Janet Finlayson Photography

A Wedding at Rufflets, St Andrews

2011-08-17T11:37:00.001-07:00

I recently photographed a lovely wedding at Rufflets Hotel in St Andrews. The bride and groom, Heather and Peter, were just wonderful to work with and we spent time beforehand discussing the photographs that were most important to them along with the timescales so that I knew how to plan their photography. It all went without a hitch and even the weather stayed fair for us!

Peter and Heather stayed in separate lodges in the grounds of Rufflets on the eve of their wedding so I arrived early in the day to photograph them getting ready and with their respective families. I always think it’s so important to capture all the small details on the day too as after wards it’s the photographs that preserve the memories. Aren’t her shoes just great!

Once they were ready I took some individual photos of them making sure neither could see the other and then photographed them with their families. Sometimes I think I have the best job in the world, photographing people in their finest and happy and excited to be part of a wedding.

I left Rufflets and journeyed down to Holy Trinity Church in St Andrews, in time to photograph Peter and his groomsmen and Heather’s arrival. Holy Trinity is a truly beautiful church set in lovely grounds so it is a joy to photograph there too.

After the ceremony was over Peter, Heather and I went back inside to take a few more photos. My favourite is this one of Heather, the ambient light was just perfect. After photographing the happy couple with friends and family we headed off to the West Sands which is such a popular location for wedding photography in St Andrews and no wonder – it’s a beautiful beach and I walk it almost everyday with my dog!

We left there in plenty of time (good planning you see) to get back for a drinks reception and I photographed Heather and Pete and all their guests in the formal gardens of Rufflets, then shot some more photos with them and friends and family. The gardens are so extensive and beautiful there, I am really spoiled for choice but at every wedding I try to move around to lend more interest by changing the backdrop.

Once the guest had all been called in to be seated for the wedding breakfast I had the opportunity to get some more lovely couple shots around the gardens.

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We headed up to the reception and I photographed the speeches. I always think that photos of the speeches make such wonderful candid shots – very natural - and they always compliment the more formal photos in an album perfectly.

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I guess the great advantage of photographing a wedding in St Andrews, for me, is that I can leave at the wedding breakfast and head home for a bite to eat before coming back to photograph the first three dances. It’s usually such a hectic schedule that there is never any time to grab a drink or a light bite to eat so I'm always in need of a drink especially by the evening. Heather and Peter’s first dance was beautifully choreographed and executed, they had obviously spent a lot of time practising but it paid off as their guest were enthralled.

After the first two dances the ceilidh began and what fun the guests had trying to follow all the steps, they had a ball………..

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Next week I’ll let you see a wedding at Fingask Castle, by Dundee and not too far from St Andrews.

Testing Blog

2011-08-17T09:56:00.001-07:00

Some Portraits

2011-07-25T03:12:00.001-07:00

There are so many students attending St Andrews University that stay far afield and who know it is unlikely they will return to the town. I was contacted recently by Simone who lives in Brazil, the fiancee of Vicente, a student in his final year at St Andrews University. She planned to visit St Andrews and return to Brazil with Vicente. They had recently got engaged and wanted engagement photos in various locations around the town. There was little room for flexibility regarding their availability to be photographed but thankfully the weather remained clement.

We had such an enjoyable evening and I took photos of them on the pier, the elephant rock and along the West Sands. They were leaving the very next day so I had to work on their photos immediately as they wanted to collect them the next day before their departure to the airport. One of the great things about being a photographer is that I always get instant feedback on the work I produce and I’m very glad to say that Simone and Vicente were delighted with their images.

Erin, who is studying makeup artistry (for TV and film) contacted me recently to photograph some of her work for a portfolio. She was looking to go to LA to further her studies – I believe she is in fact now there. She had designed a mermaid outfit but wanted more authentic shots on a beach rather than studio portraits. We went down to the East Sands and photographed Alison, her model on the rocks there. The skirt was so tight it was very difficult for Alison to manoeuvre in but she was an absolute star and with the help of Erin and myself she managed even to lie down on the rocks for photos. The day was anything but warm and she was so uncomfortable and cold but her efforts paid off.

Erin also asked me if I would photograph other work for her and I took along portable studio lighting to her home, where she concentrated on making up the models face. I felt the look was dramatic but with a slight geisha girl tendency so I lit the model to emphasise her face and de-saturated the image in Photoshop. Next week, I’ll show you some images from a wedding I photographed at the weekend, here in St Andrews at All Saints Church and Rufflets Hotel.

West Coast Wedding

2011-07-18T07:15:00.001-07:00

Although the bulk of weddings I photograph nowadays take place in or around St Andrews, I was recently commissioned to photograph a wedding in Plockton. If you’ve never been there it is most definitely worth a visit.

Kirsty (our bride) used to live there and met Brad (her husband) near there although they now live in Tasmania and many guests travelled all that way to be with them both on their special day. They too were delighted with Plockton – what’s not to like? They got married outside, in the gardens of Duirnish Lodge overlooking the most spectacular views of Skye. The weather was warm and sunny all day, so everyone was very relaxed and happy to be outside in such marvellous surroundings.. After the wedding breakfast Kirsty, Brad and their guests left the lodge and headed back to Plockton where they were piped from the centre of the village to the Village Hall for their evening reception and ceilidh. A truly Scottish Wedding – but with a Tasmanian twist!

Next week I’ll show you some portraits I’ve been working on.

Graduations

2011-07-06T05:06:00.001-07:00

It was graduation time again at St Andrews University and I had a busy week photographing students and their families. Apart from Tuesday the weather was fair so many photographs were taken at all the favourite venues, the most popular this year being the Cathedral and the pier. Have a look at some of the pics………

I also took Grad photos of a young couple who are coming back to St Andrews to get married, so after taking their graduation photos, we used the opportunity to have a practice session for their up and coming wedding. We visited the castle where there will be a drinks reception after their ceremony – weather permitting.

My next blog, I’ll show you some wedding images from a very beautiful part of Scotland – Plockton. Until then…………..

Another Test

2011-06-20T06:12:00.001-07:00

Testing

A Test Post

2011-06-20T05:30:00.001-07:00

Just testing new software

A Royal Visit to St Andrews

2011-02-25T06:48:00.000-08:00

I have just returned from the town centre today where His Royal Highness, Prince William and his fiancee Kate Middleton were honoured guests at the 600th celebrations of St Andrews University.

The street was busy, many students, as you would expect were present, along with citizens of the town and also many visitors from further afield. Some of the luckier students were able to attend the actual ceremony in St Salvator's Quad while the remainder of them and the rest of us lined the streets. Some students had a really good vantage point from their apartment windows.

Their was a very jolly mood, and you should have heard the crowd roar when Prince William said, in his speech, that St Andrews University was the best university in the world!

There was - as one would expect - a very high police presence there. Whilst they were all very helpful and cheerful, there was no escaping the level of security at such an event and there were police dogs - probably trained in the art of sniffing for explosives - and surveillance on St Salvators rooftop.

It wasn't difficult to determine when Prince William and Kate were ready to begin their walkabout - there was such a cheer from the crowd the minute they appeared.

Prince William walked along in front chatting to all and Kate followed behind. I didn't think that I would be able to get a good vantage point but people are so incredibly kind and I found myself in a fantastic position not only to photograph the lovely couple but to meet them!

I have to say, I was very impressed with Prince William. I was standing next to an elderly lady in a wheelchair and he was so very considerate of her. The way he bent right down over the rail to speak with her was so very kind. It can't be easy shaking hands and finding the words to say to so many strangers all the time but they were both simply marvellous. I do think though that they may have suspected I was "paparazzi" on seeing my cameras when in fact I was just an ordinary citizen of the town who truly enjoyed seeing them both. No - wedding and portrait photography suits me just fine, I couldn't work in that cut throat world!

I wish them all the very best for their wedding and a long a happy life together!

2011-02-15T02:33:00.000-08:00

I just thought, since I didn't blog much last year, I'd show you some of the weddings and portraits I worked on last year, in particular, weddings in St Andrews, since I don't have any St Andrews images on my website yet.

St Andrews is such a popular place to get married particularly with St Andrews University students who meet here during their studies and come back to get married in St Salvator's Church.

In fact, St Andrews University has the highest percentage UK wide of students who meet at uni and get married. Prince William and Kate Middleton are just one - very famous - example however the town of St Andrews isn't that large so I guess it makes sense - who else are students going to meet?

It's not only students who come to St Andrews to get married, many people have a great affinity with the town. Some holidayed here when they were little and others simply wish to get married here because of St Andrews' great history with golf.

It also helps that there are so many lovely venues to hold a reception here. There's the Old Course Hotel; The Fairmont Hotel; St Andrews University Lower and Upper College Halls; The Golf Hotel; The Scores Hotel and Rufflets - to name just a few!

There are also wonderful locations from which to choose for wedding photography, including the castle; the cathedral; the harbour; the pier; the Swilken Bridge and the beach. No wonder St Andrews is such a popular wedding destination.

Anyhow, here is a wedding I covered last July which took place in St Salvator's Church and the Old Course Hotel.

More next time............

A Winter Wedding

2011-01-18T03:19:00.001-08:00

I photographed a lovely wedding just before Christmas. The ceremony took place at Boarhills Church, just outside St Andrews.

It was very cold, we already had snow and the ground was white but it was a clear day and we managed to get some lovely photos of the groom - Neil - and his family outside, although the light was failing as the wedding ceremony began slightly later than normal at 4 p.m. The biggest problem I had was actually the low temperature as my lens started to freeze over!

By the time the bride, Jenny, arrived, it had started to snow quite heavily - as you can see from this image of Jenny in the car.

Boarhills Church is not large and the ceremony was very intimate. Since it was dark outside we did a fair amount of photography in the church .

As we left, I could see how pretty the church looked lit up from the outside so I took the opportunity to take a final photo of Jenny and Neil with the church in the background.

The wedding breakfast was held at the Peat Inn, thankfully not too far from St Andrews, as the roads were pretty bad and driving was difficult. I took along my studio lighting equipment for a few more pictures there. I particularly like this one of Jenny, she was a great model!

My last photos of Neil and Jenny's wedding day were of the speeches. Then it was off home for a quick change, then to the Golf Hotel in St Andrews for a Christmas night out with friends.

And finally, I thought I'd show you our new addition to the household - a puppy for Christmas. Meet Belle (well she is beautiful and her name has a Christmas "ring" to it!) our golden retriever puppy.

2010-04-26T06:50:00.000-07:00

Well - once again I have been very remiss in blogging!

To be honest I am still busy organising the St James Church centennial photographic exhibition. For every photo given me, I have had to photograph the image, develop it through and in many cases restore the image where there have been creases or tears. This is very time consuming work, but I do enjoy it and it really does make a difference as you can see below.

BEFORE

AFTER

At the bottom of every image I have also included text so that there is some information pertaining to each photograph such as date, where, who etc. Most of the work is complete now and I am just waiting on some images of the history of St Andrews town from the St Andrews Preservation Trust and St Andrews University. The exhibition should be open for the middle of June and is free so if you are around, do try to come in and see it, it should be very interesting.

It is of course now also the wedding season and I have had quite a few weddings in April - but more of that next week........

I was also out last week photographing the Kate Kennedy Procession in St Andrews. The procession is organised by the Kate Kennedy Club, a group of St Andrews University Students, to commemorate the annual spring visit to St Andrews of Lady Kate Kennedy, the beautiful niece of Bishop Kennedy.Lady Kate is always played by a first year male student but many other students play famous citizens of the town such as Tom Morris and also previous University Rectors, scholars and even poets and monarchy. It is very colourful and the students play their part wonderfully well. I particularly liked the portrayal of John Cleese, it was very amusing to watch this particular student's antics, carrying out all manner of funny walks!

That's all for now folks!

A Busy Weekend

2010-01-25T04:41:00.001-08:00

I am so looking forward to this weekend. On Friday, I have a model shoot - I really love this type of work – and then on Saturday, I have environmental portrait photography to undertake in and around St Andrews. I get the day off on Sunday from actually photographing but will be busy developing and working on all my images so they are ready to view on my client gallery. On Monday I will be photographing a wedding at the Golf Hotel in St Andrews , and once again – I am really looking forward to this. Jayne and Curt are coming all the way from San Francisco to get married in St Andrews. After the ceremony we will have a little tour of the town, weather permitting, so that Curt and Jayne can have lots of wonderful wedding images and memories to take back home with them to show all their friends and family who can’t be with them on the day. Meantime,

I am just about to start work on a wedding album for Sara and Steven, who were married at Glencorse House. If you haven’t been there, it is a beautiful setting for a wedding, with a stunning old chapel and fantastic grounds around the house including a lake affording views right across the Pentlands.

At the same time I am also heavily involved in planning a photographic exhibition to celebrate the centennial of St James Church, The Scores, St Andrews. Our plan is to have not only images depicting the church and it’s parishioners over the last 100 years, but also images of happenings in and around St Andrews and the world at large. Since I haven’t been in St Andrews that long, it will be a marvellous education for me. I have already started trawling through the St Andrews University photographic collection and have found lots of interesting images. Did you know that Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye and Bob Hope were all here in the 1950s? Take care and we’ll speak next week!

Enough Now

2010-01-11T06:22:00.001-08:00

I think we’ve all had quite enough of the snow now regardless of how much we’ve had. Last week we went away to Speyside for a few days to a fantastic hotel overlooking the River Spey. It really was quite beautiful, very different to St Andrews, but just a s spectacular since there was just so much snow. It was absolutely picture perfect. The trees were just laden down with snow. This image was taken out of the a car window while we were travelling so it’s a bit fuzzy but I think you’ll get the gist.

It was also very cold and the Spey river even though it is a fast flowing river had frozen over in bits.

Although our trip was last minute I had the camera

with me as even when I’m not photographing weddings photography is still a recreational pastime for me and I took lots of photos whilst walking around.

However it’s back to business now.

There are still a copule of album orders to come in from last years weddings but this is the time of year that I always update my album samples. I have stunning new wedding albums on offer from Australia – absolutely total quality – making your album something to cherish for a lifetime . However I need to choose some wedding images from this year to place in them. One of the weddings I will probably use, is from Claire and Iain’s wedding at Colinton Church and then the George Hotel. For their wedding timescales were very tight on the day, so I arranged a pre-shoot with Claire to ensure that we got lots of wonderful images of her. This is something I often offer to clients when timescales are tight and photography is desired throughout the day from getting ready to the first dance. Claire came up to St Andrews and we photographed her in her wedding dress. It was a win/win situation for us both, giving me lots of time to photograph the bride in different lighting situations and giving Claire the opportunity to wear her beautiful wedding dress more than once!

Keep this in mind ladies when choosing me as your wedding photographer! Until next week!

Happy New Year

2010-01-06T05:40:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year to you all!

I hope you had a wonderful time and the adverse weather conditions didn’t affect all your festivities.

Even though St Andrews is on the coast we had snow, in fact the first day we had it, I went toddling off to the beach and the Old Course to get some photos for Christmas cards next year. It’s the first time I have seen the West Sands covered in snow, it was just so pretty.

I spent ages just walking along the beach admiring the scenery and since most of the students had gone home for Christmas I pretty much had the beach to myself.

Golf play had obviously been cancelled due to adverse weather conditions so I took the opportunity to photograph some winter scenes of the Old Course and the Swilken Bridge.

I do like photographing landscapes for fun but my passion will always be wedding photography and photographing people.

We tried to leave on Christmas Eve to visit our son and his family in Durham for Christmas but the roads were so treacherous we had to return to St Andrews. We did manage down on Christmas Day so all was well. What a stuff children get for Christmas! My two grandchildren had so much fun though it was just wonderful watching them at play. Lewis is eight and Neve is three so Christmas was an absolute pleasure for them and us. Santa brought them an X Factor studio so we listened to non stop music – created by Lewis – and songs – mostly from Neve for three whole days!!!!!!!!!!

However my favourite pic of the holiday season was one I took of Neve. She had just woken up and come downstairs. The winter sunshine was filtering in through the living room window. I had my camera at hand and I just happened to see how beautiful the light was. I had a split second to calculate exposure and focus and just managed to capture her before she moved away. I’m very happy with this one. Until next blog!!

2009-11-23T07:15:00.000-08:00

I have to say, I have been very remiss in blogging and will have to do better in future.

In my defence though- I have been very busy with Christmas orders and the need to have everything organised before my lab’s cut-off date at the beginning of December.

Last week I managed to complete three album orders and two portrait orders - talk about burning the midnight oil!!!

One of the portrait sessions was taken at the Old Course Hotel, St Andrews. It was a birthday celebration and as such all the family were there, making it an excellent opportunity to have some professional family photos taken. It is often the case now, that it is such a rare occasion for everyone to get together, we all lead such busy lives and we don’t always live near each other which makes it even more difficult to organise a get together.

Photographs are just great tools though for capturing a moment in time. As soon as we look at a picture we remember that day, all the little details can stay with us forever because we have something tangible to look at and hold onto.

The wedding photos you see below (one of my completed album projects last week) were taken at Keavil House Hotel near Dunfermline. It was such a perfect day for Claire and Colin's wedding, the sun shone all day long, which makes a change in Scotland. Usually on the day of photographing a wedding the first thing I do is check the internet for local weather so that I know what equipment I shall need that day - however even then it can change so quickly.

On top of all my Christmas order work last week, I also met with clients who wanted to book me for their wedding at Dunfermline Abbey next July, and I am really looking forward to that as it’s such a fantastic setting for a wedding ceremony. And just to finish off the week and save me from wearying - I was commissioned to take photographs of two doting grandparents (this being a gift from their daughter for Christmas) along with their two grandchildren in Anstruther. So - I’m sure you will agree - I really have been busy. Next week, well, it’s pretty much more of the same, but I promise to blog!

2009-11-04T02:11:00.000-08:00

Well - at last my new website is up and running and I am ready to blog!

It seems to have taken such a lot of time to get all the images I wanted ready to place on my website but with all the weddings I have photographed this year and the constant stream of orders they bring - which always take priority - things really did take longer than I had anticipated.

This week and last I have been concentrating on a couple of photography commissions at the Old Course Hotel, St Andrews. Unfortunately folks - I don't yet have permissions to place images from the photography sessions on my blog - so no images from that yet! I can tell you that one was a family portrait session and the other, a private function. The good thing is that you know that if anonimity is important to you I will never breach your wishes in favour of a little advertising. It really is all about you!

I really enjoyed photographing both sessions- who wouldn't enjoy photographing at the Old Course Hotel though - the opportunities for photography are endless! Oh happy days..................

I have also been working on an wedding album from a wedding at Balbirnie House Hotel, Markinch, Glenrothes - these photos I can place on my blog.

For Corrinne and Scott - photographs of family were very important to them. Scott's mum lives in France and since the family can't get together as often as they would want, their wedding was a great opportuntiy to get family pics. Corrinne is very close to her family and so family photos were also just as importants to her.

Even though the weather was mixed on the day, Corrinne and Scott were delighted with their wedding photographs and I am pleased to say, struggled to narrow down the images for their album. For me - as I told them- I'd far rather they had too many to choose from than too little.

Scott's most important photo - after family was with the boys -

- for Corrine, just a mixture of posed, natural, happy and romantic!

That's all for now folks - next week - well you'll just have to wait and see!

Blog Coming Soon!

2009-09-15T14:55:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the development site, blogging will commence soon!