Tag: photography

Helen & James’ Devon seaside wedding with an ocean sunset

You might remember Helen and James from their bluebell woods engagement shoot. I was certainly looking forward to seeing

Helen got ready at The Paddocks, on the Ocean Kave site before making her way to the church in Instow, Helen’s childhood home. I whisked Helen and James off for some pictures by the Ocean – it was a very typical English summer but the moody grey skies gave a very atmospheric feel to the images (I love them!) The reception was at Pier House at Westward Ho! (the only place name in the UK with an exclamation mark in it) briefly interrupted by sparklers and a surprise glorious sunset just as the sun dipped into the ocean, after which the fun when on late into the evening with a ceilidh…

Congratulations Helen and James!

21 Aug ’15
Cherry & Duncan’s epic wedding full of fun – with added trampolining action!

Finally, I’m able to blog this epic wedding, so epic they couldn’t fit it all into one day!

You might remember their mammoth pre-wedding shoot – brimful of happiness and fun. Well, they had a wedding to match. Cherry, Duncan and their families are all active members of the church as well as the Chinese community. Friends and family travelled from all over the world (from Vancouver to Hong Kong) to witness their union. A rare chance for the bridal party to be together, they hired a house together and the wedding was in fact, just part of a week of fun activities that they had planned!

This wedding was a combination of both a traditional Chinese and a church wedding. Chinese weddings start with traditional door games and tea ceremonies. The ceremony took place in the church that Cherry went to at school, then I moved on with the bridal party for some photos at a park near Cherry’s home before everyone congregated for the fabulous banquet at Water Sky.

It was a wonderful day with a great sense of community – everyone being so happy for Cherry and Duncan. They are a really fun couple and when they are around, laughter and smiles are never far away. I’m so happy I could be there to record their wedding for them.

It was such a big event, I’m going to start off by sharing some pictures of Cherry and Duncan so they’re not lost in the blogpost. Sit back and enjoy!

If you’re not familiar with Chinese weddings, proceedings are kicked off with a series of door games, where the bridal party issue challenges to the groomsmen. This is then followed by traditional tea ceremonies, where the couple serve tea to members of their family. The morning started off relatively serenely with Cherry gettting ready…

In the flat next door, friends and family were gathering to prepare for the door games and tea ceremony…

Some door games are kinder than others. Looks like mischief is afoot here…

The boys have arrived!!

And the games begin! How determined are these groomsmen to earn access to the bride?

Pretty determined it seems! First up…dance challenge 🙂

Next, the taste challenge…

Some being nicer than others. Luckily for Duncan, the groom was entitled to delegate to his groomsmen. I thought Duncan was pretty smart having so many ushers!

Yes, Duncan thought so too!

Third challenge – no hands allowed! Duncan’s brother Terence came all the way from Hong Kong to show everyone how it’s done…

Followed by this brilliantly photogenic round. I’ll let your imagination get to work on what this challenge was all about! Needless to say it needed his very closest friends (including his brothers Terence and Darren) to step up to the plate!

I should probably explain the next photo! This round involved snorting….pepper, it’s just pepper folks 🙂

Mmmmmm, that feels good!

And the penultimate challenge? It’s a Chinese wedding, it’s about the money of course…Duncan, how much do you think Cherry is worth?!

Having paid a suitably high sum of money for such a fabulous bride, Duncan earnt access to the house. He then had to answer a series of questions and finally…he earnt access to his bride. And doesn’t he look happy about it?

But it doesn’t end there! Next….tea ceremony, where the couple kneel and serve tea to their elders. Their offerings are returned with gifts of money and jewellery and blessings for their future together.

Despite all that bling, the limelight was still stolen by Cherry’s newborn nephew

A whole new day. And all is calm…

The veil was handmade by Cherry’s friend. Amazing!

Meanwhile, over with the boys…

Uh-oh, cufflink down! Glue gun to the rescue…

All sorted!

The wedding took place in the church that Cherry went to when she was at school…

This was a super cute idea…guests signed and wrote messages on little wooden hearts which were dropped into a frame

Contender for biggest group photo ever

Despite the rain, the bridal party rocked it at this playground

Yes, Cherry climbed up onto the fort in her dress. Respect!

Then this awesomeness happened…

Finally, the couple get a moment to themselves…

We haven’t even got to the banquet yet! The Chinese Banquet…with amazing cake made by Cherry & Ducan’s friend

At Chinese weddings, the guest write messages on long red card or fabric

Cherry in her traditional Chinese bridal gown. Stunning embroidery and check out her newly acquired bling!

Ready for another round of tea ceremonies

Time for the second dress change

And a whoooooole lot of toasting!

An amaaazing day! The bridal party went on into the night, but I will just leave you with this shot…

Congratulations Cherry and Duncan. Thanks for having me along for the day, it was swell! Wishing you the very best of luck in your new life together. Good luck in Hong Kong.

With thanks to James and Gareth for helping me with this big, big day
If you’re interested in having documentary wedding photography coverage at your wedding, contact Marie

2 Oct ’14
Kate & John’s sun-filled Chateau wedding…in the Worcestershire countryside

I’m soooo behind with my blogging! But here is a fab wedding from earlier this summer – a surprise day full of sunshine in between rainy days that ended with a glorious sunset which meant we could take advantage of the beautiful grounds at Chateau Impney. Chateau Impney is a French-styled chateau that the original owner decided to build…in Droitwich, Worcestershire! It is currently undergoing renovation, bringing the bedrooms and suitably Rococo interiors up to par with the exterior.

Unusually, I hadn’t met Kate or John before the wedding as I had to step in quite late in the day. I absolutely loved covering the bridal preparation – Kate and her close friends knew each other so well and were having a riot. They were super welcoming and I had great fun with them as they got ready, even though I had to turn down the several glasses of champagne they offered me 😉

Kate and John met on a night out in Leamington Spa and have been together ever since. Kate works in HIV research and in lieu of wedding favours for the day, they made a very fitting donation to the National Aids Trust http://www.nat.org.uk/. There was a lot of love in the room that day – all their friends were so happy to see them unite, including bridesmaid Anita who had detoured enroute from the Middle East to America to be there! After a dreamy sunset, the day was drawn to a close with a fantastic live band, including a set by John’s brother.

Kate and John’s love for each other brims over throughout the photos of the day, a few of which I’ll share with you now!

Credit where its due…
Dress: Bea Bridal Southampton: http://www.beasbridal.co.uk/
Hair and make up: Angela Fergusson https://www.facebook.com/AngelaFMua
Other wedding beauty: Lou and Hannah at Halcyon Beauty: http://www.halcyonbeauty.co.uk/
Cake: M&S with amazing sugarcraft flowers by bridesmaid Rachael!Florist: http://www.the-wedding-house.co.uk/the-flower-house/ (Kate and Wendy)
Wedding stationery: http://www.bydonnablundell.co.uk/

With thanks to my second shooter Kerry.

If you’re interested in stylish documentary photography for your Chateau Impney wedding or event, get in touch with Marie.

18 Aug ’14
Emily & Paul’s Fantastical Wonderland Wedding with added Rockaoke!

You might remember Emily and Paul from our shoot in a golden cornfield earlier in the year. When I arrived at the beautiful Wyck Hill House, I was surprised to bump into Emily downstairs who was walking around in her slippers and curlers in her hair – she was the most relaxed bride I’ve photographed yet! Her bridesmaids had been putting the finishing touches to the banquet room and she was so excited to see their work.

We went up to her room together and when I met the bridal party, I knew it was going to be a fun day 🙂 Emily and her bridesmaids (two schoolfriends and her younger sister) got along so well, we were all in fits of laughter all the time. And the laughter didn’t stop. Emily is a nanny, so her wedding would not be complete without flowergirls and pageboys, three of which were the children that she looked after. The bouquets were stunning in peacock colours and succulents – all the girls totally fell in love with the flower circlets that two of the flowergirls wore.

The colour scheme was carried through in the banquet room which was styled with Wonderland inspired details from chess pieces to pink flamingos and ‘drink me’ potions…as well as edible chocolate ‘rocks’. The cake was an amazing creation with two peacocks with their tails going all the way down the sides of the cakes.

The whole day was relaxed with lots of family and friends, including some overdue reunions. All the proceedings were topped off by rockaoke. For anyone who likes Guitar Hero/Rockband or karaoke, this is a dream – you get to sing the song of your choice with a full backing band. If your vocals need ‘help’, the singer can join you, so everyone’s a winner! As you can see from the pictures, they really did rock it, which made for a lively evening!

Congratulations Emily and Paul – everyone had a great time! With thanks to Kerry for second shooting.

22 Dec ’13
Sophie & Ben: An urban rooftop engagement shoot ‘neath stormy skies

When I met Sophie and Ben over a year ago – their wedding at Coombe Lodge (which will be my first of 2014), seemed so very far away. But 2014 has come around super fast! Sophie studied photography herself so it was really important to her to find the right photographer and I was honoured when they chose me 🙂 When they admitted to me that they didn’t have any ‘proper’ photos of them together, the challenge had been set!

Sophie and Ben chose to be photographed close to where they lived, which is an urban area that has a great mix of industrial and residential buildings with more than a dash of street art – the Urban Paint Fest (UPFest) is hosted nearby. As they are both somewhat camera shy, they chose somewhere away from the crowds and we went up…high above the people! Airpoint gave us permission to shoot on their rooftop which has a gym and running track, then we popped downstairs to make use of some fab textures (I’m sure every photographer likes a good brick wall and a bit of brushed metal!) I had hoped for golden winter sunlight, but of course we had wind and rain instead. No problem though as stormy skies make great backdrops though as you can see in the pictures.

I’m really looking forward to their wedding – I think it will be a lot of fun and a welcome rescue from the January doldrums for their guests. Enjoy the pics. Happy Christmas folks!

21 Dec ’13
‘Twisted’ Alternative Inspiration Bridal Shoot

This will be possibly the most epic blogpost I will have ever written…by the time I get to the end of it. Fitting for a totally epic shoot.

When I heard tale of a haunted gothic mansion that had never been finished, fireplaces hanging in midair, I knew I would want to shoot there. I was slightly bored of seeing ‘alternative’ styling that wasn’t really alternative at all, let alone exciting. I want to create three looks that were totally non-mainstream, that hinted at the fantastical and whimsical, yet remained irrevocably romantic.

When I spoke to the people I wanted to work with, we talked of dark fairytales and Tim Burton. Artistic vision aside, my idea behind this shoot was to showcase some of the amazing suppliers that we have in the West Country and went to some lengths to make sure I got the team that I wanted. We worked together to create inspirational styling that was truly alternative yet beautiful and achievable.

Jump to the bottom for the full team of talent involved on the shoot, or read through for the run down on each of the looks and the talent behind them.

LOOK ONE – Colourpop

This was the most accessible of the looks. A fun, slightly rockabilly style. I fell in love with the outrageously curvy silhouette and fresh colourways of this dress created by Selinna at Alissia Couture at first sight. We designed the look around the dress – with complementary purples from Marc Wallace’s suits, the amazing Carmen Rose bouquet by Bramble and Wild, the colourpop jewellery – this was a look for the bold bride.

FANTASTICALLY CURVACEOUS
Selinna at Alissia Couture‘s theatrical background shines through in her individual and structured dresses. I love that her dresses are made to enhance and show off the bride’s shape and always have an element of fun too. This dress was both womanly with it’s bold corset with lacings aaaaall the way down the back of the dress and tulle fishtail. We wanted to show this dress off to the max, so I was delighted when we were lucky enough to have the lovely Madeleine Havell work with us, a professional plus size model who is stunning as well as being great to work with. Her groom was Alwyn du Preez, a very easy going and versatile South African model.

THE FASCINATOR
I had seen a totally amazing (and creatively bonkers) fascinator that Ani Townsend had created for a Cloth Magazine shoot that I worked on. So, it was natural that I look her up straight away.Also from a theatrical background, talented milliner Ani Townsend surprised us by creating this fascinator for us from a sample scrap that Selinna had sent to Ani! Ani is fantastically creative and also made us the flyaway lace headpiece for our most dramatic look. Ani has recently opened the Milliners Guild in the Arcade in Bristol if you’d like to pop in and see some of her work 🙂

BLOOMING MARVELLOUS
Grace from Bramble and Wild is a young lady with serious talent. You give her a brief and she will work her magic to a T and then some. Her designs have originality and flair, but are always fitting as well as looking effortless. Floristry just comes naturally to her. From her unusual Carmen rose bouquet above, to the trailing orchid bouquet in our third look, I am totally in love with her work. She also made our sets look extra sexy – creating displays on the fly. I think the one that stole the show was her amazing table display for the last look.

JEWELLERY WITH ATTITUDE
Statement quality jewellery with real character seems to be hard to track down these days, so I was like a kid in a sweetshop when I came across Pirates and Roses in Clifton Village. Run by the owner Michelle, it is a treasure trove of unusual pieces that have all been handpicked by Michelle from the local area and around the world. She only takes one of each item, so repeat visits to her shop are a moving feast. As the name would suggest, some of her goods have a recurrent pirate theme. Pirates and Roses provided us with all the items of jewellery for the shoot except for the neck corset. I loved the tied giant pearls that we used in this look as well as the ice queen jewellery for our gothic look and my personal favourite – the jet black necklace in the third look. When I came across this rainbow crystal skull ring, I could not resist it’s fierce kitsch total OTT-ness. It definitely deserved a closeup all of its own. What a piece.

LOOK TWO – Gothic romantic

This is when I let my inner Tim Burton run riot. It was his ability to combine the macabre with fairytale romance and whimsy that inspired me. In fact our stunning model Helen had initially caught my eye because she had an air of Helena Bonham-Carter about her. We were lucky she could join us as she really breathed life into our fabulous and gorgeous corpse bride, accompanied by David Hill-Souch who was channelling Johnny Depp to the max! We took inspiration from our gothic ruinous surroundings and it made for somewhat theatrical images.

THE FAIRYTALE DRESS
I’d been aware of Lisa Keating Bespoke Bridal‘s work for some time, but hadn’t actually met her when I called her to ask if she’d like to be involved on the shoot. I’d seen a lot of dress designers but the immense creativity in her designs and her fine corsetry skills really set her apart. Little did I know that Lisa would go on to create two dresses especially for the shoot – both equally amazing. She worked from a brief and my moodboards and it was amazing to seem them realised. From sketch to creation, Lisa’s designs are truly stunning. She produces amazing design after amazing design and each one is different, fresh and all equally gorgeous. Lisa deserves so much recognition for her talent and hard work.

THE BEST CHOCOLATE CAKES IN THE WORLD?
I absolutely hounded (communication failure as it turned out…) Lizzie from Chocolate Delores to collaborate on this shoot as I fell in love with her work at first sight. She was the only cakemaker that I wanted to work with. I love Lizzie’s artistic cakes that are all made with real chocolate and a whole lot of skill. She made the dark chocolate cake especially for our shoot…our only complaint was that it was hard to resist the smell of chocolate all day!There isn’t really much more to say other than her cakes are stunning and they taste great too.

STYLIN’!
You will find this hard to believe, but this was Chris Murphy from McQueens first ever photoshoot. Since this was the case, he and I worked together closely in advance of the shoot and I think you will agree he really pulled out the stops on the day. From Madeleine’s rockabilly ‘do’ with lots of height, to Helen and Katie’s desconstructed wild barnets. Chris is great fun, worked really hard and it paid off – not many hair stylists get their first shoot straight into print!

As a sidepoint, I can’t express the love I have for these finely crafted steampunk cufflinks from Pirates and Roses…

FEATHERED FRIENDS
Our raven corpse bride with neck corset courtesy of Devine Delinquents (who also supplied the cufflinks for the final look) are going great guns in the alternative jewellery business at the moment.

LOOK THREE – The Dark Fairytale

This was the most stylised look, I really wanted to up the ante, get moody with the lighting and create some really dramatic shots. This featured the second dress that Lisa Keating Bespoke Bridal had made for us – with its fabulous detachable bustle. I wanted a dress that was still totally wearable as a wedding dress and love the clean lines and silhouette of this look, accentuated by the flyaway lace fascinator created by Ani. Thanks to Katie for being game enough to climb up old ladders and for letting us totally wreck her hair and spook her with ghost stories!

ARCHITECTURAL SPLENDOUR
When our set dresser dropped out of the shoot at short notice, I did panic a little, but Kate from Robert Mills Architectural Antiques stepped in and gave me free run of their Aladdin’s cave of architectural treasures. They often fit out bars and provide pieces for filmsets. A word of warning though – if you stop by their unassuming warehouse, be prepared to leave a little piece of my heart after you fall in love with many of their unique pieces. I can’t thank Kate and her team enough for their generosity. My favoute piece? The cart in the shot below – apparently originally used for transporting coffins!

SHARP SUITS
I really struggled with the menswear initially – most of the menswear in the West Country is somewhat lacklustre, but then I found Marc in his Bath boutique. A tailored suit is just a tailored suit right? Not when it’s a Marc Wallace suit. His sharp tailoring and knack with colours and fabrics make his suits stand out from the crowd.

PICTURE PERFECT

I really needed a makeup artist that could go further than ‘standard’ bridal or beauty makeup. Sophia Cox is an illustrator and makeup artist who worked to create increasingly dramatic looks from the gunmetal hues of the first look, through the deep vermillion of our corpse bride, culminating in the final deconstructed look overladen with gold powder. Thanks for helping us get creative Sophia!

The Vanity Fair ‘money’ shot:

TEAM TWISTED
This was a huge shoot and would not have been possible without every single member of the team. There was so much talent onsite that day. Additional shoutouts go to the ‘behind-the-scenes’ folk – Damien Lovegrove for spending his day off and sharing his lighting expertise with us, Jon Craig for working a full day after being in a motorbike crash on his way to the shoot (!!) , Lu David for looking after the dressiing room and keeping track of the inventory (we had in the region of £20k of items lent to us for this shoot) and an extra shoutout to Alwyn for taking the initiative to bubble wrap all the props and pack the van for the journey back whilst I was finishing off the shoot. What a day! You can see our cheeky mugs below…bar Damien who had to duck out early.

Credit where it’s due:

Wedding gowns: Alissia Couture and Lisa Keating Bespoke Bridal
Menswear: Marc Wallace
Millinery: Ani Townsend
Jewellery: Pirates & Roses and Devine Delinquents
Floral design: Bramble & Wild
Cake: Chocolate Delores
Hair: Christopher Murphy at McQueens
Makeup: Sophia Cox
Models: Helen Diaz, Madeleine Havell, David Hill-Souch, Alwyn du Preez, Katie Roxburgh
Assistants: Jon Craig, Damien Lovegrove & Lu David
Props: Robert Mills Architectural Antiques
Venue: Woodchester Mansion
Art direction and photography: Marie Man

With special thanks to Hannah and Marcus at Woodchester

If you are interested in creative wedding photography, drop Marie a line.

2 Dec ’13
Zoe & Michael: Zoers and Lammers get hitched in a haunted house

I’d been looking forward to Zoe (Zoers) and Michael’s (Lammers) wedding all year.

It was a gloriously sunny day at a very special venue – Woodchester Mansion, one of my favourite places. Zoe and Michael chose Woodchester because they wanted somewhere local that was a bit different – that they could also take over and make their own for the day as many of their friends were coming from further afield. In a secluded National Trust valley, the house was never finished. As a result, there are fireplaces in mid air and floors that were never put in. A charitable trust was set up to save it from ruin and the team are now working hard on restoring it back to the state it was in when construction stopped. It is the kind of place that you want to explore as soon as you see it and so Zoe and Michael gave the guests time to have a look around the mansion before the ceremony – the mansion only had a basic track leading down to it, so guests had to be ferried by minibus down to the mansion.

Zoe’s sisters live in Australia and America and are rarely together, so Zoe’s family hired a gorgeous house in Wooton-Under-Edge for the week. She got ready at Edge Beauty which was just next door with her sister Amy who was head bridesmaid. In the meantime, Michael was at a cottage in Ozleworth with his son and his ushers. You can see from the pictures that they took advantage of the lovely weather to bask in the sun amongst the lavender and butterflies.

The wedding had lots of personal touches with their very own kegs of beer that Michael had brewed especially for the wedding, home-made favours and tables named after their favourite local places. They had been looking forward to the paella for a long time. So much so, that they were quite disappointed when the weather turned out to be so good that everyone was outside enjoying the sun instead of seeing the ‘live theatre’ of the paella being cooked. They couldn’t complain about that too much though as it made the setting so idyllic! And I can testify that the paella was very nommy indeed, equalled by the hogroast that fuelled people dancing into the night.

Michael’s son Joe had a great time and pretty much stole the show with his speech and later on with his dancing too! But by far and away, the thing I totally loved most was that Zoe and Michael are simply a super awesome couple and it was clear how much they loved each other, and it was clear all their friends think they are awesome too. I love that you can see in their photographs just how happy they were to get married – you can see them giggling at each other and then dancing their way into the wedding banquet. In fact, there were plenty of laughs and giggles throughout the day. Thanks for a really fun day!

Most of my coverage for the day is documentary, but as an experienced fashion photographer I also offer my couples the option to get more creative with the posed shots. As this was such a dramatic venue, I went for a variety of bridal portraits – I really wanted to shoot inside the mansion, so we went up into the roof, traversed scaffolding to shoot by the stunning rose window in the chapel, got creative with smoke and lighting in the scullery and still fitted in some natural shots outdoors. What a portrait bonanza! I hope you like them. Special thanks go to Morag who was helping me out that day. Without further ado, here are their photos (and apologies for lack of blogposts recently…lots of weddings will be posted soon!)

If you are interested in documentary wedding photography, drop Marie a line.

21 Oct ’13
Emily & Paul: Gotherington: A Walk Through Fields of Gold

Emily and Paul grew up, met and fell in love in their home village of Gotherington, near Cheltenham. So it was a delight to be asked to photograph them there.

They led me around the networkd of built-up cul-de-sacs and shaded alleyways and was surprised when the path opened out into a stunning field of grass with a lone tree. We’d been having pretty gloomy weather, but the sun shone gloriously, bringing the field to life with golden light. From the field, you could see both their childhood homes…I loved the tour of their lives that they gave me over the course of the shoot, from the village hall where Emily went to Brownies to the duckpond that Paul used to navigate on a car bonnet.

The love between Emily and Paul was super-cute as you can tell from the images. At the end of the shoot, we went back to the spot where they first kissed, round the corner from Emily’s parents home (hiding from her parents!)…in the shade of a rowan tree, her family name 🙂

Here’s to Paul and Emily and their wedding next month!

If you are interested in an engagement photography session, drop Marie a line.

9 Oct ’13
Zoe & Michael: Dursley: A verdant hilltop walk on the edge of the Cotswolds

It’s been a busy year and I need to catch up on blogging! Apologies, I’m starting with my most recent work and introduce you to Zoe and Michael 🙂

I suggest my couples choose a location that is special to them for their pre-wedding shoot if possible. Zoe & Michael live in Dursley and introduced me to some of their favourite places near their home (including the pub afterwards). As a keen runner, Zoe had recced many of them on her runs around the stunning area. One of them was lush green hilltop location with a stunning arcade of trees which was truly glorious as you can see in the last image on this post.

They brought along a bottle of fizz to enjoy in a gorgeous, if windy location at the crest of the hill. Zoe & Michael share lots of giggles (as you can probably tell from the picture of the sheep and the one near the end where he’s making her laugh) and I’m totally looking forward to their wedding next month at a venue that I fell in love with the moment I stepped inside – the amazing Woodchester Mansion.

If you are interested in an engagement photography session, drop Marie a line.

19 Jul ’13
Jess & Simon: A walk in a Victorian Cemetary: Bristol engagement photographer

It might sounds strange, but when Jess and Simon asked for their engagement shoot to be in a cemetary, I was totally excited.

That’s because Arnos Vale cemetary is a beautiful Victorian garden cemetary, with acres of forestland and beautiful grave sites, not dissimilar to Highgate. In fact, it’s so beautiful that they have their first wedding taking place at the cemetary this year. I recommend to my couples that they choose a location for their engagement shoot that it special to them and Jess and Simon chose Arnos Vale because they live nearby and often go for walks there with their daughter, Eliza. It is a site that has lots of contrasts as you can see from the shoot – leafy, shaded walks, Victorian gothic architecture, classical memorials and some street art thrown in.

Jess and Simon met at a pub quiz, which we deduced that I may have been at too! Jess makes great (and I mean totally awesome) knitted monsters and Simon develops websites.

Jess claims a frown is her natural photo expression, but I didn’t see it…until I asked Simon to think of a moment that she made him proud and he couldn’t think of anything. She suggested perhaps the moment she gave birth to his baby 🙂 They were great fun to shoot with, even when I started calling Simon by the wrong name pretty consistently for the last ten minutes of the shoot!

I’m totally looking forward to sharing their their literature-themed wedding at the University and Literary Club with you soon!

16 Oct ’12
In between rainstorms: David & Nicky – Hampstead engagement shoot

I’m hugely behind with my blogging, but here’s a gorgeous engagement shoot that I wanted to share with you straight away.

Meet Nicky and David. Nicky is mad about all things blue and can’t decide if she likes tealy turquoise or baby blue more. David loves long bike rides and a good boogie to some funky tunes! They are planning a really fun festival-style wedding which I am totally looking forward to documenting.

My pre-wedding shoots are informal, I just recommend to my couples that they choose a location that is special to them. Keen cyclists, they initially considering bringing a tandem bicycle along, but in the end Nicky and David decided to go for a walk on Hampstead Heath. Well, you know what they say about best laid plans…it turned into one of the wettest weekends ever! The heavens opened and the rain just poured and poured…it seemed impossible that it could rain any more, but it did and by the bucketload. So we had to rethink our plans and luckily for us, David remembered a secret corner of London that he had happened upon some years before.

As David led us into a dark, dank staircase, Nicky and I wondered if we should follow him, but follow him we did and our trust was rewarded as we emerged into a stunning Italianate pergola walkway, overlooking a secret garden. The rain turned out to be a true blessing in disguise, bringing us to this stunning location. To top that off, the sun came out to play and gave us some gorgeous flare – the location was so dreamy, it was hard to believe we were still in London. What do I like most about this photoshoot? All of the images from this shoot make me smile, because their love shines through each and every one.

Nicky & David – you rock! I’m so looking forward to your wedding in Oxfordshire next month.

If you’d like an engagement shoot in Hampstead, somewhere else in London or another location, contact Marie to have a chat!

16 Aug ’12
Meet Mia Rose: Bristol newborn photography

Meet Mia Rose, proud parents Andrea and Mark and Sam!

I did this newborn shoot in Bristol early in the year. Mia was a new year baby and just ten days old (newborns ideally need to be photographed in the first ten days) and supercute. We decided to have a play with a few props to honour her middle name, Rose. She was super well-behaved, sleeping plenty enough for her and her older brother Sam had boundless amounts of energy…you can see make an appearance in the last phoot. I couldn’t resist including it.

I don’t really want to distract from how adorable she is so here’s a quick selection from our shoot.

Expecting a new arrival? If you’d like Marie to photograph your newborn, just drop her a line to have a chat.

20 Feb ’12