Over the weekend I had the pleasure of photographing Mike and Jess's Wedding at Pockeridge House in Corsham, Wiltshire. We had a cracking day and Mike and Jess did a great job in organising their Wedding at fairly short notice before they up sticks and move to Whitby, where the RAF have posted Mike. I was warned in the morning that Jess's Dad was liable to get emotional and there was a book running as to how long his speech would stretch - let's just say it was a long one!!!
Back in April I made a trip to the Mentawai Islands which are situated several hours West of Sumatra in Indonesia. Usually with these sort of trips I'm hellbent on getting the best possible shots I can for whichever magazine I'm shooting for and don't get to surf much.
This one was a bit different and though it took my friend Dan and I nearly 3 days to get there it was definitely intended to be more of a Holiday than a Photo trip. Our good mate Randall moved out to Australia over 3 years ago to shape surfboards for Classic Malibu and we'd arranged to meet hiim and his friends Jake and Joel in Padang before getting the 10 hour Ferry accross to the islands. Jake had organised the trip for us from Australia and it turned out he was from just down the road in Westward Ho. It was scary how many people we both knew yet somehow we had never met.
We got waves every day of the trip and the crew at Pitstop Hill Surf Camp were unbelievable hosts. Despite Qatar Airways charging Dan and I close to £800 each to get our Boards home having let us take them out for free we all had an amazing trip.
It's taken me over a month and a half to find the time to do anything with the images but here are a selection of my favourites in slideshow format.
Here is the second slideshow from the May Bank Holiday madness. The song accompanying the Slideshow is called 'Forever' and it's writen and performed by the Groom. To hear more of Doug's music check out his website http://www.douglasepowell.co.uk/
Billy + Lucy | Pickwell | 22nd May 2009 | Slideshow
When it comes to shooting Weddings for friends I always have a bit of a dilema. Being of an age where a lot of my friends seem to be tying the knot I'm often asked if I can take the photographs and be a guest at the same time. Though technically this is possible it's definitely a very different experience to being a guest as you're running around like a lunatic all day and having a drink can seriously hamper your ability to concentrate on what's going on around you! That said I have come to realise that I may end up missing friends Weddings all together if I have to make a choice between shooting someone elses Wedding or being a guest at theirs.
Over the May Bank Holiday I shot two couples Weddings, both of whom are very good friends. It was a little hectic but great fun and while the experience is somewhat different from being a guest it gives me great pleasure to be able to do this for them. We're all still friends so I guess they must like them!
Here is a slideshow from Billy and Lucy's Wedding which was the first of the two.
James and Katy | Muddiford Court | 16th May 2009 | Slideshow
Here's the slideshow from James and Katy's Wedding at Muddiford Court on Saturday. According to James's parents they met in the back of a Black Cab - hence the surprise choice of Wedding car.
Despite the forecast the sun shone for the best part of the day. This gave me the opportunity to lie in the field of buttercups out the front and shoot pictures which I had been gagging to do all day.
After the Wedding Breakfast I was witness to what I think must be a new record for the number of participants in the drinking game 'Round the World'. From the youngest children through to the more senior guests everyone downed their drinks in a line (it took over 15 minutes!)
I have just put this slideshow together from some of my favourite images from 2009. It is going to be part of a DVD Portfolio that I will to show to prospective clients.
My good friend Tim Kevan (he's the one in the Kayak) asked me a few weeks ago if I would take a few pictures to help promote his brother in-law Nick's new business venture the 'Fatyak. The Fatyak is a very affordable ocean-going kayak, ideal for bobbing around with a fishing rod or exploring the coast on a calm summers day. They are also exclusively manufactured in the UK. For more information please visit their website www.oceanmouldings.co.uk
Have been slightly distracted in the office today and came across these photos I took last summer of my good friends Adam and Amy and their new arrival Fin. Adam owns and runs, with more than a little help from Amy, 'Trim Surfboards' who import some of the very best Californian longboards. I'm very much looking forward to watching Fin grow up and at some point helping his Dad introduce him to the wonderful world of surfing.
In September I will be photographing Tom and Helen's Wedding at the Sandy Cove Hotel which over looks Combe Martin Bay near. Ilfracombe. Helen mentioned they were looking for a picture of the view from the Hotel to use on their invitations. I had a slow morning so I popped over to Sandy Cove and despite it being a fairly grey morning managed to get a few shots. Here are a few of my favorites.
