Mike Barrett

Emma and Steve – Wedding Day

16th October 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

The Wedding of Emma and Steve – Cave Castle, East Riding of Yorkshire.

Emma and Steve are a truly fab couple and are extremely down to earth people. I liked them both a great deal from the moment I met them. They have always been up for a bit of a laugh; which was reflected in the engagement shoot that I did with them, their wedding day was no different. Set in the grounds of Cave Castle in the East Riding of Yorkshire, the day was blessed with wall to wall sunshine, even though it had been forecast extremely heavy rain.

Time sauntered along seemingly without a care in the world while the sunshine beat down relentlessly with such enthusiasm that even the hardy perennials seemed to wilt. It was blisteringly hot, but no one was complaining, least of all Emma and Steve.

The whole day was a brilliant, relaxed and fun affair. Everybody wore a Cheshire grin and spirits where high. It truly was a pleasure to be their photographer and to meet and spend time with such a nice bunch of folk.

Emma and Steve, I wish you both all the happiness in the world.

Mike Barrett.

All Images are copyright:

Little Red Devil

8th October 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

My wife has been known to have a word in my ‘shell-like’ on the odd occasion concerning the combination of clothing items that I sometimes dress our daughter in. To be honest, it’s actually not that frequent that she has to have words, so I have to assume that she approves most of the time when it’s my turn to select our daughter’s attire. Frankly, I think my daughter looks pretty funky when I dress her.

Today, my little girl and I decided to bake a white loaf. For some time now I have wanted to start making my own bread. Having been a devoted fan of the Great British Bake Off right from the first series and having sat through all the triumphs and disasters that the contestants have served up; I got to thinking that at least I ought to have a go. Upon seeing Nadiya win series 6 last night and take the crown with humility, stating that she will never doubt herself in going forwards again; she showed that anyone can do anything that they put their minds to. All you need is guts, gusto and determination. So I decided that it was time to get the baking tins out. I thought I would start simple, a crusty white cob loaf.

What does any of this have to do with what my daughter wears, or indeed photography? A good question.

Bear with me!

I was recently looking through our fancy dress box when I came across this red devil wig with horns attached. I think my wife bought it some years ago for a Halloween bash that we went to, long before our daughter arrived. Anyway, it gave me an idea for a mini photo shoot I could do with my little girl. She is at that age now where she flatly refuses to pose for the camera any more. Daddy nearly always has a camera in his hand and for the longest time she would play up to it without hesitation or ever getting bored. Lately though, when she sees a camera (not just mine but any pointing her way) she swiftly turns her head almost 180 degrees and refuses to look back, regardless of our patient pleading or any amount of persuasive bribery. That said, I guess I will have to consider myself privileged today, as we have had a devilishly good time getting these photos.

So, to explain! My daughter and I needed something fun to do while our bread dough was proving. She had been hugely supportive in the kitchen, helping me with the mixing and throwing flour absolutely everywhere. So when I suggested that she could dress up in the red wig and polka dot attire, she was giddy and on this occasion, more than happy to play along. We took a few snaps and returned to the kitchen in time to put the bread in the oven; after which we made odd characters out of pink and blue Plasticine while waiting for our bread to bake. Today turned out to be a lot of fun. The house has an amazing smell of freshly baked bread and we got some lovely photos. The bread tasted amazing too.
I’m now on the hunt for the next bread recipe.

All Images are copyright:

Barrett Brothers

24th September 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

These are my two fabulous brothers. The Barrett boys. They are fab. Nuff sed!

All Images are copyright:

Elizabeth and Stuart – Wedding Day

24th September 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

Elizabeth and Stuart’s wedding was a fabulous day from sunrise to sunset. There was a mass of balloons, jugglers, a fire show, stilt walkers, amazing costumes, two wedding dresses, a bbq, many smiles, a few tears and a great deal of laughter. Set within the stunning grounds of Oulton Hall, the day was a lot of fun indeed. There was also a casino for the evening’s entertainment. I lost everything on Blackjack!

Over and above the splendour of proceedings, it was really lovely to see two friends who are very clearly in love with each other, become Mr and Mrs.

I wish you many happy years together.

All Images are copyright:

The Photographer – Mike Barrett

4th September 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

Elizabeth and Stuart – Engagement Shoot

23rd July 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

This was a really nice and relaxed shoot with these two lovely people. Elizabeth and Stuart are friends of ours, and as much as it is a privilege to photograph all the weddings that I am involved with, it’s always a little bit special when you get to shoot the wedding of someone you know. I have been the wedding photographer for couples who are friends on a handful of occasions now and all of them have been a fantastic amount of fun.

Oulton Hall is a beautiful classic 18th-century mansion nestled in the heart of the Yorkshire countryside, set in an estate of 300 acres of beautiful landscaped gardens accompanied by some stunning surrounding views. Elizabeth and Stuart wanted to meet here for their engagement shoot, as it is also the venue for their wedding day. We had a cracking afternoon where we got some lovely shots and discussed some of the finer points of the wedding detail. We finished off with a spot of light lunch on the outside terrace, washed down with some great coffee while overlooking the delightful gardens of this fabulous venue.

All Images are copyright:

Stirley Community Farm

14th July 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

These photographs were taken when we went on a visit to Stirley Community Farm, Huddersfield. It is a super local farm that has 240 acres and practices wildlife-friendly farming. It is the gateway site for West Yorkshire, founded by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust. The farm promotes healthy living and a healthy environment.

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust took ownership in 2011 and has turned the farm into an excellent education environment with food gardens, orchards, a beef herd, bee hives and it also provides agricultural and conservation training for young people and adults who are keen to get involved with positive food production and positive and sustainable farming.

When we went it was a stunning summer afternoon, so I took the opportunity to get a couple of snaps of my family in the natural meadow area.

All Images are copyright:

Emma and Steve – Engagement Shoot

5th July 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

I had a great time photographing these guys. They’re a fab couple who are both well into their body art. It felt like the natural thing to do to photograph them juxtaposed against a local graffiti backdrop. They were both great sports and we had some laughs getting these images. I love the goal post shots too.

All Images are copyright:

Color Me RAD, Harewood House Estate, Leeds – 2015

16th May 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

Last year was the first time I had been to this event and it was a lot of fun watching hundreds of people run 5k then get totally covered in paint. We went back again this year. I was once again armed with my camera kit, while my wife ran the 5k but this time with our daughter who is two and a half years old. I think my wife carried our daughter around the whole course to be honest, which is like a double workout, so hats off to my wife for that effort.
The day was a lot of fun and as promised, full of colour. I am of the opinion that as much as people love to run the 5k, most people turn up just to throw paint at each other. Fun? Oh yes! It’s brilliant to see so many people letting their hair down, getting absolutely drowned in paint and dance to funky vibes. The day is full of laughter, smiles and pure joy. A fab spectacle indeed and great to photograph!

Check out their website here… COLOR ME RAD

All Images are copyright:

Dockentail Woods

25th April 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

Out in Dockentail Woods again. I love how all the trees in these local woods bend towards the light. The wood is situated on a slope facing southwest where the sun swings around during the day. A great example of positive phototropism. It looks like some mad wind storm blew in at some point and shoved all the trees over. The woods have a magical feel to them. I don’t think they would look out of place in some J. R. R. Tolkien imagined land somewhere in Middle Earth.

Here are some images from a photo shoot I did there recently with these two young lads. It was one of those days when the sun was out, then it was cloudy, then the sun was out, then it was cloudy, then the…etc. Managed to get some great shots with them when the cloud offered a bit of defuse light. They were both completely comfortable in front of the camera also, which made my job all the more easy.

A great place, two smashing lads, a good photo shoot.

All Images are copyright:

“Don’t tell him pike”!

13th March 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

My wife and I have attended the Haworth 1940’s event for the last three years running.

It is a fantastic event set in the heart of Bronte Country in West Yorkshire where local people along with many visitors kit themselves out in 1940’s get up in celebration of an era past.

The entire village gets into the spirit of things and the place is transformed, to such an extent in fact, that you may well be forgiven for thinking that you had walked through some kind of wormhole and actually been transported back in time.

There are many attractions to see including Swing, Jive and Lindy Hop performances, a Military and Vintage vehicle parade, a ‘We’ll Meet Again’ concert, a Market Marquee in the park and an array of food stalls and places for refreshment, such as the NAAFI Café or perhaps even the Keep Calm & Carry On Café and much, much more. You would be hard pushed to find a more enthusiastic and much loved event on the calendar.

If that’s not enough for you, there are always the steam trains making their usual regular trips up and down the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway and let’s not forget the obligatory Spitfire flypast, which is always a crowd pleaser.

Great for small kids and really big kids. You know, like big kids in their 40’s!

Haworth itself is beautiful and well worth a visit regardless. It has some great pubs, some really fantastic and quirky shops and the surrounding scenery is just stunning.

Here are a selection of photographs of the event from the past three years. 2012, 2013 and 2014.

All Images are copyright:

In the Sticks

24th February 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

Went out at the weekend with the family and we found an amazing field of tall grass stems. Couldn’t pass up the chance of a bit of a photo shoot. My daughter loved them. It’s fabulous being out and about in the great outdoors. Nature is so beautiful at times. Even in the middle of winter.

All Images are copyright:

Hay and Jay – Wedding Day

24th February 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

It was a privilege to shoot the wedding day of these two super people. Although the day was a relatively low key affair with only a hand full of guests, it was a lot of fun to say the very least. Laughs and smiles the whole day long.

All Images are copyright:

Victoria

15th February 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

This is Victoria.

I love it when children are at first a little shy, then a little inquisitive, and then eventually start striking a pose in front of a camera. This is my friends little girl. She’s roughly the same age as my daughter. Both very strong characters.

All Images are copyright:

Hay and Jay – Engagement Shoot

15th February 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

A fabulous couple. Really great fun to be around. These two have a natural enthusiasm for all things good in life and it rubs off on you when you spend time with them. Had a great deal of laughs with them on this shoot.

Location: Kirkstall Abbey, Leeds.

All Images are copyright:

Winter Round Our Way

15th January 2015 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

I’m from Nottingham originally and as much as I love my home city, Yorkshire has stolen my heart. I came to live up in Yorkshire back in 1999. It took me a couple of years to settle in and get my bearings considering the size of this vast county, but I have to say that year in, year out, I fall in love with this place over and over again.

It is such a beautiful county to live in, with its stunning countryside, tremendous characters, awesome pubs (which is always important), and so much to do and see. For lovers of the great outdoors, as we are, Yorkshire just about has it all.

I took these photos a couple of weeks ago. There had been some snowfall, so my family and myself went on a bit of a stomp. This is what’s on our doorstep.

Evie

19th November 2014 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

This is Helen and Evie.
Evie has the most wonderful baby cheeks in the world.
Just for your information, Evie is the small one.

All Images are copyright:

Sophie

18th November 2014 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

This is Sophie. She is a wonderful, bright and creative young lady.

I love capturing those moments when people are pensive.
What is that space we inhabit when we close our eyes?
Worlds within a world. Space upon space.
It’s amazing where we can travel when we are lost within our imaginings.

All Images are copyright:

Mr Robin

14th November 2014 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

My sister came to visit us from Ireland recently and brought the family. Her husband, who is a top bloke, and my nephew and niece, who are two very smashing kids who are full of beans. We took them out to show them a bit of Yorkshire during the time that they had with us. Two of the places that went to were Malham Cove, and Gordale Scar in North Yorkshire, England. We tend to go here quite a lot to take in the stunning beauty of the incredible limestone cliffs and limestone pavement, along with the many amazing views and walks in the area. Suffice to say, they were all suitably impressed.

While we were having a picnic right under the limestone cliff, a very friendly and inquisitive Robin visited us. I think he was after a bit of something to fill his belly to be honest, but he seemed quite sure of himself. The children were fascinated by him as he darted about the place. He managed to stay still long enough for me to reel off a couple of shots while he sat on a mossy wall.

I love it when wild animals choose to come and spend a bit of their time with you.

All Images are copyright:

Hartshead Church – Yew Tree

14th October 2014 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

Just up the road from where I live there is a tiny yet stunning old church in a little place called Hartshead.

St Peter, Hartshead is beautifully placed atop a hill with incredible views of the local Yorkshire countryside. Not only is it old and pretty, it is also steeped heavily in local history. Not least, it boasts connections to Robin Hood and the Bronte family. Patrick Bronte was the vicar here from 1810 to 1815 and Charlotte Bronte (his daughter) wrote her novel “Shirley” which was largely based on the local area.

The church also has connections to the Luddite uprising. It is situated not too far from the ‘Dumb Steeple’ in Cooper Bridge. This is where the Luddites gathered before marching across Hartshead Moor towards William Cartwright’s Mill near Cleckheaton. Their express intention was to smash the looms and break all newly developed labour-replacing machinery.

In the churchyard on this windy hill top there stands an old dead yew tree. Robin hood is said to have cut his last arrow from this tree and local legend has it that this was the very arrow that he fired that came to mark the place where he is now buried.

I was walking with my daughter recently and decided to stop for a rest in the churchyard to eat our picnic and take in the stunning views. I have marvelled at the tree on numerous occasions before and on this particular occasion decided to take a few shots of its wonderfully contorted and gnarly form.

All Images are copyright:

Mike Barrett Photography – Autumn Special Offer 2014

12th October 2014 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

For a limited time only I am offering my ‘Family Photo Sessions’ packages at half price.

The weather is changing and getting a little colder, nights are starting to draw in, and it’s a little greyer than it was recently, so what could be better than some delightful promotional cheer?

Maybe now is the time to treat yourself to some Beautiful Candid Lifestyle Photographs of you and your family – Fun and Smiles.

Great if you want to send some super family shots to friends and loved ones this Christmas.

See the PACKAGES page for ‘Family Photo Sessions’ details. For the duration of this offer, these prices have been cut in half.

Limited Availability – Book soon to avoid disappointment – Offer ends October 31^st 2014.

Get in touch via the CONNECT page. You can either fill in the form or give me a call.

I will look forward to hearing from you. (“,)

Mr Squirrel Goes Nuts.

9th October 2014 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

It’s that time of year again and our local grey squirrel has been busy hiding loads of nuts in the ground. Most of which he will entirely forget where he put them. As ever, I will probably unearth them at some point early spring when turning the soil over in the garden. I hope he remembers where he put some of them though. For his sake!

I took these photographs this time last year while walking out in the Yorkshire countryside.

All Images are copyright:

Coastline – Summer 2014

23rd August 2014 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

We got around quite a bit this summer. We were at the coast a lot. Such great weather this year in good old Blighty.
I love being by the sea. The quality of the air is different. There is a kind of audible silence. A peaceful ebb and flow! Standing at the edge of that vast expanse of water is always a humbling experience. I think that one day, I’m going to have to get a boat, learn to sail and spend some time with that vast expanse.

Here are a handful of photos from our travels.

All Images are copyright:

Color Me RAD, Harewood House Estate, Leeds. 17/05/2014

17th May 2014 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

My wife and a handful of her colleague’s took part in the Color Me RAD 5K fun run at Harewood House in Leeds today. I went along for the shear joy of capturing the madness as it exploded in front of me. Literally!

Armed with a bag full of kit and a smile I immersed myself in the crowd and started snapping away.

The day was just brilliant. I don’t think I have ever witnessed such a diverse collection of people having so much fun at the same time, which is a bold statement considering the partying I used to do in my twenties.

At one point I overheard someone say that her face was aching because she couldn’t stop smiling.

If you have never taken part, I highly recommend that you do. You will have a blast.

Check out their website here… COLOR ME RAD

All Images are copyright:

BB and Bluebells – Hartshead Woods, West Yorkshire. 12/05/2014

12th May 2014 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

My daughter and I went for a picnic and a stomp around a local Yorkshire beauty spot. The bluebells were out and it was a stunning spring day. Such a beautiful time of year, springtime in England.

All Images are copyright:

ALL.4.ONE

18th March 2013 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

I recently started a photography project using just my iPhone. The idea was simple: to have something creative to do in those in between moments, you know the ones I mean. Waiting for an appointment, killing time before a train, watching the clock while the veg roasts, standing in a supermarket queue or even just taking a quiet moment in the WC.

This project was all about the edit. I used my vast archive of photos, digging out a selection of portrait shots, mostly of friends and acquaintances that I’ve photographed over the past few years, along with a few more random images thrown in for good measure. Some were taken with my Canon DSLRs, others with my Canon G12 and plenty on my iPhone. Once I had a solid batch picked out, I transferred them all to my phone. That’s when the real fun began.

Using a mix of editing apps, my goal was to gradually erode and transform each image, allowing it to evolve slightly with each stage of the process. I aimed to create four distinct versions of every photo, subtle shifts, tweaks and degradations that together told a visual story. I displayed the final results in a four-box layout to highlight the transformation and bring a sense of rhythm and consistency across the series.

There are 100 images in total. The apps I used include Snapseed, Instagram, PhotoToaster, Pixlr-o-matic, Photogene2 and Retouch. Every single edit was made on the iPhone.

It’s been a playful, absorbing little project, proof that creativity really can fit into the smallest pockets of time.

All Images are copyright:

clicksnapomatic (two)

22nd June 2012 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

My wife and I recently spent a day on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway with her father and his partner. It was my father-in-law’s birthday so we had treated him to a day out on the steam locomotives, as he has a great love for such things.

We travelled from Pickering to Whitby and back again, stopping at many of the quaint little village stations on the way and taking in the scenery, which was breathtaking. There was also a Swinging Sixties event taking place on this particular day. This event consisted of period locomotives and motor vehicles (some beautiful classics), along with live 60’s music at various stations along the railway.

As ever I took my SLR but I also took my iPhone as I had decided that I wanted to document the day with some iPhoneography and use the apps that I mentioned in clicksnapomatic (one) to do the edits. Since then I have acquired the ‘Snapseed’ app which is a great little app and really easy to use.

Between us both, my wife and I managed to take a mammoth amount of photos over the course of the day, which is nothing unusual for us to be honest. I also took a fair bit of film footage on my phone which I plan to edit and make into a small movie of the day. When it’s done I will post it here. The old engines were truly something to behold and it was fabulous to have seen so many of them in working order bringing delight and wonder to the many people, old and young, who were travelling on them. It was a brilliant day out and I would recommend to anyone who has a love of old steam trains or the countryside for that matter. Go and spend a day on the NYMR.

See the iPhoneography from the day out below…

All Images are copyright:

clicksnapomatic (one)

9th May 2012 By Mike Barrett Leave a Comment

I really enjoy the technology that is currently available at our fingertips, especially in terms of fun photography. As a photographer my kit and quality of image are things that are extremely important to me. It kind of goes without saying really. Having said that and all seriousness aside I have to admit that I am enjoying taking fun snaps with my phone and using the hands on apps that are available to do the quick and quirky edits like colour correction and texture overlays etc.

Of course with a phone camera you don’t have the same control that you have with an SLR and the quality of image is still vastly different but never the less, it is still a captured moment, a little snapshot of life, a memory frozen in time and I’m finding it rather a lot of fun to be honest!

So, here is a selection of images that were recently taken on my iPhone. All the editing was done on simple editing software apps that are available in the app store. The apps that I have been enjoying so far are, Instagram, PhotoToaster, Pixlr-o-matic, Photogene2 and Retouch.

This post is called ‘clicksnapomatic (one)’. I shall be posting more phone snapping fun soon. So look out for ‘clicksnapomatic (two)’ etc…

If you’ve been having similar photographic fun with your phone, let me know what apps you’re using and enjoying. Happy Snapping! (“,)

All Images are copyright:

Mike Barrett

The Wedding of Emma and Steve – Cave Castle, East Riding of Yorkshire.

BLOG ARCHIVES

BLOG CATEGORIES