Philip Hawkins Photography: Back at Melville Castle!

This week I’ve ended up traveling from one end of Scotland almost to the other! I started off the week going down to Dumfriesshire, in the south west corner, then up to Fort William in the north west mid week, and then ended the week back at Melville Castle close to home.

It’s been a mixture of commercial shoots and meetings. Most of the meetings being wedding related, either with future bride and grooms or wedding planners and venues. The drive over to Fort William was particularly enjoyable! I love the north west Highlands, and although my favourite part is Wester Ross, further up than Fort William, a close second is Rannoch Moor.

Rannoch Moor sits on the edge of the Highlands and is encompassed by a rim of mountains that stretch all the way to Glencoe. The A82 is the main road to Fort William and it travels right over the summit plateau which is over a 1000ft above sea level. Robert Louis Stevenson described Rannoch Moor as “a wearier looking desert a man never saw” and down to this day Rannoch Moor is regarded as one of the last genuine wildernesses of Europe. The views as you pass Loch Tulla are spectacular! Loch Ba with the Black Mount arising behind, the majestic Buachaille Etive Mhor, and then the jaws of Glencoe to mention just a few. Over the years I’ve done many magazine shoots in and around this area so I’ve come to know and love it extremely well.

On Sunday we were back at Melville Castle for the second of three spring wedding shows. The show last month was a great success for both the Castle and myself. You’ll know from a previous blog how the day went and how many couples I met and chatted to and I’ve since been out for a follow up meeting with many of them. Bookings for this year are now coming in thick and fast. It does seem as if the financial uncertainty has caused many brides and grooms to leave their bookings much later than the norm for 2009, but now my remaining available dates are getting taken up nicely. Again, as I experienced at last months show 2010 is going to be a very busy year for weddings, and by the looks of things so will 2011. I also met couples who are currently planning their weddings for 2012, too. And, believe it or not, I even received an enquiry through my website this week from a bride who’s date is 2014!

One of the (many) reasons I enjoy wedding fairs is because you get an instant reaction to your work. You know you’ve got it right when you see brides, grooms and parents ’wow-ing’ over your Storybooks and albums. But I also got some additional post wedding feedback this week from a couple who’s wedding I shot a few months ago.

Liz and Bruce got married at Melville Castle last August. For Christmas they purchased a few Gallery Prints from me as presents for their parents. They wanted some prints in the style of their Image Book pages, where you can have multi image spreads, interlinked photographs, and various other combinations. I designed a seven, a three and a two image montage which I then had printed up as Gallery Prints and which Liz and Bruce used as Christmas gifts. A few days ago they ordered two more for themselves and I delivered these Thursday evening where I got to hear the story of the Prints being unwrapped at Christmas. As you know Galler

y Prints are very new and Liz and Bruce’s family had never seen anything like them before and could hardly believe how stunning they were! When Bruce’s mother unwrapped hers and saw it she was so moved by it she started to cry. From the sound of it I think they must have spent nearly all the holidays just looking at them, lol. Anyway, needless to say they now have pride and place on their walls. Here’s a picture of one of the prints Liz and Bruce ordered for themselves that replicates one of their album pages.