"I'm also sure I overheard one of the service staff suggesting he should just have water - because he'll easily be able to turn it into wine..."
Read moreWedding photography at Kew Gardens...
"This church has a truly fantastic heritage. It is said that flames from London’s Great Fire of 1666 came with 100 meters of the building before the wind changed direction..."
Read moreThe St Pancras Wedding Journey...
"The hotel was prepared with fantastic wedding detail and prospective wedding clients were shown around, bubbly in-hand..."
Read moreWedding photography at The Dorchester...
"Shooting a small wedding party is always enjoyable, but it was a real thrill be spend some time in the top floor penthouse suite at The Dorchester..."
Read moreFrom the archive... #25
"Out of the taxi we hopped, to be met with an empty road. Quite amazing. I have never, ever seen a bridge in London appear to clear of traffic, seemingly on-demand..."
Read moreWedding photography at the St Pancras Renaissance...
"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...