Blog of photographer Kevin Ahronson

A week in the Scottish Highlands

Having just got back from seven days braving the weather in the highlands of Scotland (a good 550 miles from our home in Surrey) I look back over the photos.  Some documented the time we spent with our friends Richard and Liz, some recorded the local wildlife and others were of the spectacular landscape.  I look at them and wish I was still there.  It is a truely jaw-dropping part of the world.  So beautiful and yet so rugged...both at the same time.

It rained every day while we were up there, and to some extent I was grateful.  If the sun had been shining I would have had to stop the car at every turn in the road to take a photo.

The flight from Gatwick took only one hour and twenty minutes - I hadn't realised just how close Scotland was.  One hour and twenty minutes from some of the most extraordinary landscape in the British Isles.  I will be going back.

Living in Surrey, I don't do a lot of landscape photography, so I had a great opportunity to shoot images that were out of my comfort zone (people being my preferred subject). 

Below are just a few shots from a truely wonderful place. 

Do click on the images to see the larger versions in their hi-res glory.

Please feel free to leave you comments at the end of the photos.

 

Kate & Patrick engagement photos

Kate and Patrick met at university in Cambridge.  Friends at first, later to become a lot closer - and now engaged to be married.  I will be photographing their wedding at the end of July, but for now, here are a few of the photos that we took on their engagement shoot.  

It was a particularly special day for these guys, going back to the place where it all started for them three years earlier.  It tied in nicely with a reunion party that they were going to in the evening, hence you may notice a change of clothes.

Taking the photos at the end of the day produced a wonderful light with long shadows.  We were blessed with gorgeous weather, and Mary and I arrived late morning to spend most of the day exploring Cambridge centre - a beautiful place.

But it was the amazing light that made my day.  It just gave us extraordinary opportunities and produced an almost fairy-tale feel to some of the images.  Even in black and white, it looked fantastic!

Some of my personal favourites from the day are below - it really is worth clicking on the images to see the larger versions in their hi-res glory.

Please feel free to leave you comments at the end of the photos.

A Sunday snapshot

I was asked to take some photographs of four different churches this morning. 

Croydon Churches are staging a big worship event at Crystal Palace football stadium and a video is being put together (by Owen Kingston) with a montage of stills showing the variety of churches within the borough.  My brief was to visit these four churches and capture something of their character.

It was a truely fascinating morning, with a couple of traditional CofE churches, a small, but incredibly lively black pentecostal church and a huge church in the centre of Croydon, with lots of different cultures represented.

I had to be sensitive to the worship that was taking place, so of course no flash, and most of the shots were taken with high ISO settings: 1600-3200.  All photos have been trimmed to 16:9 widescreen format, as needed for the video. 

Cameras were Canon 1D mkIV with 70-200mm f2.8 and Canon 5D MkII with 24mm f1.4

I'm really pleased with with the results, and as usual, some of my favourites are below.  I'd love to know what your favourite image is.

[Click on the photos for larger images]

Please feel free to leave you comments at the end of the photos.

Wedding: Steve & Emma

Having had a great engagement shoot with this lovely couple, the wedding took place on Easter Monday. It was a beautiful day with gorgeous sunshine during the hottest April on record.

This was my first wedding of 2011 and it couldn't have been better. We kicked off with an early morning visit to the hairdressers for the bride and her bridesmaids, then back to the riverside apartment overlooking the Thames at Teddington for make-up and the dresses.

The wedding was in the centre of Richmond, and then back to Teddington for a riverside reception at the Wharf resaurant.

Some of my favourite candid images of the day are below, [Click on the photos for larger images]

Please feel free to leave you comments at the end of the photos.

 

Photo info:
I used a Canon 1D Mk4 and 5D Mk2 with lenses:
70-200mm f2.8 | 24-70mm f2.8 | 24mm f1.4 | 85mm f1.2. No flash (as usual)