Wedding of Gemma and Simon

It's been almost a week since I shot Gemma and Simon's wedding at Oulton Hall in Leeds, but as I sit here going through their pictures I'm so pleased I was asked to shoot such a lovely couple's special day.

They are so obviously in love, as every couple on their wedding day should be.  But it was a real privilege to be there to capture the often missed looks and smiles that they gave each other, which showed a real connection.  It was the kind of wedding that reminded me why I love photographing weddings and makes me hungry for more!

Gemma and Simon were so relaxed and easy going and were a photographs dream to work with! They truly understood the importance of the photography and were willing to take time with me and spend time just 'playing' so that we could get some interesting shots (Having Simon play the Grand Piano in the great hall was a personal highlight for me!... All I can is 'Wow!')

I honestly love shooting weddings as they are all so individual and I learn something new and take something special away with me from every wedding.  I hope that every photographer gets this feeling, but if they don't then I guess they should stop! And I guess this point takes me to a question that every couple, looking to book a wedding photographer should ask; "What makes you want to shoot weddings?"

Anyway, I digress... The point of this post was just to say, now that I'm half way through the editing process for Gemma and Simon I'm excited to see the rest of the images and I already know that they are going to LOVE these images!

Thanks once again guys for allowing me to shoot your special day!  More of these images will be available at www.garyhibberd.co.uk in the coming days.

Go to www.garyhibberd.co.uk for more information and more pictures

Wedding of Tina and Chris

Well, what a scorcher this Easter weekend has been (so far!) and the weekend for me started out exciting AND hot!

I had a fantastic time at Tina and Chris' wedding this week and captured a really beautiful day, in every sense of the word.  The pictures are looking great (although I still have lots to go through!) but I'm really looking forward to delivering a photo album which I know will make them really happy.

The passion and energy that goes into weddings and into my wedding photography really does shine through the images and it's truly an honour to get to be the person who documents these special occasions.

I'd like to thank Tina and Chris, their family and friends for being such good fun and for making the whole day such a joy to shoot.  Congratulations to a lovely couple, I hope you have a wonderful honeymoon and I look forward to speaking to you very soon.

All the pictures will be available on www.garyhibberd.co.uk in a private gallery once Tina and Chris have reviewed them.

RECORD: America's Next Top Model...

Now, I'm not much for watching TV... I don't like 'Coronation Street' or 'EastEnders' and I'm not really into watching serials (I try and watch, but end up missing one or two shows then lose the plot!).  But one show I do record and watch is "America's Next Top Model".  Personally I think the format is more staged than "X-Factor"! But it's a great way to see how top models conduct themselves, both in front of and behind the camera.

As you'd expect, many of the models have a very high opinion of themselves and talk about 'cat fights'! Wow... they can bitch! But there's no denying that when they step in front of the camera these people sparkle!  Hitting different poses, giving emotion and feelings through their looks, bringing the mundane to life.  It's all there on the screen for the world to see.

I would advise any photographer to record and study this show as it can help inspire you to new levels.  But this said, I would definitely advise models to watch this show.  It's amazing just what a model needs to 'bring' to the studio when they're thinking of having a shoot; Clothes, make-up, hair products but most of all they need to bring 'themselves'! Personality, attitude and ideas are all useful things to bring on a shoot!

Two recent shoots I had with Liam and Karene were excellent examples of how to approach a shoot.  Both came with a good selection of clothes to try different looks and both brought their personailty and 'attitude' to the shoot.  The result was a fun shoot with fantastic pictures.  Oh... and these are NOT professional models! (But they should be, because many aspiring models could learn a lot from them!)

Time for a workout...!

Like most people I try and get to the gym and work off the excesses of the weekend... But when I was approached by Liam to shoot him on a workout for his portfolio, I realised I probably haven't been working hard enough!

It was certainly a different kind of shoot for me, but still fun.  It was great that Liam had a very definite idea of what he wanted from his shoot and the look and feel of the images were clearly understood.

I think the end results are much better for the fact that the client (Liam) understood what he wanted and really understood the power of good photography and the value of it.  I believe that taking pictures, in a studio, at a wedding or in the gym(!) can be greatly improved if both parties respect each other and come to the 'party' with ideas and a willingness to participate.

I really enjoyed the shoot in the gym and I'm looking forward to working with Liam again, but in more familiar surroundings of a studio.  But wherever or whenever it happens, the emphasis is going to be on working together  to get everything right.

Pre shoot with Gemma and Simon

I met with Gemma and Simon last week for a pre-wedding shoot at their venue in Leeds. Finally, we had great weather and the grounds looked amazing.

Oulton Hall is a beautiful location so Gemma and Simon will be looking forward to a fantastic special day and some amazing photos too.

By the time we finished Simon was really enjoying the pre-shoot! So with a couple of glasses of Champagne on their wedding, I'm sure it'll be even more fun! :-)

For more details go to http://www.garyhibberd.co.uk

Wedding Fayres

I’m often asked if I ‘do’ wedding fayres and as a wedding and portrait photographer  I suppose the correct answer should be “Yes and I love them!”  but the honest answer is “Not often... and they’re ok.”  Let me explain. 

I love meeting new people and wedding fayres certainly give you that opportunity, but of the few I’ve attended I feel they don’t offer you the 1-2-1 time that a couple looking for a photographer truly deserves. 

I attended one recently where I watched as a busy photographer constantly looked around at the people passing by her stall as she chatted to the couple in front of her.  You could see the fear in her eyes as all these potential clients walked by, not wishing to disturb them.  I know how this feels, because I work alone at these fayres so I have to be very much ‘on the ball’, but more importantly I try to focus on one client at a time.  If people are interested and want to talk to me, then they’ll return when I’m not talking to anyone or they’ll take a leaflet and give me a call (well, that’ the hope anyway).

Wedding fayres are great for couples to meet the people who will offer them some great services and make their day special, but I wouldn’t rely totally on what you see at the fayre.  I’d always suggest a follow up meeting in more relaxed circumstances where you can ask the all important probing questions about the packages and the style of photography.

I feel the initial meeting should be enough to make you relaxed and confident that person in front of you is someone you can get along with and work with to deliver what you want for your big day.

If you’ve any experiences (funny or otherwise) then feel free to share them below.

Family Photo Shoot

I was really pleased to shoot a lovely (large!) family yesterday and have some fun along the way with props...

Photo shoots should be fun and whenever possible I like to get people laughing and enjoying themselves, even if it's at my expense sometimes!  But the emphasis has to be on 'fun'.  I'm pleased to say it was fun for everyone and I think the results can be seen in the eyes and the smiles... Priceless.