When Liz and Richard decided to get married they also decided that they wanted the day to be about their love and sharing that with the people that really mattered to them and not about all the trappings and frills that can be a big part of many weddings.  They chose to wed in the exquisite and tiny church close to Liz’s parents’ home.  Following the ceremony we all went to The Royal Oak in Yattendon – not a common choice for a wedding venue as it is quite small, but perfect for Liz and Richard as it is locally renowned for the quality of it’s food.  They then surrounded themselves with the people who matter most in their lives and had a beautiful, very personal wedding day.  What else could a bride want?  Oh yes and it was a dry day – given the weather this April that was quite remarkable!

Liz’s dress reflected the priorities for the day – a beautiful, simple tea-length dress with elegant cream shoes, a cashmere cardigan and a cream fur stole.  Simple, understated elegance.

With all this understated glamour and gorgeousness flying around I feel I really ought to mention the married name of the bride and groom………it would have to be Taylor wouldn’t it?

On Saturday I had the honour of spending the day photographing Helen and Garry’s wedding at Shinfield Parish Church and Trunkwell House in the beautiful Berkshire countryside.  From the very first conversation I knew that this day was going to be something really special. There was talk of vintage country garden chick and a vintage bicycle as a cake stand!  Helen had the fabulous Paula of Paula Rooney Weddings helping her to realise her plans and what a formidable team they proved to be!  I am trying really hard not to give away too much in this little sneaky peek, but there may be a few more shots than the usual

The first shot is definitely outside the norm for me, as I am not a big fan of shots of just shoes.  However, when they look this amazing how could I not?

Last month I met up with Helen and Garry who are getting married in May at the beautiful Trunkwell house.  I have to say I am more than a little excited about their wedding as the venue is stunning and their theme is “kind of French country garden chick” …..swoons!!  Their florist and stylist has already asked if I would mind if she submitted some of my images for featuring in a bridal magazine – I love this lady already!

So back to the shoot – we met at Dinton Pastures, which is a lovely country park near Reading (this was Helen’s suggestion and I was thrilled – I love the place and was delighted that they like it so much too) They brought along their gorgeous labrador Jess, who is officially crazy and lots of fun and likes chasing ducks!  It was touch and go with the weather as it had been so unpredictable, but the day dawned bright and sunny, which brought its own problems as the world and his wife (and dog) had decided to make the most of the beautiful spring weather and go for a walk at Dinton Pastures!  Helen and Garry felt a little uncomfortable at first, but we managed to get away from the crowds and find some quiet spots.  They soon relaxed and we got some great photographs of the two (sometimes three) of them just having a good time and enjoying being together.  When I suggested tree climbing Helen couldn’t wait to find a suitable tree – this is my kinda bride

I can’t wait for their wedding next month, but in the meantime I hope you enjoy these shots.

On Saturday I had the pleasure of photographing the marriage of Liz and Richard at St Denys church in Stanford Dingley and at The Royal Oak in Yattendon.  It was very much Liz and Richard’s day – s personal ceremony in Liz’s family church with family and very close friends in attendance.  Liz wore a simple tea-length gown with a cashmere cardigan and a fur stole, all co-ordinated to perfection. Spring flowers teamed with pussy willow catkins made for striking decorations in the church, but I don’t want to give too much away just yet…..

Here’s a sneaky peek

I promised you more gorgeousness from this stunning and extremely pink wedding and here it is.

Every now and then you come across two people who are so well suited it almost doesn’t seem possible.  Kate and Nick are so perfect for each other and so in love that they seem to be surrounded by a warm glow whenever they are together (Kate would probably say it was a warm pink glow;) )

Their beautiful wedding day was exquisitely planned and the hot pink theme was pulled off to perfection. Kate’s attention to detail coupled with wedding co-ordinator Julie’s eagle eyes made for a fabulous day that was filled with love and laughter from beginning to end (I am only sorry I missed Kate doing Oops up side your head in her wedding gown!)

The Elephant is just around the corner from my home and with flowers provided by Green Parlour, also within walking distance, it was a pleasure to be working with such a local team of suppliers.

Thank you so much Kate and Nick for allowing me to be a part of your beautiful day.

Between them Kate and Nick have four fabulous boys who were all absolute stars on the day.  They were all involved in the ceremony in some way – walking Mum down the aisle, blowing bubbles as they came in, as ring bearers and a collective reading.  They all did Kate and Nick proud on the day and looked fantastic.  There was much discussion before the big day as to whether Nick should look before Kate reached the front of the room – Nick was of the opinion that it was bad luck, whereas Kate’s view was that if she was going to all that effort he had better want to look as soon as he could  ;)  I couldn’t wait to see what he had decided and I was delighted that he decided to fly in the face of superstition because his expression after that first glance was priceless.

Last Saturday I was at The Elephant Hotel in Pangbourne shooting the fabulously pink wedding of Kate and Nick.  The sun didn’t shine, but the love was flowing in vast quantities.  I can’t wait to share this one with you, it is a stunner!

For now here are a few shots to whet your appetite.  Please do leave some love so that I know you popped over

I have been a bit quiet on here recently – early in the year is time for consolidation, admin and filing tax returns.  It is also naturally fairly quiet on the wedding front – plenty of lovely couples to chat with, but not many being photographed just yet.  My wedding season kicks off properly this month, so I promise you more delights in the near future.

I have recently started following a lovely group of lady photographers called The Click Collective.  They have a website www.theclickcollective.net and a very friendly Facebook page where they positively encourage contributions from their followers.  Inspired by their regular macro Monday feature I decided to head out into the garden one glorious afternoon last week to see what I could find.  I spend a delightful hour or so skulking around in nooks and crannies and lying on my belly to capture the life that is already popping up all over the place out there.  The more you look the more you find and I was particularly delighted to find ladybirds and frogs busy doing what comes naturally in my own little patch (that sounds so wrong!!  I think you know what I mean though)

I then discovered to my delight that one of my previous submissions was featured on the blog post for the click collective – actually on their website, how cool!  Anyway, here are a few of the delights I found in my garden on a sunny February afternoon.  Hope you like them.

And here is the little chap that featured on The Click Collective last week, though I should add that this was not taken in Berkshire in February!

Returning to the SWPP convention last month here are some images from a superclass I took with Morag MacDonald and the gorgeous model Illy.  Morag is a master at using light, creating light and finding light where many people would never even start looking.  The object of the session was to make use of available light sources and experiment with adding in different kinds of light when necessary.  We were to be found shooting in the most peculiar places around the hotel.  The most entertaining spot was in a lift doorway, which required someone to keep an eye on the indicator above the door and Illy to be prepared to leap out of the way at a moment’s notice!

This first shot returns to the famous stone wall, much beloved of all photographers at the convention.  Halogen down lighters are a frequent problem in venues, so we experimented with how to use them to  your advantage with this shot.

This next shot is all about the eyes and the lips.  Illy had the most amazing eyelashes and her shiny lips really sing out in this quiet, contemplative shot.  This shot was taken on the floor – Illy was lying alongside a counter that had a strip light along the bottom.  The light was reflecting off the floor into her face.  This was shot in the lobby area of the hotel, yet it has such peace about it.

This next shot is light entirely with the available light inside a corridor.  I love the reflections in the big mirror that Illy is leaning on, again showing those amazing lashes and lips.

After darkness fell we ventured outside to see what shots could be captured on the dark city streets, that are in fact not quite as dark as you might think.  This next shot is lit purely from the light off an illuminated advertising panel.  Illy was a great model, very patient and even coped well with the unwanted attention of a local who decided to try and get in on the shots!  I suppose we must have made quite a sight – a posse of photographers all lying on the floor around a girl who was posing in front of an advertising board!

Another advertising hoarding provided the backdrop for this final shot.  In this one we did add in a little light from a continuous light source, as Illy’s face a was a little too dark.  I love the warm glow it brings to Illy, in contrast with the slightly blue light from the board behind her.

Last Saturday I met up with Liz and Richard to chat about their wedding and to do a pre-wedding shoot.  I love doing these as it gives me some time to get to know people a little better before their wedding, find out more about them as people, not just a bride and groom – their likes and dislikes, their passions, their interests and their story.  This usually means that by the time I meet them again on their wedding day I am more like a friend and so fit in more naturally to the day.

This particular meeting was slightly unusual in that it was the first time we had all met – Liz is returning home for her wedding, but they do not live locally any more, so this was the first time we all set eyes on each other.  This meant that we had a lot to cram into the time we had available, so less time than I would usually spend wandering around, chatting and taking photographs.  Oh and it was really, really cold, so nobody wanted to be outdoors for very long.  Another unusual step for me was to meet the couple at their wedding venue – the fabulous Royal Oak in Yattendon.  I generally like to meet with couples in a place that is special to them personally and perhaps significant within their relationship so that we can create some images that have meaning to them at the same time as having some fun and putting them at their ease with my camera!  But in this instance time was not really on our side, so we headed out into the garden behind the pub.  Of course at this time of year it is not looking its best, but I know it is going to be stunning by April when Liz and Richard are getting married.

The garden at the Royal Oak happens to feature a rather splendid Boules pitch (is that the right word?!) and I managed to convince them (without too much persuasion) to have a few games. And then the sun came out, oh the glorious low, warm winter sun.  I am afraid I did get a little geeky about the fabulous flare, but I think Liz and Richard were laughing with me

We also popped into the church where the ceremony will be held – an exquisite, tiny old church – think original frescoes and 12th century tiles, I was one very excited little photographer!  I really can’t wait for Liz and Richard’s big day, it is going to be gorgeous

January is traditionally a quiet time for photographers so it is when we all head off to trade shows and conventions.  There is plenty to feast your eyes on with the latest gadgets and gizmos alongside the newest offerings in presentation.  I usually browse through this quite swiftly taking the chance to catch up with people I know, but the main aim for me is to meet other photographers and to learn.  If I ever feel that I have nothing left to learn then I hope that someone will be kind enough to tell me to retire, but I am fairly sure I will never find myself in that position.  The fantastic thing about the Societies convention, held mid January every year at the Novotel in Hammersmith, is that there are some truly amazing people there who are ready, nay eager, to share their tricks and tips with anyone who is prepared to listen!  Masterclasses and Superclasses run on every topic imaginable from social media to mastering Lightroom taking in a whole range of photographic skills into the bargain.  The Superclasses are of a more practical nature with some amazing photographers showing just how you can get stunning results in really any circumstances.  In all honesty the location is not pretty (practically under the Hammersmith flyover), but this lends itself so well to classes demonstrating just how you can get fantastic results even in the most challenging of locations.

So I headed off to Hammersmith early one cold Sunday morning all geared up ready for two 4-hour sessions with some fantastic photographers.  The morning session with Michael Turner www.turnerphototraining.com was all about how to get the most out of pre-wedding shoots.  Although the morning was still below freezing we just had to get outside and see what we could find in this most urban of landscapes.

Our models for the morning were Raphael and the gorgeous Vivienne and they did an amazing job of not looking freezing for most of the shoot!  This type of workshop is also a great opportunity to bounce ideas around and try new concepts out on professional models who will patiently pose and follow instructions, managing to look stunning even when they must have been going numb!

These first shots were taken against the side wall of the hotel car park.  I love the repeating uprights and the spots of sunlight dappling in the background.

We then headed up the spiral fire escape on the side of the car park.  I love the pattern of the sun through the fence behind Raphael, which hides the fact that the steps really were quite grubby!

I think this image has a feel of Grease about it, but the concrete pillars really show that we are in a city.

This old, rusty service access made a great backdrop for close in portraits

We did venture inside to get warm a couple of times and eventually we gave in and started to explore inside the building for more shooting opportunities.  The walls inside the hotel are amazing and this one was particularly popular with photographers, for obvious reasons.

At one point we found ourselves in a lobby area that was little more than a huge glass box – there was nothing for it but to get in close and shoot into the light.  This is one of my favourite shots of the day, maybe because it was entirely my creation but also because it is totally my style – bright, light and romantic.

Huge thanks to Michael and Janet of Turner photo training for this session and to Vivienne and Raphael for their endless patience and good humour.

Things I learned on this session:

There is beauty to be found everywhere;

If you can’t avoid the grunge then celebrate it;

All photographers love that amazing wall inside the Novotel;

Vivienne is truly crazy, providing us with great entertainment throughout the morning.