J&A Photo blog
What J&A's photographers - Andy Robinson & Sarah Martin have been up to in the World of Photography.
Well, the last few weeks have been just so hectic! I’ve been sent all around the country photographing care homes, paving slabs, dustbins and a three day shoot for Reebok in Stockport! Now, because of all the embargo rules, I can’t post any shots that feature any of Reebok’s Autumn/Winter 2013 and Spring/Summer 2014 collections but I can post a photo of our fantastic ‘foot’ model - Jermaine! Given that the J&A team had him doing all sorts of weird and wonderful things in the name of art and consumerism, Jermaine was a perfect gent and next time you see a Reebok catalogue; spare a thought for all the pain and anguish that he went through just so the footwear could look fantastic!!
The second reason for choosing this shot was that it was lit with my new toy (kindly given to me as a present by my lovely boss… thanks Tim!) - the IceLight, designed by my favourite Wedding Photographer, Jerry Ghionis. This incredible piece of portable daylight looks like a light sabre and provides a beautiful, yet subtle light quality that those people fumbling with their off-camera flashes could only dream about! It’s not cheap, (fortunately I know a really good camera shop in Barnstaple!!) but it will add a new dimension to all my photography, especially my Weddings and I am so looking forward to using it! Andy
Thought that I’d post a recent image taken during a photoshoot for The Wedding Factor magazine - I’d always wanted to shoot a bride hanging from a hoop on stage and was very grateful to the ever-helpful staff of the Landmark Theatre in Ilfracombe who gave me every possible assistance to make this photo happen!
We had a full production team on hand, with hair by my regular hairdresser, Adam Denby and make-up by Jo Kift of JK Beauty. The model was the incredible Chani Turner and the dress provided by West Country Wedding Boutique in Barnstaple.
With its shades of Michelangelo’s ‘Creation of Adam’ this has already become one of my favourite images of the year and has just been awarded a Silver Bar by the Guild of Photographers. Looking forward to an exciting 2013!!
Sometimes it’s nice just to do things for fun!! So to celebrate 50 years of James Bond, I teamed up with local make-up artist Sian Laughton and our wonderful model Chloe Bond to produce this little ‘homage’. I’ll post more shots as I edit them, but it was a splendid way to spend a Saturday evening!
Well, a proud moment for me (and a rare photo!) as I have been awarded runner-up in the Wedding Photographer of the Year 2012 by the Guild of Photographers. The presentation was at the very beautiful Upper House Hotel near Stafford and most of the Top Ten nominees were able to attend, so it was a wonderful night for everyone involved! Thanks to Lesley and Steve Thirsk from the Guild for organising everything so efficiently…and a special ‘Thank You’ to all my Brides and Grooms as I wouldn’t be collecting any awards if they weren’t so cooperative! Andy
My second Wedding of September saw me travelling to the very lovely Hartnoll Hotel near Tiverton, for the Wedding of Mel & Matt. Mel works in cosmetics and it showed with her completely flawless make-up! The day started off with the threat of rain, but thankfully this disappeared and we were able to use the beautiful grounds of the hotel for some lovely shots! A few eyebrows were raised, however, when I climbed onto the hotel roof to take a shot of all the wedding guests! This was a really relaxed and thoroughly enjoyable Wedding and I wish Mel & Matt all the very best for their future life together! Andy
Well, September was a really busy month for me, having been booked for six weddings - the first of which was Helen & Nick’s at the beautiful church of Tawstock. It had become evident after the pre-wedding shoot that creating beautiful images was of paramount importance to both of them. These are the words that any wedding photographer loves to hear, and good as their word, plenty of time was allocated for the photography. Before the wedding, we had discussed which venue would be fabulous as a backdrop for the photographs and Helen & Nick settled on The Saunton Sands Hotel, which offers spectacular views and plenty of photographic opportunities! Now we just needed the weather to be kind, which fortunately it was!
So, we had a wonderful venue, great weather and a photogenic and willing couple! You guessed it! We managed some fantastic images and it was a truly wonderful day! A big ‘Thank You’ to Nick & Helen for making this possible! Andy.
I was so lucky in June to have some fantastic Weddings to photograph, and although the weather was sometimes (often) less than perfect, it made for some compelling images. Kyle & Bianca were married in Braunton and had their reception at The Saunton Sands hotel, so the backgrounds were stunning! Bianca was the perfect bride; beautiful, fun…and almost arrived at the Church on time! Kyle was a most handsome groom but what made this a memorable wedding for me was their willingness to participate in the picture-taking process. The weather in the morning was fine, but once at the reception venue it started raining heavily - however, they were still quite happy to be photographed on the beach (accommpanied by the trusty ushers clasping brollies) and between us we created some beautiful images!
On a technical note, if anyone out there is thinking about becoming a professional Wedding Photographer, it is imperative that you buy a weather-sealed camera (in my case Nikon D700’s, but other models, such as the Pentax K5 are available for less money) - otherwise the money that you saved by buying bottom of the range gear will be a truly false economy once your camera has been soaked a few times!! Second tip - don’t buy a professional’s used D-SLR!! Andy
As I mentioned earlier, June 2nd was a day of two Weddings, and I was lucky enough to photograph Matt & Lisa’s big day! The Ceremony was held in Braunton, but the Reception was in the heart of Exmoor - the idyllic Hunter’s Inn near Paracombe.
Logistically it was difficult to get all the timings right, but fortunately the bride was ‘fashionably’ late, which allowed me enough time to get all the right shots!!
Matt was once a professional Wedding Photographer, so it was fun to photograph someone more used to being the other side of the lens! They had already been photographed by me at the pre-wedding shoot, so there were no unecessary nerves and it really shows in the photos. Despite the forcast being awful, the rain held off until everyone was sat down for the Wedding Breakfast, which meant that we could use the gorgeous setting to the full. A lovely day worthy of a lovely couple! And I have never seen anyone’s face light up as Lisa’s did every time she smiled…which was a lot!! Andy
Well, in my effort to catch up with what the J&A photographers have been doing during the summer I have now entered the month of June…not too bad considering I’m writing this in October?!
Anyway, June 2nd found us with two weddings to photograph on the same day…fortunately, J&A employ the services of the multi-talented Robin and Anne Mellor when situations like this arise. And so it came to pass that the Wedding of Roz & Matt, who’d travelled down from Bristol to be photographed at Croyde Bay was duly recorded by the cameras and lenses of Robin and Anne!
As we all use Nikon full-frame cameras, there is never a problem intergrating shots when I use Robin as a ‘second shooter’ sometimes, and our shooting styles are very similar. I know I can trust Robin & Anne to do a great job, and this wedding was no exception! Roz & Matt were delighted with the results, and it meant that both they and Lisa & Matt, who’s wedding I was photographing, could both be captured in the ‘J&A style’!!
Andy
