Highlights from a styled shoot at this unique Lancashire wedding venue

Holmes Mill Wedding Photography Styled Shoot

Styled Wedding Shoot at Holmes Mill

This styled wedding shoot at Holmes Mill was organised by Little White Books in conjunction with this stunning and unique wedding venue in Clitheroe. This styled shoot looked like a Marrakesh market when I arrived. Easily the busiest and most bustling styled shoot I have ever taken part in. There were seven models, eleven wedding gown suppliers with a selection of dresses each), eight hair Stylists and eight makeup artists, plus six backgrounds to photograph against. Plus the main ‘Autumn’ background designed and installed by Red Floral. This was going to be a busy, busy, busy Holmes Mill wedding photography styled shoot! So….there I was, the only fella amongst all these women…all the models were half naked getting changed or having hair and makeup done for the shoot. And….the kettle for the brew was thirty yards away in the corner. It meant walking through over thirty women to get a brew! So I asked Beks from Little White Books to please grab me a coffee while I set up my lighting, and keeping my back turned to the organised chaos of this Holmes Mill wedding photography styled shoot. Luckily Matt from Red Floral appeared, so there were at least two of us! The models were great, and we photographed hair and makeup photos very quickly - they all knew what they were doing which makes life a little easier. At one stage I had four of them queueing up for their photo set….that’s how busy this Holmes Mill wedding photography was. And it was a great buzz to be part of it, especially once my blushes had receded.

Little White Books - Wedding Planning Magazine

Little White Books is a North West-based wedding magazine and website, fully focused on planning weddings, and providing a full range of talented wedding suppliers (and me). Based in Lancashire, Little White Books produce a wedding magazine twice yearly, covering every aspect of planning your ideal wedding. The magazine also covers the whole of the North West and Cumbria, showcasing the very best wedding venues in the region - Holmes Mill being one of them. Highly respected, Little White Books also host a lot of wedding fairs throughout the region too, at some of the best wedding venues in Lancashire & Cumbria. The company also produce the two largest wedding fairs in Lancashire, The Great Northern Wedding Show every April & October at the USN Arena Bolton.

I have both worked and exhibited with Little White Books for a few years now, and photograph the front covers for their magazine. I love the variety of concepts for the covers - sometimes we’re on location in the changeable Lancashire weather, sometimes inside a gorgeous wedding venue with lots of coffee and biscuits. Whatever the location, we always have a great team of wedding suppliers ‘on set’. And a great laugh too.

Holmes Mill Wedding Photography

I am experienced in Holmes Mill Wedding photography, having photographed Cath & Ged’s wedding recently, as one of my projects. My Holmes Mill wedding photography is a natural documentary style with little to no intrusion. Nothing staged or cheesy, no gimmicks…and definitely NO heart shaped group photos (sorry!) I am booked for Holmes Mill wedding photography on this basis - my clients don’t want fuss, or cheese. They want me to capture their wedding day in a relaxed, natural style, telling a full story from preparations to the Jagerbombs with no ‘contrived stuff’. This project is another example of my Holmes Mill wedding photography. This styled shoot featured models, hair & makeup artists, wedding gown suppliers, floral wedding designers, photographers and florists. Oh, and coffee and biscuits on this one! I was one of three photographers on the shoot, each of us producing our own style or ‘stamp’ to the day. I opted to bring some studio lighting for my Holmes Mill wedding photography for this styled shoot. Though lighting and shooting each scenario, I used one large 120cm octagon umbrella…a big ‘softie’ to enhance the hair and makeup of the girls. We can add this lighting to your Holmes Mill wedding photography if I were photographing your big day. A touch of glamour amongst the natural reportage wedding coverage if you wish?

Little White Books Magazine cover

As the photoshoot progressed, Matt and the Red Floral team were building ‘The Big One’ - the Autumnal set (complete with pumpkins and stuffed parrots) ready for a shoot for both the Little White Books magazine cover, and an editorial in sister magazine Great Northern Wedding Venues. I used the higher resolution Nikon D810 for this setup, leaving the D780s in the bag. I still love what this classic Nikon can do!

Here’s some of my favourite photos from the day…