Someone asked me the other day if we had a Facebook business page and they were not at all impressed when I said no (?!).

Even though we both have personal pages, we don’t go on there touting for business since it’s really a place that people go for a bit of down time or “me” time. Almost every photographer uses social networking to attract new clients but we can’t see ourselves doing that right now, even though some colleagues are saying it’s the smart thing to do.

As a wise old saying goes, when you see all your competitors going in the same direction, run like a crazy man the opposite way. That is partly why we hardly advertise at all now and also why we stopped attending the wedding fairs/shows years ago. Although I’d never say never, you won’t find us bragging or tagging on Facebook just yet

I took in a trade show in London last weekend to get an update on the new technology and products on the market. All of this info is available online but there is nothing like seeing things in the flesh (a weekend in London might have something to do with it too…). I met with two great new album suppliers. The new book style line of albums are uber classy products which are more exclusive and a huge step up in quality from the more common GraphiStudio range that I currently carry. I also picked up a new range of small gift albums which are very cute (ribbons are back!) and great keepsakes for friends and family. I hope to have pics online as soon as I get my samples in.

In the coming months, we will also be renovating our home to accomodate a funky new office and reception area which is a project we are really looking forward to. The images on the website galleries have been updated and we have freshened things up a little on the site, so if you haven’t yet visited have a look around to get more of a feel for our work.

Spring is coming and a busy Summer up ahead - don’t you just love this time of year!

Winter is a great time for a wedding. A cosy venue has more appeal during Winter as everyone settles in nicely after dark. I’m often asked what the potential is for good wedding photography during Winter. Obviously the darker evenings and colder weather might seem like drawbacks but winter is a great time for atmospheric shots.

The first thing I look for before taking any photograph is good light. Because of the low Winter sun, you can get really dramatic warm light during Winter. You also get strong directional light which makes for great shots. When the daylight is gone, I use warm additional lighting which helps to pull out that special atmosphere. I have posted a selection of Winter shots in the show below. This is best viewed full screen (the multi-arrow icon on the far right of the controls):

My email has been down for the past 36 hours or so. If you have sent an email during this time, I did not receive it so please resend it or call me instead on (087) 0573438. Apologies for the interruption, thanks.

Just a quick note to wish everyone a great Christmas and New Year.

Apart from Christmas/New Year weddings, we will be taking some down time until 4th January, so please note that there may be delays in responding to any emails and vmails between now and then.

A special thanks to all the couples we worked with this year and to our 2010 and 2011 couples who have booked ahead. Despite all the bad news in the economy, it’s great to see so many of you are not letting things get in the way of your plans.

Be safe.

The World Press Photo organisation have archived a collection of images from the competitions beginning (WPP is a very prestigious awards body for photo journalism). Very little to do with wedding photography I know, but very powerful photography all the same. Even if this is not your thing, use the search funtion to find the overall winner for each year. There are some controversial images in there but certainly also an indication of the power of a single image. This is probably the best collection of this kind of work online:

http://www.archive.worldpressphoto.org/