RNLI CHARITY RAFT RACE

MUDEFORD RNLI CHARITY DAY

Loads of people made their way down to Mudeford Quay this afternoon to watch and participate in the yearly RNLI Charity day. 

http://mudefordlifeboatfunday.org/ 

The weather was awesome, the quay was packed and the wave craft were spectacular.

People crowded on both sides of the quay to witness the dedicated skills of the contestants who had clearly spent ages knocking up weird and wonderful vessels.

As the wind and tide were problematic this years race started at the Black house and finished towards the mouth of the quay.

This of course made no difference to the competitors who  seemed to care more about dunking and egging their fellow competition, of course all done in good spirit.

Anyone wishing to donate to the RNLI ( A mega worthy cause) you can follow this link http://rnli.org/howtosupportus/howweuseyourmoney/Pages/how-you-helped-last-year.aspx

So, here are a few shots from this afternoon

CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR A LARGER VIEW

Seb x

A FEW OF MY CONCERT IMAGES

FOR THE LOVE OF GIG PHOTOGRAPHY

Well its been a while since I last posted anything on here so I have spent the day thinking what do I really enjoy, What really makes me smile, What really gives me goosebumps and leaves me in a state of euphoria , well it could be surfing, biking, playing drums, being lucky enough to have a job that lets me be part of and record peoples special day. Of course I truly love all these things but what I really love is Concert photography.

 I'm pretty sure it all stems from when I saw Iron Maiden in 1986 at Sheffield city hall which in turn led to me spending the last 25 years playing drums and spending most of my time attending hundreds if not thousands of gigs around the UK and Europe. But its only recently that I have been able to get the opportunity to record such events photographically. 

I have to admit it has to be one of the most difficult  and sometimes annoying things to get into mainly as getting press passes are non existent especially if you don't work for a music mag but when you manage to finally photograph a band / artist you really like its damn awesome.

I think being a wedding photographer helps as we are used to shooting in difficult and tricky lighting situations and being able to pull the ISO past 2500 on the new 5Dmk3 without major noise issues really makes a massive difference.

Well I wont ramble on, Here's a few shots from last year/ this year I really like  With a bit of luck  I might get to shoot some more shortly. 

Seb x

Christchurch Music Festival.

Christchurch Music Festival

http://lewisandschofieldphotography.co.uk/

http://sebastianschofieldphotography.com/?page_id=68

I decided to escape the crowded beach and the Tennis finals and head down for the afternoon to the music festival at Christchurch.

I recommend anyone thinking of a great day out to check out this little festival. Its all run by volunteers and all proceeds go to the Mayors charity. The Sunday is free (A rarity these days) and is a great place to take the kids, In fact its a great introduction to live music.

This festival has been growing for the past number of years and this year was no exception. some great local bands took to the stage throughout the day which included the Mother Ukers http://www.motherukers.com/

who remind me of the great Hayseed Dixie, cruising through their own take on Cameo's word up and nailing it with Ant music.

They were followed by http://www.unsigned.com/sirpico Now.. as many people know I'm known for my outspoken view on cover bands. and I will stick to my guns and admit I prefer Original music, but I was really impressed with these guys. A real tight unit and strong vocals kicking out obscure covers made me smile. they are defo worth keeping an eye on.

 I unfortunately missed the acts in the morning but I finally managed to catch  The Maggot http://www.ladywinwoodsmaggot.co.uk/ headlining at the end of a very hot day. I haven't seen these guys for a while and as usual they put on a great show. I managed to bag a few shots of the guys before my camera decided it didn't want to focus any more (Im sure Canons new AF system has major flaws). 

Anyway a great afternoon with great weather and live music .. what could be better???

Here's a handful of images of the mighty Maggot headlining on the Sunday...Seb.

Feels like summer

Flowers

http://lewisandschofieldphotography.co.uk/

So I decided to walk the dogs down to Christchurch harbour this morning and the first thing that struck me was the amount of beautiful wild flowers there are growing opposite the Captains club.

Its amazing how the past few days combined with the sun and rain has kick started the summer down here. 

So if your passing Wick, keep an eye out .. It might brighten your day up.

Suppliers Evening

Suppliers Evening

www.lewisandschofield.co.uk

Well last night we attended our first Wedding Suppliers meeting at the Grasshopper pub in Parkstone http://thegrasshopperparkstone.co.uk/

After rushing down from a client meeting in Christchurch we arrived at the pub. Dave and I drawing lots on who would enter first. I have the edge over Dave on the cowardice front so Dave jumped on the grenade and lead the way.

 ( To those who have never attended a suppliers meeting) I suggest locking horns with someone or something in common, For me the compelling site of a small box of mini eggs is just the ticket to start a conversation... unfortunately the box was empty. So as the disappointment subsided and my bottom lip returned to normal, the ice suddenly broke with Jason from http://www.dorsetdubhire.com/ welcoming us to the group.

I must admit I have never been one for attending group evenings as I'm a fairly shy person but after being introduced to the smashing girls who run http://www.dorsetweddingfestival.co.uk/index.html and their total (Down to earth ...say it how it is attitude) I felt we were in the company of like minded people.

The nice thing about evening was recognising suppliers we have worked with at previous weddings which include the lovely Sally Malcolm  http://www.blushingbridesbournemouth.co.uk/

As the night drew in we met loads of great people, who I'm sure I bored to death with my massive interest in glass collecting and the evolution of the English bottle (Dave had dissipated by this time).  But no one wondered off which I'm hoping was a good sign.

So here's a quick mention to a couple of new friends,  Tracy Carroll http://www.wedding-time.com/ (she also has curly hair like myself which gets the thumbs up from me any day).

And Emma Bowden http://www.eyecandy-makeup.co.uk/ (who I'm convinced we have worked with before) and hopefully will again soon.

A great night and wonderful company, we will definitely see you all again at the next evening. Meanwhile here's a  nice summery picture of a cow 

The Wedding of Minna & Nick

The Wedding of Minna & Nick

http://lewisandschofieldphotography.co.uk/

After a long drive to Bath, Dave and I arrived at Minna's family home where we were immediately offered  croissants and beverages of our choice to fuel us for the big day. (If you want to get on a photographers good side Croissants are extremely high on our list).

Today was to be slightly different to our regular format as Minna wasn't fussed about having prep shots, so our day started from the ceremony onwards.

Minna arrived in a traditional country carriage AKA a long wheel based Landrover where a wonderful church ceremony followed with speeches from their friends.

A bit of a mission followed the confetti shots, Dave and I together with the videographer drove back to the reception (Aproximatley half a mile away) only to leg it down across the fields to photograph Minna & Nick walking back from the church. I have to admit after slipping on my arse in cow crap  and my camera covered in sticky buds, I felt like we were in a carry on film, It was however really great fun and a great oppertunity to get some awesome images.

Arriving back at the cottage, a few family shots in the garden were followed by the wedding breakfast and speeches (At this point I must mention how awesome the marquee looked after Minna and her friends decked it out in colored paper pom poms which moved back and forth in the wind) truly spectacular.

After the speeches and cheese cake cutting the marquee opened out to the dance floor for the first dance and the extremely talented band (who had traveled down all the way from Leeds )

Dave and I had a great day photographing Minna & Nick and are very grateful for their hospitality in keeping us fed and watered all day, we are looking forward to shortly handing them the finished images.

So until then  here are a few images of the day in no particular order.

Alex & Ben's Wedding at the Captains Club Christchurch.

The Wedding of Alex & Ben 

http://lewisandschofieldphotography.co.uk/ 

 The day started with Alex and her Bridesmaids at the beautiful Urban Beach hotel, http://www.urbanbeach.co.uk/

where champagne wasn't the order of the day but instead strong coffee and bacon butties.

The girls were surprisingly calm and very laid back about the whole day ahead, not batting an eyelid at Dave and I moving around the room in stealth mode competing for the best shots of the bride.

Then it was off to the Captains club, http://www.captainsclubhotel.com/ to photograph the boys. Again same as the girls, the lads seemed to be very calm about the whole thing (probably helped on by the visit to a ..ahem..gentleman's club and lots of pre wedding champagne the night before).

Alex arrived on time thanks to her lovely bridesmaids and Dorset Dub hire http://www.dorsetdubhire.com/

A beautiful ceremony followed, then out on the terrace for drinks,

followed by a journey, by sea, around Christchurch harbor in two fantastic vintage ferries http://www.bournemouthboating.co.uk/

Although the rain was on and off most of the time it didn't spoil Alex & Ben's great day.

 After the speeches, everyone flowed outside to play giant jenga and tabletop football in the evening sun, followed by hog roast and disco (including glow sticks) and a firework finale to end a perfect wedding day by the river.

So .. here are a few shots of the day.