British Drift Championships 3rd May 2011

I was invited along to the British Drift Championships by my friend Steven Ball, who is the manager of Rentons estate agents of Yarm. I have previously been commissioned by Rentons to photograph their prestigious properties that require full glossy brochures. Due to client confidentiality I can't share any of that work here. If anyone is looking to buy or sell a property in the Yarm area please get in touch with Steven! Here's a link for the contact details of his branch.

http://www.rentonscountrywide.co.uk/content/008_Offices__Contacts/001_Office_Directory/

Anyway back to the topic! The third round of the Drift Championships was held at Teesside Autodrome Middlesbrough and boy was it a hot day. It must have hit 26 degrees. On arrival the cars were all out practicing and since Steven had recently purchased an SLR camera we headed straight over to the track side to grab a few shots before the event started. 

 

 

This was one of my favourite shots from the practice session, we got a good dose of burning rubber from this position, our T-shirts were covered in specs of burnt rubber!

 

 

This is Shane Lynch from Boyzone driving his car on the practice session. He was in the super pro class. More on him later! At this point I didn't really know what drifting was all about, apart from the obvious that was cars going sideways burning rubber. Luckily Steven was able to explain while the drivers lined their cars up on the track so everyone could meet and greet them.

 

 

Seeing the cars and drivers up close and personal was a really nice touch we both thought. You would never get to do this at other events such as the Touring Cars at circuits like Croft and Silverstone.

 

 

As you can see the cars are serious bits of kit. Think of the film " The Fast And The Furious " but for real. I had to shoot close for two reasons, one I only had a long lens with me to get close to the track action and two, there was a big crowd so getting a clear shot of a car was going to be near impossible.

 

A lonely helmet made a good subject. I'm glad I wasn't wearing a full race suit and helmet in that weather!

 

I love this sneaky shot of the " Cowboy ". I framed him up against the pink bonnet of his car which made me smile!

 

Here's a nice taster shot of the Cowboys trusty steed. I must admit even though it was bright pink it still looked menacing and was one of the best looking cars there. Ye ha!

 

By now Steven had explained that the cars go out in pairs and do two runs, with each car having a turn at being the lead. The drivers are scored for keeping the cars sideways at all times and following the lead car as close as possible mirroring their drift angles. Cars get marked down for going off the track, going straight ie coming out of the drift, spinning out and not keeping up with the lead car. There are a lot more scenarios regarding the scoring and if you are interested check out the drift website. http://thebritishdriftchampionship.com/

 

 

Here's a shot of Shane Lynch. I wouldn't have even realised who is was if Steven hadn't pointed him out, even though he was stood right in front of me lol. " Don't love me for fun girl. Let me be the one girl, love me for a reason....." That's enough of that :-)

 

 

With the event about to start we acquired some food in the form of cheeseburger, chips and a couple of drinks. We then made our way to the top of the bank on the far corner as that was the best place for an overall view of the action. Here you can see the synchronisation of the cars entering a drift on that first corner. Skillful driving since they were driving at a serious speed.

 

A nice profile shot of Steven enjoying the action, with a more macho looking cowboy hat. Click on the image for a larger view and you will see that I was actually photographing the cars in the reflection of his sunglasses. A picture within a picture!

 

As the afternoon went on and our skin colour became redder, we decided to work our way back to the track side so we could get some alternative views of the action on the way. This is another of my favourite shots from the day. The car looks almost toy like. Steven suggested it looks like an RC car.

 

 

The super pros were out on the track last and there was a big difference in their speed and drifting ability. At times they were nose to tail all the way round the track.

 

This is the last shot I'm sharing on this blog post. It was one of the last images I took, showing Shane Lynch giving it rock all. I have to admit he was one of the best drivers out there. I just missed the back of the cars wing in the shot. I could have fixed it in photoshop but these were just fun shots. I love the way the lens captured the heat haze in the background and the sharpness of the image. Well I would like to finish of with a big thank you to Steven for taking me on what can only be described as a tyre screeching, engine screaming, smoke filled, fun summers afternoon out.  Cheers!

Jo & Chris Wynyard Hall May 2011

I have recently finished the final edit of images from the wedding of Jo and Chris which took place at the amazing Wynyard Hall. The building is so grandeur and has an equally amazing interior, no wonder so many couples choose Wynard Hall for their wedding venue. I would like to share with you some of the images from the day and a little insight into the wedding.

Our day began at Jo's parents house where Emma was immediately whisked off upstairs to help with the dress fitting. One of the benefits of working with your wife ;-) This left me downstairs to shoot the detail images of the flowers, such as the bouquets and button holes.

I photographed a series of images of Jo's shoes before they were retrieved by Vicki who was one of the three bridesmaids. I love this black and white shot which really emphasises the detail.

This is one of my personal favourite images from the day. We had just taken a couple of portraits of Jo before it was time for her to be chauffeured over to Wynyard Hall and I was able to take this shot of a quick last minute makeup touch up.  

Jo and her dad were certainly transported in style to Wynyard Hall in this magnificent horse drawn carriage. As you can see it was picture perfect and very elegant as it traversed the gravel driveway to the Hall.

Jo and Chris chose to be married in the chapel within Wynyard Hall. This 18th century chapel is very quaint and intimate with its marble walls wood panelling and chequered tiled floor. It makes for a beautiful setting for the ceremony to take place.

For the final prayer Jo and Chris were knelt at the very front of the chapel. As I was shooting from the back I used my 70-200mm to really zoom in and isolate them together. For me this image is all about the moment they are sharing as husband and wife.

This image was taken just after the throwing of confetti capturing the moment as they were about to embrace. I have the kiss shot too but that's for Jo and Chris to enjoy :-)

Following the throwing of confetti we took the group photos on the terrace out the back overlooking the lake. The wind picked up quite a bit round there so we finished off the smaller family group photos in the conservatory. Jo, Chris and their little bridesmaid Holly then enjoyed a ride around the estate in the carriage. I love this dreamy, almost Victorian, image of them crossing the bridge entering the beautiful grounds. 

This gave us some time to shoot some room details including their superb wedding cake, the glass sphere in the center was a very unique twist. 

Speaking of the wedding breakfast room here is a wide angle view of it in all its splendour. As you can see it is a truly wonderful room and there was a great atmosphere when everyone sat down to eat. Emma and I were lucky enough to share the meal as guests and I have to say we both agreed it was some of the best food we had ever had, exquisite is the word that springs to mind!

Later in the afternoon we asked Jo and Chris if they would like to have a walk around the grounds for a bit of fresh air and a chance for us to capture some natural  images of them. I love this style of portrait as the couple are free to enjoy the moment whilst we work from a distance being discreet as possible.

After their walk around the grounds we ended back up at the grand entrance where this image presented itself to me. I asked them to pause just for a couple a seconds so I could take this shot. The imposing stone pillars and huge doorway made a simple natural frame around them.

It was soon time for the cutting of the cake and then Jo did the bouquet toss which was fun to watch. We captured a couple of images with Vicki actually in mid air! Next was their first dance which was really romantic and you could see the emotion in their faces. Its a great feeling knowing that you are documenting these moments with images that will be cherished forever.

I've saved my favourite photo until last. This shot has become one of my signature images and I just love it. The chapel provides a beautiful backdrop with the pews and chequered floor leading you in to Jo and Chris.

It was a pleasure for Emma and I to photograph Jo and Chris on their wedding day at Wynyard Hall and we hope they enjoy the images as much as we enjoyed making them. We wish them all the happiness in their lives together as husband and wife.

Best Wishes,

Ken and Emma x