Urban Angels opens in Didsbury!

What a great afternoon this was! Fiona opened Urban Angels late 2008 on School Lane in Didsbury village but was so busy for the first few months that she only got round to the official launch party a couple of weeks ago!


Friends of the salon descended for the afternoon and were given complete catwalk hair makeovers to ready them the really genius part of the day - a walking fashion show through the streets of Didsbury village!




Fiona and senior stylist Lisa, went to work on the models and created some AMAZING styles. I then borrowed each model and gave them their own mini fashion shoot on the streets around the salon. We finished at the salon with a seriously mean and moody shot of everyone fully glammed up and ready to go!








The walk through Didsbury was hilarious! The models were all seriously enthusiastic, stopping people in the street to tell them about the launch, running into the bars and restaurants handing out flyers and spreading the Urban Angels message!





It's a great salon, and Lisa and Fiona are so creative and talented - I've been in twice since I did the shoot, but they very kindly toned down my haircut!

Urban Angels is all about supplying a high end experience but at affordable prices. These guys are half the price of your Toni and Guys but easily as good. The salon has got a really cool, boutiquey vibe and decor (very similar in design to many top end salons) and Fiona and Lisa are so welcoming and friendly.

From experience, paying a lot of money for something doesn't always mean you get the best end product. Going into a really top end salon can feel quite intimidating, but at Urban Angels you feel welcome and relaxed the minute you walk in the door.

And Fiona and Lisa are AMAZING at hair!

Make sure you click through to their website and see what they're offering!

Manchester commission

Another one from a couple of weeks back now.

After staying at our house for a 'girly night in' with my wife Emma (plus me!), our lovely friend Emily had spotted a framed print hung on my office wall of some of Paris's most recognisable architecture that I shot whilst on a weekend break with Emma a couple of years ago.


Emily decided that her flat in the uber trendy Northern Quarter in Manchester needed something to finish it off and so commissioned me to shoot the 'real' Manchester. No new building, no Beetham Tower, no Urbis, no Printworks, no Old Trafford (even though I tried to convince her otherwise!) but a series of really gritty, genuine shots of our fine city.

So I waited for a suitably overcast day (I didn't have to wait long!) so that there was a nice moody sky to shoot against and spent the day walking the streets and looking for something different.













Emily's just chosen the prints she wants and has ended up choosing THREE frames as she liked them so much.

These are the layouts she went for.






Once I get the frames done and hung in Emily's flat, I'll get some shots of them in situ as I know they're going to look so good that I'll need to share them with you!

SWPP - Bronze monthly prizes!

As a member of the Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers, entering their monthly image competition is something that is helping me to focus on producing consistently excellent and original work.

When I shoot weddings, I always strive to do something different for each new couple. I can't think of anything worse than having a catalogue of the same shots that I do at every single wedding. Where's the originality and excitement in that?

This month, I entered a handful of shots and am delighted that they've each been awarded 'bronze'.

This portrait is AJ - she was part of the lovely Ferguson family who I shot at the end of last year up in Scotland. Although the majority of the shots were of the entire family, AJ asked if I'd do her a couple of individual shots she could use for work. Of course I was more than happy to do that and ended up with a really cool, contemporary portrait to enter into the awards! This was entered into the 'Traditional Portrait' category.


This is my entry in the 'Wedding Photojournalism' category for April. This is a reportage shot from Zoe and Ged's wedding in November last year. They'd just stepped onto the altar for their final blessing and I really liked the composure of this shot from where I was stood - hidden away behind a pillar in the church!


This is the absolutely lovely Hannah and Kev who got married in Sheffield last year. This was entered in the 'Contemporary Wedding' category. Their venue, Kenwood Hall, was really impressive with beautiful grounds. After the ceremony we just went for a little wander around the gardens and ended up in front of the house where we got this great shot!


I'll be entering work into the monthly competition every month and will be keeping you updated with how I get on!

Charlotte & Pete's pre-wedding shoot

Congratulations Charlotte & Pete!

Although Charlotte & Pete got married a couple of weeks ago, I thought I'd show you a selection of images from the pre-wedding shoot before you get to see anything from the big day!

We headed into Castlefield in Manchester city centre to with a view to shooting some cool, urban imagery. I was REALLY pleased with the results as were Charlotte and Pete.




It's quite daunting for a couple to be stood in front of the lens for the first time, which is the main reason that all my weddings are preceded by this shoot. It gives the couple a chance to experience what being photographed feels like and it gives me the opportunity to see how they react to certain situations, how relaxed they are and if they're not relaxed, work on the best ways to try and put them at ease.



As it happens, Charlotte and Pete were complete naturals from the word go, enjoyed their experience and so looked forward to the photography part of their wedding day.








As far as possible, I try and shoot couples as naturally as possible, giving them as little direction as possible - usually it's as simple as me saying "right, just wander off over there!"




As you can see, Charlotte and Pete looked great on the shots from the pre-wed shoot - just wait until you see the wedding coverage! We got some great stuff and I'll be posting some of the highlights over the next few weeks!

Flower Design Supper Club - March 2009

So here's the first post with pictures!

I'm winding the clock back a few weeks as I have so much to write about on the blog from recent months that it would be a shame not to fill you all in on what's been happening.

So my favourite florists in the world, the amazing Flower Design in St Annes, hosted one of their world famous Supper Clubs at the fabulous Number One South Beach boutique hotel.

The evening was based on a wedding breakfast, with all guests asked to come dressed as they would attend a wedding. So cue glam dresses, hats, fascinators and bags - these ladies weren't holding back!



Guests were treated to a champagne reception on arrival before being shown into the dining room to enjoy a five course wedding breakfast prepared by head chef and owner of Number One, Mark Smith. I was lucky enough to get a place on one of the tables and let me tell you, the food was amazing!



Throughout the evening guests were kept entertained by Howard Wing, a superb wedding and corporate events singer who ensured feet were tapping (more like feet were stood on the chairs!) all night long.


In between courses, Jane Thompson, the infectiously enthusiastic and incredibly talented owner of Flower Design demonstrated buttonholes, bridesmaid and bridal bouquets as well as hugely impressive pedestal displays. She really is an unbelieveable talent and so inspirational with the way she runs her business - make sure you click through to her blog, it's updated daily and gives you the chance to see some of the amazing weddings and events that Flower Design work at.








The climax of both evenings was revealing the 'bride, groom and bridesmaid' for the evening. At the start of the night, Ella from Pure Beauty in Lytham, Ben from Rowley's catering and Christy from Lytham Hall were introduced as the 'bridal party' and while everyone was enjoying their meal, they were backstage, being made over by Jane from Pure Beauty, Sol from Sol Hair and Beauty and dressed by the lovely Gill and Georgina from Dream Catcher Bridal on the first night and then by Stephanie at Dan Kerr Brides on the second night.



The big reveal was a great moment on both nights, with guests being supplied with petal confetti by Flower Design to greet them into the room!


So that brings us to me! As you can see, I covered the event as their official 'wedding photographer' for both evenings and had a great time along with it!

At the end of the evening, Claire and Mark Smith (the owners of Number One) were kind enough to let me borrow some of their AMAZING boutique rooms to shoot Ella in more of a bridal fashion situation. Ella claims not to have done any modelling before, but I don't believe her! She was far more professional and natural than some models I've worked with!









Keep an eye on the blog for updates in the coming weeks, as I'm currently organising a a bridal fashion shoot along with Flower Design, Dream Catcher and Lytham Hall and the gorgeous Ella will be modelling for us again - it will be well worth a look!