DJB Photography Blog

Today I met with Claire & Michael at Hazlewood Castle for their pre-wedding photoshoot.  It was really lovely to meet them again and we had a great afternoon exploring the grounds of the castle with me capturing some lovely intimate moments between the two of them.  A pre-wedding photoshoot allows the couple to get used to being photographed as it is not uncommon for most people to not like having their photograph taken.  On a wedding day for the couple it is inevitable that they will be photographed a lot, not only by the professional photographer, but by all the guests, so a pre-wedding photoshoot eases them in to the process to help them relax in front of the camera.

A pre-wedding photoshoot, when held in a public place, can be a little daunting for the couple as it is something that does not come naturally to them.  The public wonder who the ‘famous’ couple are, and with the couple wearing normal everyday clothes people do stop and look trying to work out who they are.  Despite this, almost all pre-wedding photoshoots have resulted in the couple being much more relaxed in front of the lens.  The couple appreciate my style and approach to the photoshoot, and we build up a bit of a rapport so that on their wedding day they are much more relaxed in my presence.  Incidentally today there were not many people around, but unfortunately the weather was not overly good.  However, with the cherry blossom on the trees and the bluebells in full bloom, there were some lovely colours to the background.

Claire & Michael are a great couple and some of the natural intimate moments between them are my favourate photographs.  You can see from the selection below little staging was necessary to create some beautiful images.  I am very much looking forward to photographing their wedding in July.

This afternoon I had the pleasure of photographing Sarah & Tony at Fountains Abbey.  This was a pre-wedding photoshoot to ease them in to having their photograph taken so that on their wedding day in a couple of weeks, they are more relaxed in front of the lens.  It was a really pleasant afternoon and Sarah & Tony are a lovely couple.  We spent the afternoon in a very relaxed manner capturing some very casual images of the two of them.  Capturing them in the beautiful surroundings of Fountains Abbey made for some lovely landscapes, and although the weather was a little overcast, the photographs have turned out lovely.  I captured a mixture of natural intimate, posed and creative photographs some of which can be seen below.

Friday I had the great pleasure of taking some photographs of Rachael & Rob during their pre-wedding photoshoot at Fountains Abbey.  Rachel & Rob are a lovely couple and it was a pleasure to see them again and spend a morning at Fountains Abbey.  Rachael & Rob get married in April and Friday was an introduction session so they could get used to being photographed, to enable them to relax in front of the camera, and get used to how I work and like to photograph a couple.  It is also good for them to get to know me a little better so they are comfortable in my presence on their wedding day.

Friday was idyllic as there had been a light dusting of snow, and the light was rather nice.  We chose a morning session so the sun was relatively low in the sky and Fountains abbey was not too busy it being half term week.  It was a really relaxing photoshoot session and an absolute pleasure.  I thoroughly enjoyed the morning and believe Rachael and Rob did too.  I am looking forward to photographing their wedding and as a taster here are some of the photographs taken on Friday:

Late this afternoon saw me at The Hospitium to meet with Lucy & Chris for a pre-wedding photoshoot, whose wedding I am photographing in December.  It was one of those days where the weather could have completely ruined the day as the rain in the morning was exceptionally heavy.  However by the afternoon it had cleared and was relatively pleasant.

Lucy & Chris are a really lovely couple and despite Chris in particular being a little apprehensive at first about the photoshoot, they both soon settled into it.  A mixture of very natural candid shots with some formal posed photographs set against the backdrop of the ruins, and autumnal colours in the trees created some really interesting and beautiful photographs.  A selection of the photographs can be seen below.

It was great to see them both again and I am really looking forward to photographing their wedding in December.  Lets hope the weather then is as good as it was this afternoon.

Today saw me in the centre of Manchester for a pre-wedding photoshoot with Sally & Tim.  Sal & Tim get married next week at St Mary’s Hidden Gem Church, with their reception at the Midland Hotel, and today gave me the opportunity to have a good look around the area and at both venues.  Both look spectacular with the church living up to its name, especially the interior decor.  The Midland Hotel, being a Victorian station hotel, also has fantastic architecture, with lobby and function rooms to impress.  Sal & Tim are a great couple and we spent a good couple of hours exploring the area and undertaking a photoshoot to allow them to get used to the camera, so that on their wedding day they can relax as they are used to how I work.  A pre-wedding photoshoot really helps us to get to know one another so that the couple are relaxed in my company on their wedding day.

I very much look forward to photographing their wedding and here is a selection of the photographs taken today.

This week saw me photograph the engagement shoot of Tian & Tao at the glorious Castle Howard estate.  Considering the weather was pretty poor in the morning, it turned out great when we arrived in the early afternoon.  There is such spectacular scenery and surroundings at Castle Howard that it can easily be overwhelming and difficult to make the most of what is there.  However we had a great time and spent a long time choosing locations and taking some great natural shots of the couple.  They are a great couple, very well suited, and it was a pleasure for me to spend an afternoon with them.  We even managed to take some in the house before it closed.  As you will see the photographs have turned out great.  Enjoy

Well it has been a little while since I posted my last blog article.  This has been mainly due to some building work I am doing on our house, rebuilding an extension that acted as a studio, and will again be a studio setting where I can show couples my work and the albums when they come to visit.  I will post an update later about the studio rebuild.

In the meantime, I met with Claire & Paul for their pre-wedding photoshoot on Wednesday evening at Museum Gardens in York.  Claire & Paul are a really lovely couple and it was a joy to conduct this photoshoot.  It was a very casual approach which I really liked, and we had a good hour exploring areas of Museum Gardens and The Hospitium.  The evening was very pleasant with not a breath of wind, a little overcast, but nice all the same.  I thoroughly enjoyed the evening, and I am very much looking forward to photographing their wedding at the end of July.  In the meantime here is a selection of the photographs I took:

I met with Alison & Andrew this evening at Swinsty & Fewston Reservoir for a pre-wedding photoshoot, prior to their wedding in September at Allerton Castle.  It was a really good evening as the lighting was pretty good and there was no wind so the scenery shots turned out very well indeed.  Alison & Andrew are a great couple and we headed off afterwards for a meal at a nearby pub.  It was really nice to get to know them and I am really looking forward to photographing their wedding.

Below are some photographs I took this evening.

This morning was the pre-wedding photoshoot for Helen & Alan at Brimham Rocks.  Helen & Alan are both vets working in Ireland and it is through their job that they met.  It was a great morning spent with them.  They are clearly in love and meant to be together.  It is a while since I last visited Brimham Rocks and as usual though the surroundings did not disappoint and produced a stunning backdrop for some great photography.

Helen had been a little nervous about having her photograph taken, but by the end of the session she was much more relaxed and I felt we had really got on well together.  I am very much looking forward to photographing their wedding in October at Rudding Park, but for now here are some of the photographs I took today.

Welcome to Damian’s blog.  Well a New Year and a new addition to my website to keep viewers of my site informed of weddings I have been photographing with a selection of photographs from those weddings, as well as any up coming exhibitions and general information about my work.  Thank you for visiting.

With regards,

Damian J Bramley, DJB Photography.com