Chiristmas Day Commercial Shoot...

When you are hired by a client to shoot new images for their website, you have got to fit in with your client's requirements which is no problem at all for us.

Now for the church this meant working Christmas Day as it is one of their busiest days of the year, which makes sense.

Our Lady of Lourdes, in Plympton, is a stunning church where we have been lucky enough to shoot weddings before, the interior is a beautiful mix of where the classic look has been mixed cleverly with some contemporary designs as you can see in the images below.



For more images from Commercial Commissions please visit DartmoorStudios.com & select Commercial & Event.

Merry Christmas To All

Well the Christmas rush is over - All orders were on time and delivered for Christmas so now we can all relax and enjoy Christmas Day with our families!

All that remains is to say a 'Merry Christmas' from Ross, Edwin and all those involved with Dartmoor Studios - Here's to what looks like it will be an incredible 2009...

Dartmoor Studios Images Selected For 2009 Cornish Brides Calendar

We are very happy to be able to annouce that two images have been selected for the 2009 Cornish Brides Calendar showcasing some of the South West's more inspirational wedding photographers.

The two images used were:

For more details about Cornish Brides please visit http://www.cornishbrides.co.uk/ and register your details to gain access to huge amount of wedding resources and also get hold of your calendar.

Image Search for Amateurs & Professionals

Tineye is a new search engine for the photographer and illustrator - both amateur and professionals can benefit from its use.

Copyright protection has got to be taken seriously when it comes to photography as its far to easy for your work to end up somewhere that you had no idea it was being used.

Sometimes its ignorance or misunderstood use, however sometimes it is basically theft, either way with digital watermarking and sites like Tineye some ground can be taken back.

Ghost Bustings Back!

Earlier in the year Carrington Marshall, Devon and Cornwall's most famous squire and leading medium clairvoyant, hired Ross Matthews to document his next 'Ghost Hunt' which took place at Langdon Court.

The images captured were used by the BBC and local press, as well as Phantom Force (http://www.phantomforce.co.uk/) who continue to document strange goings on across the South West.

Carrington and Ross were also interviewed live on BBC Radio Devon as part of this ongoing project and the next stage is currently being put in to place so watch this space...

It certainly gives a variety of new and unusual challenges for a photographer - here are some images from the last ghost hunt and we are certainly looking forward to the next one.

Call The Police!

When it comes to Post Wedding Shoots aka. "Trash The Dress" - we have been doing this for some time now and Ross is still one of the only photographers that has the experience and creativity to give you the 'real' experience.

Many brides have been taken on to the moors, in to forests or even out to sea by us but we particularly like to do something different to the norm...

So take one bride and one police car... put bride on top of police car and you have a Post Wedding Shoot with a difference!

If you would like to have a go at a Post Wedding Shoot it does not matter if we did your original wedding photos or not - simply send us an email or give us a call for a relaxed chat about the sort of thing you would like to do. There has not been one we have not been able or prepared to do yet!

For more examples of some recent shoots have a look in the 'Featured Extras' section of the main website at www.dartmoorstudios.com

Last Chance For Christmas Delivery

Last chance for guarenteed Christmas delivery for your framed prints & canvases!

As we now get within 4 weeks of the big day there is only one more week for getting your sessions & image choices confirmed to be sure that they will be ready in time, we pride ourselves on exceptional customer service & would not want to rush or let you down but with the clock ticking we must at least put you under a little pressure...

There are very few session slots available this week & weekend so get in contact now & we will do our best to ensure you do not miss out.

This does not effect Christmas Gift Vouchers - they will be available throughout December.

Congratulations Rob & Elisha

In this country having your wedding in November is as risky as having it in June so congratulations to Rob & Elisha for tieing the knot yesterday with a beautiful service & an outstanding reception.

You & your guests were a joy to spend the day with & we wish you both a fantastic honeymoon & all the future happiness possible.

Here is a sneaky taste of some of the photos...

Friends & family please contact Rob & Elisha for their password if you would like to see the photos.

Colour Change?

Visitors will notice that there have been a few changes recently - hopefully these have not caused any inconvienience but we have just changed the Blog colours in line with the new site.

You will have no doubt noticed the change from an html site to a fully flash driven site - However the old site is still up and running on http://www.rossmatthewsphotography.com/ if you have any trouble viewing it.

The old site will also be used for Portraits Photography over the next few weeks also with a link directly to it from the new one.

Anyway we hope you like the face lift.

Gift Vouchers!

A different present to give...

With our Christmas Special Offers things are very busy at the moment, however that does not mean that we will not honour these offers in the future.

A popular choice at the moment is to purchase the Portrait Sitting for £25.00 whilst it is on offer during October & November, then give the very attractive card voucher to someone as a gift to book in at a time of their choice.

Give us a call on 07771 745971 or email info@dartmoorstudios.com to discuss or purchase your gift vouchers.

If you go down to the woods today...

Little did people out walking their dogs expect to come across a bride with a chain saw a few saturdays ago...

Kerenza decided she wanted to do something a little more adventurous that the norm so we came up with the idea of going in to the woods with a chain saw for some photos - well it's called Extreme.

After some basic training she was let loose while Ross captured the photos & Edwin did the video/behind the scenes images. Check out the photos on the main site & the movie below:

Extreme Wedding Photography - Behind The Scenes...

Ever wondered how we get 'that' shot?

Well over the past few months Edwin Sudds has been following Ross Matthews to capture some behind the scenes photos from the Post Wedding or aka 'Trash The Dress' photo shoots.

A variety of these images can now be seen on the main website @ Behind The Scenes as well as some video footage that is shown below.

We have many more even more exciting & some extreme shoots coming up later this year so keep an eye on the Blog to find out more...

A different way of looking at Family Portraits

Our portraits can be formal if that is what you are after but we prefer to be far more relaxed & capture the real you.

Once you have chosen your images though comes the design stage & rather than simply have a single image many families are choosing to have a multiple image print. Ideally choose 3, 6 or 9 images for you design & then leave it to us.

We will proof your images & change as much as you want us to over the designing stage for as long as it takes until you are more than happy.

Its definitely a different way to do & looks superb for real impact if you are think about going large. Below are a couple of recent examples:

Studio Shoot or Location Shoot?

When it comes to choosing where you want ot have your Portrait Sitting done, there are a few things to think about.

The obvious choice is the studio as it is part of the experience & can be very exciting, however for young children & babies it can sometimes be terrifying! Terror does not lead to pretty picture...

So at Dartmoor Studios we have a state of the art portable studio that we can set up in your home, perfect for keeping everyone calm & relaxed so that we can make sure we capture the real you. In terms of quality you would never know it was done in your front room - try to guess which images on the website were done this way, you would be surprised.

There is a third choice though - on location. If you would like your images done at an outdoor location of your choice then this is not a problem - park, beach, on the moors, it does not matter as we have all the portable equipment to ensure that quality photographs are captured where ever we go.

For more details about this or to discuss any shoot you are considering please get in touch on 07771 745971 or info@dartmoorstudios.com

Digital Only Weddings?

Whilst the majority of couples choose to have their images displayed in an album, as well as some sort of DVD presentation, more & more are thinking about 'digital only' outcomes.

At Dartmoor Studios we have been offering this sort of product for some time & are happy to provide whatever you wish on either CD or DVD. However there can be some confusion over copyright - as in do you have the right to print, copy & email these images as you wish?

The simple answer is no - unless you have asked to purchase the copyright of your images then they remain the property of the photographer & Dartmoor Studios.

If you do want to purchase the copyright to all your images then it is a simply process so please get in contact whether it is for a future date or a wedding/portrait shoot from the past.

Wedding Fairs for 2009

Wedding Fairs are a great opportunity for both prospective couples & families to meet us but also for us to put on a little bit of a show of our recent work.

Below are some dates for 2009:

8th February @ Cornish Brides, The China Fleet Club, Saltash
1st March @ The Westcountry Wedding Show, Plymouth Pavillions
6th September @ Cornish Brides, The China Fleet Club, Saltash
20th Septmeber @ The Westcountry Wedding Show, Plymouth Pavillions

Hopefully we will see you there.

Christmas Specials Offers

Christmas is coming round again & even though its only October it is time to start thinking about the presents already...

To help with the cost of Christmas, start thinking about a Portrait Sitting now - Allowing you the time to have your shoot, choose your images & still have plenty of time to decide about framing & canvas options.

For that reason we have dropped the price of a sitting to only £25.00 including a FREE print & then we'll also give you 10% off your purchases!

You can even pay monthly if that helps to spread the cost but don't miss out - this is one of our busiest times of year too.

For more details - Christmas Special Offers

Be Prepared... Studio Quality Whatever The Weather!

When it comes to wedding photography or any sort of location shoot - you have to be a boy scout! That's why we can make statements like 'studio quality images - whatever the weather'.

People sometimes ask what does that mean & what sort of equipment do you use?

We have always prided ourselves in being able to use cutting edge equipment, both in the studio & on location, whatever the weather. So where we go, so can our portable studio if necessary - whether that's your home, a lovely pictureque pub on Dartmoor, Plymouth City Centre or the middle of the woods somewhere miles from civilisation.

We use a couple of Nikon D3s to ensure the highest quality possible in camera, a combination of Bowens & Profoto studio equipment & then Adobe's top of the range software packages once back in the digital darkroom.

To see some examples of what we get up to have a look here - Behind The Scenes

To Blog or not to Blog?

Welcome to the Dartmoor Studios Photography Blog.

We have been asked for a while whether we have a blog & when clients find out that we don't they often ask why? So we have decided to get with the program & get one organised.

You can find out a good deal more about us & what we have been up to, as well important updates & news. We would love to hear what you think about the Blog so please feel free to get in touch.