Roddy Mackay, Author at Inverness Photographer

January 4, 2016January 4, 2016 by Roddy Mackay

2015 – A review of the year for Inverness Photographer

Happy New Year!

2015 shaped up to be a rather monumental year on a personal level with the sale of our Glasgow home, purchasing our Inverness home and working on relocating our businesses north to Inverness. The icing on the cake came late on Boxing Day with the arrival of Lucy Kate, a daughter for Fiona and I, and a little sister for Ally.

Work life was also exceptionally busy, and exciting – with weddings all over Scotland and as far afield as London and Colorado! Other projects also took me travelling back into the Philippines, Thailand and Singapore, with an additional first time trip into Laos for the year end.

2016 will hopefully be as exciting a year, as I celebrate the 10 year anniversary of being in business – possibly with an exhibition of previously unseen images.

The calendar still has plenty of free space however, so now is the time to be in touch if you or someone you know has a project in mind.

For now, take a look through some of my favourite photographs from these last 12 months, some from Inverness, and some from a little further afield!

Slainte!

January – My year started with the first of my overseas trips to the Philippines.

February – My first wedding of the year was the elopement of Jordan and Julie who came to Scotland from their native USA to get married in Aboyne. We had a great day travelling through Aberdeenshire capturing a selection of shots, including a trip to the Queen’s highland home at Balmoral!

I was travelling again in March, with Mark and Diana’s wedding in Dunkeld and a commissioned project to shoot an editorial travel feature on Glasgow for Canadian airline Westjet amongst my favourite jobs.

Wedding season got into full swing in April, with Alex and Suzie’s wedding at Aultmore House, Niall and Catherine’s wedding in Glasgow and Airth and Laura and Kevin’s wedding at beautiful Achnagairn.

May was one of the busiest months I’ve ever had, with Alex and Susan’s wedding in Inverary feeling fairly local compared with Phil and Rose’s wedding in London, and Andrew and Jennifer’s wedding in Coloardo! I also managed to fit in a trip to Thailand and Singapore inbetween – just!

I was back in Thailand again later in June, but not before a few more weddings in Lewis, Camusdarach and back at Achnagairn.

I started July in Thailand, but was soon back in the UK for weddings all over Scotland and a week down in London.

I was still shooting weddings well into August, with more trips on the road in Glasgow, Blanefield and Aberdeen including some more local Inverness weddings.

September was America month, as I shot the weddings of 3 american couples inbetween a few Scottish couples, followed by a trip to America for our family holiday.

I managed a little holiday time in October,with a road trip in the USA with Fiona, Ally and Bump. A few days in the Carolina’s was great creative therapy to come back to a busy end of the year. A cabin in the woods was also an ideal editing environment for more weddings, and editing my scottish roadtrip photo diary with Jason and Julia. My first visit to a highland games was a fun job to shoot at the end of the month, with an editorial assignment for Red Bull.

I was delighted to make the most of a late Autumn for Becky and Struan’s engagement photo session on the first day of November. But I was soon back on my travels again, this time to Laos.

And then it was December – I was busy with a variety of editorial jobs through the month, but grateful for a little time to relax and take stock too – it’s been a busy year!

Farr Loch Winter Reflections

2016 marks 10 years since I first became a full time professional photographer, so it will hopefully be another exciting year for projects. I’ve still got plenty space in my diary as things stand, so if you or anyone you know would like to talk to me about a project you have in mind, now is the time to get in touch!

Send me an e-mail!

December 10, 2015December 10, 2015 by Roddy Mackay

Portraiture Gift Vouchers

Christmas is a special time to get to share with family, and what better way to celebrate that, than with a voucher towards a family/kids portrait session? I’m not currently accepting any more bookings for portrait sessions until the new year, but a voucher allows the chance to make the most of better (warmer!) weather in a few months time. Costs for vouchers start from £50 and can go up to any amount you specify.

With only two weeks to go until Christmas time is running out to come up with some ideal presents, but a gift voucher towards a family portrait session is the perfect gift to make sure that memories can be made in 2016.

Portrait sessions are available throughout Scotland, with portrait package prices starting from £95. All packages include:

an on location session – Let’s get out and about and shoot some images in the spaces that mean the most to you.
a post session edit – Your images edited post session and available to view on your private password protected gallery.
a print credit – To order and make the most of your images. Prints start from £12 and digital files are also available to purchase.
a mobile app of your images – Perfect for tablets and smartphones and sharing your images on the go with friends and family!

Gift vouchers come as a card for you to gift to the recipient alongside a letter outlining their options.

Gift vouchers can also be redeemed against a range of other services, including my wedding photography services, or on private camera tuition!

Want more information? Send me an e-mail!

Send me an email

in Family Portraits / Kids Portraits 0 comments

November 24, 2015November 24, 2015 by Roddy Mackay

Unique Christmas Presents from Roddy Mackay Photography

Are we allowed to talk about it yet? It’s officially one month until Christmas eve, so rather than risk doing your last minute christmas shopping in the Tesco petrol station, now is the time to get shopping for something that little more unique.

As a small business I am delighted to be able to offer a range of options for a unique Christmas present including beautiful prints from around the world, a gift voucher towards a portrait session, or an option to have a loved one spending some one on one time learning how to make more of their camera.

Search my archive for something special:

With 10 years of travel around the world under my belt, you should be able to find some photographs in my archive for a unique present. In addition to images from Scotland, you’ll also find a selection of images from 29 other countries and iconic locations such as New York, London, Paris and Tokyo. The archive isn’t quite as organised as I would like it to be just now, but you can access a special selection of some of my favourite images in the link here, prices start from just £25.

Gift Vouchers towards a Portrait Session

Christmas is a special time to get to share with family, and what better way to celebrate that, than with a voucher towards a family/kids portrait session? I’m not currently accepting any booking for portrait sessions until the new year, but a voucher allows the chance to make the most of better (warmer!) weather in a few months time. Costs for vouchers start from £50 and can go up to any amount you specify.

Learn how to use that camera!

Still struggling to figure out how to use last years Christmas present? Desperate to take images as good as the ones you see elsewhere? One on one camera tuition can help you learn how to make more of your camera! I’m happy to offer one on one lessons talking through the basics of camera control, creating images, archiving material and portfolio development. If you want to find out more information – read on here.

Get in touch!

send me an e-mail

in General / Tips and tricks 0 comments

November 21, 2015November 24, 2015 by Roddy Mackay

Photography Tuition – No more ‘auto’ settings!

Would you like to make more of your photography? Or take your camera off ‘auto’ and be a little more creative?

I’m pleased to now offer one on one photography tuition to those looking to make more of their camera, or who are ready to make the step up to the next level with their photography.

Tuition is offered based on a mixture of what you would like to learn, mixed in with a little direction on set challenges to help you think through the process of what you would like to achieve.

Basic lessons cover elements of image construction, correctly exposing the camera on manual control, and learning how to to override the auto settings to achieve your own creative vision.

Additionally I can offer lessons on learning how to look for light, controlling your subject to get your desired results, archival and post processing of images.

I’d also be happy to guide you through some of my favourite portfolio shots, how I shot it, and how you can aim for the same.

Lessons start from £95 for a 2hr base lesson, or £275 for a full day six hour lesson.

if you’d like to know more, or to enquire about availability, send me an e-mail here.

in General / Tips and tricks 0 comments

November 6, 2015November 6, 2015 by Roddy Mackay

Inverness Engagement Photographer

Becky and Struan got in touch not long after their engagement to ask if would be able to take some photographs with them to celebrate their engagement – I was delighted to be asked!

I travelled down from Inverness to meet them in Aberfeldy, where Struan is originally from, and we spent some time exploring different corners of Aberfeldy and further along Loch Tay on what was a beautiful autumn/winters day.

With it being the 1st of November I was a little nervous about what weather we could have to work with for their photo session, but we had a beautiful day with clear blue skies and bursts of colour from the trees all around. The autumn colours really seem to have lasted much longer this year, something I’m very grateful for!

As well as having some time to take photographs at the Birks of Aberfeldy we headed on to Ardreonaig to spend some time down at Loch Tay, the calm waters of the loch made for beautiful reflected light, great to work with!

If you are recently engaged, or are looking for the perfect Christmas present for a loved one then please do get in touch – I’d be delighted to advise further on options for capturing some beautiful photographs for you.

in Engagement / Scotland / Weddings 0 comments

October 31, 2015 by Roddy Mackay

Thailand Travel Photography

I’m working through the last of the edits of wedding season before I head off for the last big travel photography project of the year in Laos, next weekend.

It’s been a busy year, and as I fly out next weekend, it will mark the last of 7 overseas projects this year, and my third trip into Thailand of the year.

Despite having been to Thailand many times, my last trip was the first time I had made it to Chiangmai, and it’s definitely a place I would reccommend if you are considering a trip in the near future. I’d specifically reccommend checking out the Silver Temple, a little off the obvious tourist trail, but definitely worth a visit if you’re keen to capture some good images. Be sure to get their early though – if you’d like to see Monks and avoid the heat!

I’ll be working on catching up on some admin over the next week also, if you have questions regarding any projects or are keen to have your wedding albums ready in time for Christmas, now is the time to be in touch!

I’m expecting to be away from next Saturday (07th) and returning on the 20th November, as I expect to be travelling in more remote areas, I don’t expect to have much e-mail access.

Baby Mackay number 2 is also due to make an appearance shortly after I’m back and Santa makes and appearance, so now is the time to get in touch!

in Travel 0 comments

October 29, 2015October 30, 2015 by Roddy Mackay

Wedding Albums – What should we choose?

Wedding albums are much like weddings – rarely are two the same nowadays, and what one couple loves will likely not always be to someone else’s taste!

With that in mind I offer a range of wedding albums, designed to help you get an album that you love and that will best complement your images.

I currently offer a range of 4 albums with my packages, all of which are customisable to some extent. I’m also happy to source a different product should you have seen something elsewhere that you would like instead.

I’ve outlined some of the core information on the albums I offer, and links to where you should be able to find the PDFs with set information on the different albums. You can also send me an e-mail if you need more information.

What’s Included in our package?

I offer an album entitlement with most of my wedding packages, in addition to your USB of images and online galleries. This allows you to pick which album you would like, and which images you would like to have in it. You can also customise your album with extra images, or extra pages. Package prices have changed recently but you should find a guide to your album allowance below.

For packages booked pre October 2015

£1,600 package a 20 page Mini Eros, A 20 page Combi Book or a 30 page Layflat Infinity
£1,800 package a 30 page Mini Eros, A 30 page Combi Book or a 40 page Layflat Infinity
£2,000 package a 40 page Mini Eros, A 40 page Combi Book or a 40 page Layflat Infinity (additionally you also have 2 x parents vouchers with this package)

What is the difference between the different albums?

The Mini Eros – Download the Mini Eros PDF here

The Mini Eros album is handmade in the UK, and features a range of overlays which frame the prints in the album. It comes in a range of 20, 30 or 40 pages. Each page has an overlay with a variety of different apertures, some with space for one image, and some with space for 2, 3 or 4 on a page. The album page size is approx 10 by 8 inches, with a maximum print size of 8 by 6 inches.

The Mini Eros is available in black or white, and comes with a faux leather cover.

The Mini Eros Wedding Album

The Hera

The Hera is the big sister to the Mini Eros, and like the Mini Eros it uses a range of mounts to frame images into the page. The biggest difference with the Hera is the size of the album, with a page size of approximately 14 by 11 inches and a maximum print size of 12 by 8 inches. If your budget will stretch to it, I’d highly recommend it as it’s a beautiful product!

The Hera wedding album

The Combi Book – Download the Combi Book PDF here

The Combi Book is made by the same craftsmen as the Mini Eros and Hera, but rather than utilising mounts to keep the images on the page, prints are applied directly to the album page, making the most of the images.

The Combi Book comes in two sizes, (8 by 6 and 12 by 8 inches) and your choice of a 20, 30 or 40 pages. (The Combi Book option included in package is for a 12 by 8 version of the book.

The Combi Book

The Layflat Infinity Coffee Table Book – Download the Layflat PDF here

The Layflat is a press printed book with a unique spine system that allows for images to be spread across two pages with virtually no loss of image on the centre of the page.

With a 12 by 12 inch page size that folds out to a 24 by 12 inch size, the Layflat is a great product when you want to make the most of your key images.

Layflat Coffee Table Book

The Memento Book – Download the Memento Book PDF here

The Memento is a great additional product to accompany your album, or great as a basic standalone product in its own right. As a digitally press printed book it allows space to have contact sheets of all of your images from the day in addition to a selection of some of your favourite images as larger prints. Due to its size (A4) it’s also a great product to pop into a handbag and take with you to share with friends and family.

The Memento also makes a great gift for family or bridal party members, with costs from £95 or £75 when ordering multiple copies.

The Memento Book

How many images can we have in our album?

Each product contains a different number of images, but most are cutomisable.

With the Mini Eros, Hera and Combi Books you have a set number of images which corresponds with the number of pages in your product, so a 20 page would have 20 images and so on.

Additional images can be added at a cost of £5 per extra image, or 10 extra pages can be added at a cost of £95, with 10 additional images.

You can have an unlimited number of images in a Layflat album, presuming there is enough space for the design to hold it.

Can we add an album or extra albums to our package?

Absolutely! Albums can be ordered as standalone products should you wish to add one into your package, or additional albums can be ordered for yourself, friends and family.

Costs of albums vary depending on up to date info from suppliers, but as a guide – current album costs are as below.

30 page Mini Eros – £295

40 page Mini Eros – £395

20 page 12 by 8 inch Combi Book £250

30 page 12 by 8 inch Combi Book £295

40 page 12 by 8 inch Combi Book £395

40 page 12 by 12 inch Layflat: £295

60 page 12 by 12 inch Layflat: £395

The Hera: POA

in Wedding Planning / Weddings 0 comments

October 23, 2015October 23, 2015 by Roddy Mackay

Inverness Wedding Photography Costs

Recently engaged and planning your upcoming wedding? Congratulations!

Once the celebrations have calmed down a little you’ll no doubt be getting your notepad out and looking to get an idea about the different costs involved in planning your wedding. There’s a lot to take in – but I’ll be happy to help!

I’ve been photographing weddings for the last 10 years, and have had the pleasure of sharing the day with hundreds of couples during that time. I’m now based in Inverness but I love visiting new venues (and old ones!) and frequently travel throughout Scotland and further afield for weddings.

Wedding photography costs are essentially determined by what you would like to include in a package – that normally covers a certain amount of time on the day and all of the rest of the work that comes either in preparing for the wedding, or the post wedding edits, gallery construction and albums. As photographers we know that everyone has a camera with them at a wedding nowadays – but our skillset is unique, and you can expect us to spend about 6-8 days in total working on your wedding.

It’s great to have images available to share with family and friends after the wedding – so that is included in all of my packages as standard. It can be tempting to hide a USB in a drawer and forget all about it after the wedding, so I also offer a range of wedding albums, wall art products and prints in order to make the most of those important images. Each package also contains a personalised mobile app with up to 40 images of your day – ideal for sharing with friends and family!

You can find a full listing of my pricing for weddings below but if you are planning a small boutique wedding, a midweek celebration or an elopement then please do get in touch, I’d be happy to advise further.

You can also download a PDF with information on my packages here – or send me an e-mail here.

£995

- Pre wedding consultation to help plan out your wedding day and advise on the best options for your wedding photos.
- Coverage on the wedding day up until the mealtime.
- A USB of your images post wedding with licence to print and share images with family and friends.
- A password protected online gallery of your images to share with family and friends.
- A mobile app of a selection of your images to give a flavour of the day - accessible online or via your mobile device!
(£995 package is only availble on select dates and smaller
weddings - get in touch for more details)

Enquire

£1,295

– Pre wedding consultation to help plan out your wedding day and advise on the best options for your wedding photos.
– Coverage on the wedding from the preparations on the day up until the first few dances.
– A USB of your images post
wedding with licence to print and share images with family and friends.
– A password protected online
gallery of your images to share with family and friends.
– A mobile app of a selection of your images to give a flavour of the day – accessible online or via your mobile device!
– A £100 print credit towards prints, wall art or album products

Enquire

£1,695

- Pre wedding consultation to help plan out your wedding day and advise on the best options for your wedding photos.
- Coverage on the wedding from the preparations on the day up until the first few dances.
- A USB of your images post
wedding with licence to print and share images with family and friends.
- A password protected online
gallery of your images to share with family and friends.
- A mobile app of a selection of your images to give a flavour of the day - accessible online or via your mobile device!
- A £100 print credit towards prints, wall art or album products
- An additional selection of Black and White images in your edit
- A choice between a 30 page Combi Book, Layflat or Mini Eros album

Enquire

£1,995

£1,995
- Pre wedding consultation to help plan out your wedding day and advise on the best options for your wedding photos.
- Coverage on the wedding from the preparations on the day up until the first few dances.
- A USB of your images post
wedding with licence to print and share images with family and friends.
- A password protected online
gallery of your images to share with family and friends.
- A mobile app of a selection of your images to give a flavour of the day - accessible online or via your mobile device!
- A £100 print credit towards prints, wall art or album products
- An additional selection of Black and White images in your edit
- A choice between a 40 page Combi Book, Layflat or Mini Eros album
- 2 x parents vouchers with a £100 print credit towards prints, wall art or album products

Enquire

in Wedding Planning / Weddings 0 comments

September 26, 2015October 29, 2015 by Roddy Mackay

Isle of Skye Engagement Photos

Jason and Julia first got in touch with me a few weeks ago to enquire about having some engagement photos taken on the Isle of Skye before their wedding in Edinburgh a few days later.

We made a great first connection over Skype, and I was delighted to be asked to come and shoot some images with them on Skye before shooting their Edinburgh elopement.

As first time visitors to Skye I was able to advise on some locations that would work well for their images, and we travelled up from Inverness to head over towards the island, stopping off at some of my favourite locations along the way.

We ended up at one of my favourite coastal spots with views accross to the beautiful Cuillins for our final shots of the day, which is where we shot this image – and I’m now looking forward to heading down to join them in Edinburgh on Monday!

in Engagement / Weddings 0 comments

September 14, 2015October 26, 2015 by Roddy Mackay

Alun and Louise – A Cottiers Wedding

I had another double wedding weekend this weekend, with the wedding of Alun and Louise in the West End of Glasgow on Friday before heading up the road for Jess and Mike’s wedding in Inverness on Saturday.

It’s always good to be back in Glasgow, and to have my first time shooting at a wedding that I used to pass almost everyday.

Alun and Louise had a very relaxed day, with no bridal party and a very close group of friends and family joining them as they took their vows and celebrted in style in Cottiers into the small hours.

in Weddings 0 comments