Box Hill Engagement Shoot | Gemma & Simon
Last Sunday I drove up to the top of Box Hill (near Dorking, Surrey) for an engagement shoot with Gemma and Simon. I’m looking forward to photographing their wedding later this year at Mickleham Church and Burford Bridge Hotel.
As it was a very sunny spring day it took me quite a while to drive up to the top – thanks to the hordes of cyclists enjoying the warm weather and emulating Chris Froome by climbing the hill! Box Hill forms part of the Prudential Ride London-Surrey Classic professional cycle race in July each year. It was also on the route for the 2012 Olympic Cycle Road race.
Anyway, having dodged the cyclists (!) we wandered along some of the pathways on the hilltop to find some locations to shoot. As it was very bright and quite hot (by UK standards) I looked for areas of shade whenever possible, or places where I could position Simon and Gemma with their backs to the sun so they didn’t have to squint! I used my flash to fill in the shadows on some of the shots.
The idea of an “engagement shoot” is to give my couples some practice at being in front of the camera before the wedding day. I find this helps them feel more comfortable about being photographed on the big day itself. It also gives me a chance to get to know them and find out their likes and dislikes where photography is concerned.
Gemma and Simon were pretty relaxed already so we were able to get a good variety of shots. The whole shoot took about forty minutes, and we ended up near the Salomon’s Memorial where there is a fantastic view to the south across Dorking and the Surrey Hills towards the South Downs.
Anyway that’s enough chat from me – here’s a selection of photos from the shoot…
If you’re getting married soon and would like to have an engagement shoot (or just a portrait session at a great location like this one), please do get in touch.
Box Hill Engagement Shoot | Gemma & Simon
