Wedding Photographer Sussex: The Grand Hotel, Eastbourne's Wedding Showcase

I am very excited to once again be invited to exhibit at the forthcoming Wedding Showcase at the the stunningly beautiful Grand Hotel in Eastbourne, East Sussex.

As the preferred photographer for the highest rated coastal Five Star Hotel in the UK it is always a privilege to be involved in Showcases and events at the Grand.



Not only is the the hotel a fabulous setting for a wedding 12 months of the year, it is blessed with an amazing team, with all the staff from top to bottom being dedicated to giving a warm welcome and working with the highest attention to detail, ensuring an unforgettable time for all.

The date of the Wedding Showcase is Sunday 4th March 2012 between 10am and 3pm. Admission is complimentary and all of the hotel's preferred suppliers have been invited to help visitors plan their dream wedding. This is not your usual wedding fair so if you want to meet some of the very best suppliers in the South, a visit to the Grand on 4th is a must.

Wedding Photographer Sussex: First Wedding of the Year

Today sees me shoot my first wedding of 2012. Its been what seems a long time in coming but as much as i love photographing weddings, the few weeks break has been good.

I have managed to fully recharge my batteries, enjoy some quality family time and have even undertaken some personal projects for the first time in years! Its been good to have some non-wedding images to share here and the alternative "work" has enabled me to try different things and techniques, some of which can be adapted to become part of my wedding photography offerings as i constantly strive to evolve and improve year on year.

As the end of the week was approaching i have become restless, excited and eager for today to arrive. I took time to go back to basics as my wedding bag, a Think Tank Retrospective 10 hasn't been used in anger for a while.

It was time to unpack all my kit, give each lens a once over and clean and the same for the cameras, flash guns etc. All my batteries were discharged and recharged and the bag repacked just the way i like it on a wedding day.

My spares case, a Think Tank roller bag was also unpacked, checked and re packed for the first time in months so everything is tip top and ready for action.

The start of the wedding season always sees me excited and nervous at the same time and fortunately i have a great one to kick off the new year, at the wonderful Wiston House in West Sussex, one of my all time favourite venues. My couple are great and the team at Wiston are always welcoming, professional and superb. This should all help to make my day easier and fun and i can't wait to share some images with you in a week or so.

Its all too easy to become slack and complacent when preparing to photograph a wedding after having shot so many, so the break has been a good thing and i can't wait to go!

Photography Training: Last Call for My Two Day Wedding Photography Course at Park Cameras

Next weekend i am holding a two day Wedding Photography Training Course at one of the UK's leading Professional Photography Retailers, Park Cameras in Burgess Hill, West Sussex..

Designed to give a small number of delegates an intensive couple of days where they will hear how i have built and run my business and where they will be able to discover what makes me tick first hand. Places are severely limited this time and need to be booked directly with Park Cameras, although if you have any questions please feel free to contact me.

Day One is class room based at Park Camera's purpose built photo training centre above their spectacular camera show room in Burgess hill. This is where i will go into detail about my background, the way i have developed my style and brand to where it is today. From a standing start just 16 years ago i have now shot in excess of 700 weddings Europe wide with assignments ranging from 2 people at the local register office right up to some of the most exclusive castles and venues.

The day should equip attendees with the tools to either start the ball rolling as they want to start a professional wedding photography business or offer a kick start to the next level for those wanting to raise their game in what is an increasingly over saturated market place.



Day Two is being held at the magical Ashdown Park Hotel in Sussex. It is a more practical day where i will combine class room type tuition with actual live shoots at a wonderful wedding venue. Delegates will be welcome to bring along their kit as there will be opportunity to shoot under my guidance, allowing everyone a chance to learn skills of lighting, posing and composition that will be of a huge benefit in the heat of battle of real weddings of their own.

Unlike so many wedding photography courses, i am still a very busy wedding photographer, shooting in excess of 40 weddings per year. Wedding photography is the sole income for my family, so i have to be on the ball with my ideas and the way i run my business. My seminars are always hype free and i like to tell it as it really is rather than paint a pretty picture from past glories. in my opinion this is the best way to learn for delegates who are serious about wanting to build and run a professional photography business.


You can read more about my 2011 Ashdown Park Seminar here. and see my images and some kind words from the delegates here.

To see some of my images from recent weddings at Ashdown Park, please click here.

Sussex Equestrian Photography

Just thought i would share a few images i took yesterday at the stables where Karen keeps Bertie her gorgeous Irish Cob.

I took the images of Bertie on my 24-70 2.8 lens and the images of Leon the German Shepherd on my stunning 180 2.8 lens. The amazing light certainly helped but as ever you need to be able to see and use it. Great light used well, always makes a huge difference to any image and its certainly helped to give a 3D effect to these pictures.

Bertie





Amelia with Bert



Leon





You can view my wedding portfolio here.

You can view my portrait and commercial work here.

Wedding Photography Training: SIM2000 Seminar 2012

I wanted to let you know that i am honoured and excited to be asked back to speak for SIM2000 imaging on April 11th at their base in Hertfordhire.

Its a full day's seminar where i will reveal the way i have built my business and what makes me tick at a wedding. The days runs from 10.00am to 4.30pm and is a great way to combine a great day of learning and inspiration with an opportunity to see SIM2000's products close up and in the flesh.



The price is just £50+VAT, includes lunch and refreshments and places are bookable direct with SIM2000. Further details can be found here.

Here's a brief report from last year's seminar complete with some very kind words.


To view my wedding portfolio please click here.

Sussex Photographer: Jazz Photography

I am currently editing a very exciting shoot commissioned by Neal and Sue Richardson two of the south's leading Jazz musicians.

The brief was to produce publicity and cover style shots together with images depicting them in session with their respective line ups.

They hired out a theatre with the intention of using the lighting to give a "Jazz Club" feel to the images. It was my job to "see the light" and direct the shoot as well as produce some exceptional images that really compliment them talent and style.

Throughout the four hour shoot, i exclusively used my amazing Nikon D3s. The lenses used were my 24-70 2.8, 180 2.8, 85 1.4 and 10.5 fisheye. The only lighting used was the stage lighting in the theatre.

Here are a few of my favourites so far.









































You can view my portrait and corporate portfolios here.

You can view my wedding portfolio here.

Broyle Place Wedding Photographer Come and Meet Me at the Broyle Place Wedding Fair

Just a quick heads up to say they we are very excited to be invited to exhibit at the stunning Broyle Place on Sunday 26th February.

All of the venue's carefully selected preferred suppliers will be on hand to help you plan your perfect wedding at one of the South's best wedding venues.

I will have my latest albums and images on display and will be happy to answer any questions and offer advice on the very difficult but important issue of selecting the right wedding photographer.

Its a beautiful setting and is always has a great atmosphere, so it will be well worth the visit.

Sussex Photographer: Voiglander Vito First Test film

I love my Voigtlander Vito B!

I have just had my first test roll processed and scanned. I elected to try a roll of Ilford's XP2 as this was the only roll of 35mm i had left in the fridge!

Using the camera was a challenge but very refreshing. After trawling the internet, i found a few articles about how to use the stunning little Vito. Basically focusing seems to be a bit of educated guess work, but in the main the on-line advice regarding focusing distances and depth of field worked , when i added my experience to the show. I probably lost about 20% of the roll due to "poor focus guesses", but then i was expecting that as i tried a couple of ideas to prove/disprove the on-line advice.

The day i shot the film was cursed with very bland flat light but at the end of the day, it was more about a systems check.

The negatives seem to be a tad over exposed. I used the readings i took from my Sekonic L-358 meter but in the main its going to be nothing too much to worry about. The lens itself seems to be fine and considering the age of the camera, produces very pleasing tonality and sharpness.

I am sure with further experimentation i am going to have a lot of fun producing personal images from this little camera and i will share my favourites here from time to time.

OK. Here are a couple of shots from the first 24 exposures. Both images are from scans from my lab and have been processed in Photoshop using my own actions.

Eastbourne seafont on a very cold, bleak day.



Karen and Bertie

Horse Photographer Sussex: Little John

I thought i would share another recent example of my equestrian photography.

This an image of Little John, taken as the sun was setting outside the barn where he is stabled on a very cold January. I love the warmth and dynamics of the light.

Sussex Fine Art Photographer

I don't share a lot of personal work on this blog but i have just finished working on this shot which was taken in London last summer at a wedding reception venue opposite the O2 Area.

As i was checking the venue out i noticed this old ship and the light and sky were such they they demanded that i capture a couple of images before setting off to the bride's home 30 minutes away.

This was shot on my D3s with the 24-70 2.8 zoom and "hand printed" using CS5 and my take on HDR (an effect i dislike for my wedding and portrait work).

Wedding Photographer Sussex: Wiston House Wedding Fair Report

Despite there being a number of wedding fairs being held in Sussex on Sunday, i have to say the wedding fair at the wonderful Wiston House in West Sussex was a huge success.

In a little over 4 hours there were in excess of 400 visitors and over 130 brides present to take a look around the wonderful venue and its grounds and meet the hand-picked suppliers.

It was also a great opportunity to catch up with a lot of friends from the wedding industry and enjoy some great company.

We had a stand in the library and were kept very busy the whole time that the doors were open.

My stand





The Great Hall



BO-K Flowers



Whyte Weddings



Elegant Stationery



Consumed by Cake



It was also great to catch with Tracey from Disco Fever, amazing man of magic Matt Wainwright and harpist Fiona Hosford.

Thanks to the staff of Wiston for inviting us once again.