​24 April 2016

​I was excited to be invited as an exhibitor at such a beautiful venue on the Clovelly Great Court and for such a good cause, the Wishing Well Foundation.  The forecast a couple of days before was a little worrying, but the day turned out fine and bright, certainly showing off Clovelly to fine advantage, if just a little chilly out of the sun.

Brilliant marquee provided by Funky Tents

​This was only my second wedding fair and with the fair coming up fast I felt my stand needed a revamp.  I am now learning that there is a lot of work preparing for these events and, though it will continue to evolve, I am quietly pleased with the way the stand it is developing.  

​My theme for the fair was love, fun and the printed image.   Though we live in a digital age, there is something very special about a print that gives an extra dimension to an image. 

 I will let others, far more philosophical than I, discuss the merits of print verses  screen (because I am a fan of both).  A well looked after a print , however, will last a lifetime and, if you have the space, it gives an unmatched physical presence. 

It may simply be that a print gives more time to look, and is sometimes easier to see a print rather than image on a screen?  I took my 10inch tablet, which has a really good screen, but the day was so bright, it was impossible to see the images, so I turned it off,  put it away and went visually analogue for the day.

I now have a beautiful new sample photo album with a classic unfussy  look, that compliments  my photographic style, and has a tactile feel to the paper that makes it a joy to leaf through the pages.   The little block of wood that propped up my last album seemed so inadequate that I cut the word LOVE out of a plank of wood and used that as a book stand.  It's not a bad first attempt, but I suspect a mark 2 version will follow one day.

My signature 3" x 2" print of the day is of a lovely couple with a stunning car, in front of another wonderful venue.  It is on loan to the Hunters Inn on Exmoor, near Parracombe, if ever you are passing pop in and have a look.  It will be worth it for the fine food, beer and stunning scenery, if nothing else.

​Now, love of prints aside, digital images are an important part of my wedding collections.  Moving on from supplying DVD's  I now offer high quality USB's in lovely presentation boxes.  They can come in a variety of designs and materials (and some do include prints :0). It was nice to get a positive response from the  people who looked at them.

​Of course the day was all about meeting the brides and grooms planning their wonderful day (or let's be honest, mostly the brides :0).  it was great to chat about their day (some thinking up to two years in advance, which was very impressive) and how my photography might fit in with their ideas.  It was wonderful to hear about so many different plans.
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One of the many lovely conversations was with a Dad, commenting how wedding photography has changed over the years, from the very formal and stiff photographs in his day to the much more relaxed and fun images he was looking at in my album.  Mind you the best photographers back in the day were amazing and some of those traditional images have really stood the test of time.  With the low film speeds available back then people really did not have the freedom to move around in front of the camera as they can now.

​During the quiet moments, it was way too chilly to stand around, so out came the camera (absolutely digital ;0) and I took some quick pictures of my amazing fellow exhibitors work, I only had time to catch the ones close to me so here is a small selection of the wonderful cakes, flowers, hair dressers, jewellery, cars and fellow photographers that go together to help create fabulous weddings across North Devon and Cornwall.  They also happened to be  really nice people and helped make the day such fun.  

The lovely Jag from  South West Wedding Car Hire out side Clovelly Church 

Hair dressing demonstration by Colorseum in Bideford

Hey Jules! Bespoke jewellery 

Hannah's Cornish Cakes

Nick Pearce doing what comes naturally!

All profits for the day are going to The Wishing Well Foundation, an amazing charity that organises and funds weddings for terminally ill people and make their wedding dreams come true.  Formed by Naomi Thomas back in 2012 it now works across the country.  They have many fundraising activities including the donation of wedding  gowns like the one in the picture which they give to the bride or sell.  Please visit their web site to find out more.

​All in all a good day meeting lovely people. If you were there please remember the discount I offered has no time limit and you can always go to the weddings section of my website as a reminder of my offer to you. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to get in touch, I would live to hear from you.

All the very best wishes to everyone having, planning and supporting a wedding in 2016 and beyond.
 
Tim

​I love being married.
I have been married for over 30 years with two sons, one grandchild and an amazing family.  We are always there for each other in the good times and the bad.  Like everyone, we have had our fair share of both and I am so grateful that, all those years ago, she said yes.
I love weddings.
They are big days all about love and commitment.  We meet up with the important people in our lives, have a lot of fun and make  memories that last for years.  The weddings I  have been to have all been different: religious, civil,  big and small,  in church's, hotels, registry office, or the middle of a field.  The couples have spoken many different words all making one of the biggest promises there is.
I love photographing weddings.
I love taking photographs of people at the special moments of their lives and you don't get much more special than when people get married.  The range of emotions shown by the couple (and family ;0), nervousness, intense concentration to joy, sometimes all just moments apart, is a wonder to photograph.  It is also such a privilege to be a part of the planning that goes into making the day look and feel just so.  It feels good to be a part of, and I strive to take better photographs partly because of this emotional reward.

Of course I have a job to do, and I always get nervous before a wedding.  The nerves keep me honest and reminds me that I am there to make good on my promise to take the very best images I can to capture the spirit of the day.   

"We love the venue, we have booked this wonderful car, and by the way we hate having our photo's taken."

"Take pictures as it happens, make us laugh."

"I love Bideford and really want pictures that reflect this."

"It would be great if, on the day of the wedding, we could have a picture with the cattle"

"Did I tell you we hate our photos being taken?"

"Please, nothing formal"

"And please don't forget my vicar"

I do love a good wedding.  If you think I might be the one to tell the story of yours, I would love to hear from you.
All the very best

Tim

As always, comments welcomed

​A fine gig at the Chill Bar in Ilfracombe, made all the better because technical problems meant the band were playing with some kit borrowed at the last minute and they still pulled off a great show. Their use of a projected backdrop plus very low and constantly changing lighting made for challenging photography. Hard work,  great fun, but with a brutal cull rate!

Fair to say I nearly ran out of ISO, so low shutter speed blur in all honesty made most of the images unusable.  I had to sit on the floor to reduce camera shake,  which gave me a different creative perspective. And then it was just a case of relaxing into the moment and waiting for good shapes.
​Thank you Harry Munk :0)

A huge thank you also to the gods of Lightroom for helping me reduce the noise down to acceptable levels, but not too much as sometimes that it is just how it is.

To find out more about Harry Munk look them up on Facebook

To have a  listen to Shut Your Mouth (rough) it is also on Facebook

​To find out more about the Chill Bar look them up on Facebook