Happy Christmas to all...

Well the studio is now closed until 5th January 2009,just a few weddings left to shoot over the festive period.What a year 2008 has been,seriously the best yet, with a high point of winning the Reportage Wedding Photographer of the year & the Studio Portrait Photographer of the year at the Pro Photography Awards in April & the National Photography awards in Newcastle where we had the added bonus as guests of Spicer Hallfield (the UK largest album manufacturer). On the wedding front again a record year for both Jane & myself, meeting some great people who I know will be friends forever.Thanks go to all our Bride & Grooms and Portrait clients & extra thanks also to our ‘Rock The Frock’ people.The low point was Janes dad falling seriously ill in the Canary Islands & Jane having to fly out to help, a special thanks to customers (friends) who helped he’s now fit again.

2009 what’s in store……
The biggest challenge for the two of us is the two Pro Awards ceremonies, we both shot quite a few superb entries during 2008 so cant wait to see how we do (more importantly who wins Jane or Dave).Hopefully a change around inside the studio. This year we will also be working a lot closer with Spicer Hallfield with trade shows & seminars (they have released a new range of albums using some of our weddings) personally Im really excited about this so details to follow in the year.
Regarding weddings we only have a small number of dates available for 2009 & scarily 2010 is filling up fast.Really cant wait for 2009 some beautiful couples & stunning locations also some new gear & techniques that we have been mastering during 08. (cant say now,don’t want people copying our ideas just yet,but as the saying goes imitation is the highest form of flattery)

Most Importantly both Jane & myself wish all our customers old & new a Very Merry Christmas & A Prosperous New Year.

Damian & Bernies Wedding

A dull overcast day couldn’t spoil the fun for Damian & Bernadette’s wedding at the impressive St Marys Church in Standishgate and then on to Kilhey Court Hotel (turning into our second home).Damian was very calm & Bernie looked truly stunning and shone all day. The subtle light was perfect for my style of low light candid photography and as its Christmas I have decided as a little treat to myself, Im only putting my fave black & white images on the blog.

Thanks to you two for the fun.D.

Scott & Sadie's Romantic Wedding

A perfect winters evening for Scott & Sadies romantic wedding at Haigh Hall.Jane & I arrived to meet a very calm & relaxed Sadie & the girls getting ready and from then on the day was stunning.This wedding was a exciting challenge for the two of us as the ceremony & meal was lit only by candles,but the winter sunset & the Hall lights made for some of my fave images of the year.What a way to end November, a photoshoot & wedding full of awesome images of the gorgeous couple.Keep an eye on this blog for the future as I have high hopes for a few of these images.

Darren & Alison's Wedding

We have been very lucky so far this autumn,the lighting has been stunning & with the beautiful autumnal colours of the trees weddings at the moment are a joy to shoot (bet the weather changes now I’ve said that). Darren & Alison’s ceremony at Kilhey Court Hotel was filled with emotion & love from the bride being given away by one of the proudest fathers we have ever met to the bestmans speech (another groom ruined lol:-)).

Have a great honeymoon, hope its hotter than the wedding day.D.

Scott & Sadie...............Photoshoot

Most Pre Wedding Photoshoots that I do tend to be on location but sometimes I get let loose in the studio,after all the Pro Studio Portrait award I won in April was a studio pre wedding session so again we just had fun and again the images appeared (anyway jane seems to be doing all the 'hard work' photography in the studio so it gave her some fresh air lol:-)). Scott & Sadie are naturals & very much in love,Cant wait for the wedding its going to be something special.

Testimonials

One of the most enjoyable parts of my job is customer testimonials,they really make the job worth while especially at this time of year when both Jane & I seem to be living & breathing work with little time for the family.Heres a few...

Dear David & Jane, Thank you both so much for creating the most amazing photographic memories of our special day,were going to have real trouble selecting for our album.David & Lydia

Big thanks for everything you did for both of us on our special day.Everyone commented on how easy you made it look rounding up our troops and they all love the photos you both took to capture our day. Jen & Craig

Thank you so much for our fantastic wedding albums.They are stunning & we have had loads of compliments!you did a great Job.Emma & Stephen

Thank you for your kind words they really do make a difference.D.

Jonathan & Claires Autumn Wedding

I do love autumn weddings,the colour & the lighting make for great shots & the wedding of Jonny & Claire had both.The reception decorated by Flowerstyle by Laurie looked fantastic with the Halloween theme,pumpkins on the table & bats on the cake made for a great fun atmosphere. There was also a guest appearance from Bruno the dog the first pet to appear on my blog at a wedding.

Thanks to both of you for the fun & the emotion,have a great honeymoon.D.

Lydia & David.....Rock The Frock

After a really busy few weeks including the National Photography Awards in Newcastle which Jane & I were very kindly invited by Spicer Hallfield the UK largest album manufacturer & even though I was unlucky this time my good friend Paul Wilkinson from buckinghamshire who we were with was awarded Parent & Child photographer of the year.
Anyway gave me some new ideas for next years awards & this brings me on to the Eagerly awaited Rock The Frock with Dave & Lydia.I have been waiting to use this location for a wedding shoot for years & as soon as Lydia said she was up for something different I knew I had just the place.

Hope you like have posted my faves for you.

Thanks to you both for braving the elements.Great shots & alot of interest in the images already.D.

Wedding Ideas Magazine

We have had the honour of one of our weddings being published in the latest edition of Wedding Ideas Magazine. Its Mark & Elaine’s great wedding that was held at Wrightington Hotel earlier in the year.I was a bit like a kid with a new toy when I found out.YIPEE!!! ahem sorry!

Baby Ella.....Gorgeous!!!

By far the majority of the portraits I shoot are in the studio & I suppose this is what many people seem to think a professional portrait session is like but its such a shame more people dont go for a more creative option like location portraits.Yes its more work for myself but the images are truly stunning & different.I had the privilege recently of shooting Baby Ella for her first Pro photo sitting & decided to shoot at her home.I love this type of shoot because when you choose the locations for the shoot the parents always look at me & politely say Yeah,no problem but in the back of their mind & with the look on their faces you know they dont quite see what I see but never the less trust my decision.I shot loads of beautiful images on this shoot but the 2 below are going into the awards next year.Hope you like.


Talking of awards both Jane & myself are off to Newcastle this weekend for the National Professional Photography awards,my regular viewers will remember my recent success at the North West awards & this put us in the Nationals so fingers crossed again.

Steve & Louise's Wedding (revisited....)

Its always the best part of my job to finally show the Bride & Groom their finished wedding album.Steve & Louise were married in May with the images posted on the blog & the finished album arrived for collection so I thought Id show it (off!!) to you.For our future Bride & Grooms the album is our Celebration Book with the images both full page & behind overlays




Thanks for the privilege of being at your wedding.I love the front cover,its one of my favourite images of the year.

The Big Match!!

They say love conquers all & this must be the case when Rebecca & Marc decided to marry on the same day as the Liverpool V Man Utd game(Marc being a LFC fanatic) but this day had everything, a result for Marc’s beloved Liverpool,a personal letter from Colleen Rooney to Rebecca, sunshine & the Liverpool Utd match referee meeting & greeting them.

PR Portraits

I recently had the thrill of shooting a new set of PR images for International Opera Star Claire Ormshaw. Claire truly has an outstanding voice and has performed all over the world & after a busy run of studio portraits made a welcome change to get outside & shoot some SUNNY images.Below are a few of my fave images from the shoot,hope you like.
*click X in top right hand corner of slide to restart*

David & Mandy's Wedding

St Matthews at Highfield then onto Kilhey Court Hotel for a real laugh of a wedding.After being guests at a few wedding I had photographed it was finally their turn & boy did they enjoy themselves.

Thanks to all for a great day.D.

Craig & Rebecca at Stanley House

WOW thought we were not having a summer but again another beautiful day for Craig & Rebecca's wedding at the picturesque St Annes church in Turton.Stanley House in Darwen is a great venue with an amazing staircase & lightshow a photographers dream inside a modern look whilst outside colouful gardens.

Thanks for the fun & smiles (& the garden hopping:-))lol D.

A Night To Remember....

A beautiful wedding followed by a gourmet meal with exclusive wines & liqueurs was the order of the day when Jason & Helen tied the knot.The marquee looked very impressive & the lighting at night was fantastic as everybody partied till the small hours.A great wedding & superb evening.

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David & Alex's Wedding

The beautiful church of St Johns in Wigan was the setting for David & Alex’s wedding.The guests were really up for a good laugh & all made for a fantastic wedding.Off to Kilhey Court for some very funny speeches & more great shots.

All the best for the future.D.

New Website......at last

Our new Website will go live in the next few weeks (as if we didnt have enough work on:-()Im really happy with the new site its more modern & contemporary,its more US.I like to feel that the images stand out more which is what we're about & the new website image is part of the long line of changes for the business that we have planned this year.Let me know what you think of the new site.
On a personal note this August has been our busiest not only on the wedding front but since acheiving the Studio Portrait Photograper of the year NW title portraits have shot thru the roof (pardon the pun)We end the month with a family christening for our new neice Ella Jane,Janes sisters new baby & Jane is Godparent,guess Ill be taking the photos,still never mind ive managed to get allsorts of party invites due to my camera lol:-).Jane shot Ella's proud parents Mandy & Jason when Mandy was expecting with great results (check the portrait gallery on the new site)no doubt the first of many studio sessions with Jane & Ella.

Jeremy & Kate's Wedding

When Jeremy & Kate Decided to marry at St Peters church in Kate's home village of Mawdsley none of the guests would have guessed they would have brought the hot sunny weather with them from Dubai.This was a fantastic,colorful wedding with a large group of friends from Dubai.Kate, who’s the studio manager for Dubai’s leading portrait photographer, had great taste with some wonderful details.Very funny speeches,great weather,wonderful people & some great images

Thanks Jeremy & Kate for a fun day,you were stars.D.

Shaun & Claire's Wedding

A beautiful day filled with tears & emotions as Shaun & Claire finally married (they have been together since school)Both Claire & Shaun looked stunning but their little girl Robyn stole the show with a gorgeous smile & blue eyes.

Thanks for the cornfield shots,I love them.D.

Mark & Lisa's Wedding

The awesome St Oswalds Church in Ashton was the venue for Mark & Lisa's wedding a stunning church.We had a great laugh with the wedding party which made our job easy.Lisa looked amazing & took the day in her stride.I shot some great black & white images at this wedding even though the day was full of colour.

Thanks for a great day guys,you & your guests really made it fun.D.

Michael & Michelle's Wedding

The hottest day of the year so far for Michael & Michelles wedding at Kilhey Court Hotel.Jane & I were shooting right thru to the first dance so got to join in all the fun & emotion of the big day.

Thanks guys,the day flew by.Great emotion,great speeches & what a dance!!!.D.

Mark & Elaines Wedding

Regular viewers of my blog will remember the pre wedding photoshoot I did of Mark & Elaine in May,and the sun shone again for the eagerly awaited wedding.Drinks & Caribbean music in the stunning Gardens for Marks parents from Jamaica all helped make a superb atmosphere.Back at Wrightington Hotel & the speeches were hilarious (think the brides dad had a lifetime of jokes for the big day lol:-)).

Mark & Elaine thanks for the laughter & love you have for each other.You both made my job a joy.D.

James & Lorna's Wedding

The Weddings are now coming thick and fast,James & Lorna's wedding was at Rainford Parish Church & then onto Haigh Hall.A fantastic venue made even better by a beautiful Bride & Groom.

James & Lorna thanks for the smiles,they were infectious & they lasted all day.D.
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Damian & Louise at West Tower

It has been a while since my last wedding at West Tower in Aughton,but well worth the wait.A hot sunny day full of fun & love with a stunning bride & groom made our job very easy with fantastic images just appearing from everywhere.Thanks go to west tower for clearing the restaurant for the amazing bride & groom images & also to the guests for making the day fun.

Damian & Louise your love jumps out from the images thanks for allowing us to attend your special day & capture some of beautiful images of you both.D.
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Craig & Jen's Wedding

Ashfield House was the location for this great wedding.Had to dodge the showers a bit but when the sun came out the lighting was great.Jen looked absolutely amazing (& Craig looked the part too).Jane captured some stunning images of Jen at home. Thanks guys for allowing us to photograph the most important moments in your life,you were a joy to shoot.

Have a great honeymoon.D.
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A Photographers Photographer...

I’m asked on many occasions who inspires me, well my main inspiration is the Australian Photographer Jerry Ghionis.I met up with Jerry in Luton over the weekend where he was giving his only European seminar this year on behalf of Spicer Hallfield, some of my regular blog viewers will remember that Spicer used my images at the photo industry trade show ‘Focus’ in Birmingham in February and also in their display albums.Jerry is an amazing photographer who has won loads of award including the prestigious worlds best wedding album for 5 years out of the last 6 years.The photo above is of Jane,Jerry & myself taken whilst we had dinner on the Sunday evening at a local restaurant,taken by my good friend Martin Baynes from Spicer Hallfield.A great evening with the four of us discussing our different experiences in the world of photography, and an truly inspirational seminar the next day by a real photographic genius.

Daniel & Kathryn's Wedding

A perfect summers day for this colourful wedding.The vicar at All Saints church Hindley was a scream & nothing was too much trouble.A great wedding to photograph(and toasted crumpets as well…lol)

Thanks Daniel & Kathryn for a fun day.D.
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Greg & Fiona

I’ve been waiting for this wedding as regular viewers of my blog will know since the amazing pre wedding shoot we did on the beach & the wedding was even better than I hoped.The lighting was just perfect,the details & guests just made the wedding a joy. Wherever Jane & I pointed the camera there was something happening.I have a lot of fave images so have done a mini contact sheet for you to see.Hope you like.

Thanks Greg & Fiona for a great day.D.
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Mark & Elaine

The lighting was fantastic for Mark & Elaine’s pre wedding shoot, and we had great fun. I can’t wait for the wedding should be a blast.

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ROCK THE FROCK

Rock The Frock is our NEW service based on an idea we found from America that combines my background in fashion photography with our Bride & Grooms that want images that are a million miles from Traditional Wedding photography.In the USA they call it trash the dress & that’s exactly what they do,they shoot Brides in rivers & mud I’ve even seen a photo of a Bride with her dress on fire.This is the reason I’ve decided to call our service Rock The Frock mainly because I’m not brave (or daft) enough to destroy any dress,I just want to shoot the couple in a more modern,high fashion style.
Dale & Estelle were the first of many Bride & Grooms to take advantage of this service & what a shoot.Truly amazing images.

Below are my fave shots from the shoot.

Stephen & Louise's Wedding

Stephen & Louise were married at Dalton Church,a church I hadn’t been to for a while & forgot just how stunning the countryside is there.Leaving church I saw a field full of colour & Steve & Louise were great jumping out of the car into the field, as if that wasn’t enough mother nature showed off even more with an amazing bluebell show.Thanks to Steve & Louise who were fantastic on the day.D.





A note to all Grooms,be careful what you say about your bestman, dont forget HE has the last word!