2010 – A Year in Photographs…

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So at long last, when new year and Christmas seem a lifetime ago, I’ve finally put together my list of favourite images from 2010. I had intended to blog this in the first week of January, but I have to say, 2011 has got off to a flyer and I literally haven’t had the chance! But I can’t leave it any longer – here it is, my TOP 40 images from the last year. I’ve given myself a couple of rules – firstly limiting my post to 40 images (nice round number!) and also that I can’t choose more than one image from any one shoot. So it’s been tough – nobody is more critical of my work than myself, but at the same time, as a photographer you often fall in love with so many of the images you take (especially beautiful wedding images) so I’ve been really hard on myself and MADE myself choose! The list isn’t exclusively weddings – it really is a flavour of everything I did last year.

One last thing – in a rather geeky way, I worked out that I took around 75,000 photographs last year. So whittling it down to my favourite 40 was no easy task. But be thankful I haven’t made you sit through all of them!!!

So let’s start with the very beautiful Laura & Ewan’s New Year’s Eve first dance…

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Cat & Pete. The Inn at Whitewell (I got married there! Have I mentioned that before???) Taking five minutes out at the bar. Love it.

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Arthi & Jon’s Castlefield wedding. LOVE the local gangsta pimping it past the bridal party…

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Ahhhh – the GORGEOUS Alexis! Her fiance, Adam, is equally gorgeous, but, rules are rules and I LOVE this one of just Alexis, which means sadly he doesn’t get a feature…

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From a very cool bridal shoot I organised at Twelve Restaurant in Thornton, Lancashire. Love the David Fielden gown from The White Closet – Amy looks soooo cool!

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Self indulgent? Me? So obviously I didn’t take this one (the studio director did!) but I processed it! And it reminds me of an awesome weekend in Ireland last year…

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Livy off of Livy & Owen – theirs was the first wedding that I shot at one of my favourite venues in the whole world, the amazing Styal Lodge, and it was just the most beautiful day. I love this shot from the morning of the girls fussing round Livy…

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Steph & James on the beach at Lytham. In FREEZING January last year. But how beautiful is that scene?

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Sometimes you get lucky…;0)

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The most perfect snowy scene at Singleton Lodge for Emma & Karl’s wedding! I love a bride who isn’t scared to get her feet cold!

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Another Styal Lodge image – the very beautiful Poppy Higham wearing a stunning gown from Timeless Bride – and what about that Flower Design bouquet?!

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NYC baby!

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A very special wedding from last year – Linz & Rick (our very, very good friends) got married at The Swan at Newby Bridge and I photographed it for them. I love this – best man Mike stepping up and delivering the best speech ever!

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I love Sarah & Matt! I had such fun with them throughout their entire wedding journey and just adore this shot of them in Fletcher Moss Park in Didsbury…

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Cat & Pete’s pre-wedding shoot at The Inn at Whitewell – the stepping stones are truly an iconic part of the area and I love this moment between them…

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Livy & Owen’s pre-wedding shoot. This is when you realise just how well you’re going to get on with your bride and groom!

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Doesn’t Michelle just look so perfect in this setting? No posing, just the perfect location, the most beautiful gown – it just works beautifully…

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A recent favourite of main from Cate & Mike’s pre-wedding shoot. The shadows were too cool to walk past!

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A genuine moment of reflection, calm and nerves all rolled into one on Charlotte & John’s wedding. Gorgeous…

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Danielle turned into a bridal gown model for a moment…!!! Stunning!

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Dawn & Phil at Dunham Massey. I love how unintrusive this image is, yet at the same time has so much atmosphere and emotion…

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One of my iconic images of the past year. An image that was conceived with the input of the bride and groom which is exactly the way I love to work. Claire and Andrew wanted something really cool and dramatic that was all about the part of the world they were in. Claire’s stunning Ian Stuart gown was made for this kind of image…

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Moments like this are what weddings are all about – Diana and Louisa and Luisa just enjoying themselves!

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Ella. Attitude. Amazing.

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Emma giving it both barrels on hers and Karl’s pre-wedding shoot – cool as!

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A beautiful tender moment between Fran & Joe on their gorgeous summer wedding…

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Emily backing up my ridiculous statement that Uggs were going to be big with wedding dresses this winter! Love this shot from Gibbon Bridge!

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A timeless image from Jo & Mark’s spectacular Tuscany wedding…

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Karey & Kate’s pre-wedding shoot in NYC. I won’t tell you how long we had to wait for a yellow cab to come past! In the movies it looks like the city’s full of them!

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Washington Square Park Memorial, New York City. Another couple with creative ideas of their own that came up with this location and actually wanted this shot so badly that we left their reception at night, jumped in a cab and went and got this image. How cool is that?!

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And another couple who really understood the role of photography at their wedding. Kirsty & Stuart had idea after idea for locations in St Andrew’s they wanted to use – music to my ears! I love the fact that we’ve got the whole bridal party with us for this…

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Laura & Ewan’s pre-wedding shoot on a miserable day. But what a moment…

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Weddings are all about moments. And capturing those moments is so important. This spontaneous laughter was due to the congregation setting off at the wrong time in the hymn they were singing – cue the WHOLE place falling about laughing and nobody able to get it back on track! But Lisa and Tom will remember that moment forever…

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Louise & Olly. Confetti. Soooooooo happy! That’s why I love it!

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Manhattan skyline in black and white. Very cool.

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Olivia at dusk wearing her art project. See, everyone thinks that dresses that light up were invented by Big Fat Gypsy Weddings! Olivia was designing them a year ago!

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Sarah & Dan steal a moment on King Street just after they’d got married…

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A very special shot from Sarah & Matt’s wedding at Sandhole Oak Barn in Cheshire. Shot especially on the car park – just for them!

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A really cool image from Steph & James’s post-wedding shoot in Northumberland!

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And finally – Vicki & James sneaking a moment together on the beautiful terrace at Styal Lodge…gorgeous…

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So there we have it. 40 images. Lots of beautiful people in love. Lots of moments never to be forgotten. What a year.

Special mentions to those who contributed to making my 2010 a particularly special one. Huge and sincere thanks for all the support you gave me – you all know what you did which means so much…

Emma Draper

Pete & Chris Draper

Jo, Paul & Megan Pike

Katie Draper & Anthony Roberts

Clare Draper

Keith & Pauline Latham

Jane & Jason Thompson

Olivia Jones

Jonathan Harris & Christine Ware

Ella Warhurst

Andy Cheetham & David Bell

Julia Gaffey

Bridget Pelicias

Tom Harrington

And last but certainly not least – all of my amazing brides and grooms and brides and grooms to be!

Here’s to 2011!

xxx

Categories: Fashion