One of the main ingredients for a perfect wedding is fun, well Gary and Donna took this advice quite literally and smothered this ingredient all over their Rugby wedding day plans. From the moment I met the girls at their home in Rugby, where at one stage there were 14 women and myself in one bedroom, right through to their first wedding day dance, where Gary and Donna along with the chief bridesmaid and the best man did a dance routine that had their guests crying with laughter. Their Wedding Ceremony was at St Marks Church, Bilton, Rugby, Warwickshire. The Vicar was such a star who made me feel most welcome into his church. Then it was off in a horse and carriage to Rugby town Football Club.
Throughout their wedding day I met some fantastic people who looked after me and at times abused me for their own enjoyment.

Halstead House (http://www.halsteadhouse.co.uk/), Leicestershire in Tilton-on-the-hill was the location for the entire wedding of Suzanne & Ian.
Suzzane & Ian had complete trust and confidence in my style of wedding photography, but as luck would have it 90% of my style is watching and enjoying the real beauty of a wedding unfold before me, why would I stop this truly emotional roller coaster in the pursuit of a perfectly posed image, when story telling images are firing at
me from all directions.
I have been looking forward to Suzanne’s and Ian’s wedding for some time for a number of reasons. Suzanne was the first person to contact myself during the launch of my new venture, regarding wedding photography, after a doing her research on line via google, she explained to me how they were looking for a wedding photographer that had a unique style, that would capture their wedding day in a natural way, and apparently I fitted the bill.
Halstead house was reason number two, I just love this venue, it has everything a wedding couple could need and for me it was a dream, a photographers paradise. I hope you love these wedding images as much as I did creating them.

Ansty hall in Ansty, Coventry, Warwickshire was the location of last saturdays wedding of Sarah and Mike. The weather was perfect, the sun was nice and hot but with the added bonus of a lovely breeze. Ansty hall is a lovely venue for a wedding as it has all the grandeur of a stately home along with a fabulous air conditioned orangery. Once again this year I have felt privileged to have photographed such a friendly relaxed wedding, the family and friends were so welcoming it made photographing their wedding day a real joy. The guests were treated with a magical act with the help of a magician, who had all the guest amazed by his slight of hand tricks and his mind reading skills. The bride who has been around horses all her life was treated to a surprise ride with two beautiful white horses that were dressed for the occasion along with a tradition open carriage. Thanks again to all the family and guest at Sarah and Mike’s wedding for making me feel a real part of the wedding day.

Is it me or is this summer turning out to be a summer to remember for all the right reasons.
My off the hip style of photography, blends in well with these summer nights, walking around random parts of the east midlands, you get to see some beautiful locations and be inspired by the slightest of things.
These images were taken below are at the New Forest In Leicestershire and the skate board images were taken in Hinckley and at Stoney Stanton skate board park both in Leicestershire. Creating images for me has always been about capturing the real personalities of the people, do you think the boy on the skate board would like being in a studio or do you think he would prefer showing off his tricks in his natural enviroment. I love this set of images, for me they tell a story and capture the kids enjoying this long hot summer.

Ok so you love my images!
So what’s stopping you contacting me? Price? I understand the investment you are making to have the wedding images you really want, In this competitive market, I’m making sure that I give value for money and that my photography is more than affordable, I think you will be pleasantly surprised not only in the price, but in the whole experience of being photographed by someone that thinks outside the box and does not take himself too seriously.

As it happens! (Fly on the wall images)
The images I display on my site are images I’m proud of, wedding images I believe stand out from other wedding photographers, for me they are an extension of my personality, these images are thought out but executed with style and fun firmly in the forefront of my mind. So do I photograph natural moments of people interacting with each other, of course I do, a good proportion of the days images will be of this style, there will be so many moments throughout your wedding day that will scream out to be photographed in a natural unobtrusive way, I really enjoy the relaxed atmosphere of the bridal party getting ready in the morning, the location is always bursting with naturally fly on the wall opportunities. The moment you come out of your wedding ceremony and are greeted and hugged by your friends and love ones is another hotspot of “as it happens photography” I love to capture these images as they show people looking truly relaxed and happy.

What about the details!
These for me are the cornerstone of your wedding day images. I’m of the opinion that these images complete the story of your wedding day. I am compelled to capture these little treasures, your dress, your shoes, the flowers, your wedding venue even the flowers in the ground as these tell the viewer the time of year the wedding took place. On their own these images may not demand centre stage, but they make a fantastic support for the other images within your wedding day story book collection.

For more information, tips and advice for your wedding day. contact me on 07766056254

Sajida contacted me after visiting my website, because her original wedding images were well below par to say the least and she really wanted some beautiful images of them both in their Wedding outfits. Their wedding venue was a fantastic building in Leicester called the Empire http://www.the-empire.co.uk/empire.html/ it’s a converted converted Church, have a look at the website the architecture is impressive. I met with Ahmed and Sajida at a their friends apartment, at the old shoe factory, Leicester opposite Abbey Park (The Park it’s self is well worth a visit). Ahmed and Sajida were really easy going, Sajida looked beautiful even thou Ahmed pointed out she had spent there hours beautifying herself before I arrived, well what ever she did, she looked perfect, the photoshoot was fun and easy going because they gave me full licence to do what I wanted and we had some friendly banter which always helps to relax the mood! A fair amount of time was used in the appartment because of its stylish features, we then ventured out to Abbey Park Where I belive at least 6 strangers made a point of saying how beautiful they thought Sajida looked. I hope you love their images as much as I do.

I have mentioned many time throughout this blog about the importance of feeling relaxed and for all of the people involved in the process to be enjoying themselves and to not feel uncomfortable, if this is achieved we are well on our way to creating beautiful wedding images. Paul and Ruth certainly ticked that box.
The day started at Ruth’s parents house in Hinckley Leicestershire, the whole family made me feel so welcome, and the two older bridesmaids were certainly going to enjoy their day and was giving me as much cheek as they possibly could, I hate it when the roles are reversed. Paul and Ruth chose St Mary’s Church Hinckley Leicestershire for their Wedding Ceremony, followed by a small trip to the Sketchley Grange Hotel, Burbage Leicestershire for their wedding breakfast and evening wedding party. As with many of my weddings I love to tell a full story from beginning to end and blend in with the wedding party, maybe just maybe my dancing to the smiths on the dance floor went a little bit to far!

On Sunday I met up with Gary and Donna at St Marks Church in Rugby, Warwickshire, to finalize their Wedding day plans, Even thou I was avoiding Mass that day, I was duped into attending a one hour service, that’s justice for you. St Marks is a beautiful Church With its Gothic archways and stained glass windows, it will make a perfect start to their Wedding day.
We then went onto their chosen venue Rugby Football Club, in Rugby, Warwickshire, this newly built venue will be an ideal setting for their Wedding reception.
Here are some images of the Gary and Donna relaxing in the summer sun, after this pre wedding photoshoot, I know their Wedding Day will be full of laughs and Donna assures me, there will be a few tears from herself and her mum.

Although I specialize in Wedding photography, Its always nice to produce other styles of images for different situations, my background is portraits for a Leicestershire modeling agency along with producing family portraits in and out of a studio environment, add into the mix a number of corporate clients, my photography is a wonderfully varied occupation. Emma Louise Christening at St peters R.C Church in Hinckley Leicstershire, was a beautiful occasion and the images displayed show what can happen when all the ingredients come together, for me capturing all of the family members being themselves is what true portraiture is about.

Nicola & Mikes Wedding was small & perfectly formed, starting off at Hinckley Registrars Office & then a small journey to Stanton Lakes (at Stoney Stanton Leicestershire, http://www.stantonlakes.co.uk/) with the help from http://www.weddingbugs.biz/index.html and their two lovely Beetle cabriolets, this lovely venue is ideal for a smaller wedding, with a newly built Bar and Restaurant that has a relax & ambient atmosphere. Nicola & Mike were a lovely couple and their Wedding ceremony was full of emotion as there was no doubt of their love for each other.

Tara & Steve chose the Millers Hotel http://www.millershotel-sibson.com/ near Market Bosworth, Warwickshire for their Wedding Ceremony & Reception, the wedding was a relaxed affair, with freshly baked cream scones and tea, the evening was full of entertainment thanks to the Brides mum, who organized a number of games including Mr & Mrs and Chocolate/chilli Russian Roulette. One of the reasons I love Wedding photography is the inventiveness of the families to make their Wedding day special.

Had a lovely meeting this weekend with an old friend of mine Paul Davis and his bride to be Ruth Mannering, their chosen Wedding venue for their marriage is at St Mary’s Church Hinckley Leicestershire, then off to the Sketchley Grange Hotel Burbage for their Wedding Reception. After a brief chat about their wedding we had a short walk around Hinckley and captured some beautiful, colour filled images of the engaged couple.
Although St Mary’s Church is a stones throw from my home in Hinckley, I have never photographed a Wedding there. St Mary’s is a beautiful church in the center of Hinckley, with many architectural features that I’m looking forward to capturing.
This wedding for me will be a little bit like a busman’s holiday, it will be on my home turf with some very good friends in attendance and who knows, it might even include a little boogie to a smiths track.

Neil and Liz’s Wedding for me was simply perfect, from the locations they selected, (St Peter, Aston Flamville, Leicestershire for the Ceremony, THE POACHER’S, Church Street, Thurlaston, Leicstershire for the Wedding Breakfast and finishing off at the Tithe barn at The Battlefield, Market Bosworth, Warwickshire).
Their whole attitude was relaxed from the begining, they made me feel very much apart of their wedding day, infact the whole family made me feel extremely welcomed so much so that it made my job to photograph thier wedding day a complete joy. I would like to extend my thanks to their wedding party for making Neil and Liz’s wedding one to remember for all the right reasons, not excluding the Hog Roast.

Baptism Images in Hinckley Leicestershire.
I was asked by a client to record their sons Baptism at St Peters R.C Church Hinckley Leicestershire, but due to other commitments I was not able to attend, however they did request a home shoot so I could capture thier son in his Baptism Gown. I fell this is such a fantastic way to capture a moment in this childs life, I know these images will last a lifetime and will be looked back on with a little smile.

Pre Wedding Photo shoot

 It felt like summer had arrived as I approached the Tithe barn at The Battlefield,  Market Bosworth, Warwickshire.

http://www.bosworthbattlefield.com/visit/tithe_barn.htm

 A little background Info!

The Tithe Barn Restaurant located at Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre overlooks the beautiful country park where the famous Battle of 1485 took place.
The original barn was erected at Sandiacre, Derbyshire before being transported in early 2004, piece by piece, to Fenny Copse in Quorn, Leicestershire, for major renovation work. A specialist joinery firm, working alongside building historians, were engaged to sort, grade and using select English oak, repair the structure. Some original timbers were then used to re-erect the main structure of the barn which provides a unique focal point for visitors to the site.

 I photographed Elizabeth and Neil while on a relaxing walk through the woodlands finishing up devouring a coffee and walnut muffin and a refreshing cup of tea, I was told of their plans for their Wedding day, they are to get Married at St Peter, Aston Flamville, Leicestershire, with the wonderful Vicar Rev’d Canon David Jennings, and Father Frank Daly from St Peter RC Hinckley, Leicestershire, (these two are real characters and will make this wedding very light hearted), then they are off to the THE POACHER’S, Church Street, Thurlaston, Leicstershire  http://www.poachersbistro.co.uk

This again will be a real treat as It has recently been taken over by a friend of mine Aimi, Aimi has such an infectious personality, everybody that meets her, is assured of a very warm welcome and some gorgeous food. We then end up at the Tithe Barn Market Bosworth Warwickshire for a Hog Roast and some great music, I have got a felling that the ambient light and the party atmosphere will be beautiful, I’m looking forward to using this as a backdrop for a well styled creative wedding image!

Pre Wedding Photo shoot

I met up with Tara and Steve at the Miller Hotel at Sibson near

Market Bosworth, Warwickshire. http://www.millershotel-sibson.com/

Located in the picturesque village of Sibson, Warwickshire, just outside Tamworth and Birmingham. A beautifully reconstructed village bakery in which many of the original artefacts remain, including a working mill wheel in the oak-beamed lounge bar.

Like most wedding couples Tara and Steve were more than a little nervous in front of the camera, but I used my fantastic personality to break them down!

Having a pre wedding photo shoot is so important, as it blows away any nerves the couple have regarding the wedding photography, It also a great way for everyone involved to get to know each other a little more, so when the big day comes we are good to go!

As always we were all laughing and joking after just a few minutes, because everybody wants to have fun, we just need to be shown how!

These style of photoshoots are a perfect way to capture your family as they should be, relaxed and happy. In my opinion they have more depth to them than in a traditional studio with four white walls. The added bonus of these photographic sessions is that you dont have to leave the comfort of your home. I am based in Hinckley, but I can visit your your home in Leicestershire, Warwickshire or the East midlands. Its a perfect gift for all the family and the images will be treasured for a lifetime.

Part of my photographic process for wedding photography where possible is to have a pre wedding photoshoot, this has many benefits, not at least is the opportunity for us all to get to know each other and for the wedding couple to get used to having your images taken, most people don’t like having their picture taken, but after a while they forget that I even have a camera and we can start to create some fab images. This weekend I met up with Mick and Nicola we took a stroll around their chosen venue, Stanton Lakes, in Stoney Stanton Leicestershire, we managed to take some lovely images, while getting to know each other a little more, this will really help on their wedding day, as the Ice would have been broken and everyone can relax. Below is a slide show of the final Images to which they will receive the high resolution on disc.

http://www.leeglasgowphotography.co.uk/Nicola_Michael/

I’ve had a number of wedding photography enquiries for 2011 in the last two weeks, I’m hoping I can convert these into bookings.

When a wedding couple ask me to photograph their big day, I feel a real pride that they love my images enough to commission me. It’s hard not to take it personally when you lose a booking but I try and learn from each one, I remind myself that all wedding couples are different, they have very different personalities, styles and Ideas, I guess this is what gives me my passion for wedding photography, the challenge of creating the very best images I can, with different wedding couples and venues.

The first couple I met was Melanie and Mathew who are getting married at Queniborough Church and then onto the Quorn Country Hotel, Its was lovely to meet this couple especially because they were recommended to me from a client/friend I met last year (Hannah)    Hannah is a beautician based in leicester, who also has a little side line renting out a hot tub. www.hannahmarie.co.uk Thank you Hannah, your support for me is priceless.

I then had a wedding enquiry, for a wedding in Chesterfield, the service is to be held at the Crooked Spired Church you have to look at the pictures of this Church to appreciate the title. The reception is at the Ringwood Hall Hotel. It is so nice to have an enquiry from outside my immediate area and to be given the chance to quote on a wedding at such a beautiful set of locations, It gives me such a sense of achievement to know that wedding couples are doing thier research, searching for their perfect wedding photographer and considering myself among their preferred choice. 

My third wedding couple came via a friend of mine, her  daughter is getting married next year at Halstead House, I’m already photographing a wedding there this year and after visiting the venue in October last year, I fell in love with its rustic charms, I love to see these new up and coming venues, with bags of  history and old brick buildings, plenty of inspiration for me. Debbie and Robert are easy going, I know this is one Wedding I can relax a little and let my artistic eye find some hidden image gems. 

Finally I met a lovley couple who have chosen the Guild Hall in Leicester for their ceremony and then onto the Case Restaurant for their reception, this wedding for me will be so funky, Selena and Charlotte will be a joy to photograph, as soon as I saw them, I knew this is one wedding I needed to get, every wedding I photograph, I strive for a set of Images that I am proud to place on my new website www.leeglasgow.co.uk 

Over the bank holiday I received two phone calls from separate couples expressing their wish for me to capture their big day, which is a fab way to end my bank holiday Easter.