New Friends, Cuckoos, and the Perfect Lunch.

We've been trying really hard to keep Mondays free.  It hasn't always worked, and a few shoots have been booked, and editing has happened, but I'm so glad we kept to it yesterday.  I woke up feeling a bit groggy, tired from a bad night's sleep and a smorgasbord of strange dreams.  I felt quite anxious about all the editing we have, and the preps for this week's shoots.  The thought crossed my mind that I didn't have time for a walk.  But thankfully another voice kicked in and kicked me out of bed!

Me and Suze went to call for Hannah and her daughter Ffion, and we popped over the road to knock for Abha (proper playing out going to call for people!).  We first met Abha at a street party a couple of weeks ago, and we had talked about having a walk all together.  Abha had made the most amazing dal (more of that later), so we topped up our flasks and started out on our adventure.  We walked up to Jumble Hole Clough.  We've been here a couple of times, and it really is one of the special places.  Apart from the occasional plane overhead, it felt like we were miles from anywhere.

There was a lot of pointing as we spotted beautiful plants and creatures, and there were good conversations as we walked, finding our way through the ferns and overgrown foliage by the side of the path.

We picked the perfect spot for our lunch and we tucked into the scrummiest dal.  Just as we'd finished eating, Hannah & Ffion had a little sing song, accompanied by a cuckoo echoing through the valley.  Such a beautiful sound!

We walked further up the valley.  Waterfalls, mills, lots of caterpillars, curlews, and a couple of walkers with a map who assured us we were on the right path when we decided to take a different route!

Who wants to be in the band?

A few hours later, and we walked back into Hebden Bridge.  I'm so glad I got myself out and about, and now I feel inspired for the week ahead.  Being in the trees and in good company, the best start to the week!

We're Getting Married!

So, this is it, the final countdown.... On Saturday, we'll be kicking off our shoes and dancing the night away.  This weekend we're getting married!!   My lovely Sarah and I have been together quite a while now, but we wanted to wait until we were able to get married, in the same way as other couples, the majority of couples we take photographs of.  

And now we're able to do that, which is just amazing (and we're very pleased to hear about the yes vote in Ireland just the other day!).  We're quite private folk, so maybe you don't already know we're together, but we wanted to be open and honest and to be able to share some of our plans with you.  We're lucky enough to have been to (as guests and as photographers), many gorgeous, fabulous weddings and we've seen many different and wonderful ideas.  We've witnessed amazing new beginnings and shared in those beautiful moments. 

But now we're getting married and the day is nearly upon us; we're doing it our way.  I proposed to Sarah when we were at the End of the Road Festival, which was an absolutely magical place.  It's such a fantastic gathering - tunnels of fairy lights in the trees, 70's flashing dance floor in the woods, peacocks flitting around, the best food, and of course the music.  So we wanted to bring a festival feel to our wedding day.  I'm sure some people may raise their eyebrows at some of our plans or our invitation with 'survival tips' suggesting guests bring midge repellent, sensible shoes and a sense of adventure, but the day is a reflection of what we love and our journey so far as a couple.  I know it's just going to be the most amazing day, surrounded by people we love and people who love us.  It may not have always been an easy road, telling family and friends we had fallen in love.  Were me and Sarah worried about people's reactions?  Truthfully, maybe sometimes.  I know we shouldn't.  But our families and friends have been very supportive, and we both feel very lucky for this.  And then, moving to Hebden Bridge was the icing on the cake - it's just the perfect place to live and to have our business and we couldn't wish to be anywhere better (although in the future I wouldn't say no to a small house in France to spend our winters!). 

So, the final days are counting down.  There are anxious moments, but this is outweighed by the ones where we have rushes of excitement, belly flips and happy tears. 

So, it's our turn to be on the other side of the camera, and when our lovely photographer has shared the photos with us, we'll share them with you too.

Experiments With Film

Just before Christmas last year, I bought an Olympus OM1 camera from the lovely folk at West Yorkshire Cameras (a wonderful place for all things film!). I wanted to experiment with it and use it for personal projects. But it has become much more than that.  I've mentioned it before in a post, but it is actually making me think so much more about the way I'm shooting.  It's making me slow down.  

There's a quiet and stillness before I press the shutter. There's no checking the back of the camera to see if I like the look of the exposure. And I love the process of sending the film off to be developed, and then the scans and prints arriving a few days later, a welcome change to bills and statements!  

I might start adding a little in our lifestyle work, but for now I'm just happy experimenting and exploring a different way of shooting.

Photos taken with a 50mm lens and Portra 400 film. Developed at CC Imaging.