Inshriach House Wedding || Scotland Wedding Photography
One from the archives of last summer at my favourite wedding venue in the country, Inshriach House... I'd actually had supper at Cristina's parents with Cristina and MP about 5 years previously (and now remember some serious after-dinner wii-hoola-hooping action) but funnily enough had completely forgotten about this until I turned up at the house on the morning of the wedding to photograph the bridal party getting ready.
Cristina and her bridesmaids got ready at the Aviemore house which her parents have lived in for years and I got plenty of shots of them in the garden with the cows in the fields looking on. They chose the pretty Loch Insh Church where Cristina's parents were married 23 years earlier.
Cristina wore a Caroline Castigliano dress with a black sash which was echoed in the bridesmaids dresses which they selected themselves, and teamed with some rather fabulous Christian Louboutin's.
I was reintroduced to them after their engagement by an old friend, Walter, who ownsInshriach; an Edwardian country house in the Cairngorms National Park where the reception was to be held. Cristina and MP were looking for a relaxed, informal local venue which would allow them to bring the Spanish influence of Cristina's family into the meal (Spanish gambas and local Scottish beef) as well as having an incredibly relaxed atmosphere. The groom's father was one of the designated carvers as joints of beef were served at table.
An (initially!) reluctant MP was pushed into performing the Spanish tradition of retrieving the bride's garter from her leg - with his teeth. After first going for the wrong leg he emerged triumphant.
"I saw Cristina walk across the room with a feather in her hair and knew she was the one". MP
One Devonshire Gardens Wedding Photography || Glasgow wedding photographer
I woke up to the heaviest rain last Sunday morning - the perils of shooting weddings in Scotland and not LA I suppose. Fortunately Lisa and Donnie had chosen to have their entire wedding within One Devonshire Gardens and so the need to dash from hotel to church to venue was avoided. I don't mind it being grey, in fact I think the Scottish light can be quite lovely and flattering but when it is literally bucketing down the best thing is to stay inside. Plus Lisa had to wear her dress again at their wedding party in a few weeks so I held back from thrusting an umbrella at her and suggesting we jump in puddles for 'creative effect'. I'm thinking of getting some pink wellies to give to brides to wear for future wet weather days. I usually suggest brides ensure they have a white parasol that matches their dress just in case. My favourite wedding accessories shop, Melle Cloche on Byres Road in Glasgow, have a lovely range. Lisa and Donnie had chosen to have a lovely intimate gathering of about 30 close friends and family but had put in such a lot of thought into all of the wonderful details. From the birdcage for guest messages, to the floral hankies to mop up any tears during the ceremony, the carefully prepared CD's as wedding favours and hand made and wrapped chocolates, the place was full of their personal touches. I have to confess to making a mental note of the style of the dress which is one of my recent favourites - a lucky find on ebay. The lovely flowers were by Sparrow and Rose.
Pimm's was served with wedding cake straight after the ceremony whilst I took Lisa and Donnie off for their couple shots around the hotel - they brought some great props with them.
They were such a cute couple - I always love listening to the speeches and hearing more about them from the viewpoint of their friends and families. It seems poor Donnie has had to suffer no small amount of ribbing for being the younger man, including receiving colouring books as birthday presents from amused friends but there was also huge pride at his achievement of a first at his recent graduation.
And then they were off to Thailand and as I write will now be sitting on a beach reminiscing about their fabulous day. I can't complain however as I am writing this from a gorgeously sunny Guernsey where I can see the sea from my window.
Lisa specifically requested a more 'vintage' look to the images which is why stylistically they are a little different to my usual look but I'm always happy to accommodate a bride's request.
Amy + Simon’s Wedding at Glasgow University Chapel and One Devonshire
You don’t get much grander wedding venues in Glasgow than the University Chapel – so much so that you are always guaranteed to have a gaggle of tourist to witness your wedding (and sometimes attempts to gatecrash).
I joined Amy and her bridesmaids at One Devonshire, which she had decked out beautifully with so many personal touches, from the flowers, to candy bar, homemade cup cakes and favours of lavender bags for the girls and chutney for the boys in dainty jars.
The service was punctuated with a musical rendition by Amy’s mother on piano and sister Lucy on cello instead of the usual readings. The sun came out long enough for me to take the close family into the university quad for group photos before we all headed back to One Devonshire Gardens (where I seem to have been rather a lot this month) for the reception.
In Simon's speech he mentioned that Amy just didn't seem to realise how pretty she was - I thought she was stunning and she was such a joy to photograph.
Melle Cloche Glasgow || Wedding Accessories Shop Glasgow || Willow Tea Rooms
My flat in Glasgow was just off the main West End shopping street of Byres Road (populated it seems, mostly by cupcake shops and vintage shops) and so I was quick to spot Melle Cloche’s arrival and was probably one of the first through the door to say hello. Melle Cloche is essentially a shop that sells everything wedding, except the dresses. Run by two sisters, it is like a sweet shop for brides, stocked with such delicacies as parasols, headpieces, vintage style jewellery, shoes, lingerie and veils. Inspired by their stock I was keen to do a vintage style shoot and with dresses provided by Circa Vintage in Glasgow I pulled together a shoot at the elegant Willow Tea rooms(designed by Charles Rennie Mackintosh) on Buchanan Street.
Our models Niahm and Misha were provided by Model Team, styling by Katy Nicholson, Make-up by Rachel Helena Imrie and hair by Alanna Lennox Coates.
You can see more of the images on Melle Cloche’s website and their marketing material.
Hannah + Danny’s Engagement Shoot in Edinburgh
I've just arrived back home in Surrey after a whirlwind of three weddings, two engagement shoots and a magazine shoot in Scotland. I'm working through the editing but seem to have started backwards with this shoot being the last one I did last night whilst it's fresh in my mind. Hannah went ahead and booked me for her wedding at Mar Hall before we had even met. When we did finally meet it was a fleeting coffee in a café in Glasgow after I had spent a very special night with friends on a Gullane Beach in Edinburgh. I had woken at 6am to the sound of the sea and a clear blue sky before hurrying back to Glasgow to meet Hannah.
So on Sunday afternoon I finally got a chance to spend a bit more time with Hannah and to also meet Danny. Despite Hannah having just come back from her hen weekend in Ely she looked gorgeous and fresh faced. Hannah and Danny are easily the youngest couple I’ve photographed at only 23 (they will be 24 when they marry next month) and I sighed over how lucky they were to have avoided 10 years of dating and uncertainty – and of course that they will look handsome and young in their wedding pictures (something I feel I have now missed the boat on!)
They took me down to Cramond Shore in Edinburgh where Danny proposed after setting a treasure hunt trail for Hannah. After a few wrong turns she followed the clues including an ipod message left with an ice cream seller, a boat named ‘Hannah’ and a Harry Potter-esq tree with sprawling exposed roots to find Danny waiting for her on a bench by the river with a ring and a bottle of champagne. We followed the route of the treasure hunt stopping for plenty of photos along the way. The sun even came out for a bit as they snuggled down into the grasses on the beach. Such perfect young love.
Model Team/Scot Campus behind the scenes
Over the last year or so Cathy at Model Team has been brilliant at letting me use the new models on her books for test shoots so I was more than happy to help out when she asked me if I would photograph the Fresher's Week winner of the Model Team & ScotCampus Magazine model search. This was the first opportunity I had to work with Alan Drummond who is going to be assisting me at a wedding at Glenskirlie House in a couple of weeks. He was fantastic to work with and I think we are going to make an awesome team at the wedding. He even took a few shots behind the scene at our shoot which I have borrowed as a sneak preview of the main shoot which I can show you once it's gone to print in Scot Campus Magazine...
All images by Alan Drummond.
Katherine Bryan video promo shoot
A few months ago my friend Scott Mackenzie at Mackenzie Films in Scotland asked if I would like to get involved in a promo shoot for Katherine Bryan who is an amazing flute player, and has been principal flute with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra since she was just 21. Her accolades and achievements are too many to mention here but it was a real pleasure working with her and the team. Make up was by Jacqui Connor. We shot at the beautiful Playfair Library in Edinburgh. Thanks to Mike Byrne for kindly lending me his backdrop (which just about fit in the back of a black cab). So I just received the link to the video and was slightly alarmed to see how heavily I feature - bit weird seeing myself at work, but a great piece of work from Scott. All stills are mine from the shoot on the day.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1jYduJBfq0&feature=youtu.be&hd=1]
Lucy Holland Smith || Handbag Designer
Lucy and I met at school in Somerset in our early teens and were friends for a few years before she moved away from our school. I have many happy memories of spending time at her lovely home. Unfortunately we lost touch and by the time she picked me up at her local station in the Cotswolds we calculated that it had been 17 years since we had last seen each other! We were soon reminiscing over tea and cake about school, people, her old cat Cherry Plum. Lucy is now a handbag designer and founder of Milo & Saint, and had me gushing over how gorgeous her bags are – they are all so very British in quality, style and even named after London streets. We took a few pics of Lucy then were quickly distracted by the love of her life her cat Woody…
The following images of some of Milo and Saint's handbags are taken from Lucy's website:
Travel Photography Morocco || Travel Photography Course
I get asked a lot how I got into photography and I was recently sorting through my files and found my first publication. It was a series of happenstances that has got me to this point but it was an idle idea about 4 years ago, at the height of the recession and when friends and family around me were all losing jobs, that the thought flashed through my head; if I get made redundant I'd like to be a photographer. I'd already signed up for a photography holiday in Morocco with Creative Escapes when the inevitable happened - my company had a massive downsizing and all the middle management were made redundant. I knew I should have been upset, but secretly I was thrilled. Although I really enjoyed my job as a marketing account director working on amazing brands such as Jack Daniel's, Lynx, New Look and Paramount, I just wasn't excited by it any more. However, despite being thrilled, initial money concerns made me worry that dashing off on an expensive photography holiday was probably not sensible. I tried to cancel or at least postpone and in response had an email from an old colleague and photographer, Colin, who was now teaching on the course, which persuaded me to go anyway. So, the trip was fantastic - better than I could ever have imagined. I learnt enough in those 10 days to skip a year of college, which was what I decided to do on my return, and met inspiring friends whose ongoing support has been invaluable (thanks Dawn).
As the icing on the cake, at the end of the trip we were asked to submit some of our pictures to support an article that a journalist had been writing about Morocco. I didn't get around to it but they found my pictures anyway and when I opened the PDF of the article I was stunned to see that one of my portraits had been used as the leader image (taken as a result of spending an entire day photographing the stinking chicken yard and sharing tea with the chicken men). And so that was the beginning. Since then there has been 2 years of college, awful waitressing jobs, endless unpaid photography work, many collaborative test shoots and now finally, feeling like I have made that fleeting thought a reality.
Wrest Park Engagement Shoot || Tara & Folarin
Despite the traffic attempting to stop this shoot before it started, and the threatening rain clouds, once Tara and Folarin turned up at Wrest Park in Bedfordshire on Saturday the sunshine burst through and so did their laughter (which didn't stop throughout the shoot!)
The gardens of Wrest Park only opened last Tuesday after being closed to the public for decades. With 90 acres to choose from there were loads of great locations and we took a walk through the gardens to take a few pictures for their engagement ahead of their wedding at the beginning of next month.
Oxford Oratory Wedding Photography || The Old Parsonage Wedding || Gee's Restaurant, Oxford Wedding
I haven't been to Oxford for about 5 years when I went for a weekend with Sebastian and stayed at the ex-prison that is now a swanky Malmaison. I went again this Saturday evening to step in and cover a job for my friend and fellow photographer Linda who had to go home to Italy. I haven't covered a wedding rehearsal before but it only served to make me soooo jealous that I wasn't covering the actual wedding when I saw how beautiful the Oxford Oratory was.
The rehearsal itself was pretty informal and then onto the hotel where Julie and her family were staying, the gorgeous hotel The Old Parsonage. Julie and Neil borrowed some of their bikes to pose with.
The party moved onto Gee's restaurant and was mainly an American contingent with Neil and Julie being New Yorkers, entertainment came from 'Piano Man Tim' who they found busking on the street the week before. It was a gorgeous event to photograph - the evening was perfect, the locations beautiful and the couple (as you can see from the pictures), utterly smiley and photogenic. I'm sure their wedding day was wonderful.
Portrait Project One: Kunle
Over the summer I undertook a personal portrait project. On the back of my own transition from a career in marketing into a more creative world I was intrigued to explore some of the more creative people amongst my friends. I was fascinated by their working environments and the spaces which inspired their work. It was a fabulous journey of discovery, as well as a delightful opportunity to hang out with some of my nearest and dearest plus get to know some more casual acquaintances better. All were wonderfully hospitable and patient with me. I thought rather than do one post about all of them I would pick out a few and highlight the amazing creativity they have. Today I’m going to talk about L. Adekunle Salami. One of the reasons I love London is that you never know where you might end up of an evening. A few months ago I was passing through London and was finally able to take up frequent invitation from my friend Richard to attend a poetry night that he DJ’d at in Camden called Beat (Jack Kerouac introduced the phrase "Beat Generation" in 1948 to characterize a perceived underground, anti-conformist youth movement in New York). So I found myself on the streets of Camden on a warm evening in a pub, Charlie Wrights, that from all outward appearances seemed to be shut, but no, inside was a handful of poets and faithful followers (not numbering more than the poets) and after a wait to ensure that everyone had turned up the first poet took the stage (more of a mini platform).
From a psychiatric nurse drawing on her experiences to another poet talking about a bi-polar bear, angst and psychiatric illness were frequently delivered through humour. The venue seemed entirely appropriate; dark, dingy, with squashy sofas to sink down into clutching cheap wine. Kunle came on last and played 'She said sorry'. Just his voice, his harmonica and his guitar in the darkness and his words sent chills down my spine and I desperately wanted to photograph him. We met up a couple of weeks later, strolled down the embankment, drank whisky in Soho at 11am and ended up in the basement of a music shop on Denmark Street.
Mar Hall
I always like to check out a venue in advance of a wedding, to ensure that I have a chance to meet with the wedding coordinator and look at all the best locations for the bride and groom shoot to speed up the process on the day.
I have a wedding coming up at the beginning of October with Hannah and Danny at Mar Hall in Glasgow and so jumped at the chance to do a test shoot with my friend Sam. She works as a model (she is in some of the pictures below), stylist and her mum makes beautiful headpieces which feature in the shoot. The hair and make-up was done by Natasha Dardas. It was the first time I had worked with Natasha and I was so impressed with her work - I'm looking forward to collaborating with her next week on a shoot for Model Team.
It was a pretty blustery day so we shot mainly inside but now I can't wait to shoot Hannah and Danny's wedding - it's going to be gorgeous (weather permitting - and Glasgow in October can do anything!)
Mark & Gemma's Ibiza Wedding
I had the pleasure of photographing at Mark and Gemma's Ibizan wedding back in June. They met there one evening in Pacha nearly five years ago and knew immediately that they had met the one. A courtship followed with a commute between Gemma in Wales and Mark in Surrey until they moved into a flat in Notting Hill a few years later. After an engagement in Cuba, Ibiza was decided upon as the only proper venue, and 50 friends and family gathered for a weekend long celebration. The wedding itself was held in the evening at The Amante Beach Club, set in one of the most beautiful coves in Ibiza. Overlooking the Sol D'en Serra bay the resort is surrounded by dramatic rocks and lush greenery. The guest seating was laid out overlooking the sea and Gemma made her entrance down the steps wearing a beautiful Jenny Packham gown and beige Jimmy Choo heels.
Gemma had thought of every little detail and the whole day was utterly beautiful and elegant. It was truly wonderful to watch the sun setting over the mediterranean sea as the party continued into the evening.
Beautiful new albums!
I'm really excited because I've just put in an order for a sample copy of one of these gorgeous art albums from Folio Albums.
Not only do they have impeccable green credentials, they give images a vibrancy and clarity that traditional photographic prints can't match as they are printed on fine art paper. Hand bound and encased in natural leather they open out flat with an almost invisible crease so that each image is beautifully showcased. All of the albums are square and either 10"x10" or 12"x12" with a range of leathers. They all come in a cosy little bag and box, and smaller companion albums covered in fabric can be ordered at the same time. I also offer a range of photobooks and albums to suit all tastes and budgets.
Here are a couple of spreads from Rachel and Simon's Norfolk wedding:
