Some Portraits

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

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

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…………..