Tag: photographer

  • FEATURED IMAGE: Oblivion: Lovers by the Sea

    Oblivion, South Wales documentary photography

    People ask me what I like about being a documentary photographer. I tell them that I love the special gift that comes with being a photographer; the privileged ability to record memories and moments in time. And if successful, to each viewer, the image will retell the very story that the photographer saw, a story that moved them so much that they chose to document that moment.

    It was during a fashion shoot that I spotted this couple sitting by the waters edge. Seeing them huddled up, looking out over a tempestuous sea made me pause a moment, reset my camera and capture a memory they thought might only be theirs.

    What was the moment that I saw? A story of lovers oblivious to anything else. Their world stood still – it was just them, their love and the sea.

    [Best viewed whilst listening to ‘By the Sea’ by Suede, if you will]

  • South Wales Coast: A stroll by the sea with Marley Hamilton

    Where the Earth Meets the Sea, South Wales documentary photography

    At the end of a recent shoot, I spotted Marley walking in her Ugg boots by the sea.

    I started snapping, she started playing. End of story…and the beginning of this documentary photostory 🙂

    Meet Marley:

    Going for a stroll, South Wales documentary photography

    Playful, South Wales documentary photography

    French Connection, South Wales documentary photography

    Astride, South Wales documentary photography

    Adrift, South Wales documentary photography

    Close Call, South Wales documentary photography

    Marley, South Wales documentary photography

    Glee, South Wales documentary photography

    South Wales headshot photography - Marley Hamilton

  • Paintworks, an urban wedding – Bristol wedding photographer

    BTS at Paintworks

    So I sit here watching our right Royal Wedding – an amazing spectacle that has made me become a wedding junkie…for the day. What better celebration of the wedding tradition than the fairytale story of an every day girl marrying her Prince Charming for love?

    And what better can a wedding photographer do on this wedding day of all wedding days than blog a wedding 🙂 James Garrett and Isabel Sealey came together to seal the deal after a decade of love together.  Isabel is a teacher and textiles whizz whilst her Prince Charming James is a DJ (DJ Ironside) well known on the local club circuit (http://www.myspace.com/dj_ironside). In addition to this, James’ brother works in the music industry and his best man was a musical maestro (and engineer). James’ clubbing mates all spruced up very well for a relaxed with a BBQ buffet…and onward to the music!

    At Paintworks, you get married, eat, dance in the same area – an industrial building shared with BocaBar upstairs and an outdoor courtyard. Honourable mention for David Hawkin’s best man speech which was one of the most entertaining I have heard, outting James to his mates as a trainspotter!

    The official photographer was Kate Kirkby (www.katekirkbyphotography.co.uk), I provided additional coverage and behind-the-scenes shots.

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  • Hello, sailor! 1950s US Vintage Pinup shoot – Bristol fashion photographer

    Spirit

    Everything vintage is super in-vogue at the moment.  But vintage can mean almost anything.  When I think of vintage, I think of muted colours, decorative details, fanciful sweet embellishments and lashings of romance; everything that every girl loves in her wedding styling and photography right now.  But it can also be the bold colours of rock and roll and the black and white of the silver screen. 

    I’m generally a modern day photographer – photographing and documenting our times.  However, there is still something very appealing about vintage photography.  For me, part of that is about capturing an age of innocence. When local strobist, Rob Heslop masterminded a shoot inspired by 1950s US pinups, I was immediately onboard.  I wanted to recreate the spirit of the emergence of the first pinup age, when poses were cheeky and saucy, but rarely sleazy, from a time when women were women and men were men (for better or worse!) It didn’t help my Mad Men obsession one bit – for all his flaws, I mourn for the loss of the Don Drapers of this world.

    The models rose to the challenge and we had plenty of fun. Some of these shots were directly inspired by authentic vintage pinup poses and others were more…improvised!

    Massive effort was involved to bring this together, so huge thanks to Rob Heslop and further credit where its due…

    Models:
    Gemma/Miss Cherry Delight http://www.modelmayhem.com/1663173
    BubbleFaery http://www.modelmayhem.com/816798
    Adreena UK http://www.modelmayhem.com/1539867
    Aavriel Angst http://www.modelmayhem.com/1686082
    Kat Stroak
    Kae Hopewell

    Cars:
    Bristol Hot Rods <http://www.bristolhotrods.co.uk

    Collaborators included:
    Roger Barnes
    James Bailey
    Angi Nelson
    Peter Tecks

    Please let me know if you were involved on this project and would like a high resolution file

    He's on the phone

    Spirit

     Mr President

     Come play with me

    Jackie O

     Street racer

    Rebel without a cause

     Tip top

    Distinction 

     Class 

    And...up! 

    In the spotlight

    Tease

     

     

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  • Harmony, an urban wedding – Bristol wedding photographer

    Swept Away

    Kelly and Paul had a fabulous wedding that celebrated Bristol, the city where they had met and fallen in love.  I knew they had been planning a fairly no-nonsense wedding, so I was surprised when they announced that as well as the church and brasseries, they had booked…a megayacht!  The wedding played out at several locations across the city, starting close to where they lived, in fact Paul managed to fit in a swift pint at the pub before heading to church!

    The megayacht was a fantastic venue and after several frosty weeks, we were all delighted to see the sun come out to greet us which meant the guests could revel on the yacht’s huge upper decks, although I personally thought it was a shame that no one wanted to take a dip in the hot tub.  Although huge (with a lounge, dining room, several decks, dance hall, bedrooms and more!), working onboard did provide some photographic challenges in terms of space and lighting on the lower decks, so we had decided to do the couple’s shots at a park near their home.  Actually they loved having this part of the day to themselves, having a moment to cavort and bask in the sun and also take in the reality that they had done the deed. Shooting in the park was a fun experience with local ‘wildlife’ dressed in varying shades of neon wandering through our photoshoot. Gotta love Bristol.  

    I loved the moment during his speech when Paul revealed that when he first met Kelly, he had thought “this is the woman I want to marry.”  The stuff that fairytales are made of.  Weddings are such huge events, I feel privileged as a wedding photographer to share the rare moments that a couple spends away from the madding crowd.  As part of my signature style, I work with the couple to create key creative images that they would like to put on their wall in its own right, wedding picture or not.   From this shoot, I particularly love the series of pictures of them walking through the trees because their house is in the distance and has that much more meaning to them.  And of course, the images of Kelly, walking along the harbourside, radiant and buoyant with her love for Paul 🙂

    As usual, here are a few of my favourites, full gallery at the bottom.

    Preparations at The Greenhouse Salon

    The calm....

    Classic styling

    Classic styling

    Diamante is a girl’s best friend?

    Diamante is a girl's best friend?

    A church with a view

    A church with a view

    …I thee wed

    I thee wed

    One for the family album

     Say cheese

    Blessings from above

    Blessed

    In nature

    In nature

    A rare moment of solitude

    One moment in time

    Swept away

    Swept Away

    Half-full 😉

    Bottoms Up

    Ready and waiting

    Ready and waiting

    Finest dining

    Fine dining

    Sparkles and petals abound

    Awash with sparkles and petals

    The good stuff

    The good stuff

    Walking on air

    Walking on air

    Little Miss Sunshine

    Little Miss Sunshine

    Striking a pose

    Striking a pose

    All aboard!

    The Harmony II Megayacht 

    Radiance

    Aglow

    Through the looking glass, in the spotlight

    Through the looking glass, in the spotlight

    Starboard

    Starboard

    Disco 2000

    Disco 2000

    Survivor

    Peekaboo

    Sweetness

    Heaven sent

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  • “I left my soul there, down by the sea”*

    West Country HedKandi

    The flames fanned by the Photography Parlour shootout, and wanting to learn more about working with flash, I looked up my local Strobist group. Strobism is another name for off-camera flash use.

    I really knew close to zero about working this way and turned up at Clevedon Beach to learn what I could and without knowing what to expect. The guys set about their business, enthusiastically setting up their lights so they could shoot the models, who were mainly girls in their swimsuits. Most were more than willing to let me get pitched in with them, which in many ways was brilliant and in other ways, I was in at the deep end! Following a ghastly day, we were lucky as the weather was extremely kind to us with a beautiful sun set to boot.

    The models did really well, especially those for whom it was their first time modelling. It was also a good experience to direct first-timers. I enjoyed directing two models to look like a couple in love when they’d only met 10 minutes beforehand and trying to making the most of the flare from the setting sun.

    I love to be by the sea and would love to do some more beach shoots somewhere like Cornwall. Although I very much like the pebble beach and rugged cliffs of Clevedon, I wouldn’t have thought of it as a modelling location, but our models bought a touch of glamour and romance to the ordinarily mumsy destination. Actually, I think it could pass for California or Ibiza in some of the shots!

    Huge thanks to the Strobist team for their baptism by fire (or flash…) and the great models who were all so accommodating. I was surprised to get some usable shots from this shoot, a bonus!

    With thanks to all who collaborated, including:
    MUA
    Cat Parnell http://www.modelmayhem/1518216
    MODELS
    HanahMarie (finalist in Bristol’s Next Top Model 2010!) http://www.modelmayhem.com/hanahmarie
    Ryan Spong
    Iain Gorrie http://www.modelmayhem.com/1701420

    Ami Tipps BubbleFaery http://www.modelmayhem.com/816798

    *And the blog title? From the Morcheeba song…

    Mirth

    Dreams of Gold

    Windswept

    Urban

    The Little Mermaid

    The American Dream