Janice (or Roxy if you want her working name), from the Street Shoot was after a good studio session to update her portfolio – so we just went for, it had loads of fun, and got some great pictures along the way.

The studio was PTP Studio – and gave us loads of options, so with 1 model, 6 changes of outfit and 5 props, it really was a case of where to start, and what poses to go with.

The following are some of the pictures from the 1441 we took in 4 hours. Lots of processing for me, but you don’t really keep count when you’re having fun…

Yes, we achieved do a lot in 4 hours, we had loads of fun, and plenty of time to re-take a pose with a slight twist.

A nice start to the new year…

Now, Sam is no longer aspiring. Check out her details here…

But that doesn’t stop her coming back for the annual portfolio shoot, each time looking for something different.

This year, Sam was after something different from the ‘usual static pose’.

What she wanted, she wasn’t sure of, until we got in the studio and started to play.

Several more poses and a cuppa, and then the fog cleared – giving us a variety of shots around this type of theme…

She liked the way the image captured the fun she has creating and playing the music at clubs and events.

As she often says, being a DJ is like being on a Busman’s holiday.

At this shoot, Sam was also after something with a processed look -

so we took the one picture and gave it a make over.

But this got me thinking about the earlier stuff we’d shot – and I thought, well why not put them together to see how things have changed.

It all started off with this shot…

Then we had that ‘disco’ look…

And then a to close crop.

Of those taken so far, this is a favourite for many – but you can’t sit on the same old shot for ever in the entertainment world, which means we have to look for a different angle for the next shoot.

Which leaves me wondering what the ‘next look’ will be!

So, keep an eye out for future shots, or follow Sam on her site, it’ll be there in just under a years time!

(Unless she gets an urge to recreate a look she’s seen whilst overseas)

This was to be a complete full dress repeat of Vegas, and with a Vegas Casino theme to boot. But more of that later.

This was to be in an environment that was the complete opposite of what was experienced in Las Vegas.

The children, James and Keeley, were able to attend this event, and appropriately dressed for the event they were too.

No MGM Complex. No Stretch Limos (let alone 20 seat Hummers). No top Italian cuisine or waited service.

Yes, this was a small village hall, located just on the outskirts of Blandford Forum in Dorset, at a place called Durweston.

There was to be no paid help for this one – everyone had to chip in this whilst taking pictures, getting their hair done… again!, making sandwiches, arranging tables – yes the theme was not just “Vegas Casino” – but bring a bottle, food or goodwill!

Balloons had to be blown up, ribbons attached, which were than attached to stones – specially painted by Camille, not only was she one of the bridesmaids, but sister of the bride.

Sadly, so popular were they – that when it came to get some pictures – they had all disappeared!

Take it from those who took them, they were exceptional.

Of course, the helium for the balloons ran out too soon.

A certain duck impersonator was found to be the culprit…

The floral arrangements for the tables were all hand made and arranged by Doris, a long time family friend of the brides family. Having created the template arrangement, it was time to get on and create the final 9!

What a friend to have assisting at the reception!

Again, Steve, the father of the bride was to be found doing more than just presenting his daughter to the attendees.

In a previous career he was a Chef, so found himself doing just about all of the catering.

This pictures shows less than half of what he had prepared for the guests. So popular was the fayre, that very little was left to take away after the event.

Sharon, a work colleague of the bride, supplied this gorgeous 3 tier cake, with a Vegas Casino theme to match the reception.

Kevin, another work colleague,  supplied this assortment of cup cakes and cheese cakes that barely struggled to make it to the reception!

Prior to the event, there was just enough time for a few ‘posed’ pictures, where the helpers were dressed and available.

Lisa and ‘Dave’ – sorry Aaran, were the subjects of this picture opportunity.

A small reward for the hard work they’d put in all afternoon helping to get the hall ready.

Then, it was time for the reception to start and guests to start enjoying themselves at the casino…

No age restrictions here, so the youngest set about showing the adults how to win while they could!

So in demand were they, the B&G rarely got a chance to meet people together.

Louise is seen doing the honours here.

Oddly enough talking to Richard and Denise – Louise was bridesmaid at their wedding!

And Gordon doing the honours here..

Getting one of those rare moments to talk to his mum and Lesley, a long time family friend.

But, time was found for them to enjoy the first dance.

But before we reach the end of this tale – it would be wrong not to mention Andy, who was the best man and aid to the groom in Vegas.

But in so far as the running of the reception went, his wife Karen in this rare picture of her out of the kitchen, spent most of the evening in the kitchen refilling food trays, washing up plates and cutlery etc. Thankless and unseen work that needed to be recognised.

Before the evening was over, Steve and Christine, the parents of bride, were presented with a thank you from all those who had attended the wedding in Las Vegas.

They deserved a very special thanks for making not only the wedding in Las Vegas an event to remember, but also for making the reception every bit as memorable thanks to their tireless efforts throughout the preceding week and on the day. As much as others had put in immense time and effort from all sides – Steve and Christine were determined their daughter’s wedding would be one to remember.

And so ends an amazing tale of a wedding that stretched over 2 continents, 2 time zones, and lasting 3 weeks from beginning to end.

It is not the sort of thing that single photographers gets to witness, record or enjoy. For that, I can only thank Gordon and Louise for the opportunity and the memories that it has created for me, whilst I tried to record the memories for them.

Sadly, that was never going be the case with Gordon & Louise – they’d settled on a Vegas Wedding.

None of your ‘Elvis Drive Thru’ stuff, they’d opted for the Wedding Chapel in the MGM Grand Complex (think Westfield but much bigger).

This really was going to be one of those events that would not conform to any ‘normal expectations‘ that you have for a Wedding.

1. The wedding was being done in 2 parts, the ceremony in Vegas,

The reception was to be held in a traditional village hall 3 weeks later!

2. I was required to share photographic duties with a local wedding photographer (only house photographers may shoot IN the Chapel)

Hence, this lovely picture of the wedding party minus the Bride and Groom!

And yet, I was allowed to get the pictures of the Bridal Chamber where the Bride and Maids finally got everything together for that magical moment – where as “the house photographer was not allowed in that room”

3. It was Las Vegas, the one place in the world where the ‘normalities’ of life do not exist

The temperature was 100+, the distances between each location were the same as going to Gate 95 at Gatwick.

Just like they did when flying out…

The Bride and Maids had to get their hair done, then, walk through a casino to get changed for the wedding.

The Groom and party had to try and stay out of the way,

and NOT do any gambling!

Which was difficult..

Because all travels involved using the same corridor and travelators.

The dress, after all, has to be a surprise!

Despite the difficulties, every thing went off in a traditional ‘Vegas’ style, a photographers dream wedding opportunity.

This was my last picture before being thrown out

Ready for the Father of the Bride to take his place.

If you look at the enlarged version of the shot, Louise really was on the edge…

I picked up again as the Bride and Groom were released by the “House Photographer”, and were awaiting transport to the Wedding Banquet.

As you can see, this was Stretch Limo’s Vegas style. Not just Hummers for Limo’s – but 20 seater Limo’s (UK can only seat less than half)

And we had 2 of them.

And this picture of the Bridesmaids entering one of these beasts gives a better idea of scale.

Walking to the front of one of these Stretch Hummers was almost worthy of a sponsored walk.

A quick shot of Gordon and Louise in their own Limo, and the faces says it all…

After which I was thrown out to join Limo 2 and get some shots of the rest of the party…

To find the mother and father of the bride starting to chill out as well.

Only 1 half of the Limo in sight, and people are holding on.

When these vehicles went round a corner, the passengers could find themselves changing positions.

But it was a party atmosphere and we throughly enjoyed the experience.

Obviously Gordon and Louise didn’t have this problem!

And so, to the final part of the day, lunch at Maggiano’s Little Italy, a wonderful Italian Restaurant well known to all who have been to Vegas.

Some of the scenes which explains their choice of wedding venue…

The classic scene from the “original” Strip – the new one is some 4-5 miles north of this point…

It is now called The Freemont Street Experience” – well worth a visit.

This really is Venice recreated in Nevada.

Enjoy a Gondola ride around the Venetian complex -

even in your own White Wedding Gondola!

The Belagio Fountain Display – absolutely stunning.

Happens every 15 minutes and you still have to jostle for a good view.

Yes, they’ve even re-created Paris in Las Vegas

With this replica Eiffel Tower and an Arc de Triumphe

And of course nothing beats a great balcony view…

Don’t let the shade fool you – it was still some 80+ degrees in the shade…

And last but not least -

New York New York

A recreation of the iconic structures from New York.

And, now, for the last thing you would expect – but due to the way things were, I’ve included a few shots from the House Photographer.

We both had our parts to play, this tale more covers my part in this amazing experience.

It was one of those weddings where you were glad to sit down at the end of it all and smile, and wonder how it ever came off.

Big thanks to Gordon and Louise for giving me the opportunity to capture the memories.

This is Janice – and that is an escalator in a shopping centre, taken with site management approval.

I expected to have to do a shoot and run, but was surprised to be invited to ask for, and given permission.

Symmetry can be a wonderful thing when you just come across it accidentally – as in this case.

And Janice turned up in an attire that complimented the scene to perfection.

It pretty much opened up a great afternoon which heralded my first photo shoot in Ipswich since relocating back.

We didn’t stop there – we found doorways, gateways and arches to shoot in.

We managed to gain the attention of a few onlookers as we worked away.

Ipswich is not as familiar with Street Photography as London or Brighton.

We even bound a bench to use, without having to wait for people to move.

And finally, a sculpture to work with, but light was starting to fade, and we still had another outfit to try.

By now, we were working in doorways. It was close to tea time, and the alley ways were busier.

But we continued to have fun, and try different looks.

As with any shoot, we had more shots than time to get them in.

We were finally defeated by light and rush hour

(it’s hard to lay down across a pathway and get a low angle shot without being trampled on ).

But then, there’s always another day. Another day to get the shots we didn’t get that day, another day to try a different take on some of the shots we took – and more importantly – another day to have fun working with a gorgeous and versatile model like Janice. Time to get the calender out!

Treat her to some fine dining? Take her to a West End Show? Give her your credit card and put her in a boutique?

Or do you drag her off to a derelict hospital, and give her a bottle of water & packet of crisps?

The site of the former Harold Wood Hospital to be precise, and just as the bulldozers were waiting to go in and flatten the place! You really couldn’t get any more derelict, and it came with a morgue and dissection tables that really cried out for some ghastly make up – but more of that later.

In the spirit of things, it seems only right to show something of Amber before we made her look less than appealing!  So, we got Crystal Edwards, the resident Stylist for the day, to add a bit of lippy, eye liner, tussle her hair a bit, and put her in something more suitable for the location… (I think she done a bit more than that…)

Yes, this really was a grubby place, and not some where you’d want to visit in high heels and a little black dress, but then Amber had agreed to this so why not? A few more shots in this outfit, and we got bored; you can only take so many pictures of a person in the same place, the same outfit, and with the given number of poses – but also, those doors in the back ground were just crying to be used in a shot.

Whilst I moved the lighting around, I got Amber to  change in to something different and prop the doors open. Not sure this  is what I had in mind, but can’t fault her for initiative! Seemed foolish to pass up the shot…

I took a few more pictures, you have to keep  the ladies happy – they like to be pictured when they’ve been attended to by a Stylist, but then my patience ran out and I dragged her off to the morgue, and those lovely dissection tables.

I thought some one was setting me up when they offered to lend a gun as a prop – I think Amber was a bit shocked too.

Before we finished taking in the offer, a gun was produced and put on a dissection table, thankfully it was a replica – but it looked real enough…

Another change of clothes, fresh coat of lippy  and re-think how we were going to set up the shots -  we hadn’t factored a gun into the equation. Some red ribbon was added to the wardrobe and with it came some inspiration. The urge to create a James Bond pose was great – but I decided to leave her in a pose akin to how most bond villains are last seen.

It was about this time that Amber mentioned she had a hat in the wardrobe, I took the hint and gave the gun back. The hat was clearly going to be the new prop – the things we do to please the ladies!

The morgue had this lovely work top that ran the full length of the room, sat against the windows. The problem was how best to use the lighting off those windows, the white work top, and Amber’s cream dress. The obvious choice was to go with high key, but in the end we tried several lighting options,  making sure the hat was included in the picture…

It was about this time that we realised our day was almost up – and we still had another outfit to try out, which I wanted to shoot in mono. The thing is, with something like a morgue, the dissection tables and white walls lend themselves to a B&W photo. So, a spell with Crystal, the resident MUA, had to be sacrificed to get time for time to get the shots – which is pretty how we ended the day. The shot below, being almost the last shot of the day.

It had been a long day – the batteries were running out, the water had all been drunk & crisps eaten – and the bulldozers were itching to get on with leveling the place, ready for redevelopment. It was sad to think that there would never be a repeat opportunity to work at this location again. Much thanks should be given to Carlos Lyons, a fellow photographer, without whose help, this shoot would not have taken place.

Thanks should also be given to Amber’s sister Charlie, who was utilised as an assistant – well you couldn’t just let her sit around getting bored for the day, could you?

As for Amber’s hopes of Fine Dining, a West End show, or a Boutique – there’s always another shoot…

The booking form was included with the negatives and details a maximum of 60 photographs, yes that’s right, just 60! What’s even more interesting is – it means 60 photographs will be taken and the only certainty with these pictures is that they will be exposed, in focus, and contain ‘set images’ as requested by the B&G. There was no facility to review the pictures so any pictures that contained the Bride, Groom or other guests with eyes closed mid blink, or with red eye, or with some one stepping into the picture at the last second, would not be discovered until the films were developed – often on the Monday after the wedding. Very little after shoot processing, or ‘Airbrushing’ as it is now commonly referred to, was available – and it was from those proofs that about 24 pictures were chosen to go in an album.

Some pictures being slightly out of focus, not ideally exposed, or showing the B& G, or a guest, in a less than flattering pose were considered hazards of the trade.

Compare that with today’s wedding photographer, who seems to think nothing of supplying 400 images to choose from, for which correct exposure and focus is a given. The ability to instantly review a shot means that a picture taken mid blink can be re-taken straight away or corrected in Photoshop when the pictures are processed. Red Eye removal is almost a given – and set piece poses as per days of old (film) seem to have given way to a more personalised set of images based on the photographers style, a theme set by the B&G, or maybe a combination of both. Failure to provide images because the developing lab got it wrong, or the film got lost in the post (not every wedding photographer developed their own films) is no longer acceptable – and the technology behind modern digital cameras means it should never happen, except if caused by an ‘Act of God’. Yes, good old ‘Act of God’, almost unheard of now, but it covers that area which really goes beyond what can be reasonably foreseen and catered for.

Then we have the medium with which pictures are delivered – the trusty ‘Wedding Album’ (a deluxe leaved photo album with the words ‘Wedding Album’ on the cover) has given way to custom printed and bound coffee table style books with a narrative, in a variety of styles and colours – and with as many pictures included as were taken. Different versions can be created for the parents of the B&G, or just additional copies of the one, which means it gets produced at a discount (10 copies of a single print cost the same – no discount from film based pictures), or the pictures can be supplied on a DVD and turned into a presentation that can be watched on TV with some video included. Yes, video is almost turning out to be the norm at weddings – not just video, but a mixture of stills and video. Some weddings only want the pictures taken and delivered unprocessed on DVD for the B&G to use as they wish. This proves to be a contentious matter within Wedding Photographers, but as ever more people learn how to process images and video, it is something that surely needs to be considered.

And finally, we have the types of shots taken for a wedding. The set pieces of old have long been replaced by pics of the Bride getting ready along with Brides Maids, the Groom getting ready along with the Best Man, and in some cases – some very intimate pictures designed to be exchanged between B&G only. Formal poses have been replaced by humorous, creative and other guests activities through out the event. The wedding photographer will often not do this all alone. Multiple photographers shooting a single wedding is now considered the norm, with a separate Videographer in some cases – and both with their assistants. The Photographers Assistant would have been responsible for carrying equipment and changing films and lenses, now they really do ‘assist’ in any way required – carry kit, hold or set up secondary lighting (flash lights), unpack or pack away the kit.

I’ve no doubt that there are some who will say I’ve missed out on some aspects of wedding photography, past and present, but my point is simple – the demands on a modern day wedding photographer are far greater than ever they were, and the rewards for doing so, seem to be constantly diminishing. It is even expected that the photographer will keep a copy of the digital images on file in case something happens to the ones supplied to the B&G. I wonder what potential customers would say if they were told just how much it actually costs a photographer to set up shop, just to undertake a single weddings shoot? They would probably think they’re getting a bargain!