Blog...

Last week I was delighted to help my good friend Amanda of Haverhill's Amanda Julia Couture with creating some images for the forthcoming evening wear season.

The designer evening gowns featured are by D'zage and Venus and modelled by the lovely Mersedes. See the gowns for yourself at Amanda's unique bridal shop in Haverhill - 1b Queen Street, above Bottom Drawer.

Here's a few examples of what was achieved...

I'm having a busy time at the moment with location portrait sessions at local parks and woods, and I'm trying to blog as many as I can to give everyone a flavour of what I've been up to and what can be achieved in the great outdoors.

This session from last week made the most of a glorious Autumn morning and Lucy and John and their beautiful family enjoyed being introduced to this local beech wood. The children were wonderful! Thank you for coming over.

At this time of the year it makes a glorious setting for location portraits, so if you'd like to book a session like this please contact me as soon as possible - we have to work around the weather and we need to make the most of what time we have.

As usual, here's a quick peek at a few that have caught my eye...

Location portraits at local parks, woods, gardens etc are proving really popular this autumn, and here we are with a summary of another shoot at Clare Country Park, this time for Kiera & Branham.

On our way to the park the late afternoon sun was replaced by gloomy clouds, but it didn't stop us being able to capture a good range of portraits. Kiera and Branham's Dad couldn't make our session, but Mum did and I managed to persuade her get her into a few shots too! Thanks Shell!

Here's a few of my favourites...

With only two weeks to go until their wedding day we took advantage of the Autumn sunshine to meet up at East Town Park for some colourful pre-wedding portraits.

Despite Sarah feeling poorly she made the most of the occasion and in between evading the dog walkers and joggers we managed to make some lovely images that will not only serve as a lasting memory but also help all of us come wedding day. It's really beneficial for couples to experience the picture taking process; it makes the photographer's role a little easier too. For the sake of an hour or so it's time well spent.

Sarah and Luke will be married at the beautiful Parklands, Quendon Hall, a perfect setting for an October wedding. See you on Saturday!

Here's a few of my favourites...

To take advantage of the bright early Autumn weather it was off again to Clare Park, Suffolk, a couple of weeks ago for a brief portrait shoot for my friend Andrew. With some new business ventures looming Andrew wanted a few up-to-date environmental / PR portraits and where better locally to capture them than at Clare Park?!

The changing woodland colours are getting better and better by the week and these Autumn scenes make such beautiful backgrounds for portraits. It's a great time to be a location portrait photographer...

Here's a few from the portrait session.

Over the years I've seen many fantastic images taken at traditional Indian Weddings and always admired the colour and spectacle that they present. Back in July I finally had the opportunity to attend a traditional Indian Wedding, as family guests, and what an experience it was to be! Of course I took a camera along and got a few shots for the family... how could I resist?!

I had already covered the pre-wedding photoshoot and Binny's home blessing so had a taste of the occasion, and was excited by the prospect of the full traditional wedding event. I wasn't disappointed. From the moment that I heard the roar of drums and the sound of merriment from outside it was clear that the festivities had begun. Looking across the car park, the sight of Amit, the Groom, arriving on a white stallion surrounded by his noisy, cheering friends and family was a sight to behold! The rest of the day was to continue in the same fashion... plenty of colour and excitement as the celebrations unfolded.

Inside the ceremony Hall, a mundane environment had been transformed into a fairy-tale palace, with sparkling decoration creating the perfect environment for the entry of a Prince and Princess. The Grooms entry continued in the same exciting fashion - albeit without the white stallion! It set the scene perfectly for the entrance of Binny, the Bride. Her appearance was both amazing and emotional as she entered the Hall being carried at waist hight on a decorative sedan chair. She looked amazing! It was as if the Queen of Sheeba had arrived! As she was carried down the aisle towards the centre stage a raft of ticker-tape exploded and added to the magic of the moment...

The full ceremony continued at length in the same passionate and emotional state. It was an amazing experience, and I am extremely grateful to have been invited.

Here's a few of my images that I hope capture some sense of the occasion.

Autumn is upon us now and my trip to the local park last week for a family portrait session was rewarded with the first signs of Autumn colour. What a great time of year for photographers! And what a great time of year to have your memories captured in such a memorable way!

Here's an example of what can be achieved in the great outdoors...

Spent a little time this week with Laura to capture some portraits for her portfolio. Despite a showery afternoon we made the most of a bright spell to get some great shots, here's a few for you to see.

The Maltings at Ely provided last week's wedding venue for Donna & Paul.

Donna and the girls begun the day at Paul's parents home in Newmarket before making their way over to Ely. Despite the pre-wed nerves we had plenty to laugh about during those preparations! The weather was kind again and another warm, sunny afternoon followed.

Most weddings seem to fly by and this one was no exception... we were soon into the evening where the live band entertained everyone into the night. Thank-you for your hospitality Donna & Paul!

Here's a quick look at a few images that have caught my eye...

Congratulations this week to Emma & Trevor who were married last Saturday at Clare Church. What a mixed bag of weather we had too - from sunny and warm to a heavy showers and back to glorious sunshine again! Of course it didn't spoil the day, and after a lovely church service at Clare we moved onto Moreves Barn, Great Waldingfield, for the wedding breakfast and evening reception.

Thank you for your hospitality Emma & Trevor!

Here's a sneak peak of their day...

Donna & Paul are just two weeks away from their wedding but we all managed to find a slot in our diaries to meet up at Newmarket to capture a few pre-wedding images. It's hard to avoid horses at Newmarket and our shoot failed to prove otherwise as a nervy racehorse tried to make friends!

Pre-wedding shoots are a great way for a couple to get used to being the centre of attention and it really can ease a few nerves before the big day. It helps the photographer too as I can judge how the couple respond to some direction and consequently everyone should be a better position come wedding day. Thanks for your time and enthusiasm Donna & Paul - see you in two weeks time!

Here's a few of my favourites...

With the wedding season in full swing it was the turn of Claire and Joshua to be married at The Bull Hotel in Long Melford earlier in July.

Despite another unsettled month their day proved to be blessed with good weather when it was needed. The Bull looked as magnificent as ever and suited Claire's vintage theme perfectly.

We managed to capture the full range of emotions and here's a few of my favourites from the day...

Congratulations to Sarah & Steve who were married earlier this month at the Days Inn Hotel, Haverhill. Having known the couple for many years it was an absolute pleasure to witness their marriage and see them both so happy.

The day was full of genuine emotion and the images captured really do record the story of the day as it unfolded. Here's some of my personal favourites that sum it all up...

Earlier this month I had the privilege of covering Bineeta's Hindu marriage blessing ceremony at her parents Cambridge home. Being able to witness and cover a traditional ceremony from another culture is always an interesting task, and the day certainly lived up to expectations.

Within the images selected below I've chosen to highlight several close-up shots so that you can see the beauty and detail of the traditions that are upheld.

Enjoy!

Congratulations to Natalie & Martin who were married on the 2nd July at Belchamp St Paul Church, Suffolk. After the ceremony we all headed off to Moreves Barn, Great Waldingfield, to enjoy the rest of the afternoon and evening sun. Both of these venues were new to me, but what good choices they were! Both were very impressive in their own way.

Here's a quick peek at a few images that have already caught my eye...

With only three weeks to go until their wedding day we managed to find a small slot on a wet Saturday afternoon to capture some lovely pictures for Bineeta and Amit. Those of you who are local to Cambridge may recognise the location, otherwise I'll keep you guessing!

Here are a few of my favourite images...

Photography is one of those subjects where you just never stop learning, and last week I booked myself in for another Society of Wedding & Portrait Photographers (SWPP) training days run by the highly respected and multi-talented photographer, Mr John Denton. We were also accompanied by a leading freelance model, Fredau Hoekstra, and a number of styles and techniques were experimented and refreshed.

Here's a few of my results, all quite different in their own right.

The latest wedding featured is that of Sarah & Darrel who were married at the end of May in the picturesque setting of Stoke by Nayland Golf Club. The club overlooks a beautiful Suffolk countryside scene that made a perfect backdrop to the wedding celebrations.

Here's a few of my favourites from the day...

Congratulations to Gina and Ollie who were married on May 21st at the delightful Clare Priory in Suffolk. Another warm sunny day helped to make the tranquil setting even more special.

Full editing of the images is underway but here's a sneak-peak of a few that have caught my eye...

Congratulations to Candice and Lee who were married at Gosfield Hall in Essex. Another glorious April and another glorious wedding day at Gosfield Hall! Candice and Lee had an unbelievably hot and sunny day and we were able to make the most of this special venue, capturing and creating some wonderful moments.

Here's a few of my favourites from the day.