I spent all day yesterday catching up with DVD slideshows. I’ve been experimenting with a new format which would allow to produce slideshow to be played on TV but also to generate web videos for blogs and Facebook, and IPod/IPhone versions.

All outstanding DVDs are now ready and on the way to you. Here is an example of Nicola and Geoff’s story of their wedding at Kirkley Hall in Ponteland:

After the ceremony Emma and Johny and their guests left for Dunston Hall where they held their wedding reception.

Dunston Hall:

Emma and Johny:

At the drinks reception on the lawn outside the marquee:

The wedding breakfast decorations were Maldive-themed:

Emma’s gorgeous bouquet:

The speeches contained the usual dose of embarassing facts for the groom. Johny receiving pampers:

The young ringbearer also had a chance to give a speech:

The Hat - everyone wanted to try it on:

After dinner Emma and Johny had another session outside in the dark:

Guests were entertained by casino:

Parents surprised the newly-weds with an ice sculpture:

A parting shot of Emma with her mum who gave a lot of time and energy planning the whole thing that was such a success:

A truly wonderful experience!

Emma and Johny were married at the historic Wymondham Abbey near Norwich.

Here are some images from this lovely wedding. Since it was a 10 hr coverage I’ll split this photostory into two parts.

Emma’s shoes

and garter

Getting ready:

Dress detail:

Wymondham Abbey:

Boys and Johny arriving to the abbey:

Guests arriving to the ceremony:

Emma, her dad and her bridal party:

John went upstairs to the gallery and photographed the procession from above:

while I stayed at the back:

Signing the register:

Confetti:

I love the play of light and shadows on Emma’s dress and veil:

When it came the time to leave the abbey some guests left in comfort in their air-conditioned and cusioned vehicles:

Nicola and Geoff got married at the 17th century Kirkley Hall in Ponteland near Newcastle upon Tyne.

First I dropped by Nicola’s mum and dad to photograph her bridal preparations.

Shoes and wedding rings:

Nicola’s bouquet was already delivered:

Pageboys getting ready downstairs:

Nicola applying her make-up:

At Kirkley Hall I was greeted by Geoff and the boys:

A view of Kirkley Hall:

Guests congregating before the ceremony:

Flowergirl:

Nicola arriving with her dad:

Ceremony:

Nicola got emotional - what started as giggles turned into tears:

At the drinks reception:

Big group shot outside:

that drew guests back onto the patio:

Geoff and Niola went for a little walk on the grounds for their private session before the wedding breakfast:

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These two are so much in love!

After photographing speeches we had a snack and braced ourselves for a seven hour drive to Norfolk and Emma and Johny’s wedding next day.

Finished designing a 12″x8″ magazine-style album for Simon and Louise this morning. I used vintage overlays in some of the layouts to accent the texture and colour of church wooden benches and the timber styling of the couple’s wedding breakfast venue. The rest of the pages feature plain white background to contrast.

Here are some of spreads:

Elaine and Andrea had their civil partnership ceremony and reception at Grey Street Hotel, a highly rated boutique style hotel in the heart of Newcastle upon Tyne. Its inner decor is minimalist, however it’s a Grade II listed building and retains its Victorian bank facade:

Both girls were getting ready at the hotel. Andrea was the first one to visit.

Andrea’s ring and bracelet:

It was a day of protests of Newcastle United fans:

The dress:

Andrea and her mum:

When I turned up at Elaine’s room the flowers were being delivered:

Bridesmaid’s bouquet and some buttonholes:

Elaine’s dress:

Ready:

Ceremony was very emotional:

Girls drinking champaigne in the Cellar bar after the ceremony:

Receiving line caught by John through the staircase window:

Girls outside Grey Hill Hotel:

The wedding party cheered by tourists on the bus:

After wedding breakfast we went for a walkabout in the city centre. Outside a wedding dress boutique:

At the bottom of Grey Street:

Andrea at the Black Gate:

Together:

On the way back to the hotel:

Separated by pedestrian lights:

We received this email yesterday afternoon:

“Hi Galina

We have just received our wedding album and are thrilled to bits! You have captured the magic of our day and the magazine style album is better than we ever imagined!! Thank you so much for your support and commitment in making our wedding photos so special.

Love Sharon and Kim x”

You are welcome!!!

G

As promised, posting photos of Sarah taken as her dress was trashed by paint during yesterday’s Richard and Judy show on cable and Sky+:

I talked with Sarah on the phone this morning and she told me that the trashed dresswent stiff from paint but looks stunning. It is hanging right now to dry and then it will be framed and displayed on a tall wall next the staircase.

Ok, the wait is nearly over. The pilot of the trash the dress segment with Yvonne for Richard and Judy’s chatshow, called New Position, that we filmed a couple of weeks ago was succesful and I was invited back to the Cactus TV studio in London to do it again for the second programme in the series. It goes on air TONIGHT, 8 October 2008, at 8pm on Watch channel and can be viewed by cable and Sky TV customers.

Over the last year Trash the Dress has become a big trend in wedding photography and more and more brides decide to go through this liberating experience rather than having their dresses hang for years at the back of their wardrobes.

The idea of trashing a wedding dress with paint belongs to Yvonne, my bride from 2006, who is a jewellery designer and a painter. She was invited to be filmed in a pilot programme a couple of weeks ago and the Cactus Tv crew created a stunning Jackson Pollock effect with using various techniques to carefully apply the paint:

Unfortunately, that pilot did not go into production and the item had to be filmed again for the version that appeared on tv in the end.

This time the crew’s approach was more radical - it was decided that buckets of paint should be just thrown at a wedding dress in rapid succession to really trash it. The brave girl who has agreed to undergo this experience is Sarah Baldock, our bride in July 2008. She is doing it with a full consent of her husband Rob who was with us in the studio. I am again an official photographer to capture the event while it was being recorded for Richard and Judy’s show. Of course, although Sarah’s dress cannot be worn again it can be framed alongside with a series of photos to become a real conversation piece.

The main guests of the show were an American actor Josh Hartnett who you know from the films Pearl Harbor, Black Hawk Down, 40 Days and 40 Nights etc., and an American singer Michael Bolton.

We’ll appear at the very end of the show (I think) - I’ll post the images after the show ends.

Jo and Kalum are getting married next year at Jesmond Dene House Hotel in Newcastle.

We had already cancelled one pre-wedding shoot date previously due to adverse weather, and that afternoon also looked quite overcast. Nevertheless, the BBC weather website promised sunshine from 4pm onwards so we braved the Newcastle city centre for an afternoon session.

Jo:

True enough, the sun came out after 4pm casting beautiful sharp shadows.

Kalum:

Playing with traffic cones:

and sun flare:

Finishing the shoot near Grey Street Hotel - blue sky included as requested: