New Blog at Wordpress

Hi, I know that I haven't posted anything here for a while. I have been tremendously busy, working weddings - though not as many as 2012 - training and gaining qualifications. 2013 has seen quite a change. I have now qualified as a Master Photographer with the Master Photographers Association (MPA). I have spent a lot of time working on technique with models and making creative images, and  I now have an office manager/assistant/researcher as my husband Tony has come to work with me full time in the business.

This also has means that I now have a Twitter account @photos_by_SK and a new blog to support Sandra Keddie Photography. You can find that here. 

Thanks for following

Sandy

0141 884 2250

Kim & Graeme, St Mirin's Cathedral, Paisley, and the Glynhill Hotel

Kim and Graeme were married at the St Mirin Cathedral in Paisley, after renovations last year, this cathedral is as beautiful as ever, a perfect place to get married and a lovely place for photographs, rain or shine.

As the car turned the corner and came to a stop, we caught a glimpse of Kim through the side window, she was just gorgeous and the Imperial from MET Wedding cars, was the perfect chariot for this princess!

After the ceremony, we stopped at Robertson park for some special photos with the bride and groom. It is always nice to get time with the bride and groom alone, no matter how short, they just seem to relax when not under the pressure of the whole family watching them! After the speeches and the meal, we also had the opportunity to take this beautiful evening photo Kim and Graeme when they were even more relaxed - don't you think its beautiful?

There are photographers who have left the wedding business, claiming it to be too stressful, too much work for not enough reward. This was certainly not the case today, what a joy, such lovely people, a beautiful venue for a ceremony and an absolutely stunning smiling happy bride! It is such a pleasure to be involved in wedding days like these!

Kim, Graeme, you were a pleasure to work with, enjoy the honeymoon and I hope you like these sample images.

Thank you also to MET Wedding cars, and especially to Neil who is ever helpful and always the perfect gentleman! 

Sandy

sandy@specialdaymemories.co.uk

www.specialdaymemories.co.uk

0141 884 2250

Linsay and Carlos at the Culag, Loch Lomond

What do you get if you take a girl from Inchinnan and a boy from Venezuela and make them meet in a whisky bar in Madrid? You get a fabulous wedding on the shores of Loch Lomond, filled with  family, friends and happiness, followed by an evening mix of salsa and ceilidh dancing!!

Family and friends from near and very far gathered at the Culag on a gloriously hot summers' day. Linsay's colours were vibrant and the views across Loch Lomond were stunning. The Culag is a fantastic venue for smaller weddings, especially when you have the weather that Linsay and Carlos did.

There are now visitors from Venezuela convinced that Scotland is a sub-tropical paradise (with midges of course!). Carlos and Linsay had a wonderful day, and a surprise was also in store for Carlos; Linsay's mum had bought him a small piece of Scottish land, and she presented the certificate and honorary title that accompanied it at the end of the speeches.

Arise, Lord Carlos!! It truly was a day filled with love and laughter, a joyful coming together of families and cultures.

Linsay and Carlos, it was an absolute pleasure to be part of your special day. Thank you so much, and I hope you enjoy these sample images. More soon.

Sandy

www.specialdaymemories.co.uk

sandy@specialdaymemories.co.uk

0141 884 2250

Colette and Sandy, St. Andrews Cathedral and the Old Fruitmarket

I was very excited to photograph Colette and Sandy's wedding, not only was Colette the winner of our Royal Concert Hall competition last year, but she and Sandy were getting married at St Andrews Cathedral and then on to the Old Fruitmarket, stopping at Glasgow Green for photographs! Nothing could be a more iconic, historic Glasgow wedding!

And the day did not disappoint. The sun split the sky, warmest day of the year by far, a lovely summer's day. St Andrews Cathedral is simply stunning, so beautiful since the renovations, and the memorial garden adds that wonderful mixture that you find in Glasgow; the modern architecture nestling sympathetically within the grounds of  ancient historical buildings. The Old Fruitmarket is also lovingly restored and now adds a very different function space to the Merchant City.  A great venue for a wedding reception.

Glasgow Green was Colette and Sandy's local park and so was a special place for the couple. On this fine summer's day, it was full of local colour, as they say!  It also provided us with some more stunning backgrounds and lovely much needed shade, allowing some more fun and personal images.

It was great to see Sandy put on his shades, take his jacket off, and relax. Colette was beautiful, bubbly and full of fun, just as she always seems
to be.

Colette and Sandy, thank you both so much for allowing me to share your special day.

Sandy

www.sandrakeddiephotography.co.uk
www.facebook.com/sandrakeddiephotography

0141 884 2250

Byron & Gillians wedding at The Bend, Nottingham Road, South Africa

As Gillian says in her speech "it takes a village to plan a wedding". And even if you have a wonderful village, which Gillian and Byron did, you still can't plan the weather, you just have to take it as it comes. The date was mid April, the area was the Midlands of South Africa in the province of KwaZulu Natal, the venue was a beautiful country house hotel called The Bend, near Nottingham Road. The planning had been some of the best planning ever done and everything was perfect, but the weather was unforgiving; it rained, and rained, and rained, and then it rained some more. It rained so much that  bridges overflowed, regular walkways turned to mud and even the pastor got stuck on the dirt road and had to catch a lift with a wedding guest in a 4x4. It really rained, Scottish style, I felt very much at home!!

Gillian & Byrons Short Wedding Film from Sandra Keddie on Vimeo.

The most difficult thing to show in capturing images, moving or still, is the genuine emotion of the day. It is easy to make things kitsch, ham them up for the camera, but really quite difficult to show the real people, as they are. Gillian and Byron made this very simple, because even though the weather was completely unexpected and some of those very well laid out plans had to be changed last minute, some even abandoned completely, the one thing that shone through (pun intended) was their tremendous love for each other and faith in their special day. They were calm, laid back, and just accepted whatever their day gave to them, and they were rewarded with the most beautiful wedding day, full of warmth and love and genuine emotion.

Gillian, Byron, please enjoy, and thank you so much for enabling us the opportunity and the flexibility to extend our skills and creativity and most of all to be part of your most special day.

Sandy

If you like this video please Like us on facebook: www.facebook.com/specialdaymemories

www.specialdaymemories.co.uk

 

0141 884 2250

KerryAnne & Cameron, St Ninian's and Sherbrooke Castle

If I ever leave Scotland and permanently return to South Africa the one thing I will truly miss is the long, lovely light summer evenings. There is a glorious, golden quality to the light, and those few evenings a year when it just stays light forever. It almost makes up for the 6 months of total darkness!! KerryAnne and Cameron were married on the hottest day of the year (so far?) and just had such a lovely time, laughing together and smiling and so obviously enjoying their day. It shows in the images, it really does. Thank you, and please enjoy these few sample images.

Sandy

sandy@specialdaymemories.co.uk

0141 884 2250

Amanda & Jason, Piersland House Hotel, Troon



As I have mentioned previously, I am not doing many weddings this year. But I was really looking forward to being part of Amanda and Jason's special day. It is always lovely to work with an adventurous couple who really want photographs. I know we need to get pictures of family groups and the bridal party. We also need to get traditional "couple" shots. Anything else is really what the couple wants. And they wanted photographs!

We had a wonderful day at the Piersland House Hotel in Troon. The weather was a bit erratic - Scotland, seaside, what do you expect - with bright sunshine, heavy showers and blowing gales, at one point all at the same time!. So what did Amanda and Jason decide to do? Play it safe and go indoors? No ... we got out the umbrellas for the showers and then after the meal we went down to the beach and joined the kite surfers! Fantastic, and they were rewarded with some great images. Amanda, Jason, congratulations again, please enjoy this sample, I hope it reminds of your wonderful, wild day.

Sandra

www.specialdaymemories.co.uk

sandy@specialdaymemories.co.uk

0141 884 2250

A beautiful wedding with Anna and Gordon

Anna & Gordon from Sandra Keddie on Vimeo.

2013 has been a very interesting year for me so far. I have been doing a lot of model and studio work, and have also been working on all the boring bits of marketing and advertising. But I did find the time to video Anna and Gordon's wonderful day at Old Ballikinrain and Culcruech Castle, Fintry. Anna was so gorgeous in a stunning princess halter dress, Gordon a handsome groom, and their adorable daughter Ella was just a perfect little girl in a dress that matched mummy's. Please enjoy this highlights video, which also includes clips of the entertainment from Clann an Drumma and Big Vern and the Shootahs, quite possibly the best wedding band in the west of Scotland!!

Enjoy!
Sandy xx
www.specialdaymemories.co.uk

City Centre photography

Part of my plan for this year is to extend myself and my photographic ability, and last week I spent a wonderfully creative evening out in the City Centre of Glasgow with my good friend and colleague Stephen Sinclair and our lovely model, Caroline. 

We took some amazing shots of Caroline in and around Merchant City, starting off under the arches of the City Chambers building.

Glasgow is a beautiful city, with some fantastic architecture and the evening lights only emphasise the strong lines of the stonework. Caroline's gorgeous pose looked stunning, creating very sexy lines against the dark grey stonework of the city, giving me some great fashion shots.

We also used this shoot to test some new lights and lighting techniques. Stephen who is my main video camera operator when we are filming weddings, was a great help with the video light and balancing this light with off-camera flash gave us some amazing affects. I think I have created some of my best images during winter weddings in Scotland where shooting in low light is not a choice but a necessity, but a model shoot such as this gives us a great opportunity to experiment, and that we did!

Thank you Caroline and Stephen for being part of this evening and for helping produce some great shots.

For more of my art images stay in touch on www.facebook.com/sandrakeddiephotography and to see more of Stephens film work go to my Vimeo page

2013 starts with an award

At the start of a new year I like to take time to evaluate my business and make those big grown up decisions about where everything is going and how its going to flow for the next 12 months.

Following 6 very succesful years in the business of weddings, I have decided that 2013 is going to be a bit different. I have decided to make this a development year; an interesting, experimental time with lots of variation to extend my skills as a photographer and also the portfolio of my business. 

I am still going to take on a few weddings - I think I would miss those special days too much to give them up completely - but not as many as in the past years, giving myself time to create beautiful things, look after my special customers and to grow as a person and as a business.

Developing art images featuring my clients is something that I love doing and I am certainly going to do more of this, and starting this year with an award is an absoulute bonus for me. This art image, based on a well known Banksy mural, won me a Highly Commended award - the second highest award in the monthly competition. To see more of my Digital Art images for my clients go to Sandra Keddie Photography and if you want some of these great pieces of wall art, featuring You, then hurry along and give me a call...now is your opportunity!

 

Sandra Keddie xx

www.sandrakeddiephotography

Event photography

I love it when I get asked to do some event photography and my client is looking for something different! Each year I photograph Riccardo Scala's Christmas party for fitbodybootcamp Glasgow and this year we were at the Hummingbird - what fabulous premises to photograph at, the options for arty photographs are endless. I took both flash lit formal photographs and also some photojournalistic type photos, both very complimentary to each other and gives the client a wide range of images to choose from.

Riccardo chose a fixed price package, where we take photographs and then publish them on our Facebook site, giving everyone the opportunity to share or tag their low resolution images; Clients always have the option to purchase further high resolution images afterwards.

Packages can be tailored, for example where a client can purchase the reproduction rights on disc giving them access to all the high resolution images for use in company magazines or other print media. It's a great idea for businesses!

See more of this events images here: FBBC pics

Happy New Year!

So the new year has gone past with a flash and we are into February already. My studio has been so busy over the last 2 months and  with many of my brides only choosing their wedding album pictures in December I have been run off my feet designing albums and with processing studio shoots.Not that I am complaining about being busy!  The studio is a refreshing change especially at this time of year when the light is so low outside. I have been doing family sessions, new born baby sessions, product photography and some Fine Art Shoots. It has been so varied, I have just loved it!

My studio was properly completed last year and its taken a while for me to have time to promote it, but its working so well now. It's great to come out of the studio with perfectly lit (award winning!) photos. I have had many comments on how personal and relaxed it feels for clients to be welcomed into a warm and cozy studio . . . I feel it's just how a photographic studio session should be. The great thing about my studio is that it's local to Paisley centre but also only 15 minutes by car from Glasgow city centre or 10 mins by train. We offer a personal pick up service from either Gilmour Street or Hawkhead train station, then 5 minutes to our door where a lovely cup of coffee or a glass of bubbly will be waiting for you. If you come by car, easy parking is available right opposite.

 

When it comes to your shoot, this is only limited by your imagination (or mine if you like), from simple portrait sessions in the studio starting from £25, family sessions indoors or out, newborn baby, children, pets, boudoir  and fine art.

 

Here are 2 newborn baby photos from my studio sessions, but you can see more photos and keep in touch on my facebook page too, where I regularly run special offers.

Denise & Gavin - Moorpark House

Its always a pleasure to be invited back to photograph brides from the same family, not only to be able to see friendly faces, but also it is a great compliment to me and one which I take quite seriously.  While Denise and Gavin chose to get married at Moorpark House in a warm winter festive atmosphere, Denise's sister and bridesmaid, Lynn was married to Graham on a very wet summers' day in 2010. Two  quite different days, especially from a photography perspective, the dark winter days give photographers quite a challenge, but not one that I don't enjoy rising to, especially with an adventurous bride & groom like Denise & Gavin! 

Denise & Gavin were fabulous, relaxed from the start and full of fun. They really pushed the boundaries, going outside for late evening photos despite the wet and freezing conditions. This 10 minute venture gave us the opportunity to capture some really magical images reflecting the atmosphere of their special day. 

Denise looked beautiful and, like her sister, had a wonderful  playful way about her. The two girls were great together while getting ready, joking and laughing just like you imagine sisters should be, and so it was no surprise to us when we captured this portrait of Denise, showing just a hint of her wonderful mischievousness.

We have to give a special thanks to Jackie & Graham from Moorpark House who went out of their way to help us and to make sure that we could do our job swiftly and easily - thank you!

What a lovely wedding day to end our year! Denise and Gavin, I hope that you enjoyed your wedding day and these taster images.

Sandy
www.sandrakeddiephotography.co.uk
www.specialdaymemories.co.uk
Find us on facebook at www.facebook.com/specialdaymemories

Emma & Gordon -The Caledonian, Edinburgh

Emma and Gordon had a wonderful celebration at The Caledonian in Edinburgh and we just loved being part of their special day. This grand old hotel is luxurious inside and the distinguished oak panelled ceremony room was no exception, with its distinguished feel it was just perfect to show off the beautiful rich colours of the bridal party. Emma looked stunning in her soft flowing wedding gown, and together with Gordon they made a gorgeous couple, blending into the magnificent Victorian surroundings with ease.  

As expected on a wintry December day, we spent a lot of time photographing indoors, but this former Railway Hotel nestles in the shadow of the historic Edinburgh Castle and so we felt it was absolutely necessary to brave the wet and cold to get this magical photograph of the Castle lighting up the skyline behind the couple. Well worth the 5 minute session outside.

Emma and Gordon, I hope that you enjoyed the rest of your evening in these wonderful surroundings and in the mean time also, these taster images.

Sandy
www.sandrakeddiephotography.co.uk
www.specialdaymemories.co.uk

Donna & Steven - Moorpark House Hotel

Donna and Steven got married on a very cold and wet day but this was definitely not going to dampen the spirits of this lovely couple. After a last minute whirlwind of hair, make-up and bridesmaids getting ready, Donna finally had her dress on and we were struck by how beautiful she looked, just like a princess! I left her in the capable hands of her bridesmaids and Bob from Ivory Choice Bridal Cars Ltd who transported her in proper Beauford style, getting her to the church relaxed and on time. 

Steven who was already waiting at the church, looked very smart in his full highland dress and with his boys in matching attire, they definitely looked the part..

At Moorpark House Hotel, we managed to get a few photos outside but the weather did force us to be a little more inventive and to use the wonderful stained glass windows and mirrors inside this wonderful cozy old house. 

Donna and Steven, I hope that you enjoy these few taster images while you wait for the rest.

Sandy x

www.specialdaymemories.co.uk

www.sandrakeddiephotography.co.uk

Sheena and Dennis, Dalmeny Park Hotel

We had a lovely time at Dennis and Sheena's wedding at Dalmeny Park Country House Hotel. The reds, yellows and greens of the autumn ivy covering the wall of the Dalmeny Park hotel were a wonderful contrast to the purple of the bridesmaids and the day felt bright and colourful.  

Its lovely when you get to know the families and guests from previous weddings and this was one of those weddings. Dennis's son Jon got married to Karen  in 2011 and we were delighted when Dennis and Sheena decided to book us for their wedding day too. How lovely it was to see all the familiar faces again! 

Sheena looked very elegant in her classic wedding gown and together, her and Dennis made a very handsome couple. Although the weather was dry, it was bitterly cold and Sheena did extremely well to get many of her photographs outside where we could take advantage of the autumn colours, but eventually, we had to go inside to keep warm! So we finished with the bridal party on the staircase inside the hotel.

The last I saw of Sheena, she was playing a tune on the Pipers pipes!! What a pity I had already put my camera away! 

Dennis and Sheena, I hope that you enjoyed the rest of your wonderful day. Here are 2 taster images for you to enjoy while you wait for the rest of your images. 

Sandy

www.specialdaymemories.co.uk

www.sandrakeddiephotography.co.uk

Emma & Gordon - PreWedding Shoot

We had a lovely day out (albeit a bit wet!!) with Emma, Gordon and Sabre in Edinburgh last weekend. Emma and Gordon  are getting married in December and opted to include a pre-wedding shoot in their package. The pre-wedding shoot is a great opportunity to get to know your photographer and also to try out some relaxed poses in front of the camera.

We took the opportunity to include Sabre in these photographs as he will unfortunately have to stay at home on the wedding day. He was very relaxed during the whole shoot, although I think he did wonder why his walk had to involve such a lot of sitting!

Calton Hill has beautiful views out across the Firth of Forth on one side, and on the other, Arthurs Seat and the the city of Edinburgh. The Acropolis, imposing against the sky, was just begging to be photographed and so Emma and Gordon, being the good sports that they are, climbed up to the base for us, not only giving us the opportunity for some great photographs, but also for the crowds of tourists walking by. It was very funny when we looked across to see a row of about 20 tourists all photographing Emma and Gordon on the Acropolis - they were famous!

Emma & Gordon, we look forward to shooting your wedding in December, I hope that you enjoy these images. Don't forget to visit my facebook site at www.facebook.com/specialdaymemories where you will find some more later today. 

Lynsey and Brian, Malmaison Glasgow

The Malmaison Glasgow is a beautiful boutique hotel, perfect for the small intimate wedding and it suited Lynsey and Brians very personal wedding for close family and a few friends. But, just because this venue suits a smaller wedding please do not confuse this with plain, the Malmaison Glasgow is anything but!. It is most definitely grand, with masses of light, period features, nooks and crannies that spoil an artistic  photographer, and a mezzanine honeymoon suite that is to die for. It was also at one time, the home of Napoleon. Combine all of this with a handsome couple and the gardens at Blytheswood Square and you have the perfect photoshoot and venue.

Both Bride and Groom were a wee bit nervous to start, but soon relaxed once the formalities were over and they were prepared to give a lot of time and effort to their photographs. I think this has really paid off, Lynsey was absolutely stunning, and in my very humble opinion these photographs show just how beautiful she was on her wedding day and of course Brian, you were handsome, as well!

A big thank you for the help from Sharon the event manager, and all the staff at the Malmaison who supported us on the day. A great day out at a fantastic wedding venue in Glasgow - the Malmaison!

Lynsey and Brian, I hope that you enjoy these few taster images while you wait for the rest.

Sandy
www.sandrakeddiephotography.co.uk
www.specialdaymemories.co.uk

Joanne and Kevin, St Mirins Cathedral

St Mirins Cathedral has been undergoing a renovation and so it was lovely to be back recently to photograph Joanne and Kevin's wedding. After renovation, the Cathedral is bright and refreshing inside, with everything newly polished and fresh coats of paint on the ceiling, so easy to photograph in. 

Joanne looked stunning with her full length veil, finished with a gorgeous embroidered edge for that  flattering classical look. The 3 bridesmaids and 2 flower girls were lovely finishing touches to a very handsome bridal party.  Kevin and Joanne certainly looked very happy together, clearly in love and so comfortable in each others company, it was a pleasure to take their photographs.

From St Mirins, we went back to another old favourite, the Watermill Hotel in Paisley for more photos and to hand the couple over to Marion who was, as usual, warm and helpful.

Joanne and Kevin, I hope you enjoy these images, while you wait for the rest.

Sandy

www.specialdaymemories.co.uk

www.sandrakeddiephotography.co.uk

Linda & Peter - Pollok House

The flowers were in full bloom and the mood was romantic, the harpist was playing their tune, and the sweet smell of love was in the air! Linda and Peter were getting married.

Linda looked like a princess in her wedding gown as she stepped out of her carriage; the beautiful vintage Rolls Royce from Waterside Weddings. She made her way up the stairs and floated gracefully through the corridors of the Grand House toward Peter, her Knight in Shining Armour who was waiting with his guests in the library. 

A fairytale come true indeed! Linda had put a massive amount of effort into her day and it had paid off. 

While their guests enjoyed a tour of the house and relaxed over champagne and canapes, Peter and Linda made the most of their photoshoot and when we lost the couple for a few moments we heard Peter calling; "Linda, Linda where for art thou Linda?" and Linda's reply "Why at the top of the Juliet steps, waiting for you Peter!". Such a lucky Romeo!

Peter and Linda, it was a pleasure to work with you! I hope that you like these few taster images while you wait for the rest.

Sandra

www.sandrakeddiephotography.co.uk