Wedding photography can be really stressful but it is also immensely rewarding. It is a huge honour to be involved in such an important and intimate day. As a consequence, I think I get as nervous and excited as the bride. But nerves are a good thing for photographers. They make us alert and quick so we don’t miss a thing.
One of my favourite moments of the day, is just before the bride leaves for the church. This quiet before the storm is the perfect time to take a beautiful portrait of the bride. I took this portrait of Rose, in a Stuart Parvin wedding dress, holding a Tattie Rose bouquet, in a north facing drawing room. I find north facing light softer and leaves lovely dark backdrops. The result is a timeless stunning portrait of a bride, bursting with anticipation and excitement of the day ahead. The epitome of beauty.
Whilst I photograph the whole day in colour, I invariably convert all my favourite portraits of the bride and groom into black and white. I feel this captures the romance and mood of the day so much more effectively.
Please do visit my wedding gallery to see more examples of my wedding photography. If you are interested in me photographing your wedding, please do email me with your date, location of the ceremony & reception, timings, and approximate number of guests so I can send you a bespoke quote. Or, if easier, you can call me on 07815 750 141 to discuss your day in more details. I’m based in Dorset but travel throughout the country, photographing weddings regularly in Wiltshire, Hampshire, Berkshire, London, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and further afield too.
This portrait is from a children and family photoshoot I did last summer (2020) in Motcombe, Dorset. I can’t wait to get back out and do more children and family shoots again, I really miss them. I’m all the more excited as to try out my new and utterly amazing Canon Mirrorless camera system and lenses.
Every parent loves a portrait of their children together. Whilst many of my favourite images result from spontaneity, a more ‘staged’ approach is sometimes the best way to capture four children and their dogs. I found the father’s landrover to be the perfect rural backdrop for this portrait. I love its informality and the way the door frames the siblings. It also will remind them of their childhood trips. There is something so special about a landrover. Rather like a VW campervan epitomises festivals and young travellers, landrovers are about family country life. I love to incorporate animals in my children and family photoshoots. They not only keep everyone more relaxed, they often also add spontaneity to the portrait.
Children and family bookings are flowing in for this summer so if you are interested in booking a family or children photoshoot, please do get in touch. I’m based in Dorset but happy to travel all over the country. I’m regularly in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Berkshire, London, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Do also look at some more examples of my children,teen and family photography to give you a more extensive feel of my style of children and family photography.
This is a candid portrait from a children photoshoot near Burford in Gloucestershire. It also reminds me of the fun we had that day. We bounced on beds, played hide & seek in the laundry basket and cupboards, choo chooed trains along their train track etc. And we did all this before we went outside for more games and a lovely walk. I took this photo during a game of ‘I spy with my little binoculars’. It makes me laugh out loud every time I look at it. Perhaps because of the way the younger brother is holding his binoculars in a closed position. No idea what he saw through them. But that didn’t matter as he was pretending to be as grown up as his big brother!
I also take beautiful and timeless portraits of the children together and apart during the shoot. But these candid portraits capture the essence of their personalities. They also create lasting timeless memories of what they loved to do in the home they grew up in. And they are often the ones I love the most as they are so rich in nostalgia.
Our childhood memories are often the most mundane – lying on a favourite sofa with the dog, playing lego, hiding behind our parents’ bedroom curtains, reading a book with mummy, helping Daddy in the garden. So when I’m taking photos at your home, I love to photograph your children both indoors and outside. I often prefer inside light for portraiture, especially on a sunny day. So don’t worry if it’s raining. We can still capture so many wonderful memories inside and there is almost always a dry spell when we can get outside and splash in puddles!
If you are interested in booking a family or children photoshoot, please do get in touch. I’m based in Dorset but happy to travel all over the country – I’m regularly in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Berkshire, London, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Do also look at some more examples of my children and family photography to give you a more extensive feel of my style of portrait photography.
Whilst I’m a Dorset based portrait and wedding photographer, I still get to travel all round the UK to capture stunning wedding photographs. This images is from a family with four daughters near Peterborough in Hertfordshire. Sadly I didn’t know them when the eldest was married, but I went on to photograph the next three daughters. Each of whom were as stunning and lovely as each other. It’s a true privilege to photograph to photograph such an intimate and important day in someone’s life. And even more special to return to the same wonderful family three times. I look forward to photographing all their delightful children in due course!
This image is of their 3rd daughter’s wedding. It is is one of my favourite angles to capture at a wedding. I love the way light streams through the flowers on the arch providing a paradisiacal garden to frame the bride and groom. Whilst this photo worked well in colour too, I prefer black and white portraits of the bride and groom. They capture the mood, intimacy and romance of the day so much better than colour. I hope you like this as much as I do.
Please do visit my wedding gallery to see more examples of my wedding photography. If you are interested in me photographing your wedding day, please email me with your date, location of the ceremony & reception, timings, and approximate number of guests so I can send you a bespoke quote. Or, if easier, you can call me on 07815 750 141 to discuss your day in more details.
I took this photo during one the speeches at a Dorset wedding. It’s one of my favourite parts of the wedding day. They are charged with so much emotion. From pride, nostalgia, excitement and love, to sadness for those that could not be there, & the the inevitable highly entertaining stories which has everyone in stitches. They make for wonderful photos that capture the spirit of the day. They are also the perfect time to take lovely portraits of family and guests, too busy listening to the speeches to notice the camera. This bestman’s speech was one of the funniest I’ve ever heard. And I have heard a lot! The reactions of the bride & groom and the father of the bride say it all.
It was the wedding closest to home, near Sherborne in Dorset, I have ever photographed. If our little rowing boat had less holes in it, still had an oar, and the river more water, I could have rowed up stream to their house in 5 minutes. Instead it was a 2 minute drive and I arrived at both destinations dry! The wedding service took place in Sherborne Abbey. with a reception in a lovely country house with stunning gardens. You might find one or two other photographs from their wedding in my wedding gallery.
If you’re getting married and would like to consider booking me for as your wedding photographer, please do email me with your date, location of the ceremony & reception, timings, and approximate number of guests so I can send you a bespoke quote. Alternatively, do call me on 07815 750 141 to discuss your day in more details. Whilst based in Dorset, I travel throughout the South, photographing weddings regularly in Wiltshire, Hampshire, Berkshire, London, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and further afield too.
Today I am sharing an example of my children photography with pets. I took this last summer in between lockdowns for a wonderful family, near Newbury, in Hampshire. This was my second shoot for them. We had so much fun and laughter together. And as a consequence we captured some wonderful, informal, natural and fun portraits which really capture their personalities.
Teenagers can be reluctant starters when it comes to a family photoshoot. But with 3 teenagers of my own, and 20 years of experience as a leading family portrait photographer, I’m quick to put them at ease. On arrival, the first thing we do is sit and chat around the kitchen table, so I can hear about what they enjoy doing, what makes them tick. Or not! I love to include their interests in the photo shoot. This could involve playing sport or a musical instrument, or hanging out with the family animals. This results in meaningful portraits which reflect their personalities. It also makes the shoot fun, which ensures the images are full of spirit and character.
On this visit the children wanted to be photographed with all their favourite pets, which included 3 dogs, 2 cats and lots of chickens. I love photographing children with their family animals, as they bring spontaneity. This often results in fun and unpredictable pictures. I love everything about this image: the light, the composition, the chicken’s tilted head and the boy’s expression. It is a natural, candid moment which captures his sense of humour, spirit and love of animals. It’s such a joy to capture those impromptu moments.
If you would like to find out more about my teenager and young children photography, please do take a look at the link. And if you’d like to book a shoot with your family once lockdown has lifted, please do email me at [email protected]
I started out as a wedding and children portrait photographer in 2000, when I was living in London. Most of my children shoots in those days were in my studio in Wandsworth – the rage then was for clean white backdrops. But I quickly found that these were not so appealing for those living in the country, where understandably parents were wanting the photoshoots at home and in their garden. I have therefore spent the last 12 years, traveling all over the south west photography children in their home environment. Although this is more time consuming for me, I can honestly say that I haven’t looked back.
This not only makes each shoot unique and personal, but it’s also where the children are most at ease, enabling me to capture the best images of your children. I capture them at play inside and outside in their garden, in their favourite places, doing what they love most.
This is an old favourite from a lovely family photoshoot in Hampshire. I love the movement in her skirt and hair, the way she is looking down but flying high, in a world of her own. A timeless moment of childhood bliss on a favourite swing in her garden. It’s full of emotion and energy, and makes me smile every time I look at it. I hope you like it too.
If you are interested in booking a family or children photoshoot, please do get in touch. I’m based in Dorset but happy to travel all over the country – I’m regularly in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Berkshire, London, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Do also look at some more examples of my children and family photography to give you a more extensive feel of my style of portrait photography.
I’m using these quieter times in the covid pandemic to go through all my children photography and refresh my website and blog. It’s a useful exercise to revisit your old work with fresh eyes. In doing so, I ask what I love about each image, and what I would like to have done better. When I started out as a children photographer, my main aim was simply to capture a beautiful portrait. As I evolved, I strived for perfect lighting and composition. The better I get at taking children portraits, the less photographs I find that tick all the boxes. I gather this is a classic artist and photographer’s flaw. But it is through this process of self criticism that we improve.
This is one of those images that stops me in my tracks. Ironically you can’t even see her face but I still call this a portrait as it’s captured a moment in time which captures her spirit. The moment I took this, I knew I had captured something special that would be treasured forever. I love the graphic shape of the hat with the fingers popping out below, the composition and the light. And I love that itt brings a smile to my face every time I look at it. I hope it brings one to yours too.
If you are interested in booking a family or children photoshoot, please do get in touch. I’m based in Dorset but happy to travel all over the country – I’m regularly in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Hampshire, Berkshire, London, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall. Do also look at some more examples of my children and family photography to give you a more extensive feel of my style of portrait photography.
I’ve been photographing these siblings every two to three years since they were just toddlers – it’s been such a joy to witness them grow into wonderful and fascinating teenagers.
On each shoot, I photographed them within surroundings that are part of their childhood which not only makes the portraits so much more special, but rather nostalgic too. This shelter, in the park next to their house, has seen many different stages of their childhood – be it to shelter from the rain, play hide and seek, skate around, hang out with friends etc.
When I first started out as a children photographer, I found photographing young children so much easier – because they are unselfconscious and spontaneous – but as my children themselves grew into teenagers, I have found photographing teenagers every bit as rewarding. And the added bonus is, when I ‘previsualise’ an image they follow directions, as in this portrait here! This shelter engulfed them when they were little, but now they seemed to own it and the memories within. It also provided a wonderfully graphic frame in which to place them.
I’ve been a wedding photographer for over 20 years now, photographing weddings all over the country, from small country gatherings to large more formal affairs. And I have to admit that I was a touch nervous about wedding photography during Covid-19. But I was blown away by the intimacy, love and emotion in these weddings. The sense of achievement in defying the odds and tying the knot during this pandemic presents itself in a contagious euphoria that engulfs every one present. Including me! The images are uniquely powerful and historical. I feel honoured to have been part of such historical events.
This portrait of Emilie & Ian on their wedding was their 4th attempt – the first in the States, the 2nd a large country wedding in June, the 3rd a wedding for just 30 in October and then when mid September the guest restrictions were reduced to 15, they managed to re-arrange the wedding AGAIN, a mere week later, so they could keep their 30 guests. The strength and resilience they have found in their love, surmounting each of these many frustrations and disappointments together, stands them in good stead for a long and happy marriage. I think this image captures the essence of all the built up emotion – achievement, elation and LOVE. They did it!
Please do visit my wedding gallery to see more examples of my wedding photography. If you are interested in booking me as your wedding photographer, please email me with your date, location of the ceremony & reception, timings, and approximate number of guests so I can send you a bespoke quote. Or, if easier, you can call me on 07815 750 141 to discuss your day in more details. I’m based in Dorset but travel throughout the country, photographing weddings regularly in Wiltshire, Hampshire, Berkshire, London, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and further afield too.
