The little monkey had been nattering us to take him for a picnic, so earlier this week we headed over the hills to revisit Dovestone Reservoir.

Dovestone sits at the edge of Saddleworth, on the Manchester side of the Moors at the edge of the Peak District.  It's a lovely, chilled out walk round.  For some info, click HERE.

The weather was a bit dull, but a few glimpses of blue kept our hopes up, and we explored a few bits we'd not seen before.  A little picnic kept the monster happy and all was well until half way round.  The bit dull turned to very dull, and then to complete downpour for the rest of the walk.  We sheltered in the trees for a bit, but still got absolutely drenched by the time we got back to the car!

We still had fun though.  And Mr Little Legs walked the entire route without a single complaint.  That's deffo one for the books!

Here are some snaps. 

Gear used:  Fujifilm X100F

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 shooting the lovely wedding of Jane and Matt over in Stockport.

The day started with Bridal Prep at Jane's Mum's.  As usual, a house full of women, a bit of booze and a strange fellow taking pictures of it all led to a good laugh being had by all.  Well, after the initial disappointment that I wasn't a stripper! 

After prep we zoomed to Flowery Field Church in Hyde, where I was quickly ushered to a little balcony in the far corner of the church and told to stay there.  I felt a bit like a cross between Harry Potter and a peeping Tom as I spied on everyone from the little cupboard over the stairs!
Jane soon came down the aisle to join Matt at the front.  Vows were said, songs were sung and kisses were kissed.

The happy couple walked back out into the sunshine as man and wife - and started chugging champers straight from the bottle!  My kind of people!!!

Smiles and hugs were everywhere.  We took some snaps and then headed on to the reception venue - Ashton Masonic Hall. 

Magicians did shows, the kids ran riot, food was had, speeches were said, drinks were drunk, songs were sung, people danced, people laughed and people loved.

A proper awesome wedding day.

Thanks for having me guys - I had a blast.


Here are a few images from their day. 

One of my favourite things, when I'm shooting a wedding, is watching the antics of the little guests. 

The kids.

Kids are awesome.  And tiring.  And then awesome again.
I've got 3 of my own, so I know how they can go from the cutest things on the planet one minute, to making you want to pull your hair out the next.  There's a reason that people invented alcohol - and I'd wager a bet that a screaming 2 year old was behind it!

I love the little moments at a wedding - the ones that the Bride and Groom very rarely see until they get their photos back.  That's what I like to do.  I like to capture these little moments forever.  Photos that can be shown in 10 years time when they think they're all grown up!
I love these moments - bridal prep where two sisters are like little Princesses getting ready for the Ball.  Sneaking little selfies on their phones.  Ceremonies where the kids are that bored that they haven't realised the hymn book is upside down.  Outside the church where confetti wars are the best thing on the Earth for 5 minutes.  At the reception where they can't manage any more food, but demolish the sweetie cart in half an hour flat.  Sneaky fingers going for the wedding cake.  Bubbles and balloons - these are two of the greatest inventions to keep a kid busy that have ever been made!  The quiet moments, when two 10 year olds can sit in conversation like a couple of 50s housewives and two 15 year olds can chase each other around like they're 9 again.  The dancefloor, where they let loose like the adults daren't, when sliding is still the best thing in the world and swirly dresses make awesome twirls like they see on TV.
They all catch me eventually, and I get the goofy grin or the embarrassed smile or the covered face or the squeal of laughter.  Sometimes I even get a pose! 

These are precious moments.  Moments which can, and will, be cherished forever. 

There's one thing that kids can teach us - and that's how to live.  Now.  In the moment.  Live every second without a care about what's next.  Cry out your frustrations for a few minutes, but then carry on being the King or Queen of your world.
We all need to live like kids sometimes.

But, don't worry if you don't have kids, or there's no kids at your wedding.  After a few drinks down our necks, us adults soon shed the worry of adulting and start acting like kids again anyway...

Here are a few of those moments.

Guy Fawkes night last year had me making a trip over the moors once again, but this time over to Bury to photograph the wedding of Emma and Wayne.

The entire day was spent at the venue - the Best Western Manchester Bury Boholt Country Park Hotel.  Try saying that when you've had a few!  It's a lovely place set within some stunning grounds - click HERE for more info on it.

The day started with some Bridal prep in Emma's room.  It was the usual laugh - lots of girls, lots of booze, lots of joking around and a big sweetie tin that disappointed all the kids there by being full of egg mayo sarnies!

After a while of shooting the girls, I popped down to wait for Wayne and the rest of the lads to arrive.  And soon enough they did - in a massive stretched Hummer that only just made it through the car park!
We snapped a few snaps, the lads headed for the venue room and I popped back to the hotel to finish up with the girls.

Then it was time for the vows.

Everyone soon hustled in, the Bride walked down the aisle, the registrar did his magic and the lovely couple made their promises and walked out man and wife.

The rest of the day was soon underway - food was served, drinks were drunk and dances were had.  We all headed out into the freezing cold to do some portraits and group shots, then quickly headed back in to thaw out!  The hilarious speeches were finished off with a pretty awesome surprise as Wayne whisked Emma outside to present her with her wedding present - a new car!  The super cool Super Hero cake was cut, the first dance was had and the kids were sliding over the dance floor like there was no tomorrow!

A pretty cool wedding.

Thanks for having me guys - you were awesome.

Here are a few photos from their day.

A few weeks ago, I was privileged to shoot the wedding of Pam and Andy over in Stockport. 

The day started with bridal prep at the couple's home, with a quick trip round the corner to catch some prep shots of the groom, followed by the vows at Stockport Register office, then on to the Pinewood on Wilmslow for the reception.
We had beautiful summer sunshine from start to finish. 
The bridal prep was good fun as always, with my favourite comment of the day being - "don't go in there Martyn - it's all boobs and bums!" 
I snapped away for a while before popping round the corner to the groom's parent's house, where the boys were getting ready, to grab a few shots.
After that, it was a slog of a drive into a very packed Stockport town centre to the Register Office.  We arrived a little late, but soon got down to business.
The vows were said, kisses were had and confetti was thrown.
After the know was tied, it was on to the Pinewood on Wilmslow.
We did some group shots in the gardens, grabbed some shots of the happy couple, and I tried to not drop my camera from laughing when Andy got down on bended knee to get the garter between his teeth.
Speeches were said, glasses were raised and drinks were drunk.
It was then time for the first dance, but that was quickly mobbed when the DJ blasted Oasis from the speakers!  Awesome.
It was a brilliant day and I enjoyed every minute.

Thanks for having me guys.

A few snaps from their day. 

A few weeks ago, I had the honour of shooting Victoria and Garry's wedding over in Manchester.
We started the day with bridal prep at the couples home in Wythenshawe before moving on to St. Georges Church at Poynton.  The reception then followed at the Cheadle Village Hotel. 
The day started with a blustery grey morning and a few spots of rain, but as I made my way over the Peaks, things were looking a bit better.  By the time I arrived in Stockport I was roasting! 
The bridal prep was a blast, with little Lexi and Logan keeping me on my toes - and fuelled up with a cuppa, we soon got into the swing of things.
Before we knew it, it was time for church.
The ceremony was lovely, but I'd already had the warning that's every photographers nightmare - banished to the back with a firm 'no photos' instruction from the vicar.  We managed a few sneaky ones though.
Once the 'I do's' were done (although no wedding couple ever actually say I do!) it was on to the reception venue. 
That's when the rain hit.
The wedding car was forced to do a pit stop to get the roof up before the couple got drenched, but everyone still arrived in high spirits with big smiles.
Speeches were said, drinks were drunk, toasts were raised, food was eaten, songs were played and dances were danced.

A proper awesome day.

Thanks for having me guys, I had a blast.

Here's a few pics from their day. 

We decided to go for a little drive over the moors to feed the ducks.  Dovestone Reservoir is nestled at the edge of the Peak District on Saddleworth, just out of Yorkshire and into Manchester.  It was sunny.  It rained.  It hailstoned.  There was snow on the moors.  It was a little bit blowy and pretty nippy.  We had a freezing picnic which we had to share with a cocky pheasant.  Our little Freddie Bear fed the ducks and loved every minute!  I nearly fell over 4 times - that's what happens when you can't be bothered to get your walking boots out of the garage and you try to walk muddy paths in a pair of converse!