Ripley Castle October 25th 2014

It was a first time wedding shoot for me at Ripley Castle, just north of Harogate.  And I must say that I may have found my new favorite venue.  If there is every to be a Mrs C then this may be the place I visit first.  Very beautiful setting with very good staff taking care of the day.  Very impressed and would encourage anyone looking for a venue to take a look http://www.ripleycastle.co.uk/

It was a delight to work with such a lovely Bride and Groom.  There willingness to pop out for that extra photograph at the end of the day really paid off as you can see in the example below.  A beautiful moment now captured forever.

If you would like to discuss your wedding photography with us, give us a call on 0191 340 7273 or use the contact form on this site.

If you would like to see an example of the coverage we can offer across the day please take a look this video

   This was also a wedding that I was able to shoot with my new Olympus OM-D camera systems.  Saving my back from all the pain I used to suffer using the old fashioned DSLR systems of yesteryear   I hope you agree the results are still stunning.

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If you are looking for commercial quality photographs to sell any property on your books, we have multiple packages available to suit your requirements, from basic coverage to full coverage including state of the art multimedia presentations.

An example of our presentations can be seen below.

Our all inclusive package includes full coverage of the property, inside and out, pictures from the surrounding area helping to sell the lifestyle that your client can expect in the area.  Hi Resolution files ready for brochures and Magazines, Low Resolution images ready for websites and email, multimedia slideshow which is ready for computer, website and mobile devices.  A great sales tool.

Call us on 0191 375 9398 to discuss your requirements, we will be happy to talk you through our packages.

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Our client Sue approached Kate Pymm Make-Up and said that she would love some beautiful pictures before she reached a very significant birthday.  But like many women she felt that she did not have the confidence.  Having met Kate before she knew that her work was outstanding and could help her with her photoshoot.  Little did she know of the service she would receive from Kate, not only a first class make over, she also received styling advice, fabulous support and that personal touch that I have never seen from any other professional make up artist.

We made this a very special event for Sue, having both chatted to Sue before her shoot we were well aware of her hopes and expectations.  We decided to use the fabulous Wynyard Hall as our venue and special thank you to Sarah and Charlotte for helping us make this day special for Sue.

As you can see from the pictures we have taken some beautiful classy pictures of Sue, she brought some fabulous outfits for us to work with and Kate’s make up really hit the spot.  When Sue came to view her pictures she kept asking me how much ‘work’ had I done on them.  It surprises me so much these days just how aware people are of Photoshop or retouching/airbrushing.  It sometimes makes it hard for me, I had to insist that Sue believe me when I say that I am actually quite lazy when it comes to touching up images!!  I don’t like to do it, so I get it all right in camera with appropriate lighting and my life was made so much easier with the top draw make up and styling from Kate Pymm Make-Up.

Make over photography Durham and Teeside

So have you worked out which significant birthday Sue is about to reach?

Well believe it or not she is about to turn 60 later this year.  What a lovely transformation and now she has the pictures that she tells me she will treasure.  One of which will be a large print on her wall.

If you would like a similar experience then please call myself on 0191 375 9398 or Contact Kate Pymm Make-Up Kate can also be found on Facebook here . We will be happy to talk you through the process.

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I was sat doing my local pub quiz when a fellow photographer and friend posted on Facebook that the Aurora was going to be visible tonight, the cynic in me thought yeah, probably a chance of a dim green glow that we usually get.  Of course I could not the believe my eyes when I looked at the app on my phone which indicated there was a 90% chance of seeing them over Scotland and a good 50% chance to see them over Northern England.  So thermal base layer straight on, camera kit in the car and off I went to pick up my friend who was just as keen and off we headed Northwards.

Our first stop was in a lay by on the A68 heading North towards Edinburgh, this was the scene of probably the most dramatic lights that we could see with our own eyes.  It looked as though dawn was coming up but it was due North and the glow then grew, we could clearly see 3 distinct green spikes which danced around the sky.  The camera has picked up so much more and I am so pleased with the following 2 images.

Following this we headed towards Kielder water and driving along I came across a great tree and knew I wanted to try some shots including that.

Here are the results and also a short time lapse video showing how the sky was moving last night

And then just when we thought it was over, we got to see some very brief but spectacular flashes over Kielder.  We waited and waited hoping the sky would give us a real dance but in the end this photographer was ready for bed.

One of the most special nights of my life and I am so glad I jumped in the car and headed out.  What a special planet we live on and I love that I can capture it in such a beautiful way.

Let me know what you think and if you think its worthy, please share this blog post about.

Below is the last dance above Kielder Water

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This month I had the pleasure of the company of little miss Cairns-Nagi.  She came along with her mummy and daddy as part of a surprise for daddy’s birthday. We had a fantastic session and I hope the pictures speak for themselves.  She is a model in the making

New born baby photography at Alan Clarke Photography

She was a dream to work with.  Let us know what you think about the photographs in the comments section below.

Working with her parents was delightful too and it just show’s what beautiful pictures we can capture together of these precious moments in our lives.

New born baby photography Durham

If you would like to inquire about our packages then please contact us here or call 0191 375 9398

It is best to book your appointment in advance to avoid disappointment as we can get very busy with sessions and we have to allocate up to 3 hours per session.  We also offer maternity photography so should you want to capture your bump in all it’s glory then why not contact us to book yourself in.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank Vicky Drake of Soulful Birth and Lazy Daisy Durham, she passes me some wonderful clients and they all enjoy a 25% discount off all of my products and receive complimentary sittings.  Take a look at her courses.

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Last summer I took on the biggest challenge of my personal life so far, I walked up Mt Kilimanjaro in Tanzania raising money for St Oswald’s Hospice along the way.  Obviously being a photographer, everyone seemed to be expecting ‘fabulous’ pictures from me.  It was hard to explain that being a wedding and portrait photographer was a tad different to capturing the stunning landscapes of Tanzania.

I’m a Canon user and always have been from deciding to pursue photography as a career.  One problem with this is the professional DSLR’s and the lenses that come with them are heavy.  The critical thing for me during the trek was to minimise the amount I would have to carry but still have the quality that I require of my images.  I have spent quite a bit of time with Damian McGillicuddy over the past few years, he is no the principal photographer of Olympus no less.  So I have of course been exposed to their OM-D series over the last 18 months or so.  Their is of course the Fuji system cameras that my friends have let me play with at PTO, however they just like Nikon camera’s never sit right in my hand.  This is important to me.  So off I went cap in hand to Olympus and asked if I could borrow one (secretly hoping I could keep it, shy bairns and all that   Thankfully Damian and Olympus came to my rescue and shipped me the OM-D EM5 camera with its kit lens.

So here is my little review of the camera itself.

For me, the OM-D EM5 is a lovely bit of kit, not perfect by any means but I have yet to find the perfect camera.  That said I had a little over 24 hours to get used to the camera and it was very intuitive to use.  It is very light weight, build quality seems to be very solid and it got a good 2 week test either around my neck being exposed to extreme weather & temperatures, dust and even a bit of water when my mouth piece came off taking a drink (sorry D).  No problems what so ever.

The body itself is packed full of technology, image stabilisation built in.  I recommend that you turn this off if you are on a trek such as this as this feature does wear the battery down but boy does it work well!  so keep it in mind.  The movable view screen on the back is fantastic and allows you to compose images without putting your eye to the camera, allowing for surreptitious images to be taken with a simple tap on the back of the screen, great for street photography as it just looks like you are reviewing images!

The kit lens was nice but a little frustrating for this photographer as I am used to working with f.stops of f4 or f2.8, so the variable max aperture was a pain.  That said this is a very handy lens for traveling with, wish the new 12-40 2.8 had been available then though

Going from an SLR viewfinder to the digital viewfinder was a little awkward for me and I am not overly convinced by the EM5 viewfinder, its good but not good enough for me.  But I have since had a play with an EM1 viewfinder and that is amazing!  The great feature you have however is that you can set it so that a preview of the image comes up for a few seconds in the eyepiece, so you can check the image without having to chimp on the back of the screen, brilliant!

Overall I am so impressed with the OM-D system.  Olympus seem to have designed the system from the ground up rather than trying to fit bodies around old style lenses and limiting themselves.  They have integrated impressive technology into a small light package that now has me thinking about ditching my heavy Canon kit permanently and not just for when I go trekking up mountains.

As much as I thought I would not like such a feature, the built in art filters can make for some really impressive images, allowing you to play with your creativity.  I especially like the heavy contrast effect

For me the EM1 system is the one that I will by shortly.  I have played with it on a few occasions at different events and I am very satisfied that Olympus have made many refinements following user feedback on the EM5.

If you get chance to give one a go, you really should.  If you are looking for a great lightweight, professional grade system then the OM-D is definitely for you.

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Sell my images for book covers,  well the first stage of this is complete as I have successfully completed an application to join one of the worlds most premier creative stock libraries.  So now this might just happen for me.  It takes time and there is a long road ahead but it has really ignited something new inside me and I am so pleased to be working on this as a side project to my core work.  As you can see it gives me a different route and really is a way for me to express my creative side.  A huge thank you to Dave Wall for all his encouragement with this.

Secondly I just spoke at the Societies Convention.

I think every industry has its professional bodies and in the UK the largest is the SWPP, whom I am a qualified member of.  About 11months ago I was invited to be a speaker at this years show, talking about my use of the ProSelect software in my business.  It proved to be a very popular discussion with over 50 people attending.  It was a proud moment for me as it showed that the hard work and investment I have made in my business is starting to show its just rewards.

I also used the convention to continue my education and reaffirm and hone my skills.  Continuous improvement is a large part of my business and is very important to me.  I will continue to work with Grand Master Photographer Damian Mcgillicuddy as my personal mentor.  He really has pushed me this past 2 1/2 years since meeting him and now my target for 2014 is to attain the next level of my qualification which is an Associateship. So you heard it hear first folks, This time next year I hope to be one more step up the ladder.

I also have a very exciting announcement coming up in the next few weeks which is to do with working with one of the major camera manufacturers.  Can not wait to share this information

I have some fabulous weddings coming up this year, I may even have the chance to shoot one in Central America   We also have some fabulous Portrait offers coming your way later this year.

Speak soon

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Here I plan to share some of my ramblings and show my latest work, share some offers and share some news.

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