and we have remained in touch ever since. Matt is a keen sled dog racer and owner of Quinaya pet food who some may have seen gracing the pages of the Cumberland News when we had heavy snow in December. He and Adele are like peas in a pod.
Getting ready on the morning of Matt & Adeles wedding
The girls had stayed the night before at the Castle Inn hotel, Just up from Armathwaite Hall and were in the throws of hair and makeup when I arrived, Adele had a fabulous dress from Carlisles wedding Warehouse and the boys hired suits from 1860 tailoring. Everybody looked fantastic and I even caught Matt for a few shots of him alone before proceedings started. Being in the room with the girls as they got ready was great too and I managed to get some of my favourite shots of the day just hanging around in the corner of the room!
Adele in the sunshine at Armathwaite Hall, Cumbria
We avoided showers to get some pictures of everyone outside in groups and also in a documentary style, to give Matt and Adele over 350 images to choose from. We even managed a few shots in the golden embers of the fading sunset. I can’t wait to see the finished Artemis album they have ordered, it will look fantastic.
Adele at the Lime Trees, Armathwaite Hall, CumbriaAdele looked amazing on the windy fire escape.
The evening sun was a treat and bathed everything in a beautiful light.
Can’t ask for a better subject than a beautiful bride on a windy fire escape.
Adele and the bridesmaids had hair pieces from the very bespoke and exclusive Mia Bridal in Carlisle.
I loved shooting Matt & Adeles wedding, I can’t remember the last time I laughed so much at a best mans speech too, which had to be one of the speeches of the year so far. What has to be one of the shots of the day is the shot of Matt with his head in his hands and Adam in full flow next to him, Just caught in the nick of time. Any photographer who does not photograph speeches is missing what is probably the funniest part of any wedding day.
Victor & Jennifer at the Grange hotel, Grange-Over-Sands.
I usually smile when it rains but driving down to Walney Island to photograph the wedding of Victor & Jennifer I most certainly was not. Every road passing through the Lake District was covered in standing water and rather dicey. Passing over the bridge to Walney though, the clouds parted and we were left with a beautiful blue sky.
Jennifer contacted me from Manhattan in New York to see if I would be available to photograph her wedding, she works over there as a scientist and obviously with living in a hub of fashion and fast paced lifestyles was after something a little different. Just looking at her vintage couture oriental style wedding dress was enough to convince me that she would photograph very well indeed.
Victor is from Moscow originally but now lives in Baltimore over in the states, near to Jennifer in New York. Are you keeping up? Great, okay…. Victor and Jen actually got married in New York at Christmas in the middle of one of the worst snow storms to hit New York in half a century, so at the beautiful St Marys in Barrow, they attended for a blessing in front of extended friends and family.
The Transportation on the day was from Cumbria Classic Coaches whom I love photographing with, the church was St Marys in Barrow-In-Furness, and the venue was the imposing Grange hotel in Grange-Over-Sands, Cumbria. Thanks again to all of the staff at the Grange for letting me stash my huge camera bag behind their reception desk too.
Several of the images that you see here were shot on Ilford 35mm black and white film, which is unique in the results that it gives. i believe that photographing with black and white film is a service which I alone provide in Cumbria and lakeland, but the results can speak for themselves.
The wedding of Victor and Jennifer at the Grange Hotel, CumbriaJen in the main doorway at the Grange.The Grange HotelXico shot on Ilford film at the Grange Hotel.Ilford film image shot at St Marys Church at the wedding of Victor & JenThe Table settings at the Grange Hotel.
Shaun & Rachel at Greystoke Country House, Penrith
Just a few images from Shaun & Rachels wedding at Greystoke Country House near Penrith. Rachel looked amazing in a full length gown from Country Dreams bridal shop in Carlisle. The colour scheme was a deep red with a vintage bus supplied by Cumbria Classic Coaches of Ravenstonedale, Cumbria. The wedding was a laid back day with the beautiful backdrop of Greystoke, followed by Carlisle Golf Club, just outside Carlisle for the evening reception. Everyone getting on the bus got a cool ticket as a little momento of the day, which I thought was a lovely touch and we were treat to a lovely sunset over Carlisle with some lovely mist on the golf course. With Wedding Photography, consistency is the key to a successful set of images and amazing album as an end product, so I am putting quite a large selection up here for people to see how a day flows. All of the suppliers did a great job too so if anyone would like to contact them, just click on the highlighted links above. Thankyou Shaun & Rachel for allowing me to create some great images from your day.
Greystoke CastleSean & Rachel at GreystokeSean & Rachel first dance.Carlisle Golf Club
Lake District Wedding Photography, 21 Mill Road, Glasson, Cumbria, CA7 5EE