Sussex Weddings: Elegant Stationery

As a wedding photography shooting all around the country, i get to see first hand the work of all types of wedding suppliers.I also get to meet many folks close up and see how they really operate and how they are as real people.

Over the years this has enabled me to build up a great network of allied wedding traders who i am happy to recommend to my clients
without hesitation due to the quality of their work and customer service.

I am running a serious of features on my Blog about this wonderful group of people and the latest one i am want to feature is the very lovely and extremely talented Joanne of Elegant Stationary.

I caught up with her for a brief chat.

1: How did you get into being a high end wedding stationer?

I have always been creative, I studied Art and worked as a window dresser for a high end store for a few years too. My friend was getting married a few years ago and mentioned how expensive wedding stationery was; I just made a comment that I could do better; so she set me a task ! At that wedding alone I was offered two more bookings. One of them was for Roof Gardens in Kensington and then they called me and asked if I could supply their venue stationery on an on-going basis. So I made a decision to work full time making stationery...and I have never looked back...and Roof Gardens is still a client of mine.

2: What would you say makes your work stand out or is your unique selling point?

Firstly we are a small company, not a large corporate so attention to detail and overall service is very important. We work 7 days a week and long days, so our clients can contact us at anytime through email, phone or facebook and we will respond! Clients are treated as individuals and every wedding or function, no matter how small or large is treated with the same high service.
We work on a bespoke basis, so can create something each client wants, perhaps to flow a theme and a colour scheme throughout. We do not "pigeon hole" stationery into ranges....we make stationery to match each clients requirements and desires and listen to any ideas they already have. Also clients do not need to order a full stationery package, if they just want place cards and a seating plan..that is no problem whatsoever.We spend hours and hours searching the best quality materials (and have wasted loads of money in the process!!). We try to buy as much from the UK as we can, but also import from Italy, Canada and USA. We also have a full showroom near Haywards Heath, West Sussex which enables clients to book an appointment and come and see stationery and all the accessories (we do evening and weekend appointments).
There they can lots of ideas and hopefully inspire them too. They can feel the materials and also have my full attention so we can have a really good chat !

Being bespoke we can also work to budgets without compromising on quality.

3: Are you happy to take on board a client's ideas to produce something unique and individual to their wedding?

Of course we are...the joy of bespoke stationery !:

What areas do you cover?

We cover everywhere as stationery pieces can be made up, photographed and scanned through if necessary.
However, most of our clients are from West Sussex, Surrey, Kent, Hampshire and London.

To view Joanne's website please click here.

Sussex Weddings: Leo Ferenc of Perfect Day Studios REVISITED

Sussex Weddings: Images Updated on Website

I have spent the best part of the day working on uploading fresh images to my website.

A few oldies have been removed and in the region of 40 new ones added to Galleries 1 and 2. This is only the beginning as i am working a complete revamp of my wedding site but its just finding the time!

To view the new images please go to click here and select Weddings and then Galleries.

If you read this blog regularly you will recognise some of these images but with the possibilities now opened up with my new toy, i wanted to get these images in front of as many clients as possible.

Sussex Commercial Photography: Harley-Davidson Back Covers

It has just been drawn to my attention that the images we shot for Shaw Harley-Davidson have been featured as full page back cover adverts for their award winning custom work in HOG Magazine.

Together with my good friend Phil, we were commissioned to shoot over 20 custom Hogs for the multi award winning dealership as they launched the Shaw Speed and Custom arm of their official H-D dealership.

As part of the project i also photographed the interior of the new custom meeting area for their VIP clients. This featured 2 metre high images from our earlier shoots.

You can view the Custom lounge images here.

To view my dealership shots click here.

Finally, to view the full page ads in HOG Magazine please click on each link and select the "LAST" button at the bottom of the page.

Spring 2010 issue

Summer 2010 issue

Autumn 2010 issue.

Finally to view my Commissions website please click here.

Webinar: in case you missed it in the Christmas madness

A few weeks ago i was honoured to be asked to give a Webinar for fellow professional photographers about my approach to covering winter weddings by my good friend Oz who runs the SF Photo School. Please excuse my cold.

It was in two parts so i thought i would share it hear again for those who may have missed it in the pre-Christmas madness.

Part 1:




Part 2:



If you have any questions or want to know more about my workshops and 1-2-1 training, please email me on info@peterprior.com

Stephen Hall: Toastmaster

Booking a Toastmaster is often something a couple overlook. However, if you get a good one, it could be the best investment you will make.

Stephen Hall is an excellent Toastmaster and a past President of the Guild of London Toastmasters. I have been fortunate to work with him over many years and we have probably covered in excess of 40 weddings together withouot a hitch.



Stephen is always calm, professional and a delight to work with. His manner really takes the pressure off the couples, venue and of course the photographer!

I caught up with him at a recent wedding and with this article in mind i asked him how he got started.


I fell into toastmastering by mistake after a chance conversation with a bride to be’s mother in 1989. Then i went on a course with the London Guild of Toastmasters and then worked at Ashdown Park at the opening wedding in March 1994

I went on to ask what areas of the country he works in and has he been booked by anyone famous.

I have worked all over the country (Middlesborough to Exeter) and the usual saying for a toastmaster is ‘have gavel will travel’. I have also worked with many household names most recently HRH The Princess Royal, Brian Blessed, Andrew Marr, Rich Hall to name but a few.

Stephen in action at Ashdown Park Hotel, East Sussex



How do you find the profession after all these years?

I still enjoying weddings after probably 1500 since starting work. Everyone is different and everyone is enjoyable.

To discover more about Stephen, please click here to view his website.

Sussex Wedding Fairs: The Powdermills Hotel this Sunday

Just thought i would mention that we will be attending the Powdermills Hotel Wedding Fair this Sunday, 23rd January. The door open are open 10am-4pm and entrance is free.

This will be a great opportunity to come and meet me us in person and take a look through my wide range of beautiful hand made wedding albums and catch up with other suppliers who will be present on the day.

For us the day is all about meeting people and helping them to make the right decision about their wedding photography. so please come and say "Hi".

Wedding Photography Workshop in March: its getting close!

I am very excited about my 2011, Real World Wedding Workshop. Interest has been high and there are only a couple of spaces left so if you are interested in coming along to what should be a superb day of learning, please get in touch as soon as possible!

The seminar offers the complete nuts and bolts of my very successful wedding photography business, from the marketing and pricing to how i use environmental light and composition to produce stunning wedding images.

South West Photomounts will be attending with their range of stunning wedding albums. They will be available to answer your questions and help you select the right for your business.

Its going to be held on Thursday 3rd March at the absolutely stunning Ashdown Park Hotel, in East Sussex. Situated just south of East Grinstead, Ashdown is the perfect location for wedding photography, having extensive grounds set within Ashdown Forest and a breathtaking interior.





You can get a feel for the scale and drama of the venue by reading about a few recent weddings i have shot there by clicking here.




Description: The Real World of Wedding Photography

Building and running a wedding business, from top to toe in the REAL world.


Topics covered include:

1: Introduction and background to how Peter has become one the leading lights in the UK Wedding Photography Industry.

2: Business: Peter will reveal his marketing, pricing and products.

3: Technical: Peter covers exposure, lighting, composition.

4: Equipment.

5: Walk through a recent full wedding with Peter.

6: Shooting when the going gets tough: tips for winter, wet and difficult weddings.

7: Live Shoot: Peter holds a live demo both inside the magnificent venue and, weather permitting, in the grounds. There should be opportunity for delegates to take some images themselves under Peter’s guidance, so feel free to bring your own cameras.




Who Should Attend the REAL WORLD Workshop:

Aspiring and established photographers wishing to freshen or build up their business and wedding photography. This workshop is perfectly timed to get you up to to speed as the new wedding season gets under way.

This is intended to be a very informal, ego and hype-free workshop. Questions and input from delegates are very much welcomed.




Date: Thursday 3rd March 2011
Time: 10.00 to 5.00pm (registration and coffee 9.30am)

Location: Ashdown Park Hotel, Wych Cross, East Sussex.

Spaces are strictly limited.

Investment: £200 inc vat per delegate.

The fee includes coffee on arrival, a decent hot and cold lunch and afternoon coffee.




Notes:
1: To reserve a place we require full payment at the time of booking and this non-refundable unless we are able to fill your space with another delegate once the day is full.

2: Payment is accepted by cheque, cash, and BACS.

3: To qualify for special room rates at Ashdown Park Hotel, please ask for the Sales Office and quote this workshop.

4: Free Parking is generally available at the hotel.

5: Peter will be available for informal discussion in the bar afterwards, so please feel free to stay on.



For further information or to book your place on the workshop please call on 01323 740741 or e-mail: info@peterprior.com as soon as possible.



Workshop is held in association with:

South West Photomounts
Jorgensen Albums
Snapperstuff

Art Visage Harley-Davidson Images Published in 100% Biker Magazine

Just saw that some of the images that i shot with my good friend Phil, as part a commission for Shaw Harley-Davidson last year have been published again.

Over the past few months our images have appeared in a number of publications including Motor Cycle News, Bike, Ride, Motor Cycle Sport and Leisure, and now 100% Biker Magazine.

Here is the article about Steve Willis, the driving force behind Shaw H-D.




Shaw H-D specialize in taking a standard Harley, a client's vision and creating a stunning one-off custom bike; a true work of motorcyle art.

You can see examples of Shaw's stunning work and our images here.

Derbyshire Weddings: Sharon and Andy's Bakewell Wedding

Last week saw Karen and i take a long drive to Buxton, Derbyshire to cover the intimate wedding of an old school friend, Sharon who was marrying Andy at Bakewell Town Hall.

We felt very privileged to be a part of their very small and personal wedding in such a beautiful place. As two of only 6 guests it made it very special indeed. Better still, we were introduced to genuine Bakewell Puddings!

We hadn't met the others before, but have to say we all got on really well and the time flew by.

Sharon and Andy first met outside the magnificent Buxton Opera House and now both work there, so we were able to capture a couple of images inside, showing the stunning decor.

Here are a couple of images of the day, all shot on my D3s with the 24-70 2.8 lens.



The Buxton Opera House is just stunning inside. This was shot at twilight after the ceremony in Bakewell.

Sussex Weddings: I got a mention on BW Video Films Blog

Last year i was privileged to cover the wedding of Sam and Rebecca at the stunning Ashdown Park Hotel in East Sussex.

At the time i was asked to recommend a few videographers for their wedding and after they checked out my list of quality names, they opted to go with Barry Weare who runs BW Video Films.

I have known Barry for a number of years and he produces top quality wedding DVDs in an professional and totally unassuming manner.

I know that the family were extremely pleased with the collection of images i produced and were equally over the moon with Barry's "film" of the day.

He just brought my attention to his blog where he has given yours truly a mention. Thanks Barry.

Sussex Weddings: Sarah and Michael at Pangdean Barn, near Brighton

New year's Eve saw me cover the magical wedding of Sarah and Michael in Sussex.

They actually live in Dubai but decided to come home to celebrate their wedding with close family and friend. Fortunately, although cold the snow had disappeared which made the country roads from Sarah's parent's beautiful home to the St Margaret's Church in Ditchling an easy run.

The ceremony was late in the afternoon which meant they walked down the aisle and out into the twilight. Using the D3s meant it was still possible to shoot without too many problems both inside and out. The immediate family groups were shot outside the church door which meant the guests could just relax during the drinks reception at Pangdean Barn.

It was great to see they had a fantastic car from Premier Wedding Cars!

The barn looked stunning inside and i have to say that Michael Phelan and his team work very hard and really looked after me. Thank you guys!

Here are some highlights from the day.

For photographers, all images were shot on my Nikon D3s, with either my 24-7 2.8 and 10.5 2.8 lenses, using 1600-12800iso. The files were process in LR3 and finished off using my personal actions in Photoshop.

































You can view my wedding galleries here.

Workshop News:South West Photo Mounts Attending.

At yesterday's SWPP Trade Show in London, i had an exciting meeting with Nick and his team at South West Photomounts regarding my workshop on 3rd March at Ashdown Park Hotel.

They have just launched a brand new site and shared with me a link that publicises my workshop and lets folks know that they will be attending so that attendees can see their amazing albums in flesh and talk with Nick about how using Jorgensen Albums can be a huge benefit to most wedding photography businesses.

For further information about the seminar, please send an email to info@peterpriro.com or call 01323 740741.

Testimonials and Nice Words

Its always lovely to receive kind words from clients, so i thought i would share my first post Christmas one with you.

Dear Peter

Just wanted to say thank-you so much for your work on our wedding day. It was such a pleasure to have you with us to share our day. So many of our friends and family have commented on how lovely you were, how easy to get on with and how professional. Lots of them were really keen to see your current work and I'm sure they will be on tenterhooks waiting for a glimpse of our photos on your blog! I know my girls and my mum are checking every day!! I have tried to explain it may take a little time but you know teenagers!!! Mind you, must admit I'm rather excited to see them too but only because I'm so sure they will be worth the wait!
Lots of love

Manda and Mick

You can read all about Manda and Mick's wedding here.

Sussex Weddings:The Eastbourne Wedding Fair Images

I have just returned from a wedding up in Bakewell, near Buxton in Derbyshire but thought i would share a few images captured on my compact camera at last weekend's Eastbourne Wedding Fair.

I was fortunate to be positioned close to a number of friends and allied businesses which made for a lot of lighthearted banter.

My stand.





With Leo Ferenc.



Perfect Day Studios





Toby from Bows Hire



Mark from Crafting Gold



Paul Smith's stand (Toastmaster)



Whyte Weddings' stand



Brufords




Carina and Gabi from the Grand Hotel, Eastbourne



Chris Mann, wedding film maker



Deans Place Hotel



Michael from Your Sussex Wedding Magazine



The Star Hotel, Alfriston