On Monday I visited Nostell Priory to meet up with Lisa and Geoff, whose wedding I am photographing later on this year.  Lisa and Geoff are from down South and the Bank Holiday weekend was a great opportunity to meet up with them for their pre-wedding shoot.  Lisa and Geoff are total naturals in front of the camera and we hit the ground running from the word go!  I am really looking forward to Lisa and Geoff’s wedding as it’s set to be an amazing day!

A few images from the morning….

All photography by Paul Alexander Photography, West Yorkshire wedding photographer, Leeds Wedding Photographer,

Wakefield Wedding Photographer, North Yorkshire wedding photographer  www.paulalexander.co.uk

On Saturday afternoon I met up with Aimee and Andrew for their pre-wedding shoot.  I am due to photograph their wedding at the stunning  Mansion later on this month.   We met at Newmillardam for the pre-wedding shoot, and again today the rain held off long enough for us to get some decent shots in!  Aimee and Andrew are great couple both very chilled and relaxed in front of the camera.   I am really looking forward to being part of their special day

A few images from the afternoon…..

All photography by Paul Alexander Photography, Wakefield wedding photographer, Leeds Wedding Photographer,

Sheffield Wedding Photographer, South Yorkshire wedding photographer  www.paulalexander.co.uk

Saturday morning I met up with Karen and Jack for their pre-wedding shoot at Yorkshire Sculpture Park.  I am photographing their wedding this month and this was our chance for a practise run   For some reason the rain held off for our visit…..not that i’m complaining!  I love doing pre-wedding shoots as it helps to reduce the nerves on the day but Karen and Jack are naturals in front of the camera, as you can see

As always a few images from the morning….

All photography by Paul Alexander Photography, West Yorkshire wedding photographer, Leeds Wedding Photographer,

Wakefield Wedding Photographer, North Yorkshire wedding photographer  www.paulalexander.co.uk

On Saturday I headed off to meet Emma and Andy to photograph their big day, after months of planning on their part !  I was joined by my trusted sidekick Dafydd Hughes, also known as Goose!  My day started at Thorpe Park Hotel to cover Emma and her bridal preparation’s.  After a stress free and relaxed morning with Emma I set off to St Mary’s church in Garforth, Leeds to meet Andy and crew   The ceremony was lovely with a tearful Emma walking up the aisle.  After the ceremony finished we all headed back to Thorpe Park Hotel for the reception,  I have to say the staff at Thorpe Park Hotel were excellent, we were looked after very well.  We were threatened all week with heavy rain, but the rain decided to play ball and not appear….result!  I thoroughly enjoyed my day with Emma and Andy who are fantastic by the way, they made sure Goose and I were well looked after….thank you.

A blog post wouldn’t be a blog post without a few images……

All photography by Paul Alexander Photography, West Yorkshire wedding photographer, Leeds Wedding Photographer,

Sheffield Wedding Photographer, North Yorkshire wedding photographer  www.paulalexander.co.uk

This Friday saw me at the lovely venue Holdsworth House for the first wedding of the year with Esther and Stephen.  My day started out at Esther’s parents house, which happens to be a working farm!  They have just started the lambing season which is why there is a random photo of the lambs   After covering Esther’s bridal preparation’s and having some fun with Esther’s Dad’s prized tractor I set off to Holdsworth House to meet the chilled groom Stephen.   The whole day run perfectly and the rain managed to hold off at the right times during the day.  Esther and Stephen are such a lovely couple and I am grateful to have been part of their special day.

As always a few images from the day…..

All photography by Paul Alexander Photography, West Yorkshire wedding photographer, Halifax Wedding Photographer,

Sheffield Wedding Photographer, North Yorkshire wedding photographer  www.paulalexander.co.uk

As you can see I have got a new logo for my business!  I have been using the old logo for over 2 years and I felt a change was needed.  I liked the old logo but felt it was a bit cold and didn’t properly reflect the business and where it was heading.  So I  commissioned Bimbo Design to come up with a logo with the brief I sent them.  After a few weeks and some toing and froing between myself and Bimbo Design they came up with the design that I adored and which now sits proudly on my website

I feel the new logo has a more personal feel to it and I think it better represents myself,  the business and the direction I want it to go in (I also think it looks brilliant!)

So to coincide with the official launch of my new logo I am running a competition where you could win a fantastic wallart product worth up to £199!

So what is the competition I hear you ask ??!!

All you have to do is:

1. Comment on what you think of the logo in the comments box below
2. AND if you have a Facebook account like this blog post.

Follow the two steps above and that’s it, you are automatically entered!  Please leave a contact email when you leave a comment so I can contact you if you win!

If you win the competition one stipulation is that you use a photograph that I have taken for the wallart prize.  So if you are a previous client or have attended a wedding that I have photographed then you may decide to choose an image from that wedding, or if you are new to Paul Alexander Photography you can choose a photo that has either appeared on my website or is from one of my online galleries.  So spread the word and get as many people as you can to enter!!

The competition will end on midnight of 20th April 2012….that should give you enough time to enter.  The winner will be picked at random and notified via email.

As a thank you to everyone that enters the competition you are welcome to a 25% discount of any print product that are available in my online galleries.   The online galleries can be found here or click on the menu link above called CLIENT AREA.

What you could win!

The following fantastic pieces of wallart products are up for grabs, the modern looking Alumini Print, the contemporary Edge Print or a stunning looking Canvas print.  You can choose up to a size of 24″ x 16″.  Please note these images are the manufacturers and do not represent my work.

A few terms and conditions:

• The competition prize can not be exchanged for cash

• This competition can not be used in-conjunction with any other offer

• The entry for the competition will end on midnight 20th April 2012, any entries after this date will be excluded from entry

• The winner will be chosen at random

• This competition is open to UK residents only

• The winners could be required to take part in publicity

• Any personal information gained such as names and email addresses will NOT be disclosed to any 3rd parties

• This competition may be modified or withdrawn at any time

On Saturday I visited Thorpe Park Hotel in Leeds for the pre-wedding shoot of Emma and Andy.  Emma and Andy are getting married next month and I am grateful to be covering their wedding.  We started out at Thorpe Park Hotel and then went of to Temple Newsam to use the photogenic grounds.  Emma mentioned that she was slightly nervous prior to the shoot….I can’t see any sign of nerves in these photo’s!  Emma and Andy are a great couple I had great fun doing their pre-wedding shoot…..I’m looking forward to their special day!

A few images from the morning…..

All photography by Paul Alexander Photography, West Yorkshire wedding photographer, Leeds Wedding Photographer,

Sheffield Wedding Photographer, North Yorkshire wedding photographer  www.paulalexander.co.uk

At the weekend I visited Holdsworth House in Halifax for the pre-wedding shoot of Esther and Stephen.  I am photographing their wedding next month and this was our practise run before the big day!  I must say Esther and Stephen are total naturals in front of the camera, no sign of nerves at all   For some strange reason I kept calling Stephen…Mark….no idea why!  Towards the end of the shoot I eventually remembered Stephen’s name with the occasional…mmStephen creeping out   Esther and Stephen are totally made for each other, as you can see in the photo’s.  I am grateful that I have been chosen to be their wedding photographer and I look forward to photographing their wedding day.

As always a few images….

All photography by Paul Alexander Photography, West Yorkshire wedding photographer, Wakefield Wedding Photographer,

Halifax Wedding Photographer, Leeds Wedding Photographer, www.paulalexander.co.uk

I am rather late in announcing this……I am extremely pleased to say that I have been accepted into the WPJA (Wedding Photojournalist Association).  What is the WPJA I hear you ask!  This quote taken from the WPJA website explains it better than I can “Since 2002 the WPJA has been the number one trusted source for the best wedding photojournalists in the world. Recognized for excellence by leading wedding publications including BRIDES magazine, the WPJA is an international network of vigorously vetted professional photographers whose work is regularly judged by award-winning photojournalists (including many Pulitzer Prize-winners) and news photo editors.  With ongoing curatorial vision the association identifies emerging talent, keeping our talent pool fresh and cutting edge. The WPJA is dedicated to upholding the highest standards in creative wedding photojournalism while promoting best business practices.”

Gaining entry into the WPJA is a strict process and it has been said that only 5% of WPJA applicants get accepted!   I am currently the only West Yorkshire based wedding photographer in the WPJA!  Suffice it to say I am honored and humbled to have my work alongside some of the finest wedding photographers in the world.

So it has been a special time in my life recently as it was my 20th wedding anniversary.  Lisa and I got married 20 years ago in Wakefield and I thought I had best give Lisa a treat for putting up with me for more than 20 years   So I did some soul searching and thought what would be the best present I could give to Lisa.  Lisa has a real passion for visiting other countries and experiencing other cultures.  One of her top places to visit was Marrakech, the architecture, the people seemed to appeal her sense of adventure.  So when I discussed the idea of visiting Marrakech she jumped at the chance. I left all the plans up to Lisa for what places to visit, arranging the accommodation and sorting the itinerary…..after all it was Lisa’s present!

We had a great five days in Marrakech, we visited palaces, visited the tallest waterfalls in North Africa, had a look around a Berber village, did some serious shopping around the Souks, had a Hammam (Google Hammam) and also chilled out.  Below are a few pictures of our adventure to Marrakech….in no particular order.

This was the Riad we stayed at in Marrakech

These are the Saadian Tombs, members of the Saadi dynasty who existed around the 16th century

This is called Ben Youssef Madrasa, an Islamic college which was used around the 14th Century

The Ouzoud waterfalls, a stunning place to visit….they are around 110m (330ft) in height

We were lucky enough to visit a local Berber market

Our guide called Abdul helped us through the waterfalls and the area around it

Lisa had a go at grinding Argan nuts, which are only found in certain parts of Morocco and Algeria

Abdul took us to visit a local’s house, quite a basic kitchen

We were lucky enough to see and feed some wild monkeys!

The Majorelle Gardens

Mohammed, one of the shop owners in the Souks we shopped at!

This was inside the Riad we stayed in….stunning