NDK Photography Blog

Glasgow Cathedral & Mar Hall Hotel Wedding Photography

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Wed, 08 May 2013 08:31:41 PDT

Last Saturday I had the great pleasure of photographing Lynn & Jim's wedding at Glasgow Cathedral & Mar Hall Hotel. It was a fantastic day, thankfully it stayed dry for the most part, although the rain clouds to the west of Mar Hall made for some dramatic backdrops whilst taking a few portrait pictures later in the evening.

Here are a few of my favourite photographs, if you were a guest at the wedding and you would like to see a few more, please contact me.

Nick

Mobile App - 1st Competition Now Open

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:21:26 PDT

It's Competition Time!

The release of the native version of the app that can be download from iTunes went very well so I thought I would open the first photo competition that you can enter using the app.
This is a simple contest, take a photo using the app on the Competition Page and post it.
As this is the first competition, it is open to any photo with no set categories, simply post your best photo.

The rules are simple.

1. You can only enter if you have downloaded the app from iTunes.
2. You must like our Facebook Page.
3. You can enter as many times as you like.
4. Any photo can be entered (I will delete any risky images).
5. I will be judging and my decision is final.
6. The winner will have their image professionally printed, mounted and delivered to them.
7. Have fun with your photos.
8. Entries close on Friday the 17th of May, with the winner being announced on Sunday evening the 19th on Facebook

If you haven't already, you can download the app from this link, please share with your friends, so hopefully I receive a few entries ;o).

New - Mobile Website App Available From The App Store

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:39:03 PDT

This is a little something I have been working on for a while, a new mobile website that can be downloaded from The App Store.

My main website is not designed to be viewed on the small screen of the smartphone so I have created a new version of the site that can be viewed and used on all phones. A mobile app has also been created so you can download a native version straight onto your phones screen.

The new app has all the information you need to view my work, Facebook, Twitter and contact me but something that I hope will create a bit of buzz will be the ability for all iphone users (other phones will follow soon) to be able to take photos from the app and enter them into weekly / monthly competitions that I hope to start soon. The winners will receive professionally printed and mounted copies of the photos that they enter. This isn't just for wedding photos, I will create different categories for everybody to enter.

Click the link to The App Store or if you have a QR reader on your phone scan it and download the app.

MTC, Stay tuned.

Solsgirth House Wedding Photography with Debbie and Alasdair

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:54:04 PDT

This was my first wedding at Solsgirth House, a lovely venue near Dollar in central Scotland. Winter hasn't quite left us here just yet, although last Friday it did feel a bit spring like with some pleasant sunshine to warm Debbie & Alasdair's day.

Here are a few of my favourite photographs, if you were a guest at the wedding and would like to see a few more, please get in touch.

Nick

Caught on Film at Oran Mor!

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 06:43:24 PDT

I stumbled across this film clip (I think the Piper posted it on You Tube) of a wedding at Oran Mor in Glasgow. The Bridal Party & the Bride and Groom are being piped in for dinner and I was caught on film setting up for the image I wanted to create of the scene. I was using a Fisheye lens and remotely operating 4 flash units all from the little black box on top of my camera. You can see 2 of the flash units firing at the back of the room in the photo I created below, the other 2 are above ours heads in the gallery area shooting down on the tables.

Audio Warning - The piper is very loud so turn the speakers down if your in the office!

Nick

Refer a Friend

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:57:22 PDT

Did you know I could photograph your wedding for free!

Ok you would have to be a very good networker and have a bundle of friends all getting married and I photographed all their weddings but, it is possible.

If you refer my services that leads to a confirmed booking and they like my Facebook Page (very important point) I will discount your wedding package by £50 for each referral. If I have already photographed your wedding then I will give you a £50 discount to go towards an album or print order or you can pass the offer onto your referral so they receive a discount with their booking, which is a nice little wedding present.

The link below gives you some further information on the offer. If you need any further advice, please get in touch.

Nick.

Oran Mor Wedding Photography with Leigh & Keith

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 00:52:14 PDT

Last weekend I was at Oran Mor in Glasgow's West End to photograph the wedding of Leigh & Keith. February can be a challenging month to photograph weddings due to the short days, but if you use the available daylight to your advantage, then you can create spectacular results.

I have all the photographs uloaded on the website, if you were a guest at the wedding and you would like to see a few more, please contact me.

Nick

Oran Mor Wedding Photography Time Lapse Film

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 04:06:40 PST

I was at Oran Mor yesterday photographing Leigh & Keith's wedding, after we did some outdoor portraits playing with the traffic (still editing these), I created a set of images (600) that I have used to make this short film of the venue in the busy west end .. looks cool I think.

Will have the wedding photos online soon.

Nick

Kids Portraits

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 03:01:55 PST

Over the last month I have been taking a few portraits sessions with younger kids and toddlers. These are portrait sessions at my clients homes using a simple lighting set up that doesn't upset the children or stress out the parents!

Here are a few examples of how the photographs can look in black and white. If you would like to know more about my portrait photography, please click here.

Nick

New Lanark Mill Hotel Wedding Photography with Ashleigh & Callum

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 06:46:12 PDT

On the 29th of December I was at Kirkton Parish Church and New Lanark Mill Hotel for the wedding of Ashleigh & Callum. I do love a winter wedding, being able to mix indoor lighting with off camera flash allows me to create lovely warm images full of colour, it also allows me to play a little with my flash units to make some creative portrait pictures with the failing light.

These are a few of favourite images from the day, if you were a guest at the wedding and you would like to see a few more, please contact me.

Nick

Meldrum House Hotel Wedding Photography with Cherie & Ian

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 09:15:05 PDT

Last Saturday I was in snowy Aberdeenshire at Meldrum House Hotel for the wedding of Cherie & Ian. To say it was a cold day would be an understatement, but it certainly didn't dampen the fun and excitement of their day.

Here are a few of favourite images from the day, if you were a guest at the wedding and you would like to see a few more, please contact me.

Nick

Winter Portrait Photography

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 07:45:56 PST

I have to say I am quite lazy when it comes to Christmas shopping, the idea of going round overly busy high street shops looking for a gift, any gift, doesn't fill me with much Christmas cheer, however giving something rather special that doesn't cost the earth, does.

These are some fun photographs I created yesterday with my daughter, very handy for Christmas presents that I know her Grandparents will just love.

Diary of a Bride at Crear - Destination Weddings Scotland

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 06:49:42 PDT

A Destination Wedding in Scotland Organised From New Zealand

Venue Choice & Damage Control

We chose to get married at Crear because it was the most remote location that Charlotte thought she could get away with, without the family renouncing her. It was the only point of contention in the whole wedding planning process. At least it wasn't Everest we kept saying... Many people worried that Crear would be too remote. This issue was easily solved by creating a wedding weekend. It had to be worth the guest’s while to travel to the ends of the earth (we had guests travelling from Glasgow, Norway, California and beyond). We also made a huge effort to facilitate accommodation. The immediate family stayed at Crear and the cottage associated with Crear, and many more were placed in local cabins. Most guests were enthusiastic about their enforced short break. Friday night we had dinner with family and Sunday we had a BBQ for all guests remaining in the area, both catered by Crear. On the day, everyone understood our choice. Just look at the photos - the venue speaks for itself.

A Destination Wedding

Organising a wedding in Scotland while living in New Zealand was a daunting task. Surprisingly, it mostly went without a hitch. Thank goodness for email and skype, or else the time difference would have been prohibitive. It became exciting to trawl the internet for options. We developed a rule when contacting vendors – if they took more than 36 hours to reply we wouldn’t use them. Organising an event from across the world requires good communication, and, realistically that's going to be mostly email. It is, however, important to meet with everyone involved to have a face-to-face discussion of the details. We did this in the week and days before the wedding. This definitely helped iron out a few misunderstandings that email contact inevitably causes.

Memories

Now, 5 months later, we realize that the most important choice on our wedding day was our photographer. We could had gotten married anywhere, in dungarees with fish & chips for tea, and truly, surrounded by our family and friends, we would have been happy. Looking back on the photos still makes us goofy and smiley because the photos capture the true ambiance of the day down to sneaky details of parents kissing, guests teetering after 'one too many’, and kilts whirling upwards. Neither of us can quite believe that we got away with the whole thing – over 90 family and friends from across the world, multi-cultural opinions, last minute ceremony decisions, the list goes on. But it was real, and we have the photos to prove it, and just about every guest has been captured by a snapshot.

Thank you Nick. Because of you friends and family who didn't make it can truly relive the wedding and, one day, so will our children and grandchildren.

Charlotte & Gordon.

Diary of a Bride - Bishopton Parish Church & Mar Hall Hotel

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Mon, 19 Nov 2012 22:50:18 PST

After living in Sydney for the past 3 years, booking a wedding in Scotland took some time. But we managed it, and it was the most wonderful day!

Friday 28th September - the Wedding Day!

Wakening up just before my alarm at 7am, too excited to sleep any longer, I realised our big day had finally arrived. Catherine, my Australian bridesmaid, had stayed with mum and I the night before, so she was first in for a 'happy wedding day' hug. Nicola and Karen arrived soon after and we started the day with some excitement and breakfast.

Lynsey (our makeup artist), arrived not long after 8am and started her work on the girls. She was so great to have around in the morning. Such a bubbly, fun girl that we all loved and had a good laugh with. Maureen, our hairdresser arrived a little later and got started on curling the girls hair. She was also very friendly and fun to have around.

My mum put on an amazing spread of food for us all to munch on during the morning which was ideal, as we didn't manage a set time for lunch! Late morning, Greg's dad arrived with the bouquets and my dads button hole - they were gorgeous calla lilies and just what I had imagined. It was so exciting seeing all the planning paying off. I was informed at this point that the boys were still in bed!

12pm came around quickly as Dad arrived all ready to go. I was still in my pjs with no hair or makeup started! Nick was arriving at 12.30pm to get shots of the girls helping me into my dress, and have a relaxing glass of champagne before heading off to the church. However, we ended up running slightly behind schedule! As I was getting my makeup started, Nicola noticed that she had only managed to cover half her arm in fake tan. Off to the local chemist she went, returning with some sun shimmer which averted the brown/white line disaster. We couldn't stop laughing.

Finishing off with my hairstyle, the girls were all ready to go and the cars had started to arrive. It was time to get my dress on and get to the church! Our service was at 2pm (20min car ride away) and at 1.58pm, I was ready to go. The beautiful navy blue Bentley was sitting outside my mums house and thankfully had lots of room for my dress to fit into.

As we arrived at the church, the rain stopped and the sun shone. It was perfect. My brother Martyn was standing at the front door to welcome us and the congregation were asked to stand. This was it.

Our string quartet played 'Glasgow Love Theme' alongside our talented pianist and it sounded amazing. The girls went in one by one, followed by my Dad and I. It was such a lovely experience. Smiling my way down the aisle at all our friends and families and to see the man of my dreams at the end, with a big smile on his face. Perfect.

My lovely Aunt and Uncle sang 'One Hand, One Heart' from West Side Story which was the first moment that I thought I was going to cry. It was beautiful. We also had a reading from Greg's Aunt, which was perfect. Rev Douglas Cranston did a lovely ceremony - except that he forgot to allow Greg to kiss the bride! After I had specifically requested it at the rehearsal too!

After signing the register, the strings started playing the traditional 'Wedding March', easing into 'All You Need is Love', by the Beatles. It was a lovely way to walk up the aisle as a married couple! After lots of hugs and photographs outside the church, we headed off in the Bentley, enjoyed a glass of champagne, and soon arrived at Mar Hall (in the sunshine again!)

Vikki, our wedding coordinator, was there to welcome us with a glass of champagne and we managed to have time to mingle with our guests. Nick assessed the weather conditions and noticed the huge cloud headed our way, so we started with portrait and family shots indoors. They were great. We didn't have to stand around too long and it was time for more mingling.

Later, once the rain had passed, we managed to get outside for some more group shots and a few more shots of Greg and I. Nick was great at knowing exactly where and when to take the shots, and he is so efficient that we didn't have to stand posing for hours.

A few chocolate dipped strawberries later and it was time to head over to the marquee for our reception. This time it was raining. We were offered a golf buggy to drive over the short distance to the marquee entrance - Greg didn't have to be asked twice and was in the buggy ready to drive off before I realised it wasn't a joke. I just about fit my dress in and we sped over the road.

The marquee was stunning. Just what I had picture with the table centres and all the decoration. Our piper piped the top table in and we sat down to a lovely 3 course meal.

In between our main and dessert, Nick asked if we could head out to the golf course for some portrait shots. It was pretty cold by this point and very muddy - but with the help of my handsome groom and beautiful chief bridesmaid, we made it. And boy was it worth it. The photographs that Nick created are absolutely stunning.

A few tears were shed during the 3 great speeches and as the evening guests arrived, we were ready to cut the cake and have our first dance. We danced to 'Lucky' by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat and it was just lovely. Its my mother in laws new favourite song now. This was a great time for Greg and I to dance, kiss, cuddle and have a few moments to ourselves (minus the fact all eyes were on us). We didn't even notice. It was our time and it was great.

The bridal party joined us for the second dance - 'Better Together', by Jack Johnson, which our amazing band Aurora performed. And then it was time to dance the night away. The dance floor was never empty. The band were just fabulous. Everyone commented on how good they were. They even played a couple of ceilidh dances and a few aussie classics which was great. Nick stayed for the first few dances to get some great shots of our guests dancing under the sparkling lights and it was time for him to go home and have a well deserved rest.

Midnight came around far too quickly, and a group of us headed over to the Mar Hall bar for a couple more drinks before bed. We were very lucky to be staying in the Mar Hall suite for 2 nights. What a great end to a beautiful day.

A few days later, when we were enjoying our honeymoon in NYC, I received an email from Nick with the details for the photographs on the website. WOW. They were more than we could have asked for and captured the day so very well.

Nick was truly professional in every way and is such a nice guy too. We can't thank him enough for all he did on the day!

Thank you, Fiona & Greg xxx

Other Suppliers:

Makeup - Lynsey Findlay

Hair - Maureen Crolla

Flowers - Nic Dalby

Strings - Cairn String Quartet

Venue - Mar Hall Resort and Spa, Vikki Bal

Band - Aurora

Nick at NDK Wedding Photography

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Fri, 02 Nov 2012 02:55:21 PDT

Over the years I must have tweaked my website hundreds of times trying to get my message across of how I photograph a wedding to my website visitors. Well this Autumn I decided to do this slightly differently by creating a film to talking about what I do and how I do it!

Would love to hear your thoughts on the film.

Nick

Christmas Delivery Deadlines 2012

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 13:09:04 PDT

If you are thinking about giving an album or any other printed products as a Christmas gift, the final date for confirmed orders are.

Folio Fine Art Albums - November 25th

Artemis, Bellissimo & Apertura Album - December 2nd

Loose Prints - December 9th.

If you are currently deciding on your selections for an album, please allow a few weeks for the design process, this means I really need your selections by mid November at the latest. Print orders can still be placed online up to Sunday the 9th of December for delivery within the UK.

If you require any assistance placing an order, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Nick.

Piersland House Hotel Wedding Photography with Louise & Malcolm

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 09:13:22 PDT

I was a happy camper driving down to Troon on Saturday, the sun was out and it was almost warm for October! Piersland House Hotel is a beautiful old mansion house opposite Royal Troon Golf Course and only a minute or so from the beach, ideal really.

Louise and Malcolm had organised a fantastic day with family and friends traveling from all over the world to join them in sunny Scotland. The good weather allowed us to head to the beach at sunset for a few portrait pictures after dinner, by then it was a bit chilly but the sunset was truly worth the effort.

Here are a few of my favourite images from the day, if you were a guest at the wedding and would like to see a few more, please get in touch.

Nick

Oran Mor Wedding Photography with Kirsten and Matt

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 06:55:48 PDT

Oran Mor, what can I say, one of the most interesting / challenging and colourful venues to photograph for a wedding but I do love creating cool pictures there!

It was a lovely autumnal day last Saturday for Kirsten & Matt's wedding, cool and breezy, they had organised to use the Botanic Gardens for their family photos after the ceremony which looked very colourful with the changing colours in the trees.

Autumn and winter are a great time of year to photograph long events such as weddings, the day light is changing all the time, at dusk which is only in the early evening allows me to create some dramatic portrait pictures especially on busy street corners! Have a look you will see what I mean.

If you were a guest at the wedding and would like to see a few more, please get in touch.

Nick

Mar Hall Hotel Wedding Photography with Fiona & Greg

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 00:56:24 PDT

Last Friday I was at St Columba Church in Kilmacolm and Mar Hall Hotel just outside Glasgow for the wedding of Fiona and Greg. This had been a long time coming as when they originally booked me over a year ago they were both living in Sydney Australia and only recently had moved back to Scotland.

It certainly wasn't Sydney weather at the weekend but we managed to dodge the showers (well, most of them) and had a fantastic day.

Here are a few of my favourite images on the day, if you were a guest at the wedding and would like to see a few more, please get in touch.

Nick.

New iPhone & iPad Favicon Icon

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Thu, 20 Sep 2012 12:32:35 PDT

It's the small things in life that are important I think, and although this is only around 25 pixels in size it will make revisiting my main website much easier, so it is very important.

What am I talking about? Well for all you iPhone & iPad users, you can create a favourite icon for any website you visit by pressing the forward icon button at the bottom centre of the page and selecting "Add to Home Screen". This is a great way to quickly locate your favourite websites and if you create a folder keep all your favourite wedding suppliers together in one place, all on your home screen, cool huh.

So as of today I now have a little cute favicon that will appear as a quick link back to the wedding site.

Go take a peek and add it to your home screen.

Nick.

Refer a Friend

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 04:42:12 PDT

Over the years that I have been photographing weddings, I have met so many lovely people who are more than happy to help promote my business by referring my services to their family and friends. It's taken me a while but finally I have managed to put together a simple program to help reward you my clients for your kindness and loyalty to me and my photography.

I hope you have received in the mail a refer a friend pack (if you haven't please let me know) containing a small amount of referral cards for you to give to any family and friends who may be looking for a wedding photographer. The cards come supplied in a simple case so you can fit them into your handbag or wallet so they don't get lost or crumpled.

In return for passing my details on which results in a confirmed booking, I will give you a £50 discount on any print or album order you may wish to make or you can pass the offer onto your referral so they receive a discount with their booking, which is a nice little wedding present. This is an open offer with no timescales or limits to the number of discounts you can obtain. If you happen to refer me to five friends and they all confirm a booking, then you will have a bumper £250 discount available to you. Obviously the referral will have to mention your name when booking, so please do ask them to mention you.

If I have not photographed your wedding yet and you create some referrals, the discount will be taken from your balance payment, so you could get your wedding photography for free!

If you have any queries or you would like some further information, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Thank you again for all your support, it is greatly appreciated.

Nick.

Destination Wedding Photographers Scotland

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 12:40:36 PDT

NDK Wedding Photography is producing some of the finest wedding photography in Scotland. Nick Kirk the principal photographer has won international acclaim for his photojournalistic approach to wedding photography with the Wedding Photojournalists Association and the International Aperture Awards. Nick has been recently ranked 1st wedding Photojournalist in Scotland, 6th in the UK and 51st in the world by the Wedding Photojournalists Association for his documentary approach to wedding photography.

Although based in Glasgow, NDK regularly travel to destination wedding venues throughout Scotland that include the Highlands and Islands, Edinburgh, Inverness, Stirling, Aberdeen and Perthshire. If you are planning your wedding anywhere in Scotland and want Scotland's finest wedding photojournalist to photograph your day, then please contact NDK for further information.

Ardanaiseig Hotel Wedding Photography with Natalie & Sinclair

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Sun, 24 Mar 2013 06:58:44 PDT

I was back at Ardanaiseig Hotel at the weekend for the small but perfectly formed wedding of Natalie and Sinclair. Ardanaiseig are very good at hosting smaller weddings, the setting is remote but romantic and has spectacular views especially from the balcony of the Boat House on the banks of Loch Awe.

Here are a few of favourite images from the day.

Nick.

Ardanaiseig Hotel Wedding Photography - Sneaky Peek

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Mon, 10 Sep 2012 03:47:42 PDT

A quick edit from Saturdays wedding at Ardanaiseig Hotel on the banks of Loch Awe in Argyll. The Boat House is a gorgeous place to stay if your visiting the hotel. mtc

Nick

Pre Wedding Portrait Pictures at Kelvingrove Art Gallery

nick@ndkphotography.co.uk (Nick Kirk) — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 05:56:45 PDT

Yesterday I met up with Monica and Colin at Kelvingrove Art Galleries to have a chat about their wedding next summer at Cameron House Hotel. They had asked if I could take a few portraits photos of them as well so they could be used in a signing frame at the wedding. Nice.

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