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Urban Chic! | Contemporary Portraits by Victoria Jane Photography

Last week I got together with a few professional photographer colleagues (including Hannah Duffy from Cambridge and Lisa Scott from Rugby) to share ideas and experiences. That’s one of the nice things about good pro photographers – they aren’t afraid of the competition, they realise the benefits of working together to assist each other and share ideas! Anyway, we took the opportunity to do some ‘urban’ style photography using a professional model called Holly. We each had our own ideas and styles. Here are some of my shots after I applied a touch of editing trickery …….

Regular readers of this blog and people who know me will realise that this isn’t the sort of photography that I do all of the time but I think many of you would be surprised at the variety of work that I do take on. After all, even though I’m known as a wedding photographer around 25-30% of the work I take on is corporate and family portrait based. If you fancy having your own contemporary portraits, perhaps a street theme or something else of an artistic nature and you’ve got an idea of what you’d like to achieve but don’t know how, please give me a call (07739096632).

Meanwhile, I love to receive comments on my posts. Please take a moment to add a comment (click below). I will always approve sensible comments and do my best to reply and put the comments ‘live’ within a few days.

Vicky

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Katie and Stan | Wedding Photography in the village of Grindleford in the Peak District

This was a very busy weekend of wedding photography for us and we were really pleased to have such an enjoyable start. Katie and Stan were married at the Maynard Arms hotel in the lovely village of Grindleford in the Peak district near to Sheffield on Saturday.

We were originally recommended to Katie and Stan by a guest who attended a wedding that we photographed at the Charlecote Pheasant hotel last year. Katie and Stan asked us if we would photograph their wedding in the Peak district and when we heard of their plans we were delighted to travel up there for an initial meeting to look around and to discuss their ideas for their photography on the day.

The happy couple are both keen outdoor types who are heavily into hill walking, climbing and other energetic adventurous pursuits. It shouldn’t have come as a surprise when we learnt that as part of their wedding day photography they wanted to be photographed on a hill-side, preferably in full wedding attire and standing on some rocks with hills in the background. I was preying for good weather on the day and easy walking!!!

After careful planning the day arrived and we set about doing the photography. It was made more interesting by the fact that half of the guests were the Italian side of Stan’s family and many didn’t speak much English. They were absolutely lovely though and we got on just fine using various gestures and with the help of some family interpreters! After some reportage, the ceremony and the formal group shots we had about 30 minutes to jump in our car, drive to a local beauty spot and get some scenic shots …. much to the amazement of some local ramblers. Talking of rambling, that’s enough for now. Here’s a few teaser shots to give you a flavour of their special day …..

The Maynard Arms in Grindleford …..

Stan helps his best man with the button hole …..

A few detailed shots just to set the scene a little more ……

Beautiful scenery right oustide the hotel door

Attention to detail in Katie’s room whilst getting ready …..

First glimpse of katie ….. Fabulous!

One photographer at the front (Me!) and one at the back (Gary)

First photo of the newly weds …..

We even took our own step ladders for the whole group shot ……

Some quiet time alone after the ceremony and family group shots …..

Then a quick dash to the hillside …..

Back at the hotel and time for the sit-down meal and cutting the cake.

When Katie and Stan booked us to photograph their wedding they knew that we were already booked to do a full day wedding the next day near to Stratford upon Avon. We agreed to cover their day until the start of their meal so this time we weren’t there until the end but I think you’ll agree that we captured loads of interesting memories for them and they’ll have plenty of images to choose from for their album.

The above images are a small sample of the photographs that Gary and I took on the day. Over the next few weeks we’ll be editing many more images and they will, as always, be posted to the password protected area of my main website (Click here and choose their gallery when it’s been created) for family and friends to view. For details just ask Katie and Stan.

We thoroughly enjoyed our trip to the peak district and it was a real pleasure to photograph Stan and katie’s special day.

If you are getting married in Warwickshire, the midlands (or perhaps further afield, like Katie and Stan) and you need an imaginative, fun and thoroughly professional photography service please contact me on 07739096632. I’m already booking up for late 2011 and throughout 2012 so there is no time like the present to get in touch!

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this blog post. If you have please take a moment to leave a comment. We like comments!!

Vicky x

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Natalie and James | Fabulous Wedding Photography at Ettington Park Hotel by Victoria Jane Photography

This was one We had been really looking forward to! Ettington Park hotel in Alderminster near to Stratford upon Avon is a favaourite venue for us as it is where we chose to get married ourselves! When Natalie and James (Jim, to his friends) contacted us and told us where they were getting married we were delighted to talk to them about doing their wedding photography.

The wedding took place yesterday (Sunday 17th April) and it lived up to all expectations. The venue, as always, was beautiful, the guests were lovely, the ushers and best man were comical, lively and in great spirits (as well as being some of the nicest and most considerate guys we’ve met), the bridesmaids were lovely …… and the bride (Natalie) was simply stunning. The cameras loved her, as you’ll see below. Jim was/is very lucky! He’s also got a great personality and so no wonder Natalie fell for him!

On top of all that the weather was just perfect. We had warm temperatures and sunshine, enabling us to enjoy the fabulous Ettington Park hotel grounds all day. Enough chat for now. Let this sample of our wedding photography do the talking ……

The Venue …..

The boys …..

Anyone for Cricket?

The girls …..

A few details ……

The Service …..

Loitering infront of the chapel ……

Some ‘alone time’ …..

The evening celebrations begin …..

Natalie and James are a lovely couple and they had a fantastic day. For us, it was so nice to receive positive comments from several of the guests as we were about to leave at around 10:30pm. We also had a really enjoyable day ….. and now the real work starts! We’ve got hundreds of great photographs to edit, and to be honest we are spoilt for choice.

Ettington Park hotel is a dream venue, both for the bride and groom and for a photographer. The photographs above are just a very small selection …. just to whet your appetite. If you are planning a wedding at Ettington Park hotel (or similar venue in Warwickshire or the West Midlands) please don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss your photography requirements.

Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Shirley! I can’t wait to present you with many more images from your special day.

Vicky

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Photographing Stuart Kettell’s Charity Hamster Wheel Run for Macmillan Cancer Support

One of the pleasures in doing what I do is that I get to meet really fun people. Sometimes they are people who I work with. Stuart Kettell who runs Kettell Video Productions in Coventry is one of these people and he introduced me to his annual charity fund raising events for Macmillan Cancer Support. For several years Stuart has devised a ‘Mad Fool’ task that he does to raise money for Macmillan Cancer Support. His past challenges have included cycling on a replica Penny Farthing from Lands End to John O’Groats and Kayaking across the channel from France to Coventry and last year he suspended himself, David Blaine style, inside a Perspex box suspended above Broadgate in Coventry city centre for a week. In the last two years I’ve also started to support Macmillan Cancer Support with my photography and I now provide the official photography and some graphic design work for Stuart’s Challenges (free of charge, of course).

This year Stuart’s ‘Will the Mad Fool Make It?’ challenge was even more unusual ….. and I was there from the initial idea stage until the end. The idea needed to be explained to potential sponsors in fairly simple terms so Stuart asked me to knock up a graphic in Adobe Indesign and Photoshop. Here it is ……

Unusual Eh? So what was it all about? Well, the idea was for Stuart to run a marathon every day for a week inside a giant hamster wheel. If that wasn’t enough to spark some interest he wanted the hamster wheel to be balanced on one end of a giant See-Saw. On the other end there would be a donation pot for the people of Coventry to make donations towards Macmillan Cancer Support. As the donations increased the see-saw would start to tip and (hopefully!) on day 7 with around £7000 in the pot the wheel would be lifted up.

Stuart spent months training inside the wheel on his driveway and I helped with some of the promotional photographs in the weeks leading up to the actual event in Broadgate, Coventry. Finally, the day arrived for the challenge to begin on a sunny Sunday March 20th ……..

He may be a bit mad but he really doesn’t bite, you know!

Whenever I’m covering any event, whether it be for charity such as Macmillan Cancer Support or perhaps for a business corporate event, I’m always mindful of the need to capture not only the activities and emotions of the event but also the reasons behind it. After all, Stuart was doing a fantastic job raising money for Macmillan Cancer support and he was raising awareness of the important work they do too.

It was really nice that Stuart gets support from local celebrities. In this case Roisin and John Dalziel (above) from the JD show on local commercial radio station, Mercia FM. In fact, the local radio stations (Mercia FM, Touch FM and BBC Coventry and Warwickshire) all took a firm interest and were very encouraging with their live interviews and raising awareness all week.

Stuart excelled himself this year by raising enough awareness to be invited onto ITV’s Daybreak with Adrian Chiles & Christine Bleakley and ‘Britain’s Got Talent’. Needless to say, running in a wheel in a giant hamster costume is unlikely to win over any talent scouts but it was great for publicity for the challenge and ultimately great for Macmillan Cancer Support. He asked me if I could help out with Photoshop again and I created this banner for Stuart to display near to the wheel.

So what does a 6 Foot, 46 year old marathon-running hamster look like? …. Well, what did you think he’d look like? …..

So here I am (above) proving that I was there! By the way, I designed the green sweatshirt just to make myself look a little more official. At least I wasn’t completely over shadowed by the main attraction!

And yes – hamsters do get hot when they’re running and they do need a drink! Hamster owners … never forget to check the bottle!

It’s also true to say that human hamsters get a little lonely unless they’ve got other hamsters to talk to. This little fella did his bit to keep Staurt company!

I’m told that running in the wheel is not quite the same as running on a flat surface, mostly due to the angle that your feet hit the wheel. Stuart went through real pain on some days and I spent one day calling every sports therapist that I could find to ask for their help. Luckily we managed to get some really good advice each evening and some really helpful (often painful) sports massages at the end of each day helped to keep him going.

So, Did the Mad fool make it? Did the mad fool manage to complete his 7 marathons in his hamster wheel?

Finally, the last day of the challenge arrived and Stuart had done it! Stuart had some fantastic support from the Coventry public all week and he collected thousands of pounds. The See-Saw tipped early afternoon on Sunday 27th March. Despite it being a breezy Sunday afternoon there was a great crowd there to cheer Stuart on with the help of Clive Skelhon, good friend of Stuart’s & former Mercia radio presenter, on the mic ……

And finally, the smiles said it all. I’m sure, for a brief moment, Stuart was glad it was all over! There’s no doubt he’ll be back with another mad challenge though ….. probably next year. Who knows what he’ll be doing next? ….. I DO!

The Result!

At the time of writing this, Stuart Kettell raised a massive £6400 for Macmillan Cancer Support with his Mad fool Hamster wheel challenge. Brillaint! If you missed seeing Stuart in Broadgate and you’d like to do your bit, it is still possible to donate online by visiting Stuart’s challenge website here

Well done Stuart – I’m really looking forward to doing more photography for you in the future and supporting Macmillan Cancer support even more!

Vicky

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Two Qualifications Gained In One Day!

OK, time to blow my own trumpet for a minute or two! Indulge me …. Please!

I don’t generally go in for entering competitions or showcasing my images just for the sake of it. I’m far too busy actually doing the job! However, I do like to keep abreast of the latest developments and look at what other professional photographers are doing and to pick up new ideas. After all, there are some really good photographers out there with great ideas (and, it also has to be said, some shockingly awful ones!)

I’ve been meaning to join the MPA for a while. This is the Master Photographers Association. They are a national association that is open only to full time professional photographers. In order to join and become a qualified member you have to prove that you are a full time professional photographer, be prepared to be vetted by the MPA, submit a portfolio of images (professionally printed and displayed!) that meet tough criteria (for judging by top photographers of the MPA) and to submit information explaining your background, photographic philosophy, methodology etc.

In other words, it’s really quite something and you can’t simply sign on the dotted line and pay over your money!

Anyway, I was judged yesterday and was offered my MPA Licentiate Qualification Immediately ….. and I’m pleased as punch! 🙂

Here’s a snapshot of the images that I gained my MPA licentiate qualification with yesterday…..

I had to submit 10 images from one wedding and then another 10 images showing a wider variety of my work from other weddings. Each image was printed large with a wide black border. For some of the images I developed my own filter to give a sepia-like effect. These are the ones shown on the left in several of Gretchen and Craig’s images. This is a wedding that I photographed recently at Stoneleigh Abbey near to Coventry.

Moving On ….. My day didn’t end there!

I was really pleased with the MPA result and had already arranged to meet with other photographers of the SWPP (Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers) to discuss some more of my images. This was just to get some more constructive feedback and to see what they thought of my work. I nearly fell off my chair when the SWPP immediately offered me a Licentiate qualification with them too! What a day …… TWO Professional Photographer Qualifications awarded to me within an hour!

It’s time to get my business stationery re-printed with some new logos and more letters after my name.

Victoria Jane Hubbard …… BSc (Hons), PGCE, and now LSWPP, LMPA  🙂 ……. Back to work now!

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Natalie and James | Pre-Wedding Photo Shoot at Ettington Park Hotel

We met up with Natalie and James recently to discuss their wedding photography requirements and to take a few practice shots at their chosen wedding venue; the very lovely Ettington Park Hotel at Alderminster near to Stratford Upon Avon in Warwickshire. It was a cold day so we didn’t spend too much time outside but I’m pleased with the photographs that we got.

Firstly, if you’ve read my blog before you’ll know how much I love Ettington Park. Here’s a glimpse of the venue ….

Wherever you look there are fabulous trees, lovely manicured grounds and fabulous architecture; all help to enhance the photographs. I think it’s fair to say that Natalie and James would look pretty good whatever venue they chose though!

Sometimes when I’m doing photo shoots or weddings I make use of one shot to give two or more different images. That’s an advantage of using the highest quality professional Canon cameras and lenses. Here’s an example of cropping into the image above to give a totally different image overall…..

Whenever I photograph couples at a wedding I like them to be comfortable with what I’m asking them to do and one of the reasons for the pre-wedding photo shoot is to get them used to being in-front of the camera and trying out different locations at the venue …

Natalie and James seemed very relaxed and comfortable and I’m sure We’ll get some great shots on their wedding day

These images are just a few of the ones that I took on Natalie and Jame’s pre-wedding photo shoot. On their actual wedding day I’ll be the lead photographer and I’ll make sure that I get the more formal shots of individuals and groups that they want but my husband, Gary, will also be there with me with different cameras and lenses. He’ll be snapping away, often from a distance, to capture more informal shots of the happy couple and their guests throughout the day. Between us We’ll get loads of lovely shots that capture all of the details, emotions and the whole story of their wedding day. I’m really looking forward to this one!

 

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Corporate Photography by Victoria Jane Photography | Professional Photography for Business Websites

If you’re a regular visitor to my blog you could be forgiven to think that I’m a wedding and family photographer, and that’s it! …….. Not So!

This week, for example, I’m doing four sessions of Corporate photography for two different businesses in Coventry. They both wanted some professional photographs to put on their websites in order to display their products clearly and to showcase their companies or personnel.

Unfortunately, for reasons of commercial confidentiality I often can’t display my corporate photography images on this blog, but occasionally I can. Here’s an interesting example of some work I’ve done this week working along-side two other professionals: Zoe from ZHR Marketing in Rugby and Leon from First Image Design in Coventry. All of the photography was done by me …….

This is a copy of the advert.

This company, Lawton Tubes, wanted some professional images of their products (Copper Pipe) and of their owner, Oliver Lawton, to use in their own adverts and emails/websites but they also wanted professional graphic design layout expertise and professional copy writing in order to get their message across as effectively as possible. Zoe (ZHR Marketing) did all of the copy (the text!) and Leon (First Image) did the layout whilst all of the photographs were taken, edited and resized for the web by me.

Hopefully, you’ll agree that we make a good team !

If you have a business or organisation that needs a fresh look, some new professional photographs for your website or for perhaps some new flyers please give me a call on 07739096632. I could simply take the photographs or I could arrange for the expertise of other colleagues to provide a more complete design and copy service.

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Dan & Nic’s upcoming Wedding Photography at Rowton Castle, Shrewsbury | Pre-Wedding Photo-Shoot

Dan is the elder of my two (younger) brothers! He is finally getting married to his lovely fiancee, Nicola, in May this year 🙂

They have chosen to get married at St Georges Church followed by their reception at Rowton Castle, a beautiful 17th century grade II listed building, not far from Shrewsbury in Shropshire.

As I have not had the opportunity to photograph at either venue it was a good excuse to meet up for the day to look around both venues.

The Church congregation & Minister were incredibly welcoming & after coffee & biscuits we had chance to look around the church & take some pictures inside. We finally braved the gale-force winds & headed on to Rowton Castle ……after making a quick pit-stop for a carvery mmmm 🙂

Despite the grey skies and the cold on this damp & blustery day,  the first impression of Rowton Castle certainly didn’t disappoint … & what could have been better than walking in from the cold to be greeted by a big hug from Jack, the owner, then having a hot, steaming pot of coffee, tea & a huge plate piled high with biscuits served to us in-front of a roaring log fire ? … Well, if that wasn’t good enough we were then encouraged, by Jack, to help ourselves to Creme Brulee, Scones, Victoria Sponge Cake & an array of other delights … So much for my diet in order to get in to my dress ready for their wedding!!!

Sorry … this is meant to be a blog about my photography, not my weaknesses & lack of will-power when surrounded by all things sweet & sugary … however, it was just too good not to at least mention it 🙂

So back to the photography … What can I say, other than I think we’re going to be spoilt for choice … inside & out!

Below are just a few pictures taken from around Rowton Castle … please look back here towards the end of May to see some more from Dan & Nic’s actual Wedding day 🙂

As I said earlier, I’ve not photographed a wedding at Rowton castle in Shropshire before. It is, after-all, a little outside my normal Warwickshire area! However, if you’ve got a wedding arranged there and you think you’d like a really good photographer who can produce some imaginative images in beautiful albums please do give me a call on 07739096632. Despite the distance from my home I will certainly seriously consider photographing weddings at Rowton Castle in the future!

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Another busy week coming up including Photographing a Wedding at Stoneleigh Abbey

Phew! 🙂

Christmas seems like months ago! I’ve not stopped over the Christmas period and I only managed a short 3 day break at new year before everything kicked off again. In the last week I’ve had loads of enquiries from Midlands and Warwickshire couples who are interested employing me for their wedding photography. I’ve also started to get enquiries from a little further afield and it looks like I’ll be doing more than one wedding in the Peak district this year and at least one in South Wales.

Today I did a pre-wedding photo shot for a lovely couple, Natalie and James, whom Gary and I met at the fabulous Ettington Park hotel. We’re photographing their wedding at Ettington Park in April. Images to follow later.

My wedding season gets off to a great start with a wedding at Stoneleigh Abbey at Stoneleigh on the outskirts of Coventry and Kenilworth. I met up with the wedding co-ordinator, Angela, earlier this week to look at the venue properly. It’s going to be a fabulous location for some great shots. Take a look! ……..

The couple who are getting married, Gretchen and Craig, actually live in Australia and I’m yet to meet them.  They found my blog, liked my work and we’ve made all of the arrangements by email. I’m sure they’ll love their chosen venue!

 

Watch this space for an update.

 

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A great start to a very busy year ahead! – Lily the guide dog | Pet photography by Victoria Jane Photography

Lily the guide dog + family – part 1

After a very hectic, fun filled, photography-packed December I’d promised myself a break … but I simply couldn’t resist taking on a few extra bookings – particularly ones including very cute 4 legged pets 🙂

… so I guess my break will have to wait!

I was booked by a client , Pat, who I have known for years to photograph her & her family, including Lily – her guide dog.

Pat has been recovering after a major operation & wanted to celebrate her recovery with a family photographic session. She’d booked me for my top-family package which included up to 4 hours of photography.  I had a great day with the whole family and, as you can imagine, took rather a lot of pictures which I’ll be editing over the next few days. For the lovers of four-legged friends I couldn’t resist giving you a quick sneaky peak at one of my favourite ones of Lily.  Keep your eyes peeled for the rest soon 🙂