January 2015 - Inverness Photographer

January 22, 2015March 12, 2015 by Roddy Mackay

Pre Wedding Photos – Stornoway Photographer

With so much of a beautiful island to work with there is no better way to get great wedding photographs in Stornoway than fitting in a pre wedding session to make the most of what the island has to offer.

In addition to your wedding day itself a pre wedding session allows you to make the most of part of the island that you might not have time to visit on the day, or visit at a time of day or year when the light is that bit more beautiful to work with.

If you feel a little nervous about having a camera around on your wedding day, a pre wedding shoot also helps to put you at ease and get used to having a camera pointing your way.

Would you like to know more? Get in touch!

Send me an e-mail

January 14, 2015March 4, 2015 by Roddy Mackay

How to pick a wedding photographer

Getting married? Congratulations!

If there’s one thing guaranteed about your wedding day, it’s that it will fly by. So getting some great wedding photographs to make the most of your memories is highly recommended. There’s a lot of options out there when it comes to photographers, so here’s 4 points to consider when making your selection:

1. You like their portfolio

It may sound obvious but you need to love the style of photographs that your photographer takes and understand what’s involved in shooting to that style. ‘Documentary’, ‘reportage’, ‘traditional’: there’s a lot of buzz words in wedding photography – ask your potential photographer what they mean to help you decide what you are looking for.

2. You like them

Your photographer will be around you and your guests for a lot, if not all, of your wedding day – you want to make sure that you can enjoy their company. A good photographer should have the equivalent of a doctor’s bedside manner and be able to get alongside you, your friends and family, and know how to help you make the most of your wedding day. It’s not just what they do, but it’s how they do it!

3. They have the right kit

The photography (and videography) market is swamped with amateurs and hobbyists. While they might be able to take some good pictures, you need to know that they can shoot a job from start to finish. Photography equipment is very expensive but a full-time professional photographer will have invested well to make sure they have the full range of kit required to give you the best possible photographs.
Do they have back up lenses, back up cameras? Can they provide a set of studio lights to shoot indoors should the weather not be as you hoped?

4. They’ve got experience

We’ve all got to start somewhere but a photographer with experience of wedding environments and timetables is a huge benefit. They will be able to give you plenty ideas as to how to make even more of your schedule, the weather on the day, and the photographs that you hope they can capture for you.

Want more information?

I’ve been shooting weddings for 10 years and still love the excitement of getting great images that make the most of your wedding memories. If you would like more information, get in touch – I’d love to hear from you.

Send me an e-mail

January 3, 2015March 4, 2015 by Roddy Mackay

Strathpeffer Pavilion Wedding Fair

I’ll be exhibiting at the Strathpeffer Pavilion Wedding fair tomorrow and to celebrate I’ve teamed up with MacKenzies’ to offer a mini break in Strathpeffer. It’s technically aimed at newly engaged couples but we’re generous, anyone can enter.

The prize consists of:

– 1 night’s accomodation for two at Linnmhor House, a beautiful luxury Bed and Breakfast in the heart of the Highlands.

– Lunch for two the following day at MacKenzies in Strathpeffer.

– A mini Whisky tasting course at Celtic Spirits.

To enter you need to head to head to my Facebook Page here and like and comment on the post to nominate yourself or a friend!

The winning entry will be notified by Friday 09th January.

And if you’re recently engaged then why not come along to the Pavilion between 12 – 4pm tomorrow to see what they, and I can offer for your wedding plans!

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January 1, 2015February 23, 2015 by Roddy Mackay

My two favourite photos of 2014

I get asked often as a photographer what my favourite image is and it’s normally a pretty impossible one to choose.

I did managed to narrow my choices down a little to pick out my favourite image of 2014 but felt I needed to choose two, partly because of the stories associated with where and how they were shot!

The Lady on the Road to Ba Be Lake

I shot this first image of the Lady on the Road to Ba Be Lake of the first of my two trips into Vietnam in April of this year. I was travelling down to Ba Be Lake to shoot for one of my NGO clients along with a guide and the driver who had collected us from Hanoi. We decided to stop for lunch on the road on the way down, and taking a little wander around the few houses we had stopped by, I came across this lady and her family. It was one of those great experiences you have when travelling when you don’t quite know what to expect but you find little moments of magic in the most unexpected of places. I loved shooting some images of this lady, and interacting with her and her family. We couldn’t speak the same language but we shared plenty of smiles!

Richard and Kelly – A Heathy Lea Wedding

Richard and Kelly were married in August and had wedding reception at Heathy Lea, a beautiful venue on the Chatsworth Estate in Derbyshire.

I had first met Richard and Kelly briefly the year below when they were guests at the wedding of Sian and Shankar at Cameron House in Loch Lomond. They had got engaged the day before, and I was delighted when they got in touch a few months later to ask if I would be able to come and capture their wedding photos for them!

They had done an incredible job of styling their wedding, which as a photographer makes the day so much fun to photograph, and they also had a lot happening throughout the day, meaning there was plenty for guests to do and for me to see!

The tree in the photo sits on the Chatsworth Estate just in front of Heathy Lea, and the rope swing in the photo was well visited by their guests throughout the day. This frame was shot with the very last light of the day when the moon was out (top right of the frame), and it was a shot I was delighted to get.

2015 should be an exciting year, as we look to get settled into Inverness as a family, and I’m looking forward to being out and about photographing new projects and finding some new spaces to work in. If you’re in need of a photographer then I’d be delighted to hear from you, and in the meantime, Happy New Year!

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