Emma and Mark's wedding was nice and local for me - just up the road in Guildford. I first met them at the Surrey Wedding Show at the Mandolay Hotel last February, and that's where they got ready and the reception was held.
It's always a pleasure to photograph weddings at Artington House in Guildford. The registrars and staff there are always very friendly and helpful. Artington House is only an eight-minute drive from me so no stressful journeys are involved!
Now this was a fun party to photograph - for Tom's 50th birthday celebrations his wife Libby had asked everyone to come in fancy dress to match the party's James Bond theme. Some got into the spirit more than others, but there were some very creative costumes...At least two Blofelds (complete with white cat), a scuba diver from "Thunderball", a gold-clad Shirley Eaton lookalike from "Goldfinger", a very creative Octopussy, and a scarily realistic "Jaws" from "The Spy Who Loved Me". And the birthday boy came as Commander James Bond RNVR (who else?)
When one of your children moves to the other side of the world for a while it’s a big deal for most families – and Lindsay Dobson decided to seize the opportunity to have some family photos done before her daughter Robyn left for Australia. (more…)
Rugby League | Surrey Sharks vs Weald Warriors
Yesterday I drove down to Surrey Sports Park in Guildford to shoot some pictures of the semi-final Rugby League match in the 2015 London Cup between local team Surrey Sharks and Weald Warriors. As you’ll see from the photos, it was a fiercely-contested and somewhat bruising match…
Guildford Cathedral wedding | Charlotte & Tom
Charlotte & Tom’s wedding was a great mix of the grand and the relaxed. They got married in the splendid surroundings of the Lady Chapel in Guildford Cathedral, then their reception was a chilled-out family affair at The Stag on the River in Eashing. (more…)
Guildford wedding photography Manor House Hotel | Tammy & James
This was a nice local wedding for me – Tammy and James were married at St. Luke’s Church in Burpham, and their reception was held at the Manor House Hotel Guildford, Newlands Corner. Tammy got ready at the Manor House as well, so that’s where I started the day with some photos there before heading down the hill to St. Luke’s for the service.
St Peter’s Guildford | Joseph’s Christening
As a bit of a change from photographing weddings, last Sunday I had the pleasure of photographing Joseph’s christening at St. Peter’s Church in Bellfields, Guildford. It was a bright (and breezy) spring day, and family and friends turned out in force to welcome Joseph to the church.
Guildford engagement shoot | Charlotte & Tom
On of the things I like to arrange with my wedding couples is to do a quick pre-wedding practice photo shoot – it gives them a chance to dispel any nerves they might feel about being in front of the camera before the big day, and I get to know them better and find out their likes and dislikes, photographically speaking. It only takes 40 minutes or so, and is usually good fun! (more…)
Guildford Castle wedding photos | Ewelina & Spencer
Sometimes I am booked by clients months, even years in advance, sometimes I get a call at the last minute – either way I am happy to help – so when Spencer called me to see if I could photograph his Guildford wedding to Ewelina in a couple of days’ time I said “Sure, no problem!”.
The ceremony took place at Guildford Register Office on Portsmouth Road, with close family and friends in attendance. We took a few photos in the garden at the Register Office then drove back into Guildford and headed for the grounds of Guildford Castle… (more…)
Manor House Hotel wedding photography| Donna & Darren’s wedding
Many congratulations to Donna and Darren who tied the knot in a civil ceremony at one of my favourite local venues, the Manor House Hotel at Newlands Corner, Guildford.
Donna planned an outdoor ceremony, but on the morning of the wedding the clouds were looming, so it seemed as if the ceremony would have to be moved back indoors. But Donna’s intuition prevailed and she was proved right. When 3pm came around the sun was shining and the wedding was able to go ahead as planned under the gazebo in the gardens.
I arrived an hour or so before the ceremony to photograph Donna and the girls getting ready. Darren like most grooms was a bit more camera-shy but I managed to get a few photos of him and the guests before the ceremony got under way.
Manor House Hotel wedding Maria & Chris
Chris and Maria’s wedding at the Manor House Hotel, Newlands Corner, Guildford was a relaxed and intimate occasion – just close family and friends, a civil wedding, and drinks and a meal afterwards. I’m just as happy photographing a low-key celebration like Maria & Chris’s as a big “do” in a London hotel with hundreds of guests. It’s usually easier to get to know everybody as well which always helps when taking pictures. (more…)
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…)
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…)
Richard and Dawn’s wedding at Guildford Register Office was a small family affair, nice and simple and straightforward. The weather was kind to us when we went outside after the civil ceremony to do some photos in the grounds of Artington House. (more…)
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.
At last, some sunshine! It seems like we've had nothing but rain for weeks - but when I met S and J (they've asked me to use their initials for privacy reasons) in the grounds of Guildford Castle last Sunday morning the weather was kind and we had the sun peeking through the clouds at least some of the time!