• Welcome to the Yorkshire Portraits blog!

    Hi and welcome to my blog. I'm Phil Shillitoe, a national wedding photographer based in Doncaster, South Yorkshire.

    I'm passionate about photography and capturing the perfect image for my clients. I enjoy listening to your views and opinions on my work, so please leave a comment. If you're just browsing, I hope you find something to inspire you.

    As you'll see from my galleries and portfolio, I don't just shoot wedding photography, I also specialise in portraits and particularly enjoy photographing families, children and babies. I also undertake commissions in business, location and advertising photography. Please contact me to discuss your requirements, if you have any questions or to make a reservation. A more in depth portfolio of my work can be found at www.yorkshireportraits.co.uk

    Thanks, Phil

Hannah, Mia & Evie {Galway Babes Part II!}

I recently spent a fantastic couple of days over on the west coast of Ireland in Gort, Co. Galway, visiting my brother Steve, Cora and my three gorgeous nieces (including new addition to the ‘Shilly’ family, baby Evie). I hadn’t seen them since they visited Doncaster during Christmas last year. It was a great excuse to grab some cool portraits of the family.

The visit was well overdue (sorry Steve!) – I promise to visit again before Evie goes to school!:-P

I’ve posted a selection of my favourite photos of the children.

PS Happy birthday for tomorrow!

Hazlewood Castle Wedding Photographer { Jenny & Andy }

I love being a wedding photographer and shooting weddings – I honestly don’t believe that there is a better job out there! I recently a had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Jenny & Andy at the beautiful venue of Hazlewood Castle, Tadcaster, between York & leeds. The weather was gorgeous throughout the day, and complimented the magnificent castle.

Jenny looked absolutely stunning in her elegant vintage dress. Andy didn’t look bad either!! – What more could a wedding photographer wish for – a couple who are quite clearly in love and excited to be getting married, a beautiful location and a fun and relaxed bride and groom.

When I look through all of the photos after I come home, I slowly analyse them all, looking for the ‘wow’ moments that a couple are going to adore and treasure, and show their children. When I select images to blog, or for albums, I am not just thinking of the moment that I hand the album over, but what their children and grandchildren will be thinking in decades to come; looking at the photos and saying ” Wow – things were simply stunning all those years ago”

A preview of some of my favourite photos from the wedding at Hazlewood Castle can be seen below:-

Hazlewood Castle

Paradise Lane
Hazlewood, Tadcaster, North Yorkshire LS24 9NJ
01937 535 353

Lennoxlove House, Edinburgh, Wedding Photographer {Jacky & Chris}

The majority of my wedding photography is booked 12-18 months in advance, however, a couple of months ago, I recieved an email from Liepzig, Germany. Jacky & Christophe asked me if i could photograph their upcoming wedding at Lennoxlove House, just outside Edinburgh, on a Wednesday. Initially, I thought that it was a little dubious, but it soon became apparent that it was a genuine enquiry….I am so glad that it was, as I had such a great time with the couple! I speak next to no German, so it was a good job that the wedding party were fluent in English!

Lennoxlove House is a magical venue, set in acres of flowing countryside, miles away from anywhere…….even my Sat Nav couldn’t find it. Over the years I’ve learnt to take old fashioned paper maps with me as a back up!

German traditions such as the bride and groom meeting each other prior to the ceremony, combined with Scottish kilts and a pied piper gave me ample opportunity to grab some fantastic photos for the couple.

A preview of some of my favourite photos from the wedding at Lennoxlove House can be seen below:-

Doncaster Family Photographer {The Goodwins}

I have had the pleasure of knowing Wayne, Emma and the kids for a number of years. I last photographed the family around 3 years ago, and was made up to get a call from them asking for another family portrait photography session.

I used an old battered cattle shed as a back drop to the group shots, whilst the majority of the shots of the children were taken in an adjacent over grown meadow, full of dandelions! You can see a collection of some of my favourite photos from the session below.

Doncaster Pre Wedding Shoot Photography { Jenny & Andrew }

Jenny & Andrew are getting married this Friday coming, at the gorgeous Hazlewood Castle, on the outskirts of Leeds. The couple live down in Northampton, and due to work commitments, we didn’t get to meet up to do their pre-wedding photography until yesterday! After the awful weather on the Saturday, we were blessed with dull over cast weather; the joys of living in the UK!

As you can see form the pre-wedding photos above, Jenny and Andrew make a fantastic couple – they smiled and laughed throughout the session! The shoot itself took place around ‘The Hub’ AKA Doncaster College, and underneath St George’s Bridge. Roll on Friday for the wedding, and fingers crossed we get some decent weather at long last! For the photographers out there, I used one of my Elinchrom Quadra Ranger heads, (fitted with a soft-box) to overcome the ‘flat’ ambient lighting.