Peter Thomas Photography: The Blog

I had a great day with Frank & Karen in February. The wedding started in Clonvaraghan  (somewhere near Newcastle), then onto Castlewellan Forest Park and The Slieve Donard, Newcastle. It was a relaxed, fun day..Here are a few photos:

Above: one of the album layouts from the service.

Above: thought this chipboard would be interesting!

Above: There 2 were good fun!

Above: I’m into doing a few more interesting crops at the moment. This one was done in camera

Above: The Slieve Donard in all its glory.

You can view more here

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We use only the best Storybook manufacturer – and recently I came across this short video from them which gives an interesting insight into the manufacturing process. Hope you enjoy.

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One of my new years resolutions is to post a few pictures from each wedding on the blog…so here goes the 1st!

Taken in January 2010, at the Galgorm Resort and Spa, Ballymena, Northern Ireland.

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Every Christmas, I face the feedback from friends and family that I spend much more time behind the camera than in front of it!

The fact is I spend so much time taking photographs, that I often escape being the subject of their photographs.

So just for fun, here’s a self-portrait taken during a recent commercial shoot at a garden centre.

Peter Thomas Crymble commercial

Peter has been awarded a ‘Licentiate’ of the Professional Photographers Association of Northern Ireland (PPANI).

Members of the PPANI must be full-time and properly insured – and its a mark of quality in a photographer. To gain the Licenciate, Peters work was judged by a Fellow of the PPANI to be of an acceptable, professional standard. View Peter’s PPANI profile here.

Peter is also a Licentiate of the Society of Wedding & Portrait Photographers (SWPP).

Peter Thomas Crymble News

Its great to be able to share your photographs with friends and family. We happen to be a big fan of Facebook – and now we’ve added a really easy way to share your wedding photographs on Facebook.

Browse to the client area on our website. Find your wedding, and click the ‘View the album’ link. On the right you will notice a ’share this on Facebook’ link. Click that and the rest should be obvious – a link and picture will be posted on your Facebook wall.

If you have a video in your client area – you can also share that. Click the ‘View video’ link and you’ll see the same ‘Share on facebook’ link!

We’ve also made numerous little improvements and fixes to our website. Thanks to everyone who made suggestions. One of the most obvious changes is in the ‘Show all photographs’ section of each wedding  - there’s now a handy page dropdown making it easier to find the image you want. For all you Apple fans, the website is now fully compatible with the latest version of Safari.

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We are exhibiting at two major wedding fayres:

- 4-6th September: Wedding Extravaganza show at the Odyssey Arena, Belfast. Find out more at http://www.weddingextravaganza.co.uk/

- 18-20th September: Wedding Journal Show at the Kings Hall, Belfast. Find out more at http://www.weddingjournalshow.com/

Why not call in and say hello! We have a number of free tickets for both shows. If you would like one email us here. We have very limited numbers. One ticket per couple. The only condition is that you call round and say hello!!

Peter Thomas Crymble News

Something a bit different! I recently covered two concerts – one in the Waterfront Hall and one in the Millenium Forum, Derry. It was good fun – my legs were sore for a week after climbing all those steps at the Waterfront! The concert included Keith & Kristyn Getty, Stuart Townend and the New Irish Choir and Orchestra. There are loads of photographs, so I’ll just post a few of the more interesting ones:

Peter Thomas Crymble commercial commercial, concert, millenium forum, waterfront hall

In my opinion one of the most challenging photographs to take at a wedding is of the bride coming up the aisle. Churches can often be dark, flash photography is sometimes banned – and all this while shooting a moving object. Of course, a professional photographer will be able to work with whatever the conditions, but here are a few hints to help.

1. Walk in Slow motion!
No matter how long the aisle is, walk slowly! I’d recommend walking at approximately half-speed. It may seem slow, but it will give your photographer time to take a few pictures. It will also give your guests (and future husband!) more time to admire you.

2. Organise the Bridesmaids
Bridesmaids usually walk down the aisle first, although there is no set rule. Whichever order you choose, make sure they also walk slowly.

Leave a good space between bridesmaids
Most importantly, think about the timing between bridesmaids. If they are too close your photographer will struggle to take a picture of the middle bridesmaid. As a general rule of thumb, the 1st bridesmaid should be three-quarters up the aisle before the second starts to walk up the aisle. For impact, it is often best for the bride and her father to wait until all the bridesmaids have reached the front.

Think about where they should stand when they arrive
At the rehearsal, have a practice run and make sure the bridesmaids know where to stand when they arrive at the altar. Make sure they aren’t blocking the videographer!

Help the kids
Flowergirls and page boys are great at weddings. Depending on their age, you may wish to have a bridesmaid accompany them up the aisle.

3. Smile!
Enough said!

Just about to go up the aisle! Photograph by Peter Thomas Photography

4. Don’t forget the orders of service!
A minor detail, but you may wish to ensure that whoever is officiating the service has orders of service for the bridesmaids and bride. There’s nothing worse than singing a hymn with no words!

5. And the same applies when you are coming back down again!
All of these suggestions equally apply when the bride and groom are coming back down the aisle. It is often best for the bridesmaids to wait until the bride and groom have completed their journey down the aisle before they start. This means that your photographs won’t have other members of the bridal party in the background.

And finally…
Coming up the aisle is an important but small part of your day. The hints above are just suggestions – if you don’t get time to think it through don’t worry – just walk slowly and enjoy!

Peter Thomas Crymble Getting Ready - Wedding Photography Tips aisle, wedding, wedding photography

Here’s the second and final part of my favourite pics for April. Hope you like them.

1. Phil & Sara
This was a great wedding for me – as it was held in my church and I know the bride and groom (and quite a number of the guests) personally. Congratulations Phil & Sara!!

Above: Photographers are always looking for great, natural facial expressions…thanks Sara!

Above: I’ve never been to Larchfield Estate before – its a great venue. We came across this little out-house which makes for some interesting pictures.

Above: One of the detail shots – the light curtain makes for a great effect.

2. Darren & Laura
I’m obviously posting way to many pictures on this article – can’t help myself! Sorry if its a little slow to load! The 24th April took me all the way down to Burren (near Warrenpoint). I’ve been to most hotels in Northern Ireland at this stage – but it was great to visit a new photograph location – ‘Domantine Conference Centre’ – I’ve posted some photographs below.

Above: You may  remember from part 1 about my current drive for mens photographs. I think this one is quite interesting as Darren is almost framed by the tree.

Above: – Its not often there is so much colour in the trees – so obviously we took full advantage!

Above: The couple walking along at the front of Dromantine.

Above: The rings in the flowers.

3. Thomas & Bronagh
The final wedding in April was closer to home – Belfast Castle.

Above: as well as this picture, at the Brides request we also did the group picture on these steps. It actually is possible to get 120 people on them!

Above: The type of journalistic-style shot I love – I’m obviously in a black & white mood today but looks equally good in colour.

Above: A sample album page. In this case I’ve used a great Bible verse which is read at many weddings, but it could also be a poem or song.

And thats it!
I hope you’ve enjoyed this brief selection of photographs. Its been a fun month!

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