MGiddings Wedding and Portrait Photography Blog

Charlotte's Shoot

2012-01-14T05:15:00.000-08:00

Some of the images of Charlotte.....

Norfolk Photographers

Wedding of Adrian and Katherine The Oakland Hotel

2012-01-14T04:41:00.000-08:00

Some of the photographs of Adrian and Katherine from the Oakland's Hotel.

Norfolk Wedding Photographers

Sophie and Tristan Wedding Fritton Lake

2012-01-12T10:05:00.000-08:00

Some of the images from Sophie and Tristan's wedding day at Fritton Lake.

Wedding Photography Norfolk

Wedding of Katie and Matt Drayton Old Lodge

2012-01-11T14:19:00.000-08:00

Some examples from the wedding of Matthew at Katie which took place at Holt parish church and then reception at Drayton Old Lodge.

Wedding Photography Norfolk

Basques n Things

2012-01-11T05:44:00.000-08:00

What do off duty air hostesses do? Pose for me..........................

Norwich Photographers

KC North Norfolk Coast

2012-01-11T04:27:00.000-08:00

Some of the shots with KC on the North Norfolk coast wher we landed a Pup with a few look from some of the coastal walkers.

Norfolk Photographers

Sara and Perry Norwich Cathedral

2012-01-10T06:37:00.000-08:00

A few more images added to the blog for today.

Norwich Wedding Photographers

Robert and Pam Caister Hall Wedding, Norfolk

2012-01-10T06:20:00.000-08:00

I have to admit to being a bit remiss when it comes to my blog and although I have promised myself again (new years resolution) to keep it up to date. I will add more images to here over the next few weeks.

Norwich Wedding Photographers

Wedding of Anthony and Kathryn Dumbrell St Mary's Church, Wroxham and Sprowston Manor Hotel, Norwich

2011-06-17T13:03:00.000-07:00

Saturday 28th May 2011 saw the wedding of Mr Anthony Dumbrell and Miss Kathryn Holland at St Mary's Church at Wroxham and then after at Spowston Manor, Norwich.

MGiddings Wedding Photography

Maternity and Bump Photography Norwich

2011-06-16T05:27:00.000-07:00

Judith and Jose Nagel are expecting their first child soon (a matter of weeks) and so last week I spent an hour or so at their home taking a few images using natural light to record that beautiful bump. Juidth was glowing and I am looking forward to retuning to photograph their new baby in a few weeks.

If you would like your maternity recorded please feel free to contact us:

Portrait Photography Norwich

Sunset over Cringleford, Norfolk

2011-06-08T16:07:00.000-07:00

On our way home from photographing Spur we noticed how beautiful the sunset was becoming and so decided to stop near home for a quick snap which turned out rather well.

MGiddings Wedding and Portrait Photography

Weimaraner Dog Portrait

2011-06-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

This evening we spent an hour with Spur a Weimaraner hunting dog. Spur was huge but good natured and very playful. He was the perfect model and father to eight recent new puppies. If you are interested in having your pet photographed by us please get in touch and contact us.

Mark and Hayley Pre-Wedding Shoot

2011-06-06T06:35:00.000-07:00

The evening of the 4th June at Whitlingham brought with it a grey cold clouds but a very happy and smiley Mark and Hayley who were perfect!

For details clcik on the link Norfolk pre-wedding photography.

Matt and Katie Pre-Wedding Shoot

2011-06-06T06:23:00.000-07:00

The 1st June 2011 at 8.30 PM met up with Matt and Katie for their pre-wedding photographs. A sample of the time spent together:

Learn to Love My Blog

2011-06-06T06:14:00.001-07:00

Once again I have totally failled to keep my blog up to date with all the things I am doing. That is about to change however.

From today watch out!

Lisette Modelling Shots

2011-02-12T07:13:00.000-08:00

Lisette had been promised a longer photography session with a vintage car earlier in the year and last night all come together to get these done. Together with a bright red Jaguar SS100, Lisette and some lingerie we spent a hour under some studio lights and took 142 photographs for fun, just because we could. Here are some examples:

If you are looking for a photographer see our website:

Norfolk Wedding and Portrait Photography

Pre-Wedding Portrait Framed Photograph

2011-02-08T04:10:00.000-08:00

This serves as a wonderful alternative to having a guest book. A few weeks before your wedding we meet you and take a selection of photographs of you together capturing the excitement of your pending wedding. We print one of your chosen images at 12 x 8 and then it is placed within a white mount measuring 20 x 16. This is presented in a custom hand made frame made locally in Norfolk and placed at your wedding breakfast. Your guests are invited to sign and leave personal messages of congratulations. To encourage this we offer your guests a copy of the photograph at 6 x 4 as a memento of your day. This makes the perfect addition to your home and acts a reminder of a wonderful day shared with friends and family.

Please see our website for more information

Pre-wedding shoot Norfolk

The Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers Annual Convention 2011

2011-02-08T03:41:00.000-08:00

The SWPP photography convention at the Novotel hotel in London this year was spread over three floors and we had aching feet by the end of it. Our mission was to find a new supplier of handmade Italian albums and Mario Acerboni ticked all the boxes. This company is family owned and based in Northern Italy and produce handmade albums with a huge variety of covers (over 85). We were very impressed with there range of matted and digital albums and will be using these as our higher end wedding albums.

We can offer monthly payments toward one of these beautiful albums and if you require any further details please contact us.

For more information on Mario Acerboni albums please click:

Norfolk Wedding Photographers

Modelling In Low Light with the Fokker DR1

2010-09-23T11:56:00.000-07:00

Just when I thought I had posted my last modelling pictures some more pop along. Thanks to Laura the model, this was her first time modelling for anything but we had a good time and got some great images. This is nearly the end of these but next week we are hoping for something a little different when we will be landing an aircraft on a private beach in north Norfolk for some photographs. The aricraft is a replica Fokker DR1 one of only four in the country. None of the original aircraft are left.

So if you are looking for photographers in Norfolk to give us a call.

Modelling

2010-09-18T02:03:00.000-07:00

My latest project is nearly over so here are some more examples from my latest shoot. Charlotte travelled all the way from Stoke to Norfolk to see us and we are very happy she did. I will add some more shots soon.

If you are looking for professional photographers in Norfolk please check out our website and contact us.

More Modelling Shots

2010-09-02T12:29:00.000-07:00

I thought I would add some more modelling shots on to here as I never get the chance to. I hope you like them.

If you are looking to create or add to your model portfolio check out our link for Norfolk photographers.

Commander Ken Wallis, Little Nellie and You Only Live Twice

2010-09-02T07:06:00.001-07:00

Last night I had the privilege to meet Commander Ken Wallis. For those who do not know the name he was the creator and pilot of Little Nellie in the Bond movie 'You Only Live Twice' but that is the least he has done in his life. The man still fly's but you know he has a good story to tell when he tells you he is not flying much at present due to a bad back he picked up after bailing out of a Wellington bomber in 1941 in fog and having a hard landing. He was one of the lucky ones who on a bombing mission with 52 aircraft, 37 didn't come back. I am looking forward to reading his book 'The Lives of Ken Wallis: Engineer and Aviator Extraordinaire'.

Don't forget if you are looking for a Norfolk photographer to give us a call.

Fokker DR1 Triplane

2010-08-06T02:21:00.000-07:00

I had to chance to do some photographs with this replica Fokker DR1 Triplane in Norfolk. There are only four in the country and this one hasn't even flown yet. None of the original aircraft are left:

Remember if you are looking for a wedding photography Norfolk check out this link and our Google Places Ad.

Redleaf - Promotional Photography

2010-07-22T14:10:00.000-07:00

Last week saw another shoot for local band Redleaf who are now entered in the Pepsi Max music video competition.

You can see Redleaf performing all over Norfolk and surrounding counties.

If you are looking for a photographer for you band or anything else photographic feel free to give us a call. Please view are wedding photography site here:

wedding photography Norfolk

Shannon Model Portfolio

2010-07-22T03:44:00.001-07:00

Another hot day recently so took advantage of the weather and grabbed some more shots for Shannon to add to her portfolio.

If you would like some images for a model portfolio drop us an e-mail and let me know what you are looking for.

Don't forget if you are looking for a wedding photographer to check out this link:

wedding photography Norfolk

National Trust Blickling Hall

2010-06-10T12:22:00.001-07:00

Continuing the National Trust theme I went to Blickling Hall last week in the hot warm weather. Luckily they also allowed photography inside the house. If you get a chance and you haven't been pop along to Blickling for the day. You can also get married there and this venue would be perfect for wedding photographs!

Sadly having popped to Oxborough Hall this venue does not allow photography inside at all.

However, if you are looking for wedding photographers in Norfolk feel free to give us a call.

National Trust Allowing Interior Photography - Ickworth House, Suffolk

2010-05-28T01:23:00.000-07:00

I recently went to Ickworth House a National Trust property in Suffolk. I have been there before and after walking around the grounds decided to go into the house to have another look around the the rooms. I turned my camera off ready for the warning that no photography is allowed inside and was amazed to see the sign saying "no flash photography". Apparently some houses are now allowing interior photography. Great news if you love taking photographs. I was delighted and out came the camera again. If you get a chance get to a National Trust property, go, they do make a great visit.

So if you get a chance head to a National Trust property and take some low light images and push that ISO up and see what your camera can do. If you are getting married they also provide weddings at the venue in the west wing.

Don't forget if you are looking for a wedding photographer in Norfolk give me a call.

Sea Palling with Shannon

2010-05-27T01:39:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was such a warm sunny day it would have been wasted sat inside in front the computer screen. So armed with my camera and a willing volunteer we set off to the beach to find some sand to take some pictures!

Shannon who has recently returned to the UK having spent 10 months in Australia (she even talks like an Aussie now) and I headed together to Sea Palling to a sandy beach surrounded by dunes and we had a great couple of hours taking photographs.

If you are looking for a photographer in Norfolk drop me a line.

Seculine Vivicap Review v Grey Card v Auto White Balance V White Toilet Paper

2010-05-20T03:42:00.000-07:00

A colleague of mine recently asked if I had tried a Seculine Vivicap white balance filter as an alternative to the ExpoDisc. I must admit I had never heard of them but popped out to my local camera store and purchased one. They come in various sizes from 52 mm to 77 mm. The 77 mm version cost £18.99 compared to £69.99 for an equivalent ExpoDisc.

The Vivacap replaces your lens cap and has been designed with wire handles which will let you remove the unit without having to take off your lens hood.

I set up a scene with some common household items in the hope you can reference these items and compare the colour. The same exposure was used throughout which was shutter 1/4, aperture 5.6 and ISO 200. All images were taken in raw with a Canon 50D with a standard profile and converted using DPP to jpeg creating files 638 x 425 pixels.

First up image taken with auto white balance:

Second, same image but white balance set in DPP with the white picker on the grey card seen in the image:

Third, custom white balance using the Seculine Vivicap:

Fourth, custom white balance using a piece of white toilet paper:

White balance can be very subjective and you may prefer cooler images to warmer images etc.

My Opinion

The auto white balance image looks a little cold to me. Using the grey card to set white balance looks good and so does the image using the Vivacap which looks a little bit warmer. The image using the toilet paper again looks a little cool.

I do not have an Expodisc to do a comparison with but I suspect there wouldn't be any great improvement in white balance. I have heard of photographers using the old plastic caps from Pringle crisps to set their white balance. I will now be using the Vivacap when taking shots in the future to save time post process.

Remember if you are looking for a wedding photographer to check out here and give me a call:

wedding photography Norwich

Canon 50D Noise Reduction with Noise Ninja and Nik Dfine 2 Comparison

2010-05-05T01:12:00.001-07:00

Completing this series of noise tests its the turn of the 50D. Again I will draw no conclusions but let you decide which does the better job. Again I will go from 800 ISO. Just click on an image to see the 100% crop and feel free to download to your pc to compare them side by side. I used the Noise Ninja camera profiles for their respective camera and ISO setting. With Nik Dfine 2 I ran Nik Raw pre-sharpener as unlike Noise Ninja Dfine adds no sharpening. Don't forget noise reduction was switched off in both cameras.

Canon 50D 800 ISO:

Canon 50D 800 ISO Noise Ninja:

50D ISO 800 Nik Dfine 2 + Nik Raw Pre Sharpen:

Canon 50D 1600 ISO:

Canon 50D 1600 ISO Noise Ninja:

50D ISO 1600 Nik Dfine 2 + Nik Raw Pre Sharpen:

Canon 50D 3200 ISO:

Canon 50D 3200 ISO Noise Ninja:

50D ISO 3200 Nik Dfine 2 + Nik Raw Pre Sharpen:

As always don't forget if you are looking for a wedding photographer please click on the following link:

wedding photography Norfolk

Canon 40D Noise Reduction with Noise Ninja and Nik Dfine 2 Comparison

2010-05-04T01:52:00.000-07:00

Further to my recent Canon 40D and 50D noise test I wanted to test the effectiveness of these two noise reduction plugins to see if one stood out as being better than the other. Again I will draw no conclusions but let you decide which does the better job. Again I will go from 800 ISO and start with the 40D images first. Just click on an image to see the 100% crop and feel free to download then to your pc to compare them side by side. I used the Noise Ninja camera profiles for their respective camera and ISO setting. With Nik Dfine 2 I ran Nik Raw pre-sharpener as unlike Noise Ninja Dfine adds no sharpening.

40D ISO 800 Original:

40D ISO 800 Noise Ninja:

40D ISO 800 Nik Dfine 2 + Nik Raw Pre Sharpen:

40D ISO 1600 Original:

40D ISO 1600 Noise Ninja:

40D ISO 1600 Nik Dfine 2 + Nik Raw Pre Sharpen:

40D ISO 3200 Original:

40D ISO 3200 Noise Ninja:

40D ISO 3200 Nik Dfine 2 + Nik Raw Pre Sharpen:

Both plugins do a great job at reducing noise on these images. I will leave you to decide which one would be your preferred choice. I will add another post to examine the effect of these two on the 50D images in my next post.

For any wedding photography enquiries please check out the following link:

wedding photography Norwich

Canon 40D v 50D Noise Test

2010-05-02T15:43:00.000-07:00

I have read many reviews on the quality and noise levels of these two cameras and decided to conduct my own noise test to see how they both compared. I will not draw any conclusions but let you decide and make your own minds up. The test was carried out with noise reduction in both cameras switched off. I set up a scene and tripod and set both cameras to manual. I then did a custom white balance of the grey card in the scene. I then took a light measurement with a light meter and took a series of jpeg images at ISO 200, 400, 800, 1600 and 3200. All the images were taken with the same Canon 50mm 1.8 lens. All the exposures were identical for each ISO setting. All the images were the same as to make no difference up to 400 ISO so I will go from 800. The crops at at 100%. To see a larger image just click on it and feel free to download to your own computer.

40D 800 ISO

50D 800 ISO

40D 1600 ISO

50D 1600 ISO

40D 3200 ISO

50D 3200 ISO

As previously stated at the start noise reduction has been switched off on both cameras. Except for cropping the images to get the 100% crops nothing else has been done to these images, they are straight out of the cameras. With this switch on their would obviously be much less noise.

The whole scene looked at follows:

My next blog will show the effect of noise reduction using Noise Ninja and Nik DFine to check their effectiveness on these images.

Don't forget if you need a wedding photographer please check:

wedding photography Norwich

Wymondham Abbey, Norfolk

2010-04-29T10:38:00.000-07:00

One of my favourite places to take my camera for the evening is Wymondham Abbey. Over the years I have walked to the abbey either in the morning or at dusk as the light is going down. It's so easy to take a great picture and if you are local I encourage you to do the same. For the history buffs amongst you, the abbey was founded in 1107 and was a monastry until 1448 when the Pope allowed it to become an Abbey. 1559 saw the Kett rebellion a protest regarding enclosure that ended with Robert Kett being hung over the side of Norwich Castle and left to die over a number of days. His brother William was taken back to the Abbey and the same fate was given to him.

At night the Abbey and its ruins take on a different feel:

The Abbey recently celebrated its 900th birthday with the ruined tower being light by coloured lights:

Early morning in the summer is a great time to take a picture so remember to take your cameras:

Nowdays many weddings are conducted at the Abbey, so if you're thinking about getting married there, I can assure you the photographs would be fantastic.

Don't forget if you need a wedding photographer in Norfolk to give us a call.

YouYube HD Video

2010-04-17T20:22:00.000-07:00

This is an example of our DVD slideshow of your chosen wedding photographs set to music from youtube.

Check our wedding photography Norfolk .

Digital Processing - The Unseen Work

2010-04-15T09:06:00.000-07:00

Further to my resent post regarding digital images and the time taken to process images after the wedding. This time makes a real difference to your final wedding photograph. I like to take my time and will spend over 35 hours processing your final selection. A simple shot can change and grow as I go through the process of developing an image. The following series of shots show how an imaged is can be developed and enhanced:

Any picture looks much better in a frame. Having increased the colour saturation in the rings and increasing the blacks the vingette focuses the eyes on the rings and shadows. Some images I spend over an hour or more working on and then return to them later for some more:

The time taken to develope your images after the wedding is hugely important and is often the hidden cost in the price of your photography quote you never considered.

Check wedding photography Norfolk for more information.

Redleaf

2010-04-14T15:40:00.000-07:00

Local Norfolk band Redleaf have launched their new website containing a selection images taken by myself during a hot summers day last year around Norfolk. Redleaf have recently been featured artists in the Windows 7 sponsored program "Playlist 7" where they were amongst the most 7 downloaded artists. You can see the band by checking out their website and seeing where they will be playing next. Else you can download their music from iTunes, Napster or Amazon.

If you are looking for wedding photographers in Norwich or if you have any other photography needs please drop us an email and see how we can quickly and easily we can help you.

Digital Processing

2010-04-08T06:19:00.000-07:00

The advent of digital cameras has changed the face of wedding photography. Once an image has been captured there is virtually unlimitless possibilities that can be applied to that image. I spend over 35+ hours processing the bride and grooms favourite 40 images from their wedding day. I shoot in digital raw which enables me to manipulate colour balance, exposure and colour saturation etc. Small details can be removed like green fire exit signs, light switches and even people. The following shot starts as the base image. This image was unpossed and taken quickly:

I can then remove any little things that really don't contribute to the image:

Add a little contrast to the colour and a slight vingette blur to the edges and it's complete. At this stage I can convert to black and white to see how it would look:

This was a quick and easy example, some images I will spend over an hour working on. Typically your chosen 40 images are returned to you and have grown to over 120 images for you to choose. The extra time taken in processing your images makes a huge difference to your final prints.

For more images please see:

wedding photography norfolk

SWPP Black and White Silver Award

2010-03-26T15:18:00.000-07:00

I was really pleased to be awarded a silver for this image I took at Wymondham during some snow. I have it printed at 18 x 12 and it hangs in my hall. So many people get different things from it. Some good but mostly negative thoughts of the past. What does it say to you?

MGiddings Norfolk Photography

Google Local Business

2010-03-11T03:53:00.000-08:00

Further to our SEO program we are now 100% complete on our listing for Google Local Business and slowly creeping up the listings.

View our listing by clicking Google Local Business Maps

Dead Man Running

2010-03-08T03:07:00.000-08:00

I was lucky enough to photograph Amy Lawson who has started her acting career by appearing in this film with Danny Dyer and 50 Cent. Been on sale for about a week now so go get yours. Good luck Amy.

Why Is Wedding Photography So Expensive?

2010-02-27T04:23:00.000-08:00

I have spoken to clients who shortly after beginning the conversation say something like "why do some photographers charge so much just because it’s a wedding". That line was said by another photographer, not a wedding photographer but someone who specialises in capturing images of prototype cars and will obviously remain nameless.
This is a common view after all we turn up for a couple of hours and then go home so its easy money isn’t it. Well the time to actually take your photographs is just the tip of the iceberg albeit an important bit.
So let’s begin with the list of equipment needed. Check anywhere on the web and any professional wedding photographer will double up on their equipment or even triple it. For the sake of argument in this case lets just double up. So we need two digital SLR cameras. Lenses ranging from at least 24mm to 200mm and these will in all likelihood be fast and expensive lenses with a 2.8 aperture. Most will also have a wide angle lens in their too, two good flashes, memory cards, extra batteries and something to put it all in. That’s the bare minimum. Total cost = £4260 but don’t take my word for it go to any online camera dealer and add this stuff up for yourself and I was being conservative and not buying the main dealers own lenses. One camera alone can cost over £5000 check prices on the Canon EOS 1Ds Mk III.
We now need a computer to process all our images on with a decent monitor. We will also need a colour calibrator to ensure our monitor colour is correct. I can build myself a decent desktop computer for £400, an average monitor will be £300 and the hardware to calibrate my monitor screen will be £135 for the Eye One Display 2. So that’s another £835.
Great so we have our bare essential equipment for a wedding. Now we need to find some customers. So we need a website, web hosting, advertising etc as well but let’s not even think about the cost of that.
So, the day of the wedding arrives. You spent a couple of hours the night before checking and cleaning your equipment, charging batteries checking the route to the venue checking to see if there has been any last minute changes to the day and your ready. Let’s not think about the day but let’s say it’s a whole day’s coverage from 10.00 AM for the bridal preparation to 8.30 PM to capture the first dance. So 10.5 hours of your time plus the 2 hours prep last night total so far 12.5 hours.
Time to go home but your job isn’t over yet so straight on the computer at home to backup the 16 Gb of pictures you have taken and then burn them to 4 or 5 DVDs to make sure they are safe. Another 1.5 hours and then to bed for a good sleep and boy will you need it.
We need to get the wedding proofs to the happy couple and as you have taken all the pictures in RAW you will need to convert them to jpeg and reduce them in size. You’ll probably want to check exposure and white balance etc. So how long for this bit. With 1000 pictures, easily a couple of hours or more and then we need to burn the whole lot onto CD and get it to the couple. Cost off this depends if you post it or take it by hand. But it costs time and money.
Two weeks later the couple call you again to let you know what a wonderful job you have done and they have decided they want 56 of the photographs. Now at this point I can only talk about myself but I like to go through and process each picture as a separate project. I then look at each one and decide if it would look good in black and white or sepia. Add some digital effects, crop here, crop there so on and so forth. It takes me from 25 to 40+ hours to complete that work. I don’t like to rush but prefer to take my time.
So the happy couple get their final proofs and they love them. The wedding album is the next biggest cost for photographers. I am assuming the couple just want a nice traditional wedding album with their pictures mounted in it. If they wanted a Queensbury Album I would have to site down using different software and design the pages. How long this takes can very hugely. But in this case we just need to get the picture ready for printing. Where you have your picture printed depends on what you do to them next. I have to assign a specific custom profile, set the DPI correctly and finally sharpen them for printing. More time and then upload them to the printers ftp server. That takes 2 to 3 hours but I can leave the computer to do that.
Three days later and the prints arrive looking just perfect. I now just have to place 56 photographs into a wedding album. Measure each page etc and then finally mount the photograph in place, 56 times! That’s another 3 to 4 very long hours. Deliver to the bride and groom, job done, easy.
Total cost of equipment to do this wedding = £5095
Total time invested in wedding = 56 working hours
So how much is that worth? Remember to factor in the costs of printing, albums (quality albums are very costly but high quality), mounts, postal charges; fuel and insurance have to be factored in by the photographer. If the cost sounds too good to be true then it probably is.

Now on YouTube in HD

2010-02-26T12:13:00.000-08:00

We have recently uploaded our first video to YouTube to show off our DVD slideshows. Any feedback or comments would be greatly received. Click here to view.