It occurs to me that it’s been a while since my last public blog post, so now is probably a good time to offer something of a catch-up on the first third of 2016, which has seen me photographing weddings, events of various kinds and carrying out some commercial work.

The year started for me with a commercial trip to the Bahrain International Airshow to work directly for Twister Aerobatics and who, for the duration of the show, would be sponsored by (and finished in the colours of) DHL Express.

Being small, light-aerobatic aeroplanes, the Twisters are small enough to be broken down and transported on an air freight pallet.  They were loaded on to a lorry at Twister Aerobatics HQ and driven to East Midlands Airport, from where they would be flown to Bahrain, via a brief stop in Leipzig, Germany.

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I was lucky enough to fly with the aeroplanes on that journey and was offered one of the much coveted jump-seats in the cockpit of the AeroLogic (a joint venture between DHL Express and Lufthansa Cargo) Boeing 777-200F for its duration.  Suffice it to say, the views out the front are far better than those down the back of a commercial airliner!

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From a DHL Express and Twister Aerobatics viewpoint, the show was a tremendous success.  The only disappointment was the lack of availability of a camera-ship aeroplane, making air-to-air pictures (for me) an impossibility – unlike in 2014.

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Back to Blighty and the lengthy process of editing the images from our almost two weeks away began, interspersed between wedding photography consultations.

My first party booking of the year was on Valentine’s Day, Sunday, 14th February.  Sammy Grace’s friends all gathered at Ecton Village Hall, Northants, to celebrate her 6th birthday.  They were not the only guests, however!

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Doing more than just making up the numbers were snakes, a skink, a monitor lizard, a skinny pig, a skunk and two meerkats, all provided by Wellingborough-based Tony’s Reptile Show.  This was a real hands-on experience for those of Sammy’s friends who were brave enough to touch the animals, and for many it was their first opportunity to be in such close proximity to such creatures.

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The fantastic accompanying meerkat birthday cake was produced by Claire Kiff at Not Just A Cake in Northampton.

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All of the children had a great time celebrating Sammy’s birthday.

My first wedding of the year took place on Saturday, 19th March, when Linda and Richard finally proved their friends and families wrong by getting married after 18 years together.

The day itself was dry but grey, but that didn’t stop the happy couple from loving every moment of proceedings.

The ceremony took place at the very nice Wellingborough Registration Office, while the reception was held in a beautifully-decorated room at the Old Grammarian’s sports facility on the edge of Wellingborough town.

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The following weekend, Sally celebrated her 50th birthday in two parties split between the Friday and Saturday at the family home in Maidwell, Northants.

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Unfortunately, the weather on the second of those – the daytime one – was truly awful, and we were unable to get outside to get any of the shots we’d hoped to.

Regardless, everybody had a great time and we managed to capture some nice group pictures indoors.

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Sunday, 3rd April was Gemma and Martin’s turn to get married.  They became husband and wife in a small but perfectly formed wedding at The Bridge Hotel in Thrapston, Northants.

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The weather was largely overcast but mild during the afternoon, before the heavens opened after darkness had fallen.

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There may not have been huge numbers of guests present, but those that were made for one of the most amusing and enjoyable weddings I’ve attended in absolutely ages.

Gemma and her band of helpers did an unbelievable job with the decoration of the reception room, and it looked amazing.

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I’m still awaiting feedback from clients on May’s first two bookings, so I’ll leave the catch-up there for now.

Tomorrow promises to be quite exciting with a booking to cover East Northamptonshire Council’s Annual Meeting at their chambers in Thrapston.

Enquiries are trickling in for 2017 weddings, so if you are getting married then and are still on the lookout for a photographer, you may consider acting sooner rather than later.

Additionally, I do still have a limited number of weekends free for this year, so, again, if you are in the market for a photographer – or know someone who is – please get in touch to arrange a free consultation – it may not be too late to secure my services!

Thanks for reading.

Karl

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I mainly provide event photography services in Northamptonshire, Leicestershire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Rutland, Oxfordshire & Warwickshire, in towns such as Northampton, Kettering, Wellingborough, Oundle, Corby, Peterborough, Leicester, Huntingdon, Rushden, Towcester, Rugby, Daventry & Oakham.  I am, however, only too happy to travel beyond those locations to capture the magic of your day.