Variety is the spice of life… Bankers, Bikers and a Wedding!

Well last week proved to be an eventful and mixed week work wise. After the initial shoot for the new weightlifting book, I was swamped with wedding orders for storybook albums and reprints, which kept me busy.

Friday was a very early start for me at 5:30am and took me to the centre of London, just behind the Bank of England. I was commission by the private bank Brown & Shipley to photograph their bankers as they needed images for promotional use.

I had previously visited the bank and agreed where I would take the photographs. Also I did this as a dry run to work out how I would attempt to take my full photographic studio kit with me during the rush hour commute. I soon realised this would be a nightmare, not only did I have to carry equipment that would have taken several people but also carry it through the crowds of people, plus up and down escalators would have been too much.

A very old and good friend came to my rescue, Antac who I have known for many decades, travels to the City daily in his licensed Taxi cab and I enlisted his services to help me with my logistics nightmare. It could not have been any simpler. Antac was a star and got me to the Brown and Shipley offices in great time ahead of schedule. I arrived at 8:20am and easily unloaded my equipment right at their doorstep.

I was due to start photographing at 10:30am and actually managed to get set up and running by 10am, which was great timing as it was going to be a busy morning. The morning shoot went very well and Brown and Shipley were very impressed with the set up and the results achieved.

I finished around 2pm, packed up my equipment and left it on site as I will be doing the same shoot with different members of the team next Friday. A lucky result my good friend Antac called me to let me know he was finishing for the day and was very close by and would I like a lift back!!!! YES!!!!

I arrived home around 4pm that day and was starting to feel the effects of the early start. After putting my camera equipment on charge and downloading the images I rested up ready for the weekend.

However, no rest for the wicked or so they say. I had the pleasure of photography David & Radana’s wedding on Sunday in the lovely Surrey town of Haslemere. I was really looking forward to the day and was hoping the weather would be kind to us for as long as possible, since the forecast was not looking that great.

I arrived at the Georgian Hotel and met David, his Best Man and the Ushers for some photography before moving off to meet Radana at David’s parent’s house. The sun was shining and we were able to get some great shots before the ceremony.

The ceremony itself was great and went really smoothly; afterwards I took some romantic shots of David and Radana before taking a few customary group photographs. We moved on from the hotel to a local church where David and Radana had asked me to take some private shots of the two of them.

A funny thing happened as we parked opposite the church; a couple of bikers had broken down and were waiting for the AA to assist. The bikers were extremely friendly and allowed the bride and groom to pose using their customs bikes, both of which were works of art!! It was great fun and an added a little surprise for the two of them

After taking photographs around the church we headed back to the reception venue at the Georgian Hotel. Almost on queue the heavens then opened and hailstones appeared!!! However, this was just what the bride had hoped for! Radana wanted it to rain on her wedding day as it was a Russian tradition, apparently it means that the rain will wash away the old and welcome the new. I may tell that to a few English brides if it rains

I wrapped up the wedding day with a few more requested photographs and then made sure I had captured everything they had requested before making the journey home to a well needed glass of Merlot!!

Now this week with be full of editing, deep joy!!!

To be continued at the end of the week with more Bankers and Babies….

Wildlife Image of the Month April 2012 – Grizzly Bear Swimming

I’m not getting caught out for April and have decided to post my image of the month early instead of leaving it until the end of the month   This image was taken in Alaska on the Katmai coastline near Geographic Harbour. I remember being a small distance from this bear (less than 100 yards) but feeling safe as there was water between us. However, the bear had better ideas and must have thought “the grass was greener on the other side!!” He decided to go for a swim and came right towards me only turning at the last-minute to be less than 30 feet away.  I was in my element a swimming Grizzly coming straight at me, “Frame and Focus” were the only things going through my mind as I took countless images of him swimming towards me.  Some of the images were of him blowing air bubbles and this one is one of my favourites as you can clearly see he is looking straight at me.  This image also appears in my 2012 Wildlife calendar for April.

Lights, Camera, Action……..

Today I am preparing for a full weekend of photographing various weightlifting and weight training exercises for a new book and training course.  I will be doing the shoot at Crawley Down’s True Studio.  This is a local venue that I have had in mind since last August and my efforts are finally coming together.  It’s going to be an action packed weekend of long hours shooting and editing the images afterwards.  Hopefully I have everything packed, so it’s lights camera action……..!!!   TBC……

The Wedding of Christina & Alexander – Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club

Although December seems a little while ago I had the pleasure of photographing Christina and Alexander’s wedding at Ashdown Park Hotel and have recently presented them with their Story Book Wedding Album.  I received the following email from Christina and Alex after receiving their album…

Hi Darren,

I hope you’re well. We’ve just had a look through the album and it’s fantastic!!

The photos are also fantastic and we’re really pleased with them. We still can’t believe how lucky we were with the weather, the lighting is beautiful.
 
We really did enjoy having our photos taken by you and we felt completely at ease, so thank you very much and to your wife as well for her help.

 Thank you so much, it’s an amazing memory of our special day!

 Christina and Alex xx

Also Christina & Alex wrote the following Testimonial for me (see below).  Their wedding day was a perfect winter’s day with beautiful light and an ideal day for photography. Christina and Alex were true stars on their wedding day and made my job very easy and enjoyable. A few images from their wedding are below.

Testimonial……….

Our wedding was at Ashdown Park Hotel in December and Darren Charles Holloway was our Photographer. We first met Darren at a Wedding showcase at Ashdown Park Hotel. We were immediately drawn to his amazing wedding story books and friendly manner and decided straight away that we would like him to be our Photographer.

Darren came to our home and went through the different albums and packages. We felt completely at ease with him and when he left my Husband and I both said we were so glad we had chosen him and couldn’t wait for the photos to be taken.

On the lead up to the big day, Darren would always reply to my emails straight away and we also had a courtesy call the week of the wedding to go through everything, which we felt was very professional.

On the wedding day Darren and his wife were amazing! We really enjoyed having our photos taken and Darren always made us feel so at ease. His wife also helped with my dress and held my bouquet at times when it was just my Husband and I having our photos taken. We felt there was a good mixture of allowing us time to be with our guests and having our photos taken.

We were very lucky that Darren worked extra hard to get all our proof photos ready before Christmas, so it was a great surprise to come back from our honeymoon to see our photos. The photos are beautiful and captured the day perfectly. It was so hard to choose for our album, as they were all fantastic! We have finally selected our favourites and are now looking forward to seeing our Story Book. We would highly recommend Darren.

 

Wildlife Image of the Month March 2012 – Female Adder (Vipera berus)

Yet again I am a little late in posting my image of the month for March, it seems like this year the weeks are flying by and I can not keep up

This year in the UK March saw very warm and unseasonal temperatures and I believe records were broken in Scotland. Once the spring warmer weather arrives it’s a great time for Adders to leave the comfort of their hibernacula and venture outside to bask in the warmth of the spring sunshine. Depending on the temperature this can normally happen between March and April. This year I have heard reports that Adders were out as early as Mid-March.

Adders are the UK’s only venomous snake; they are relatively short and robust with large heads and a rounded snout. The red-brown eyes have vertical elliptical, rather than round, pupils – a feature of all venomous snakes. Males are usually a grey or buff colour with vivid black markings. Females are brown with dark red-brown markings that are less prominent than in the males.  Both sexes have a zigzag pattern running along the back with a V or X-shaped marking at the rear of the head.

This image is of the best ever female adder I have ever seen and photographed. Preparation for this image involved several planning and recce trips to locations in Surrey UK.  Extension tubes become a valuable tool for close up images of Adders.  Respect for the subject is key, once it knows you are not a threat it most often they will be quite obliging.  This image appeared as a double page spread in the BBC Wildlife Magazine a few years back and has also featured in my Wildlife calendar.

 

Childrens Handedness Book – Now Released

A little while ago I mentioned on my blog I had been working under pressure on a new book venture for a friend, Dr Geoff Platt. The original post can be seen here….   This is just to let you know the book is now available from Amazon and in all good books stores……….   

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Children-Handedness-Choices-Anatomy-Physiology/dp/1619422263

 

Handedness has long interested us. There are negative attitudes attributed to children who are left handed and therefore this has generated a great deal of research into handedness. This book looks at the causes of left handedness, its effects on those “afflicted” and at potential “cures”. In order to do this, the research has sought out the problems or conditions that are positively correlated to left handedness.

Wildlife Image of the Month Febraruy 2012 – First Steps

What ever happened to February!!?? For me it was a very trying month to say the lease, since I spent most of it ill with Flu and have been playing catch up with my work load ever since.  However, I am happy to say I have now recovered and caught up with most of the backlog of work.  So I have now a little time to post my image of the month.

So here is the belated image of the month for Febraury, hope you like it.  This image was used in colour in my 2010 Wildlife calendar, as you can see I have had a little play with the image.

Wedding Showcase 11th March 2012 – Ashdown Park Hotel

Wedding Showcase at Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club

On the 11th March 20121, I will be exhibiting with numerous other top professional wedding suppliers at the world-famous Ashdown Park Hotel & Country Club. Ashdown Park Hotel is a luxury hotel set in beautiful grounds in the Sussex countryside and I personally regard it as the top wedding reception venue in the South East and one of the best in the UK. Ashdown Park has countless scope for photography both inside and outside in the fantastic grounds. I never have any concerns when working there it is always a pleasure whether I am photographing weddings, family gatherings or corporate functions.

The staff are exceptional and always provide a friendly and 1st class service and I speak from personal experience!! I have been photographing weddings there for nearly 10 years and know the location, grounds and staff very well. So if you are recently engaged or as yet have not chosen a location venue for your wedding why not come along on the 11th March. Admission is free and I guarantee you will be impressed. Doors open at 10am and close at 4pm and the Wedding Coordinators’ and Events staff from Ashdown will be on hand to answer any questions you may have and also show you round if required. Hope to see you there.

Other Top Wedding Suppliers exhibiting at the Showcase are….

• Chair Cover Chic – http://www.chaircoverchic.co.uk
• Floral Designs – http://www.floraldesignsuckfield.co.uk
• Zara Flora – http://www.zaraflora.com/
• Stephen Hall Toastmasters – http://www.toastmastersguild.co.uk
• Pete Williams Entertainment – http://www.pwes.co.uk
• Peter Prior Photography – http://www.peterprior.com
• Broadleys Hire – http://www.broadleyseastgrinstead.co.uk/formal-hire/
• The Ashdown Classic Wedding Car Collection – http://www.theashdownclassicweddingcarcollection.co.uk/

 

Wildlife Image of the Month January 2012 – Coastal Grizzy Looking Out to Sea

Well what a busy month January has turned out to be! I don’t know about you but the last few weeks have flown by. January started off with my first exhibition at the Eastbourne wedding fair. I then had to catch up with a batch of images from the Christmas festive shoot at Ashdown Park Hotel. Progressing onto the annual (PITA) compiling of my tax records ready for the accountant. Also finishing up editing a few weddings and lastly a designing a couple of wedding story book albums. Thank God I have now caught up with almost everything I needed too and can return my efforts back to my new office/studio. So before I pick up the paint brush I would like to share with you my image of the month.

This image was taken in Alaska and appears on the January page of my Wildlife calendar 2012. I hope you like it? I’ll have another image for you next month.

Festive Photography – Ashdown Park Hotel

The sparkle of  Christmas lights and the joys of Christmas may be a dwindling memory in your mind as we move well into 2012 but not for me.

The day before Christmas Eve I was commissioned by my favourite wedding venue Ashdown Park Hotel to produce a set of Christmas and Festive stock images for promotional use.  I spent a fun filled day kindly assisted by Warren and Melissa (thanks guys), setting up various displays of mouth watering delights ranging from Starters to Main and Desert courses. We were under timing constraints and had to work extremely quickly as the restaurant was about to open for a Christmas lunch sitting with a large amount of guests ready to descend.

Afterwards we moved onto the reception area and lounges for the rest of the afternoon where we photographed various set ups of mince pies, cream teas, cocktails and the famous Ashdown Park Teddy Bear!

Late afternoon I departed only to return a few hours later to photograph the restaurant, which had been set-up for the evening session.  It looked fantastic with all the table candles lit giving it a really warm, welcoming and Christmas feel.

However, no rest for the wicked, I continued working for another few hours photographing table set ups in the chapel area and a Christmas party night in the Harry Clarke suite. Once I returned home later that night I downed tools for the rest of the Christmas holidays and only began working on the images this week.  A few of which you can see on this page.  I hope you like them and remember it is only 11 months to go before we do it all again!!!  :o))