Autumn gives another great photo opportunity for portraits. On the way back from the Leicester Marathon I got my children to play in the leaves in Victoria Park for a while. It gave them the chance to burn off some energy and allowed me time to get a few shots for my walls. The golden colours of Autumn really give photos a good kick.
Sunday 20th October 2008 was race day for the annual Leicester Marathon. The Leicester Marathon was held regularly many years ago then stopped until last October when the first new Leicester Marathon was held. This year I decided to wander down to Victoria Park in Leicester to see the start of the marathon. I then returned later to see some of the runners finish (and I was surprised how fresh and relaxed some of the runners looked as they crossed the finish line). It was a lovely Autumn day and lots of charities benefited from the event. Looking forward to next year’s event already.
Saturday 27th September 2008 was the wedding of Neil and Marie. The ceremony was held at All Saints Church, Thurcaston, Leicester and the reception at Ansty Hall in Warwickshire. The Autumn weather was extremely kind to us all. The light was superb, the rain was nowhere to be seen and the fallen leaves added that extra special something to the day. With the assistance of David and Kerry we got a fantastic set of images for the album.
Saturday 20th September 2008 saw the wedding of Will and Julia at Fawsley Hall near Daventry, Northamptonshire. My sister company Event-Pics photographed the event due to our long assocation with Julia through work done for the Hilton Warwick. Fawsley Hall is a wonderful venue for a wedding, set in 2000 acres of pure Northamptonshire countryside. With the character rich venue, bright sunshine and fun filled guests, we all had a great time and shot loads of fantastic images for Will and Julia’s album. And we loved the fireworks at the end of the evening.
Yesterday, Saturday 6th September I helped David photographing a wedding reception at Woodside in Kenilworth, Warwickshire. The Woodside is a great venue with lots of opportunity for some great group shots and individual portrait images. The weather was not kind to us, with the only attendees seemingly enjoying the downpour outside being the resident rabbits in the grounds of the estate. We enjoyed a hog roast and got some great pictures of the night using our technique of slow shutter speed plus flash to create images with lots of light and movement, capturing the mood on the dancefloor.
Now that Autumn has arrived with its typical wet and windy weather it’s time to start thinking about getting some great family sessions and stylish 1-on-1 urban portrait shoots booked. There is no need to hibernate until next year. Strong colourful images will brighten up any living room wall during these darkening nights and will last a lifetime. A family session or individual urban shoot will look great with softer lighting from overcast skies and the wearing of hats, scarfes and jumpers.
Paul Hurst Photography is now offering a 1hour family session and 2 hour individual urban shoot in Leicester for just £75, which includes a framed 5″x7″ picture of your choice from the shoot. Images from the shoot can be viewed and selected online. Fantastic looking albums, frames, acrylic and box frames are all available at low prices to show off your images. Visit Paul Hurst Photography now or call 07810 693231 to book your Leicester family or urban shoot.
I visited The Place 2B Thai Restaurant in Sutton Coldfield on Saturday 23rd August 2008 to cover their Macmillan Cancer Charity Ball for totally magazine.
Owners of The Place 2B Ashley Blake & Jessica Hayes were great hosts and looked after me well. The event seemed to be attended by most of the BBC who were really enthusiatic about having their photos taken, which makes my life a lot easier. It was an amazing night, and was finished off fantastically listening to the night’s entertainment ‘Brothers of Soul’.
Last weekend I was free of work so I decided to dodge the rain showers and brave the wind and head off to the local park with the kids for the afternoon for some fun. Even at the park there are some great photos to be taken and I never miss an opportunity to experiment with new styles and techniques. The kids had a great time creating some interesting poses.
Here are some examples using a Nikon D300, SB-800 off camera flash and an underexposed background to make the sky more dramatic and the photographs dynamic.