Sadly we are all grown up now and long nights of partying are a thing of the past - but instead we get to go to weddings - woohoo!
I was so flattered to be asked by Emma and Michael to photograph their wedding, it was such a fun and beautiful occasion - I was overjoyed to go down to Souter lighthouse for photographs of them together :)
I love flower crowns, hippy style and gorgeous light so we shot a little before golden hour with my stunning friend - heres some of the shots we took.
Katie was on the hair and makeup while I made the headbands for the shoot, we picked out some clothes and then headed out to the woods, it was spring time and all of the beautiful bluebells were in bloom!
We then switched location and donned the flower crown I made earlier in the morning - I think we can all agree Poppy rocked the look!
Gemma is one of those people that just warms your heart from the moment you meet the, she is so sweet and lovely - you can see the love in Chris's face when he looks at her and he mirrors her genuinely lovely personality.
It is amazing to see what a grown up and intelligent little girl she is now - we started out taking some photos at home and then popped out to the beach (I really wanted to go to the beach!!) - Heres some photos!
So recently when Lucy contacted me for a photo shoot in the area that they live I was so pleased to see them all again and prance around in the countryside!
We chose to come out at golden hour, before the sun sets when the light is warm and glowy, although it can be risky if the weather is going to be overcast.
Such a beautiful couple - we had a little scrabble game (which turned into throwing the pieces!) and then popped the champagne - Wheeyy!
Fred was so enthusiastic about his first baby - you can see the love!! I can already tell they are going to make fantastic parents - I wish them the best of luck with their little one and their wedding in Italy!
It was a great day - just so full of fun with beautiful and hilarious moments in a beautiful setting! - Who could ask for more.
Danielle & Matthew were married on a crisp light & airy winters day! The theme for their wedding was classic romance, with the bride carrying long stem red roses, in a beautiful form fitting dress - Dani looked absolutely stunning! As did the rest of the guests, with kilts, black tie & fascinators this wedding was food for the eyes!
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This is what they had to say!
"We used Esme for our wedding in august. She was absolutely fantastic all day and the photos matched her hard work! Highly recommended"
We have met so many amazing couples all with amazingly different days, details and families! From bubble confetti, sparklers, singing during the wedding breakfast, HILARIOUS speeches, rides of golf buggies, Horses and carts, Harry Potter, Superheros, cigars, all of our beautiful brides and those dresses it has been such an fantastic pleasure to be with you on these happy days.
And we can't forget the venues and suppliers - a big thank you to: Beetle and Wedge Boathouse, Quorn Hotel, The Orange Tree, Newton Hall, As you Like it, The Masonic rooms, Home Farm Events, The Coleshill, Shustoke Barn, Lord Leycester Hospital, Hinkley island hotel, Somerford Hall, Stoke Park, Dunchurch Park, Coombe Abbey, Warwick House, Westmead Hotel, Walton Hall and many fields with marquees!!
We met up at Warwick Castle for the Eshoot - the first time I had ever been there and fell in love with the scenery!!
Rebecca is a teacher & writer and Gareth works in publishing - it was wonderful how they incorporated this into their wedding - and when I got wind of Rebecca going to Harry Potter Studios for the hen do we had to use her wand in a special photo!!
Also is it just me or does this look like it could be from Rivendale! LOTR?!
Rebecca is currently writing a novel - I can't wait to read it!
After the ceremony there was a lovely tea for all of the guests in the church hall - and then we went on a detour over to Chesterton Windmill! Then onto the lovely reception at the historic Lord Leycester Hospital in Warwick.
The weather was kind enough to wait until we had finished photographs to rain - and gave us some wonderful moody skies!!
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It was a beautiful relaxed wedding day - so personal and intimate!
The food is so fresh, everything is made from scratch in the kitchen, and the bread is so amazing (wish he could post it to me!!) Bens girlfriend Elisa has been a fantastic help, with her roots in Italy she has guided him through this complicated time and has helped design the restaurant and run it alongside her job!
Im finally getting round to blogging some of the beautiful weddings I have had the pleasure to shoot these past weeks.
Victoria and Matthew got married at Newton Hall all the way up in the North East, it was an absolutely beautiful day, Vicky & Matt and their families are such a fun to be around making myself and Laura feel so comfortable and welcome.
Such a lovely and fun couple, (and good pranksters) we had lots of giggles at Mosley Bog - one of the places said to have been inspiration for Tolkiens 'The Hobbit'.
Im not one for too many words so heres the images!
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After taking some photographs in the home studio we headed out for a walk in Newbold common and Jephson Gardens in Leamington Spa for a nice sunny walk.
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I met up with Kate and Jonny at Evesham for the blossom trail - it was not as I had imagined (the brochure over sold it!) the Orchards were not in bloom and most of the places that were lovely - were in peoples gardens!! We ended up going to Evesham country park to have a walk and take some photos - and i'm so glad we did - a lovely quiet river walk with a little railway!
I had only met Emma at the NEC wedding show earlier this year, and since the groom was over in America I didn't actually get a chance to meet him until the big day!
Emma wore a bright red dress, with a beautiful origami flower bouquet and origami pin flowers in her hair that matched the grooms boutonniere - made from the brides favourite book - the Hobbit!
There was an AMAZING Red Kite flying above the cottage too - couldn't resist taking a shot!
The Wedding was at 4pm, so we had to take all of the family and some photographs of E & G together before the ceremony!
A big surprise was the American school bus that took all of the guests from the village to the Wallingford Town Hall registry office and then off to the Beetle and Wedge Boathouse for a merry reception!
And if that wasn't amazing enough already - they had a Ceilidh as their first dance!
We had a wonderful time playing in the woods, Shilpa made her own wildflower bouquet from lots of blossom and other bits and bobs - I am very much looking forward to photographing this beautiful couples wedding at Stoke Park later this year!
I cant wait!!
On the other side of the business I have been working with Wooly & Co solicitors to take portraits of their lovely lawyers! I was worried at first about meeting and photographing 'strict and serious' lawyers in a 5 minute time frame but all of my preconceptions were quashed and I had a wonderful time with some fabulous people.
Another exciting job I have is with Richard Paul Menswear in Stratford Upon Avon, shooting in their suit shop once a week to help build the online part of the business. I have to say the guys are all so wonderful and so knowledgeable, its been exciting working in the clothing industry again and applying all that I learned at my first ever job as a product photographer in a fashion company.
Its been an exciting year already, and lots more to come, with an E-shoot this week and a wedding next I am going to try and keep completely up to date on this blog (but its been said before!!) Heres to a brilliant year ahead!
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Becky is a very talented horse trainer, they love to play and chase her!!
So lovely and fun! You might recognize them from their E-Shoot earlier this year - here's a snippet from their day!
So we headed onto Snowdon for the night, where we got totally lost, didn't arrive to our campsite until after dark and ran our battery out on our car... spent over an hour smothering ourselves in mud trying to put up a tent we had never had a practice run with before and then had the worst nights sleep ever!! Sounds like a nightmare but it was actually pretty hilarious (or maybe I went insane!!)
We didn't manage to climb Snowdon as there wasn't time, and our tent leaked overnight so we didn't want to stay another night but we had a lovely walk and a fry up before heading home.
Hoping to go back when the weather is better and possibly get fit enough to tackle Snowdon! We learned many lessons on this trip - practice setting up your tent, leave your engine on when you use your lights to pitch the tent, arrive at the campsite when its still light, get a bigger tent that you cant actually lie down in (and that doesn't leak through the floor!), Make sure there isn't a marathon on the day you plan to climb Snowdon... I could go on!!!
Thats it! Baaah
]]>I met with Angela to take some lovely shots of her in the forest, we saw some Deer and were attacked by a giant hornet, it was so funny we didn't stop laughing all day!
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A couple of weeks ago I got to visit a tiny weeny 5 day old Euan!
His Mum and dad have been kind enough to show some of the photographs, they are really into their sports and were fantastic in wanting to add these special touches into their images!
Daddy's helment was just the right size, and he certainly was a very hungry little caterpillar!!
It was a scorcher on their beautiful day - starting up at the bride and grooms houses and finishing up at a wonderful pub in the middle of farm land! I cant even begin to say how wonderful these two families are - so down to earth, natural and loving - you can see how much Nikita and Andy love each other - they are just beaming!!
Michael and Rebecca had their engagement shoot quite a while back, I have been too busy lately been on the ball with my blog posts - they have already had their fabulous wedding!! Anywho - Here's a couple of images from engagement shoot on Roker beach and park!
Coming soon.... their beautiful day at Wynyard Hall!
Katie was fab with her little brother who was a little camera shy!
And at the end we had some fun at the play park!! 
With kilts and their lovely fluffy white dogs (you might remember from their engagement shoot) it was such a lovely fully and eventful day - with all night dancing at their traditional celidih!
These girls are just so pretty - Take a look!
I highly recommend them, the cats have such a wonderful temperament and are just so so sweet. If you are interested in British shorthair cats check them out here or add their facebook page.
Heres a couple of images from the shoot!
I'm looking forward to photographing this couple in September on their big day, it was such a joy to spend time with them.
Joeseph is soo cute - and hes got a little brother or sister on the way! Hes a little monkey and such a joy to be around.
It was a rainy day but luckily they were up for anything - they were good fun in the rain, looking forward to their big day in July this year.
We are currently running a competition on our facebook page to win your own engagement shoot and framed print - get your entries in now!
Its already over a quarter of the way into the year and we are celebrating the spring sunshine by giving away a FREE couple or engagement shoot in the West Midlands or North East with a 10" x 8" Frame with a 8" x 6" Print!
All you have to do is Like our facebook page, write 'free shoot' on our wall and share this page with your friends and the competition will be drawn from a hat in June!
Good Luck!
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I will be shooting their wedding in April - looking forward to a fun filled day!
Emily & Helen decided to have their shoot at home as it is their first home together!
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The makeup was by the wonderful Rhiannon Leek, Hair by Shannon, Lucy & Julie from SJH and dresses provided by Karen Verena.
I recently went back to meet gorgeous Felicity - shes SO pretty - Like mama like daughter!
Originally we had planned for a vintage picnic, but the weather decided against that, finally we managed to get into the masonic lodge in the town centre at the last minute and when the rain cleared up a bit we visited the beautiful church where they were married!
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My wonderful friend Janet and a group of lovely ladies helped the church raise funds by holding a wonderful party at St Johns Church in Ashbrooke, Sunderland. I heard there was cake there so came along camera in tow - I met the lovely Helen Moon, owner of new business 'Anyone For Vintage' who decorated the church hall vintage jubilee style - I fell in love with the style instantly and got in touch to use some of her bits and bobs in a wedding theme boat shoot!
Anyway, I love her work - she dresses tables for weddings & provides vintage china for parties and events in the North East.
Hopefully once the roads are a bit better I can get out for some landscape shots further a field...
Scott Jessop Hair has been looking to form a creative team, we had our first test shoot on Wednesday, I loved working with the girls and of course Scott, it feels great to work with such fun and talented people. Here's a couple of test shots..
You might recognise this cute couple from earlier in the blog! Ruthie and Jonathan were married on the 29th of December at Knowle Church in Solihull, It was a beautiful ceremony full of love - it even brought a tear to my eye!!
An action packed day and although it rained it certainly didn't dampen their spirits!!
There are so many great photos to sort through - heres a small selection from their day!
A fantastic action packed day! I wish nothing but the best for Ruthie and Jonathan in the future!
Their gorgeous Daughter Amelia, family and friends all braved the cold to join in their fabulous and beautiful celebration - Congratulations on a beautiful union of family!
Heres a little sneaky peek of their day!
Here's a peek of their beautiful day!
It was a clear sky and I waited for the traffic to calm before wrapping up warm and dragging my partner out to keep me company..
Warwick Castle at night
Full Moon
Autumn leaves Illuminated by Lamp Light.
Afterwards we went home and my partner made me an egg mcmuffin! - All in all a great night.
]]>Autumn & Winter is a fantastic time to capture beautiful colours of nature, i'm going to get out and about and capture some amazing landscape shots and explore the area - its all new for me!
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Karen and Rob love their dogs - Penny & Mitsy! (Got to admit I love them too!!) So we went out to Bolam Lake to take some photos - here's a little peek of what we got up to:
Looking Forward to the wedding day at Otterburn Tower 11th May 2012!
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The Northeast is Britain’s most productive recruiting ground. For generations young men have come under fire in British warfare throughout the world.
Public confidence in political decisions and trust in the leadership of government has been challenged by a lack of popular support for the deployment of British troops in Afghanistan and Iraq. The Second World War has been called; “The Last Good War”, and there can be no doubt that the experiences of civilians being bombed by the enemy during the 1939-45 war led to a public willingness to support both the war and those who came under fire contributing to the ‘war effort’. Returning servicemen were welcomed as heroes.
The First World War is now fading from living memory, and the veterans of the Second World War are important witnesses of the last global conflict. Their insights into the experiences of warfare should not be forgotten. Even now, we are beginning to lose them.
The rhetoric of Remembrance Parades urges us not to forget the service people who died, and also expresses the hope of those who survived; that never again should we go to war. Memories of their experiences as young men mean that almost all veterans feel great sympathy for the service people now engaged in conflicts, despite any ambivalence about the ‘cause’ for which they are fighting.
During the Second World War civilians at home often saw death and destruction at first hand. Today’s conflicts are seen through the lenses of the cameras of TV, newspaper and online journalists, and – still at a safe distance – the photographic uploads of civilians with internet access. We see the faces of people in extreme circumstances, as warfare continues around them.
Portrait photography reveals a lot about its subjects; the personality as shown in the face, the language of posture, and the contexts of both the mood and environment in which the images are made. The longer a subject has lived; the more they have experienced, the more life leaves its mark upon them.
David Black, (Aged 91 when pictured) Royal Scots Fusiliers
Michael Haram, (Aged 84 When Pictured) Parachute Regiment
Jack Watson (Aged 87 When Pictured) Royal Artillery
Orston Bulman (Aged 91 When Pictured) Merchant Navy
Orston Bulman
Remembrance: Methodology
This series of portraits is about men who came under fire during the Second World War and its aftermath, in Israel and Cyprus immediately post-war. The images were made following a discussion about their views; their age when they served, their feelings in exposure to enemy fire, friendships, loss and death, and the extent to which they felt a commonality of experience with their modern counterparts in Afghanistan and Iraq. They were asked about any regrets they might have, and whether they would ‘do the same’ now if they were in the same position. They were also asked if they would have any advice for soldiers, sailors and airmen of today and the future.
These discussions were important to prepare the sitter for the portrait, making the memory still fresh in the mind.Alongside the portraits the briefest biographical details of the men portrayed are given. But it is the portraits themselves which should speak for them, as the complexity of life itself cannot be summed up in edited ‘soundbites’ from a single discussion and selected facts taken out of context.
Ted Hold (Aged 88 When Pictured) 6th Airborne Division
Ted Hold
Joe Hardy (Aged 92 When Pictured) Parachute Regiment
Randle Oliver (Aged 85 When Pictured) Royal Air Force
David Hughes (Aged 85 When Pictured) Royal Ordnance Corps
Peter Nichol (Aged 88 When Pictured) Royal Air Force
Harry Leers (Aged 90 When Pictured) Royal Artillery
I am indebted to every one of these men, each of whom was prepared to be open about experiences which evoked emotions which covered the whole spectrum from sadness and regret to remembered joy and exultation.
In particular I wish to thank Mr Ted Hold, President of the Sunderland District Branch of the Parachute Regiment Association, and National Chairman of the Fellowship of the Services for his help in meeting many of the men whose portraits appear here.
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Ruthie and Jonathan met in Texas working at a summer camp, but they didn't hit it off until their road trip afterwards - i'm glad they did, This is real love!
The beautiful couple are moving to Texas together next year after their wedding at the end of this year - i'm looking forward to shooting it, its going to be a good one!
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Gunpowder, treason and plot.
I see no reason why gunpowder, treason
Should ever be forgot...
So me and my partner Sam decided to get out and explore the new area we moved into, starting with the Warwick Town Fireworks and Bonfire!
We almost froze to death & the wind changed direction and scared lots of people with embers flying around but I have to say it was a great night out and it was all for charity!
Seeing all the families having fun was so adorable!
]]>Well the time has come - I need to start a blog!
This is where I will be showcasing shoots, products and keeping you all updated on what we are up to!
For my very first blog post I will tell you a bit about myself.
I have been photographing for as long as I can remember, but I have been practicing photography officially since 2005 when I began my National Diploma in Photography at Newcastle College. Following the success at Newcastle I went on to complete a degree at Sunderland University and and won the photography prize at the graduation ceremony - it was amazing!
During the time I was studying I was featured in the newspaper many times with my work and traveled to Germany for an exhibition of work on billboards which soon after came to Sunderland. After graduation my degree work was shown at the Biscuit Factory in Newcastle and my work was published as the cover art for a book.
After graduating from Sunderland University I became employed as the in house photographer for Fashion Union where I ran the studio, and undertook product shots and model shots for a monthly magazine, PR and web use. Unfortunately with the economic climate most staff were made redundant and I moved on.
Since being made redundant in 2011 I have launched my own business as a photographer, undertaking many different projects, and I love it. I have been funded by the princes trust and assisted many photographers, and now I'm
working for myself and happier than ever.
Recently I have moved with my partner to Leamington Spa as he is a Game Designer and there were more studios in the South - but don't worry! I am working between the West Midlands Area and the North East!
So here I am - If you'd like to see a little more take a look at "our story"
- Looking forward to rockin' both the North East & West Midlands!
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