Wedding Fayre at the Cwrt Bleddyn

The first big wedding fayre of the year is now over and done with – and boy am I glad. It was great to meet all those brides and grooms though – I sometimes think I get as excited as they do!!

The staff at the Cwrt Bleddyn are great and provided tea, coffee and sandwhiches which as a welcome for me!

Weather was damned cold though, must have been about -1 all day though it didnt stop the brides coming along.

I got some great leads and have spent today chasing them up.

Apple iPad - any good for photographers?

Apple iPad

Wow - did you see Steve Jobs launch the new Apple iPad??!! No, I didn't either - I was on a photo shoot!!
As is typical of the hype when Apple launches new gadgets there was lots of media cover etc etc. What I want to know is how come Apple manage to keep things like this under wraps for soooo long without anyone getting an idea of what the details are??!! Please, can we have Apple security division running Mi5 or Mi6 ??!!
Anyway, to the gist of the post. The iPad - any good for photographers?
I've not read loads on the new machine, not much on the way of tech specs etc but the first thing that springs to mind is being able to use it as a storage facility when your out and about. (Ok, not sure how were gonna get the images from the camera into the iPad without some other gadget...) At 65Gb it is a pretty hefty drive size, much better than the usual 30Gb on the portable viewers that are about.

Apple iPad - any good for photographers?

It would also give you the option of getting a dammed decent look at the images so you can do basic deleting, sorry editing! (Come on Adobe - how about a PS4 Lite for the iPad??!!!)
Next thing that springs to mind is being able to use it to show clients your images - the ultimate hand held portfolio. A device like this just brings the convergence of digital art closer.
Next on my think list is to use it as a photo-viewer at wedding fayres, wedding shoots and the like. Lets face it, is is gonna be a lot cheaper than the standard stuff you can get from Currys or Dixons - a bigger screen and it can do much more as well. All we need is a stand....
Next for me would be to catch up on the old CPD - Continuous Professional Development. I can read photography books, watch short film clips (I do like the Digital Photography Connectionstuff) and surf the web via the in built WiFi. (Im not sure about paying another £81 for 3G though!!! and I'd have to have contract on top of that as I can't see O2 giving me a dual sim!!)
Next up for me would be as a tool for updating my website via an iPad version of iWeb (if there is one? If not COME ON APPLE!!!!). I can shoot a wedding and whilst having a break get some images uploaded almost straight away!!
Given it's size it looks good, the demos look good so it just remains to be seen what it is like in real life...

Apple iPad - any good for photographers?

Thanks for reading..

Andrew Miller

www.andrew-miller.co.uk

65th Anniversary of Auschwitz

It is amazing to think that it is only 65 years since the camp was liberated and the world saw and heard for the first time the true horrors that went on.

I have put some picture, found on the web below – credits where I could find them.

SS oficers relaxing at Auschwitz

Sleeping space in Auschwitz

Seeing these pictures reminds me of several conversations I have had in the past about photography and war photography in particular.

How can a photographer just take pictures and not help the people in the images? How can a photographer not be affected by the images he or she takes?

I know that when I am photographing a wedding I feel really privileged to be part of the service and feel just as moved when you see the commitment two people are making to each other. I also know that when I was taking pictures in the Army either professionally or personally it was very hard to distance yourself from the reality of what you were seeing.

I can still remember some of the images I took in Bosnia. They reminded me of seeing similar images see above.

So, how about the images below? Where do you think this was taken? And when?

Man in Doorway

Man smoking

Man walking

Group sitting in the sun

Guessed yet? They were all taken 10 years in Romania. 2010. I was out there just after I had left the Army as part of a local charity (North Nibley Romania Team  -NNRT). We looked after a school and a ‘hospital’ out there in a small village near to Brasov.

Makes you think doesn’t it…?

Andrew Miller

www.andrew-miller.co.uk

Playing with Canon Cameras and Manfrotto Tripods & Heads

I have a little project going on (and on and on...!). I want to take a photograph in the same place at least once per week of the same subject. I intend to put a photobook together for the local church to sell as part of it's fundraising later this year.
My subject? Wentood Forest And seeing it is just up the road from my cottage in Llanvair Discoed it is an ideal spot.   It is also one of my favourite places to walk with my two dogs and wife. We can be there in 5 minutes and the place is so large we never have to see any human again all day!   Needless to say the dogs just love the idea!!
I'm using the same lens as well as the same camera body - Canon EOS 5D Mark II and a 24-70mm f2.8 L USM. Along with this I am also using a Manfrotto tripod and joystick head.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Manfrotto tripod and joystick head

Canon EOS 5D Mark II with Manfrotto tripod and joystick head

As you can see the tripod legs really extend out and I can raise the centre column and move it to 90' to the legs. This allows me to get really low down (I could get lower with this set-up) and provides loads of stability for a 10 second timed shot.

View back towards the main car park at the top of Wentwood

View back towards the main car park at the top of Wentwood

As usual comments always welcome!!

Andrew Miller

www.andrew-miller.co.uk

Couple marry with 23 bridesmaids…

I picked this story up from the BBC – click here for the full BBC story.

Wow! is what I thought when I first saw that headline! I thought I was doing well with 5 bridesmaids at one of my recent weddings.  What I liked about the story was that the new bride (Mrs Armstrong) couldn’t make her mind up with people she worked with during her time working with kids at a local charity. Even nicer was the point that as long as they all wore red then that would be fine – they could choose their own dresses.

Isn’t it refreshing to think some people are just nice?

I did like the idea of a chip van and bouncy castle – I don’t think I would have liked to photograph the wedding mind… I’d be too busy eating my bag of chips with salt n vinegar!!

Andrew

Andrew Miller - Photographer or Tree Surgeon?

Andrew Miller - Tree Surgeon

Remember all that snow we had a while back? I do - the village I live in South Wales (Llanvair Discoed) was nearly cut off but thanks to the great efforts of Monmouthshire County Council and their gritters and snow ploughs we were ok.
Anyway, we have a few trees in the garden. In fact we have taken about 15 trees out in the past 20 years and still have loads more.
Thing is one of the trees in particular had grown way tooo close to the main power line coming into the house and with the weight of snow the only option was to get up there and chop it back.... guess who got the job? Ma, my wife or one of the two dogs? Yeah Me!

Rowenna & Justin with Andrew Miller Photograph

Fort William – Scotland

Yes that's correct - Fort William. Just to prove that I do travel "internationally" !!

I shot a wedding in December 2009 up in Scotland – Fort William and a few local places around. The weather forecast was spot-on. Sunny, bright, blue sky, foggy clouds and a wee bit of foggy misty stuff!!

Rowenna comes from Newport, South Wales (UK) and her mum Janice organised the whole thing from so far away. I was totally impressed that EVERYTHING and mean EVERYTHING worked to perfection – well done Janice. (Can we have you running the London 2012 Olympics now please??!!!)

It was a small intimate wedding, with only about 15 people. They wanted something outdoors, different and loving. They got all of that and more!

The couple were fantastic and madly in love! For me this image just shows how great the pair of them were!!

Now on the long journey home  editing the images and I can already see I have some very special ones there.

More images here:

Rowenna and Justin Sample Images

Snow in Wales!

Llanvair Discoed

Yup – loads of snow, and it being the Winter Solstice up I went with a camera and tripod at some ridiculous hour (actually 7am) to get these shots… albeit a little belated!

Click the link below:

Snow in Llanvair Discoed, Wales

Other Landscape images from Andrew

Nancy & Matthew with Andrew Miller Photography

The Old Court Hotel, Symmonds Yat

Well, the last wedding shoot of the year was Nancy & Matthew. And what a day it was – the snow was pretty horrendous! It was actually touch and go if I managed to get to the hotel or not, and getting back was another story in itself!!

The Old Court at Symmonds Yat is a great little hotel set in a fantastic area of the country. Thing is – when the weather gets bad it is sooo easy to get snowed in!

Anyway, all the guests managed to arrive though I think some stayed at local B&B’s rather than try and get home due to the weather.

The constant snow and time of day for the wedding stopped the outdoor group shots so I concentrated on the candid / reportage type of shots of which I managed to capture everyone in the wedding party.

Click below to see some images from this wedding!

Nancy & Matthew at The Old Court Hotel, Symmonds Yat

Thanks

Andrew

Nicola and Matthew with Andrew Miller Photography

Cwrt Bledyyn, Usk

My first wedding of the year went smoothly with Nicola and Matthew getting married at a great venue, the Cwrt Bleddyn near Usk.

I was asked at the last minute to step as the couple were going to get good friend and photographer to shoot the wedding, but due to snow and the general weather conditions they asked if I could do just in case! As it turned out their friend splipped on snow and hurt himself – lets hope he gets better soon!

It was a small wedding, about 40 guests and the room at the Cwrt Bleddyn was decked out in a gorgeous manner. Nicola & Matt got married and had a great evening partying on.

The only downer was the weather – overcast, foggy and still with snow on the ground so outdoor photos were out of the question. I had to make do with one large group shot in the main room using the curtains as  backdrop.

3 days later Nicola had her lipstick back (I always offer to carry the brides makeup in my pockets – lets face it, designers don’t design wedding dresses to hold things!!) and a CD with the images as proofs from the wedding, and all the images upload onto a secure website for viewing by friends and family.

To see some images from this wedding please click below:

Nicola & Matt at the Cwrt Bleddyn Hotel