It’s always great to win things isn’t it – I know, I know, it’s the taking part that counts and all that. Well, of course, it is, but it’s always nice to win as well. So, how delighted was I when I got a call out of the blue recently from the SWPP to advise that I had won their recent “Beautiful Brides” competition from hundreds of entries from photographers worldwide. Now, before you start looking at my profile pic to see how much of a “beautiful bride” I am…it’s a photography competition. Not that I’m saying that the brides in these images aren’t beautiful, they all are, but the competition isn’t based on how beautiful the bride was, more so the impact, lighting, composition etc of the picture.
And then there was the bonus…upon checking the SWPP’s website to see my winning entry in all it’s glory, well,knock me down with a feather, if I only hadn’t come third in the competition as well. My prize, a full years free membership to SWPP and a few bragging rights 🙂
So guys, here’s the images below with just a little of my thought process behind both. Both images have been finished in my “secret recipe” nearly black & white finish that I concocted in Photoshop recently – a bit like KFC (yum yum), it shall remain a closely guarded secret!
The winning image I took of Lesley in the bridal suite at Glenbervie House back in April on her marriage to Mark – you can see the full post here of their fab day. I’m a great lover of using natural window light to provide just enough light on the bride’s face. The effect this has is usually to make the rest of the room to the left side darken slightly, thus providing a more dramatic image. I just asked Lesley to look out the window as if something were going on (who knows, there might well have been). An arm on the window ledge completes the scene rather than simply standing in space.
My third placed image was one that I took of Lisa last year on her wedding to Neil, and was taken at her parents home during the bridal preparations. You can see that I’m a fan of this look as it’s similar in style to my other image, albeit slight more serious in look and feel. Again, just a turn to the window to the right and, this time, just asked Lisa to lower her head and look to the ground (I very rarely ask brides to close their eyes as this usually leads to squinting).
win a portrait shoot
I do hope you like these images and, if so, please do leave a comment or two at the bottom of the post as it’s always very much appreciated. Plus, what would be really fantastic, is a “Like” on my Facebook page as it’s always great to get new people on board. And, for all those that “Like” my page, you’ll be entered into a monthly draw to win a free portrait session plus a 12″ x 8″ framed print (worth £145), so good luck.
Mike
