I have my very first wedding fayre coming up in May so as usual my preparation started early. I don't do last minute! I have worked at some really big exhibitions in the past that cost hundreds of thousands of pounds. Huge efforts that took up serious acreage at the NEC. So I'm kind of used to this kind of thing. But it is a little funny when doing it for yourself. I have got my roller banner delivered, six sample albums from all three suppliers all sorted and will be finished in the next week or two. I have been busily preparing pricing schedules, contact forms and bought a large photo frame that actually makes a very good job of showing off photos! Beats my laptop hands down!

Looking forward to my own little mini exhibition, all I need now is mints and customers :)

Boudoir Albums too

Having shot some really good images of the lovely Rebecca at the Yerbury Seminar, I was keen to practice putting them together in a coherent album. I always find that it is one thing shooting the images and working on them in post processing but as a relative novice to album design I like to practice as much as I can with sets of images to work them into the finished product.

I've found some great 8x8 and 10x10 albums that I think are going to suit this style very well so have more on order. Time to go and shoot some more images!

It's album time

For this coming year I wanted to source some different albums that I thought would appeal to my customer base so I have been busy with album design after Focus in March and I have the samples at the printers for the printed albums and I have been busily working on the design and printing for the others. Here is one that I've just finished and I have to say it's looking rather good.

And another from the Boudoir Workshop with Trevor and Faye Yerbury.

Another one from the brilliant Yerbury workshop :)

Many, many thanks to Trevor and Faye Yerbury for a wonderful Boudoir Workshop at their home on Sunday. Thank you not only for the terrific training but the lovely hospitality too. And I can't possibly forget the lovely Rebecca, our very patient model for the day.

Phew, been to Birmingham to Focus on Imaging. HUGE exhibition of the best photographic products available. I was very good! After the major expenditure on the cameras, lenses and flashes I had to. :) But I did sign up for some really rather nice sample albums and I bought a new video light.

A video light is a much under rated piece of equipment, usually by those who have never used them though. The good ones are not cheap being between £200 and £450. What they bring to the party though is instant lighting. At a wedding you don't often have time to set up complicated studio lighting setups. It would be nice but there is no way I can lug it all around with stands, cables softboxes reflectors etc so quick and easy does it ...every time.

The video light can be pulled out, switched on and bingo....instant light. You can direct whoever is holding it to step in, step out, barn doors contain the beam of light so I can get it just where I want it. It comes with a little flip up soft focus attachment and a halogen attachment. That's a really neat little creating trick all of it's own. Pop that on, set the camera to 3400K et voila, daylight just went blue while my subject is perfectly lit. All in a package that fits neatly in a little shoulder bag. A very useful addition to the two flashguns I carry as standard.

New sample album design on the way and two new roller banners to order. I'm away the last two weekends in March with some excellent shooting to do with Trevor and Faye Yerbury and John Baikie. Two trips to Scotland back to back, but these guys really are worth it. :)

Busy again :)

Been working a lot on the website and getting the hang of all the new website settings. HTML meets bludomain template? I know just the wizard to help that go as well as it can so thank you Mr Mark Pearson. Mark runs his photography business just outside Leeds and is just about the most dedicated photographer I know. His customer service is the best you can get and it is real pleasure to spend time with him. And the coffee is good too :)

Booked a wedding fayre with a fresh young company http://www.idoweddingfayres.com/ and ordering some new banners and new albums from graphistudio and a new supplier too. Going to see some new albums at Focus at the NEC on Monday with the lovely Jamie and Sheila so I will be making the decision on a second supplier by Tuesday of next week.

Got some new software for both album design and the design of leaflets, fliers, banners etc so I have some exciting new designs to work on before my new wedding fayre in May. Those few weeks will go rather quickly.

I have a boudoir training day booked with the amazing Trevor and Faye Yerbury, only the world's best photographers of this genre. Really looking forward to spending a day being put through my paces with the new cameras.

Add to that a day shooting with Mr John Baikie at the end of March and it's a busy but very productive month.