Wedding photographer diversifies into calendars following 'horrendous year' since pandemic

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A wedding photographer has diversified into making an array of calendars following an “horrendous year” for his business since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

John Runciman needed to find new sources of income after losing around four fifths of his regular trade following a spate of cancelled services in the aftermath of the March outbreak.

After producing the occasional calendar in the past, he has published four separate 2021 calendars covering Hartlepool, the Trimdon villages, Sedgefield and the North East as a whole.

The Hartlepool edition includes his own photographs of areas such as the Marina, Steetley Pier, Seaton Carew and Hart.

Photographer John Runciman with his 2021 calendar with the Wingfield Castle and HMS Trincomalee, which both feature among the 12 photos, behind him. Picture by FRANK REID

John, 59, who started as a landscape photographer before moving into weddings and events around 25 years ago, said: “Hartlepool is a fantastic place to take pictures.

"As well as the Marina, Seaton and Crimdon, there are places that people do not even know is there.

"One of the pictures is of a sunflower field down Hart village. I have never seen anything like that up here.

"The nearest sunflower field I have seen to here before was in Lincolnshire.”

Sunflowers in a field near Hart is one of the Hartlepool images John Runciman has used in the 2021 town calendar.

John – who also publishes bespoke calendars of dogs for their pet owners – added: “This is the first time I have had a real go with the calendars and so far the response has gone really well.

"Normally I would sell about 50. So far this year we are already up to around 180.”

The former fitter and project manager, who is 59 and lives in Trimdon Station, said: “This has been an horrendous year for the business.

"Normally I would do about 25 weddings. This year it has come down to four and overall I would say I have lost about 80% of my trade through Covid.”

"It’s not just the weddings that have gone though.

"I am an events photographer as well and usually cover things like the Hardwick Live music festival and other festivals at Hardwick Hall. They have all gone too for now.

"Hopefully things will start to get better in 2021.”

The calendars cost £9.99 plus a £2.50 delivery charge with further information available from www.grangephotography.co.uk.

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