Engagement Shoots on Calton Hill

Calton Hill in Edinburgh has always been popular with photographers since the days of Queen Victoria. It has an iconic view of the Edinburgh skyline dominated by the indomitable sight of Edinburgh Castle sitting atop Castle Rock. On a warm summer Sunday afternoon in 1842 Queen Victoria took her photographer up Calton Hill for a photo with the impressive Edinburgh vista as a backdrop. Sadly, things didn’t go too well. The camera’s in those days were great enormous bulky things and the photographer took so long setting the shot up that by the time he was ready the queen was so fatigued with wearing her fixed smile that she blinked as the photographer tripped the camera and in the resultant photograph she thus appeared to have her eyes closed in a very unflattering way. Needless to say she was not amused!

The vista from Calton Hill is still just as impressive and as mentioned in my last blog it is one of my favourite locations for Engagement Shoots. I am sure I can’t be the only wedding photographer in Edinburgh who uses Calton Hill for e-shoots but I have to say I don’t come across too many images from here on the internet and other photography blogs, so perhaps I am fortunate in living so close by.

Due to regular visits I am very familiar with this famous Edinburgh landmark and isn’t simply the view I like but also the fact that there are numerous little nooks and crannies that afford a great variety of photographs and back grounds. So although I had done three separate couples within just a few days of each other we can still mix up the assortment of pictures for each shoot.

June and Paul booked me for their wedding about three years ago. Sadly, due to serious family illness the wedding had to be put on hold for some time, but the date was re-arranged early this year and I’m looking forward to going to Orocco Pier Hotel in 10 days time to photograph their big day.

The shots shown here are a small selection of my personal favourites from the shoot we did two weeks ago. It was raining on the day we’d scheduled but the forecast was for showers and by the time we met up at 2pm things had blown over so we took the trail from Royal Terrace and spent about half an hour or so enjoying ourselves on the hill top. Once we had finished up and were making the walk back down the showers returned, but by then we had all the shots in the bag.

As you can see in the images Paul and June are a lovely couple and look great in the photographs and I have no worries at all that they will look equally as good in their wedding photographs. I must say that I LOVE June’s shoes! Although I’m guessing they are not her wedding shoes.

With every Engagement Shoot I do the couple pick their favourite photograph from the session and I have it placed into a beautiful wide, wedding signature mount which goes on display on the day and guests can sign around the edge and leave comments and messages. The full length photograph in the fourth spread (left image) is the one Paul and June have picked to go into their signature mount, which just happens to be sat across from me in my office as I write all ready and waiting to be taken along on the big day. I no doubt will be blogging their wedding in due course so check back to see their wedding shots in a few weeks time.