These photos are from my pre-wedding shoot with close friends Sam and Bev at the Conwy Falls, near Betws-y-Coed.

I am also friends with the owners of the Conwy Falls Cafe/Restaurant, Oli and Bec, and as they have plans to make a rather stunning wedding venue of it, [...]]]>

These photos are from my pre-wedding shoot with close friends Sam and Bev at the Conwy Falls, near Betws-y-Coed.

I am also friends with the owners of the Conwy Falls Cafe/Restaurant, Oli and Bec, and as they have plans to make a rather stunning wedding venue of it, I was keen to scope it as a place to take photos.

This is the link to the Conwy Falls Cafe website where you can find more information about what’s there now, or you can contact me directly.

Sam and Bev were very relaxed in front of the camera, which wasn’t’ really a surprise as they both like showing off (haha).

I always offer pre-wedding shoots to my wedding clients because I found the rapport it creates always makes a huge difference on the wedding day, in terms of how relaxed everyone is and the quality of the photos.

Plus, couples love having an extra set of photos to keep – and I’ve been offering these shoots free for all bookings in 2012.

With a set of photos it’s usually better to have a consistent style, in terms of colour etc, but I like to show some variation with my pre-wedding shoot photos so my clients can feedback to me the type of thing they like.

Sam and Bev think they look stupid / dorkish in photos. I suspect they actually like being dorks, because they insisted on the pose below.

I had a look around Carreg Mon Hotel on Anglesey yesterday, in preparation for taking wedding photos at Paul and Helen’s wedding.

For the group shot of everyone I can either shoot downwards from the balcony, or simply get some elevation by walking up the hill slightly.

If it’s [...]]]>

I had a look around Carreg Mon Hotel on Anglesey yesterday, in preparation for taking wedding photos at Paul and Helen’s wedding.

For the group shot of everyone I can either shoot downwards from the balcony, or simply get some elevation by walking up the hill slightly.

If it’s raining, there is room in the restaurant area for the group shot, although this would be a fair bit harder with regards lighting and avoiding background distractions.

For smaller groups shots, and shots of Paul and Helen, there is a lot of greenery in the hotel grounds that will be good for backgrounds.

The Hotel itself has a lot of stuff in it – furniture, pictures etc – so there aren’t that many clear backgrounds. I can get round this by using longer focal lengths and blurring backgrounds.

The service/reception room has white walls and ceiling, so colour casts from my flash aren’t a problem. However, there are big beams on the ceiling, so will have to place off camera flash so as these don’t get in the way.

There are some seating areas which are quite nicely lit from window light in the bar area.

I did walk down to the Menai Strait, but discounted it because of the mud and seaweed. If we’re struggling with weather etc there is a nice fall-off of light underneath the railway bridge. It doesn’t look like a great location, but I think it could work.

I’m coming to the end of a two week break in Burma and Thailand – heading back tonight in fact.

It’s been an amazing trip to a fascinating country – I’m going to write more about Buma/Myamar and put photos up at tomsimone.co.uk - but my head is [...]]]>

I’m coming to the end of a two week break in Burma and Thailand – heading back tonight in fact.

It’s been an amazing trip to a fascinating country – I’m going to write more about Buma/Myamar and put photos up at tomsimone.co.uk - but my head is already half back in work/home mode as I have so much going on when I get back.

First is seeing my two boys and pregnant wife, two weeks feels a lot longer than it sounds, looking forward to seeing them

Then I have a stag-do in London at the weekend, going to breaks poll, should be lot of fun and probably quite messy.

After that is Paul and Helen’s wedding at Carreg Mon Hotel on Anglesey on March 17. I think it should be a fun one as they are a really nice couple.

Also – watch this space – I’m setting up a studio in Menai Bridge which will hopefully good to go by late March as well.

I’m on the lookout for a desk, nice sofa, coffee table, and prob a whole bunch of other things as they come to mind…. please contact me if you can help.

I’m renting a large room at the War Memorial Community Centre, not the most flash location, but I think it will serve my needs well, especially once I’ve painted and refurnished.

It will act as an office space, making it easier for other people to come and work with me – eg hair/make up/editing/web dev/printing/sales – haha, I’m going to take over the world!

And there’s enough room for me to have lights and background left up, as well as room for some of the product and commercial photography I do. Can’t wait.

I haven’t drawn up sales packages yet of the different services I’ll be offering and how that will tie in with the wedding work I do, but details will be coming over the next month or so.

If anyone want to come and help me/join in in whatever capacity really – whether it be decorating, creative, or otherwise related to my businesses – then I’d like to hear from you.

It’s my last wedding of 2011 – then I’m moving house (from Bethesda to Rachub – not far), and then it’s Christmas

Plas Maenan has just been awarded the best [...]]]>

Looking forward to filming Sarah and Craig’s wedding at Plas Maenan in the Conwy Valley this weekend!

It’s my last wedding of 2011 – then I’m moving house (from Bethesda to Rachub – not far), and then it’s Christmas

Plas Maenan has just been awarded the best accommodation in Wales and has the feel of a well kept country manor. This, coupled with it’s location overlooking the Conwy Valley, means it should be great for photos and film.

Incidentally, the photographer for the day will be Sacha Miller, who has an attractive documentary style.

The drive up is lined with tall trees, which will make for a good tracking shot of the car arriving.

The rooms inside are small compared to a church,  so I think I’ll make a lot of use of the wide angle lens on my dslr. I’ll do more handheld shots and use the tripod less.

We’ll have to arrive early to figure out the best position for the camera in the room where the service is to be held, as it is not clear how much room there will be at the front.

I thought the stairs were particularly attractive and, when I visited, had appealing natural light on them.

The room in which the wedding breakfast will be held is reasonably large and light enough when the lights are on. If the lights are dimmed it may be necessary to use a video light.

Your browser does not support iframes.

Here are a selection of photos from Anna & Daniel’s wedding at St Mary’s Church and the Buckley Hotel in Beaumaris. It was a winter wedding, but the sun was shining and we got some great shots on a beautiful day.

Big [...]]]>

Here are a selection of photos from Anna & Daniel’s wedding at St Mary’s Church and the Buckley Hotel in Beaumaris. It was a winter wedding, but the sun was shining and we got some great shots on a beautiful day.

Big thanks to the very talented Owain of Gweledigaeth video productions, who was my main camera man for the day.

A couple of weeks ago I had the emotionally difficult job of clearing my mum’s house out, following her death on October 3rd.

She did not have a lot of stuff [...]]]>

I think the value of a photograph can only properly be measured after a significant passage of time.

A couple of weeks ago I had the emotionally difficult job of clearing my mum’s house out, following her death on October 3rd.

She did not have a lot of stuff compared with most people, but it was still helluva job sorting through it all, and in fact I’ve still got boxes of things lying around my house.

Mandy/mum died of cancer. She’d been diagnosed four years previously, but her health deteriorated quickly over the course of a couple of months, long enough to talk about life, the universe, and everything, and to say our goodbyes.

Predictably, this involved looking through a couple of the old family albums and reminiscing on times gone past.

It struck me that there were a handful of photos that really stood out, ones that brought back not only the memories of when the photo was taken, but also of all the stories that had been told and repeated over the years relating to the photo.

A lot of the photos that mean the most are actually of me, because these are the ones that mum treasured the most, and would most often talk about.

For example, this one was taken in a pub in London when I was four years old by a family friend, known as ‘Nina in London’.

I don’t remember the time at which it was taken, but it does bring back a lot of memories of mum talking about how much she loved it, and, I guess, by proxy, how much she loved me.

This was also taken by Nina, from her window as she watched mum arrive by bike, with me on the back, I think.

This is one that I stumbled upon, not sure where we’re off to, but perhaps visiting relatives on the other side of London. The baby is my brother Liam.

This was given to my mum as a birthday card for her 33rd birthday and is of me and Gethi, somewhere around Bangor I think, can’t quite figure it out. This was one of mum’s favourite photos.

And so was this one, of my brother and me in our Ysgol Llanllechid school photo, not long before they introduced school uniform.

This one was the first time I beat mum at tennis, at the courts in Caernarfon, which have since been turned into a skate park.

These photos have personal significance for me, and I think everyone probably has their own handful of photographs that stand out from the hundreds taken over the years.

I would like to think my experience of which photographs have lasting appeal to me is useful with regards how I approach photographing weddings.

Yes, there is a place for posed shots and group shots, but what I really want to capture is the emotion and experience of the day, and this usually requires a candid/documentary style.

Comments appreciated.