CRONDON PARK WEDDING

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This year, May has been my busiest month for weddings. I returned to a few of my favourite wedding venues as well as visited a handful of new places too. One of my favourite wedding venues is Crondon Park in Stock Essex, so I was thrilled to be back there in May for Natalie & Mark's wedding. The day started with bridal and groom preparations in Chelmsford in the company of their family and friends. After a beautiful ceremony at St Nicholas Church in Ingrave, we headed to Crondon Park for their wedding reception. Hats off to Reverend Canon Paul Hamilton for expertly doing something that no other Reverend has done in my company before - a post-ceremony selfie with the bride and groom! As one would expect for May, the day was scattered with sunshine and showers. But is didn't dampen the spirits of the day. Congratulations Mark and Natalie, and thanks for having me along for your day!

ESSEX GOLF AND COUNTRY CLUB WEDDING

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Back in May, I photographed Liam and Carrie's wedding at The Essex Golf and Country Club in Earls Colne in Colchester.

I started the day photographing the bridal preparations in Clacton-on-Sea and then headed to St Michael's Church in Colchester for the ceremony. There were tears, plenty of laughter, beautiful florals designed by Delicate Daisy, vintage details and a vintage ice cream van from Molly Moos Ices! Congratulations once again Liam and Carrie.

PORTUGAL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER

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This was an incredibly beautiful wedding in the hilltops of Portugal. On my 2015 wishlist has been to venture abroad for a wedding. Imagine my excitement when I was asked to second shoot Ross and Paola's wedding in Portugal earlier this year. So thank you to Ayojedi Johnson for taking me along for the adventure.

My job was to shadow Ross in the morning to cover the groom preparations as well as capture an alternative view of the day. I started the day in Lisbon with the groom and his welcoming friends and then we all headed north to their wedding venue. Casa de Reguengos is tucked up in the hills of Portugal, within a stunning rural and intimate location. It was a beautiful setting for Ross and Paola to celebrate with their close friends and family, many of whom had travelled across the world to attend.

Thank you to Ross and Paola for your generosity and making me feel so welcome. Congratulations once again.

PRINCE REGENT HOTEL WEDDING

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I headed to Chigwell for the Menzies Prince Regent Hotel Wedding of Sarah and Darrol in April. It's an Essex wedding venue that I have worked at many times over the last 3 years. 

I started the day with Sarah and her sister getting ready at the Hotel. Whilst my assistant Jay Anderson kept the groom company capturing lovely moments of Darrol spending time with his guests arriving. There were plenty of smiles, tears and laughter throughout the day. Sarah and Darrol's son proved that you are never too young to rock a bowtie! Here's a preview of their wedding story.

BOROUGH MARKET ENGAGEMENT SHOOT

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Over the weekend, I met up with Richard and Rebecca for their Borough Market Engagement Shoot.  They were this year's wedding floral and photography competition winner! Here's a preview of their shoot.

MERSEA ISLAND ENGAGEMENT SHOOT

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Today's feature is a Mersea Island Engagement Shoot. When I first met up with Richard and Michelle, they mentioned the idea of having their pre-wedding shoot by the sea. So I put my thinking cap on and researched a few areas along the Essex coast line that would be suitable. Essex has plenty of seaside towns. However, I was keen to pick one that was quiet and pretty. Mersea Island made a perfect location. We had to time the shoot well, as high tides twice a day separate Mersea from the rest of Essex. It had rained for most of the morning, which kept other visitors away. By the time I met Richard and Michelle in the afternoon, the beach was very quiet. There was a lovely comedy moment when a passing dog photobombed the shoot. Despite being a little cold, we were lucky as the rain held off for the duration of their Mersea Island Engagement Shoot. I'm looking forward to visiting again in the summer.

FLOWER GIRL - THE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTOGRAPH

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This year, I'll be taking some time out to reflect on my journey into wedding photography. Part of that will involve looking back over past weddings and as well as planning for the years ahead.  As part of this, I am going to share some of my favourite wedding photographs and explain why I love them so much.

As many of you know, I am very passionate about wedding photography. I strive to capture the emotive moments that are both public and discreet. For me, they are a critical part of story telling through the lens.

I thoroughly enjoy photographing bridal preparations. It's the first chapter in a wedding day. As the bride gets ready in the company of close friends and family, there is often a wonderful feel of nervous excitement in the air.

I love this photograph taken during the bridal preparations. It's what I describe as an in-between moment - taken outside of the formalities. The house was full as the bride, bridesmaids and page boys floated about getting ready. It was the turn of this little flowergirl to have her hair curled. She sat down in front of her mum, the bride, and patiently waited whilst her hair was done.

Her mum was so proud to see how beautiful her daughter looked, and whipped out her phone to take a quick shot. Seconds after, the flower girl got up and wandered out of the room.

It was a lovely moment. Very relaxed, both the flowergirl and bride where unaware that I was capturing it. I had to be quick to catch it. I made a split second decision on how I wanted to frame the shot. These precious moments are not staged and can't be repeated. Which is why I am always watching like a hawk!

The photograph was shot on Canon 5D MKIII with a 70-200mm f2.8 lens. The settings on the camera were ISO 1600, aperture f4 and shutter speed 1/200.

SHOREDITCH ENGAGEMENT SHOOT

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Today’s feature is a Shoreditch Engagement Shoot. During March, I met up with Lesha and Jordan for their Shoreditch Engagement Shoot in London’s East End. We had an early start to take advantage of the beautiful morning light. The streets are quieter at this time of day on a Sunday morning. I love the streets around Shoreditch. There are interesting backdrops around every corner, from colourful shop fronts to quirky graffiti street art.  Lesha brought a bagful of props, some of which we incorporated into the shoot.

Working alongside Louise James Photography, together we strolled through the streets in Shoreditch. Lesha and Jordan are getting married in August. They told us about their wedding plans so far. We couldn’t resist strolling into a few shops after the shoot too.  I was particularly drawn to the small independent furniture shops. Here’s a preview of Lesha and Jordan’s Shoreditch Engagement Shoot.

ENGAGEMENT SHOOT EPPING FOREST

/ Anesta Broad Photography/

I met up with Sarah and Darrol for their engagement shoot in Epping Forest Essex at the end of February. Epping Forest is a wonderful location for engagement shoots. We wandered through the forest towards one of the secluded lakes. It was very muddy as it had rained heavily the day before. However, we enjoyed the beautiful sunshine, which helped to take the edge off the cold weather. Here’s a preview of their shoot.

You can see a short film of stills from their shoot here .

HIGH WOODS ENGAGEMENT SHOOT

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Today’s featured blog is a High Woods Colchester Engagement Shoot. I met up with Carrie and Liam in High Woods Country Park in Colchester Essex for their pre-wedding shoot.

This was my first pre-wedding shoot of the year with one of my 2015 couples. The weather really wasn’t in our favour. High winds, rain, snow, sleet and more rain. It didn’t matter. Carrie and Liam didn’t let the weather get in the way. Afterall, the British climate is hardly predictable, and sometimes we just have to get on with whatever card we’ve been dealt!

We walked through the woods. Carrie and Liam talked me through the plans for their wedding. We are definitely going to have a great time when their day comes around in the Spring. Here’s a few of my favourite shots from their High Woods Colchester engagement shoot. Plus check out this short film of stills from the shoot .

OLD BROOK BARN WEDDING

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Today I have chosen to feature Sarah and Jodi’s Old Brook Barn wedding.

It was great to return to Brentwood Cathedral as it brought back memories from childhood having spent many school hours in there. However, this time I returned to photograph Sarah and Jodi’s wedding. After the service we headed to Old Brook Barn in Navestock which is a relatively new venue set in the Essex countryside.

Set in rural Essex countryside, Old Brook Barn is a beautiful converted barn split across two levels with a great elevated decking area. Admittedly, I have been looking forward to photographing a summer wedding at this venue.

Their wedding was full of personal touches and beautiful floral details.  The elegant bridesmaids dresses were made by Two Birds who have become known for their versatile wrap dresses.  The pretty sweet cart was provided by Chic Candy Boutique. Here’s a preview of Sarah and Jodi’s day. Check out the sparkly dance floor courtesy of Lovelight Entertainment. Thank you to Jay Anderson for second shooting.

RYE SUSSEX WEDDING

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On the blog today is the Rye Sussex Wedding of Catherine and Gareth featuring beautiful vintage pastels and rustic florals. We started the day in a local pub before strolling to Rye Town Hall for their ceremony. Afterwards we headed over to the family farm in Beckley East Sussex for their reception. Look out for the town crier who announced their marriage. 

CAMBERWELL LONDON WEDDING

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Today's blog feature is a preview of a Camberwell London Wedding.  Peter & Charlotte’s had an intimate wedding at Southwark Register Office followed by their wedding reception at The Crooked Well in Camberwell London. Informal, intimate, relaxed and fun was the theme of the day. Congratulations once again.

QUEENSBERRY WEDDING ALBUMS - LUXURY HANDMADE ALBUMS

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I waved goodbye to another beautiful Queensberry album this week as it was delivered to a client just in time for Christmas. It’s the wedding album of Kathleen and Martin who got married at the Prince Regent Hotel during the summer. Photographed and handmade with love and care. Queensberry are renowned for being the best album maker in the world. Made in New Zealand, they are luxurious both in look and feel. 

Queensberry albums all arrive in a presentation box

Queensberry albums all arrive in a presentation box

Albums are protected inside a velvet bag.

Albums are protected inside a velvet bag.

Queensberry offer a vast choice of album sizes, layouts and covers including luxurious leathers, linen and silks.

Queensberry offer a vast choice of album sizes, layouts and covers including luxurious leathers, linen and silks.

Martin and Kathleen chose a 12×12 Classic Matted album with a plum leather cover, mixing a selection of colour and black white images throughout. I love seeing my work in print. Whilst it is fine to have digital copies of images, it is no substitute for the love and care that goes into making an album, from the emotion that comes as pages are turned and fond memories evoked. Handing over a handmade album always puts a smile on my face.