Meonshore Studios - Diary of a Fareham Wedding and Portrait Photographer covering Hampshire, West Sussex, Berkshire, Surrey, Dorset and beyond

Sun - January 4, 2009

End of the line for this version of the Meonshore Blog

Well every good thing has to come to an end, and this iBlog created blog which I started in February of 2006 is now being frozen as of today.

Over the last couple of years blogging has become mainsteam and my blog has gone from being a relative exception to pretty much the norm for many wedding and portrait photographers, meaning that finding and accessing the content (the real differentiator between photographers being the images themselves) is more and more important. At the time the iBlog system was pretty much de-rigeur for photographers using Macs but I have been unable to migrate it to a newer version and it has no upgrade path to the other better developed systems out there now.

So that's it. Of course I'll be leaving it online, and linking to it from my new blog so new visitors can check back at some of the many weddings we have photographed in Hampshire, West Sussex, Berkshire and Surrey and of course our portraits and commercial work - I'll also be pulling forward some of Decembers posts into the new blog format and apologies if you get to see them twice - I'm also hoping to fill in some of the gaps left due to a busy month - new 2009 posts will certainly start to appear from the 10th when we have our first pre-wedding shoot of the year planned.

To get to the new blog just click on this link - it will be live from our other websites very soon.

Meonshore Studios New Blog

If you need any incentive to view it I have a new Bio image taken by my good friend and amazing photographer David A Williams only visible there.....

Look forward to seeing you.

Mike.

Posted at 09:02 PM Read More

Sat - December 20, 2008

Christmas opening hours

It is nearly that time of year again and here are our opening hours over the Christmas period.

The studio is closed from the 23rd December 2008 through to the 5th January 2009.

We will be monitoring emails on a limited basis over this time - specifically for any wedding enquiries which come in so as to be able to arrange initial meetings as early in January as possible for those couples wanting to book a Hampshire based wedding photographer in the new year for their 2009 wedding.

Portrait enquiries will be answered on the 5th, when we re-open our diaries for portrait sittings and location photographic sessions.

As our photographic labs and album manufacturers are now closed any print orders and album designs will be batched ready for submission on their re-opening.

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas and Happy New year and a prosperous, and peaceful 2009.

All at Meonshore Studios......

Posted at 12:12 PM Read More

Fri - December 19, 2008

2008 review and a look forward to 2009

It might be the equivalent to the Christmas Letter but here we go....

It is the end of another year and one which has seen some great investments here at Meonshore Studios from which we will see many of the benefits in the coming years, one of which we hope to talk about in more detail at the end of January.

We have had a busy season photographing weddings all over Hampshire, Berkshire and Surrey. We were blessed with good weather at Rhinefield House, Berrydown Barn, Bishops Waltham Palace Ruins, Chilworth Manor and the Gate Street Barn to name but a few and even at the Tithe Barn in February. We coped with both good and bad conditions at Portchester Castle and Marwell Hall across multiple weddings and was throughly rained on at Mottisfont Abbey but still got some lovely images.

Our premium bespoke album range from Australia have this year benefitted from photographs coming from one of the best print labs in the world - also down in Australia - and the quality is hard to believe. Every couple who has received their album this year has been blown away with the quality - as we were - so much better than anything we had been able to source in the UK.

Next year we will be back at some of our favourite venues, as well as a foray into Bournemouth for a wedding in June for our first Dorset wedding and are very much looking to speaking with couples for some of our remaining dates as well as seeing some of you coming to the Langrish House wedding fair in February.

Our portrait business has increased this year significantly with so many more families in the Fareham, Stubbington, Lee-on-the-Solent, Gosport, Titchfield and Hill Head districts having their children photographed both in a studio environment and out on location at the beach, park and woodland. We will be launching some new portrait products next year as well as completing our portraits specific website in January - and will publish a link once the galleries are filled, and pages prepared.

Finally our commercial business has again delivered high quality event coverage of corporate balls and recognition events as well as industry awards nights, and again we look to strengthen our web presence in this area over the coming months.

As usual we haven't just been using our cameras and this year we invested heavily in improving our own skills with valuable time spent on seminars with leading portrait photographers but most importantly with some priceless 1:1 consultancy and training from one of the very best wedding and portrait photographers in the world. We will be bringing some of the insights we gained from those sessions to our offerings and products in 2009. Finally we made a big investment in new photographic equipment at the end of this year to ensure maximum quality and reliability in 2009 so we can just concentrate on delivering the best photographic images to you.

It is trade show time in January and February and so we will be scouring for new suppliers of high quality presentation options for albums, frames and anything new and innovative as well as catching up with some of our regular suppliers and friends. Hopefully we will have some news from those in a few weeks....

To all of our clients from 2008 it has been a pleasure working with you, to all of our 2009 couples we wish you a relaxing Christmas before it is down to business planning the final details for your weddings and we look forward to our pre-wedding shoots with you - and for all new visitors to the site please do give us a call or drop us an email to enquire about how we could work with you on your wedding, deliver high quality images for your business, or beautiful portraits of your family.

Merry Christmas, Seaons Greetings, and a Happy New Year

Posted at 12:46 PM Read More

Fri - December 5, 2008

Langrish House Wedding Fair - 1st February 2009

We have had confirmation that we will be one of the select photographers invited to attend the wedding fair at Langrish House on February 1st 2009.

We have a long association with Langrish House having covered weddings there for many years initially it was a frequent venue for me when I was assisting and then second shooting with the David Streten studio. Our first wedding at Langrish in 2009 is in late March and we look forward to the opportunity to meet some more couples planning to get married there in 2009 and 2010, as well as other local venues, at the fair.

More closer to the date, as we finalise what albums and materials we will be displaying on our stand.

For those of you that don't know this lovely Hampshire wedding venue here are a couple of our photographs of the front of the House from the main lawn.

Posted at 08:13 PM Read More

Fri - November 7, 2008

Awards Ceremony for Industry Trade Association

Guy Fawkes night saw me head up to London for a corporate event in a top hotel covering the industry awards for a high-tech trade body and the associated reception drinks, networking and dinner.

Informal images of the attendees of this black tie event give the organisers great PR material, and a real feel for the nature of the event and so my coverage until dinner captured the conversations, laughter and interaction as well as some quickly arranged groups from the same company. Pre-dinner speakers and some table shots followed and then a brief respite and a bite to eat (thanks Chef!) before preparing for the main event an after dinner speech and then the formal presentation of the annual awards.

Having covered the event I made my way back down to Fareham for a few hours sleep and then ensured I had sent a copy of each of the presentation images over to the PR firm before 9am ready for publicity and press releases to be issued, after which an online gallery and slideshow was prepared for the attendees to view the following lunchtime.

Here are a small selection of the images from the evening.

Posted at 07:35 PM Read More

Mon - November 3, 2008

Beach Photographic Session @ Hill Head

Today saw us down at or favourite location portrait spot in Fareham on the beach at Hill Head for a photographic session with one of our clients looking for a framed wall print of her daughter, and some prints of the family.

With a mixture of natural photographs with the kids playing happily in the sand and some informally arranged images using the textures found at the beach we quickly created a set of beautiful images from which they can select. Here are some from the day.

Posted at 07:01 PM Read More

Sun - October 5, 2008

De Vere Grand Harbour Wedding Fair

Today saw us at the De Vere Grand Harbour for their Autumn wedding fair down in Southampton meeting lots of brides and couples as well as a few mums looking for a Hampshire wedding photographer for their 2009 and 2010 weddings.

On a windy and wet day prospects for people to want to come into the warm were high and indeed we saw and spoke to a lot of Hampshire brides looking for photographers for their weddings. It was lovely see see everyone as well as to catch up with some of our close friends that we work regularly with at other weddings such as Lynda Robson from Exclusively Weddings floristry and also Helen Spencer and exceptional bridal make up artist, and of course some of the other Hampshire wedding photographers.

This is the last faire we do in the Autumn and we will be back in the new year - more to follow.

Our next visit to the De Vere will be in Autumn 2009 as the spring show conflicts with a boutique fair we will be attending in February, when the show will be run directly by the De Vere and no longer by exceptional fair planner Yvonne De Mellow who continues to run the Solent Hotel and Botley Park Hotel fairs.

Posted at 08:48 PM Read More

Wed - September 24, 2008

Solent Hotel Whitely Wedding Fair

We attended the Solent Hotel wedding fair on Sunday, it was great to meet all of the couples, and bride's to be with mums or friends that came to our stand and spent some time looking at our albums, and images.

We are looking forward to hearing from some of you, over the coming weeks, and if anyone was unable to attend, or didn't manage to speak to us but would like some more information then please do get in touch.

We also sponsored the event with a complimentary pre-wedding (engagement) session and are looking forward to receiving contact with the winner who will get some fantastic images with their partner to celebrate their engagement.

Our next show is at the De Vere Grand Harbour on the 5th October, and we look forward to speaking to anyone looking to book a creative Hampshire wedding photographer for their wedding in 2009 or 2010. I'll blog an entry after that date and will get some images of our stand as well, time didn't allow for that at this show.

Posted at 10:27 PM Read More

Mon - September 22, 2008

The Wedding Of Rachael and Simon at St Mary's, Portchester Castle and a Marquee

Saturday was a wonderfully warm, blue-skied day - fitting for Rachael and Simon's wedding. On my second trip to the wonderful church in the castle grounds the day could not have been better.
It all started at 8:30 at Verelle hairdressers in West Street Fareham where Rachael, her mum, and bridesmaids had their hair done before returning to her parents farm for make-up and the rest of her preparations. After getting all of these images I left and met up with the guys at the church and then checked in with the vicar, Charlotte, to say hi. Confirming that I was OK to work as I had previously I checked the light from the front of the church, and then made my way back out to get some images of the bridemaids arriving and then Rachael's arrival in the vintage Rolls Royce, before making my way into the church to be well positioned for the start of the ceremony.

Charlotte allows me to cover the actual signing discreetly and this allow me to get some lovely images of not only pen being put to paper but also the interaction of the newly married bride and groom and the witnesses.

After that it was back out into the sunshine for a group shot of all 100 guests and some confetti before making our way to some good light for the family groups which were quickly done in about 25 minutes and most of the guests made their way to the farm and marquee for canapes and drinks. This allowed Rachael and Simon to relax around the castle grounds and get some lovely relaxed and contemporary images before heading off themselves to rejoin their guests.

I met up with the Toastmaster for the day - Alexander Michaels (AKA Pav) , checked the details of the running order and then got my images of the room, cake and details before coming back out and getting some documentary photography of the guests enjoying themselves. It wasn't long before Pav called for the receiving line, which he expertly handled sitting the guests down on time for what was a lovely meal, unsurprising given that County Caterers had provided it. Again Pav was called into action for the cutting of the cake and then the speeches, and after a short break Rachael and Simon took to the dance floor for their first dance, shortly after which, and with all of the images I required I left for the short drive home.

Here are a few from the day.

I spotted the ghd poster in the hairdressers and thought the wording "pure", and the symbolism for the day worked well as well as the model looking on.

Rachael and her father coming down to the church through the lytch gate.

Rachael's sister Kate lifts up her veil as Simon looks on

A lovely natural image of Rachael signing the marriage register

Portchester Castle, 100 guests and pretty much no members of the public in the background for that all important group shot !

Time to relax and get some lovely images of just the bride and groom around the castle grounds - this one just inside the keep

And using some of the castle walls and doors

Summer pudding for dessert

After a long day it all got too much for this little one

First dance, and with a star covered ceiling to the marquee and some dramatic red lighting I left this one in colour, no flash and kept the ambiance for the image - Pav can be seen in the background looking on.

Posted at 10:19 PM Read More

Tue - September 16, 2008

More Food From The Catering Team At Mottisfont

On the 12th I once again had the pleasure of sampling some of the food at Mottisfont during my wedding.

Whilst I didn't have exactly the same as the guests I did get some and made the best of my time near the food by shooting it as it was being plated up ready to be served.

Here are some of the images/courses !

Posted at 09:31 PM Read More

Sat - September 13, 2008

Amanda and Jamie at Mottisfont Abbey near Romsey

Amanda and Jamie's wedding was at the lovely Mottisfont Abbey near Romsey in Hampshire yesterday. Mottisfont Abbey isn't a volume wedding venue - and as such it is a pleasure to photograph weddings there each year. National Trust properties make amazing wedding venues and this is no exception.

I started at the house of Amanda's mother near Andover and was met the bride to be shortly after her return from the hairdressers. I got some beautiful images of Amanda's transformation as Pauline the make-up artist went to work, and found some time to photograph the flowers and of course her wedding dress. A short drive cross country saw me arrive at Mottisfont just before it started to rain and it really did rain hard (reports suggest 30mm in the day - more than the entire months worth !). Not deterred Jamie and I walked the hall and got some nice portraits, and after conversing with the registrars I went outside to await Amanda's arrival.

The ceremony was wonderful with great readings, some music and personal vows and with the sun breaking out we made it outside for some photographs of the happy couple before the weather set back in and plan B, or was it C kicked in and an alternative location was used for the family groups. Whilst Amanda and Jamie went for a ride in the vintage Rolls Royce wedding car I got images of the dining room, and the cake and on their return I managed to get some informal images in the hall and on the staircase inside and a brief moment out on the steps outside the Morning Room including the confetti throwing before the wedding breakfast was served.

The staff at Mottisfont are wonderful and I was able to photograph the food being plated (which I really enjoy) and I'll post some images later, but very soon it was time for the cutting of the cake and speeches.

Here are some images from the day.

Amanda shares a joke with MUA, Pauline just prior to having her mascara applied

Jamie reflects as he looks out of a window in the hall at Mottisfont

A lovely moment on the patio outside the Whistler Room with the front of the house in the background

Amanda in the same location, with her beautiful bouquet of white roses

Amanda's parents and the happy couple in a sheltered dry area of Mottisfont with some soft light coming in

Nephew and pageboy smiles for the camera....

Amanda and Jamie with their wedding car

Some late afternoon sun and no rain tempted Amanda and Jamie and their mums out for an impromptu confetti throwing

Amanda loves staircases, and I was happy to oblige firstly with Jamie in the foreground then then on her own.

Posted at 08:13 PM Read More

Sun - August 31, 2008

The Pre-Wedding Shoot of Rachael and Simon at Portchester Castle

I have known Rachael and Simon for some time so it was an honour to be asked to photograph their wedding and today was their pre-wedding shoot.

The castle at Portchester is the dominant landmark, and encloses the lovely church of St Mary's where Rachael and Simon will be married. We started with some classical poses infront of the impressive castle walls and tower and then moved into the keep over the drawbridge for some more contemporary portraits before taking a tour of the castle and perimeter wall to get some lovely images, even venturing down to the sea at Simon's suggestion and discovering another amazing gate and spiral stone staircase.

After some photographs outside the walls we headed over to Port Solent for a hot drink, and a short meeting about the details for the day.

Here are some of the images - I'm really looking forward to this Fareham wedding, and keep an eye on the blog in a few weeks for the wedding photographs...

Rachael and Simon infront of the imposing castle

Just inside the keep the light is amazing, and the texture of the walls sets of this relaxed portrait

Simon looks lovingly on at his bride to be.

This gate is down by the sea, and is a myriad or bricks, stone and archways perfect for photography

Rachael happily jumped up onto these steps at this doorway on the outer walls of the castle.

Posted at 06:02 PM Read More

Fri - August 29, 2008

The Pre-Wedding Shoot of Amanda and Jamie at Mottisfont Abbey, nr Romsey

Today I photographed the pre-wedding shoot of Amanda and Jamie at Mottisfont Abbey one of my favourite wedding venues here in Hampshire.

With another wedding taking place later in the day we started outside and walked around the impressive grounds of this lovely building and after photographing some classical wedding couple poses to get warmed up we then explored and found locations for some more contemporary images. After a short while we were met by Sue from Mottisfont and escorted inside where we were able to look at the ceremony room, wedding breakfast room, and also plan some places for images inside, one of which is shown here along the amazing hall.

Having completed our look inside we managed a couple of images in the Cellarium and then to the back of the house before leaving for a quick drink and covering off the final details for the day.

Amanda and Jamie's wedding is in a couple of weeks so if you are thinking about getting married at Mottisfont Abbey then keep an eye on my blog !

Some images from the session are below...

The main hallway at Mottisfont provides an impressive backdrop and some lovely lighting

Just so many places like this little chapel or folly tucked away at the edge of the garden

And some very cool statues lining the lawn

I love this avenue of trees, wonderful in the summer which is the only time I get to see them - but I'd imaging they have a lovely colour in the autumn as well

The rear of the house, which I have not had much chance to photograph before with the croquet lawn next to it

and finally a view back to the front of the house from one of the raised patios on top of the Cellarium

Posted at 08:02 PM Read More

Fri - August 15, 2008

Joanna and Graham at Marwell Hall

Last Saturdays wedding was the third and final of three that week, and unfortunately it had the worst of the weather. Not to be deterred both Joanna and Graham had a wonderful day.

An early start ensured I was at the house of Joanna's parents just before 9am, and in time to get some images of the dress, shoes and introduce myself to the family before Joanna arrived back from the hairdressers ready to have her make-up done. Protecting the identity and most importantly the colour of her wedding dress from her father we carefully opened curtains, shut doors and got some soft diffused light coming in to make for some lovely getting ready images. Just before I left we got some family portraits in the garden as I knew that by the time Joanna arrived at Marwell the rain would have settled in. In fact it arrived as I was driving back down the M3 and on arrival I got out my studio lighting fully prepared to have to cover the family groups indoors with some professional off-camera lighting.

I met up with Graham, his best man and the toastmaster Roy Austin and got some of the guys photographed, before checking some details with the venue's excellent wedding coordinator Izzy, and ensuring that with the harpist in my normal position at the front of the long room I could still get great ceremony images from the other side next to the registrars table. With all of this preparation complete I had time to shoot some documentary images of the guests before Joanna arrived and was ushered in to the the officiant.

After a lovely ceremony we made our way to the front of the hall and I photographed the family groups in the large porch which was dry despite the weather, no worries about harsh light and with the porch giving shelter the groups were done outside and are great - and in my mind much better than doing them inside with studio lighting. Thanks to Roy though for some interim sheltering of Joanna with a brolly from the occasional spot of rain and wind and for his support through the day - an excellent toastmaster and highly recommended.

After an extended visit to feed the giraffes we returned and were in plenty of time for some room shots in the marquee and then the receiving line, and the entry of the bride and groom for the wedding breakfast. I got a short break during dinner and then was back in for speeches after which Joanna and Graham took the opportunity to get some relaxed photographs around the inside of this magnificent building, and ventured out for a photograph with the car.

The evening reception was still 30 minutes away and I used the time to good effect getting lots of great relaxed images of the guests and bridal party enjoying themselves in the marquee and then it was time for a first dance followed by a short set from one of Joanna's bridesmaids after which I made my way quickly to the car, dried and packed my kit away and returned to back up everything !

A selection of images from the day follow, and I hope you'll agree the photography didn't suffer because of the weather, although it took all of my experience to get this wedding to the same standard as one done in good conditions......

Joanna prepares for her wedding day with make-up applied in the window light

Graham and best man David before the ceremony

Joanna arrives in the Long Room, Marwell Hall accompanied by father Nick as everyone looks on

Joanna's parents in a family group shot under the porch at Marwell Hall. It's raining - hard - but under shelter and with good light this image hasn't suffered

Yes you were right - it's a lovely red wedding dress, and a window lit portrait of Joanna between the wedding breakfast and evening reception taken in the Library of Marwell Hall

Graham gets the window treatment as well but this time the image is converted to black and white

Something a bit more dramatic on the staircase at Marwell Hall

Kudos to Joanna and Graham for braving the weather and getting an image of them in front of the venue with their car suitably protected with one of my umbrellas

First dance inside the marquee

Joanna's bridesmaid Laura in her short set just after the first dance, fortunately for me I wasn't bound by the usual "3 songs, no flash" rule !

Posted at 01:07 PM Read More

Thu - August 14, 2008

Philippa and Alistair at St Barnabas, Dorking and The Gate Street Barn

Friday last week was 08-08-08 the luckiest day of the year to get married, if you are Chinese, and no doubt Philippa and Alistair felt pretty lucky as well despite some drizzle for their lovely wedding.

The day started at Philippa's, getting ready with her two bridesmaids and of course me getting some images as hair was done and make-up applied before the short trip to St Barnabas to take a look at the interior (it had been locked when I did my pre-wedding visit), and speak to the verger and vicar to organise a complex manouver at the start of the ceremony. Shortly after the guys arrived and as usual we captured a mixture of formal and contemporary images before allowing them to mix with the arriving guests and to await the arrival of the bridesmaids and then Philippa herself.

The weather held with only light drizzle and after capturing Philippa's arrival I made it down to the front of the church with the vicar, as arranged, and got some images of Philippa and her father walking down the aisle before swiftly exiting out of the side door and out round the church the the rear where my tripod and longer lens were waiting to get unobscured photographs in this tight, and candlelit church without disturbing the wedding ceremony itself.

After a confetti tunnel we made our way to the Gate Street Barn , beautifully decorated with floral arrangements from Gill Pike , for the reception and completed the family groups and formal photographs before stealing 10 minutes to get some relaxed portraits in the secluded garden area before returning to the barn in time for dinner to be served. With the speeches captured, and some wonderful food from Just Jane caterers inside me, the weather picked up and blue skies came out allowing the happy couple and their guests to go out into the garden and enjoy themselves whilst I picked off some documentary images of the laughter and smiles, and making sure I got images of many of the guests who didn't make a formal group, or who had just arrived for the evening reception which began with a rehearsed and well performed first dance !

As usual a mixture of images from the day are below.

Alistair and best-man John using the architecture of the church to give a more contemporary feel to this portrait

Philippa and Alistair steal a moment as Father Stuart Peace completes the signing of the register

Time to leave the church, and acknowledge some of their guests on the way

Philippa is helped into the wedding car by one of her flowergirls as guests look on

The happy couple at the Gate Street Barn

Philippa with her two bridesmaids and two flowergirls. Set-up with the full intention of getting a nice triangular shape to this classical group photograph

Some time alone before the wedding breakfast for this intimate, and natural image

The two flowergirls distract pageboy Sam, allowing me to get this lovely candid moment during the gap between the wedding breakfast and evening reception

And another documentary image - it's not about snapping everyone quickly - but getting great expressions that show everyone enjoying themselves

And now time for the first dance, and some concentration as they confidently dance through the routine to cheers and whistles

Finally a food shot, included this time in the main blog entry. A lovely warm goats cheese and parma ham starter.

Posted at 07:02 PM Read More

Tue - August 12, 2008

Beata and Justin at St Edmunds in Southampton and then onto Chilworth Manor

Thursday saw the first of three weddings this weekend in the busiest of our year ! Beata and Justin who met us at the De Vere Grand Harbour wedding fayre in January had planned a lovely wedding and were not disappointed as a poor weather forecast turned into the most beautiful day of the weekend.

The day started at Chilworth Manor for hair and make-up provided by Michelle Crosser from Bridal Hair in Hampshire and Orchids Hideaway with Diana Berry. Beata was in fine form really enjoying herself and looking forward to the day, and it really shows in the images I have managed to capture. With hair and make-up completed and some images of the dress, shoes, jewellery and perfume captured I went and got some images from the outside of Chilworth Manor and then intial images of the room laid ready for the wedding breakfast where I met up with Louise and Annie from The Floristree - Beata and Justin's florist.

After this it was the short trip down to the church where after some relaxed portraits of the guys, and a check with the priest I awaited the arrival of the bride. Beata looked stunning in her dress, and I know Justin thought so as she walked down the aisle and after a lovely ceremony and nuptial blessing we got some images outside the church before returning back to the hotel.

Beata's mum Christina greeted the happy couple with some salt and bread - a Polish custom and we got the family photographs completed in an area of open shade before moving to the back of the manor house for a group shot on the steps and some relaxed images of Beata and Justin before making our way to the wedding breakfast. Speeches were first and emotional and funny they were and I left shortly afterwards leaving Beata and Justin to enjoy their meal and the evening.

Here are some images from the day.

Beata gets her hair finalised at Chilworth Manor

Just time before leaving for a window lit portrait of the bride

As bestman Kevin and Justin concentrate on the order of service Beata steals a quick glance at her new husband

Ceremony over Beata heads straight over to her mum Christina for a hug

The stunning bride just outside the doors of the church

Salt and bread - Polish style as Beata and Justin arrive at Chilworth Manor

Beata and Justin together during some relaxed formal photographs

A detail of her necklace captured during a lull in the family groups

Beata hands her mum Christina some flowers looked on by Justin and Beata's sister and chief bridesmaid Daria

Posted at 04:05 PM Read More

Wed - July 30, 2008

Albums and framed prints delivery

We have just delivered the Albums and framed prints to one of this years couples from their wedding day, and wanted to share some of the images.

This was our first wedding of the year on a bright day in February at the Tithe Barn in Ditcham. After their honeymoon they returned to be greeted with a front cover and featured wedding in Your Hampshire Wedding magazine (we got approval via email while they were away), and we then worked through from our intial design to a finished album which is simply stunning.

This 15x12" panoramic album is finished with a metal cover, and black leather spine handmade in Australia and finished with prints from one of the best print labs in the world also from Australia. The couple also ordered two framed prints to accompany their album, a desk frame of 11x14" and a wall portrait at 16x20" with a black and white image. The frames have a modern silver finish and come with deep fine art mounts and conservation glass to protect the prints from UV rays.

We are very proud of the book, and framed prints, and we know that they love them as well, and we hope this gives you some insight into the work we produce and products we can supply.

16x20" wall portrait

11x14" desk frame - these are the also frames, and size we use for our complementary pre-wedding shoot image

The dress and shoes and hair/makeup

Using some of the industrial buildings in the location for some funky portraits

And the blue garage doors - the image on the left-hand page is similar to the cover in Your Hampshire Wedding

The cover shot from earlier this year

Posted at 01:44 PM Read More

Sun - July 27, 2008

Lolly and Matt's wedding at St Peter's, Bishops Waltham and Bishops Waltham Palace Ruins

Yesterday was one of the hottest of the year, and more importantly the lovely wedding of Lolly (Rosalind) and Matt at St Peter's Church in Bishops Waltham and the Palace Ruins a short distance away.

A bright an early start saw me at the hair salon - Madeline House, where Lolly and her bridesmaids got their hair done and then back to her fathers house for make-up. An 80's fest of music passed the time as Lolly's sister Jo did the make-up - it was fun and relaxed and the time flew. Next stop was the church to see the guys and get some portraits and to be ready for the arrival of the bride in a light yellow Morris Minor. The church was beautifully decorated with flowers by Lynda Robson of Exclusively Weddings , and the bouquets were matching with an exquisite mixture of soft pinks, creams and greens.

The touching service was filled with laughter and emotion, with some amazing readings, and singing and after some family photographs outside the church under the flower arch, and with the car we made our way to the Bishops Waltham Palace Ruins where a marquee awaited us.

With the family photographs out of the way, and with some time with their guests everyone sat down to a tasty meal from the caterers Wright Choice , and then a series of speeches from both fathers, groom, best-man and the MC James which were again emotional, informative, and hilarious with Matt taking the butt of most of it.

Now with some time before the first dance I got 30 minutes with Lolly and Matt to have some time alone for some fashion inspired contemporary wedding photographs around the ruins which we made the very most of the soft warm light and architecture - and then it was on to a Grease track for the first dance with all the actions to match.

I know they had a wonderful day, as did I - and so here are some images from the day.

Sweet Dreams are made of this.....

Lolly and sister Jo get their bridal hair pinned up

Lolly sees the funny side of make-up

Matt "Ice Man" Kirby at the church

Matt, Joseph and the Ushers

Matt checks the woman he has married is indeed Lolly !

Just about the most fun bridal car I have photographed

Lolly and her bridemaids

The bridal party showing off the lovely caramel and creme theme for the wedding in this relaxed group portrait

Joseph reflects on "poster child" Matt

Lolly was prepared to do anything - even in her 4" heel Jimmy Choo strappy sandals

I just love the warm light for this fun shadow shot

One of my favourites from the pre-wedding shoot, recreated on the day with just a little more fashion in the pose.

And finally Lolly and Matt at the finale of their first dance

Posted at 02:29 PM Read More

Mon - July 21, 2008

The Pre-Wedding Shoot of Joanna and Graham at Marwell Hall, Colden Common

Sunday's shoot was for Joanna and Graham, who will be getting married in Marwell in August. On a bright, and warm day we ventured up to the lovely Marwell Hall and got some lovely images in preparation of their wedding photography and then headed back to the Marwell Hotel for a drink and a talk through the details for the day.

Like Fiona and Rob earlier this year Joanna and Graham are having a giraffe feed as part of their day, and so we walked over to the enclosure to take a look, and also to get our final images from the day against the new African enclosure brightly painted in a jungle green !

A key focus of their day will be capturing natural and relaxed images of the two of them enjoying the day with their families and guests and so we expect to be shooting a lot of documentary wedding photography, but even so it never hurts to have time infront of the camera for the formal images, and also some contemporary portraits on the day.

Here are the images - I hope you like them.

This alcove has an amazing texture as a backdrop, and an intimate shaded feel to the image

With an almost overhead sun the front of the hall gave some nice shade with the dramatic backdrop of the Marwell Hall entrance

The next two images also use the entrance area but with two completely different feels, and taking advantage of the Wisteria, currently in bloom

Some relaxed portraits of Joanna and Graham alone

and something a little more contemporary to finish with.

Posted at 06:31 PM Read More

Fri - July 18, 2008

The Pre-Wedding Shoot of Beata and Justin at Chilworth Manor, Southampton

On Wednesday evening I spent some time with Beata and Justin at Chilworth Manor in Southampton for their pre-wedding shoot.

This is a lovely venue, and one I haven't been to for some time, which of course will change in a few weeks when they hold their reception there. Twin that up with a lovely wedding venue, and this is a day I'm very much looking forward to. As usual this is a great time to get to know my couples better and try out some images. We covered a fair amount of the grounds and then retired inside to check out the lovely gallery about the bar area before getting a drink and going over the details for the big day.

Here are some of the images.