2014: A Year in Review

Well 2014 has gone, that went a lot faster than I expected. Seems like five minutes ago I had people messaging me on Facebook telling me I should try and shoot a few more weddings because I seemed to have a knack for it.

Filey Wedding Photography - Kayleigh & Ben at the Royal Oak

My last of five weddings in six weeks was that of Kayleigh and Ben. The ceremony was held at the Register Office in Scarborough and then onto the party at the Royal Oak in Filey.

Scarborough Engagement Photography - Louise & Kev at Scarborough Castle

Just before Christmas I had a wander up to the castle with Louise and Kev who are getting married next year.We had a wander in the cold and it was good practice before their wedding in February!

Scarborough Photographer - Higgle Yarn Bombs the Bathing Belle

I was pottering through town yesterday, on my way to get some lunch after a cold family shoot in Peasholm Park, and I happened upon a yarn bombing.

Hackness Wedding Photography - Helen & James at Hackness Village Hall

This wedding came at me at very short notice and was completely worth it! Helen who is a friend of a friend got married with just a couple of witnesses on a Friday with a big celebration and a ceremony with a celebrant at Hackness Village Hall on the Saturday. The ceremony was conducted by Colin Nolan and was beautiful and really personal to the couple and all their children, family and friends.

Scarborough Wedding Photography - Lisa & Steven at Ox Pasture Hall Hotel

Lisa and Steven got married at St John The Baptist Church in East Ayton and had their reception at Ox Pasture Hall Hotel. I was lucky enough to attend the wedding rehearsal in the church a couple of days before the wedding, which meant I got to meet a lot of the family and check out where I would be standing on the day. This was helpful as the church is around 850 years old and really lacking in windows and light!

Scarborough Engagement Photography - Elaine & Nick in Forge Valley Woods

I met Elaine and Nick at the wedding fair in Bempton earlier this year and I will be shooting their wedding next year in Scarborough.

Scarborough Wedding Photography - Debbie & Matthew at East Ayton Lodge

Debbie and Matthew were one of my first official bookings when I launched back at the start of 2014 and I was really looking forward to their wedding because of this. They had a small ceremony at Scarborough Registry Office, and after a ride round the seafront in a open top bus, it was off to East Ayton Lodge for the reception. It was a lovely and relaxed day full of smiles and love. The best part was that I felt like one of the family and stayed well into the night to make sure I missed nothing!

Whitby Wedding Photography - Steph & Jock at Falling Foss

What can I say about this that Marry Me Ink haven't done already. This was an amazing two day celebration of love that I was privileged to be a part of.

For all the deets have a look at the link above and have a look below for some of my favourite shots from the day. Oh and the scones were amazing, totally worth going back to Falling Foss for!

Scarborough Engagement Photography - Debbie & Matthew's Engagement Shoot

Debbie and Matthew were one of my first official wedding bookings and I offered them an engagement shoot so we could have a good practice before the big day!

The light was utterly beautiful and absolutely perfect. The setting was the North Bay here in Scarborough and the hazy sunset made for a lovely backdrop.

Scarborough Maternity Photography - Louise's Bump Shoot

The lady who was the bride at my first wedding recently became my first bump shoot! Louise loves black and white images, so there is a lot of that in these pictures, which really had me thinking about the light.

I was really pleased with how these turned out, little bit different to a wedding, calm and relaxing!

Liverpool Wedding Photography - Claire & Tony at St George's Hall

So one of the weddings that started it all happened in June and was a pretty intense day. Setting off early doors from Scarborough to Liverpool, driven by my ever obliging husband (who got a steak dinner out of it!).

I had only ever spoken to Claire on the internet and we had never met in person, which all turned out fine as the hairdresser thought we had been friends for years even though we had only just met!

Scarborough Wedding Photography - Ryan & Heidi at The Downe Arms

I shot Ryan and Heidi's wedding at short notice and it was only a week after my first official wedding. It was my first time at the Downe Arms and I got there super early to make sure I could have a good look round before everyone arrived. 

The Downe Arms is a lovely hotel in Wykeham, just outside of Scarborough and a perfect venue for a ceremony and wedding breakfast. The surrounding areas are pretty epic too if you go slightly off the beaten track and into the woods behind the hotel.

Enough of me, here's some highlights from the day. 

Scarborough Wedding Photography - Louise & Jonah at the Stephen Joseph Theatre

My first ever wedding as THE photographer was at the end of May and I couldn't have asked for a more perfect and scary location. I found Louise on a Facebook group looking for an affordable and local wedding photographer who was looking to build their portfolio. I got in touch and we hit it off at the start, especially as we discovered we went to the same gym!

Scarborough Family Photography - D & The Eggs

I went to visit my friends for lunch last Sunday and seeing as it was Easter I decided to take a treat for their little girl.

A quick trip to Sainsbury's and £3 later I managed to create an Easter Egg hunt in the back garden with the help of mum and dad and an old basket I had hanging around at home.

The weather was nice and hazy and helped create the following photographs, which are very cute if I do say so myself.

My Very First Wedding Fair - Alternative Wedding Photographer in Yorkshire

I exhibited at my very first wedding fair yesterday. Having only got back from a week in the Lake District on Saturday afternoon I had to make sure I was well prepared in advance!

It a Bridal & Prom Boot Sale and was held at the new Bempton & Buckton Community Village Hall, organised by Bottom Drawer Events.

I was as prepared as I could be; having spent a lot of time reading various blogs and websites which let me know what to ask couples and what they will ask me. A special thank you to Kat at Rock and Roll Bride for this post which was very useful and had some awesome tips and tricks for someone, like me, who is just starting out!

Darlington Wedding Photography - Rachael & Mike at Headlam Hall

Another cousin and another cake and photography day.

Rachael is Gail's sister and asked me if I would be able to make her wedding cake after sampling the ones I made for her sister's wedding! I said yes straight away and then started planning how I would make a wedding cake over Christmas!

Scarborough Wedding Photography - Maria-Louise & Jason at Ox Pasture Hall Hotel

A lovely lady I work with invited me to her evening wedding reception just before Christmas. This was a great opportunity to practice some low light reception shots.

Here are some of my favourites and you can see the full album here.

Scarborough Wedding Photography - KT & Bush in Dalby Forest

Just over a month since my cousin's wedding it was time for another, this time the wedding of one of my oldest and dearest friends. We had started planning the cake as soon as she had booked the date, so I had a good couple of years to research cakes that looked like trees!

A few weeks before the wedding I was asked if I would be one of four photographers on the day as I have a keen interest in wedding photography - of course I said yes! My main task before the ceremony was to get photos of guests arriving, the others had the bride, groom and venue as their focus. After the ceremony it was a free for all for everyone!

Darlington Wedding Photography - Gail & Rich at Rockliffe Hall Hotel

Fast forward over a year to the next wedding I'm going to show you and this was another chance for me to make a wedding cake. I had spent pretty much most of the previous year using my spare time to improve my cakey making skills. June 2013 saw the wedding of my cousin Gail to her fiancé Richard.

It was at the beautiful Rockcliffe Hall and I was under pressure to make a cake that would suit such a grand venue! After setting the cake up I had a good opportunity to take some sneaky photos of the flowers and table decorations!

Scarborough Wedding Photography - Iain & Emma at Ox Pasture Hall

March 2012 was the next wedding I got to attend, I had been working on my editing skills since Sue's wedding and was ready to try something a bit different.

This was a local wedding at the Ox Pasture Hall and even though it was a bit grey and damp it was still a really nice day.

Chelmsford Wedding Photography - Sue & Phil at Essex Police Sports & Social Club

The wedding I went to in October 2011 was to be the ultimate test of my amateur photography skills. Along with my wedding cake making skills, Maid of Honour skills and venue decorating skills!

One of my most special friends, Sue, was getting married and I was her go to girl. I organised the decorations for the venue and made the cake which I then took with me all the way from Yorkshire to Essex. Well my husband Richard is the driver, so his fantastic car packing skills and calm temperament when driving helped calm my nerves a great deal.

Scarborough Wedding Photography - Kirsty & Kev at The Crown Spa Hotel

Just after Damian and Michelle's wedding my mum asked if I would like to be her plus one. Kirsty, one of her employees was getting married and my dad was going to be at work. Not being one to turn down a party I jumped at the chance. I was also making the cupcakes for the sweet table, so I got the chance to sample my own handiwork!

Scarborough Wedding Photography - Damian & Michelle at Scarborough Fair Collection

Probably the first time I realised that I wanted to take more photographs at weddings happened in the summer of 2011. I was invited to two weddings in a very short space of time and had access to a basic DSLR.

This led to me getting some fantastic shots and people started commenting on the quality of my photography. At this point I had no idea what an f stop was or the meaning of the word aperture, nevermind the basic principles of photography! As you can see I had limited knowledge of Photoshop and wasn't very adventurous with my editing.

The photo that started it all...

...should be the one that starts me blogging I suppose!

My goddaughter Anya, just got her fairy wings and was sniffing the rosemary. Just a perfect moment in perfect light!

This was taken in the summer of 2012, just after I got my Canon 1100D and I was still using it on full auto, so a very happy accident. At the same time I sorta wondered... If I could take photos like this when I wasn't trying, what could I do when I was trying?

The challenge had begun.