Golf Crazy or Crazy Golf

Decisions, decisions.  Oh heck, we'll shoot them both!

In my last blog post I was talking about some of the commercial photography I do, but in the past week, I've been shooting something entirely different again.  Back in January I was asked if I'd be prepared to shoot some images of the Links golf courses in St. Andrews to partner some aerial images being shot with drones, all of which images are to be used in the production of a computer game on the far side of the world.

  

Always keen to take on a challenge, I said I'd love to be involved.  As usual the client is in a hurry, and of course, with the short days and low winter sun (beloved of we photographers in wedding mode) it soon became clear that January was not going to be a good time for shooting the kind of images required.  Artistic lens flare and silhouettes are not too helpful for animators trying to construct a game, so we've had to wait.  Now that the sun is sitting a little higher in the sky, we're onto the job with a vengeance, and what a job it is.  Imagine yourself in a computer game, and you're at the tee box (see, I'm down with all the technical golf speak now!) and you're looking around at the view before you select your spot and put your ball down.  I've been creating that view, then the view all down the fairway, round the bunkers and on to the green, all around the green with additional views from the hole cup (that's a 360 rotation), and some additional sweeps right to left and left to right from the back left and back right of the green....okay, so now you've zoned out!  Welcome to my world.  Multiply that by eighteen holes across three courses and you'll see why I was so delighted to find Mike and the catering van on the New Course yesterday.  Just a couple more days to do thank goodness, but if anyone needs any advice on the slopes and dips on those courses....then please don't ask me, because by now it's all a blur. 

Fantastic catering van with a personal touch from super cheery Mike.

Eden Estuary - stepping stones to....getting wet I guess!

"A Owl" - looks like he needs a wash and brush up.

Encountered more than our fair share of this as we scrambled about.

A brief sit down in the "rough" - waiting for golfers to play through.

When you've been photographing grass all day, this is a welcome respite.

Not only weddings but also.....

If I had managed to keep blogging regularly over the past  12 months you would no doubt be aware by now that I don't only shoot weddings.  I absolutely love to shoot weddings, but I also love to shoot portraits, interiors, exteriors, products, food and well...everything really (but not sharks!)

Over the past twelve months or so I have undertaken all kinds of assignments which would fall under the category of commercial photography.  

My clients have included:

• Woodmill High School
• Bandrum Nursing Home
• Cashmere at Lochleven
• Cora Studio
• Wazfit
• Balmule House
• Eskgrove Homes
• Francine Wardrope Hairdressing
• Highland Kilt Connections/To Be Wed 
• Thomas & Adamson
• Sashes Venue Styling
• Settle Land Surveys
• Blue Ice Live Band
• It's No Reel Professional Ceilidh Band
• The Kingswood Hotel 

This January, I was delighted to be commissioned to shoot interiors, exteriors and staff portraits for Dermal Clinic in Edinburgh.  The clinic has a very striking interior with lots of funky, recessed lighting which was central to the brief.  Shooting whilst the clinic was busy with clients meant that we had to be nimble on our feet and flexible in our approach to the shooting, switching location at a moment's notice.  I just loved the helix sculpture, even if I had to contort myself into an extraordinary position to get the angle I wanted.  

www.dermalclinic.co.uk

The Wedding of Pat & Martin, Rufflet's Hotel, St.Andrews

The irony is that I love to write blog posts.   I've just been really bad at doing it.  It's not my fault; I'm short of time.  The problem with running your own small business, micro business actually, is that you have to do everything yourself, all the time, and if you want to have any kind of a life as well, then some things are inevitably going to get side-lined.  It's never going to be my clients, so the poor old blog has been left in the corner, like "Baby" (the girls will get that reference; boys don't stand a chance!)

Listen.  That rustling you can hear is the sound of a new leaf being turned over.  I'm going to try so much harder to do so much better.  

So, 2015 begins, and I've been busy from the start.  The winter is "low season" for wedding photography (although that's changing and many photographers will already have several weddings under their belts by now).  For me, 2015 kicked off with the wedding of Pat and Martin at the gorgeous Rufflet's Hotel in St.Andrews on the 3rd January.  It was a tad chilly outside, but we had a touch of that beautiful golden winter sun which meant that we simply had to go into the gardens for a few photos.  The bridesmaids looked fabulous in their silver-grey dresses with lace detail, the colour being picked up perfectly in the sash on the flower girl's dress.  Pat's beautiful wedding dress was one hundred percent, classic glamour.  I do like dresses with straps, sleeves and detail around the top, and the cowl draping down the back looked simply stunning.

Hair by Francine Wardrope Hairdressing  07919 926418
Flowers by Hayley Michelle Allcoat www.hayleymichelle.co.uk