A Perfect Day!

Shane Lewis and Sarah-Jane Robinson put together a gorgeous wedding and braved the January cold last week. Their ceremony was held at All Saints Church in Catherington followed by a family focused reception at The Langstone Hotel in Hayling Island.

I had met up with S-J and Shane before the wedding for our pre-wedding consultation in the middle of the BIG FREEZE and had put together some ideas fro Plan B if the snow continued. Luckily, it all thawed in time and we really enjoyed being a part of their day with them.

The lovely husband and wife team Jackie and Bill from Hampshire Wedding Videos were also there and they even persuaded the couple and close friends and family to take part in a music video singing along to “A Perfect Day!”.

Here are some of our favourite moments and well done to Sarah-Jane for being so brave in the cold!

Winter Weddings – cold but magical!

I can’t deny that it will be a welcome relief when the sun returns for our brides this year but as a wedding photographer, winter weddings can be a really magical experience. This is where you can experience dramatic sky lines and challenging conditions as guests are desperate to get inside even though the bride is braving the frost with her shoulders bare.

We were very fortunate that The Royal Marines Musuem in Southsea came to our rescue on a particularly rainy day on the 23rd December. The bride and groom wanted to capture some family moments with their children before their ceremony at Portsmouth Registry Office and the prospect of even hiding under the shelter of the arches in Old Portsmouth was becoming daunting.

Fortunately, Zeenat Turner, the lovely wedding organiser at The Royal Marines Museum was very kind and allowed us to use their beautiful rooms and staircase for thier photographs. Julian and I love photographing weddings at this museum and are regualr visitors here as well as having one of our albums in their waiting area so this worked really well

Charlotte and Guy and their children got into the festivities for theirChristmas wedding and it was a very happy hour and a half to spend with them before moving on the Registry Office for a very moving service. Below are some images from this lovely family wedding:

Family Portraits – getting ready for Christmas

Family portraits in the comfort of your own home are ideal when you have young children and babies. I remember the careful monitoring of sleep and feeding times and working out when your child will hopefully be in a more energetic mood.

This month i was lucky to meet the gorgeous ten month old Henry and his mum and dad who invited me into their lovely home on a wet Sunday morning. Henry had just woken up from his morning nap as i was setting up my studio in their living room and he was a delight to photograph. All smiles and giggles and was lovely to capture Henry and his Grandad together .

 

Just as much fun were two year old Rebecca and 6 year old Matthew who loved my giraffe and elephant ears. Seeing me dancing around with funny animal head bands on and making embarrassingly bad animal noise impressions was the perfect “shoe” for theirĀ  sense of humour. I juts had to stop dancing in time to capture their reactions. I love this job! A cool apple juice drink and a little chocolate treat in the break kept me in favour with my young models too. We will be able to get some lovely Christmas cards for their family from this shoot.

Model styles

Happy Birthday to Carys who invited me to set up a studio in her house and teach her and her friends some key fashion modelling tips in front of a camera. They were all fantastic models and great fun to work with. Photo Parties are a really unique party idea for teenagers and i often get phone calls from very happy mums who are relieved to find a professional photography studio brought to their own home.

Marwell Hotel Wedding Exhibition

Last Sunday i had the pleasure of meeting lots of new brides and grooms who are due to be married in 2010 or 2011 who visited Marwell Hotel to get some ideas from local wedding suppliers. It is a lovely hotel with very professional wedding organisers which is why i was more than happy to be commissioned for a brochure shoot for them last year.

I am already due to meet a numebr of bride and grooms to discuss being their wedding photographer after speaking to them at the exhibition – there are some lovely forthcoming weddings both at the hotel and at Marwell Zoo itself complete with giraffe and penguin encounters – fantastic photo opportunities. Julian and i are already looking forward to Lee and Ali’s wedding in August next year. They have chosen to be photographed with the giraffes and are a great couple.

Below are some wedding images from the interior and exterior of the Marwell Hotel taken by myself.

I am finally back to blogging after a busy busy summer which is turning into a busy but fun Autumn. My favourite time of year…..like a child, Halloween, Bonfire night and then Christmas. What could be a better time of year. It also means wedding exhibitions and a chance to start business planning for the following year. We have a very busy diary for 2010 already and some great wedding venues to look forward to being the wedding photograhers at such as : The Marwell Hall at Marwell Zoo, The New Place De Vere, The Royal Marines Museum, The Langstone Hotel in Hayling Island, Portchester Castle and the Gosport Explosion Museum, Southampton Art Gallery, Camms Hall in Fareham, HMS Excellent on Whale Island, The Marriott Hotel in Portsmouth and The Royal Beach Hotel in Southsea.

Happy Christmas to all – here are some smiley Christmas card photo images of our lovely boys.