donna nook grey seals

We decided to take advantage of the brief fine weather and visit the grey seal colony at Donna Nook near Mablethorpe. Every year grey seals come ashore here to give birth and it is one of the few places where you can get very close to the seals without disturbing them. They haul up close to the top of the beach where a viewing area has been created allowing close viewing from behind a low fence. The place is ideal for families and well worth a visit though car parking can be a problem as the place is so popular. Over 4000 visitors were counted for the weekend 6/7 November.

We were lucky enough to witness 2 seal births on our visit. Each pup was borne within a few minutes.

The moment of birth – the young pup was soon moving about looking for mum.

Well worth a visit – but wrap up warm as the wind off the North Sea was perishing.

haycock hotel wedding fair

Just a quick thanks to all of those who came for a chat with me. It was also nice to see couples who saw me at other recent wedding shows.

Hope all your wedding plans are coming together!

wedding photography in peterborough – haycock hotel

The day began with Bridal Preparations, with the usual worries about the final touches. Will the flowers arrive? Yes they did. Will the car arrive on time? Yes it did. Will the horses and carriage be OK? Yes they were. And of course the hardest question to answer – will it rain? Even though the weather through the week had not been promising the sun appeared on cue and stayed until the speeches were over.

I’m glad I wasn’t the one that had to do all the fastenings on Alexa’s dress – there seemed to be a lot…

The flowers arrived and button holes attached.

Off to the church in the horses and carriage  – I had to be on my mettle to spot the carriage arriving:

The horse and carriage is quite difficult to photograph as they are quite long and the horses are not exactly small either.

 

Usual understanding vicar – so no images of the ceremony…

So off to the reception.

A few tender moments with the couple before getting back to the meal and the speeches.

wedding fairs – update

Thanks to all of those who came to see me at the Cresset wedding show and of course special thanks to those who booked on the day.

Wedding Shows coming up:

    The Marriot Hotel Peterborough    17th October

    East of England Show Ground, Peterborough           24th October

    The Haycock Hotel, Wansford                                31st October

I have free tickets for Brides for the East of England wedding show so it you want one then please drop me an email with your details and I’ll post one out. (Email: info@stevehillphotography.co.uk)

wedding photography in peterborough – haycock hotel wansford

I was back in Wansford for the wedding of James and Louisa. Earlier in the year we did a pre-wedding shoot so that they could put a picture frame at the reception for their guests to sign as a momento of their day.

It took us a little while to get the right shot but I think the result was worth the effort.

The weather recently has been a bit iffy to say the least but for James and Louisa’s day the sunshine came out and made for a great day.

I spent some time with Louisa whilst she got ready but soon had to leave for the church to meet up with James.

Wansford church is only a couple of minutes walk from the Haycock Hotel where the reception was being held so James did not have far to come.

As ever the button holes were a cause for concern. We spend a lot of time at weddings helping guests with their button holes and so carry a range of “equipment” including spare safety pins.

The groom waited anxiously – but he needn’t have worried as his bride actually turned up early.

Last minute check on makeup and then into the church.

Apparently lip gloss is a bugger  difficult to keep in place…

The vicar this week was very friendly and quite happy for photography during the ceremony – which was a relief to me and the videographer. I chose to keep to the rear of the church which turned out to be a good call as the vicar stood close to the couple throughout the ceremony and keep the whole wedding party standing throughout too. This made the video guy’s view very restricted but I did manage to get an angle for some shots.

The couple made their way to the Haycock in my favourite wedding car – a Jaguar.

And since the weather was kind to us we had chance for some romantic shots in the gardens.

James has got his priorities right – two glasses of champagne (I think he did share some with Louisa).

For me this is what weddings are all about – the romance and intimate connection between two people in love.

And what wedding would be complete without the first dance? As we move into Autumn and the evenings are getting darker quicker (boo!) it does lend itself to making for more dramatic first dance shots. Especially when the disco crew have their spot lights on.

The Cresset Peterborough

This week on Sunday September 19th I shall be at the Cresset Wedding Show in Peterborough. Hope to see you there.

wedding photography – exton park rutland

Exton Park is not normally open to the public but does host  weddings in the Roman Catholic chapel. The superb Hall provides a spectacular backdrop for any wedding and it was here that Jenna and Luis decided to hold their wedding. The groom Luis and his family travelled from Mexico and I discovered later that the Mexicans really know how to enjoy themselves.

 

The chapel is at the right hand end of the hall and I photographed Luis here before the arrival of the main guests. I told him that this shot was for his Mum who would want it on her mantlepiece. He agreed.

Whilst the guests were ushered into the chapel I kept a look-out for the arrival of the bride. I had an idea for a shot of the car rounding the corner and my patience was rewarded with this shot.

I think it’s always nice to get a shot of the bride’s father helping his daughter out of the car and then escorting her to the church.

Jenna as she’s just about to go into the chapel.

Now the priest was very helpful and was quite happy for me to photograph during the ceremony from wherever I liked. But I prefer to keep it low-key and try to be as discrete as possible. Try telling the Mexicans. They wanted to video and photograph the whole ceremony too.  Which actually made for a nice friendly family atmosphere. Isn’t his what you want at a wedding?

The priest was just checking what was next in the ceremony and the groom’s sister decided to take a few shots of her own. Try doing that in some churches.

Ahhh! The first kiss.

After the ceremony we took advantage of the fine weather to do some formal groups – the Mexicans are big on formal groups so that took a while. Then we had the traditional confetti throwing which everyone enjoyed.

And then Luis decided to sweep his new bride off her feet – literally – and run off with her up the steps to the hall. A feat of strength and endurance I greatly admired as I was having a job just getting myself up the steps without stopping for oxygen.

Phew!

The guests were packed off to the reception which allowed myself and the couple to have our quiet time together.

Off to the reception. Now this year I’ve had an unprecedented number of musical grooms who have serenaded their brides. This time it was one for the girls as Jenna sang for Luis.

wedding photography in peterborough – orton hall

I haven’t had chance to post recently as I’ve found August to be busier than I expected. Usually couples from earlier in the year don’t get back to me with their album choices until the autumn but many have been busy getting their final choices to me. I prefer this as I never feel my job has been completed until I hand over the finished wedding album.

Anyway back at Orton Hall with Abi and Mark. Orton Hall is a great venue as there are several areas to take to couple for our “private” time whilst the guests can enjoy themselves with a drink in the garden area. But the morning started at Abi’s parents with the usual pre-wedding preparations and nerves that everything would go according to plan.

Abi wanted to have some shots in her dress before leaving for the church. I usually keep in the background where possible as there’s often very little space with me, the hairdressers, the bride, bridesmaids, make artist, several small bridesmaids, bride’s mother. You get the picture – it’s a girly thing and I feel left out when it comes to chatting about make-up and hair spray. Besides which I don’t want my camera gear covered in a thick coating of hairspray…

Final touches to get the veil fixed into place. I told Abi that I really like a long veil – she thought I was joking. Little did she know what was in store for her later on.

Finally the veil is in place and secure.

Now I’m off to the church to so that I can get in place for when Abi arrives …

A short pause in the church doorway.

It’s good when the church doorway is large enough to allow this sort of shot. Many church entrances are quite cramped and it’s not always possible to get a clear shot.

Unfortunately there are no shots of the wedding ceremony itself – very strict and scarey vicar who said, “No!”.

Ah well…

I must admit I do like doing this particular shot in the doorway as the couple leave the church. Although the guests have to wait a moment or two they never seem to mind. At least nobody has objected yet.

The newly weds leaving the church.

Love a great confetti shot. I always ask, I’ll rephrase that, I always tell couples to be animated. There’s nothing worse than seeing a couple who are playing at statues whilst the guests are really throwing themselves into the whole confetti bit. Abi and Mark were like pros.

At Orton Hall we took the couple away for a little quiet time. This gives me a chance to get those romantic shots but also gives the couple a chance to get their breath back and start to relax a bit after the adrenalin rush of the wedding ceremony itself.

This is where Abi’s long veil came into its own. Luckily there was a breeze blowing, which normally can cause problems with the bride’s hair blowing all over the place. And particularly over her face – not a good look. But here the hairspray had done its job.

I told Abi to think Kate Winslett, Titanic – you get the picture.

Didn’t want to leave out the groom. And the veil in all its glory.

It also comes in handy for a romantic “kiss shot”. I give kissing lessons in our pre-wedding meeting. Most couples think I’m joking but I’m not. I have very strong views on kissing on camera. And Mark and Abi were brilliant at the kiss shots.

Finally I wanted a nice portrait of Abi. I took a few but I think this is one of my favourites.

Again I couldn’t resist that veil.

joe mcnally

On Friday I had a day out in London to attend a seminar by Joe McNally. Who’s he? you may be wondering. Well he’s an American editorial/corporate photographer and features in such publications as National Geographic. He’s a great character and extremely witty. His account of the day can be viewed here. His approach has been and still is a great influence on me. He’s no wedding photographer though. So why should I spend good money on a seminar to see someone doesn’t specialise in wedding photography? Well he is first and foremost a people photographer and finds himself in a variety of different situations and locations. And mostly having to interact with people unused to being photographed. So it was fascinating to see the person I had only read about either by his books or via his website. What did I learn? Apart from the different lighting techniques that Joe demonstrated I learned that each image created needs a deal of thought and application and most of all a tenacity to succeed in achieving the result you envisage. This matches closely my style of approach. I spend a lot of time talking and guiding the couples I meet. My approach to wedding photography is that each single shot I take is important. Even though I’ll end up taking hundreds of shots throughout the day each one has been thought about. Some will be constructed to show people at their best and many will be shot in a reportage style, but even here I try to anticipate the actions of people and position myself to ge the best shot possible.

Here’s me and Joe. He’s the good looking guy on the right – obviously he’s a lot bigger than me him being American…

So I had a very enjoyable day and got to meet and talk to a great photographer who’s work I admire.

the haycock

Saturday was a great day for Hannah and Daniel’s wedding. The weather was perfect. The day started at The Woodlands Hotel in Spalding with the bridal preparations. The bridesmaids and Hannah were enjoying themselves getting ready for the rest of the day.

Mum popped in from next door to see how things were going.

And give a bit of moral support. But everything was going to plan – even the car arrived early.

A last touch-up of the make-up. A girl can’t have too much lippy – apparently, though I didn’t know what they were talking about.  As a bloke in these situations you learn all sorts of things…

Not sure what was going on here but the bridesmaids seemed to want to spend quite a while staring into the mirror on the wardrobe.

And so off to the church and to meet the men.

The men too had spent long hours getting ready, making sure that not a hair was out of place.

One of the jobs we get at a wedding is to get the guests into the church before the bride arrives – surely the ushers?  We only just managed it this time as she was slightly early.

We grabbed a couple of minutes to shoot a few pictures just outside the church door whilst the vicar got things ready inside. The vicar was fantastic – very helpful and made everyone feel welcome and at ease.

Usually its the bride that gets lifted up but these lads had other ideas…

The vicar insisted that we threw the confetti just outside the main church door – usually we’re told to go forth and multiply.

I like to get ahead of the couple on their way to the reception so that I can meet them there. I had no trouble this time as the driver took a leisurely route to the Haycock Hotel in Wansford.

I like to take the couple for a short stroll around the gardens and down to the riverside. It gives me a chance to get some great shots of the two of them without their friends looking on and it gives the couple a chance to catch their breath after the excitement of the ceremony.

Meanwhile the guests were left with plenty of games to play in the gardens.

Of course everyone looks forwards to the speeches – everyone except those actually giving the speeches that is.

For all the chocaholics this was the perfect wedding cake. Made from bars of dairy milk …

Usually the cake is taken away for dividing up but Hannah had her own ideas.

During the first dance Hannah wanted to encourage the rest of the guests to join in. But soon afterwards Daniel’s band took to the stage. Apparently the best live band in Pinchbeck.

This is the second wedding this month where the groom has sung to his bride. Glad I didn’t have to do it. The last time I sang in public someone called the RSPCA because they thought a cat had been badly injured!