Posts Tagged ‘award winning photography’

Scottish Master Photographer Association Awards 2011

Monday, May 9th, 2011

We have just returned from the Scottish Master Photographer Association Awards at Dunblane Hydro.  The day began with an awe inspiring seminar by Andy Earl who has had a hugely successful career within the international music business shooting cover images for over 120 sleeves and videos for musicians such as The Rolling Stones.

Then Mark was bobbing up and down from his seat fairly regularly collecting four Certificate of Merits and two Awards of Excellence across various categories.  Here are the images which were awarded:

Certificate of Merit in Fashion & Glamour:

(Dress by Lindsay Fleming)

Certificate of Merit Fashion Scottish Master Photographer Association Awards 2011Certificate of Merit – Classical Wedding:

Certificate of Merit Classical Wedding Scottish Master Photographer Association Awards 2011

Certificate of Merit – Monochrome:

Certificate of Merit Monochrome Scottish Master Photographer Association Awards 2011

Certificate of Merit – Complete Wedding:

Certificate of Merit Complete Wedding 819x1024 Scottish Master Photographer Association Awards 2011

Award of Excellence – Fashion & Glamour:

(Dress by Lindsay Fleming)

Award of Excellence Fashion Scottish Master Photographer Association Awards 2011

Award of Excellence – Reportage Wedding:

Award of Excellence Reportage Wedding Scottish Master Photographer Association Awards 2011

Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Saturday, June 26th, 2010

We can’t quite believe two years have passed since we photographed THE MOST amazing day … the day that the lovely Pamela and Steven tied the knot in Girona, Spain.  Having been together since they were 16 and 19 respectively, they had been best friends for 12 years.  We were booked as destination wedding photographers to join them in Girona, Spain (where they now live having grown up in Motherwell) and were able to shoot around the fantastic backdrop of the old town of Girona.  Their ceremony in Girona Cathedral was awe inspiring and the Spanish early evening light was soft and warm leading to the most incredible wedding photography.

As you may be aware, many of the images from this wedding went on to win awards for Mark including Best Complete Wedding at the Scottish Master Photographers Association in 2009 and the 2008 Fujifilm Licentiate Competition at the British Professional Photography Awards.

We would like to wish Pamela and Steven a fabulous wedding anniversary with countless more happy years to come.  All the best guys!

Destination wedding photography 2 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 4 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 7 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 10 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 11 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 12 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 14 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 15 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 16 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 17 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 18 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 19 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 22 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 23 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 24 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 25 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 26 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 27 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 28 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 29 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 30 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 31 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 32 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 33 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 34 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 35 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 36 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 37 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 39 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Destination wedding photography 40 Pamela and Steven | Girona, Spain | Destination Wedding Photography

Archibald Photography are available for destination weddings – for destination photography enquiries, please get in touch on info@archibaldphotography.co.uk

To read Pamela & Steven, full wedding story, please visit:

http://www.archibaldphotography.co.uk/blog/2009/01/20/pamela-stevens-wedding-in-girona-spain/

The new Scottish Fashion Photographer of the Year is …….. Mark Archibald

Tuesday, June 15th, 2010

Phew!  Just coming down to earth from last night’s Scottish Master Photographer Awards held at Dunblane Hydro.  Mark was bobbing up and down out of his seat receiving 4 Certificates of Merit (in Contemporary Wedding, Monochrome and Fashion categories) , one Award of Excellence (in Fashion category) and the prestigious overall title of Scottish Fashion Photographer of the Year 2010.  Just think of the studio space required for another 6 certificates and a trophy!  Here’s the images and the awards they were given:

10104 Mark Archibald Fashion Glamour 3 The new Scottish Fashion Photographer of the Year is ........ Mark Archibald

This image awarded Mark Scottish Fashion Photographer of the Year 2010

This image was from a fashion shoot carried out for Lindsay Fleming Couture showing the new additions to their range of 1920s vintage inspired wedding dresses ‘All That Jazz’.  The vintage style makeup was provided by Ainsley M, vintage hair styling by Volume Hair and the gorgeous accompanying headpieces by Baba-C Designs.

10104 Mark Archibald Classic Wedding The new Scottish Fashion Photographer of the Year is ........ Mark Archibald

This image won Award of Excellence in the Monochrome Category

10104 Mark Archibald Fashion Glamour The new Scottish Fashion Photographer of the Year is ........ Mark Archibald

This image won a Certificate of Merit in the Fashion Category

10104 Mark Archibald Fashion Glamour 2 The new Scottish Fashion Photographer of the Year is ........ Mark Archibald

This image won a Certificate of Merit in the Fashion Category

10104 Mark Archibald Contemporary Wedding 3 The new Scottish Fashion Photographer of the Year is ........ Mark Archibald

This image won a Certificate of Merit in the Contemporary Wedding Category

10104 Mark Archibald Monochrome The new Scottish Fashion Photographer of the Year is ........ Mark Archibald

This image won a Certificate of Merit in the Monochrome Category

Mark Archibald is “one of Scotlands most skillful and creative photographers”

Tuesday, April 20th, 2010

Last year, Mark was really overwhelmed to become the winner of Complete Wedding Category of the Master Photographer Association Awards 2009 (Scottish Region). To enter you must submit 10 images from one wedding and the award reflects consistency in technical excellence.

The awards were judged by two fantastic and UK leading photographers -  Bella West and Simon Johns.  They both provided feedback on why Mark was awarded this prestigious award as follows:

“Mark Archibald’s collection of images defined him as one of Scotland’s most skillful and creative photographers. Within the ten images from one wedding, Mark demonstrated his eye for light, colour, composition, graphic and emotion – all the areas which today’s bride want to see within their wedding photographs. Alongside this, Mark has used the wonderful environment of this wedding and incorporated it within the story. Mark has managed to demonstrate all the elements of a wedding within just ten images.” – Bella West (In 2008 Bella was awarded the most prestigious and respected accolade, that of Fellowship in not one, but two of the leading professional bodies – the British Institute of Professional Photography and the Master Photographers Association – one of only a handful of females to be recognised at this level.)

“A stunning set of images, full of drama and story telling.  I liked the informality Mark captured. Observed with a keen eye and great sense of humility.” – Simon John (Simon John is one of the most celebrated photographers in the UK and was awarded his Fellowship of the British Institute of Professional Photography at a prestigious ceremony held at the House of Commons Westminster in 1996.)

Read more and view the winning panel here.

Nicola & Liam’s Wedding at Western House Hotel

Sunday, December 20th, 2009

Nicola and Liam met at a birthday party for Liam’s brother Calum; Nicola’s friend was friends with Calum’s wife.  They were together for four and a half years before they got married having lived together for two and a half of those years.

Liam proposed to Nicola on a secluded beach called Ardban near Applecross. He was very romantic and had hidden a note in the picnic blanket then he went down on one knee.  The couple had champagne and corn beef sandwiches for their picnic and the ring was a £5 ring from Argos which Nicola wore until they went to buy the real thing!

Liam and Nicola decided to get married at the Western House Hotel in Ayr as it was near Troon where Nicola was originally from and meant she could leave from her mum and dad’s house (the couple now live in Aberdeen).  They picked Western House Hotel as it has a good reputation (Winner of Scottish Hotel of the Year 2009 and Scottish Wedding Venue of the Year 2007, 2008 & 2009), it had accommodation for all their guests (most of whom had to travel to the wedding) and because it had a big enough dance floor.  Nicola told us that “Jean Kerr the wedding co-coordinator was great in helping us plan the big day.”

wedding photographer western house 22 Nicola & Liams Wedding at Western House Hotel

Wedding Photography in Ayrshire

No wonder Nicola is still so keen on Troon – check out this gorgeous beach shot that Mark captured just before arriving at Nicola’s parents house:

wedding photographer western house 01 Nicola & Liams Wedding at Western House Hotel

Wedding Photography in Ayrshire

Nicola had her hair done by Joe at Capello in Troon.  Joe was Nicola’s hairdresser when she lived in Troon and her Mum still goes there. Nicola told us “it was lovely to have my hair done by someone that knows me and the family so well and was able to provide a much needed glass of wine!  We then went next door to The Powder Room to get our makeup done.”

wedding photographer western house 29 Nicola & Liams Wedding at Western House Hotel

Wedding Photography in Ayrshire

Nicola’s dress was by Ellis Bridals and she got it in Cuco Bridalwear, a lovely wedding shop in Troon. Nicola said “The staff there made choosing my dress a really lovely experience and even though I went to quite a few places in Aberdeen none came close to the one in Troon.” Nicola bought her veil online at The Wedding Veil Shop which she found great value for money. She also chose her tiara online – handmade by East Beach Design.

wedding photographer western house 19 Nicola & Liams Wedding at Western House Hotel

Wedding Photography in Ayrshire

Flowers for the day came from Kirstie’s in Troon; again a family friend. Nicola told us “Kirstie did a wonderful job and again having someone you know doing it really brought a personal touch.” Nicola’s Aunt very kindly bought their cake for them from Sugar and Spice. As it was also Nicola’s Mum and Dad’s 40th Wedding Anniversary, the couple also bought them a cake from Sugar and Spice and thought both were great.

wedding photographer western house 02 Nicola & Liams Wedding at Western House Hotel

Wedding Photography in Ayrshire

wedding photographer western house 33 Nicola & Liams Wedding at Western House Hotel

Wedding Photography in Ayrshire

Cars for the big occasion from Waterside Cars and what a fantastic car they chose. Apparently Liam was in heaven when they went to visit the showroom as there were so many fantastic old cars to look at.

wedding photographer western house 06 Nicola & Liams Wedding at Western House Hotel

Wedding Photography in Ayrshire

The couple were aware that choosing a photographer that they both felt comfortable with was going to be really important to them. They told us “we followed our hearts when we chose Mark at Archibald Photography.  He was great on the day, he really understood what we were looking for and that helped to put us at ease on the day.  My mum hasn’t stopped going on about how great he was!”

wedding photographer western house 27 Nicola & Liams Wedding at Western House Hotel

Wedding Photography in Ayrshire

wedding photographer western house 25 Nicola & Liams Wedding at Western House Hotel

Wedding Photography in Ayrshire

The day was such a fantastic success that Nicola struggles to chose her favourite part. However, she was really pleased by the reaction from their guests when they saw the couple doing their first dance. Nicola has decided that “five weeks of classes and a couple of private lessons to learn a routine really was worth it to hear the gasps when people realised we weren’t just going to be shuffling round the floor.”

Nicola’s cousin played the piano for them during the ceremony. Nicola told us “I had wanted a grand piano but it cost too much. Thankfully though, we hired a really good digital piano and it worked really well as after the ceremony the piano was moved outside to the band stand and Gilmour played away so the guests were entertained while we were getting our photo’s done.  We hadn’t planned it but it was a really nice touch!”

Nicola & Liam’s evening entertainment was provided by a band called Fudge Machine, who were, again, chosen via an internet search. They told us “we could not have been happier with them – they did a great job, my guests raved about them and the dance floor was never empty!”

There were plenty of laughter going on at the wedding. Nicola recalls “we definitely had a bit of a giggle when my garter fell down – thankfully not during the ceremony.  There were a couple of hiccups on the day like one of the ovens being broken but nothing major and nothing that spoiled it for us.”

wedding photographer western house 32 Nicola & Liams Wedding at Western House Hotel

Wedding Photography in Ayrshire

In summary, the couple felt they “had an amazing day, the sun was out and everyone seemed to be having a good time.  Only wish it could have lasted longer.”

Here’s a small gallery of some of our favourite images from their day.  Please feel free to tag yourself in these images via our Facebook page :

Two Certificates of Merit in the Master Photography Awards 2009!

Wednesday, September 23rd, 2009

Mark was delighted this week to receive two Certificates of Merit from his entries into the MPA Master Photography Awards 2009.  The two images to be recognised were landscape images this time.

This first image was taken on a family holiday to Morocco at the gorgeous white sands of Essaouira – even more impressive is the fact that Mark took this shot while on the back of a camel!

award winning image 01 Two Certificates of Merit in the Master Photography Awards 2009!

The second image to be awarded was this shot taken on the Isle of Arran, a little closer to home!

map landscape 1 Two Certificates of Merit in the Master Photography Awards 2009!

Pamela & Steven’s Wedding Photography in Girona, Spain

Tuesday, January 20th, 2009

Pamela and Steven got in touch this week to say their wedding album had arrived safely.  Pamela and Steven selected an A3 size album from our Digital Artbook range to tell the full story of their fantastic wedding day.

girona wedding front cover Pamela & Stevens Wedding Photography in Girona, Spain

Pamela emailled to say “Our album has arrived – yippee! It’s just breathtaking. Thank you so much! I can’t believe how much better the photos look. Its one thing to see them on the computer, but it’s quite another to see them printed so beautifully on the book – just gorgeous. It’s absolutely stunning and we really can’t wait until the weekend to show it off! The perfect keepsake of such an emotional and beautiful time in our lives, we will treasure it forever.  Thank you so much!”

macgregor album 5 Pamela & Stevens Wedding Photography in Girona, Spain

Pamela and Steven have been together since 1996 when she was 16 and he was 19. They met in the local bar in Motherwell and then spoke outside the chip shop – high romance indeed! Pamela thought Steven looked like he could be in Oasis so she fancied him rotten! Since 1996 they have been together through all Steven’s studies – he did 8 years at Uni including 6 months at Stanford University in the US and Pamela’s work in London as a dancer. As they had been partners and best friends for 12 years, there were no wedding nerves, Pamela said she couldn’t wait to get married to Steven!

macgregor album 4 Pamela & Stevens Wedding Photography in Girona, Spain

The planning was easy and Steven let Pamela design the whole day. But the language barriers to organizing a wedding in Girona, Spain sometimes proved funny. One day Pamela went alone to the Barcelona Bridal event without realizing it is really for fashion buyers while she thought it was a wedding fair! It’s one of the biggest Bridal fashion shows in the world and she just walked about in heaven looking at all the dresses and the catwalk shows. Karl Lagerfeld (whom Pamela adores) was there with Rosa Clara. They also found it very difficult to make some of the wedding arrangements as the Spanish are so laid back! A lot of things were left very last minute (i.e. a few days beforehand!) but Steven was a great help with this. He would be on the phone constantly trying to make arrangements happen on time and finalize them – a lot of patience was required! Booking Girona Cathedral wasn’t too tricky as they went about 14 months in advance and asked when they were free. Pamela & Steven had a Scottish priest flown over to Girona but the choir were all Catalan and so a few things went wrong (like when they were going to sign the register and the choir started singing one of the hymns. When they finally started the hymn, they added a long intro so the poor priest started and then had to start again. The hymn was sung so slow that Pamela & Steven were in stitches!)

macgregor album 3 Pamela & Stevens Wedding Photography in Girona, Spain

Every time Pamela bought a Spanish magazine, she was always drawn to Rosa Clara dresses. She felt they were very distinct in their style – either clean, contemporary lines with a fashion edge or traditional Spanish made from beautiful lace. When she opted for a Rosa Clara, she chose a modern design that she had seen in Hola magazine – cotton and taffeta with a low waist. Pamela changed the dress a little to suit her body shape and Rosa Clara were very helpful; she was absolutely delighted with the result.

macgregor album 2 Pamela & Stevens Wedding Photography in Girona, Spain

Pamela also had a bespoke fascinator from Beth Morgan (www.bethmorgan.co.uk). She saw one of Beth’s designs in Brides Magazine and had put it into her ideas/look book. When Pamela contacted Beth, she gave her great ideas and designed a fascinator to go with her dress. Pamela found buying from abroad quite nerve wracking as she wasn’t able to try things on. But again she was absolutely delighted with the fascinator and all the work that had gone into it.

macgregor album 7 Pamela & Stevens Wedding Photography in Girona, Spain

The restaurant who catered for the wedding were El Cellar de can Roca who have 2 Michelin Stars (www.cellercanroca.com) It’s very distinct as it is a very traditional Catalan house with beautiful gardens but inside it’s completely modern (black and white with huge light panels on the walls). The restaurant’s theme went perfectly with Pamela’s wedding theme of contemporary/art deco/black and white. Plus the food is famous, and was amazing!! The restaurant was quite difficult to organize and in the end they got married on a Sunday to accommodate them. The Church were very helpful, even though it’s quite unusual to get married at 5pm on a Sunday.

macgregor album 6 Pamela & Stevens Wedding Photography in Girona, Spain

Mark was asked to provide the photography as one of Pamela’s best friends had used us before and she loved the natural but arty, contemporary results. Mark has said “I had a great time walking around the streets of Girona with Pamela and Steven, making the most of the great architecture and natural light. Pamela and Steven are really into photography which made them easy to photograph. After a summer of photographing in Scotland, it was nice that it wasn’t raining!”

macgregor album 8 Pamela & Stevens Wedding Photography in Girona, Spain

When asked about her favorite part of the day, Pamela said “aside from the service and actually being married, my favorite part was when we entered the restaurant to Depeche Mode’s ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’ and everyone was standing waving their napkins wildly propeller-style in the air as is the tradition in Catalan. Amazing!!!!”

macgregor album 1 Pamela & Stevens Wedding Photography in Girona, Spain