Alternative gift list

I know the gift list for weddings can be a real headache - do you have a list at John Lewis, what do you ask for - is it obligatory to have whiskey glasses?? Do you really want them or are you trying to help out your guests who are in an equal quagmire of uncertainty over what to get...It got me to thinking - there are some fabulous things out there that just need shouting about which could be the best gifts ever! Things that are unique, beautiful and real treasures that you can love forever. So, here are a couple of ideas:

Chris is a friend and an amazing pencil artist. He's exhibited all over the UK and his drawings are intricate, evocative works of art. He specialises in drawing animals, both the domestic kind and those in the wild...working for Born Free means he usually has a story to tell behind his drawings, like Bella the lioness he rescued. Check out his website and see what else he's been up to...by the way he donates a percentage of sales to Born Free too!

My dad is an exceptional woodworker and upholsterer, and specialises in restoring antiques. He is a wealth of knowledge on pretty much anything to do with architecture, art and antiques in any period, and is amazingly talented in both restoring and recreating pieces. At the moment he has Chippendale style mirrors made out of old elm beautifully hand crafted for sale at £49 a pop - how good is that! He also has other antiques for sale - if you're interested in buying a mirror or want more info on what he has at the moment please contact me.

This one is work in progress...

Trash the Dress/Rock the Frock (part four)

Ok, this is going to be the last blog entry for the photoshoot with Miranda (see the entries below for earlier blogs about the photoshoot)...watch out for the other photographs I took with the equally gorgeous Rebecca which I'll be posting in the next couple of weeks (had to split them as you can obviously see I have far to much to say on each location and photo)!

So, the sun had set and it was a question of dashing to the next place I had in mind before it got dark...

This was a great location - I spied it on my search for good locations and had lots of fun changing the exposures, and using it as an outside studio (you'll have to wait for Rebecca's pics to find out what else we did)....Here I used the umbrella as a reflector so that Miranda's face was lit up.

I love this picture - it represents what I wanted the photoshoot to feel like - fairytale magic! Miranda is holding the mirror I mentioned in the last blog (its not a rattle!).

I am inspired by lots of photographers and this was a shot that I think maybe, just maybe looks a tiny bit like the magic of Ben Chrisman - a wedding photographer in America...Love the bright pink lights, the cars creating a sense of speed and abstractness with Miranda framed in the middle.

The final shot - although I was waiting for everything to come together I reckon I was a bit lucky that it all did! This is a really busy road in London, and between me trying not to get Miranda run over or me run over, to keep the cars out of the frame but to use their headlights as a spotlight on Miranda was perhaps asking too much...somehow it happened though!

Finally big thank you to my beautiful brides Miranda and Rebecca (who you'll meet in a couple of weeks), Ruth the hair and make-up artist, and Marilyn at Sarah Ashley florists for your hard work, patience in the cold, sense of fun and all being totally brilliant!

Trash the Dress/Rock the Frock (part three)

Next up a photoshoot idea I have had for ages. It all started with bright pink fairytale hand-held mirror that I bought which gave me the idea for this...rock with a bit of fun, fairytale magic...hummm does that make sense?! Anyway, Ruth sourced the perfect matching shade of pink for Miranda's lips and Marilyn from Sarah Ashley created the mix of pink gerberas with little dusty pink flowers poking up between making it look natural, and finished with ferns...the look was completed with some heart glassed and a bit of graffiti!!

Some technical details for the photographers - I didnt use a flash, instead I had a Canon 5D MarkII with a Canon 28-70 L series lens...great for this type of location where you dont want a flash (do you ever?) but need to get some crisp, colourful shots in a dark location with the sun setting...The lens is fast, the body has a fab range on the ISO and the canon sensor loves the colour.

I love this shot! It was getting cold and we had been shooting for a little bit - I just managed to capture Miranda biting her lip. Fab.

This shot really came together, its so dramatic and direct, inviting you into the picture. Miranda was incredible, and with the fan and her tiara (both of which she used for her own wedding), and the background, I think this is magical.

I had to pluck up the courage to ask the skater boys that use the area if we could do a quick shoot...Thankfully they were great in clearing some space and ended up watching...think they may have fallen in love with Miranda too...

OK, I seem to be making this the biggest entry to my blog ever, so have decided to leave the last two locations for next time...think big urban brightly lit landscapes, cars, night-time and big screens (hopefully whetted your appetite)!

Trash the Dress/Rock the Frock (part two)

After the shoot in the park (see the blog below) we had a quick pit-stop for food and make-up retouching before heading out to the urban location (if you know London I'm sure you can spy where we were!)....This is where the fun really started - the freedom of being able to shoot and direct the shot and create some really different photographs for my brides is what I was after. Once again hair and makeup were done by Ruth and flowers by Sarah Ashley.....

First up, the most brilliant blue stairwell with angles, directional light and a very graphic feel...there was also the added challenge of the unsuspecting public using the stairs and coming face to face with a bride - the reactions were fab, and my ever brilliant bride took it in her stride.

Trash the Dress/Rock the Frock

I could hear their voices before the knocking on the door - laughing and excitedly chatting in they burst with two huge bags (as well as quite a few other smaller ones) and through into the living room which had turned into a hair-dressers/make-up room for the morning. Muffins were fresh out of the oven, coffee was made and Ruth had the heated rollers at the ready.

Today I was photographing a "trash the dress" (although it was more a "rock the frock") photoshoot with two amazing brides. The professional hair and make-up artist was the lovely Ruth and we had flowers from Sarah Ashley - which were totally gorgeous and better than I could have imagined when trying to explain what I was after.

A photoshoot like this is always fab...not only does it give you a chance to legitimately wear your dress again, but it is so much fun. You're not thinking of whether everything is going ok or having a million people to chat to which you do on your wedding day. It's also a chance to take some more fashion-shoot style photographs, and to really rock that dress!

Here are a few shots of the beautiful Miranda in the first location we went to. Tomorrow's post will have photographs from the second location....and the photos from my other equally gorgeous bride will be posted in a week or so. Stay tuned.

Max and Si's wedding

So, I was going to blog some of my fave photographs from last year's weddings...and whilst choosing one from Maxine and Simon's I realised I just had to dedicate the whole blog to their wedding...They are two of the sweetest people ever - Maxine is so considerate and kept asking if I was OK on her wedding day!...the guide notes to the ushers (which I had a peek at when on the bus to the reception) instructed them to make sure everyone was having a good time and drinking the drink - pretty laid back and fun loving, no?

Si and Max were lucky enough to have their ceremony in Magdalene College Chapel in Oxford. The candles were lit specially which made it look even more magical.

After the ceremony and the group shots Max, Si and I went for a little walk in the grounds - always recommend a few moments alone, and a chance to get some more formal shots which at the end of the day everyone always need...The sun came out (yeay) which meant I could get this shot of Maxine and her dress (from Stephaine Allin) with the sun shining through it. By the way, this was one of the most fabulous dresses ever - with a bustle and lots of lace...yum..

I love this shot - it was during the speeches when I spotted him playing with a puzzle toy, sitting on mum's lap, oblivious to what was going on around him. The light came together in the shot which makes it all the more 3d - with the candles and blue-ish tinge from the overhead lights.

Some more lights...this time outside the Tythe Barn, Bicester where Max and Si held their reception. Love the dramatic colour of the lights!! Did I mention how critical lighting is??!!

It was such a fab wedding I shot well into the night and ended up missing the last train home and having to go by night bus..oops...I love my job.

Norfolk photoshoot

One very hot day this summer I found myself up at the crack of dawn on a Saturday morning. London was still sleeping and the roads empty as we left the city for the clean slightly salty sea air and lush fields of Norfolk. As the roads got smaller and the grass on either side got longer, we arrived at a beautiful white house - getting out of the car we were greeted by the sound of a tractor mowing in a nearby field and the smell of cooking.

I had been invited to photograph a family get together as a birthday present for mum Sue. I had met most of the family before when one of my most lovelist of friends got married a couple of years ago, and it was with genuine warmth and joy that they all welcomed me to spend the afternoon with them....and by doing so, made my job easy in capturing the laughter and happiness of the day. It was such a privilege and such fun to do...here are a few pictures...