To continue with our series of shoots with artisan food producers & craftsmen we thought we would share a recent shoot that Mark did with a Thatcher down in rural Wiltshire.
Whilst we have been searching for suitable projects for Mark so much has been through word-of-mouth, twitter & chance meetings with people. Recently Mark spent a day teaching photography to small businesses in Wiltshire for use on their websites etc. On the day he chatted to a lady who mentioned that her husband was a thatcher & may be looking for new images for his website. Now, never one to rest on his laurels the next day when he was back at his desk Mark called Adam & later the same week he found himself atop a thatched roof!
Mark spent the day with them whilst they thatched the beautiful thatched cottage. He captured images of them using the traditional tools such as the legget which is used to force the blunt ends of the reeds inwards to bring them into line & shearing hook which looks like a left-handed scythe, except it’s right-handed and is used to shear the ears off the reeds. Mark got some fantastic shots of the tools, the skills & the craftsmen themselves. Thatching truly is an ancient craft; the first thatch was in the Bronze age – 4,500 years ago. Thatched cottages and farm buildings were the norm in rural Britain for a millennium or more.
Adam Nash, who Mark spent the day with, is a Master Thatcher & is based in Crockerton, Wiltshire and thatches in Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset. You will see examples of his thatching scattered around the counties including Salisbury, Amesbury, Andover, Heytesbury, Tisbury, Shaftesbury & Warminster www.adamnashthatcher.co.uk
Wiltshire
Where has the Summer gone?….
Fed up with all this rain, when is Summer coming back? Can’t believe I only shot this a couple of weekends ago down at the lake at Bowood House in Wiltshire. Let’s hope it’s not long before we can get our frisbees out again!
#Crufts Dog Portrait #Photography Offer
To celebrate #Crufts which starts tonight I am offering dog portrait sessions of your beloved canine friends for just £25 for a dog friendly portrait session in the South Oxfordshire countryside.
Vouchers valid for 12 months from date of issue and are available for just £25 until 10th March 2014. I am happy to travel further afield and travel costs would be charged accordingly.
Call now on 01844 351218 to purchase your voucher or email info@marklordphotgraphy.co.uk
See more of my animal portraits on my website http://www.marklordphotography.co.uk
Pre-Wedding shoot with a bigger twist… #weddings #dogs
Recently Clare and Conor booked me for their wedding photography at Notley Tythe Barn. I love a rustic wedding at a tythe barn so if you are getting married at one of the Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire or Wiltshire tythe barns please do get in touch!
I was at a wedding fair at Notley Tythe Barn, Long Crendon, near Thame and Clare and her Mum came by to see me and introduce themselves. We had a chat and before Clare left she mentioned bringing their dog to the pre wedding shoot. I really enjoy photographing dogs, I could photograph dogs all day long and in my time have photographed all sorts from terriers to Newfoundlands. It’s been a while since I have photographed an Old English Sheep dog but Clare and Conor brought their 8 month old ‘Old English’ with them to the shoot, called Eddie! I was a little taken back when I opened the door but not quite so as our cat who sensed something large and hairy at the door and legged it upstairs.
We headed off into the nearby South Oxfordshire fields with Eddie and we all had a blast. I am very much looking forward to their wedding later in the year at Notley Tythe Barn
Here are a few of my favourite images from the shoot.
The world of #Biomass energy…..
To those that know me and my work, most of the time I am photographing things with two to four legs, people and animals are what I specialise in.
This time last year I had a call from a local marketing company after I was recommended to them by a local design company in Thame. ‘I’ve got a bit a of a challenge for you’ said the voice down the phone. ‘What do you know about biomass energy?’
Ironically I had photographed a small biomass boiler in a pub I photographed for the Princes Countryside Fund a few months before. Biomass energy is a very efficient way of heating and many businesses are using it now to heat their premises due to it being cost effective and better on the environment. I had photographed a small boiler in a shed that was heating a small country pub but apart from that my knowledge was limited. Always one to rise to a challenge I accepted this gents offer to meet up for a coffee and discuss the project. Biomass boilers run on small wooden pellets that have to be manufactured and I was asked to photograph everything from the plant in Wales where the pellets are made to a swish BMW showroom and leisure centre in Milton Keynes who use biomass energy to heat their premises.
‘It’s boring stuff’ I was told, ‘you are going to have to be creative’ and ‘I’m thinking black and white’ came with the brief. So dates were put into the diary and off we went to these various locations to photograph the world of biomass!
It was brilliant, I totally enjoyed the whole project. I have always had a design head on my shoulders, wanting to be a product designer before finding photography many years ago. I enjoy the processes involved and the way we start with this and end up with that. I will bore you no more, but biomass can be interesting (he says hesitantly….) To find out more about biomass energy here is a link to follow.
If you are looking for a photographer for any commercial photography projects then please do get in touch, I would be delighted to discuss your ideas you may have. My client was thrilled with the images and told me if i can make biomass look exciting I can probably make anything look interesting.
Here are a few of my pictures from the biomass days…… 
This is what I love so much about my profession. The way that one thing leads to another through referral and how one day I can be photographing a beautiful country wedding and another day a mucky old boiler. Variety is the spice of life they say. I think so!
Kick start 2014 off with a new profile pic for #Twitter
With the increasing use of social media in the corporate and business world it is important to keep a fresh looking image of yourself for your professional profiles on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.
I photograph many business people from different walks of life from authors to surgeons who want to keep their image up to date. I offer a simple approach to business portraits in the Henley on Thames, Marlow, Oxford and Thames Valley area, I can either come to you at your home or office or we can meet somewhere in the local area for the shoot. The shoot will last half an hour or so and I will capture a variety of relaxed but professional looking portraits from which you can choose your favourites.
With session fees from just £25 why not kick off the New Year with a new look? All images are digitally enhanced to soften lines, remove blemishes if necessary and can be supplied in colour or black and white.
For more examples of my business style photography please visit my website http://www.marklordphotography.co.uk
#Royal visit to #Sherston Old School, #Wiltshire
A few months ago I had the pleasure of being the official photographer for HRH Prince Charles’ visit to Sherston old school in Wiltshire. With several press boys and girls there I was privileged to be the only photographer to accompany HRH into the building on his visit to Sherston old school.
Sherston old school is a great community project helped by The Princes Countryside Fund, one of Prince Charles’ charities. To find out more about the fund and to see how you can help please click here. To read the ‘Sherston Cliffhanger’ and all about the Royal visit please click here. To see the images I took on my first visit to Sherston old school please click here.
In the meantime here is one of my favourite images from the visit, I just love the enthusiasm of the little boy in the middle! Wiltshire followers of my blog please keep a look out in your county magazines for more of my images from the visit.
Family Portrait #Photography #Oxfordshire
It may be blowing to gale out there but we do get some beautiful days here in the Spring and Summer – honest! Here are a few family portrait pictures I shot last summer on a gorgeous day, the family owned a farm so it made sense to do the shoot on the farm. Farm yard locations for family portraits are one of my favourite locations as there is plenty to entertain the children and also some lovely backgrounds.
I offer a great family portrait shoot offer from just £25 to £75 depending on location. Why not treat your family to a family portrait voucher this year. All vouchers purchased before the 31st January 2014 will be valid until the end of 2014.
A portrait session is a great way of bringing an extended family together, can be great fun and you will have some pictures to show for it at the end.
Please call me on 01844 351218 or email me info@marklordphotography.co.uk for more information.
Check out my portrait photography galleries at http://www.marklordphotography.co.uk
Mark Lord Photography 