Hellaby Hall Wedding Maltby South Yorkshire

Just a little blog about a lovely wedding I photographed at Hellaby Hall Maltby.
The wedding started with bridal prep photographs at the brides mothers house. A fun hour with all bridesmaids getting ready too and making sure the bride Georgina looked stunning, which she did.

Then a little trip across to Finningley to meet the groom and his best man. This was a Military wedding so the groom (Karl)  was in his formal army uniform. His uniform was very smart too.
I do like Finningley church, Rev David is a comical but professional Vicar. He has the wedding party relaxed and laughing at some points. Usually at my expense but its good to form a bond with places you work.

The reception was at Hellaby Hall. A lovely venue on the outskirts of Maltby. Luckily the weather was nice so we managed to get everything done before the wedding breakfast. Even some romantic time for the newly married couple.
Later after dinner we had some time spare so I took my lighting set up to a spot that was just perfect to capture some special moments. Using powerful flash outdoors adds a little drama to the image. As you will see in the sample. Its just one of the things I like to do where possible and time permitting.

Thanks for reading.

Lee
www.leearcherphotography.co.uk

A South Yorkshire Wedding

Hi guys just a quick update on a wedding last month. It was a lovely day in South Yorkshire at a venue called The Grove, South Kirkby. The rain managed to stay long enough to get the photographs completed. Typical British summer meant the rain was a threat all day. But we managed just fine.

Sara & Dave both looked great and they were a pleasure to work with. A much appreciated meal was provided before we prepared for the evening celebrations. Here is a sample of there day. As those of you who know me know, I don't show off full weddings. I feel its personal to the couple. But do like to show a few highlights.

I have more shoots to blog about so pop back soon for more news.
thankyou
Lee

Wedding Photography Doncaster

Clumber Park Pre-wedding shoot

Hi, just a quick update, we managed to make the most of the nice weather last week with a pre-wedding photoshoot at Clumber Park, Worksop.

The sun was really bright, but that just helped to capture some special images with the sun behind the loving couple. These photoshoots don't take too long, so I didn't take along anything too fancy,
But some extra flash to fill in the shadows was the trick on the day.
Here is a little preview of that shoot.

Pre-wedding photoshoots are free with most Wedding Photography packages.

Wedding Photography Doncaster

Hi, just a quick update on my Wedding Photography. I have some last minute spaces in June and July. August is fully booked and September is also very busy.
Not alot of people realise you can have discount for Monday to Thursday weddings. I also offer some custom deals for register office weddings.

If you need a photographer but are unsure I can help just ask. Email or call me.
Last week I was at Lincoln for a church wedding, followed by reception at Charlotte House just near the Lincoln Castle. We went for our group photographs at the castle, then onto the Cathedral for a few more. Luckily we had a golf buggy provided by the hotel. It was like having a tourist view of Lincoln. Its a lovely City though.

This week il be at Finningley Church near bawtry., Hoping we have nice weather. Its one of the best churches with a very happy vicar who has everyone laughing.
Then a busy weekend of pre wedding photoshoots and studio shoots. So please email if I can help.

thanks
Lee

A little update, good news

Hello everyone.
I thought id share a few things that made me smile this last week or so. If you haven't been on my facebook page you'll not know.
Firstly an image i worked on for Claire fagans Nailz has won National Nail art photographic competition, first place. This was judged up in Scotland. It was also a print submission entry so 2 A4 prints were sent up. I love these projects as we get to really test what we can create.

The theme was Winter/spring. So for the winter we decided to go with what Britain does best, and Rain/lightning. Lizzie is our model.  And although here in Doncaster the weather is always dull, we had to create our own weather. So with step ladders, smoke bombs, lighting, power packs and water we headed to the garden. Here is the image we ended up with.

 

This was a simple 2 light set up, but the ratios and timing was key.

The Spring shot was done using natural light, really shallow depth of field and a warm reflector to add some glow. The idea was spring flowers, this came 3rd in another category.

Here is the image.

You wouldn't think it was a cold day, but it was dull either.

Now onto a recent shoot that I did just for fun really. I worked with my regular model Sam, and had the hair done by Passion in Hair from Harworth. Emma did a great job working with this concept to make my model look shocked from electricity. It was an idea i had been thinking of so we did it one sunday afternoon. It was a 3 light set up, with some things tweaked in photoshop using layers etc.

Here is the final electric shock image.

 No models were electrocuted  in this shoot lol.

If you would like your own custom shoot, extra photoshop etc, get in touch.

Thanks 

Lee

 

One of my articles for the Nabba Magazine

Here is an article I wrote for the nabba health and fitness magazine.
The photos to go with this are in the mag.

Brutal Legs with Gary & Martin

By lee @photo-flex

On this day I met Martin Holdroyd & Gary Noakes at Listers Universal Gym Harworth, Doncaster.to do a small piece on how they train legs. Big thanks to Gary Lister and Becky Williamson for letting us shoot there. 

Now there not training partners, but its not uncommon for competitors to train together for extra motivation. As Masters over 50’s athletes there not shy when it comes to hardcore training. Both are known for balls to the wall levels of training that shows when they step on stage.

We all know that any physique just isn’t complete without a huge set of wheels. A little like a Bentley with 13” rims. It just doesn’t work.

Martin & Gary are top level athletes who have both stepped on the Nabba Universe stage. To even get this far is really something. It was to be a pleasure and eye opener to watch them train. I won’t go into lots of detail about sets and reps, but give a brief account of what happened that day. This was a while ago too.

Although up against each other on stage, the sporting friendship was evident from the first set. I know both to be true gents anyway. So that was no surprise.

To start this session they went to the squat rack. Listers Gym has it all so it was a great place to shoot this. The routine for these guys would change regular, hence not going into too much detail. But the reps were very strict, no half reps, no messing, just ass to the grass squats (Gary’s phrase).

Nothing was held back, it wasn’t long before they were sweating buckets.  Once warmed up they went onto the beast of a leg press machine. Not for the faint hearted the plates went on., and on.

This was to be brutal, rest pause, forced reps, whatever it took to fail. No wonder they have quads like they do. Most 20 year olds would struggle at this point. And these guys are are 50! .

After what seemed like a lot of sets, they moved to leg extensions. This crazy aspect included drop sets. And they looked painful. Right down to very light weight and very partial movement. Every fibre taxed. After a mix of other exercises we got back to heavier squats. I know, it’s mental but they went back to squats. I don’t think I could have squatted a bare bar, never mind the extra weight. But they still kept it very strict.

The leg session didn’t consist of lots of movements or exercises, but the key point was hitting the quads with compound movements, with some isolation thrown in. By the end I remember Gary falling to the floor. Legs totally numb. I got thumbs up and left him to come back to life. Martin was hanging onto the squat rack.

Words and photography by Lee Archer photo-flex

www.photo-flex.co.uk

Wedding photography doncaster

Thought id share this, it wasnt written by me so all credit to the author.

Please follow this link, and read how important prints are and how keeping images on your pc is good but not fool proof. (its at the bottom)
I always recommend people use dropbox or your icloud to back up images, even your phone images., Some of those will be amazing memories. But get some printed. We all look back at photos from the past, our childhood etc. Im a 70's child so prints are all i have. In the future the pcs, hard drives will fail. And its sad to lose those memories.

I offer prints with all my shoots. I use a pro lab too so there printed perfect. Even with my wedding photography I will give some prints with the packages. But i also do discounted bulk deals that really work out at good value. Why? because ive already been a big part of your day, and you paid me well for that. So the prints dont need to be expensive. So why do I charge more for prints from photoshoots I hear you say.? Well the truth is the shoot fee doesnt cover my fee. My studio time, edit time, equipment costs, insurance and print costs. So rely on sales to make that up, Im still  a very fair price though. And do not push sales. So yes its a little gamble but thats how I work.
Which is why if you see deals where you get 6 shoots for £29 expect some pressure sales to make up that fee.

Anyway without wandering off subject too much here is the link. Youll find this nice reading, its well written and by a reliable source. I actually saw this on Tom Cairns page, another great photographer from the UK.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/kathleen-trenske/the-case-against-good-enough_b_2967170.html

Lee Archer
Doncaster photographer

Buying & Using your camera for Holiday

Its very nearly holiday season, and I get asked alot what cameras to buy or whats best to take. So il give you a brief idea what to do for great holiday photography.

First decide which kind of camera you want to take.. Theres a vast choice. Compact, Bridge, Dslr, video/combo.

I personally think you would be more than ok with a compact if its a general holiday.
This little entry level compact would be ok for family, scenery etc,. bit of fun. takes sdhc cards so there nice and cheap. You would get a full holiday on 1 16gb card (3000 pics) . Plus you can buy the cards abroad anyway.

Make sure you keep the battery charged every night and maybe check ebay for a cheap replacement.

If your going somewhere more special, you want more control etc, then go for a bridge camera

these offer more optical zoom. at 14mp youll still get alot on your 16gb card, 32gb sdhc arent that expensive anyway.

If your going on safari, or a long special holiday where the beauty will be further away,, then you need to start your journey into the dslr market. These offer changeable lenses, external  light options (speedlight)
and slightly better image quality due to a larger sensor (the digital part that captures the image).
You see a 14mp phone, or small compact isnt as good as a 14mp dslr. the sensor size is much different.
The image quality from larger sensors is better, and there better in low light. As youll see below from a camera to a full frame camera like what I use is a big difference. I love my canon 5d mk3 and mk2.

So for higher quality and more tools the dslr is the best choice for that holiday of a lifetime. More so for safari where animals are far away, get a kit with a long lens (more zoom)

This is the kind of kit you would need, you can get cheaper at mpb photographic and ebay.

Click here,. canon 1100d with multi lenses

Some tips at this point, always have extra memory cards with you, one may damage or get lost. you may take loads more than expected.

Make sure you have lots of batteries. you can get extra generic of ebay. And if you get an external flash gun like the canon 270ex get plenty of rechargeable AA batteries.

It also makes sense to get a sturdy bag to keep it all in, there are some great rucksack types that are good for holidays watch for pick pockets though.

Get extra insurance for your holiday, worldwide cover. check you are coverd. Photoguard are great and cheap for the average user.

So you now have your kit, But how do you use it.? Well for the compacts the iauto isn't bad for general shots in daylight. Check your settings for darker shots and look up how to increase the iso.

For dslr outdoors even some pros use Program mode and let the camera decide. I personally like to use manual or the creative modes. for fast objects like a running cheetah use TV and set the shutter fast.

For general animals use AV and select an aperture that may blur the background. Always thinking about the ISO. (how light sensitive the sensor is )

read the manual.  Google ISO and how to use it. Or email me for more info.

They key things to remember.

Plenty of memory cards. maybe a few 4gb cards instead of 1 16gb in case you lose it. get class 6 to 10 cards. (this is how fast they write data in case you take alot of shots back to back or video)

lots of batteries always charged.

A good strong bag.

If you want to photograph fish in the water, dolphins etc, look at a polarising filter, and make sure it fits your lens. this takes the glare of the water and you see into it.

I use canon, I think there reliable and easy to use.

Yongnuo flash off ebay are a great cheap way to add flash to your dslr. and get great reviews.

Think about your shots, whats in the way, whats in the background. create a perfect shot.

Take a chance, you may think you see a good shot just go for it, you've nothing to lose and may get a master piece.

I hope this blog has helped,. feel free to email me for advice on info@leearcherphotography.co.uk

Blog by www.leearcherphotography.co.uk doncaster wedding photographer

Exciting but long week

Hi there.

Its been a very long week, but productive.

Ive been working on location photographing products for a company producing new brochures. Each day was 9 to 10 hours on location. The location was a gorgeous farm building Mackinder Farms - The Hayloft
which was perfect for the French themed shoot.http://cottage.reservations.co.uk/cottage_W42941.html
Please visit my friends at www.dibor.co.uk

So with the car full with Bowens flash heads, light stands, softbox of different shapes and sizes, laptop to shoot tetherd and tronix powerpacks incase we need them. Not to mention the trusty canon 5dmk3 and 5dmk2 as backup.

The lighting was really nice so we ended up shooting alot in natural light. Day 2 was lit using mostly flash lighting. A 3 angle lighting approach was taken.

The week before was a full day photographing cables. Yes cables, but in nice clean drum form, again this was or web and brochure use. Eland cables are a massive company in the uk.

Ive only done a few weddings recently, mine seem to get busy March time. Although im a Doncaster photographer, I seem to be busier in the Sheffield South yorkshire area.
The market is populated with photographers in south yorkshire, but when choosing make sure you look close and ask if there is any hidden charges, with me there is non.

My prices increase in April so book soon to beat the increase. Im also fully booked for some months already and only taking on a set number of weddings the other months. This is to make sure I can put 100% into your wedding.

I realise this blog is a little random, but i wanted to cover a few things. Please email if you have any questions.

If anyone knows of a wedding where the craze Harlam shuffle takes place, please let me know. lol

Thanks
Lee

2013 is well under way

Hello to you all, and welcome to 2013's first blog post. Anyone who does pass by will know Im not great at writing my blogs often.
But Il try and do more this year. So, what are the plans for 2013?
Well, the new structure to booking means I now take a booking fee. Which comes of the balance but isnt refundable if you dont turn up, and is transferable if you give me more than 24hrs notice. Its something I didn't want to do, but as alot of photographers will tell you, there are some that dont turn up which spoils it for other, and takes up space that is wanted.

We are taking alot of bookings for weddings already, starting 2013 with more than we started 2012 with. The prices for wedding photography will go up in April to reflect the market and investments made into the business. Im still a very competitive wedding photographer in the Doncaster south Yorkshire area.

Since the last blog ive bought another power pack to bring more power to location photoshoots, also great for special photographs at weddings. If you book the full day with first dance then we usually get time between dinner and the evening party for some shots using powerful studio lights outdoors and In . So far these shots are going down well. I like to make that little extra effort.

New lenses are being added to the kit list, and more studio lighting. Since buying the Canon 5d mk3 ive found some great uses for it. To non geeks its just another Hi res camera, but to those who follow because they love photography, they will know its canons answer to wedding photographers prayers. One of the cool tools Ive used recently is the silent function. Best for Vicars who dont want to hear the camera during ceremony's.

Also since the last blog Ive worked at Hodsock Priory near Worksop, Nottinghamshire. A totally stunning venue. Ive also a few more weddings booked for this place this year. I was also at Rothley Court Leicestershire, a wonderful 12th century venue. I love the rustic feel of these places. One of my favourite venues is still The West Retford Hotel retford. Its just a great place to work at, staff, food, and layout is perfect.

Please feel free to browse my galleries and see the recent photographs and also visit our facebook page.

thanks and see you soon.

Hodsock Priory