As it's been a while since I last posted some wedding images, I thought I'd post some of my favourite pictures from my last four weddings.

All the images were taken on the Canon 5DMKII, and processed with my 'Ascough Silver Actions' (available from the end of June).

 

 

Here are my favourite images from my Valentine's Day wedding at Castle Ashby.

Over the past twenty years I've shot in excess of 1000 weddings, and yet I can count on one hand the number of weddings I've covered where there has been snow present. In this case the snow was lingering after the severe weather conditions that took place a few days earlier. So I got the best of both worlds; lovely Winter images without the hassle of traveling in bad weather.

 

 

My favourite images from the first wedding of the year.

It was a cold, cold day. However, as with most winter weddings, the atmosphere was fantastic. I really love shooting in the low light of winter. It suits my style of photography.

 

My final wedding of 2008 saw me take a 30 minute drive to Hoghton in Lancashire. This is the first time I'd shot a wedding at Holy Trinity church, and I'm sure I'll be back there many times over the coming years.

As always seems to be the case in the North West, the vicar was charming, and the people were so friendly that I photographed most of the wedding with a contented heart. I've photographed weddings all over the UK in the past, but up here there really is something special about the people and the weddings I photograph.

The weather was damp and grey, after all it was five days before Christmas, and there wasn't a lot of exciting light to play with, but that didn't matter. The wedding was lovely and the reception at Hoghton Towers was exceptional. It's a fantastic venue to work at.

Here are my personal favourites from the day.

This image is one of my favourites from 2008. I just love this wintery scene with the cars....

 

My favourite images from my Dec 13th wedding near Skipton in Yorkshire. The weather wasn't so kind to us on this occasion, but the atmosphere at the wedding was amazing!! My bride Helen is a professional photographer who works for ITV, so the pressure was on!! Initially the clients wanted to host part of their day outside, but the weather was too wet so everything went to 'Plan B' - that is everything took place inside!! It didn't matter though, and this was one of the most relaxed weddings I've photographed in a long time.

 

 

On the Sunday I drove up to Crewe in Cheshire. I had a lovely couple to shoot at one of my favourite venues - Crewe Hall. The weather was amazing. Clear and sunny - if a little cold. The venue looked amazing, as did the bride. The guests were great fun, and the whole wedding felt like one huge family gathering. Crewe Hall is always a challenge in the winter time as parts of the venue are very dark, but by using the available light creatively, I was able to get some stunning images.

 

 

Wow - where did December go? In fact where did 2008 go??? It doesn't seem five minutes since I was entertaining 22 people on my 40th birthday LAST Christmas. Yes I am a Christmas baby, and yes I do get double presents - sometimes :))

We always say in this household, that once my daughter Helena's birthday is out of the way - it will be Christmas next and how true that is. The months of November and December simply fly by.

This year I had four weddings in December. I usually take on a wedding between Christmas and New Year. Last year I had the absolute pleasure of photographing Kevin Pietersen's wedding just after Christmas, and on Christmas Eve myself, Kevin and Jessica were altogether at my home chatting about their wedding. God, it seems like only yesterday.

This year I decided not to take a wedding on after Christmas as this was the first year we would spend it in Lytham, and we wanted some time to ourselves, as a family. It was magical. Pantomime's on the 23rd, and then a trip to watch Tim Burton's 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' in 3D on Christmas Eve - what a cool experience that was!! It must be 30 years since I last saw a 3D movie. I think it was a sci-fi film at the local school film club - how things have progressed since then.

Anyway I digress. December's weddings were really lovely this year. Mainly for the fact that they were all pretty local to me. December is also my favourite month for shooting weddings - the atmosphere is lovely, warm and comforting. The low light is always a challenge, but then my best work always comes when I am challenged.

Here are my favourite pictures from my December 5th wedding in Leicestershire. The weather was kind to us, extremely cold but clear. My couple had a late ceremony, so it was dark when they exited the church. The reception was at Thrumpton Hall, and the heady aroma of mulled wine just added to the whole winter wedding ambience...

 

 

My favourite wedding images from my October 18th wedding at the magnificent Liverpool Town Hall. I love this time of year for weddings. The light is wonderful and low, and the atmosphere is totally different to summer weddings.

For the photographers, these were all shot with a pair of Canon 1DsMKIII cameras. I used just four lenses all day (16-35 f2.8LII, 50 f1.2L, 35 f1.2L, 85 f1.2LII) with the 50 and 35 being the most used. All images were taken with available light only.

 

Images from my October 4th wedding. Sanaz is Iranian, and this was the first time I'd photographed a Persian ceremony. The weather was awful, so everything was pretty much shot indoors in a combination of window light and tungsten. 

For the photographers - My Canon 1DsMKIII cameras were permanently set to 1600 iso, and occasionally 3200 iso. I used a combination of 50, 35 and 85mm lenses.

 

Finishing off September's favourites with a selection from my Sept 20th wedding.

For the photographers who follow the blog - these were all shot on the Canon 1DsMK3 with either the 16-35 f2.8LII or 70-200 f2.8L lenses.