Commercial Photographer West Yorkshire | Photography for Elite Paintball, Hemsworth

We are generally known as wedding photographers in West Yorkshire and also as Castleford portrait photographers but it was lovely to be commissioned by our friends Nick and Nicola to provide some commercial photography and some new images for them to use in their advertising for their business, Elite Paintball in Hemsworth.

We've known Nick and Nicola for many years and it was fantastic to see how well Elite Paintball is doing and what an impressive set-up they have.  Both paintball enthusiasts, they really know their stuff and it was an enjoyable experience for us to work with them and their team to capture some images which will hopefully be a great asset to their business and their advertising.   

We had arranged a date for this project several weeks in advance and as the weather has been pretty awful for a lot of this so called summer and because we knew we would be running around outside in the middle of a field, we were hoping for a dry day.  As luck would have it, not only did it manage to stay dry throughout the shoot, the sky was amazing with dark, brooding clouds threatening a downpour which didn't arrive, adding so much atmosphere to the images.  Absolutely perfect conditions for this type of photography!

If you fancy giving paintballing a try for the first time, are an experienced paintballer or you're thinking about booking a session for your stag do, just give Nick or Nicola a call and they will be more than happy to help you.

If you're looking for a professional wedding, portrait or commercial photographer, please call Alex and Janet on 01977 730159.  We're also on Facebook.

Hospitium York Wedding Photographer | Joanna and Paul

Our all day coverage of Joanna and Paul's wedding started with Joanna's preparations at her sister's home in the pretty village of Copmanthorpe.  This was our first time as wedding photographers at St Giles' Church, Copmanthorpe but we had already visited the church and met the vicar who is lovely, friendly and very obliging.

Joanna had chosen a beautiful vintage style lace dress with a plunging neckline and low back which suited her perfectly.  Champagne was in plentiful supply and there was much laughter as the girls enjoyed a tipple and had hair and make-up done.

The couple had arranged for their guests to be transported to the church by vintage bus and unusually, Paul accompanied everyone, arriving with not long to go before the ceremony was due to start, meaning we had to work very quickly to get the boys' photographs done before he was summoned into church to wait nervously for Joanna.  

Joanna's two sisters, Claire and Sharon and Paul's two sisters, Sharron and Deby arrived next and had us in fits of giggles at their antics outside the church as we waited for Joanna and her dad.  Sometimes you have to offer a bit of direction to get really amusing shots but this lot had their own ideas and we weren't disappointed with the  pre-ceremony entertainment!  

Although we often photograph weddings in York, the reception venue was a first for us and it was great to be Hospitium wedding photographers as we always enjoy working somewhere new.  A popular feature with wedding photographers at the Museum Gardens in York are the Abbey ruins but sadly, because the staging for The Mystery Plays was still being dismantled, it was impossible to use the ruins as a backdrop, forcing us to take the wedding photographs around The Hospitium building and in the park just beside it.

With very tight timings on the day and a large number of group photographs to be completed before the wedding breakfast, our time with the new Mr and Mrs Henning alone was very limited but because of the great weather and a fantastic bridal party who were such good fun, we did set aside a few minutes to have a laugh with them all before the guests were called upstairs for dinner.  

We returned for the speeches and by the time they were over the band were setting up downstairs and the evening guests were already arriving.  Paul called Joanna to the floor for their first dance together and then the floor filled with family and friends and the party started.

Usually our final images on a wedding day are of the first dance, the band playing or the guests partying on the dance floor, but the bridesmaids gave us a sequence of very funny images when a glass of wine was spilt down the front of one of their dresses.  Not something which would normally get a laugh but girls, you were fabulous.  Thank you for keeping us well and truly entertained and thank you Joanna and Paul for booking us to your capture your big day.   

Looking for a Hospitium York wedding photographer?  Please give us a call on 01977 730159 and find us on Facebook.

  

 

King's Croft Wedding Photographer | Rebecca and Adam

A two wedding weekend and two consecutive sunny days which has been pretty rare during this particularly wet summer but we were delighted when the sun shone for Rebecca and Adam and any wedding photographer thoughts of "it's a bit too sunny" were quickly banished from our minds as too sunny is definitely preferable to raining!  As King's Croft wedding photographers, we know that the grounds are lovely but opportunities for photographs indoors are limited so a dry day is always a huge bonus for a wedding at this Pontefract venue.

We began our all day coverage at Rebecca's parents' home in Normanton where our bride was already in the make-up chair, so Janet photographed Rebecca being pampered whilst Alex got to grips with the dress, shoes, perfume and jewellery.  He likes to show his feminine side ;-)  Seriously, the advantages of two photographers are huge and we always work together at weddings.  We'd not been there long when we were joined by Janet, one half of husband and wife video team Your Treasured Moments. Two photographers and two videographers, but we all worked so well together to capture Rebecca and Adam's wedding and we had a great day in Janet and John's company.  

Usually we have to leave to meet the groom before the bride is in her dress but today Rebecca was being fastened into her gorgeous Sofia Tolli gown by her mum well before we left for the King's Croft.  This resulted in some beautiful images not only as she got ready but afterwards with her parents in the garden.    

Adam and the boys arrived at the King's Croft right on time and Adam said that he'd ordered the sunshine for the day.  Well whatever he did, it obviously worked!  Shortly after Adam was called inside to speak to the registrar, Rebecca arrived with her dad for the civil ceremony in the King's Suite conducted by the Pontefract registrars who are always very friendly and very accommodating when it comes to allowing us to document the ceremony.

Champagne and congratulations flowed and as the couple wanted photographs with the Beauford, we did these first whilst all the guests got together for the big group shot followed by a confetti shower on the front lawn.  It's amazing how fast the time goes between the end of the wedding ceremony and the start of the wedding breakfast and most of the alloted time was taken up covering the groups which Rebecca and Adam had asked for.  However, we knew just how enthusiastic the couple were and we'd already made plans to take most of their couple photographs after dinner.

We took a break during the wedding breakfast, arriving back well before the speeches started and as we'd had difficulty getting good photographs of a certain little flower girl who wasn't in the best of moods earlier in the day, we hit upon an idea to keep her and her older sister entertained whilst dessert arrived and get some great images in the process.  

We really did drop lucky as this was the last weekend before the wheat in the fields around the King's Croft was harvested.  We had our doubts though about Rebecca going into the field for photographs because her shoes were very high.  We had a quiet word with Adam to find out whether she had any flat shoes or trainers with her and when he said "no", we really thought the field idea was a goner.  However, Rebecca was a star and didn't hesitate when we asked her.  It's so true that brides and grooms get the photographs they deserve and the very best ones take patience and skill from the photographer and patience and enthusiasm from the couple.  These guys had bucket loads and were a pleasure to work with, Rebecca happily carrying on having photographs taken even after Adam took a break and went off to find the beer!   

Our congratulations and very best wishes to Mr and Mrs Smith who will have a stunning Italian storybook album to look forward to when they have decided on their favourite images. 

Looking for a King's Croft wedding photographer?  Please call us on 01977 730159 for a chat.  We'd love to hear from you.  You can also find us on Facebook and if you like what you see, please Like us - thank you.

  

Rogerthorpe Manor Wedding Photographers | Claire and Steve

As regular Rogerthorpe Manor wedding photographers it's always a pleasure to work at this lovely venue but being chosen to photograph Claire and Steve's wedding was a huge privilege and a huge compliment given that Claire is one of the wedding co-ordinators there and when it comes to weddings and wedding photographers, she really has seen it all.  No pressure then!  We remember chatting to Claire in 2011 when she had just set a date.  She said that it was such a long time to wait and she wished it was this year instead of next.  The time has flown by and here we are.

Claire had lots of beautiful bridesmaids so we knew as we arrived for the bridal preps that it there would be plenty going on.  Claire was all smiles and it was lovely to see her and make a start on photographs of her gorgeous Ronald Joyce dress, shoes with lots of bling and all the important girly bits and pieces.  A pair of pretty pink pants was a gift from Claire to each of her girls and it is the first and probably the last time that we've had to ask the bridesmaids to "Show us your knickers!!!"

We met Steve in the Cawthorne Suite bar where he really wanted some photographs with his attendants.  Having started early, we got these images first and then went outside into the sunshine to photograph the boys around the grounds.  The forecast for the weekend's weather was good, although we usually try hard to avoid listening to the forecast at all, and we were not disappointed.  We had hoped so much that it would be a lovely day for Claire and Steve. 

The Lawrence Suite had been beautifully dressed by Stacey Benson from Chantilly Flowers and she had also taken care of the flowers, the design of the bouquets and buttonholes being left completely up to her.  When we arrived back upstairs a few minutes before the civil ceremony, Claire and her bridesmaids were all in their dresses and ready. As usual, the registrars from the Pontefract office were brilliant and we got the feeling that they, like us, felt it was a privilege to be part of such an important day.  We captured some lovely moments and some funny ones too, especially when everyone erupted into laughter when the registrar mistakenly called Claire by her married name and she responded with "Not yet!!" 

Coming out at the end of the ceremony into glorious sunshine was a great feeling and knowing that we had a full two hours until the call through for the wedding breakfast was a big bonus, an extra half an hour taking the pressure off a bit, as Claire and Steve have large families and wanted quite a few group photographs as well as some fun ones which we really enjoyed organising.  The bridal party were such a good laugh and everyone was more than happy to give our ideas a go.  Guys you were all fantastic and in fact, laughter was a huge part of Claire and Steve's wedding day, just as it should be.

We took a few minutes of quiet time with the couple for photographs together before everyone was called in for the wedding breakfast.  We were delighted to be asked to sit with the guests for dinner and we can highly recommend the food at Rogerthorpe Manor which is absolutely delicious.  We were very full at the end of dinner but we managed to drag ourselves over to the top table to photograph the speeches which were really funny, especially Claire's dad Nigel's memories of his daughter growing up and a story about boiled eggs!

Claire and Steve had booked Class Lazer Clay to provide some entertainment for their guests during the lull between the end of the wedding breakfast and the start of the evening party and it went down very well with guests of all ages.  It did decide to drizzle just a bit but we carried on with our second couple session with the new Mr and Mrs Stubbs around the grounds.

A huge thank you Claire and Steve for choosing us to capture your beautiful wedding.  It meant the world to us to be there, your families and guests were great to be around, and we can't wait to design what will be a stunning Italian storybook for you but in the meantime, enjoy your honeymoon in Mexico.

Getting married and looking for professional Rogerthorpe Manor wedding photographers?  Please call us for more information on 01977 730159.  You can find us on Facebook too so please give us a Like - thank you.