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
A few photos clumped together in a sneaky preview of Nick and Maggies pre-wedding shoot. The weather was perfect for what is traditionally a rather changeable time of year in the Northern Lakes and we managed to visit several locations. We started on the shore, just a little way from one of my favourite venues, Armathwaite Hall. We then followed the road over to High Ireby to a location very close to my heart as it is where my wife and I moved to when returning to Cumbria. We finished on Binsey Fell, which has fantastic views of the valley below. Nick & Maggies wedding is one that I will be shooting later in the year and by the sound of things, will be one to remember.
I was thrilled with the way the images turned out and especially love the image shot down the track framed by the trees. I look forward to photographing you both on your wedding day!
I was asked by Mark and his band Burn the Negative to head down to London with them for the mastering of their album. Lets face it, I jumped at the chance to go. Being paid for doing something you love is made even better when you get the chance to go somewhere as cool as Abbey Road. My images now grace the inside of the album cover with a beautiful landscape on the front of Rynose Pass, possibly the most unforgiving place in the Lake District. I must admit, going into HMV to actually buy a copy of the album was amazing. The album is just as amazing too and getting to meet Geoff Pesche who has worked with the likes of Depeche Mode and Kylie Minogue was an experience in itself. Click here to buy a copy of the album from Amazon.
Once you have a copy, have a look at the photos in the space below. I shot half of the images on Black and White film and half on digital. It seemed only right to split each image in half! Thankyou Ilford.
What a great album.Everybody was huddled around deciding the track orderGeoff working the most confusing looking desk ever.In the Mastering suite, surrounded by a kings ransom in equipment.” width=”800″ height=”400″ />Love this one. We were all shattered though!
Sorry this post is a little ‘image heavy’ but we covered so many locations throughout the course of the day that I just had to cram them all in somehow. Tara and Nigel had a very relaxed approach to their photography and their day was suitably relaxed to match. They were married at St Marys Church in Rydal, followed by a quick shoot in the beautiful gardens at Rydal Mount, a racing run down to the jetty at waterhead bay and then back to the Merewood to join the rest of their guests. I also got to go in the beautiful camper from splitscreen dreams along the way. If that is not enough to go at, I caught Sebastian Vettel going out of qualifying in Q2 on the radio in the Chinese Grand Prix, so all in all a successful day.
I will cut into the mass of images with updates as you go further down the page.
Tara getting her Makeup done in the beautiful room 2 at the Merewood
The bridesmaids were great in the morning. The mood was very relaxed.A lot of detail and preparation + giggles = great images
After taking a few images of the girls and with 15 or so minutes in hand I decided to drop in on the boys who were getting ready in room 5. There was a little Lakeland ale going on, hip flasks, and a fair ammount of jibing Nigel. Quite a contrast to the girls, but a hoot to photograph all the same.
Yes that is the Grand Prix in the top left corner..Lots of confetti. A lot got thrown too.
Tara and her Dad exchanging a few words before walking down the aisle.
Tara and Nigel at the AltarThe Interior of St Marys is beautiful.
How well do these colours work together? Well done Tara.The groups look great in the church interior.
Tara in a vintage blush tone. This really made the image pop.Great light at the top of St Marys.All of that confetti got used in style.
After leaving the church we headed up to the grounds at Rydal Mount. I had to be careful here as I am familiar with so many images from this location. Going off the beaten track and away from the run of the mill images that other wedding photographers would produce was a must. There are so many images from this location even though we were there only a small amount of time, so I have shown only the ones that I intend to go into the album.
Loads and loads of Tara and Nigel after we left the church.Tara in amongst the amazing foliage at Rydal Mount.
This jetty has been photographed a billion times. Maybe this is an alternative to the norm?
Some images shot in the evening when the light was coloured like parma violets.
What a day. I could show people more from the Merewood, but this post would go over two pages. Congratulations to Tara and Nigel who have a big job getting through the 500 or so images that have just landed in the gallery space. I hope you enjoy them all.
We are doing more and more wedding stories at the Merewood and having a photographer that produces images that are a little more timeless than other styles seems to be a much more popular choice for people.
I drove down through the Lakes for the start of what was to be a great wedding day for Tessa and Andy. The idea was that I was going to drop in on Andy at Windermere Golf Club for his 8am tee off time in the winter tournament there. It was always the intention that Andy would play a round of golf on the morning of his wedding and with him and the best man finishing at 7 under par, the day had begun with a bang.
Starting off on their round.Heading off up the course.
Back in Kendal, the girls were getting ready and opening up the presents that Andy had sent through for Tessa. It was a hoot going through everything with Tessa who was as relaxed as I have ever seen on a wedding day. She had some fabulous Vivienne Westwood shoes and a vintage style dress that fitted her like a glove. Many conversations where had about makeup and the location of Antigua…….. Its not in Spain.
Anglomania by Vivienne Westwood…. Tres Chic.It was only on the morning of the wedding that Tessa found out that she was honeymooning in Antigua!The beautiful dress.
Most of the guests at the wedding came from further afield and most were staying at what is a really unique wedding venue that is styled perfectly for Andy and Tessas semi vintage wedding. They even had an e-type jaguar for the day which all of the men folk were cooing over.
Tessa arriving at the church with her dad.
Lots from inside the church.Tessa holding her Dads hand taken from the back of the church.Tessa smiled all day, so it was hard to put the camera down… I took hundreds just of her on her own!
After going back into the church for the groups, everyone left for the reception, which gave me a little more time top do some shots of Andy and Tessa on their own. The church is on the side of a fell looking over into a huge valley that leads down to Morecambe bay. The view was more than a little hazy, so the most we could make out was the outline of the hills in the distance. It still made for some great photographs though.
Oops… almost forgot about the mass of confetti that was thrown.Looking out over Honeybee wood and the Levens Valley.
OOOOhhh, that E-type!Flawless brides make my days and hours slaving over images seem a little less challenging.
Had less time than expected with Tessa and Andy before they went in for their meal supplied be the delectable Lucys of Ambleside, but managed to get a stack of images done quickly beforehand.
Love the colours in this image.The thing that I noticed on the way in was the road back out. Had to take this.Their first dance was to Zero 7 – Destiny. The band nailed it too.
It felt like the day before that I started photographing this wedding which probably explaines the ammount of images that I had to wade through on the Sunday. I was blown away by how accomodating and friendly everyone was, even after herding people together for a big group shot of all guests. Best of luck in the future both, your album will be amazing….
I have compiled a set of images from 2011 that I consider to be my personal favourites. This may give people who are looking at my site and blog a little more insight into what I am looking for as a photographer. In here there are a mix of set-up images and also some photojournalistic style images and I have put in only one from each wedding that I have attended and there are still more to come from weddings that haven’t even been blogged yet!
David and Abigail at the Merewood Hotel, Windermere
I chose this for the amazing setting, the fact that we fought to get to the location in the first place as it is actually at the Cragwood Hotel. After all that, this image really was worth the effort.
Rachel & Shaun at greystoke, Penrith.
I chose this image of Shaun and Rachel from a mountain of images shot on the day because it really does sum them up. The colouring reflects the vintage feel of the wedding too. Rarely am I happier with a posed image than with this one.
Nicola and Tom at the Punchbowl Inn
Tom & Nicola had two photographers on the day and this was one of my favourites. We jumped back from the church in Grassmere to take this at St Johns in the Vale and is just off the road. We fought a bit of rain to get this shot but it was well worth it.
Andrew & Jill at Armathwaite Hall Hotel, Bassenthwaite.
This is by far my favourite of Andrew and Jill and I think it is theirs too. The depth and height of the trees adds a real perspective to it and by muting the colours is is far less green than the original. Armathwaite hall has so many locations for all types of weather conditions and it is a real treat to photograph weddings there.
Andrew and Kelly at Rheged, Penrith.
Some brides and grooms are up for anything.. Andrew and Kelly were no exception as they jumped at the chance to have images in the IMAX at Rheged. The screen wasn’t actually on and the light is coming from a flash positioned on a boom in front of the screen. Certainly one of the most unique shots from their wedding and a personal favourite. The rest of their images will follow in a blog post shortly.
The wedding of Dawn and Mike at Inn on the Lake, Glenridding
I know that this is quite an odd choice for a favourite, but in a fraction of a second this moment was gone and this was the only time I could get a clean shot as everybody piled onto the dance floor. All of the elements that were required to take it came together for a 60th of a second. A firm firm favourite from this year.
Lucie & Hamish at the Heather Glen Hotel, Ainstable, Carlisle.
This is again, just another moment. I will even admit that this image was not part of Hamish and Lucies’ final selection for their album, but it is one that really makes me smile. Maybe you had to be there to feel the nerves and excitement to appreciate this quiet moment, shot from the hallway. The room was bathed in beautiful sunlight and apart from a little colour correction, this image is largely untouched in photoshop.
Joanne & Paul at the Greenhill Hotel, near wigton.
Joanne said that she wanted something different as a portrait of herself to run alongside the more posed images of her from her wedding day. I love it because this window has been used a thousand times by nearly every photographer covering weddings in Cumbria and after a moment to think, I decided on a partial silhouette. Its a first from me and maybe a first for the Greenhill?
Victoria & Kevin at the Roundthorn Hotel, Beacon Edge, Penrith.
Victoria was luminous on her wedding day and photographed with ease from start to finish. This image stood out mainly because of how it flows from top to bottom and really shows off the vibrancy of her dress, even in mono.
David and Michelle at Abbey House Hotel, Barrow
As far as classic wedding imagery goes, this is it for me and I really could create images like this one all day long. This wedding was shot as part of our two photographer team at Icon Wedding Photography, where you get the option to have two full time professional photographers covering your wedding day. Abbey house is a beautiful venue and one of my favourites in south Lakeland too. There is so much to see there and its potential for great wedding images is huge. We were even shooting once it got dark which I will show you all in a later post.
Matt & Adele at Armathwaite Hall
Matt was getting a real roasting here from his best man, who’s wedding I also covered. Its not a traditional wedding picture and Adel isn’t even in it, but for me this image sums up these two to a tee. For more of Matt and Adels’ images search the blog as there are heaps on the blog. Armathwaite hall delivered us a lovely low sunset in their fantastic grounds.
Mike and Katie at Inn on the lake, cumbria.
Talk about smiling from start to finish and there was no telling them both to be natural either… They just did it. Inn on the lake is rapidly becoming my home venue as year on year my weddings there increase. Its no bad thing as it is without doubt one of the best hotels for photography in the lakes. This image is an alternative to the normal stand at the end of the jetty and have a snog or look longingly at each-other pictures… I tend to have an alternative for every stayed or overdone picture. Jonathan and Gary are some of the best planners around too and make every wedding run like a well oiled machine.
Melissa & Lee at Carlisle Racecourse
This shot of Melissa getting ready opens up Melissa and Lees’ album and spreads 24 inches across the page. Its a real knockout image taken on my Yashicamat 66 and is as smooth close up as it is from afar. I could have chose from hundreds of images of this wedding but I just love the expression on Mels face and the fact that she is in her dress and no-one else is ready. Carlisle racecourse is a fantastic place for a wedding and as an alternative venue to big country piles it makes for a very different setting and a very different style of photography.
Nick & Maggie at St Begas and Graysonside, Cockermouth
Nick and Maggie seem to pop up on this blog a lot after having their wedding and pre wedding photoshoot done by Lake District. This image is timeless and has one of the most picturesque churches in the Lake District as the backdrop. Without doubt one of my favourites this year. Graysonside, Nicks family home is also now a wedding venue, so if you are looking at this and don’t have a venue yet, have a look at their site by clicking here.
Stacey and Stephen at Hundith Hill, Cockermouth
Just over the road from the above venue at Graysonside is Hundith Hill, the chosen location of Stacey and Stephen. The rain really didn’t stop on the day, so I shot some bits inside while we waited for the weather to subside. The wall frames Stacey in this shot and makes the image really pop out. Staceys’ looks are flawless and make for a perfect bride who thankfully quite enjoyed being photographed.
Rachel & Ian at the Greenhill Hotel, Red Dial.
Just remembering that I have to choose one image from each wedding for this exercise, this is Rachels’ favourite image and its mine too. The light is quite flat as we were in the shade but the dying embers of the evening summer sun can be seen lighting the staircase inside. The Greenhill Hotel, is where I shot my first big wedding after moving back from the North East, so is kind of a special place for me and I like to think that this is a nice portrait of the hotel too.
Rachel & Rick at smiths hotel Gretna.
Caught this as we were setting up for a shot on the balcony outside Rachel and Ricks suite at Smiths. Its safe to say that this one had preference over the setup image by quite a long way.
Sarah and Peter at the Crighton
Another wedding that is yet unblogged but expect to see it in the future. Sarah and peter had the worst mother nature could throw at us and still smiled all the way through. I stepped in a puddle but still managed to deliver over 400 images of a fantastic day for them both.
Scott & Donna at Inn on the Lake
This has to be a wedding photograph that will live in infamy for me and one that I have clients ask about all of the time. This version is untreated with the union Jack left in. See the blog for more images from their beautiful wedding at Inn on the Lake.
Victor and Jennifer at the Grange Hotel
So 2011 ends where it all started, at the Grange with Victor and Jennifer. This was a wedding that I felt really at home with. Vintage styling and a really lovely couple who have left me some very nice comments on their blog post. This shot was captured as they walked away from their wedding breakfast and really was a lucky shot. I love it.. Adam from Lake District Wedding Photography.
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Lake District Wedding Photography, 21 Mill Road, Glasson, Cumbria, CA7 5EE