Little Liam was a hoot to shoot!  Firstly he did not want to stay in the studio – the toy emporium had nothing on the elderly cat that didn’t move when you prodded it!   After playing with the toys for a short while and being amused by bubbles for all of 5 minutes he found the volume control on my sound system! Ahhhh!  I’ve always loved my sound system but never before realised how inviting it is to have a volume knob that is soooo easy to navigate for a toddler!  At least though we came across a method off keeping him in the general vicinity of the backdrop we were trying to shoot in front of!  Mum Tracy would pick him up and position him at the left of the backdrop.  I would shout GO when I was ready and shoot whilst Liam legged it to the volume control and deafened us all with it!  Hilarious – Tracy and I were exhausted by the end of it!!  They are so much fun to shoot at this age – always love a challenge!  Anyway I hope you like these photos of Liam’s first photoshoot!

OK I have been very naughty with not updating my blog since May.  This week I am having an online week and whilst I plan to try and update the blog with the last 5 months of goings on, this all depends on how many people want to chat to me on the Scottish Wedding Directory’s Ask the Expert Forum which I am responsible for – so please bear with me – and feel free to come and chat too.

So on 8th June at an ungodly time in the morning, the gorgeous Jenny & Fraser welcomed sweet little Eva into the world.  And what a cutesy pie she is.  A decent 9 lbs for Jenny’s tiny frame!! You should know Jenny & Fraser well by now – I photographed their wedding in 2008, Jenny’s brother’s wedding just last year and Jenny has also done some assisting at some weddings with me too, and we photographed her bump earlier too!  A week old they brought baby Eva along for her first photoshoot – now newbon babies are supposed to sleep but not Eva – she’s a lively little bundle keeping mummy and daddy on their toes – and me too!  Jenny had promised me a well behaved baby and by well behaved we mean a sleepy one but no amount of milk was going to get alert little Eva off to sleep.  Yawns we got not no sleep!  Anyway here are some photographs of an awake little Eva!

I had a lovely day at the end of May (ooh that rhymes!!) with the lovely Sarah and Andy who were married at Knock Castle Hotel.  A new venue for me and a lovely one.  We took photos of the ‘boys’ before the service  and as a budding photographer himself, I quickly found a way of getting Andy to relax or laugh - he a nikonian and me a canon-girl, all I had to say was Canon and I received a guffaw!   Back to the girls and Sarah had me giggling with her green wedding folder – talk about Miss, soon to be Mrs, organised – she knew the whereabout of everyone and everything.  The preparations were very relaxed and we had the lovely setting of the Lady MacBrayne suite.  A bit of a frantic moment when it came to put Sarah’s dress on we realised that we had to ‘build’ her underskirt ourselves – even I’ve never come across this one before so was fairly useless.  Sarah’s dad sat back saying he was not getting involved until about 10 minutes later when we were still trying to force a square peg into a round hole and he stepped over and sorted the problem in seconds – still can’t work out how personally – but it is clear he has missed his vocation in life as a wedding gown designer!  Finally dressed, Sarah looked stunning, running a little late, we just grabbed a few photos before the service of Sarah before she descended the grand staircase towards her groom and her wedding ceremony.

The ceremony was lovely and the children charming.  Sarah’s gorgeous son Jamie did a reading which prompted flowergirl Sophie to announce she had something to say as well.  Handing her flowers to the registrar she turned to face the audience and announced again “I’ve got something to say, Ive got a reading!” promptly became very shy, grabbed her flowers and sat back down.  Just the cutest and if ever an ice breaker was needed Sophie made sure she provided one!

After that the service passed, without a hitch and we made our way to the steps where Jason the owner of the hotel, performed a Sabrage (to you and me that’s chopping the top off a bottle of champers with a huge sword!).  Knock Castle are the only place in Scotland qualified to perform this act and it really was a wow moment for the guests, though Sarah’s face in some of the pics makes me giggle as the champagne flowing out of the bottle is guided swiftly away from her dress!  The couple then made their way through a mound of confetti and into the photos.  We dodged in and out of the rain making the most of the beautiful gardens, balcony and summerhouse.  Staff at Knock Castle really were second to none and they ensured champagne and canapes were put in the summerhouse for the bridal party for during the photos, even if the rain meant it did not quite work out like that.

This was one really memorable day and a great one to share with your lovely family and friends.  Looking forward to receiving your selection soon and putting the album together.

So yes I have been very busy and so, very quiet!  At least 10 outstanding blog posts – oops!  Well it was lovely to welcome little Liam to the studio for the first time a few weeks ago. Soon to be two I love the challenge that these active toddlers bring – despite the distraction of all the toys in the world, Liam was more interested in finding the cat!!  We eventually got him to stand in front of the backdrop by blowing bubbles, then he found the volume on the cd player and kept running towards it and turning it up to max!! Bingo! We got our way to keep him mainly in front of the backdrop!  Mum, Tracy, would position him on the left, I would prepare the cameras and get ready to shoot as he legged it to the right of the backdrop to deafen us turning up the volume control to full!!  Hilarious.  It was lovely to have him in the studio and only today I had the pleasure of delivering their chosen frame and images.  Looking forward to welcoming him back at some point soon along with the rest of the family!

Gorgeous little Gregor first came along to the studio at 3 months old as part of our charity photoshoot day back in October, and it was lovely to welcome him back on Monday for a 9 month shoot. It was lovely to see how he had grown and developed and to see his new expressions and some old ones too!  I know babies eyes change colour but I was amazed by the transformation of brilliant blue to deep brown.  He is truly a gorgeous wee bundle and he gives his mummy Margaret the MOST special cuddles – his face is one of utter contentment when getting mummy cuddles.  9 months is a challenging age!!!  They are on the move and don’t sit still for 2 seconds and even putting him in my spotty bucket did not work as he was clambering out before we knew it!  I think he must watch the footy with daddy as he was quite keen on the football!  Keep an eye out for the super cute drool!!!  Look forward to seeing you in August Gregor for your 1 year shoot.

Well well well!  Where do I start!  The gorgeous Lynda and Andrew were married at Aberdour Castle, a wedding I had been looking forward to for ages – for many reasons, not least the fact that I was one of the few allowed the knowledge that they would be walking down the aisle to the Star Wars theme – which in the opening bars I might add does sound as though it is about to break into the traditional wedding march!

With Jonathon Fowler in charge of filming the preparations, my working day started with Andrew and the boys (whose ushering skills were second to none) at the castle.  The minister Ross, performed a beautiful service and the scene was set by Lynda’s dad’s resonating “I do”  when asked “who gives this woman to be married”!  After a giggle, things were relaxed from there with a fair few tears thrown in for good measure, the ceremony passed quickly, ending with Andrew lifting Lynda’s (or was it Laura’s?) gorgeous veil and a romantic kiss!

The weather was perfect (for me anyway!!!) and Champagne and shortbread were served in the grounds of the castle, whilst we relaxed into the group shots.  This group hands down win the Jazz Hands pose so far!!  After the guests were despatched to the reception venue, Pitbauchlie Hotel for Pimms, we stayed behind to make the most of the beautiful grounds of the castle.

On arrival at Pitbauchlie the guests were lined up to greet Lynda & Andrew with confetti.  Star Wars themed table names continued the theme and hilarious and emotional speeches with the A Team music featuring and a stunning meal followed (thank you for my yummy grub!).  We took a few more photos in the evening in the grounds of Pitbauchlie and a photo that Lynda had specifically requested  – the newly weds on the staircase with spot colour.

As I said, I was soo looking forward to this wedding and it did not disappoint!  It was such an honour to have the important job of photographing the love and joy shared by this gorgeous young couple and their families!  Another fabulous couple, with gorgeous, welcoming families and a fantastic day was had by all!  Three people asked me on the day if I was friends with Lynda & Andrew!  Well of course I am – but I did not know them until they booked me to photograph their wedding – but such a reaction from guests ensures me that I am achieving in my job what I want to achieve – a friendy relaxed atmosphere which hopefully results in memories these familes will treasure forever!   OK too much Cheese!  But the result of all this is that my blog posts keep getting longer and longer and longer…oops!  Enjoy!

Look out for the stowaway in the background of the shot!  The seris of photos was hilarious – he was lying on the wall on some shots, hooraying along with the guests in others.  NAME YOURSELF!!

The FABULOUS Viv from Lilywhite Wedding & Event Florist!  Once again she surpasses herself with the most stunning floral arrangements! I’ll be in trouble for this pic!

If you’ve kept up on facebook – the following photo was on the front of their DVD - which made Lynda cry…a little bit more!

Back to the venue.  This knife was carved by a friend of one of the Ushers.  It was carved from a single piece of cable.  Stunning!

Caught in the Act!

And it is only fair that the last shot of the post goes to she who upstaged us all!  Wee Izzy who danced the night away and dominated the dance floor!