This is an example of an everyday request. At Ted and Kathleen’s wedding on the 27th November, I took lots of requested group shots and all the ones listed by Ted and Kathleen, but not every option can always be covered. The couple who are either side of the Bride and Groom, in the larger group shot above above, wanted a shot of just themselves with Ted and Kathleen. It was relatively easy to crop the group of 4 as an upright shot and we could have just went close to the shoulders and "cloned" out anything noticeable. However by finding another similar shot where the fireplace can be seen, Lukas was able to "put back" the fireplace by combining the shot on the inset.
The end result is indistinguishable from a shot I might have taken. I often make the point that I like to do everything in the camera whenever possible but having Lukas, an exceptional Photoshop professional, as a key member of our team is a great asset. He is probably wondering why I am featuring such a "straightforward" task as he does this type of job and much more complicated ones everyday but I know this example will be useful to show clients what is involved.
The most important thing is that the client liked it – see the email received.
Thanks Neil,
That is absolutely brilliant. Be in touch after our holidays
Regards Ted & Kathy
On the 4th December, David, Sandra, and I set off for Haddo House for Mairi and Martin’s wedding. With a lot of snow on the ground, I decided not to take my rear wheel drive BMW and instead we took Sandra’s Audi. We got stuck once but eventually got to Haddo on time only to find that the drive was blocked and cars in front of us were being towed by a 4 wheel drive vehicle. The service started late but everything went well and as Haddo is beautiful inside, we had plenty nice spots for the photography.
Mairi and Martin were happy to go out into the snow for a few shots and I took some facing out to the grounds and some back towards the beautiful building.
The only problem is that the lights to the right of the door were off (see above). Mairi and Martin wanted to use one of these for their Thank You cards so Lukas used Photoshop to "light" the right hand side area which greatly improved the image – see below.
We have had a very busy two days at the wedding exhibition at the AECC and have around 60 couples who have asked for more information.
We had a draw with a prize of £500 off any wedding package and the winner was Gemma Smith who is getting married in November this year. We have decided to offer all other entrants £50 off any package if the booking is confirmed before the end of February. This combined with the fact we are holding off increasing our prices until 1st March makes our packages very good value. The price is fixed at the time of booking so if you book for next year (or even further ahead), you will paying 2009 prices in 2012!
We had a simple design for the stand which featured eight large framed prints, a display of recent testimonials, and some information about our offices and studio. Although I love black and white and some of the more "moody" images, I decided to go with shots with lots of colour and impact. I was surprised at how many people commented favourably on this style of image including two Grooms who were keen photographers and asked about my "fill flash" technique. At a wedding, there is a wide range of styles taken, particularly if it is a 2 photographer package but I used this style on the stand to hopefully give it impact.
This year the exhibition moved to the large arena at the Exhibition Centre and I think everyone agreed this was a better venue. The fashion show had seating for over 700 people. Before and after the fashion show they showed a slideshow of ours (see below) and a short film by Mark Stuart (Mark Stuart Films) which was excellent.
David and I have spent the last few days preparing for the wedding exhibition at the AECC this weekend. We had planned to use a single large print of 1.8m x 1m for each of our panels but the company printing them for us had a problem with their large format printer so we had to change our plans. I managed to buy 12 large 34 inch square gloss black frames with mounts and inner frames for 24×24 inch prints. We do not normally print square and I was surprised at how many images looked good cropped to a square format. I have chosen shots that have strong vibrant colours. Although I love black and white images, this is used by a lot of photographers and I want to showcase the kind of images I like which have a good balance between available light and flash.
The exhibition at the AECC is by far the biggest and best wedding show in Aberdeen and if you are getting married it is well worth a visit. It is open from 10 – 5 on both Saturday and Sunday. We are stand A8 and I would be delighted to see you.
Saturday 13th November was a very cold but nice day for Amy and Michael’s wedding. They had decided to have a small intimate service and dinner at Castle Fraser for their family (21 people) and a big party in the evening for 190 guests at Lochter. All the guests arrived by helicopter which was a great way to start their day.
After the service we went out in to the grounds and got shots with the Castle and the Autumn colours and some fun shots of the bridesmaids trying to stay warm.
Then it was in the beautiful setting for dinner. Amy particularly wanted a dusk shot so she was happy to interrupt her meal to do this. At this time of year, there is only a short time when the twilight light is "right" so I set up and took a test of Sandra so I was ready to take Amy and Michael as soon as they came out.
David went to Lochter and photographed all the guests and some dancing shots – click here to see these.
"Hi Neil, We’ve just picked our favourite photos. It’s been a hard job because we love them all! …… Thanks again to you, Sandra, and David for all your hard work, we’re delighted with the photos! Kindest regards, Michael and Amy"
On Saturday 27th November, Kathleen and Ted hosted a wedding with a difference – they were already married and the ceremony and dinner for friends and family was to celebrate them renewing their vows. It was extremely cold and most of the photographs were taken inside but we got a few outside in the snow as it made for a good backdrop.
When Ted and Kathleen met with me before the wedding, they explained how important the photographs were as at their wedding 20 years ago, the photographer had a major problem and they only got a few images and these were not very good. Fortunately they were happy with the set than I took – see below.
"Hi Neil,
We absolutely love the photos. We will have a proper look this weekend & then arrange to come in & see you about an album.
Thanks again
Regards Ted & Kathleen Reid"
"Thanks Neil,
Thats absolutely brilliant.Be in touch after our holidays
Regards Ted & Kathy"
Saturday 4th December was an eventful day. David, Sandra, and I all went in Sandra’s car to Haddo House. We got stuck on the way there but fortunately got the car on the road again and eventually arrived at Haddo on time, only to find that everyone was stuck in the drive including a bus with all the guests. Several cars and the bus had to be towed and all other cars including ours had to be pushed.
All we could get taken before the service was Mairi and her Dad and we decided to photograph the guests as they went into the library for dinner. A few shots of Martin and his best man were taken after the service so nothing was missed. With it being so cold, most of the photographs were taken in the chapel or in the drawing room (the library was being set for dinner). Mairi was brave enough to go out in the cold to get a few with the snow before going back in to warm up in front of the fire.
The corridor is a favourite spot of mine and normally it is lit by daylight coming in the windows but on Saturday, there was no daylight and I had to get David to hold a second flashgun to light behind Mairi and Martin.
The library looked great and I photographed all the guests before they took their seats for dinner. Once the shots of the speeches had been done, we managed to get back up the drive and back home a lot easier than we had got there.
Saturday 25th September was the big day for Naomi and Paul. It was cold and windy but at least it stayed dry. As we have worked at The Old Mill Inn for over 15 years (as the photographer included in their package), we know the venue very well. Back in June, David and I spent some time looking at possible spots for photography and found a very nice spot under the bridge in the playing field next to the hotel. However to get there you have to walk along the edge of a stream and it is not very accessible, so we had not used this area.
When Naomi and Paul came to see me for their pre-wedding meeting, they asked if there were any other areas for photography so I suggested going under the bridge which they were happy to do, and Naomi took a change of shoes to make this possible. Hitching her dress up and being willing to walk along the muddy area under the bridge was well worth it as it gave us some great spots for the photography. As Paul is a very keen photographer (click here to see some of his photographs), this was important for Naomi and Paul, and they were a great a couple to work with and were happy to walk under the bridge and spend the time getting these shots.
I am delighted to have these as samples so that other couples getting married at The Old Mill Inn can see what can be taken here and have the option to go there. Click here to see all the formal shots and here for the informal shots taken by David.
The gallery above is a new add in we are going to use for the blog as it is a nice way to feature a selection of shots.
Below is a slideshow of a selection of the images set to music
Nacari and Richard at St. Machars and the Marcliffe
Friday 17th September was the wedding day for Nacari and Richard. Lukas and David (who had photographed Nacarai’s friend, Yimnys, wedding last year) were the photographers. David started with Nacari getting ready at the Marcliffe, while Lukas went to St. Machars Cathedral. They both got some great shots at both St. Machars and the Marcliffe at Pitfodels. Click here to see the posed shots and here for mainly candid shots. See below for a slideshow of selected images.
Robyn and John’s wedding at Fetternear and Pittodrie House
On Friday (17th September), David and I were photographing the wedding of Robyn and John. David started the photography at Robyn’s family home, while I went to Our Lady of the Garioch and St. John the Evangelist Church in Fetternear, (close to Kemnay) to photograph the best man and groom and guests. Unfortunately the weather was not very kind to us and the guests had to be photographed inside the church. After the ceremony we got a few outside but the wind and the rain meant we only got a few before heading back to Pittodrie House. As it was still wet, we took the photographs inside in the drawing room but just before we finished, Robyn and John braved the elements and we took a few in the rain with and without brollies. Click here to the see the formal images and here for the informal. Below there is a slideshow of a small selection of the images.
