A Lincolnshire Wedding Styled Shoot

I hope this blog post finds you enjoying the Bank Holiday, and that the weather hasn’t been too extreme for you – do you see the brilliant pictures of lighting circulating Facebook?  I’ve missed out on all this as we’ve whisked the kids away to southern Spain to enjoy some reliable sunshine!  Don’t feel too bad for me…

What I actually wanted to talk about today is a recent styled shoot I  did at the beautiful Irnham Hall near Grantham.  Now, I’ve got a conflicted view of styled shoots, in that they can give an unrealistic view of wedding photography for potential clients.  A real wedding day is a somewhat busy affair, with not a whole lot of time to arrange the shots you want – it can be a real “under pressure” situation! A styled shoot however, often provides a whole load of time to get the shots, and also more often than not has trained or experienced models instead of a real couple to shoot.

Because of this, I’ve tended to steer clear of styled shoots, but one did catch my eye on a Facebook group I’m part of, being run by ‘The Alternatives’.  What appealed to me was that they planned to keep the day’s timings fairly up-tempo, moving from one shot to the next at a fair clip, along with 2 couples that were recently married, and in no way trained models.  To me this seemed to be much more representative of a ‘real’ wedding day, giving me some great shots (honestly captured) for the portfolio as well as being able to meet like-minded photographers and suppliers.  Clearly, as I’m taking the time to write about this, I signed up and turned up at Irnham Hall on a (very) bright Sunday, not really knowing what to expect.

The day was spent very pleasantly split between 2 couples, (the photographers split into 2 groups and swapped at lunchtime). I started with the lovely Emily and Gavin, capturing some images of Emily having her hair and makeup done, along with Gavin getting himself prepped.  We then made our way out into an awesome walled garden, and the Hall’s greenhouses for some beautiful intimate pictures.

After our midday break, we swapped over and my group were taking photos of Drew and Adam, making wider use of the Hall’s grounds. Being able to photograph a same-sex couple was also part of the appeal of the day, as it’s something I’d not done before. Drew and Adam were both great fun, and clearly enjoyed being in front of the cameras!

As I said at the top of this post, styled shoots can give us great results, but they are still false representation if the images are claimed to be from a ‘real’ wedding.  However, I found it a really good day of skills-building, bouncing ideas off other photographers and really getting back into the swing of things before the wedding seasons properly kicks in.

As ever, my thanks for reading, see below for a list (and Instagram handles) of the fantastic suppliers who made the day a success.

@emilykweddings - styling

@all_bunched_up - flowers

@meggieandma - dress

@georgettevioletmua - Makeup

@akitoavalanche - hangers

@irnhamhall - venue

@andersandboo - props

@london_victorian_ring_co - rings

@boxandbubbles - prosecco trailer

@raspberry_toast – stationery

@theconfetticakery - cakes and desserts

@opposuits - Mexican suit

@irregularchoice - shoes

@halohairdesignz - hair

@tillyvintage - vintage hire props.

​A word about Data Privacy and the New General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)

This email / blog is somewhat different to my usual photo output, but please give it a read, as it’s actually quite important (I’ll try and keep it as brief as possible!)

In my line of work, where collecting personal information (email addresses, names etc) is vital to maintain your business, there is a big shift in the law next month, with regard to Personal Data that I need to be compliant with or face the sort of fine that would essentially be ruinous.  So, best I comply!

Essentially, GDPR is an update of the Data Protection Act, and it means that all businesses need to be extra vigilant when it comes to handling personal information.

So, pretty dull, but what does this all mean to you?  There are a few expanded provisions under GDPR that give you as an EU citizen additional rights (and the UK is adopting this regardless of Brexit.)  The most pertinent rights are as follows:

Right to be forgotten.  You can demand that for all data pertinent to you to be permanently deleted.

Right to object. You can prohibit certain data uses.

Right to rectification. You demand for your details to be corrected

Right of access.  You have the right to know what data an organisation holds about you and how it is being used.

Right of portability. You can ask for personal data held by one organisation be transported / sent to another organisation.

How does this relate to A D Hall Photography? If you’re receiving this as an email, you’re obviously on my mailing list, so I clearly hold and process a certain amount of personal data about you. All personal information I have obtained for both my mailing list and my customer / leads database up to now has been collected in a legal way under the current DPA rules and GDPR does not compel me to remove it or seek re-authorisation (but it must be handled in a compliant way in the future.)

Here is a list of the locations I may hold personal data in order to run my business:

Mailing List.  My mailing list is held by a company called Mailchimp, who I use to automate the sending of ‘bulk’ e-mails (it’d be impossible to do this through Outlook!) This company is fully compliant with GDPR, and gives me the tools to properly-manage the personal data they hold on my behalf.

Customer Database. My customer and lead database is held by a company called Tave, who I use to manage names, payments, contracts and task scheduling - anything else required to run a small business. Again, this company is GDPR compliant and holds the information in a compliant way.

Online Sales. My online sales partner is a company calledShootproof.  This company is also GDPR compliant and only holds sufficient data in order to process your order and deliver it to you.

Social Media and Payment Gateways. Contacts I have on social media and payment gateways is somewhat out of my direct control as the data is held by that platform (FaceBook, Twitter, PayPal etc.)  Data shared with them is only done so in order to communicate with you (ie direct messages, feed posts etc) or to process a payment or refund.

The bottom line is that you are covered by the ‘Rights’ as described above.  If you wish to enact any of those rights with respect to me and my business, then I will action your request as quickly as I can humanly do so – it is a legal obligation and the right thing to do.

If you are so inclined, you can read my full privacy statement HERE, and the links to my partners above will take you to their respective privacy statements.

If you’ve read this far, well done!  It’s all a bit dull, but I believed it was necessary to explain to you as one of my several hundred subscribers, how I hold your data, and reassure you that I hold it and use it in a legal way.

Thanks for reading!

Al.

M & M's Wonderful North Norfolk Coast Wedding

Back in August I had the genuine pleasure to share the wedding day of M & M in the beautiful North Norfolk village of Holme-Next-The-Sea.  They had actually booked me in Autumn of 2016 at the Knight's Hill Wedding Fair, and we actually met up in the March for a great engagement shoot down on the beach (it costme a smashed flash trigger, but there's no accounting for mother nature!)

The wedding day itself was blessed with beautiful blue skies and no lack of warmth, and we started by finding the ladies at the Old School House of Hair  (http://www.theoldschoolhousehaircompany.co.uk) getting their makeup and hair needs being attended to. This is a fabulous little salon in an old school house, really friendly staff - and they make a great cuppa!  After capturing the girls' preparations, we ventured on to Thornham to see the boys - who were mid-lunch!  We did the obligatory groom's family and best man shots in the garden, and then headed back to see the girls for their final preparations, the dress and the first look with the father of the bride.

The journey to the church was very short – literally across the road!  If only every venue was so easy to get to!  The ceremony that followed was filled with smiles and laughter – an accurate reflection of the bride and groom and their approach to life.  After the deed was done, I whisked them away to the beach for some bright and breezy couple portraits.  The beach has some special childhood memories for them, so it’s wonderful that we could weave that into their day.

The garden-filling marquee was a blessing as we dodged a couple of showers in-between the obligatory group shots, and we then had a wonderful meal, followed by truly heartfelt speeches and the first dance.

It’s such a privilege to be invited into couple’s wedding days to be able to capture these memories for them.  It’s even more fun when the couple are as warm and welcoming as M & M and their family – it was a such a pleasure to be involved.

Scroll down for some of my favourite pictures of the day.

Unit next time!

Al.
ps I must add that I was ably assisted by my niece who is a budding photographer herself, you can check out her growing portfolio here: https://www.mhallphotography.photos/

A & J's Wedding, Branston Hall, Lincoln. July 2017

In keeping with my look back at 2017, this week I’d like to share a few pictures from a beautiful day in July.

A & J had chosen the wonderful venue of Branston Hall, just to the south of Lincoln, to host their wedding day; a brilliant location that can cater to most sizes of wedding, (including the provision of a large marquee if needed) but keeping quite an intimate and welcoming feel.

The grounds are just brilliant, with plenty of options for pictures and space for the little ones to let off some steam.

I hope you like this latest look back!

Al.

Holiday Escapes

If you have seen my Instagram stories in the last week or so, you'll see that Ive been on holiday on Ibiza.  Not much clubbing to be done when you take the little ones - but we did manage to watch the sunset at Cafe Mambo on Sant Antonio's sunset strip.

Obviously I've come home with plenty of pictures of the kiddies splashing in the pool, I also lugged my tripod an Nikon out there to try and capture some of those dramatic sunsets.

My first attempt was thwarted by cloud, but I still captured the evening glow - I was hoping to get some stars too, but again the clouds were against me!  Anyway, here's what I got that night:

Evening glow - and clouds!

However, on my walk back to the hotel in the darkness, the beach at Port Des Torrents was alive with loads of LEDs being thrown into the air - I think the local souvenir touts had a good day selling them to the kids!  I popped the tripod back up, and tried a few long-exposures to capture the various flight-paths!

So, I was left with one more attempt on our last night on the island.  I chose a slightly different vantage point and went for a vertical orientation with the plan for some stars.  The sun actually went down behind a headland with a lighthouse on, but I think it still came out OK.  I merged several different pictures together to ensure I had detail in the bright and dark areas.  What do you think?

Ibiza Sunset.

Finally, I was rewarded by waiting and more and more stars began to appear, and I went for longer and longer exposures to capture them.  I also tried some 'light painting' with my phone's torch to brighten the rocks in the foreground.  Let me know which one you prefer.

Ibiza Sunset / Glow / Stars and iPhone lighting!

With my holidays now done, I'm heading into the busiest part of the year with loads of summer functions and a bevy of summer weddings - think I may need a break by the end of August! 

Thanks for reading.

Gift Vouchers, Updated Albums and the Photography Show.

I recently shared a story on my FaceBook page about a survey of the costs couples regret splurging on for their wedding day; I’m pleased to say that the Photography wasn't one of them! But I’m well aware that wedding costs can soon ramp up: I had to sell my beloved Suzuki to help pay for our wedding!  It’s with that in mind that I’ve just launched a gift voucher scheme that can help couples ease the financial burden of their big day.  Take a look at the ‘Gift Certificates' page, under the ‘Weddings’ menu, where there are full instructions.

The vouchers can be used against the photographic coverage of the day, or an already popular option is to help spread the costs for one of my luxury wedding albums.

Speaking of which, I had chance to meet up with my album suppliers this week (the fantastic Loxley Colour) at the annual Photography Show at the NEC.  I had a good look at their 2017 album line up, and I can tell you these books are stunning – with really thick lay-flat pages that exude quality and show images at their very best.  I have actually altered my offerings slightly since the show, as one of my options included a break between pagesthat stopped images covering a full two-page spread – so I’ve swapped that out for a similar design with a seamless join – perfect for wide shots of all the guests, or a panoramic image of the couple at their wedding venue.

I also had the chance to watch some interesting talks from several photographic luminaries, the likes of Joe McNally (twice!), Clive Arrowsmith, Nick Dunmur and Hannah Couzens – all giving expert advice on technique, equipment, or business.  If you’re in to photography at all, it’s well worth a day out and will be back next March. (www.photographyshow.com)

As ever, thanks for reading and if you’ve got this blog update by email but would rather not, just use the unsubscribe link at the bottom, I won’t be offended.

Al.