PHOTOGRAPH OF SUNSET OVER SOUTHPORT BEACH

October 10th, 2011

What a Fantastic sunset and I missed  photographing the best part by the time I got to this location, the density of colour had reduced dramatically, but I still think the photograph shows Southport Promanade of really well. After getting this shot I looked behind me and there I saw flying fish!  The photograph of the flying fish really show up well with the reflection on the sunset glittering in the metal.

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CHRIS AND CATHY’S WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY, BARTON GRANGE, PRESTON

October 7th, 2011

WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY – A fantastic wedding day was had at All Saints C/E Church, New Longton, Preston. it was a modern church but surprisingly photogenic inside. The bad weather held off for the happy couple Chris and Cathy, so most of the photography was done outside. The wedding breakfast was organized at Barton Grange Hotel, Barton, Preston.  The staff were very Professional and keen to help. We shot the portraits in the secret walled garden at the back of Barton Grange; it gave Chris and Cathy time to chill out from the hustle and bustle of the day.

If you check out the photos below you will see Cathy chatting to her Auntie in Australia via skype on the computer – amazing! – modern technology hey!  You can’t tell by looking at the photos but Cathy had broken her leg a couple of weeks before her wedding day. I can hear all you future brides saying “what a disaster!”, and it was for Cathy at the time, but she told me by the time the day had arrived it did’t seem that bad, and as you can see from the photographs no one can tell (its a good job wedding dresses are full length!).

Here’s a sneak peek selection of the hundreds of amazing photographs taken during the big day:

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PHOTOGRAPHY OF BIRKDALE SAND-DUNES, SOUTHPORT

October 4th, 2011

This Weeks photograph for PhotoFriday is a view of  the dunes next to Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, in fact the dunes in the distance are part of the course, you can also see the gas rig in the Irish Sea on the horizon. This was a tough shot to get because I wanted to keep the foreground visable without it going to a silhouette, the extreme light conditions presented some problems with the exposure, so I duplicated it in Photoshop and worked on the digital image.  I wanted the foreground to captured the darkness closing in, and then I worked separately for the background.  The sky reminds me of  the work of the artist Turner or at least the colours do.

PHOTOGRAPH OF FARMLAND.

September 23rd, 2011

PhotoFriday – This photograph of farmland reminds me how varied the weather is in this country and I love that changeability, it means you can look at the same view, or take photographs of the same view, time and again and they can create quite a different picture.  The same can be said when I shoot weddings, the weather can be rotten for the couple and the guests, but for me it can bring new ideas and opportunities. I always try to go with the conditions rather than fight against them.

PHOTOGRAPH OF A PEAR IN MY GARDEN, JUST AFTER THE RAIN

September 21st, 2011

PhotoFriday  - This Photograph is of a pear hanging in my garden after a downpour, the rain tends to make greens look a lot more lush on the photographs.  I like it because of the way the pear is so isolated against the ivy, I have tried to exaggerate the space it is hanging in.  I am not sure If the ivy needed to be out of focus, to make the pear stand out and give it a more 3D feel.

PHOTO FRIDAY, PHOTOGRAPHY AWARDS!

September 9th, 2011

This weeks photographs for PhotoFriday are some award winning photographs I entered into the prestigious Black and White Awards.

See below the press release they sent.

BLACK AND WHITE SPIDER AWARDS HONORS PHOTOGRAPHER ANDREW JOHN FROM THE UK

Liverpool based Professional photographer Andrew John who resides in Southport was presented with the 6th Annual Black and White Spider Awards Nominee title in the category of Nude and also Category Fashion at a prestigious Nomination & Winners PhotoShow watched by 40,000 online viewers who logged on live from 154 countries to see the climax of the industry’s most important event for black and white photography.

Thousands of images were received from 73 countries worldwide. The awards international Jury included captains of the industry from Sotheby’s, Magnum Photos, The Armory Show, Fratelli Alinari to Tate and Phillips de Pury & Company in London who honored Spider Fellows with 190 coveted title awards in 27 categories. The judges reviewed the entries online for eight weeks before making their final nominations and Andrew John’s “Demeter,” “Aphrodite” and “Bed” are exceptional images entered in the Nude and Fashion  categorys, was honored by nomination of the Jury. “The Spider Awards celebrates photographers who operate at the highest levels of their craft,” said Basil O’Brien, the awards Creative Director. “Andrew John’s work represents black and white photography at its finest, and we’re pleased to present him with the title of Nominee.

” You can view the 6th Annual Winners Gallery at www.thespiderawards.com/gallery6 BLACK AND WHITE SPIDER  is the leading international award honoring excellence in black and white photography. This celebrated event shines a spotlight on the best professional and amateur photographers worldwide and honors the finest images with the highest achievements in black and white photography.

Photo Friday – St George’s Hall, Liverpool.

September 5th, 2011

The photographs this week where taken in St. John’s Gardens at the back of St. George’s Hall, Liverpool.  It’s a great place to sit and watch the world go by. The photograph on the left I like because you have to spend a bit of time to work it out, the shadows from the midday sun give an abstract feel.  The other photograph I think shows the scale of the architecture, when you see the couple sat down on the grass at the far end of the building.  These photographs were taken during a recent wedding shoot while I was waiting for the couple to arrive unfortunately their wedding car broke down on the way to St George’s Hall!!  We had less time for the portrait photos but we still managed to get some fantastic shots.  See this post.

PHOTO FRIDAY – PHOTOGRAPH OF SUNFLOWERS

August 27th, 2011

This weeks Photograph is a local farmers Flower Stall in Downholland.  I pass this stall on my way to work and back each day.  I like the drama of the photograph created by the darkness of the approaching storm in the background of the shot contrasted by the vividness of the bright yellow Sunflowers and the redness of the flag and red plastic sheeting of the stall.

Gary & Laura’s Wedding Photography.

August 26th, 2011

Gary & Laura’s Wedding Photography. What a lovely day for a wedding. The sun was shinning brightly for the happy couple. Laura and her Bridesmaids got ready at her grandparents house in Birkdale before she was driven of in a white VW Camper Van to St Thomas Church in Lydiate. The Bridesmaids squeezed into a white VW Beetle.

For the portrait photographs we went to the stunning St Georges Hall in Liverpool City Centre.  What fantastic location for photography, It is one of my favourite places to capture stunning Wedding Photographs.  The architecture is some of the best in the world.

The wedding Breakfast was held at the The Marriott Hotel which is within walking distance from from St Georges Hall.

A Great Day was had by all.

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WEDDING IDEAS! NEW & COOL.

August 23rd, 2011

WEDDING IDEAS – Brides are always looking for new and cool ideas so I thought I would start to post ideas I come across while shooting my weddings. I love this idea because its simple but sophisticated.  John and Hannah had there reception at Meols Hall and for the name places they used the wire tops from Champaign bottles and made them into miniature chairs.  Hannah was taught how to do it when she was aged 14 by her nan. The problem was how to get hold of 150 champain tops.  While in London they visited St Pancras Station, famous for being the longest Champagne bar in Europe. The bar normally disposes of the Champage bottle wire tops, also known as ‘muselets..’ They asked the staff if they would keep some back for them – they ended up with hundreds. Of course they looked for the most expensive Champagne branded ‘muselets’ for their own name place setting.

If you want to learn how to make these wonderful little place setting for yourself I have discovered a great website at INSTRUCTABLES that provide full instructions on how to make them.

A word of warning apparently you end up with sore fingers, and possibly a sore head!!