Brian Harte People Photographer

Last Saturday was my second Mansion at Roundhay Park wedding since I took the photographs for their website and brochure.

I met Bethan over a year ago when she booked with me for her wedding photography. If you recognise her in the photos that may be because I was so impressed by her bubbly character that I asked if she would represent me at my wedding fairs or it could be because she is a prolific socialiser!

Bethan gave me a short list of key photographs she would like and at the very top of that list was her Christian Louboutin bag so I had to make sure it was a special shot.

Her brother arrived with the flowers…

…which contained a sprig of rosemary from her grandmother.

Bethan was absolutely gorgeous and was very relaxed having her photo taken.

So were her bridesmaids!

I met with James, the groom, before the ceremony where he introduced me to his two bestmen.

James’ charm is his funny/crazy/madness and Bethan must have thought so too.

The Mansion have only one rule on confetti…lots of it!

James was sporting a fab pair of Gucci shoes which matched his suit and personality perfectly.

After a while Bethan & James went for a walk to have some photos taken at the bandstand in Roundhay Park.

Just before returning to The Mansion we stopped of for some photos at a nearby water fountain.

When we got back it was almost time to go in however I caught Bethan’s sister have a cheeky look at the wedding cakes.

After dinner, when the sun had dropped down a little, we went outside again to take a few more photos.

Bethan & James danced to Elvis Presley’s The Wonder of You.

And after a while, when night fell, Bethan & James along with their guests stepped outside…

…where they lit chinese lanterns…

to drift away over Roundhay Park.

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This year I was invited again to take the official party photographs for the Ilkley Candlelighters fund raising Ball at Rudding Park.

The Ilkley Candlelighters raise funds throughout the year in order to purchase equipment and fund treatment of children suffering from cancer.

The Ball a glamorous event and the committee set the benchmark high.

It’s a time to let your hair down, enjoy the entertainment and of course raise money for a great cause too.

There was a lot of balloons and it quickly became a sport to let them off cause as much mayhem as possible!

Auctioneer Jon Hammond whipped up the crowd in to a frenzy.

with bidding war’s for star prizes happening all around me…

Dancing seemed to be a major theme on the evening

with even a little dancing on the tables going on

The year the band was The Bogus Brothers who were a real party band!

As well as the band in The Radcliffe Room there was more entertainment including casino, multiplayer wii racing and pitch & putt

One of my favourite shots from the evening was an in love couple cuddling and laughing.

In total the night raised over £36000. I donated a prize to the auction which helped raise £800.

Along with taking the photos from the ball I also take the photographs which are used in the brochure to show the good work of the charity. Two of the photos from last year are now used on the main Candlelighters website.

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I was chatting with Rudding Park a couple of weeks ago when they told me they were holding a Valentines Ball.

My mind starting whirring with ideas and I asked “Do you have a photographer in case any one goes down on one knee?”…within a few seconds I’d somehow managed to volunteer to be offical photographer for Rudding Park!

So on Saturday evening I arrived in Harrogate hoping that someone would pop the question and knowing that even if they didn’t I’d still have some fun taking photos.

A few moments after midnight, in the early hours of February 14th, Robert Bell surprised his Valentine Tracy Kipling by proposing on one knee.

She said Yes!

Full of happiness they immediately hit the dance floor to celebrate the moment.

I am sure Robert must have been on edge all night knowing what he was about to ask. I could tell they were so in love before he asked and they were even more so after.

It was a privilege to capture the memory for them and I wish them all the best in the future!

They had a fab swing band on the night called Chris Hiltons Little Big Band (formerly Simply Swing).

If you are looking for a swing band for a wedding or event they were very good. Check them out here.

As well as Robert and Tracy there was lots more love at The Valentines Ball…

Plus lots of fun and dancing…

There was even a photo of me taken sporting my winter beard!

I had to leave before it finished as the next day I was at a wedding fair but when I left the dancing was still going strong!

This week has been charity week for me. Not only have I been involved with the Ilkley Candlelighters Christmas Fair, I was also delighted to attend and take photographs for Anita Massarella’s evening of glamour and entertainment which raised money for The Acorn Charity.

Anita is celebrating her 20th year as a leading fashion designer and the evening was compered by Gaynor Barnes from Yorkshire Television.

After a Champagne reception everyone was ushered in to the Radcliffe Room. The Fashion show kicked off with a catwalk show of Anita’s new and old designs from both her wedding and evening wear collections.

Being a people photographer I like to see faces in photos but some of these dresses have to be seen from the back to really appreciate them.

The dresses were perfect for the models to enjoy swirling around…

And sometimes there was so much dress I got lost in the material!

Moving around gave me a chance to use the light to make a more atmospheric photograph.

The models were great but the real stars of the night were the past clients and brides of Anita who graciously offered to model their wedding and evening dresses one more time.

The show ended with a human beatbox group playing out the models.

The night was organised in aid of the Acorn charity who are a local charity supporting those affected by dementia and scleroderma.

As well as the fashion show there was a charity raffle with many donated prizes.

Once the show had finished the dresses were packed away.

But the night was still you and many people stayed on to party…

…with music performed by the Jazz trio Around Midnight (01484 608388).

If my eye’s don’t deceive me the trio turned in to a 5 piece band for the evening!

I had a great evening and as I was leaving I took a photo of the impressive entrance to Rudding Park.

The fashion show urn flowers were generously supplied by Joanna McCrea from Twisted Willow flowers.

This month I am involved in a Glamourous evening at Rudding Park in Harrogate, and best of all it is in support of a local charity.

Anita Massarella couture dress designer is organising the event to support the Acorn Charity raising funds for dementia and alzheimers. Acorn Charity are a Yorkshire charity and more information about their cause can be found at their website.

Anita and her team of winning designers are celebrating their 20th year of creating stunning dresses and tell me that it will be “an evening of Red carpet glamour with a celebratory fashion show”. There will also be live Jazz, wine tasting with Rudding Park’s very own wine expert and to top it off will be compered by the lovely YTV Gaynor Barnes.

I’ll be there supporting and enjoying the event so get yourself down too!

To books your tickets for 17th November call Anita on 0113 268 7783. Tickets are £20 or £25 for front row seats.

Last Sunday I exhibited at The Queens Hotel Wedding Fair in Leeds.

Bethan was representing me and answering questions on my behalf.

Bethan booked me for her wedding next year and she’s such a warm person I asked if she would like to represent me at a few fairs this year.

If you’d like to pop down and see me at my next wedding fair I will be attending The Wedding Experience at The Mansion in Roundhay Park on Sunday 8th November and will also be at The Charity Bridal Fashion show organised by dress designer Anita Massarella at Rudding Park in Harrogate on Tuesday 17th November.

For tickets to The Charity Bridal Fashion show at Rudding Park please contact Anita on 0113 268 7783.

The Queens boasts to be able to sit 450 people for a meal, comfortably, and I can believe it!

Confetti & Lace bridal shop organised two fashion shows during the day and the visitors were treated to a catwalk of her latest dresses. They have recently opened their new shop in Harrogate as well as this year opening Yorkshire Menswear hiring out menswear from Cameron Ross.

The Wedding Flower Company in Leeds had turned one of the rooms in to a beautiful room set with Just For You Cards & Invitations supplying the table decorations.

This year I have met so many frustrated photographers. Camera’s have become much more affordable but we never have the time to learn how to get the most from them.

I’ve set myself the challenge to get you guys taking better photos, ones where you are in charge of the camera not the other way around!

Want to take pictures that you can be proud of?

I’ll be holding a full day all you need to know to make creative choices workshop at The Mansion House, Roundhay Park in Leeds Sunday 1st November 2009.

Running through the functions of your camera I will show you how to use the modes and functions available to get to grips with your photography.

Aimed for beginners through to intermediates you will go away with new ideas and knowledge you can immediately put in to practice.

Full day course £120, gift certificates are available to purchase contact brian@brianharte.co.uk or 0845 257 1758 for more information.

Take a look at all the photography training workshops

I love it during the ceremony when there is lots of eye contact, exchanged smiles and sometime a fit of giggles as it gives me opportunities to take photos. You cant fake these moments so I know that the couples will love looking at them after the wedding.

Bride Can’t Stop Laughing During Vows

I had a couple last year who couldn’t stop looking at each other. From the moment Charlotte entered the Church it was as if she and Charles were the only two people there.

Even the Wakefield wedding videographer Ken Wilson commented on how in-love they were. All I had to do was hitch a ride on their love for one another to get fab photos at both the Church and Bagden Hall.

Charlotte & Charles had booked an old red route master bus to take their guests to Bagden Hall and it made a fab place to do a confetti shot too.

Charlotte’s father had passed away and could not be there for her. Charlotte invited me along as she paid a visit to her father’s grave to lay a flower from her bouquet.

It is times like this where you stand back and give people time and space and I was happy to record the moment for them in their album.

Today I was visiting the National Media Museum with a friend and we decided to make a trip around the photography exhibition.  Part of the exhibition was audio visual and part was photography and what struck me was the lack of photography in the photographs.

For me photography has always meant drawing with light (from the Greek phos (meaning light) and graphis (meaning stylus or paintbrush) and although the photographs exhibited were full of concept and semiotics they lacked in photography as I know it. The art of using light to paint a picture is poles apart from simply pointing and shooting.

Last Sunday I shot family photos for a client and old friend. Upon seeing the photographs of their young children the father confessed that there was a world of difference between photographs and photography and when pressed for an explanation told me that any one with a good camera can take a photograph but what I had created for them was completely different. It was a wonderful sentiment that made me stop and think about what photography means to me.

When I hold a training day for eager photographers I say that once you learn to see light as a photographer the world is forever changed. From small things such as observing in a casual conversation how light is striking my friends face, and knowing instantly how to modify it, to seeing a space in the world and seeing the quality of light that is in that space, even before we have arrived at that space. Sometimes that space is a corridor or break in a forest other times it can be that the light has changed all around us with a subtle movement of a cloud or the setting of the sun.

Apart from the art of my profession, photography for me is a social interaction. A perfect blend of entertainment, hospitality and psychology. I love being able to talk, play and explore with people to relax and unlock the social barriers and get photographs that people relate to and empathise with. From the self concious 6 year old girl who thinks she must do as she is told (until she realises she doesn’t) in the photos through to the at first moody teenage boy who opens up when we discover a shared interest in science every one is different and everyone has a story.

No two days are the same…there is always different light and there is always different people which makes me realise that my original career choice to be an optician was working with the right elements of people and light only the wrong mix.

And so to answer my question: photography, for me, is the right mix of light and people.

When Trash the dress started a few years ago in America I didn’t think it would catch on over here. A couple of brides have hinted to me that they may like to do something like this after the wedding so my questions is….