"Amazingly, no picture of Talika appears when you Google ‘effervescent’. But it should do. The woman is like human popping candy..."
Read moreCool stuff : Ben The Illustrator...
"It's a great, humorous take on the old ads from decades ago and so many friends and family commented on it. For the record, my wife's halo is entirely fictitious..."
Read moreFrom the archive... #24
I love that the Sydney Opera House is something you always see from the side and at first glance appears to be one building (not so). So come Tom & Kim's wedding day, during a warm Aussie Easter, it was nice to try and portray the sheer scale of this spectacular building.
Designed by Dane, Jorn Utzon, in the 1950's, and opened in 1973, it comprises numerous huge pre-cast 'shells' (in some cases over 75m high) and covered by over one million tiles, dominating Circular Quay in central Sydney. I'll feature the wedding at a later date, but for now I really like this alternative view of a world famous landmark, with the happy couple giving it some scale.
For me this wedding was unique... much more about that soon...
From the archive... #23
Not a bad view for a drinks reception, eh? This was last Saturday night while whizzing around Lisbon on trams, chasing my clients Oliver and Pierre on their spectacular wedding day.
March and April for me will be spent largely on the road. Last weekend, as illustrated above, was a terrific trip to Portugal and in a few days I'm Paris-bound. Pile on top of that a forthcoming shoot in Sydney via a (much needed) break in Hong Kong, and before you know it spring will have sprung and the talk will be of summer.
So if you're looking out your window and you see drizzle and gloom, enlarge the above on your screen and check out flight schedules to Lisbon, you won't be disappointed...
Cool stuff... Portrait of a family over 40 years
I absolutely love this. A portrait of a family over 40 years.
As usual the New York Times creates interesting and thought provoking stories, for me the service is head and shoulders above above anything else I want to view whenever I have a few minutes...
Read the full article here.
From the archive... #22
Photographs are pure, honest memories. They transport us back to times we've recorded and (hopefully) enjoyed.
While the same applies here in this simple, quiet shot of Julia's morning preps at The St Pancras Renaissance, there's a second wedding which pops into my mind - that of the make-up artist, Elisa.
Quite by chance our paths crossed again without warning and after a double-take (on my part) as soon as I entered the room, it was a lovely surprise to recall her commission three years ago. Small world.
On a pure photographic level I like the picture very much. The loose composition on the 50mm lens leaves space for the bloom of the desk lamp, and the mirror feels to me like a doorway, where in actual fact the girls are to my immediate left, not in front of me. If I stare at it hard enough the lampshade in the background would begin to bother me - but such is life!
I also see it as a kind of distant cousin to From the archive #21 - you'll see what I mean...
From the archive... #21
Sometimes a memorable photograph is all about what you can't see. And what nobody can view in this shot is my sheer relief, because I'm on the cusp of a brief sit down and bite to eat following 8 hours solid photography at a shoot in central London the day after Boxing Day.
As the guests seated in the ICA's stunning Nash Room for their wedding breakfast, I just loved the way the light hit the walls and overall quiet nature of the shot. Of course, wander back into the room and you would be hit with chat, music and atmosphere - but from only a few feet outside it's a much calmer scene.
About 90 minutes later the room would erupt to the sound of applause and laughter during the speeches - but by then I'd had my sandwich and espresso and all was once again right with the world...
Wedding photography at The ICA, London
I love The ICA. It’s a crisp, clean canvass on which to paint. Shelley and Alex obviously felt the same because their extremely laid-back wedding could easily be pictured in the Oxford English Dictionary under “cool”.
At every pre-wedding meeting, we would usually spend about 45 minutes chatting about stuff in general - then fill the last 10% of our time actually speaking about ideas and timings for their day! These guys are stylish: their main brief was that there was no brief.
After half an hour or so at the stunning St Martin’s Lane Hotel shooting the preparations it was a short walk across to the ICA in Carlton House Terrace to catch up with Alex and record the final few moments before the ceremony.
I always revel in the countdown nature to this part of the day. It goes from quiet, to a few people, to everybody - and then that wonderful wedding day tension reaches its climax with the arrival of the Bride. Suddenly there are pictures everywhere and it’s like trying to keep plates spinning.
I’ve been working in London for over twenty years, but every time I walk under Admiralty Arch and down The Mall, it hits me what an amazing city this is. This point is surely never lost on family and friends attending a wedding at The ICA, located at the very epicentre of our famous capital. Buckingham Palace five mins down that way, Churchill’s bunker and war rooms across the road, Horse Guard’s Parade behind that - all with Big Ben and London Eye watching over the scene. Amazing.
This day just flowed. Everything gelled happily and, departing mid-evening, I felt I’d seen a wedding exactly as it should be done. As little fuss as you can make it and as much enjoyment as you can pack in. Good for them.
Below, as usual, are only a few from the overall commission. Click any thumbnail to enlarge...
From the archive... #20
If you live long enough, you see everything... women wearing canapés! Yum?
This shot was taken at a recent commission at One Marylebone where my role was to shoot a pretty lavish birthday party. The design and planning of the evening was undertaken by the terrific Cranberry Blue Wedding & Events.
I'm hoping to write a little piece about the detail and superb look of the main dining room itself, but in the meantime imagine the welcome drinks being livened-up by pretty girls displaying nibbles about their person, in this case via a two-tier 'neck brace'.
If that isn't a thought to keep you warm during a cold weekend, then nothing is...
Engagement portraits on Box Hill
There is something wonderfully romantic about winter weddings. Their cosiness and candlelight make a lovely change to the brightness and light of summer season shoots.
Preme and Phil will be married just before Christmas at the lovely Fetcham Park, and to underline the winter theme we set off to Surrey's famous Box Hill one morning to capture some simple and atmospheric shots.
It takes a brave couple to head out into the November cold for their engagement shoot - and this was a really awful day of weather. Mercifully, Preme and Phil's 'can-do' approach ensured a lovely set of shots, completely capturing them as a couple, in my opinion.
I'm a great believer that 'fortune favours the brave' with photography. It can be over-thought and excessive planning often hampers the moment. By all means, have a rough idea of what you'd like to do, but leave as much as possible to chance - it brings nicer results. In this case, the steady drizzle, low light and mist swirling around the last of the Autumn leaves merely added to the final pictures.
Below, as usual, are only a few from the overall commission. Click any thumbnail to enlarge...
Wedding photography at The St Pancras Renaissance
Looking back at this commission, the timings and sheer ambition of the day makes me shake my head slowly with a wry smile. You know, I'm just not sure how we got it all done. And by "we" I mean 'Team Madhavi & Harry', because this one was about teamwork.
On the face of it the plan seemed pretty straightforward; everything would be happening at London’s spectacular St Pancras Renaissance Hotel, one of my favourite places to shoot. But just because it was in one place, didn’t mean it would be easy. There would be: guys’ preps, girls’ preps, a civil service, a Jewish blessing, an Indian ceremony then the wedding breakfast. Oh, and did I mention TWO drinks receptions? Just typing it is tiring.
In reality the shoot was never less the exhilarating. Madhavi and Harry were always brilliantly communicative with their ideas and the overall make-up of the day - and this is key - because the end result is always the sum of its parts. I feel the final selection really captures the atmosphere and emotion of these two wonderfully welcoming families simply having a ball!
Below are 100 shots, bigger than my usual posts, and these merely provide a taste of a terrific wedding with a very, very generous couple... I thank them greatly for asking me to be involved.
Click any thumbnail to enlarge...
From the archive... #19
Kids at a wedding: honest, unpredictable and always great value for a photographer.
This little fella was getting itchy pants awaiting the bride and simply wouldn't keep still. I hesitate to use the word 'stalk', but I did track him around the church in a weird game of 43 year old cat and 4 year old mouse. The old cat won...
This image is also a perfect example of where monochrome really brings more to a shot than colour. A bright background and low-light foreground emphasise contrast, and in this situation colour would soften the effect and lessen the moment.
Wedding photography at the St Pancras Renaissance
London boasts many grand locations. And while many have significant individual strengths like location, decor and history, I think The St Pancras Renaissance is one of very few in the UK capital to have it all.
I greatly value my position as an official supplier to the hotel; working there is always a delight. It’s also yielded some of my favourite wedding commissions over the last couple of years since the hotel opened after a lavish upgrade.
So, a great venue was in the bag. Now, enter Paula & Sam - and these guys are cool. Whenever we’d meet they would burst through the door, scooter helmets in hand, happily windswept and keen for a chat. From our first meeting on a freezing winter’s night, I knew these two would make great subjects.
Their day was an eclectic mix of personalities, fun, emotion and that oh-so-rare thing - laid-back formality. With everything wonderfully overseen by the events team at The Renaissance, the day zipped along at a pace with not one dull moment.
I’ll let Paula explain - how from their perspective - they felt it all went…
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“As soon as Sam and I met Mark we knew he was the right person to photograph our wedding day. Relaxed, warm and an exceptional listener, he instantly understood our brief and never tried to change our vision, rather offer support and work with our ideas.
We started the journey together and our subsequent meetings (always with a coffee and an exciting story to tell) were filled with enthusiasm and a comfort it was going to be okay on the day. His photography is incredible – a beautiful mix of formal, black & white and our favourite – capturing special poignant moments throughout the day...”
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In fact, for me this wedding had only one downside: suit envy. Now, I’m pretty sure Sam put his trust in Burberry on his wedding day. And I am therefore planning an intense spot of January sales shopping.
As usual here are only a handful of my personal memories as seen through the lens. Click any thumbnail to enlarge...
Through the lens... the media stampede
I lost count of how many txts I received that day. No, not invitations to dinner and drinks; it was because my face had popped-up on the lunchtime news - busily shooting in the background of the shot below. Fame at last. Sort of.
Early in 2013 I'd been shooting material with Sir Chris Hoy, Britain's Olympic track cycling hero and all-round terrific bloke. The commission, at The London Bike Show at Excel, was for Jaguar, with whom I was working closely. Jaguar does lots of really creative PR with Sir Chris on both their product range and via his involvement with The Jaguar Academy of Sport.
The day was rocking along nicely: the shots of the new Olympic kit were done, the press conference and Q&A went well and my set-ups with the snazzy new Jaguar Sportbrake were in the can. Then the TV teams went into overdrive. As they always do.
Sir Chris was ambushed on the way out and pushed for a quote on the unfolding Lance Armstrong doping scandal (Armstrong’s interview with Oprah had aired in US the night before). Of course, he didn't want to get involved, but the questions kept coming. Eventually he stated his position and left. Caught up in the TV camera scrum I was cornered behind Sir Chris. So I had only one option: to record the scene because you never know when these shots might be useful in the future.
Having got their sound bite, the media pack fled to the nearest wifi and things calmed down. But around about then my phone lit up with txts with friends complaining I'd ruined their lunch...
From the archive... #18
It's not just social media obsessed teens who love a good selfie! #grandma #fun