I've always had a keen eye towards images that seem to rise above the norm and present something altogether more artistic and hence more intriguing. From my early days using a film camera I was always trying out new techniques in the darkroom to make my images perform these tricks.  Not only not hiding the natural film grain but accentuating it and making it stand out. I eventually went a few steps further and started using various materials such as net curtain or tissue paper draped over my fibre-based paper when exposing it, to create a texture on top of the grain. This way the images were not only about the subject but also about the process, in much the same way that you see the brush strokes from a painter. In recent times I see a few photographers using digital equivalents to these methods (myself included on occasion) which leaves me wondering if the transfer away from film to digital and then manipulated back again might in the end be less arduous if the shots were shot on film in the first place. There are other factors though that still makes the digital darkroom an altogether more inviting option but it has made me wonder whether it might be fun to incorporate a few film shots once more in my wedding shoots.

The font of all things visually cool Dazed and Confused magazine online, has recently started picking up on photographers on Flickr, at least that's what I can gather. In light of what I've just mentioned about film it was great to see some shots by an Italian photographer Chiara Balza who manages to capture that enigmatic quality that film has combined with her sense of mood and composition. Take a look through her Flickr work and it feels like looking through a series of stills taken from some very stylish European films. 

Below: One of the many film shots by Chiara Baiza

I recently got back from a snow boarding trip to the Austrian mountains and luckily for myself and the friends I was with, we met some great people in our chalet. One of them Tom, took this great shot (of me), with a fantastically colourful backdrop - I'm not being vain here, I'm just happy there are one of two good shots out there! Tom shoots a lot of club shots and posts some of his work on Flickr here.    

This is somewhere fairly local to me. I shot a wedding there last summer and what a venue it is. I tried recently to find their website just to have a browse around but it seems there isn't one nor in fact do they appear to advertise anywhere. There could be several reasons for this none of which I'll try and guess here but if you're looking for somewhere with stunningly natural grounds, then this is the place with a fantastic long lake also running through the estate!

This month Wedding Ideas Magazine has featured one of my weddings. A wedding I shot last year and a great couple, Andrea and Greg who looked fantastic on the day (as did their incredibly well behaved little boy who also made a big impact on everyone!)  Unfortunately the magazine didn't use any of the reportage shots from the day which is a slight disappointment as there were some great ones but still it's nice to see a featured wedding none-the-less.