Rivervale Barn wedding photography – Richard and Kitty
Wednesday, July 14th, 2010
Weather forecasters are like TV talent show anchors; “You’d better make sure you vote for your favourite act, as this is the closest vote we’ve ever had, since the last closest vote ever, and the one before that where we told you it had never been closer than this and would never be as close again. Pick up the phone and vote, it’s just too close to call.” The night previous to Richard and Kitty’s Rivervale Barn celebrations I had watched the weather forecaster get almost as animated about the forthcoming weekend being the hottest on record since, well – he couldn’t remember when. After a handful of further suggestions that this would be a hot one, I packed factor 50 for the forehead, and a spare shirt; Egyptian cotton. Sun flare is good for the photographer’s soul, and you know you’ll find at least one such image in the following set.
Bay Tree Hotel Cotswolds wedding photography – Amit and Laura
Sunday, June 20th, 2010
Those predisposed to disparagy about this Sceptered Isle have clearly yet to visit Burford in the Cotswolds. Sure I drove into the town kissed by a morning sun burning through wisps of Constablesque mountains of rising cumulous (it’s impossible not to feel poetically inclined when writing about the Cotswolds), but it could so easily have been a dowdy grey undramatic day symptomatic of the emotion you’re left with after watching our national football team play Albania for 90 minutes. Burford is just beautiful, whatever the weather. What a place to shoot a wedding. It’s surely only one step away from being able to claim Arcadian status, although it does have traffic wardens. Some images from yesterday’s wedding between Laura and Amit at the fabulous Bay Tree Hotel.
Wasing Park wedding photography – Neil and Mel
Sunday, April 25th, 2010
Here’s an accessory detail you’re unlikely to read about in bridal magazines. Mel’s hen party had included life drawing classes. Wedding day table name cards may not have seemed the obvious initial opportunity to display their collective artistic efforts, but it did serve as a great ice breaker at the tables.
Wasing Park wedding photography
Tuesday, March 23rd, 2010Forgive the indulgence of a monochrome set bar a couple. A handful of images from one of my more recent Wasing Park weddings from Catherine and Liam’s fabulous big day. I’m a huge fan of black and whites and ‘large’ real moments, as is reasonably transparent from many of my blog entries. Filling the frame with emotion is an important facet of my work. So whilst uploading these images, I am reminded of a client meeting I had tail end of last week, where discovering I was in the ‘pitching pot’ against a number of photographers, I was asked if I did ‘enhancements?’ I assumed at first this to be blemish removal, but no. Ostensibly the meaning proffered by my oppo was somewhat different. “The other company can make an overcast rainy day, bright and sunny,” it was proudly exclaimed. I appreciated what they were trying to achieve, but for me, I declined the opportunity. Yes I tint pictures, and I’m appreciative of other photographers’ highly stylised imagery, but to a point. It’s subjective, of course it is, and for me, the day is as the day is. Embrace the weather. Embrace the emotions. Embrace reality. We work in a digital age and I think it’s true that the romance of pulling a print from the fix under a red light will never be replaced by slotting a card into a downloader, but by-the-by, I still receive a thrill when a larger LCD reveals the emotion I believed I captured at the time of depressing the shutter on the day, minus requirement for an Arora Borealis.
Wasing Park wedding photography
Monday, January 18th, 2010Jamie, Beth, inspired idea to feature your late Grandparents within photo frames as the table names and decorations for your Wasing Park wedding.
Photographically, there is a documentary moment at most weddings when a father’s eyes will meet those of his daughter’s for the first time as she stands before him in her wedding gown. The intensity differs from father to father of course and even those dads with the most obdurate courage find this to be one moment more than any other during the day, where a myriad of emotions flatten any wall of masculine parental steely resolve they thought they possessed. It’s fabulous. Professional platitudes abound on the web, so I’ll cautiously express a somewhat overused term; privilege. As a documentary maker, albeit in stills, that’s what makes this job so important, he says, hearing the opening bars of ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ fading up behind this blog entry. Listen, I can swill beer, crack beer nuts and talk sport with the best of ‘em at any bar in this land where spit and sawdust define the landlord’s choice of decor. But I’ll also experience and hopefully always will, a lump in the throat when I witness the sincere pride liberated by a father with momentary tunnel vision, who can see no further than his ‘little girl’ on the morning of her wedding. Phew, that’s said. Okay, big hearty Haka lads and let’s get back to talking rugby.
Orchardleigh wedding photography
Thursday, July 30th, 2009“After our gorgeous day at Orchardleigh, we had the most amazing honeymoon in two different destinations. Steve surprised me with a four night stay at the Chedi Hotel in Oman, I was thoroughly spoilt and waited upon. We then flew back home to collect Brooke and headed out to Orlando for ten days with Micky Mouse and Tinkerbell. A completely different honeymoon but such fun. We’re already looking forward to going back. The new year brought lots more changes; I fell pregnant! Whoopee, time to eat cakes and get fat again. October 1st saw the arrival of our lovely baby girl, Sienna Maria, weighing 5lb 12 oz. She’s adorable, the image of her dad and big sister. How unfair is that?! We moved into a new house in December and with hard work, lots of labouring and no social life, we’re nearly there with all the improvements. You never know, next year we may be able to sit back, relax and enjoy it all. Look forward to seeing you soon at Breathe, we’ve won a photo voucher! 
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Where are they now? Sian, Matthew (and Jack!)
Tuesday, July 28th, 2009
About a year after our own wedding, we covered Sian and Matthew’s day, also at Silchester House near Reading. I’ve really enjoyed catching up with the lives of those couples we photographed on their own wedding day. I’ve been sending out mails gradually and have a stack of stories to tell. So to continue the ‘Where are they now’ feature, in their own words (well, Sian’s…) “Since 6th Oct 07, what’s happened? We went on our six week honeymoon to Oz; fantastic. We’re living in the same house with an extension on the way. The most exciting development has been the birth of our baby boy Jack Christopher Hart, born 9th May this year weighing in at 8lbs 13. He’s now ten weeks old and a gorgeous boy, who likes to smile and talk. (Sian it gets even more amazing. Our 15 month old has just brought me a frozen pea that Mummy dropped on the floor. To him, it’s the most amazing thing in the World. His delight at sharing this tiny object with me just makes my heart dance!) We’re loving being parents; the best thing we have ever done. Coincidence that your little boy is also called Jack, it’s such a cool name. (I agree Sian!) Our wedding pictures are our pride and joy – the photos were so lovely and really helped us to capture our memories. I can’t believe it was nearly two years ago – time flies!! We both turned thirty this year and we are having a fancy dress party dressed as rock and pop stars. The band Target will be there, they played at our wedding. Very excited about reliving that part of the wedding again.” Matt, where’s the invite? Have a great time, your wedding was a brilliant party from start to finish. Loved the old bus too. Made for some bus-tastic photos. Didn’t want to use the fab word again… my English teacher would roll his eyes and that weird tobacco he kept, and then smoke it in a Shakespearean tragedy. He was strange like that.
Dan and Elinor’s Notley Abbey wedding, the prewed shoot
Monday, July 27th, 2009Just laying down some of the prewed shoot edits for forthcoming weddings this summer. Dan and Elinor are to get wed at a church near to Notley Abbey later on in August and here are some of my favourite shots from our prewed shoot at the Breathe studio. Dan, Elinor, can’t wait to be working with you on the big day!
These ‘props’ are used at the farm (Breathe’s home studio location) to keep grain in place. Thanks (Farmer Nigel) for leaving them in the yard. Don’t suppose you could leave them for a couple months more?
