My new website launched earlier this year has meant that it is easier for me to add content and keep news of recent photography I have been doing up to date. As I don't want to repeat myself here I am now focussing more on facebook and Twitter for bite sized chunks of news.
Why not follow me on Twitter or you can "Like" my facebook page
Saturday, 23 April 2011
Thursday, 24 March 2011
Richard Huish College Career Academy Charity Auction
BIBIC charity auction
I was recently approached by Richard Huish College and asked if I would like to donate something for their Bibic charity auction. I have donated a £150 portrait voucher so please keeps the bids rolling in to raise as much as possible for BIBIC.
"The auction will be held on 6th April 2011, tickets are now on sale, click here for more info on how to get them."
You can view the auction items here.
I was recently approached by Richard Huish College and asked if I would like to donate something for their Bibic charity auction. I have donated a £150 portrait voucher so please keeps the bids rolling in to raise as much as possible for BIBIC.
"The auction will be held on 6th April 2011, tickets are now on sale, click here for more info on how to get them."
You can view the auction items here.
New Website!
Again it's been a while since I updated my blog (slapped wrists!). I have been busy as usual. I thought it was about time the website got a refresh. Now there are bigger images, navigation is improved, more information is available, I have a new logo and branding, and improved techy stuff means I am now more easy to find in Google. In fact if you look for a Somerset wedding photographer you should find me right at the top of page one, but then you already knew that because here you are.
I've also joined Twitter recently. Now you can catch up with the very latest of what has been going on with me in bite sized chunks or "tweets."
I've also joined Twitter recently. Now you can catch up with the very latest of what has been going on with me in bite sized chunks or "tweets."
Thursday, 30 December 2010
Exmoor winter photos
After some success photographing some of Somerset's countryside I decided to head over to Exmoor when I heard low temperatures and more snow was coming. I looked at the forecast and snow was due to arrive by 9am on Exmoor so I decided to get up at 5am and leave as soon as I had everything together. Just after 6am I set off from Bridgwater.
All was dark and deathly quiet as I set off early. The M5 motorway was pretty clear and the first part of the journey not a problem. Then after about 15-20 minutes I hit the snow.....early! It was thick and visibility was very limited. Then as it worsened, so too did the amount of snow on the road. I couldn't go above 40mph on the motorway, then as I got on the smaller roads guided by the sat nav (boy did I ever need that!) I couldn't go faster than 20mph! Starting to think I should have turned back earlier I carried on and by this time was really looking forward to seeing daylight again so I could see more than 10 metres in front of me!
After some careful, steady driving I got to Exebridge and a car was stuck at the bottom of a small bridge outside a pub. Fearing the same fate, I was just about to overtake when the driver door opened and blocked my run up. Now I was stuck too! After a few attempts I got over the bridge (and the other driver turned around). I then found myself not able to get past a second bridge so I was stuck between the two. Anyway, after a lot of toing and froing I parked up safely and decided to go for a walk with my camera and reassess the situation later. As I walked along the road, a Dulverton local slowed his car to ask if I needed a lift. I took him up on his offer and off we went into Dulverton (you can see the church below).
Well as you can see I did get some nice photos which I will later turn into cards and prints. The road conditions improved and I was able to get home safely. I was quite fortunate though as it wasn't until I got to Exmoor that I realised that I had left my wallet on the coffee table before setting out!
Above we have our snowy day and below a wedding I photographed at Dulverton church one beautiful summer's day.
All was dark and deathly quiet as I set off early. The M5 motorway was pretty clear and the first part of the journey not a problem. Then after about 15-20 minutes I hit the snow.....early! It was thick and visibility was very limited. Then as it worsened, so too did the amount of snow on the road. I couldn't go above 40mph on the motorway, then as I got on the smaller roads guided by the sat nav (boy did I ever need that!) I couldn't go faster than 20mph! Starting to think I should have turned back earlier I carried on and by this time was really looking forward to seeing daylight again so I could see more than 10 metres in front of me!
After some careful, steady driving I got to Exebridge and a car was stuck at the bottom of a small bridge outside a pub. Fearing the same fate, I was just about to overtake when the driver door opened and blocked my run up. Now I was stuck too! After a few attempts I got over the bridge (and the other driver turned around). I then found myself not able to get past a second bridge so I was stuck between the two. Anyway, after a lot of toing and froing I parked up safely and decided to go for a walk with my camera and reassess the situation later. As I walked along the road, a Dulverton local slowed his car to ask if I needed a lift. I took him up on his offer and off we went into Dulverton (you can see the church below).
Well as you can see I did get some nice photos which I will later turn into cards and prints. The road conditions improved and I was able to get home safely. I was quite fortunate though as it wasn't until I got to Exmoor that I realised that I had left my wallet on the coffee table before setting out!
Above we have our snowy day and below a wedding I photographed at Dulverton church one beautiful summer's day.
Friday, 10 December 2010
Somerset winter photos
Where I live, we have had little snow until recent years, but this past year or two have been beautiful. Despite having to endure the discomfort, it's nice to get some proper winters again and enjoy the contrast to summer that a dusting of snow and a hoar frost brings.
Foolishly I missed out on getting some photos of the hoar frost last time around so I thought I would make a special effort this year to get out and see a few things whilst capturing it on camera.
I was fortunate to find a herd of ponies on Cothelstone Hill in Somerset. A couple of dominent ponies wandered over to me a few times to stand their ground and protect the herd so I had to gently move around the outside to get the shots I wanted whithout disturbing them. Luckily they didn't gallop off and were good enough to move around a bit so I could try out some different angles.
I saw this tree standing lonely in the brisk chilling wind and coated in a thick hoar frost. Much of the frost had fallen to the ground with the wind as the slow thaw had begun. It was a very strange sight looking down at the frost at my feet. The chunks of ice fallen from the tree looked and felt exactly like charcoal except being white instead of black.
Foolishly I missed out on getting some photos of the hoar frost last time around so I thought I would make a special effort this year to get out and see a few things whilst capturing it on camera.
I was fortunate to find a herd of ponies on Cothelstone Hill in Somerset. A couple of dominent ponies wandered over to me a few times to stand their ground and protect the herd so I had to gently move around the outside to get the shots I wanted whithout disturbing them. Luckily they didn't gallop off and were good enough to move around a bit so I could try out some different angles.
I saw this tree standing lonely in the brisk chilling wind and coated in a thick hoar frost. Much of the frost had fallen to the ground with the wind as the slow thaw had begun. It was a very strange sight looking down at the frost at my feet. The chunks of ice fallen from the tree looked and felt exactly like charcoal except being white instead of black.
Tuesday, 30 November 2010
"They don't make them like they used to"
Damn, my washing machine broke the other day. Nevermind I thought, they are so cheap these days, I can easily buy another one without breaking the bank. Now as it happens my now broken washing machine was generously given to me so I at the time didn't have the luxury of choosing it.
Upon shopping around on the net I started to look more closely at the different brands and models and all the myriad of features they offered. What made one better than another and why were some up to 6 or even 7 times the cost of others? The simple answer, features and quality. This is the point where you feel completely overwhelmed trying to choose a product that both suits your needs, will last, and one that won't make you feel like you have been ripped off in the process.
Ok let's backtrack a bit here, why are things like washing machines, vacuum cleaners, microwaves and laptops so much cheaper these days? I remember when a laptop was the preserve of yuppies with flash cars. I originally thought it was because of a greater demand. I guess that is somewhat true, but my conclusion is it has more to do with giving the customer what they want at the price they want (or can afford) to pay.
So is there a negative cost to buying a vacuum cleaner for £30 and a laptop for £350? Definitely, and I think we have got so used to paying lower prices we forget why they are so low and expect the cheap product to last the lifetime of a quality product. Something like a washing machine used to last for years and families would have to stump up quite a fortune to own one, it was a big deal. Ok I'm not saying it still isn't a chunk of money to buy something like a washing machine or laptop but they are a lot more accessible these days.
Ok, obviously what I am really getting at here is our perception of the cost of a quality product. We have been tricked into thinking that cheap is good and we will still get a good product. With our wallets we have affected production processes and services, which have forced corners to be cut to fit what we can afford or the price we want to pay rather than have to pay.
In the present financial climate it's difficult to choose what seems expensive over something that is low priced. However, buy cheap, buy twice or even thrice. Unfortunately this cannot apply to something like wedding photography as you only have one chance at it. At least with a product you can replace it, with a one off service it could be a long term regret. Rather than this end sounding like I am trying to scare you, just consider carefully what a cheap price will give you. If you are offered the earth, be suspicious. A higher price is usually a sign of quality and assurance. Like the Stella Artois adverts used to say: "Reassuringly Expensive."
By the way I bought a good quality and more expensive German branded washing machine in the end.
Upon shopping around on the net I started to look more closely at the different brands and models and all the myriad of features they offered. What made one better than another and why were some up to 6 or even 7 times the cost of others? The simple answer, features and quality. This is the point where you feel completely overwhelmed trying to choose a product that both suits your needs, will last, and one that won't make you feel like you have been ripped off in the process.
Ok let's backtrack a bit here, why are things like washing machines, vacuum cleaners, microwaves and laptops so much cheaper these days? I remember when a laptop was the preserve of yuppies with flash cars. I originally thought it was because of a greater demand. I guess that is somewhat true, but my conclusion is it has more to do with giving the customer what they want at the price they want (or can afford) to pay.
So is there a negative cost to buying a vacuum cleaner for £30 and a laptop for £350? Definitely, and I think we have got so used to paying lower prices we forget why they are so low and expect the cheap product to last the lifetime of a quality product. Something like a washing machine used to last for years and families would have to stump up quite a fortune to own one, it was a big deal. Ok I'm not saying it still isn't a chunk of money to buy something like a washing machine or laptop but they are a lot more accessible these days.
Ok, obviously what I am really getting at here is our perception of the cost of a quality product. We have been tricked into thinking that cheap is good and we will still get a good product. With our wallets we have affected production processes and services, which have forced corners to be cut to fit what we can afford or the price we want to pay rather than have to pay.
In the present financial climate it's difficult to choose what seems expensive over something that is low priced. However, buy cheap, buy twice or even thrice. Unfortunately this cannot apply to something like wedding photography as you only have one chance at it. At least with a product you can replace it, with a one off service it could be a long term regret. Rather than this end sounding like I am trying to scare you, just consider carefully what a cheap price will give you. If you are offered the earth, be suspicious. A higher price is usually a sign of quality and assurance. Like the Stella Artois adverts used to say: "Reassuringly Expensive."
By the way I bought a good quality and more expensive German branded washing machine in the end.
Thursday, 11 November 2010
Your photos: Timeless or trendy?
I was chatting on the phone today to someone enquiring about portrait photos for their family. They commented on how they liked the style of my photography and how they preferred it over some other styles of photography they had seen. Being immersed in photography all the time, obviously I see a lot of ways of capturing a scene with a camera and presenting it as an album.
Personally I like to use Queensberry albums for their quality of materials, construction and variety of colours and designs. I won't boast of using the most up to the minute styles because I don't. A while after starting Moment Photography I came to the conclusion that latest is not necessarily greatest. That's not a cop out either. Remember some of the styles of clothing from a few decades ago, are those styles still hip and trendy? Not really, and neither do I want to give you products that are hip and trendy today and cringeworthy tomorrow. Similarly I like to produce products that not only look great in years to come for their styling but also for their durability.
So the next time you are looking at a photographer's work which has been manipulated with funky styles in Photoshop, taken at an acute angle or arranged as a pretty scrap book digital layout in an album, think if it will look great in 10 years time.
Even if you find a photographer who takes lovely images, how are those images going to end up, are they going to be locked in time as the funkiest design of the decade or are they going to look timeless and as beautiful in 20 years time as they do today? If your are looking for the latter, give me a call. :O)
Personally I like to use Queensberry albums for their quality of materials, construction and variety of colours and designs. I won't boast of using the most up to the minute styles because I don't. A while after starting Moment Photography I came to the conclusion that latest is not necessarily greatest. That's not a cop out either. Remember some of the styles of clothing from a few decades ago, are those styles still hip and trendy? Not really, and neither do I want to give you products that are hip and trendy today and cringeworthy tomorrow. Similarly I like to produce products that not only look great in years to come for their styling but also for their durability.
So the next time you are looking at a photographer's work which has been manipulated with funky styles in Photoshop, taken at an acute angle or arranged as a pretty scrap book digital layout in an album, think if it will look great in 10 years time.
Even if you find a photographer who takes lovely images, how are those images going to end up, are they going to be locked in time as the funkiest design of the decade or are they going to look timeless and as beautiful in 20 years time as they do today? If your are looking for the latter, give me a call. :O)
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