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Top Tips for getting the most out of your visit to a Wedding Fair Posted on March 6, 2010 |
It’s always best to go to fairs prepared so that you get the most out of your time there and don’t end up with ‘fair fatigue’! Here are our top tips for a successful visit:
1. Plan ahead and highlight which suppliers you want to see – organisers often publish a list of exhibitors for the fair
2. Look at supplier web sites to find out which fair they will be attending - this can help avoid fair fatigue by focusing on which fairs to attend to see suppliers that you are interested in and it will give you the opportunity to check out the different styles, services and price range of suppliers - you can then focus your visit on those that suit your budget, style preferences and needs
3. When you visit a supplier take your time – for example when visiting photographers have a good look at the albums on display and take note of what you like and possibly don’t like.
4. Suppliers, especially photographers, are always keen to talk to clients so don’t be afraid of asking questions – they will often offer a 1:1 no obligation consultation that is free of charge so take advantage of this to give you more time to discuss your day and ask important questions about the service they provide.
5. Pick up a leaflet or some information whilst you are there – giving a star rating to each different supplier you visit can help you to focus your follow up afterwards, make a note about something that you have seen or spoken about that will remind you who they are later - you will see a lot of suppliers and it will be hard to remember specific details from all of them!
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| Wedding fair at Holiday Inn Peterborough West Posted on March 6, 2010 |
| We will be exhibiting at the Holiday Inn Peterborough West Wedding exhibition organised by Olivia Grace Events this Sunday. If you are still looking for a wedding supplier then this is an excellent oppotunity for you to see a large selection of wedding suppliers all in one place. The suppliers include; Photographers (Us), Videographers, florists, Cake makers, Jewellers, Dress makers (Olivia Grace), Disco, Casino, Cars and more. |
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| A Spring Wedding Published in Wedding Venues and Services Magazine! Posted on March 1, 2010 |
| Its already been a great start to the year and this month we have some great press coverage - our feature wedding from 2009 has been published as a real life wedding in the March-May edition of ‘Wedding Venues and Services’ – the ‘bible’ for stylish brides to be! It’s a real honour to be in the magazine, and to have such great feedback from the editor ……..if you want to see the article the magazine is on sale at select stores including WH Smith, Sainsbury’s and Waitrose or to see more of their wedding go to our web site and view our “Feature Wedding 2009”. We hope you enjoy! |
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| Words from the Wedding Fairs Posted on March 1, 2010 |
With wedding fair season well under way we thought that we would share with you some of the feedback from visitors to our stand and some of our thoughts on the fairs so far…………….
‘relaxed’, ‘gorgeous’, ‘natural’ and ‘beautiful’ are words that visitors have used to describe our work this season. We always use images from the previous years’ weddings and its great when brides just fall in love with the images and take inspiration for dresses, colour schemes and even cakes for their own big day – one of our favourite shots from last year is of our feature bride Anna and her three bridesmaids walking through the gardens of Jermyn’s House where the reception was being held. It’s been really popular with everyone and for us it epitomises the happiness of that one special day. The bond of friendship between sisters and friends is so evident and the two little girls looking on just adds to the great feel of the shot
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| Wedding at Anstey Hall, Cambridge Posted on February 26, 2010 |
| The wedding season has kicked off in style! Chris and Di were married at Anstey Hall in Cambridge on a beautiful, albeit very cold day last weekend. It was an immense pleasure to see them both enjoy their wedding day so much, but I have to say that Di was a dream bride – she smiled none stop all the way through her day and proved a natural in front of the camera. The combination of the people, the architecture and gardens of Anstey Hall and the kind weather came together to produce some great wedding photography and we wish them both the very best for the future! |
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| Wedding Fairs in Cambridgeshire Posted on February 26, 2010 |
| The wedding fair season is well under way for this spring! We have taken some fantastic bookings for this year and next year but if you haven’t had chance to see us yet we will be at Wood Green Godmanchester this weekend (28th Feb) and will be at the Peterborough (West) Holiday Inn on 7th March; Bedford School 11th April; Cambridge Holiday Inn on 18th April and Bedford School on 9th May! If you want to have a personal consultation on any of those days just pop along or call us before the day and we can schedule a 1:1 appointment for you during the exhibition. We look forward to seeing you! |
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| Marriage Week UK Posted on February 10, 2010 |
What could be better than to celebrate Marriage Week in the week leading up to Valentines Day!
We tend to hear so much about divorce but this gives us a chance to celebrate marriage (and marriage proposals; weddings etc!) As a married person I wholly recommend married life and quite a few people seem to agree with me. It seems most of us aspire to be married and contrary to popular belief it seems most marriages stand the test of time! (Source: Marriage Week UK)
So let’s celebrate a good thing, three cheers for marriage week UK!
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| A baby portrait for Sophia Posted on February 10, 2010 |
Our friend Den recently gave birth to a tiny little girl and when the new mum duly asked us to photograph her we rallied to the call!
Such young tiny babies are beautiful to photograph – although it is always a test of skill to get them with eyes open at that age but Sophia showed what a beautiful little girl she is and we wish her mum and dad all the very best for the future…………
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| Newmarket Wedding Show 24th January 2010 Posted on January 12, 2010 |
It’s been a busy start to the year, exhibition time is just around the corner and we have some great weddings booked for 2010 and 2011. This time of year is always a time of excited anticipation and this year we are starting the exhibition season in style by exhibiting at Newmarket Wedding Show at Newmarket Race Course on Sunday 24th January. This event is successfully organised by Kate Page of The Orangery Flowers.
If you haven’t booked your photographer yet then come and see us to discuss your day and browse through images from the beautiful weddings from 2009. We look forward to seeing you there!
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| Molly: A beautiful Labrador Posted on December 22, 2009 |
We love Labradors and wanted to help Labrador Rescue in our region – three weeks ago we took in Molly, a five year old yellow Labrador, and acted as foster parents until she was found a new home. Overweight; visually challenged and anxious, we thought we might have our hands full but what a joy she was. All she really needed was a good diet (although we did rechristen her ‘mollytov’ at one point for the missiles of toxic wind she seemed to release on many occasions); good exercise and lots of TLC. Molly quickly regained her confidence in walking, swimming, retrieving sticks and most enjoyable of all catching snowflakes and today she left for her new home (a few tears were shed), but we would like everyone to enjoy the images of Molly AKA the ‘treat seeking missile’ having a grand time in the snow.
As the advert goes, new dog lead £10; doggie toy £4; fostering a Labrador, priceless………………
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| A Lovely Italian Christening Posted on December 22, 2009 |
| Last week was the Christening of Angelina, youngest and only daughter of Bridgette and Giovanni. A very bright 9 month old she was the centre of attention at her Christening, looking angelic in her white christening gown and quite taken with everything going on! A lovely family get together with people travelling from all corners including southern Italy – I cannot imagine how cold they must have felt in our winter weather after the warmth of the southern climes but everyone enjoyed the day and we got some great Christening photographs |
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| Headshots for Dancers and Singers Posted on December 21, 2009 |
| I had the pleasure again of photographing four of the talented students from Stageworks, They braved the temperatures outside to ensure they got their on location shots – speed was of the essence however, as they were rapidly turning blue with cold! |
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| Lifestyle Portrait for the James’ Family Posted on December 21, 2009 |
| Recently I met up with Lisa and David with their lovely daughter Amelie. Amelie is just at that age where everything is there to be discovered and she looked every inch the little girl in her pink outfit as she enjoyed some time with her mum and dad in the brisk cold of early December |
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| A visit to Florence: St Marks English Church Apartments Posted on December 7, 2009 |
It still felt like summer when we arrived (by car!) in Florence – temperatures of 19 degrees, warm and sunny. Who said we needed snow chains and cold weather gear?!
Anyway, there was some method in our madness for driving down to Florence as we delivered an eclectic mix of items to various people that included 1000 cards to the English Church in St Marks, displaying my image of St Mark no less! I felt even more pleased when about 40 were sold from the moment they went on sale! All funds go to the restoration of the church building which dates back to Medici times, with original Pre-Raphaelite art work displayed in its interior.
We were also in Florence to photograph the stunning new apartments above the church – I am always amazed how exhausting photographing interiors can be. By the time all the styling is done and you wait for the right light, its evening and time for a well earned cocktail with friends. You can always trust that Florentine speciality, the Negroni to restore you!
If you plan on visiting Florence and want to be in the ‘hub’ of the city you can’t get much closer than these apartments in Via Maggio. Their new website for the apartments will be up and running soon with the images we took so watch out for further announcements!
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| Getting Married in Florence Posted on December 7, 2009 |
As well as collaborating with Cristina in Lake Garda, we had the opportunity on this visit to discuss collaborating with some carefully chosen venues in and around Florence.
We have worked for many years now with Father Lawrence and on this visit he named me as his preferred photographer for the weddings that he conducts in Florence and Tuscany. For me it is a real honour as it demonstrates what a good working relationship we have and demonstrates the trust he has in me as a photographer. I look forward to working with him again next summer. We will also be setting up a specific web page for weddings in Italy in the near future, so watch this space!
We also had the opportunity to discuss collaborating with a beautiful venue in the hills of Florence, close to Fiesole. We met coordinator Bernadetta who kindly showed us round the Villa di Maiano, a beautiful villa overlooking Florence – I can think of few other places even in Florence with such idyllic views and tranquillity. It is a dream location to photograph and I cant wait for the day when I get a wedding here!
The villa is still privately owned by Countess Lucrezia Corsini Miari Fulcis who continues to restore and conserve this beautiful building - it has even been used for filming ‘Room with a View’ and ‘Tea with Mussolini’ – our friend Linda who was with us actually knew some of the ‘ladies group’ in the film!
This is a great venue if you want everything in one place and want a gorgeous mix of views, tranquillity, history and elegance.
Some images of the villa and glorious views of the surrounding countryside, including Florence, are here for you to view. |
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| Florence Marathon Posted on December 6, 2009 |
| Unbeknown to us it was the Florence marathon on the day we were leaving Florence – let’s just say it was a challenge for us as we found ourselves on the evening before our journey northward frantically planning our way out of the city! Our friend Father Lawrence asked us if we had prayed for a parking space and easy exit, believe me when I say we needed to. The place was packed and there was more than one ‘maledizione’ uttered in the course of the evening, but eventually a space was found outside of the city gates. It did give me chance to photograph a few of the runners before we left, although not being a marathon runner I haven’t a clue who they all are and anyway it felt like I had done a marathon walking up toward Bellosguardo with our bags after the race had finished! |
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| Return to Lake Garda Posted on December 6, 2009 |
What a difference a few months can make! The last time we went to Italy was to photograph a wedding at Lake Garda in the blistering summer heat. Now, after what can only be described as an epic drive through rain, high winds and infuriatingly expensive road tolls (if you want to confuse the toll booth operator in Italy, try paying him in Swedish Kroner) we arrived at Le Preseglie now shrouded in winter mist but no less beautiful for it and still busy in the winter months! Cristina and her family are certainly ‘bucking the trend’ and running a very successful business even in these economically challenging times – without a doubt it is in no small part due to the service and attention to detail that Cristina and her family pay to their guests.
As Cristina’s guests we were treated to Clelia’s (Cristina’s mum) cooking at their other property Fenil Conter. The Italians certainly know how to eat and the meal was made all the more special as Clelia had cooked all this on her birthday. Any weight we may have lost trekking the pathways and hills of Florence was immediately regained as we polished off antipasti, primi and secondi. We felt quite proud of the fact that was until Cristina said brightly ‘lets eat desert together’ – well, you can’t really resist the beautiful hand made dolce and an equally gorgeous desert wine even when your sides are bursting
The really good news is that you can get married at Fenil Conter and enjoy their fabulous hospitality yourselves. Getting married in Italy is very special. Getting married in Lake Garda is elegant and beautiful. Getting married at Fenil Conter combines all of those things and wraps them up in quiet understated elegance that the Northern Italians are renowned for.
We feel very honoured that we will be collaborating with Cristina for weddings at Fenil Conter and look forward to having the opportunity to return there next summer! If you or a friend are thinking about getting married in Italy, give us a call to discuss, we would love to hear from you!
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| Morestan Luxury Catering Launch at Hylands Hall Chelmsford Essex Posted on November 20, 2009 |
Last night I photographed the new brand launch of Morestan Event Management and Catering, a company that is already well known for catering at luxury weddings and events, and can quite literally cater for any number from just one person to a spectacular event for thousands!
It was a chance to catch up with the ever energetic Glenys, who owns the company and to meet a few new faces in the wedding and event management world.
A wonderful gourmet evening was had by all as they were entertained by the guest magician and tucked into Chef Chris Jaggers’ delicious canapés. Not one to miss an offer I did of course indulge in a few delicious canapés between shots! We wish Glenys and her staff very best wishes for the future and look forward to having the opportunity to work with her again in the near future
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| Winter Wedding at the Barns Hotel, Bedford Posted on November 10, 2009 |
This weekend I photographed Paul and Rebecca at the Barns Hotel Bedford. I first met Rebecca almost 3 years ago at the wedding of Victoria and John Cattanach and there was certainly a sense of ‘de javu’ for the day as I met up with them and Rebecca’s bridesmaid Natalie whom I photographed a couple of years ago as a bride!
Rebecca certainly chose a distinctive way to arrive – a gleaming black Volkswagen camper van! Luckily she didn’t have far to walk from the van to the ceremony venue in the perishing cold and after an enjoyable day, Rebecca and Paul now get to enjoy the sunshine and warmth on their honeymoon in Mexico. We wish them well and look forward to seeing them on their return.
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| Lifestyle Portraits for the O’Mara Family Posted on November 2, 2009 |
| Last week I met up with the O’Mara family to photograph their girls. We had a very autumnal but enjoyable morning in their lovely garden and got some wonderful natural shots of them, making the most of their surroundings and taking time out on the trampoline. Even the hens took part, although they didn’t join in on the trampoline! |
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| Portraits at Stageworks Dance Studio Posted on November 2, 2009 |
| Continuing my work with Stageworks Dance Studio, last week I photographed some of the up and coming young dancers for their portfolios. These guys put so much effort into their dance studies and it is great to help them with their portfolios which will form such an important part of their preparation for auditions. We wish them all the best over the next year! |
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| Cattanach Family Lifestyle Portrait Posted on October 15, 2009 |
I had the very great pleasure of photographing Anne and her family last Sunday, who had been given the lifestyle portrait session as a gift from her family as a birthday present. Victoria, her daughter was also one of my brides some years ago so it was great to meet them all again!
It was a lovely relaxed Sunday afternoon in Anne’s beautiful home and garden and great to photograph her with Victoria and John and their two children, along with Victoria’s brother Alex, other guests and Max, the boisterous, apple eating black Labrador. |
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| Come and Meet Us at the Wood Green Wedding Fair Godmanchester 25th October Posted on October 2, 2009 |
| Wedding Fair Season is now well underway and we have met some great couples this autumn who we will meet again when we photograph their weddings. There are still a few spaces left for 2010 and if you are planning for 2011 now is the time to book. |
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| Wedding at the Barns Hotel Bedford Posted on October 2, 2009 |
| Last weekend I had the pleasure of photographing Neal and Rachel at the Barns Hotel Bedford. Rachel is an avid football fan and so team colours were the order of the day for flowers and cake, with a twist of romance added to the tables which were named after the most important places to the both of them, including Taormina where they first met. It was a lovely relaxed event and we wish Rachel and Neal a great honeymoon! |
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| Pre Wedding Shoot at Great Fosters Egham Surrey Posted on September 19, 2009 |
Last weekend I had a lovely day out at Great Fosters with Louise and Damian who are marrying there next year. Yes, it is early for a pre-wedding shoot! But it gave us the opportunity to take advantage of the weather and early autumn colours at this fantastic location. Louise and Damian relaxed and enjoyed a stroll around the gardens which made for a relaxed, informal photo shoot. They were certainly pleased with the results and I am really looking forward to working with them next year!
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| Working in Lake Garda, Italy Posted on September 19, 2009 |
During our last visit to Lake Garda we also had the pleasure of meeting Cristina. She and her family own and run Le Preseglie, an Agriturismo based just a few miles from Lake Garda with fantastic views over vineyards and mountains, and their beautiful restaurant Fenil Conter just down the road from Le Preseglie. Cristina gave us the opportunity do a small piece of work for her whilst we were out there and she was very happy with the results – great atmospheric shots of both Le Preseglie and Fenil Conter.
Cristina has a great deal of energy as she also does wedding planning for weddings at Fenil Conter! This is great news for us as we are now hoping to collaborate with her in the future - if you are thinking about getting married in Italy, contact us for an initial discussion and details about getting married at Fenil Conter. In the meantime take a look at a few of the shots that we took or visit their website through our Friends Page. |
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| Exhibiting at the Holiday Inn Peterborough West Posted on September 1, 2009 |
| The wedding fair at the Holiday Inn Peterborough, superbly organised as ever by Amanda Orchard of Olivia Grace Events was a great day for us. We have had some great response on the day and from the follow up newsletter and look forward to having the opportunity to photograph some great weddings next year and beyond |
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| Exhibiting at the Shire Hall, Chelmsford, Essex Wedding Show Posted on August 25, 2009 |
I can’t quite believe it is almost autumn already! July and August have been phenomenally busy and very enjoyable. We have taken some great shots taken this season and had the pleasure of showing them at the Shire Hall Wedding Show, in Chelmsford over the weekend, organised by the lovely Amerah at WOW Wedding Shows
We met some great wedding couples, and a lot of people were very interested in our forthcoming guide specifically developed to give straightforward information and guidance on planning wedding photography and other aspects of a wedding. We hope to have this launched by the end of September! If you want to sign up to receive a copy just send a request via our contact form on the website and as soon as it is ready we will send one out to you!
In the meantime thank you all who visited our stand and we hope to see you again soon!
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| Headshots for Cambridge Shakespeare Festival Actress Posted on August 21, 2009 |
| It was lovely to catch up with Laura Darrall, an up coming actress currently appearing at the Cambridge Shakespeare Festival. Her warmth of character and ever lively personality as always made the photo shoot around Cambridge both enjoyable and relaxed |
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| Elegant Riverside Wedding, Hemingford Abbots Cambridgeshire Posted on August 21, 2009 |
| Rebecca and Chris were married on 15th August in the lovely village church of St Margaret’s in Hemingford Abbots. Looking every inch a classically elegant, stylish bride and groom, Rebecca and Chris led their wedding guests through the village to begin celebrations at the village pub where they first met, followed by a romantic boat ride down the river, before rejoining their guests to walk to the brides’ fathers’ home where an evening celebration took place. |
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| Wedding of Debbie and Tony at Pidley Golf Course Posted on August 11, 2009 |
| Having ‘touched down’ from the wedding in Lake Garda, we had the privilege of photographing Debbie and Tony at their wedding on 8th August at Pidley. Mercifully we seem to have brought back some of the sunshine from Italy as the rain held off and we had a wonderful warm English summer day to get some great shots. Thanks to everyone for the hospitality and great banter shown on the day! |
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| Castle Wedding in Lake Garda, Italy Posted on August 11, 2009 |
| We have had the great pleasure of working in Italy again this year with Maya and Gary, a really fun couple who held their wedding in Lake Garda, Italy on 6th August. The rain of England seemed far away as the temperatures soared to 37 degrees (in the shade!) and everyone took their places for the wedding at the Castle in Lonato. Maya looked lovely in an elegant strapless gown and both her and her bridesmaids have our admiration for being able to walk with ease on the uneven ground in perilously high heels! |
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| Wedding of Faye and Jonathan Posted on August 11, 2009 |
| Faye and Jonathan were married in Godmanchester on 1st August with a reception held at the Marriot Hotel in Huntingdon. The promised rain managed to stay away, and the wind created opportunities for some fun shots of Faye’s veil! |
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| Fairy Tale Wedding at Hilton Doubletree Cambridge Posted on July 26, 2009 |
| This weekend, Michelle and Simon were married in Holywell followed by a reception on the riverside in Cambridge. What a fairytale day it was! The sun came out and Michelle looked radiant as she stepped up to the beautiful horse drawn carriage to make the journey to church. The fairytale continued as Michelle and Simon were whisked round Holywell before hopping into a Rolls Royce to Cambridge and then completing the journey to their reception by punt! We got some beautiful shots of them making their journey and for me it was a great pleasure to observe and have the privilege to participate in such a wonderful family occasion in a quintessentially English location. |
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| "Portrait" Shots for a Talented Dancer Posted on July 26, 2009 |
| I had the pleasure again of photographing one of the many talented students from Stageworks, creating a portfolio for Niall, who is currently studying dance at Stageworks and took part in their recent West Side Story production. We had a great morning shooting in the grounds of Buckden Towers and the result is a fantastic personal portfolio that he can use for those future auditions! |
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| Stageworks Dance Studio put on a show Posted on July 18, 2009 |
| I regularly work with Stageworks and have the privilege of photographing the talented students there – many of them go on to secure places at prestigious dance schools and roles in London shows. They recently put on an excellent production of West Side Story and I was asked to do the photographs that would be used to advertise the show and be used for the show programme booklet. I have to say it was quite moving watching the rehearsals for the show seeing so much effort and emotion invested by each of the dancers which helped me to produce some great shots for them |
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| Keeping in touch Posted on July 8, 2009 |
| It is so important to keep in touch with clients and prospective clients and a great way of doing this is by regular newsletter. Yesterday we spent some time planning our next newsletter, due for launch in mid August and also finalising plans for exhibiting at wedding fairs in the autumn. If you want to receive the August newsletter drop us a line at info@scott-wood.co.uk |
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| Hampshire Wedding - Jermyns House Posted on July 8, 2009 |
| Following their wedding in May at Jermyn's House in Hampshire, I recently met with Tim and Anna for them to preview their wedding images following their honeymoon. It was great to see them again and always a delight to see how the images bring back wonderful memories of the day. Anna was particularly delighted with her purse album, which quickly disappeared into her handbag! |
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| Corporate Portrait and Product Shots for Angela Malik Posted on July 8, 2009 |
I had the great pleasure recently of being asked to photograph talented chef and entrepreneur Angela Malik. I have known Angela since my early days as a professional photographer and it is great to see her business grow and have the opportunity to continue working with her.
The shots were used for the launch of her new Indian Pesto range at Taste of London and were shot at Gaynes Hall in Cambridgeshire where Angela has one of her cookery schools.
We had a great couple of days photographing Angela, her team and the products with the added enjoyment of eating Angela's hard work!
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| Welcome Posted on July 8, 2009 |
| Welcome to my new BLOG. This is something new for me and I hope that you enjoy keeping up to date with 'life through a lens'! |
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