Last night we decided to have a wander round Frickley Park as it's another one of those places-on-your-doorstep that we'd never been to.

When I was a nipper I used to play on the old colliery site here all the time.  We'd play near the old pit pump ponds at the bottom and walk through the woods at the back, looking for conkers and riding motorbikes on (what I called) 'the quarry' part at the back of the old folks bungalows on the Westfield Lane side - although these have all gone too.  I also used to cut across from the Frickley FC side (who remembers the 'you'll never walk alone' painting on the wall?) as a short cut when walking from my grandad's on Pine Street to my auntie's house down on Elmsdale Close.  I used to love it here - the wide open spaces made me feel like a proper explorer.  I grew up next to Kirkby pit too and always enjoyed exploring there - although I was scared of 'the tunnel' and always managed to go home filthy!

Anyway, we had a little walk round.  We started by exploring a little field of sunflowers before heading onto the old lines and following them back down to join the path into the park.  The park is lovely.  The developers have done an awesome job.  There's over 7 miles of foot and cycle paths criss-crossing through it.  There's also a few little nods to the site's mining history dotted about.  A nice touch.

We didn't get time to walk round everywhere as the sun was dropping quick, but we'll deffo be back for more.  It's a proper little den of tranquility.  We need more regeneration of our little mining villages.

For more info on the park click HERE.

Here are a few snaps.

A few weeks ago I was back in Pontefract to photograph the awesome wedding of Lauren and Dan.

The entire day was held at the lovely Kings Croft Hotel. 

We started off with Bridal prep - which, as always, was a good laugh.  Instead of being all squeezed into one room though, this time we had two.  Which was a good job, as there were lots of people in there!  There were also a couple of videographers in for the day too (a cool guy by the name of Adam - check him out HERE) so we were leapfrogging over each other between rooms all morning!
Time soon ticked on, so then it was time to head out to the pavilion for the main event.

Dan was patiently waiting at the end of the aisle for his Bride to arrive.  Which thankfully, she did!  It was pretty easy to see her coming to be honest - the multicoloured line of approaching bridesmaids was pretty long! 
Smiles for miles was the order of the day, and pretty soon vows were spoken, rings were exchanged, kisses were kissed and the happy couple walked out into the sunshine as man and wife.  Perfectly serenaded by the awesome 24 Live who sang throughout the rest of the day. 

The rest of the evening was laughs, love and fun in the sunshine.  Oh, and some pretty cool dancing!

A good ol' Yorkshire wedding.

Congrats you two, and thanks for having me.  Your day was ace.


Here are a few snaps from their day.

A few weeks ago I was back over in Stockport again to shoot the awesome wedding of Kellie and Rich.

The entire day was held at the Cheadle Village Hotel. 

The day started with Bridal prep - which was the usual fun of too many people squeezed into a room for two.  Add a few kids to the mix and we were falling over each other all morning!  As always though, Bridal prep is good fun and loosens everyone up.  (And gets them used to me sticking a camera in their face!)
The time flew by, and it was pretty soon time to head down for the main event.

Rich and the boys were downstairs in the bar, but got ushered into the wedding room before Kellie and the Bridal party came down.
Gotta say - Rich was looking cool as a cucumber.  That look soon turned into 'the-cat-that-got-the-cream' look when Kellie walked down the aisle!
The registrars did the business, vows were spoken, rings were exchanged, kisses were kissed, cheers were cheered and the happy couple walked out as man and wife into the sunshine.

The day was glorious.  Blue skies and sunshine and perfect British summertime Beer Garden weather. 
And enjoy it everyone did!

The rest of the day waltzed by with lots of love, laughter and some good old emotional (and often hilarious) speeches.  And plenty of drinking, obviously.

A perfect day that was finished off with a mega, everyone-involved first dance. 
The love was shining more than the sunshine!

Congrats guys and thanks for having me.  You were both awesome.


Here are some of the images from their day. 

A few weeks ago I had the awesome pleasure of shooting the wedding of Katie and Mike over in Stockport.

The entire day was held at the lovely Cheadle House.

The day started with Bridal prep - which, as always, was some good ol' laughs.  I shot Katie's sister's wedding a couple of years back, so it was nice to see everyone again.
The day was scorching hot with blue skies and sunshine, and in no time at all, it was time for the main event.
Mike was all smiles and waiting patiently for his Bride at the end of the aisle.  I'm sure it was worth the wait - Katie walked in looking absolutely stunning.
The registrars got down to business, vows were spoken, rings were exchanged, kisses were kissed and the happy couple walked out into the sunshine as man and wife.

The rest of the day was good old party time.  The weather was glorious, the drinks were flowing and smiles for miles was the order of the day.
After dinner and speeches it wasn't long until the DJ lit up the floor and after cutting the cake, the first dance was had before everyone mobbed the dancefloor.

A proper perfect wedding day.

Thanks for having me guys - you were both awesome.


Here are a few snaps from their day.

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of travelling down to Shrewsbury to photograph the wedding of Georgie and Scott. 

The entire day was held at the lovely Albrighton Hall Hotel. 

There had been snow during the night, followed by lots and lots of rain.  We got lucky on the day though - the rain disappeared for the most part, with only a few scattered showers - enabling us to get outside for few shots.

The day started with the usual bridal prep, which was the usual scene of me terrorising everyone in the pre-make up stage!  I tried to sneak some groom prep in too, but I think the fellas were wise to it and were in the bar before I got to them!

The time soon ticked by, and before we knew it, it was time to get down to business!

Scott was waiting patiently, and nervously, at the end of the aisle.  Pretty soon the door opened and the lovely flower girls and bridesmaids made their way down.  Before Scott had chance to wipe away the tears, the beautiful bride followed. 

After some teary eyes, exchanged vows, swapped rings and lots of smiles, the happy couple became man and wife. 

We jumped outside for a few shots before everyone hit the bar, the hotel flipped the room round and before you knew it, it was time for food and the (pretty awesome and emotional) speeches. 

And a few more tears...

The rest of the afternoon breezed by in a tidal wave of love, smiles and happiness. 
The evening soon rolled in along with the band; cakes were cut, dances were danced and I think there might have been a bit more kissing too!

Congrats you too - you were awesome!

Here are a few photos from their day.

A few weeks ago I had the awesome privilege of shooting the wedding of Luci and Mark over in Leeds.

There was no bridal prep, so it was straight to Leeds Town Hall to get down to business.
Mark and a few guests soon arrived, so we had a nosey round the place to check out the room and take a few snaps.  Time soon ticked on, so everyone was ushered into the room before the Bridal Party arrived.
Pretty soon the door opened and the happy couple's two little girls made their way down the aisle before the bride.  I don't think Mark stopped smiling all the way through!
The registrars got down to business, readings were read, vows were spoken and rings were exchanged. 
And of course - kisses were kissed.

The happy couple walked out man and wife.

The day had been raining on and off all morning, so we all huddled under the canopy for a few snaps before making our way down to the reception venue.

The rest of the day was held at The Tetley.  A massive 30's art deco building that originally headquartered Tetley's Brewery.
The drinks were soon flowing, the smiles were still beaming and the kids were soon off on an Easter Treasure Hunt.
After dinner and speeches, the evening guests soon arrived, cakes were cut and the happy couple led the way onto the dancefloor.

Oh, and I kept dragging them outside for a few photos along the way.

A perfect day.  Congratulations Mark and Luci - you guys were awesome!

Here are a few snaps from their day. 

We've not taken the kids anywhere for a while, due to illnesses and other pesky things, so on Monday we jumped in the Adventure Mobile™ and headed over to the coast.
We spent the day between Flamborough Head, North Landing and Thornwick Bay.
It was a ridiculously foggy day - at some points on the way there, visibility was about 20 feet in front of the car!  We made it in one piece though, and proceeded to spend the day the way we always do at the seaside - walking on the beach, throwing stones in the sea, eating too much food and moaning about car park prices.  Well, that last bit might have been just me...
The fog did roll out at one point towards the end of the day and we got a good 20 minutes of blue skies before it came rolling back in again.  Along with the start of the rain!

I also never knew there was a Castle at Flamborough.  I must have driven past it a hundred times.  It is a pretty small stack of stones in a field though - with no signs or info to show for it.  Regardless, I went with all intentions of taking a few snaps - only to find it covered in scaffolding. 
Typical!

Anyway, we had a top day out and, as usual, I took far too many photos.

Here's the snaps. 

Gear used - Fujifilm X70

My final wedding of last year was another lovely local one that had me nipping down the road to the town we lovingly call Ponte-Carlo (well, it's a better nickname than it's neighbouring Cas-Vegas!)  I was heading once again to the lovely King's Croft Hotel for the wedding of Sharon and Barry.

The day started with the usual terrorized-women-trapped-in-a-room-with-me bridal prep.  They were less camera shy once the beers started coming in though!  ;-)
It was all a good laugh and the time soon flew by, so I quickly popped downstairs to see the groom while the dresses were going on and before you knew it, it was time for action!

I'd never met Barry before, but Sharon had given me a detailed description - "he looks just like he does on the wedding cake!"  I'm not gonna say whether he did or not, but I found him easy enough...  Well, he was stood at the end of the aisle wasn't he?!

The bridal party soon made their way in, followed by (a pretty emotional by this point) Sharon.  I love seeing this much emotion at a wedding - it gave me a bit of a lump in the throat too!
The Registrar soon got down to business and before you knew it, the vows had been said, rings had been shared, kisses had been kissed and cheers were all round.

After lots of handshakes, kisses, tears and hugs later, we nipped outside to brave the cold for a few snaps before heading back in for the Wedding Breakfast - after some pretty emotional and awesomely funny speeches!

The rest of the evening was good-ol Yorkshire knees up - everyone was having a good time, the drinks were flowing, the kids were running and chins were wagging a plenty.  After a few more photos and the cake-cutting, the happy couple were soon dancing round the floor like no one was watching.  They were soon joined by more, the band were in full swing and the love carried on into the night.

Oh - it was Barry's birthday too!  Happy birthday mate - it was definitely one to remember!

Thanks for having me guys - you were both awesome!

Here are a few photos from their day.

My second to last wedding of last year had me nipping down the road to Doncaster for the wedding of Danielle and David. 

The day started at the couple's home for the Bridal prep - another room full of women for me to terrorise by pointing a camera at them!  It was all good fun, and the time soon flew by.  Wasn't even any nerves showing ...  So far. 
Midway through the prep I walked a hundred yards down the street to the Groom's parents' house and grabbed a few shots of the fellas getting ready too.  In typical men fashion - this took about 3 minutes flat!
Back to the Bridal party and dresses were all on and pretty soon the car arrived.  A pretty awesome stretched New York Checker cab.

Convoy to the venue time.

The rest of the day was all held at Castle Park - the home of the Doncaster Knights Rugby Club.

After a quick snap of the Bridal Party, I scampered inside to find David patiently waiting at the end of the aisle.  Looking rather nervous I must say!
He needn't have worried - his beautiful Bride-to-be soon followed the bridesmaids down the aisle to take her rightful place by his side.  Time to get down to business!
The vows were soon spoken, rings were exchanged, kisses were kissed and smiles-for-miles were the order of the day!  Maybe one or two tears too!

After kicking us out while the room got flipped, we braved the cold and went outside for a few snaps.  The low winter sun was pretty brutal, and the grounds aren't the greenest place for portraits, but we managed to sneak a few in.

It was soon back inside for an afternoon of food, drink, dancing and love.

And a few more drinks.  A proper good old Yorkshire knees-up!

Thanks for having me guys - you were both awesome!


Here are a few snaps from their day - 'The One Where They Got Married'.

After a nice, relaxing Christmas, we headed up to Scotland to spend the New Year. 
We'd booked an awesome converted barn 30 miles south west of Dumfries on the coastline near Gatehouse of Fleet. 
It was a bit cold for our usual walks, not to mention that a few of us were struggling with the usual winter lurgy, so we pretty much just chilled out with a few little explores in the car.  A lovely hidden gem was an old abandoned Kirk pretty much at the bottom of our driveway.  We visited this a few times while we were there.  I spent an hour on New Year's Eve freezing to death shooting some star photos in the graveyard.
We visited Castles and Cairns.  Had a few little walks along beaches in tiny bays and stood on the beach watching the sunset.  Went and had a nosey at the awesome Coo Palace - a Palatial Dairy Farm that is currently being refurbished into holiday apartments.  Me and my little ginger had fun exploring a shipwreck on the coastline near Kirkcudbright.  We visited Dundrennan Abbey - the place where Mary Queen of Scots spent her last night in Scotland.  Like most of the other tourist spots though - it was closed, so we had to settle for views through the gateway.  We visited the lovely little Kirk at Kirkandrews and a few other local spots. 

We ate too much, drank too much, and pretty much saw in the New Year as chilled out as can be.

Happy New Year folks.  Here are a few snaps from our trip. 

Gear used.  Fujifilm X70, Fujifilm Xpro2, Fuji 35mm, Fuji 50-230mm, Samyang 12mm