I thought it might be a neat idea to reflect on a just a few of my favourite pictures from the thousands made over the past twelve months; no mean feat I can tell you! So here we go with six pictures each from wedding, portrait and commercial commissions together with a line or two about what makes them special for me.
I sometimes find with summer weddings that the trees and grass can be, well ........ too green! So I had a bit of fun here giving the image a warmer, more autumnal feel. OK, so Alyson and Andrew went for the original version but what the heck. A very classy bride, you wouldn't guess that her lovely dress hid a very practical pair of wellington boots! Taken on top of Knock hill above Crieff.
Arrivals at Crieff Parish church with the story-telling picture to include the location and the bride's mode of transport. I love the rather surreal sky, courtesy of my computer skills and selected for Debbie's album.
I must be getting old! Fiona, the bride, was at school with my youngest sons. She looked radiant despite the heavy lorries rumbling past on Auchterarder High Street. Setting a shallow depth of field on my camera kept background intrusion to a minimum.
This bride was so ugly I had to turn her away from the camera ... no, only kidding , as you will have seen from the previous photo! This different angle offered a shot of the back of the bride's dress with a bit of inter-action from the lovely bridesmaids and avoided the more usual line up shot.
A "directed" picture showing a quiet moment of affection between Gwen and Andy on their wedding day at Roman Camp, Callander. Some people think "posed" shots are old-hat but believe me, lovely photographs like these don't often happen without the photographer's input. A bit of Photoshop wizardry completed the picture.
A timely reminder that winter weather conditions can make or break carefully made wedding plans. Heavy snow hadn't been anticipated but as Emma and James were up for it, we were able to create some lovely outdoor shots for their early December wedding. The venue was Knock Castle, Crieff. As luck would have it, their date happily co-incided with a "window" in the weather"; a few days before or after might have resulted in a very different outcome. All's well that ends well.
One of many family gatherings I have photographed at Crieff Hydro Hotel. In this case the extended Wedderburn family were celebrating the couple's Golden Wedding. As the weather was kind, we were able to use the hotel's Victorian Gardens. This picture featured the whole family group and went down well with the special couple as it included their 16 grandchildren!
I was firing on all cylinders and got a number of fantastic pictures to record this couple's engagement including an award winning shot. Apart from the steps and the tower, the location in old Auchterarder cemetery, looks nothing like this. "Spot-colour" has had it's day but works well here to highlight the vibrant red coat against the moody dark sepia. I just love the gritty stonework and the dramatic sky.
I was asked along to photograph young Angus; saw this amazing chair and immediately thought "small baby, large chair" and took the shot. Love it!
As a photographer, I find it very refreshing to be asked to take shots of couples with their grown up children and generally have more time to try a variety of poses and locations not always possible with younger subjects. This family, from Dunfermline, looked fantastic and were super to work with.
It's only natural that parents want their baby to smile in photos but sometimes a shot like this holds more weight and can stand the test of time better. I find the contemplative gaze very appealing and the "antique" look given to this low-key print is the icing on the cake.
A number of brilliant shots were taken during this studio portrait session. Ruth was a fantastic subject; she was willing to try different poses and brought along a change of outfits specially. The session gave me a great buzz as I knew I was "on the nail" with my carefully placed lighting. The depth of tones in this monochrome print makes the picture timeless.
This is one of a number of shots commissioned by Crieff Hydro Hotel to show off their function rooms in different set ups. In this case the Highlandman Room was laid out as it would be for for private dining. In September I booked the same room for an intimate family gathering to mark a special birthday for my wife; I had better not mention her age.
The venue for many of my clients' weddings. An early morning shot (to avoid the guests) taken to show off the new reception hall and frontage at Crieff Hydro Hotel taken for Stewart Milne Construction (SMC) and Crieff Hydro. I love the almost Gothic look together with the dramatic clouds.
These are the wonderful, graceful curves of a rather special wine cellar in Perthshire. I enjoyed a full day photographing the many features of this multi-million pound new-build home. Turning green as I write!
A simple but strong graphic, presenting the story of a pro-am golf day at Auchterarder Golf Club with the blue background colour signifying the name of the promoting company; BLUE of Stirling.
Probably not on the shooting list but I couldn't resist this shot of a metal structure as interior architecture at one of UNITE's student accommodation halls in Edinburgh.
Another commission from Crieff Hydro Hotel, this time to photograph some recently arrived leisure toys for their guests. New to me, Segway machines! |
