Danielle and Mike – engagement shoot. Dorset photographer
Posted on February 9, 2012
Last week we braved the winter chills and went down to Sandbanks in Poole, to photograph Danielle and Mike. Sandbanks is a gorgeous location and one of my favourites for engagement photo-shoots, but it’s much nicer in the Summer, rather than January with a cold North-Westerly blowing across Poole Harbour!
I have the pleasure of photographing their wedding in Mallorca later this year, so I hope the weather’s going to be a bit warmer the next time we shoot together in the Mediterranean! 
Ian
Dorset wedding and portrait photography
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We might not be perfect, but we’re unique.
Posted on February 8, 2012
Once again I find myself writing about people having unrealistic expectations about the way that they look and not being comfortable in their own bodies. I’ve spoken out this before when talking about the fashion industry bombarding us with manipulated images of models and celebrities, and my involvement last year with the “Real Women” campaign. Guess what? I’m back on the same subject again – but hopefully with a more positive spin on the story this time!
I have to say that I’m perhaps not Gok Wan’s greatest fan, but I have seen the occasional programme and will admit that he’s done some great work helping people over the years. However, having watched his programme on Channel 4 last night I must say that this was an excellent piece.
If you didn’t see it, Gok’s looking to help teenagers overcome some of the issues and pressures that they find themselves under, and the first episode looked at the problems of teens who suffer from body dysmorphia. Using a studio-based fashion photo-shoot he shows an internet-obsessed 15-year-old girl that the images of perfection she sees in the media are the result of not only the shoot itself, but hours of digital manipulation as well.
There’s also a clip in the programme about a great venture called Body Gossip, a campaign encouraging everyone to write something about their body – they’ll then pick a selection and turn them into short films using actors. It’s a great way of helping people come to terms with their bodies. Last night the programme included a clip of Brianna’s story being brought to life, and it’s well worth viewing.
Body dysmorphia’s a huge issue, and hopefully Gok’s programme will help raise the profile of this condition and help teenagers (and adults, it must be said) realise that there is another way to live your life!
Cheers,
Ian
Dorset wedding and portrait photographer
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Winter sunshine – Dorset photographer
Posted on February 5, 2012
A little sunshine to brighten up a gloomy Winter’s day – although thankfully we’ve been spared the snow! This was a glorious sunrise at Keyhaven in Hampshire, taken from Hurst Spit (for the technically minded it was shot on Fuji Velvia 50 with a Mamiya RZ67II and a 50mm lens). If I remember correctly, the mozzies were very hungry that morning and I got bitten to pieces – but that’s one of the challenges of shooting landscapes (along with never knowing whether you’re actually going to get a decent images because of the weather!).
Although my business is wedding and portrait photography I still enjoy shooting landscapes, although I have to admit that the (very) early starts have become less appealing as I’ve got older!
Ian
Dorset wedding and portrait photographer
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Could you use a wedding planner? Dorset photographer
Posted on February 4, 2012
For today’s post on the Blog I’ve decided to feature an image from one of my weddings last year – when Michael and Clare got married in Bournemouth.
Wedding photographers are great resources for Brides, as we deal with lots of wedding vendors and can recommend those we consider to be excellent, and we can also provide guidance for the planning of the day itself. As we’ve always on the lookout for great wedding venues we can talk you through the pros and cons of locations that you might be considering. One of the obvious services for couples to consider would be to hire a wedding planner, as they can take away a lot of the anxiety surrounding the day and (depending on the extent that you want them involved) can also be a part of the day itself … co-ordinating things and being on hand to iron out any last wrinkles.
This is a great shot of Melanie from Bellissimo Wedding Planners caught “in action” as she adjust the buttonhole of one of the Ushers (because we all know that men are useless when it comes to this sort of thing, don’t we?).
Cheers,
Ian
Dorset wedding and portrait photographer
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Ice but no snow (yet!)
Posted on February 3, 2012
It’s certainly been chilly again today, and plenty of icicles around to prove it!
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Winter chills – Dorset photographer
Posted on February 2, 2012
It may be cold outside today, but just over a year ago we were struggling with the white-stuff, especially us softies “down South”! Mind you, it looks as though we might see some over the weekend, so it’ll be a case of “wait and see”!
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Purbeck sunset – Dorset wedding photographer
Posted on February 1, 2012
And so to the start of my own Challenge for February – to post a photograph each day (hopefully this’ll be easier than having to write a Blog post!).
Today’s is a simple image, taken today as the sun was setting over the Purbecks. I was meeting a lovely couple this evening to talk about photographing their wedding, and had some spare time – so I popped down to Alum Chine and this is what greeted me …. what a glorious evening! The surf was foaming as it hit the shoreline, and the colours of the sunset were reflected in the wet sand – but it was bitterly cold!!
Oh, and in case you’re wondering ….. they’ve booked me to shoot their wedding this year – so a great end to a cold and wintry day!
Cheers,
Ian
Dorset wedding and portrait photographer
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2 Comments so far
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February 2, 2012 at 4:02 pm -
You’re right Suzanne – a gorgeous part of the country. And it should be a great wedding – looking forward to it!
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The Challenge is over!
Posted on January 31, 2012
Well, that certainly seems more than 31 days where I’ve had to Blog as part of this Challenge!
I have to be honest and say that I’ve not found it easy! In the early days it seemed quite simple to find a subject and write about it, but as time progressed it became more and more difficult – not helped by the fact that the business was picking up as we moved away from the Christmas/New Year break …. so finding the time to write became a challenge in itself!
I’m not a natural writer – yes, I can pen business communications, but I’ll never be an author or journalist … that’s just not me! I tend to communicate with images, which is pretty handy in my line of work I guess!
Anyway, the Blogging Challenge has come to an end and I’ve absolutely refused to take part in a video blogging challenge – that’s just not me! However, I’ve set myself a challenge for February – to post an image a day (and perhaps a few words), so watch out!
Thanks to everyone who’ve commented on my posts, and well done to all of the participants – hopefully you’ve enjoyed it as well.
Cheers,
Ian
Dorset wedding and portrait photographer
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2 Comments so far
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February 1, 2012 at 6:50 am -
And well done to you too Karen – admire you for going ahead with the Vlog challenge! Keep it up.
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Are you afraid of being left behind by technology?
Posted on January 30, 2012
Is technology taking over your life?
There’s an interesting article on the BBC News website today about something called “Trendfear” ….
Do you ever have a worry that things are moving so quickly in the world today you’ll miss out on something and get left behind? Should you be on Pinterest? How often should you be Blogging, Tweeting, updating Facebook, checking into Foursquare ….. the list goes on, and on, and on!
Some people choose to say “I’m not interested”, and ignore the siren calls of smartphones and iPads, but what if you have a job or (perhaps more importantly) your own business where you HAVE TO keep in touch with breaking news and the latest trends? Do you feel alienated if you find out something in a news bulletin on the TV instead of seeing a Facebook update or Tweet a couple of hours earlier? Do you have to know everything, right now?
Do you avidly read the social media Blogs and check out the latest websites, tools and trends – Flipboad, Zite, Summly or whatever?
If that’s a description of you, then why not switch off the phone, close the lid on the laptop, and pick up that book you’ve been meaning to read for a couple of years?
I have to admit that over the past 12 months or so I’ve noticed that I spend a lot more time on social media than I used to! Getting a smartphone was a great idea – to keep in touch with clients and respond to enquiries quickly, but what’s happened? It’s switched on at breakfast so I can check emails and social media (no, I don’t leave it switched on 24 hours a day!) – it peeps and pings at me during the day telling me I’ve got updates, and I check it in the evening when it should be family time! So, yes, it’s had a negative impact in some respects.
Why not let me know how you feel about technology, and whether it’s taking over your life?
Cheers,
Ian
Dorset wedding and portrait photographer
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4 Comments so far
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January 30, 2012 at 6:28 pm -
I stick to Facebook and/or Twitter – I don’t have enough hours in the day to actually work on my business if I join in with all the social media platforms there are. I always say to people THINK about WHAT you want to achieve out of social media be that PR, brand awareness, sales etc … then choose the most effective platform for that purpose. Don’t spread yourself to thin and limit yourself to what time you spend on social media.
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January 31, 2012 at 6:44 am -
Agree with you Joanne about finding the platform that works best for your particular business, so easy to spend the day on social media and not actually do anything that’ll drive your business forwards!
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January 31, 2012 at 6:46 am -
Technology is amazing Emma, but it’s good that you take time out to spend with your children – they’re a lot more important!
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Mama don’t take my Kodachrome away!
Posted on January 29, 2012
Well, someone did!
The words of that classic Paul Simon song, referring to the archetypal transparancy film (that’s was around for nearly 75 years), came true in 2009 when Kodak announced that production of this wonderful film would cease.
It’s a real shame – many of the iconic colour images of the second half of the 20th century were captured on this fabulous medium. Time Life, National Geographic and many others used shots from this fine grained film, with its unique tone and “feel”.
Mayrhofen 1937 - W. Robert Moore / National Geographic
In the Summer of 1937, National Geographic magazine photographer W. Robert Moore took the first Kodachrome shots for the publication whilst on assignment in Austria. For a world that was used to seeing “action” photographs in black and white this was a revelation, and National Geographic was quick off the blocks and soon most of its photographers had the film in their camera bags.
In the days before the travel industry catered for the masses, magazines like National Geographic brought the world into people’s homes – showing them wonderful places that they’d never heard about.
Although I use digital for the majority of my work, I still hanker after using analogue for landscapes and the demise of film is a sign of our unrelenting “progress” as a society. Only 7 or 8 years ago, digital cameras were so expensive and out of the reach of most consumers that everyone shot film. Kodachrome was readily available in three speeds (ISO 25, 64 and 200) and could be processed in a number of labs worldwide. By 2009 that had dwindled to just one speed (ISO 64) and one lab in the world – “Dwayne’s Photos” in Kansas (you’ve got to love that name!)!
Piccadilly Circus 1953 - David Boyer / National Geographic
It’s easy with today’s computer-manipulated imagery to enhance colours and tweak exposure – with Kodachrome you had little margin for error and had to nail the exposure (with processing taking a couple of weeks it’s a far cry from checking the histogram and shooting again!), but if you got it right the results were almost magical!
It was hard work, but it was the best way to learn about getting the correct exposure – on a film that was incredibly fine-grained with a natural way of recording colour (something that I feel can’t be recreated digitally).
There’s something else – we know that film has a life of at least 100 years (it’s been proved) – we have no idea how long digital media will survive!
Kodachrome 1935-2010 – RIP
Ian
Dorset wedding and portrait photographer
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Hey Ian, love seeing these photos! Awesome work
I am still getting there with mine! Hope you are ok. Becks
Thanks Becky! Look forward to seeing some of your work on FB! Take care