Blog
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by mdharrisonLouise & Michael
Assuredly untraditional and definitely fun, Louise and Michaels wedding was a great day out in East London. The ceremony was at Hackney Town Hall. They have a room for weddings but Louise and Michael chose the council chamber which holds more people and has beautiful wood panelling and green leather seats with some stunning art deco lights. The reception was at the Tram Store in Clapton – usually a coffee shop it was perfect for a party and I loved all the greenery – who doesn’t love a healthy cheese-plant?! The day was completed at Clapton Country Club for plenty of food, drink and celebrations and some excellent speeches – along with more cheese-plants!
A great day full of colour and East End charm.
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by mdharrisonProtected: Arlington Shoot
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by mdharrisonZukie London
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by mdharrisonEmily & Chris
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by mdharrisonLauren & Danny
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by mdharrisonMerchant Land
Please download all images here.
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by mdharrisonZoe & Mike
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by mdharrisonCassie & Neil
I’ve a soft spot for The Roslin, fairly local to me and the weddings I have shot there are always laid back and relaxed, something about being by the sea I guess.
Cassie and Neil had an amazing day full of sunshine and laughter with lots of colour and music. A great couple who were amazing to work with. Not bad for good old Southend-on-Sea!!
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by mdharrisonOne Twenty Four
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by mdharrisonYashica 635 + Fuji Pro 400
Not blogged about any film or cameras recently – been shooting though. Colour films have been stacking up in the fridge as my local lab stopped processing 120. So I went and got myself a Tetenol C41 kit and processed the negs myself…….
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by mdharrisonLouise & Will
Kate and I were lucky enough to work on this beautiful wedding at the fabulous Houchins Farm in Essex. Louise & Will had a G&T themed day that was great to shoot because of the striking colours, awesome venue, friendly people and the sun shining – which was very welcome as snow had been forecast the previous week!!!
Some really great details here. I loved the Prosecco Pimping and the chalkboard is amazing. I’m also a fan of giant balloons, who isnt??
All supplier details at the end of this post.
http://www.sweetsuccesscatering.co.uk/
https://www.baytreepizza.co.uk/
http://www.finishingtouchesbyfaithgurel.co.uk/index.html
http://www.matchmakerbride.co.uk/
https://www.anthonyformalwear.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/edgehairleigh/
https://www.facebook.com/Lovemedoballoons
https://www.facebook.com/Harryandtheboysband
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by mdharrisonElizabeth & Neil
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by mdharrisonJaqueline & Shane
Warm sunshine in March, who would have thunk it? Well it made for a wonderful day which I had a lot of fun shooting. Northbrook Park is a lovely venue, with pretty walled gardens and peacocks that didn’t mind showing off. Jaqueline and Shane created a beautifully colourful day which along with some heartfelt speeches and dubious dancing made for a very memorable occasion.
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by mdharrisonTina & Colin
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by mdharrisonLaura & Neil
Laura & Neil aka Neil & Yoko aka Neil Pie & Yoko Pie aka The Pies.
The Pies are massive Beatles fans so for their wedding they hired The Hard Days Night hotel in Liverpool, just around the corner from the famous Cavern club. Its a very cool hotel, dark and retro (difficult shooting conditions!) with oranges, browns and reds and huge Beatles artworks everywhere.
A seriously cool wedding for a rock’n’roll bride and groom! I shot all night, and after the kids disco the party descended into a 90’s rave before oops-up-side-your-head (is that right?) and a fantastic cheeseboard finished off the proceedings.
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by mdharrisonSophie & Chris
Posted this one a while back for Sophie and Chris but never got round to removing the password and writing some notes……
Going back over the blog to remind myself of the day took me back to the summer (seems so long ago already!). It was a sunny morning at the lovely old pub The Mole and Chicken in Aylesbury. Then onto the bride and grooms house in Cheddington which was a short walk for the groom through a field and a wood to St Giles Church. Just as the wedding kicked off the heavens opened, but luckily everyone was inside by then.
It brightened up again at Notley Tythe Barn where the reception was held and I was there long into the evening.
It was a perfect day with beautiful venues, stylish people and a couple of very cool VW’s! Going through the images again brings back the emotions of the day and reminds me how great my job is and how lucky I am to be involved in such an important day in peoples lives.
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by mdharrisonHannah & Lee
Wow, what an amazing day this was. It started out at a beautiful little pub, The Oyster Smack in Burnham, then moved onto the stunning Creeksea Place. Its hidden in a little corner of Essex by the sea and its a wonderful location for a wedding.
The day was stylish and fun and the sun even made an appearance in the evening! Great makeup by www.katiepoole.com and hair by www.bridalhairbyjennie.co.uk. All in all a fab day and i’m sure Hannah and Lee had a great honeymoon at Glastonbury!!
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by mdharrisonStephanie & Karim
Sometimes things come together on a wedding day to make my job very easy. Stephanie and Karim’s day was one of those occasions. Amazing venues, stunning colours, beautiful people and kind weather all contributed to a great day.
The ceremony was at Poplars Hall. It was my first time shooting here and I loved the colours and light in the room. Reception was at New Hall Vineyard in Purleigh which is somewhere I have shot before and is fast becoming my favourite place in Essex!
All in a wonderful day that I was proud to be a part of!
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by mdharrisonHayley & Matthew
Hayley and Matt had a beautiful late spring / early summer wedding at Marks Hall in Coggeshall, Essex. Its somewhere I have shot before and its a lovely barn with STUNNING grounds and gardens. If you ever visit, take a walk and find Gondwanaland.
I love more intimate weddings and this was one of them. Family and friends getting together to celebrate with the couple. I only shot the ceremony and reception but had a great time and i’m sure the party continued for long after I left. I did get a little carried away taking pictures with Hayley and Matt in the walled garden, and they had to send someone out with a megaphone to call us in for the wedding breakfast!
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by mdharrisonWINK Ball 2016
Another year, another WINK ball! Good fun as always and thanks to Rachel for the food!! Another great job organising this event by the girls from the Womens Institute New Konnections.
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by mdharrisonSilverfast 8
Not posted for a while as have been mega busy, but the workload has eased off and i’ve found myself trying out the Silverfast 8 scanning software with my neg scanner. Here are a couple of really old shots I dug out just to see what I could do with good and bad negs. The first is from a roll of HP5 that I think went through my Olympus Trip. The second is Pan F, taken somewhere at some time, probably on my Olympus OM1. The last is HP5 also, and very underexposed, but I dragged out what I could because I like the picture. Probably Olympus Trip or 35 RC – not sure.
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by mdharrisonBoreham House Party
Below is a small selection of images from Saturday night. To download images please go to the download site here: http://adobe.ly/1MYv9w3
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by mdharrisonProtected: Lydia
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by mdharrisonAndi & Andy
So, Andrea (Andi Girl) is my sister-in-law and I don’t think they were going to book me for their wedding as they wanted me to be a guest. Or that might have been a nice way of saying they don’t like my photos, but I insisted and they didn’t really have a choice! I suppose Andy (Andy Boy) is now my brother-in-law? Is that right?
Its strange shooting people you know. You have preconceptions about how they are as a couple which makes it difficult to direct them – but at the same time its easier for everyone as there is already trust.
Anyway – September sun, surprise transport, great company and a slice of Domino’s pizza made for an unforgettable day.
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by mdharrisonNicole & James
To say I was excited about shooting this one would be an understatement. I’ve been aware of the venue for a while, famous for its vintage carousel, and knowing Nicole and James as stylish and creative folk I knew this was going to be a fantastic day.
I wasn’t wrong – and to add to the beautiful people and stunning venue, little miss September Sun came to the party as well!
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by mdharrisonClaudia & Ian
Another beautiful day at the seaside………
Claudia and Ian had a lovely intimate day with just a handful of friends and family. Calm, relaxed but also fun and emotional, this kind of days shows that all you need for a memorable wedding is people who love you.
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by mdharrisonWINK 100th Birthday Party
WINK – Womens Institute New Konnections.
The WI is 100 years old this year and to celebrate my local branch (Rayleigh, Essex) threw a party at The Rayleigh Club Golf Resort. Just realised that sentence made it sound like i’m a member! I’m not. Unfortunately!
They refer to themselves as a ‘Modern WI’ so its not all jam and jerusalem, although there was a jam tasting contest. They filled the room and I was surprised by the amount of members they have. A great deal of effort went in from all involved making all kinds of goodies and organising prizes and entertainment which included dancers and a 60 piece choir! I enjoyed shooting for them (again) and it looked like everyone had a great time. Here’s to the next 100 years……..
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by mdharrisonWedding Flowers Magazine
I found these hiding on my computer the other day. Wedding Flowers magazine asked me for some advice on shooting bouquets. Did I really say ‘funky chair’???
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by mdharrisonCarrie & Paul
I met Carrie and Paul in Kenya, where they were guests at a wedding I shot. I was staying in the same hotel and got to know them well during the week, so was chuffed when they asked me to shoot their wedding.
And what an awesome day, full of the things I love – vintage cars and buses, beautiful details, lots of colour, an amazing church and stunning location for the reception.
London has a unique character and iconic buildings, and the reception at Westminster Boating Base had the backdrop of one of the most iconic views of the city, Battersea Power Station. The church was in Clapham and as many of the guests were not local to the city, they were taken on a tour of the sites in old Routemaster buses on their journey to Westminster.
Beautiful people, sites and sounds – what more can you ask for to make one of the most memorable days.
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by mdharrisonJessica & Karim
A few photos from a wedding I shot at Parklands, Quendon Hall a while back. Its an amazing venue, located in a deer park somewhere in Essex. I especially liked the bridal suite, decorated deep red and gold, a nice contrast to the whites and creams of the ceremony. A beautiful couple and an amazing day, its one of those that stays in the memory so I thought it deserved its place on here. I hope you like it x
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by mdharrisonWINK (Womens Institute New Konnections)
WINK are a WI group that set up in Rayleigh, Essex around a year ago and this party was to celebrate that anniversary. They run as a charity so any event they organise is funded by themselves or donations, which makes it remarkable that they planned a grand event like this with three course meal, band, raffle, a rather excellent photo both 😉 and loads of guests. The event took place at the excellent Lords Golf & Country Club in Rayleigh.
I put my booth in a little corner and shot portraits as guests arrived and rolled out the props for later in the evening. As ever I spent the in between documenting the event and generally sneaking around getting some candid shots.
This blog contains a small selection of the work. To see all images please visit the following link where full resolution files can be downloaded: http://adobe.ly/1MVOn2B
Rachel Connelly will have copies of the images on CD’s that she will be giving out to members at the next WI meeting. Any questions drop me a mail.
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by mdharrisonAn oldie from Quendon Hall
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by mdharrisonOlympus OM1 + Fuji Neopan 400
I was tempted to go with hyperbole and pronounce ‘BEST CAMERA EVER’ but resisted. It is however my favourite camera. This got me to thinking what makes a great camera? For me and the OM1, it’s a mix of nostalgia, quality and comfort.
It’s the first SLR I owned. When I went to art school – I, or rather my parents, were given a long list of equipment, bits, bobs and books including an SLR camera. I think my mum found my OM1 in the back of the local paper for not much money. I’ve used a OM1 continuously to this day, having replaced my first one after a took it apart to ‘fix’ it. By fluke of not being able to afford anything better I ended up with a fantastic camera that taught me how to take photos. Because its fully manual, I had to turn all the dials until the little needle in the viewfinder fell between the plus and minus sign, or thereabouts. Although I wasn’t fully aware of what all of them were doing, it taught me the relationship between shutter, aperture and ISO. I learnt quickly that a click here usually required another twist there to compensate. Over time I learned about the effects of the different settings but the interrelationship was evident from the start, which is something that’s not obvious with modern automatic cameras.
The quality is fantastic. Its tiny, practically bullet proof and the 50mm f1.8 lens that come with most of them is pin sharp with no distortion. It takes a small battery for the light meter, but will work without this as everything else is mechanical, winding the film on resets the shutter curtain and everything else. If you know how to judge your exposure you don’t need a battery! It’s a masterpiece of engineering. When you open one up it’s all tiny cogs and dials and there is even bits if waxed string traveling through the camera pulling levers and setting dials.
Back to my art school days, a teacher once told me this: “when you buy a camera, the most important thing to consider is how comfortable it is in your hand”. Its good advice. There is no point in having a camera with all the bells and whistles if you don’t like using it, because you will take fewer pictures. And it goes beyond ergonomics, buttons and such. I hate using long lenses because it makes you conspicuous. In fact, I would much rather shoot weddings with something like this OM1 rather than my huge Canon, but I do have to compromise as a professional. But again, simple things like colouring in the Canon logo black makes the camera stand out less. I also get rid of the lurid Canon strap for something much more basic. When I’m out with the kids I much prefer my OM1 as it’s just such a joy to use and feels great in my hand.
I suppose it relates to the more recent phenomenon or people taking pictures with iPads. I mean, you just attract attention right? But some people seem fine with that. I suppose the moral is, don’t look at the numbers. Make sure it does what you need and concentrate on ‘feel’ of your camera above those extra megapixels.
Quick word for Fuji Neopan. And that word is CONTRAST!!! Seriously insane contrast.
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by mdharrisonCanon Sure Shot A1+ Fuji Superia 1600 + Ilford Delta 3200
Its strange to think how my kids will approach photography when they grow up. Technology is second nature for them, using smart phones from the age of two or three they can make movies or pictures with simple intuitive touches. And the results are instant.
Thats why I thought it would be fun to get my oldest boy Kurtis (nearly 4) a film camera. I’m always playing around with old film cameras and kids all react the same when you let them have a go. They click the button then stare at the back of the camera waiting for their image to appear! Children are stupid.
I started doing some research and found a number of blogs extolling the Canon Sure Shot A1 as it was simple to use and being a waterproof camera, child proof! I picked up the one in the picture below for £17 on eBay. Its fully automatic with one big dial on the front and a big red button on top. Stick it on auto and off you go! There were a couple of downsides though. Kurtis being so young cannot wink yet, so looking through the viewfinder was problematic. He also won’t put his head under water. I tried dunking him but it just made him cry. On a serious note, I found the autofocus pretty slow, meaning you have to hold the button down for quite a long time while it focuses and calculates exposure. This confused him, having to wait. Kids aren’t good at waiting. It was good to see Kurtis’ artistic side blossom though as he kept trying to take pictures of the ceiling.
All in I was pretty impressed with the results. Focus missed A LOT but then again I wasn’t really using the viewfinder under water, just pointing the camera using guess work. Kurtis took many of the shots as well so I suppose file these under ‘user error’. Out of the water I was surprised by the sharpness and lack of distortion from the fixed 32mm wide angle lens. The picture of the ferns below starts to stretch at the corners but in the centre its really quite excellent, especially when you consider it cost £17!
The instructions advise when shooting underwater to use fast film. The below shots are on Fuji Superia 1600 and Ilford Delta 3200. I’ve scanned the negs but my scanning skills are lacking so some of the colours look a bit funky.
For me film is all about the accidents, the focus misses, the guesswork. Its not knowing what you’ve got until you get it back from the shop. Thats where the magic is and thats what i’m trying to show the kids. If he’s lucky I might even make some darkroom enlargements of the black and white pictures with him. Smart phones are amazing but sometimes its nice to slow down just a little.
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by mdharrisonWedding Magazine – Vicky & Marco
January 2015’s copy of Wedding magazine published some of Vicky & Marco’s wedding photos in their real life weddings section. It was a beautiful wedding and will hopefully be inspirational for readers.
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by mdharrisonBring on the Sparklers!
This is from a wedding I shot some time ago. I love playing around with this sort of thing its so much fun!
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by mdharrisonPhotography 101 – Aperture
FURTHER NOTES
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by mdharrisonTreffynnon Pembrokeshire
For me Travel Photography is all about seeing the soul in a place. I don’t get out too much and with most of my wedding photography in Essex its nice to get jobs further afield or just take a break and head out in the car camera in tow.
I spent a couple of days in Wales with the family in mid July. I remember going to some beautiful places over there when I was a child, and on this trip the scenery and quality of light in Pembrokeshire was breathtaking. We were lucky to have nice weather and driving around the sunken lanes was as relaxing as lying around on the beach or strolling through a meadow.
We stayed in a small village called Treffynnon which was really only a collection of about ten houses scattered around the interconnection of several lanes. Reading the gravestones in the tiny village church gave you a real history of the place and the people that live there.
I’m fairly well travelled but when you visit places like this there is no question that we have some of the most beautiful places on earth scattered around this little island.
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by mdharrisonRandom Pictures
I enjoyed doing the 365 blog but there was a little too much pressure for my liking! The blog from now on will be just bit and bobs. Nuts and bolts. Cheese and crackers. Stuff i’m working on. Things I like.
I’ve finally set up a Facebook page and have been going through old work to populate the page and drum up some business. I came across this image from a wedding I shot a couple of years back. A rarely take a break at a wedding and can often be found wandering through bushes or exploring the venue while everyone is sat down to eat. This one just has a special feeling about it. Subdued light and colour give a peculiar ambiance. I imagine Snow White following a similar path before stumbling across the dwarves cottage……..
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by mdharrisonTest
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by mdharrisonKatie & Neil
When I first started out in Wedding Photography I was doing some ‘second shooting’ (assisting/getting in the way of) for the excellent JMA Photography. She told me i’d have to shoot more than 40 weddings before I had come across all the things that can go wrong. Many years down the line and I still get caught out regularly!
Katie and Neil’s wedding was no exception. As far as worst nightmares go, this has to be pretty near the top of the list for a bride. Two days before the wedding, while decorating their country barn, a pile of trestle tables fell on Katie, fracturing her pelvis in several places. I don’t think anyone would have blamed them for cancelling, but Katie showed incredible courage and determination to push on with the big day, all be it on wheels!
It was a fantastic day and everyone could tell the bride genuinely enjoyed it, even though she must have been in some discomfort. She even went glamping with her guests for a couple of nights after! Once she is up and about I’ve promised to go back and take some shots of her in her dress, standing, without the zimmer frame!
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by mdharrisonVicky & Marco
The week preceding Vicky & Marco’s wedding was a heatwave, but ‘torrential downpours and thunder storms’ had been forecast for the day of the wedding up to a week previously. I had a little panic after I couldn’t find my umbrella but needn’t have worried. The day turned out to be warm and bright and beautiful.
I love this kind of wedding, where the bride and groom have put so much effort into making everything perfect. The vineyard does not usually host wedding receptions, so the barn was just that, a barn, complete with resident mice and pigeons. Vicky and Marco transformed it into a gorgeous room full of light, colour and life.
A country church on a hill, a vineyard next to the family home and wonderful weather all contributed to a relaxed, fun and wondrous day.
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by mdharrisonThe Lawn, Rochford – Photo shoot
An edit from the recent photo shoot organised by Katie Poole at The Lawn in Rochford.
Everything included was provided by local suppliers:
- Venue: The Lawn, Rochford
- All dresses provided by Turner & Pennell
- Makeup by Katie Poole
- Hair by Jennie Galgey
- Jewellery by PS with Love
- Flowers from Shrinking Violet
- Balloons provided by Balloon Power
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by mdharrisonEmma & Brian
I’ve never shot at a baptist church before and the singing and dancing took me a little by surprise! In hindsight its a baptist church so duh – obvious! The live band definitely made the hymns more engaging and the whole experience was very uplifting.
Brian and Emma enjoyed a perfect day of singing and dancing. This wedding had a real community feel which came from the fact that many of the participants were regular visitors to the church. The minister was at the wedding breakfast along with all the family and friends which created a very special day.
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by mdharrisonAnna, Paul, Zachary and George
I enjoy location shoots but as with anything outdoors the great British weather often puts a dampener on things! This shoot was no exception. Cancelled a couple of times already, I woke up to dark skies and pouring rain. Anna advised she had seen the sun somewhere near so we took a risk. I’m glad we did as the weather was amazing, and we chanced upon a beautiful field full of long grass and blossom, and a secluded water trough, perfect for boys to explore!
The location is Creeksea Place in Burnham-on-Crouch. Anna & Paul live locally and its somewhere they take the kids regularly. It turned out to be a perfect morning for taking photos. Oh – I’m selectively ignoring the gale force winds that met us when we got to the creek!
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by mdharrisonPolaroid
A while ago I picked up a couple of packs of Polaroid film from The Photographers Gallery in London. ‘The Impossible Film Project’ has started making film again for vintage polaroid cameras. Its currently a little experimental with long development times and the images not being fixed properly, so fade and discolour pretty quickly. That said, they are updating their formula all the time and I notice the warnings have been removed from their site so I guess its getting much better.
After tinkering with a couple of cameras I had laying about I got one working. During my tinkering the film packs were loaded and unloaded a couple of times so its likely that some of the films were exposed. Focusing is auto (apparently) but i’m not sure what it was doing most of the time. The camera intermittently lost power as well, reseting the film count so I was never quite sure how many shots I had left. The results are a little odd but i’m definitely going to get some more film and experiment more.
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by mdharrisonZukie Selfridges Skate
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by mdharrisonSamantha & Aaron
When I get a spare moment or two, I find it useful to go over old work. Looking at old work gives me an idea of how my style and workflow have changed over the years but also what things I used to do well that maybe I have forgotten. Composition that works well go into my ‘image bank’ (the only section in my brain that retains information) and occasional technical accidents can be revived by improved production skills and/or software.
As I was going through the shots of Sam & Aarons wedding, I started randomly opening the odd shot in Photoshop and going to work. To be honest, the differences are only slight from that which I originally delivered to Sam & Aaron, but I got excited enough to re-edit a selection of shots from the day.
The day was memorable (to me) for the torrential down pour just before the ceremony was about to start. Its always good starting a long day by getting all your clothes and equipment wet! My cameras weather sealing passed the test and the rest of the day was sunshine so there was balance at least I suppose!
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by mdharrisonZukie @ Selfridges
The Zukie crew only went and got themselves into Selfridges! Jamie asked me to pop up there on a Saturday morning to document the occasion and I was confronted by an army of ‘Zukie Juniors’ and a real life celeb!
What is it they say about working with children? Try doing it in Selfridges! I definitely thought they were going to throw us out!
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by mdharrisonBeautiful Books
These albums are designed to be enjoyed, not just now but by future generations too. They are made from fine art, archival quality papers and inks so your album will last a lifetime and beyond.
ITS GREEN!
The paper is manufactured from sustainable sources and wherever possible local companies are used. The packaging is eco friendly, designed to minimise waste and shipping is carbon neutral. These books are 100% made in Britain! The albums are 10″x10″ and have a quality matte finish with a vibrancy and clarity that traditional photographic prints and albums can’t match. Hand bound and encased in a fine cotton cover, they open out flat with an almost invisible crease, so each image is on full view. Images can be printed right to the edge of the page. The books come debossed with your names on the front and protected in an unbleached natural cotton bag and presentation box.
I like to put lots of pictures into your books and as such all books come with 30 pages (60 sides). The design is a collaboration. I’ll ask you to chose 40 or 50 of your absolute favourite pictures then I’ll add some more from the collection to balance the design. You will get the proofs to agree and we can make changes until its perfect. There are a number of colours to choose from for the cotton cover. Leather covers are available for a small additional cost. I’m a veggie so you have to ask really really nicely for these!
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by mdharrisonocean sports resort watamu kenya
I was lucky enough to get a week in Kenya recently. I shot a wedding there and because mainly tourist operators fly to Mombassa it was cheaper to go for a week rather than a few days.
Anyway, the hotel that hosted the wedding asked me to shoot a couple of their apartments to update their website. Below are a selection of the shots.
If you are stuck for holiday ideas I highly recommend Watamu in Kenya, and Ocean Sports is one of the most relaxed hotels on a very relaxed beach. The unique thing about the place is that you can go for the paradise holiday but take a few days on Safari as well and capture the stunning beauty of Africa.
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by mdharrisonDhow cruise Mida Creek
To give their guests a chance to get to know each other Abi and Andy organised a little boat trip. Many of their guests (including myself) flew into Mombassa the day before the wedding, so a few hours drifting upstream with a little food and a few drinks was a perfect introduction to Kenya and a great way to unwind after a long flight.
Floating past mangroves with the sun setting on the horizon made for a breathtakingly beautiful evening and a perfect prelude to the wedding the following day. An evening that will live long in the memory of those that were lucky enough to be there.
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by mdharrisonAbi & Andy
I met Abi and Andy a couple of times before flying out to Africa to shoot their wedding. They both have connections to Kenya and Abi grew up there, holidaying in Watamu where the ceremony took place. They were relaxed and comfortable together and both had an obvious excitement for the wedding and spending time with their guests.
Its an understatement to say that they worked hard, organising flights, accommodation, safaris and answering questions from their guests (and me!). Their excitement and love for the location was infectious and they had a genuine selfless concern for their guests holiday experience over their own wedding day.
The location was simply amazing and somewhere I will never forget. I’m already thinking of when I can go back! Ocean Sports Resort hotel was the venue. It was perfectly relaxed with amazing views over the sea. Abi & Andy had sourced much from the locals, including the favours and gifts and Kikoys for the bridesmaids. All this meant that it was fairly big news around the resort! Many local people watched the ceremony from the beach creating a sense of community and it was lovely that everyone knew that something special was happening and wanted to help and take part.
Due to the vagaries of flights to Mombassa I spent a week at the resort as it was cheaper than three days?! So a special thanks to all the guests that kept me company and indulged me in rambling about cameras.
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by mdharrisonSwitch Skates / Leigh Lights
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Kurtis
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by mdharrisonZukie Drop
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Fairphone
05/10/2013
OK – so not my picture but just something thats going on. This is the first time I have got involved with a ‘crowd sourced’ project. I bought the phone before its went to production. They needed 15,000 orders to start production on a run of 25,000. They did it in a matter of a couple of weeks and have just gone over 20,000 orders.
I knew a little bit about the issues with smart-phone production, and product manufacture in general. But its not just the issue with poor pay and conditions in factories in the far east, there are even bigger issues with where the precious minerals are sourced.
I don’t want to get too into it as I know most people don’t think about these things. But if you do, take a look.
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Bathtime
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Light
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Star Wars
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Alex flashed
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Estuary view
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Tower Block
29/09/2013
Thought it was interesting to put this in to compare with the similar film shot below. This is more recent and taken on a Canon 5DII.
The flare is natural, although Lab colour adjustment seems to have enhanced it. I also like the plane in the distance and woman standing on her balcony, (5th one up in the middle).
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – More old film stuff……
28/09/2013
Again a really old shot taken on the Olympus OM1. Printed from negative this is a nice shot but it loses something when scanned. Never been able to simulate the print.
I used to print black and white in my bathroom at home. I liked to print quite large with long exposures and dodge and burn with stuff I could find laying about. For this shot I waved one hand around over the buildings to lighten them and create a vignette. Again, this subtlety is much harder to recreate digitally with the scanned image.
Its hard to see in this lo-res version, but I love the little open window on the dark side of the nearest tower.
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Olympus OM1
27/09/2013
This shot was taken many many years ago in Edinburgh. Its taken on my very first SLR, an old Olympus OM1. I’ve always liked this picture. It was taken with a dark red filter, only because I knew it created separation between blue sky and cloud. I like the atmosphere, you can almost feel the wind coming towards you through the grass. And the ‘Y’ shape of the tree reflected in the cloud shape was a fluke.
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – More beach
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Spooky (ish)
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Camping
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Jurassic Park
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Star Trails
22/09/2013
This was my very first effort at star trails and looking back, I think its OK. I’ll admit its exposed all wrong and the technique is pretty bad (just 1 long exposure rather than multiple layered exposures) and I had to do quite a bit in photoshop to correct exposure and colour. But I lucked out with the moon rising behind the trees (the flare) which wasn’t planned and the strange light pollution leaking in from the right adds some colour.
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Looking
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Beachy Beach
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Line Up
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Chasing the Light
18/09/2013
Sometimes the light beats you. I was out on a walk on a grey day at sunset in the New Forest. I was looking for a kind of abstract woodland shot conveying the complexity and confusion of the woodland, with a bit of Blair Witch ambiance thrown in. I didn’t get any good shots. As the sun was going down it appeared below the clouds and the below is the amazing light that we witnessed. It lasted for about maybe 90 seconds and I knew I wanted to capture it but didn’t know how. I mean, technically I did, but how to represent the moment, capture it, frame and compose it.
This is what I got. Very little done to this, bit of colour balance as was blueish in the shadows. This is what happened. a bad photo made interesting by the colours. Imagine if someone took a good photo? Whoa!
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Night time
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – The Sea
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Leigh-on-Sea
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Barcelona
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by mdharrisonFilm – Fuji Provia
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by mdharrisonFilm – Fujicolor Superia X-Tra 400
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by mdharrisonFilm – Fuji Velvia
Fuji Velvia:
Classic slide film revered by the professionals back in the day. This stuff is very hard to use but if you get it right it produces amazingly saturated colours. These were taken with the Olympus trip 35 which doesn’t really have enough control to expose properly this film properly. Or it might just be my laziness/lack of talent/lack of skill. Who knows…..
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Blue Steel
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by mdharrisonFamily Shoot – Colin, Kerry, Isabella & Emma
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – More Pos/Neg
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Positive/Negative
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – The Freely’s
10/09/2013
Did a location family shoot recently and just started editing them. My favourite picture turned out to be a shot of Colin & Kerry without the kids. I was shooting a few off to get my levels right before attempting to get Emma to sit still! I’ll stick up a dedicated blog once they are all done.
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Centre Parks
09/09/2013
This picture of K was taken on the Olympus trip using Fuji Velvia ISO 100 (Provia?). I use a neg scanner to create these and for some reason its was doing something funky with the colours and the scan was coming out far too red. If I had more time, patience and brains I’d try an work out why. Instead I did a very brief correction in Photoshop.
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – KK&A
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – K Climbing
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Do you realise…..
06/09/2013
On the website of the campsite we stayed at (Kelling Heath) it said that it was an excellent place for star gazing due to the lack of light pollution. I set up on the second night and planned a multiple expose ‘star trail’ shot. I was up till 2am waiting for 3 hours of exposures. My mistake was not checking on my camera as it had got covered in dew after about 5 shots (#fail). Anyway, this is a test shot. 30 second exposure a little too long for a single shot, you can still see some movement in the stars. Also, should have overexposed by probably 1 or 2 stops.
When we were walking back from the pub before I took this we couldn’t stop looking at the sky. Its very rare you can actually see the milky way.
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Norfolk Light
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Sam
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Rat Race
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Ubu Roi
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by mdharrison365 Photo Blog – Pink Rose
01/09/2013
Took this in my back garden as the sun disappeared over the horizon. The very last ray of orange sunlight, between tree and garage and over fence, hit this solitary rose for just a minute. One of those moments when you are glad to have camera to hand.
PS – big nod to Thomas Struth.