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Read more about the article Family portrait session in Guildford

Family portrait session in Guildford

Last week I got together with the Brown family for a family portrait session at their home. The weather wasn’t great so we did most of the shoot indoors – which is fine with me and can work better with young kids as everything is familiar.

Earlier in the year dad Euan’s sister Ellie had organized a photo session with me as a birthday gift for him (which is a great idea by the way if you are stuck for something to give a family member this Christmas!). However they wanted to wait until baby Hannah was a bit older before having the photo shoot, so we did the session last week rather than at the time of Euan’s birthday… (more…)

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Read more about the article Hartsfield Manor wedding – Liz and Jonathan

Hartsfield Manor wedding – Liz and Jonathan

Hartsfield Manor is a great place to have a wedding. Tucked away in the Surrey countryside, this elegant manor house makes it easy for everyone to relax and have an enjoyable time, with everything under one roof.

Liz and Jonathan did just that – with a happy bunch of family and friends to help them celebrate. After the civil ceremony everyone congregated on the terrace for drinks. After the family group photos I took Jonathan and Liz off to photograph them with the amazing autumn colours in the grounds of the manor…

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Read more about the article Justine & Ray’s wedding at St Lawrence Effingham & Woodlands Park Hotel

Justine & Ray’s wedding at St Lawrence Effingham & Woodlands Park Hotel

What’s the most important thing at a wedding?

Not the venue, the church, the flowers, the food (or even the photographer!) – but having all your family and friends with you to help celebrate the day. And that’s exactly what Justine and Ray had – parents, siblings, kids, cousins, nieces and nephews… and as a result it was a brilliant day.

The weather was being “British”, of course, but that didn’t matter – we were able to do some group photos outside the church and a few more at Woodlands Park, Surrey – and then we continued indoors with photos of the bride and groom. No problem! (more…)

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Read more about the article Aviator Hotel wedding Farnborough

Aviator Hotel wedding Farnborough

Aviator Hotel Wedding Farnborough

I’ve photographed at lots of venues ranging from English country houses to London hotels to French mountain chapels to Caribbean beaches, but I don’t think I’ve ever shot a wedding at a venue quite like The Aviator Hotel in Farnborough, Hampshire.

Both inside and outside it has sweeping curves that seem to be both ultra-modern and have a touch of Thirties glamour as well.

Anyway it was the perfect location for S and J’s wedding (they’ve asked me to use their initials for privacy reasons).

S’s fabulous dress picked up the black and white colour scheme too. And with family and friends flying in from as far afield as Australia and the Middle East it was a suitably international affair. Plus I should give a big round of applause to S and J for their dancing skills – they had invested a lot of time and effort into learning a really skilful choreographed first dance, and it was a huge hit!

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Read more about the article Back in time on the Bluebell Railway

Back in time on the Bluebell Railway

When you live in an area that has lots of tourist attractions (I am less than an hour from London, and Surrey Kent and Sussex have plenty of stately homes and historic castles) it’s odd how you don’t tend to visit them unless you have friends come to visit!

I haven’t been to the Bluebell Railway since I was a child, which is more years ago than I care to mention, but yesterday it seemed like a good place to take some Canadian friends who were over for a visit. We had a great time – riding slowly on a steam-hauled special through the countryside, and exploring the old station and engine sheds at Sheffield Park. (more…)

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Read more about the article Lost Memories in the Digital World?

Lost Memories in the Digital World?

Everybody shoots with digital cameras these days – almost everyone has a phone with a camera in it, and usually a digital compact or SLR for capturing family events – and most professionals use digital too.

It’s convenient, efficient, flexible, and immediate – and lets you take lots more pictures than we did in the “bad old days” of film.

But what do most of us actually do with those digital files? Anything? (more…)

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Read more about the article 2012 Tour of Britain pro cycle race came through our village!

2012 Tour of Britain pro cycle race came through our village!

The last stage of this year’s Tour of Britain professional cycle race came through our village of Wonersh today – twice in fact (once on the outskirts and then, on the second loop around Surrey, through the village itself) – so of course I had to go and get some photos. The stage itself ran from Reigate to Guildford, taking in two loops around the Surrey countryside.

The Tour of Britain is not quite such a big deal as the Tour de France (it only lasts one week instead of three) – but it still attracts some big names – this year both World Champion Mark Cavendish and Olympic time-trial gold medallist Bradley Wiggins competed (though Wiggins unfortunately wasn’t riding today as he was forced to drop out of the race a few days ago due to illness).

Lots of people turned out to watch the race and it was great to see such a big sporting event so close to home – I only had to walk about 150 yards to watch the action! (more…)

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Read more about the article Ken and Ann’s Golden Wedding

Ken and Ann’s Golden Wedding

Last weekend I drove down to the New Forest to photograph the celebrations for Ken and Ann’s 50th wedding anniversary. They were a bit startled to see me at first I think, as the photo coverage had been organised as a surprise gift from their children Victoria and Simon… But they took it all in their stride, fortunately!

We started with some posed family pictures in the garden, and then I switched into documentary mode to cover the party and the speeches that followed… (more…)

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Read more about the article Knepp Castle Horsham wedding photos – Juliette & Howard

Knepp Castle Horsham wedding photos – Juliette & Howard

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to shoot alongside my good friend Ian Johnson, covering Jules and Howie’s wedding celebration in the grounds of Knepp Castle near Horsham. I call it a “wedding celebration” as they had already done the legal stuff at the Register Office – this was a celebration officiated by one of their close friends, followed by a party in a teepee-shaped marquee, all presented in their own very personal style.

It was one of the most relaxed and fun events I’ve photographed – the couple had clearly put a lot of effort into ensuring everyone had a great time – from the hog roast to the ice cream cart, to the vintage DJ mixing 78 rpm records, to the picture frames hanging in the trees for guests to get photographed in! (more…)

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Read more about the article Liz & Jonathan’s engagement shoot

Liz & Jonathan’s engagement shoot

I know I always talk about the weather when I post photos, but when you shoot outdoors most of the time as I do it’s an important topic! 🙂

Last Wednesday Liz and Jonathan came over to chat about their wedding day plans (they’re getting married at Hartsfield Manor in October) and we took the opportunity to do a quick “engagement” shoot just around the corner on Church Green here in Wonersh. I was hoping for a bit of sunshine, as there’s been some around from time to time this past week, but no such luck – in fact we had to dodge the drizzle at the beginning of our session!

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Read more about the article Sharon & Mark’s Guildford Registry Office Wedding

Sharon & Mark’s Guildford Registry Office Wedding

One of the things that’s fun about photographing weddings is that they come in all shapes and sizes – some are grand affairs with guests numbered in the hundreds, some are low-key, intimate family affairs, like Sharon and Mark’s wedding at Guildford Registry Office.

Everybody was relaxed and happy and the whole thing went off without a hitch – if you don’t count the occasional rain shower which has been such a feature of our summer this year!

After the ceremony we drove to Godalming and took some pictures down by the river Wey, before the wedding breakfast at “Bel & the Dragon”, in the old church on Bridge Street.

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Read more about the article London 2012 Olympic Cycling Men’s Road Race

London 2012 Olympic Cycling Men’s Road Race

Well it would be silly not to… when the Olympic cycle race passes by less than 6 miles from your home, it’s a must-watch – especially when Team GB had a good chance of medals!

So on Saturday morning I put my Canon 1D and a couple of lenses in my backpack, jumped on the mountain bike, and headed through the leafy villages of Chilworth and Albury to the A25 just outside Gomshall… (more…)

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Read more about the article Lucie & Andrea – wedding photography at The Landmark London

Lucie & Andrea – wedding photography at The Landmark London

There were double celebrations on Sunday June 3rd this year – not only was the Queen celebrating her Golden Jubilee with a river pageant on the Thames, but also Lucie and Andrea were married at The Landmark Hotel in Marylebone!

We certainly had a much more comfortable time at the wedding, as some very unseasonal rain and wind made it a bit of an endurance test for those watching the pageant down by the river.

Lucie and Andrea’s wedding ceremony brought together both Jewish and Humanist elements, reflecting the traditions of both families – it was a great combination. After the ceremony, and giving the happy couple a chance to mingle with their guests for a while, we did family group photos and then some shots with the bride and groom on their own, all in the classical and elegant surroundings of the Landmark Hotel. (more…)

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Read more about the article La Samanna resort in St. Martin, French West Indies

La Samanna resort in St. Martin, French West Indies

Last week I flew out to the Caribbean island of Saint Martin, to shoot a corporate video for an American company at the five-star resort of La Samanna, on Baie Longue on the French side of the island (St. Martin is shared between the Dutch and French – the northern part being under French jurisdiction while the southern side – known as “Sint Maarten” – is Dutch).

It was a fun assignment, although there wasn’t much time for admiring the scenery, especially as I had to edit the video on the spot ready to show at the company’s gala dinner on the final evening.

However, I did manage to find time on Friday morning to take a few photos of the resort before heading to the airport for the flights back home… (more…)

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