The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment summer ride at Holkham Beach – from the air!
Today was one of those days you never forget – a morning filming & photographing the HCMR on Holkham beach from the drone – as far as I know this is the first time this has ever been done.
I had been asked to film for BBC News and Martin there (broadcast legend that he is) sorted out the permissions from the cavalry and the kind folks at Holkham Hall.
The sun was shining, everyone was in good spirits and the chaps (and their horses) looked spectacular.
The priority for me today was video footage so I didn’t get as many stills as I would have liked but I’m really happy with the video…
The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment at Holkham 2017 from Chris Taylor Photo / AeroVisuals on Vimeo.
Here are some of the stills…
Pollyanna & Paul – a stunning, sunny clifftop wedding in North Norfolk
I had been looking forward to photographing Pollyanna and Paul’s wedding at the legendary Rocky Bottoms seafood restaurant on the cliffs at East Runton. Owned by Pollyanna’s parents, Richard and Alison, Rocky Bottoms has an amazing reputation as one of the best places to dine on North Norfolk’s famous crabs & lobsters, the seafood caught by Richard himself.
As the day approached we had all been keeping a keen eye on the weather forecasts, this was one wedding that really needed good weather since much of the day was due to be al fresco and we weren’t disappointed!
Pollyanna and the girls were getting ready upstairs so after a few quick shots taking in some of the details and the beautiful outdoor set up for their ceremony (complete with deckchairs) I headed up to photograph the hive of activity…
Meanwhile Paul and the lads had arrived, looking great in their wedding gear…
The ceremony was conducted by local legend Brian Hannah, with plenty of laughs and some beautiful readings…
After the ceremony the party began with music provided by a surprise band Pollyanna had laid on for Paul, there was certainly no hesitation in getting the dancing started and delicious canapés coming from the kitchen of head chef James Fitzpatrick and his talented team…
I decided to bust out the drone for a few aerial shots, something I am always happy to do at a wedding, it doesn’t take long (and there’s no extra charge for it) but I think it really adds to the coverage to get some different angles from above…
Myself, Pollyanna & Paul and Polly’s brother Hector then headed to the beach for fifteen minutes to get some shots taking in the scenery North Norfolk is famous for, drawing people from all over the world. They had certainly come from far & wide for this day since the bride & groom and many of their friends had come over from Dubai!
Then it was on to the speeches – so lovely to be able to photograph the speeches outside. Paul, being a Wolverhampton-man originally kindly gave the dads and Polly’s brothers a Wolves football shirt each, they sportingly put them on but if there are any wolves fans out there wanting a worn-once team shirt I think there maybe some going cheap on ebay about now! 😉
Apologies to the hundreds of bride and grooms that have been kind enough to feed me over the last 12 years but I have to say that this was one of the best wedding meals I have ever been served (definitely on a par with the Michelin-starred meals I have had at the weddings I shot at Le Manoir aux Quat Saisons). A whole North Norfolk lobster baked in garlic butter plus there was a huge bowl of chips, what’s not to love?!
And finally (for the wedding photography coverage at least) it was onto the first dance and live music provided by the fabulous Groovalicious…
A big thank you to Pollyanna & Paul and their families for having me as their wedding photographer. It was such a fun day and I hope that comes across in the photographs. This was the first ever wedding hosted at Rocky Bottoms but hopefully not the last, it lends itself to weddings so well and what a great location!
For the full gallery of Pollyanna & Paul’s Norfolk wedding photography, please follow the link below, all reprints are 50% off for the next 7 days…
Norfolk wedding photography gallery – Pollyanna & Paul
• Wedding photographers in Norfolk • Wedding photographers in North Norfolk • Norfolk wedding photography • Best wedding photographers in Norfolk • Norfolk coast wedding photography •
This week I was lucky enough to visit the fully refurbished The Ffolkes near Kings Lynn in Norfolk to take a range of photos of their new rooms.
Created by the team that brought you Byfords of Holt, The Dialhouse in Reepham and The Pigs at Edgefield and the hospitality/rooms at The Assembly House, Norwich amongst others, I knew this was going to be an impressive place to photograph. I was blown away.
The level of detail, quality of materials, design skills and thought that have gone into the rebirth of this 300 year old coaching inn is beyond anything I’ve seen before, it really has to be experienced to be believed.
I will be heading back a few times over the next few weeks as the remaining work is completed to capture more images of this incredible asset to Norfolk but in the meantime below are some shots of the rooms and a few of the dining area which I hope will give you a flavour of the place. They are open for business and have a stunning bar & really interesting menu so get in there and experience this fantastic place for yourself, you won’t regret it!
I recently asked the owner & mastermind behind all of these businesses, Iain Wilson, for some feedback to use in marketing my property photography and commercial photography, below are his kind words…thank you Iain!
“Chris confirms the theory that get what you pay for! We used to try and capture our locations on a shoestring and although the results were ok, the service Chris offers as a specialist is in another league. Combine with this a flexible approach, quick turnarounds, a real good eye for matching images with what the location is trying to portray, you have a real winning formula and one I would not hesitate to recommend.
Iain Wilson, one of the many hard working people behind Byfords, the Pigs, Assembly House, The Kings Head, SPONGE, The Dial House, Back To Your Place, Wilson Development and The Ffolkes.“
• Property photographers in Norfolk • Norfolk commercial photographers • Interiors photographers Norfolk •
New short film produced for Sheringham Golf Club – Norfolk aerial videographer
A while back I was commissioned by Sheringham Golf Club to photograph the course and produce a short film to encapsulate what this stunning links course offers from the beautiful greens & fairways themselves to the proximity of the beach, the nature and the North Norfolk Railway steam engines passing literally right alongside the course. It’s taken a while to get some decent weather for it (what a rubbish spring it’s been so far here!).
Below is the result of a day’s filming from dawn till dusk using the drone, time-lapse cameras and filming using the Canon 5d DSLR, I hope you like it! I will be heading back to get more stills of the course and hole by hole flyby’s of all 18 holes, hopefully won’t have to wait so long for the right weather this time!
Sheringham Golf Club from AeroVisuals on Vimeo.
Drone operators in Norfolk • Aerial photographers in North Norfolk • CAA Qualified drone operators Norfolk • Golf photographers Norfolk • Golf Course Photographers in Norfolk
RNLI accredited aerial photographer – a world first!
Last week I was down at the RNLI Lifeboat College in Poole for a course (a refresh on the methods of commanding a lifeboat & the various anchor/towing/navigation/search & rescue drills). While down there I had a meeting scheduled with the Film & Stills team to discuss working with them on RNLI drone film projects in the future.
A few months back I was pleased to be successful in applying to be an approved RNLI drone operator but while at the meeting I discovered I was the first accredited RNLI drone operator in the world which I thought was pretty cool!
Between the course modules I was able to put the drone up for some shots of the amazing Lifeboat College and the adjacent All Weather Lifeboat Centre where the all weather boats are built and maintained, below are a few shots showing the buildings and Poole harbour in the background.
• Aerial photographers in Norfolk • Drone operators in Norfolk • RNLI drone operators • Norfolk drone company – Aerovisuals •
Norfolk hospitality industry photography – hotels, guest houses, restaurants & pubs
For the last 12 years I’ve been fortunate enough to photograph many of Norfolk’s top places to eat, drink & stay. From the famous Burnham Market hotel – The Hoste, frequented by royalty & celebrity alike, to ‘the higgledy-piggledy world of pleasure’ that is Byford’s in Holt. It’s not just hotels but also many of Norfolk’s top restaurants, pubs, guest houses and holiday lets. There are so many hidden gems that really deserve good quality photography to allow their websites & print advertising to do them justice and bring in the appreciative customers!
Below is a handful of example shots I have produced for some local businesses. The service I offer is completely flexible and custom-built to each business with a mix of interior shots, exteriors, detail shots of all unique features and if needed: food, drink & staff shots. Not forgetting some aerial photography if relevant, I am fully insured and licensed by the CAA for commercial operations with a drone and using my photography experience I can ensure the best quality images. I’m not just a guy with a drone, I’m a PHOTOGRAPHER with a drone, there is quite a difference! For more information about my aerial photography in Norfolk please see my AeroVisuals site here.
Below are a few shots from one of the recent day shoots at The Hoste, as well as the food & rooms we have tried to capture an element of the lifestyle in some of the shots, for more of my work there visit their website.
Rowan & Jordan – a Norfolk farm wedding – wedding photographers in Norfolk
One of the perks of being a wedding photographer in Norfolk is that I get to shoot lots of lovely farm weddings!
Rowan & Jordan’s wedding was in late summer last year, I’ve held it back until now to spread a little sunshine at this cold, grey time of year.
Theirs was only a short wedding coverage so there aren’t any preparation shots or speeches/first dance, this was arrivals at the wedding ceremony up until they sat down to eat.
Lots of lovely rustic details, a very relaxed & fun wedding to photograph…
Aerial video – a short film of Cromer & Sheringham Lifeboats on exercise
I have a crazy week of commercial shoots ahead, mostly property photography plus a shoot of two 10ft oil paintings and a pilates studio amongst others! Working as a commercial photographer in Norfolk is always so varied and interesting, I could never get bored with it, especially as I can include a play with the drone and make short aerial films like the one below.
I have been wanting to film Cromer Lifeboat’s dramatic launches off the end of Cromer Pier for a long time and when I was asked by their Operations Manager if I could do it for them I jumped at the chance. Firstly I had to get clearance from the RNLI press office, they now have strict drone regulations in place so it’s been great to qualify as one of the RNLI’s few recognised drone operators. Without this permission the RNLI do not allow drones within 150m of their stations and lifeboats.
It was a crisp and frosty morning as I stood on the beach getting some establishing shots with the drone, it wasn’t long before I couldn’t feel my fingers any more (and the batteries on the drone weren’t very happy being so cold either) so I headed to the station to warm up, filming the walk along the frosty pier by simply carrying the drone in front of me while it filmed and the gimbal kept the camera steady.
The crew donned their PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) and prepared the boat & we were ready for launch.
The additional (b-roll) footage was shot using the DJI Osmo Mobile – an amazing little handheld gimbal which acts as a steadicam for an iphone. I slotted the iphone 7+ in place (awesome 4K camera on there plus two different lenses) and grabbed some additional footage to add into the final edit.
The below is the result, be sure to watch in HD & have your speakers on for the music!
RNLI Cromer Lifeboat from AeroVisuals on Vimeo.
• Drone photographers in Norfolk • Norfolk drone operators • CAA approved drone operators in Norfolk • Aerial video Norfolk •
Storm Surge 13.01.17 – big wave aerial footage & damage at Cromer, Norfolk
It’s been an interesting few days here on the North Norfolk coast with the storm surge & rough weather. On Friday night we headed to the cliffs at Cromer to watch the mighty power of the sea and we weren’t disappointed!
The footage of the huge waves during the night are a bit grainy & rough – there wasn’t much light for filming and I just used my iphone as I didn’t want to get my cameras covered in salt spray yet again (especially after literally just getting them back from a service & shutter replacement ready for the 2017 wedding season).
The next morning I headed to Cromer with the drone at daybreak to get some aerial shots of the waves and the damage the surge had done. So sad to see the remains of the smashed up beach huts after seeing a similar scene at the previous storm surge only 3 years ago.
The footage has received amazing attention being shown on the BBC national news, BBC Look East News (including an interview) & ITN plus I’ve had requests for footage for a program called Winter Road Rescue on Channel 5, BBC’s Inside Out and been interviewed live on BBC Radio Norfolk, yesterday was pretty hectic!
The video on my personal Facebook page has (at this point in time) received over 186,000 views and 3500 shares, such unexpected and amazing publicity, it really has been a great start to the year!
Here’s the edited video (be sure to click on the HD symbol bottom right for the best viewing experience and turn on your sound for some soothing music!)…
Storm Surge 2017 – Cromer from AeroVisuals on Vimeo.
For more examples of my aerial video footage using the drone and some other commercial videos I have made scroll through my Vimeo page.
More information about my Aerial photography in Norfolk can be found on my dedicated site – http://www.aerovisuals.co.uk/
• Aerial photographers in Norfolk • Drone operators Norfolk • Aerial video in Norfolk •
2016 – a year through the lens – Part III – Norfolk wedding photography
So this is Part 3 three of my round up of 2016, choosing some of my favourite shots of last year and in this post it’s all about the weddings I photographed in beautiful Norfolk in 2016. We have so many stunning wedding venues in Norfolk (and Suffolk!), at the bottom of this post I will list all of the Norfolk & Suffolk wedding venues featured in the wedding photos below rather than sprinkling them throughout the post. You’ve come here to look at the pretty pictures (and I’m really tired today!) so I won’t ramble on too much, I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.
Here’s a few of my faves of last year…
