Diane and Jan

It’s usual for us to photograph at nice venues. It’s common for us to photograph good-looking couples. It occasionally happens that we have warm weather. Very rarely we have perfect lighting. But all four together? And there’s more!. A really relaxed, laid back feel to the wedding with no stressful timings to make the couple feel like they’re on a conveyor belt. Nice guests. Great parents. Bridesmaids who did their job of looking after the bride. A couple who were a joy to be with and whose love was evident. I could go on, but the bad grammar is getting to me. Let’s just say – this wedding had it all.

Blackbrook House in Derbyshire was the setting. We’ve never covered this venue before and we found it quite delightful. Diane and Jan really wanted a relaxed wedding, where timings were flexible,, where guests could just chill out and socialize without that awful hanging about and ‘right,let’s get on to the next stage’ feeling that happens at more traditional weddings. And they certainly got it. In 500 weddings I’ve never known timings be more flexible/elastic/non-existant! It was brilliant!

A quirky car complemented this wedding perfectly, so it was a 1960′s hippy-style Beetle camper van that took Diane and Jan down to the local river gardens a few miles away for their photographs. A picnic hamper with champagne was brought out and we stood back to allow the couple time to enjoy their picnic at the waterside. It’s touches like these that fly in the face of convention;that make traditional wedding co-ordinators pale; – and that make a wedding unique and memorable. Diane and Jan will never forget that picnic. And neither will we.

The pictures? Well, Diane had warned us that she didn’t like having her picture taken, that she never relaxed in front of a camera, and that she didn’t think pictures of her would be any good. Yeh…… Right…….. These two were a photographer’s dream. They were completely chilled out, totally relaxed and an absolute joy to photograph.

We’re not able to give the couple their photographs as early as we would like as the day they return from honeymoon we start a week’s course in Paris. So here’s a taster. Decide for yourselves whether Diane is photogenic! The rest of the pictures (over 600 of them) will be posted on the aurora studio weddings site just as soon as Diane and Jan have given their permission.

Late news. Diane and jan’s photographs are now able to be seen in the ‘Weddings’ section of our site. Check out the romance section! This couple is HOT!!

Julie and James

A beautiful bride, a handsome groom, a sunny day and a wedding at Hemswell Court! What could be better?

It didn’t matter that the car broke down and the bride had to walk to church. Honestly. It didn’t! In fact I think it added to the day and the walk through Caistor market square actually added to the occasion and is something that Julie and her father will look back on with affection as the years pass.

For those of you reading this who haven’t yet got married and are worrying about your wedding day then quit the worrying and enjoy. These things happen. Old cars were never all that reliable even when they were new and occasionally even the best maintained of them will break down now and again. IT DOESN’T MATTER! As on this occasion, a backup or alternative car is always found, there are smiles all round and the wedding continues.

Julie and James are sunning themselves in Malaysia and Bali right now. As ever, we don’t let guests see the pics before the couple but Julie left it to our discretion as to whether or not we post just a few. So, to whet her appetite for when she gets back home and collects her proofs we’re just letting everyone have a sneak preview.

The rest of the pics will be posted on our new website HERE just as soon as Julie and James have seen them.

My Chief Competitor

I’ve got real competition now. Another fully qualified Master Photographer, no less. And it’s a woman (they’re always better at capturing the feminine touches at weddings: the things that are so important to brides but that mere men overlook). And she knows my marketing and business plans as well as if she’d designed them herself.

Well, she should, because she did design many of them. It’s Carole I’m talking about, of course. For now, in addition to all her other talents, Carole has proven her photographic skills by becoming fully qualified to call herself a Master Photographer and put the letters L.M.P.A. after her name.

I qualified as a Master Photographer some 9 0r 10 years ago and even then the qualification procedure was gruelling and painstaking. But over the years the criteria has been changed, the benchmark has been raised and the standard of photography required for qualification is staggering.

Have a look at Carole’s award-winning panel and see for yourself. Carole had to demonstrate evidence of technical skill in a wide range of adverse lighting conditions, posing skills, creativity, interpretative ability and outstanding qualities of presentational ability. And all this in addition to providing proof that she is a full-time photographer, has full insurance and has extensive and on-going experience and training.

I’m incredibly proud of her for gaining this qualification at her first attempt. It doesn’t make her any better a photographer than she has been for a number of years, but it does give her the accreditation and recognition she deserves. And a welcome ego boost before the daunting prospect of spending a week with Jerry Ghionis ( see ‘From Melbourne to Market Rasen’) in ten days’ time.

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