Last week I flew out to the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, to shoot a corporate video for an American company at the five-star resort of La Samanna, on Baie Longue on the French side of the island (St. Martin is shared between the Dutch and French – the northern part being under French jurisdiction while the southern side – known as “Sint Maarten” – is Dutch).

It was a fun assignment, although there wasn’t much time for admiring the scenery, especially as I had to edit the video on the spot ready to show at the company’s gala dinner on the final evening.

However, I did manage to find time on Friday morning to take a few photos of the resort before heading to the airport for the flights back home…

Here are some of the photos – I think you’ll agree it’s a pretty amazing place…

I was looking through my archives the other day and I came across this photo session – and it got me thinking about why many people don’t have professional photos of their family…

I think there is a perception that having a professional portrait session is going to be a long and tedious affair, with a lot of standing about and feeling awkward while being posed endlessly by the photographer. Nothing could be further from the truth, as I hope these images show…

This family came to me for a session at short notice – they just wanted a few photos with their new-born son. We did the session very quickly and easily – I think it was only about 20-30 minutes from start to finish, and the pictures were taken outdoors in a courtyard just using a few spots of shade and the available light, no complicated studio lighting or backdrops or props.

I enjoy working quickly like this – it makes the whole thing more spontaneous, nobody gets bored, and the expressions are much more natural and relaxed. And one of my most important skills as a photographer, almost more important than knowing how to operate the camera or find the best light, is helping you relax and feel comfortable.

Of course if you want a longer session, perhaps in a couple of different locations, that’s not a problem – but my point is that having a professional family photo shoot doesn’t have to be an intimidating experience – it can be quick and fun, and it will give you some image to treasure for a lifetime. Just imagine how valuable these photos will be to him in 20 or 30 years’ time when this baby is grown up…

A family portrait session costs from £75, and can be arranged for a time and place convenient to you – give me a ring on 01483 600412 and we can chat about the possibilities!

A year goes by so quickly – it hardly seems like 12 months since I was in Brighton helping to run the 2011 MyVision photo workshop – an annual event that gives professional wedding and portrait photographers a chance to flex their photographic muscles and try something different by documenting a local business or person.

This year the workshop was held in Guernsey – a blessing as we avoided the snow and freezing weather that’s gripped the rest of the country – and this time I was participating as a photographer rather than as a “backroom boy”.

Documenting ordinary life

The idea of the workshop is that each photographer goes out on day one to document their subject – but they can’t delete any mistakes, and each evening their shots from the day get critiqued by their fellow team members and team leaders. Then on  day two we all go out and shoot again, and hopefully improve on the work of the day before. Having a group of your very talented peers see every frame you have shot is quite intimidating – but it’s also a great way to get new ideas, learn how other people shoot, and then go out on the second day and put that knowledge into practice.

I certainly felt I was shooting better images on day two – not that they were bad before, but I was spending more time trying different angles and looking for the definitive image, rather than just taking the first shot that came to mind.

My photo assignment – breakfast!

My assignment was to photograph John Carroll, the owner of the White Rock Café down by the ferry terminal in St Peter Port. John is a lovely bloke and her and his team made me very welcome – as did all the Guernsey islanders. A small café is quite a restrictive area to photograph in (and of course I was trying not to disrupt things too much and hold up the all-important delivery of fryups and bacon sandwiches to hungry customers!) but I enjoyed the challenge of finding interesting pictures within that small space.

On the third day, we all sat down and chose our best thirty images from the two days to make into a slideshow. I’ll post some these once I’ve had time to download them. In the meantime, you can see me at work at the Café on the MV Photographers blog.

A fund-raising photo book for charity

Most importantly, the end result of the workshop will not only be to help a bunch of pro photographers improve their skills, but there will be a book of our images published which will raise money for GROW, Guernsey’s rural centre that helps people with learning disabilities to acquire skills in horticulture and related crafts. It’s a fantastic cause, and I’ll publish a link to let everybody buy a copy when the book comes out!

At this time of year, as the British winter closes in, I’m sure quite a few couples are thinking “why don’t we skip the traditional UK wedding and jet off and get married somewhere warm?”

Not a bad idea, for sure, as long as you consider all the pros and cons.

A destination wedding can actually be a cheaper option – usually you won’t have anything like as many guests, simply because of the expense and distance to get there. So if you prefer a more intimate event (and are confident that the key people will be willing to travel) then getting married overseas can work very well. And you will be right on the spot and won’t have to stir from your deckchair to go on honeymoon!

Destination weddings – something special!

When I lived in Turks & Caicos we were mostly shooting weddings for people from outside the country – and typically they had around 20-30 guests. We did occasionally shoot bigger weddings with upwards of a hundred guests, but sometimes it was literally just the couple, the minister, the wedding planner, and myself – I’ve signed the register to witness countless weddings!

Destination weddings are popular with older couples who want a quiet, low-key event, or those getting married second time around. The ability to get married on a secluded beach with nobody else around is often an attraction.

Of course you have to arrange the event at long distance, including the minister, official paperwork, and reception arrangements, but that’s not normally too difficult. And if you want to make sure everything will be to your linking you can always fly out for a “location recce” beforehand. Or get married somewhere that you have visited previously on holiday and liked.

Whatever you decide, read my guide to planning a destination wedding – it’s full of useful tips.

From the photographer’s point of view, shooting destination weddings can be a challenge – there are the inevitable hassles of travel to contend with, and often working in an unfamiliar location – but I do enjoy them as there is always a buzz of excitement about the event, and the guests too have made an effort to be there so really enter into the spirit of the occasion.

Travelling for a wedding overseas

Whenever I shoot a wedding outside the UK I always arrive at least a day early just in case of travel delays. And I bring as much backup equipment as I can feasibly manage within the limits of airline baggage allowances – having a camera break down on a Caribbean beach and not having a spare is not an option…

Tropical locations present their own challenges in terms of heat, humidity, and light – but having lived and worked in the Caribbean for seven years I am used to dealing with those on a daily basis.

So if you feel like making your wedding especially unforgettable, give me a call on 01483 600412 and I’m happy to chat about the possibilities.

On Sunday I photographed an amazing Halloween party which was given by a local family – 130 guests enjoyed some great food and entertainment, including an array of scary but fun characters…

Peter Pan and Tinkerbell were on hand to look after the smaller kids, while the older ones (and adults) were pleasurably frightened by an assortment of ghouls and zombies, who guided guests around a haunted maze.

There was also face-painting and Dynamo the magician, not to mention the fire jugglers and “Brad and Janet” from “The Rocky Horror Show”. And for a grand finale, students from Guildford School of Acting put on a superb musical show featuring songs from “Rocky Horror” among others. The whole event was ably organised by Gilly Botte and her team from The Great Big Event Company.

Here are just a few of the images that I took on that special night…

Here’s a date for your diary – next Wednesday (November 9th), as part of Photography Week at the Apple Store in Regent St London W1, a photographers’ group of which I am a member will be giving a series of talks on a variety of topics, ranging from documentary wedding photography to portraits to personal projects.

The MV Photographers Collective is a group of some of the leading wedding, portrait and commercial photographers in the UK – so you’ll see some amazing images and get a fascinating insight on how we go about creating them…

There will be six talks lasting 15-20 minutes, repeated throughout the day from 12pm to 8.30pm – so there will be plenty of opportunities. Not only that, but we are offering free portfolio reviews and advice, if any aspiring photographers want to bring work along to show us. I’ll be there all day, so if you are in Central London on Wednesday, drop in and say hello!

And best of all – it’s all free!

You can find out more on the MV Photographers web page.

When?

Wednesday November 9th 2011 12pm-8.20pm

Where?

Apple Store, Regent Street, London W1

See you there!

Last Friday evening I headed up to the newly refurbished Four Seasons hotel in London’s Park Lane, to photograph the annual Chairman’s Ball & Aspiring Manager’s Awards for the Institute of Hospitality, London branch, ably assisted by my brother Simon.

Many of London’s top hoteliers were represented at the awards evening, which took the form of a masked ball…We started the evening with posed photos as guests arrived, then photographed each table during dinner, as well as candids throughout the evening, and pictures of the speeches and award-giving ceremonies. After the excitement of the awards was over the guests were able to let their hair down dancing to the live band, Versatility.

Here are just a few of my favourite images from the evening – guests can find the full set online in my client area.

Photographing weddings at Brympton is always a pleasure – the venue is just so perfect, with historic buildings and the lake and parkland to use as well.

Felicity and Mike were married there early in September – and the weather was just right, a few clouds around to provide shade but also plenty of warm sunshine – especially just when we needed it for the family photos and the private photo-session with the bride and groom.

A country house wedding at Brympton D’Evercy

Getting married at an amazing stately home like Brympton really gives you the best of both worlds – you are transported back in time to a more elegant age by the surroundings, yet you have the modern facilities and catering and entertainment to make your special day even more memorable.

Felicity and Mike’s civil ceremony took place in the Castle House, which dates from 1350 and stands on the site of the original manor house that was built by the D’Evercy family shortly after the Norman Conquest. Amazing to think that their wedding took place at a venue that’s been inhabited for nearly a thousand years.

After the wedding everybody assembled on the South Terrace for drinks, canapés, and (of course!) photographs

Photos in the grounds

I always try and get the family group photos done as swiftly as possible, so as to allow the couple time to mingle with their guests. And then a little later, I take the couple off to a secluded spot for about 20 minutes to get some photos of justthe two of them.

On this occasion we started at the entrance to the Walled Garden, and then wandered around the grounds to the lake, allowing me to use the fabulous panorama of the back of the main house as a backdrop.

The wedding breakfast – and a party in the Orangery

The wedding breakfast was held in the ballroom, upstairs in the main house, and after speeches and cake the bride and groom and their guests move to the Orangery for dancing and more partying!

Here is my first selection of favourite images from the wedding – as always, click any thumbnail to see a bigger version in a pop-up window. And please leave a comment for the bride and groom if you’d like to.

Family and friends who have the event code can log in to my photo gallery system to view the full selection of images, and order prints using this link or by clicking on “Client area” in the menu above.

Here are a few more photos from Suzanne and Duncan’s wedding at Brympton D’Evercy…

I will be posting the full password-protected image gallery here later today – family and friends who want to access it should contact Suzy and Duncan for the password. And please leave a comment for the bride and groom if you’d like to.

Last Monday I headed down the A303 to Somerset to photograph the wedding of Suzanne & Duncan at Brympton D’Evercy.

Family and friends were out in force to share the day with them, at this most elegant and historic of venues.

I’m working on the edit at the moment, and will post some more pictures when that’s done, but I thought you’d like to see just a few as a “sneak peek” from the day…

Please do post comments on the pictures and/or good wishes to Suzy and Duncan if you’d like to!

As always, click the thumbnails to enlarge…