Category Archives: Services

Nic Steve wedding Liverpool Racquet Club
Apr 4 2013

Nic and Steve – Wedding at Liverpool Racquet Club

I first met Steve on one of my night photography courses. During the evening we chatted about his up coming marriage to Nicola and 8 months later here we are.

Steve and Nic were married at Liverpool Racquet club, right by the vibrant and busy dockside. It’s a fantastic venue and as this was my first time shooting there I arrived early to scout some good spots and get introduced to the staff. I was shooting with my second photographer Chistopher Ian and we quickly located a few key locations for the couple.

The Racquet club is a lovely venue, the rooms were decorated in a simple elegant style with some small touches added by Nic and Steve. My favourites being the music themed guest books and table plan. Rather than the traditional books and paper or mirror on an easel the couple had opted for bespoke CD covers of their favourite albums showing a seating plan, as well as two LP records for guests to sign as a momento of their day. I love this idea and I’m sure they’ll look fantastic when mounted and framed. Another great feature was the self playing piano which fascinated kids and adults alike, providing a musical backdrop and an interesting talking point.

Our coverage of the day was limited from the ceremony to the meal but provided plenty to see and capture. Nic and steve survived a freezing cold trip outside to get a few key shots looking onto the Liver buildings with several well wishers offering congratulations and compliments to the couple. Nic and Steve specifically didn’t want posed looking shots so I concentrated on letting them enjoy the day and took a reportage approach to the day, capturing snapshots from afar with long lenses when possible to remain in the background and not centre the day around the photography.

Couples often ask for candid shots, but want studio quality production. It’s important to remember a balance has to be set between a posed shot and a shot posed to look natural. Steve and Nic got this completely and I’m thrilled to say they love their album. All that’s left is to create their storybook album, a free design service that I extend to all my clients.

Venue Details
Inside details
Entrances
Waiting to start
All the boys
The ceremony
Key shots
Cutting the cake

 

 

Capsule Info
Jan 22 2013

Single use cameras for weddings? – The future is Capsule

Weddings really are amazing events. I’ve been thinking recently about all the spectacular sights I saw in 2012 and just how much effort from so many people go into just one day. A day filled with unique details and choices, a day where friends and family will travel halfway around the world to be together. Memories are made and shared and it’s my job the capture the day, the story of the bride and groom.

capsuleIn the past it was the sole responsibility of the official photographer to provide every image, to choose where to be and who to follow, essentially deciding which moments you will remember for years to come. Of course now everyone has a camera. When a best man used to look around during his speech he saw faces of tears and laughter, now it’s often a sea of iPhones. Not that that’s a bad thing, we live in a digital age of instant media, brides who have a minute can check on their wedding in real time on facebook and twitter and the photographer is very rarely the first to share provide the couple with pictures. Everyone is excited to see the bride and the venue, the food and the first dance. It’s great to share but the couple now has a lot less control over who sees what and when.

Naturally a bride and groom want as may pictures as possible from their day, I’m all for this. I’ve met wedding photographers who don’t like guests to have cameras, wanting theirs to be the best and only images of the day. Personally I don’t mind, I’m happy when the bride and groom are happy and the more memories they have the better.

The problem is that so much effort has gone into the planning and the couple obviously want control of which pictures are out there. No bride wants an unflattering photo on facebook to be the first one seen and gathering photos from your guests can be a difficult task. With so many guests people away, how can you get all the pictures?

Capsule InfoMost will turn to the single use camera. The same ones you took on holiday as a child. Pre-loaded with a roll of film which must be processed and printed before seeing and sharing them. For weddings these only cost a few pounds each, but you’ll need quite a few, each roll must be developed or scanned and there’s no guarantee of what you’ll end up with. What we need is a way to get all the images from the day in one place from everybody’s camera, today’s phones can take a great picture in the right conditions and every guest has one.

So I started searching for solutions and came across Capsule. They are a new company with fantastic idea.

Collect every photo your guests take in real time direct to a private gallery where you can download them all. Genius.

I don’t know why someone hasn’t thought of this before. It works like this

  • Sign up for Capsule using code ‘JONHALLPHOTO’ to save 15%
  • Download the free Capsule app for iPhone or Andriod
  • Invite your guests to join and download the app

Every photo that is taken using the app is uploaded automatically to your Capsule, photos taken with any other camera can be uploaded via the web. Just ask your guests to use Capsule instead of their camera app for your wedding. Use it before the day to share details and ideas. Members can send direct messages, ask questions, post to the wall or snap a quick photo of the perfect shoes and share it only with those in the know. Think of it like a combined facebook and twitter but just for planning and capturing your wedding. See the whole day through the eyes of each of your guests and share it in real time with those who can’t make it. Anyone you have invited to your capsule can see a constant stream of photos and updates as they are snapped and uploaded.

capsule JONHALLPHOTOI invested in my own Capsule to give it a try and I’m impressed. Overall the app does exactly what it says, my iphone camera functions as normal through the app and images turn up straight away in a live feed within my Capsule. This is the future of collecting images from guests. It’s slick, easy and instant and once you have your images you can download everything to your computer or order prints direct from the site. No more waiting for emails from friends or for film to be developed. Now you can have every image from your wedding as it’s happening, enjoy them instantly and keep them forever.

Currently a capsule for 75 guests costs $99 US (about £60), about the cost of buying and developing 8 single use cameras. A single account lets you create unlimited capsules for any event. Create new capsules for the hen night and stag do if you’re brave, or for your honeymoon to share your snaps with your guests and not with the world.

Use the code ‘JONHALLPHOTO’ to save 15% of any capsule purchase. I recommend Capsule to all my wedding clients as part of their photography package.

Click here to check out their site and see what Capsule is all about.

Capsule Info

Graphistudio-4
Jan 19 2013

2013 Graphistudio books now at jonhallphoto

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Main, parent and guest books

As a wedding photographer I want to make sure my wedding albums are of the finest quality available. Anyone in the business will tell you that that means Graphistudio. I’ve been waiting with baited breath for my new studio sample books to land on my doorstep and the day has arrived.

What follows is a rundown of the unboxing of my new portfolio with accompanying shots to show the fine work and attention to detail that goes into each and every album. My portfolio collection includes a 40x30cm Main book, 30x20cm parent book and a set of 13x10cm guest books.

Packaging

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Gold embossed text and die cut insert

To start, and to my surprise my books arrived less than 24 hours after I received an email from Graphistudio in Italy confirming postage and it’s clear to see no expense is spared making sure it arrives safely. The box itself is huge, securely wrapped in branded Graphi tape, a nice touch. Inside this is what can only be described as a bubble-wrap sleeping bag and inside this is a selection of boxes I couldn’t wait to open. Every Graphi album feels a little like Christmas, such is the excitement of seeing my images and designs come to life. Each book has it’s own plain white presentation box as standard. Alternatively they can be shipped with art boxes or sleeves matching your choice of cover material.

The main album

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Main album with nappa cover

My book is a 40x30cm landscape album with 48 rigid metallic pages. The rigid pages are a lovely touch on the main book and give a real weighty, traditional feel to each turn of the page. Some album makers use weak foam board between pages which is light and snaps easily. Graphi use thick white card stock that looks and feels strong. The metallic finish is a premium option that really jumps off the page, giving amazing range and depth to images to show them at their best. The cover material is die cut black nappa leather. ‘Die cut’ refers to the triangular acrylic section which houses a key shot of two rings on the cover. The leather is thick and soft and very neat at the edges. The workmanship is second to none and I cannot find fault with the build anywhere. One particular highlight is the continuous binding. This method of fixing the pages allows the book to lie flat on any page with no stress on the spine. This is vital for a book with thick pages or any two page spreads with a single image, it’s no good designing a key shot page only to have the couple’s faces squashed together in the centre when it goes to print.

The Parent book

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Parent book with textured paper

Each smaller book is an exact copy of the main album, in a different size and finish. These affordable books can be ordered at the same time or after your main book and are great for family and friends who want to share your memories of the day. My parent album is a 30x20cm book with textured paper and a dust jacket cover. The dust jacket, though not as impressive as the leather is well made and finely printed with the same image as the main book. A dust jacket or hard cover is included as standard in the cost of any book. Inside, the thick pages are not rigid but still feel weighty and the textured paper gives a semi-matte finish. I find that textured paper can dull colours compared to metallics but I’m really impressed with the colour accuracy across my books. There are clear differences between the finishes available but each has it’s own appeal.

The Guest book

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Guest book with smooth photographic paper

Finally comes the guest books, these smaller 13x10cm books are so portable they’re great for showing off your photos any time. Whilst you might think these pocket sized books are lesser versions of their big brothers they are made with the same care any attention as the larger offerings. The images are vibrant and clear on the glossy photographic paper which is considerably thinner and suits the overall size. Continuous binding is used again so despite its smaller profile each full spread is viewed as a flat 26x10zm panoramic.

I always have very high expectations from Graphi, but it seems this year they’ve stepped it up again. The books are a joy to behold and I’m proud to be able to show my images in the highest quality available.

Simply put, everyone I’ve ever shown a Graphibook to has wanted one. If you would like to see them for yourself you’ll find them on display in my studio, or you can get in touch to arrange a consultation. They really do have to be seen to be believed.