Amy and Tom introduced me to a new location for my sunset couples shoots - Broken Scar in County Durham. What an evocative name, eh?

I'll use Amy and Tom's sunset couples session to talk through some of the experimental techniques and gear I used for their photographs.

We had glorious weather for Lynsey and Alex's pre-wedding sunset session at Collywell Bay. The sun was shining, the air was warm and the sea was remarkably calm.

Add in Lynsey & Alex's own quirky style and the amazing light and I couldn't help but capture some beautiful photographs.

Beth & Lee's DIY, glitter infused, disco inspired, do-it-your-own-way-without-being-beholden-to-tradition wedding was one of the best I've ever photographed.

It was also my first time at As You Like It and I hope it won't be my last.

Sam & Matt chose a sunset forest hike for their pre-wedding couples photography session. When they asked if they could bring along a friend I was a bit confused. When they said it was their dog Dexter I of course said yes at once.

Rebecca and Ben's wedding was based in West Yorkshire and was one of the longest wedding days I have worked, combining multiple locations, a wicked party, and the highest number of photographs I have delivered so far (987 - my usual number is between 500 and 700 for a full day).

I know that these photographs will put off many couples who are looking to hire me for their wedding or couples session. And that's okay with me. They are marmite images. Some people love them and some people hate them.

They definitely won't appeal to 'Barbie' brides.

Judges at Kirklevington Hall is a traditional country house hotel with rich fabrics and elegant rooms, set in mature, English gardens. The highlights of the wedding venue for me are the sweeping terrace, the gazebo (where Rachel and Chris ceremony took place) and the 31 acres of idyllic, landscaped gardens and woodlands, graceful lawns that sweep down from the Hall’s sunny terraces to the tiny river, which meanders across the estate via waterfalls and under ornate bridges.

Kielder Forest and Water Park is one of my favourite places to photograph a pre-wedding session. The terrain is so varied, from dense forest to open water, and the light is totally different from one hour to the next, that I feel like I could go there every week for the next 10 years and still not exhaust it's possibilities.

An amazing thing happened at Jennifer and Joe's wedding. We headed off to the bridge in the grounds of Wallsend Hall to take some portraits just after the ceremony.
 
Jen said 'I wish our dog Bailey could have been here.' Who should come bounding toward the bridge at that very moment?

Bailey of course.

My Dad always said if you go into a shop and there are no prices on anything you can't afford anything, and I felt like that looking at photographers websites. I think I missed out on working with some potentially great wedding photographers, that could have been perfect for my wife and I, because they didn't share their pricing from the start.