Our competition was very successful. Congratulations to Beth and Chris and Joanna and Ian.
We have been very quiet since Christmas, not much to report really, it’s that time of year. So we are glad to be at the end of January and looking forward to a very busy 2011. We began the year with 25 weddings booked for 2011 and 3 for 2012, we now have 31 for 2011 and 5 for 2012, so that is looking very good indeed. We decided a while back that we would limit the number of packages we offer, they are very good value for money, but the majority of our coverages should be on an ala carte basis. A good proportion of our customers prefer that anyway. So we are now at the point where we only have three packages left for 2011. If you would like to try to book one of our remaining packages you will need to act fast. Go to our main site and send us an enquiry today, we hope we will still be available.
2011 is a significant year for me. It was 35 years ago that I first became a professional photographer. I had learnt the basics at art school and I knew an f stop from a bus stop, but I had lots more to learn. I went to work for Ray Vincent, he was one of the top portrait photographers in the UK at that time and is still in business. I went to see him recently. This year he reaches retirement age but I doubt that he will hang up his Hasselblad. He still shoots on film, he doesn’t even own a computer, and he is a master of light. Ray’s pictures jump out of the frame at you, crisp, punchy and expertly lit. It’s rare to see such skill these days. It seems incredible to me now that when I came up North to work as the “Photographer in Residence” at the Brewery Arts Centre in Kendal I was practically a “Journeyman” with a mere 13 years experience. Back then I thought I knew it all but I am proving to myself everyday that I still have lots to learn.
While we have been quiet I have gone back to my roots. Walking with a film camera and going into the darkroom to process and print. I love making pictures this way; it is a special skill, a craft that has very little space in the world of commercial photography anymore. The quality I achieve from a carefully made fibre based print is unique. It is the methodology that got me hooked on this profession 35 years ago. I intend to work on some portfolios of my landscape work and I will make an announcement as to how you can see them in the coming months.
Steven Taylor January 2011
