Becky and Jesse, Kingscote Barn

I met Becky nearly 2 years ago when she was a bridesmaid for a couple of friends whose wedding I photographed. When she got in touch a few weeks later and asked me to photograph her own wedding to Jesse I was delighted.

Becky and Jesse chose the beautiful restored 17th century Kingscote Barn in the Cotswolds as their venue, with it’s stunning countryside views and scenery. Becky wore an elegant Jesus Piero gown and carried a beautiful pastel coloured bouquet by Jacaranda Flowers of Nailsworth. Jesse looked very dapper in a grey made-to-measure suit by Marc Wallace and teamed it with a skinny tie in a vintage floral print. Their four bridemaids wore pretty pale pink dresses from Coast.

The Kingscote Barn is an amazing wedding venue and literally a photographers’ dream- the nearby cornfield made an awesome backdrop for Becky and Jesse’s portraits and the couples’ eye for detail in their planning made my job a delight!

Thank you so much Becky and Jesse for inviting me to be part of your special day xxx

 

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Laura and Luke’s Wedding at Cockington Church, Torquay, Devon

Laura and Luke married in July at Cockington Church followed by a reception at The Livermead Cliff Hotel in Torquay, which offers stunning sea views over Torbay. Laura chose a beautiful long-sleeved lace dress while the groomsmen and the couple’s 3 year old son wore blue suits.

We chose the secluded rose garden at Cockington Country Park as the perfect location for Laura and Luke’s portraits. Guests were treated to a BBQ, icecream van and tonnes of pic’n’mix to munch on. Thanks Laura and Luke for a fab day xxx
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Thanks to Anna Storm Design for 2nd shooting for me x

Hannah and Jared’s Wedding at Shilstone House, Devon

My first wedding of 2016 was Hannah and Jared’s at Shilstone House in Devon. I was really looking forward to this wedding for two reasons; firstly because it was my first of the 2016 wedding season and I couldn’t wait to get snapping again after the winter break, and secondly because I went to school with Hannah and many of the guests were old school friends whom I hadn’t seen for 15 years! (giving away my age there!)

Hannah and Jared chose the beautiful Shilstone House in Modbury as their wedding venue. Their ceremony took place in a lovely light filled barn, followed by drinks and canapes in the grand house. Finally guests made their way over to the marquee for a hog roast followed by a traditional Devonshire cream tea (jam or cream first? I can never remember!)

Hannah and Jared booked Plymouth based band The Sound (who were awesome- I highly recommend them!) as the evenings entertainment.

An amazing day for a truly lovely couple. Thank you so much for inviting me to share your special day x

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Getting married in Devon? Get in touch here

Irena’s family photo shoot at Bantham Beach

I used to visit Bantham beach as a child and I have vague memories of rolling sand dunes and surfers. I was reminded of how beautiful the beach is when I visited for Irena’s family shoot late last summer. The picturesque landscape and clear turquoise water made it a perfect location for a shoot and even though it was a busy summer’s afternoon we still managed to find some quiet areas to give the images an intimate feel.

Irena wanted her shoot to have a relaxed feel to it and for me to capture herself and her children naturally, enjoying time as a family by the sea.

Thank you Irena for inviting me to spend time with you and your beautiful children. I have since been back to this beach several times this summer with my twins- they love it! A great place for a family photo shoot! x

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Fancy your own family photo shoot at a location of your choice? Get in touch here

Thanks x

Becky and Ben’s Beautiful Teepee Wedding

Becky and Ben married on a hot sunny day back in July. Their ceremony took place in All Saints church in Brixham, followed by a relaxed teepee reception held in Becky’s parents’ garden. Becky wore a stunning gown by Anna Cambell and her hair was braided into a fishtail plait creating a stunning bohemian look.

The bride and groom chose a secluded cliff side location in Berry Head Country park to have their portraits, followed by a relaxed meal and plenty of dancing to The Shrine Band.

Becky and Ben included loads of cute little personal details as seen in the photos below. Enjoy!
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Thanks to Josh from Iska Media for second shooting 🙂
 

 

Melissa and Sam’s Spring Wedding at Lupton House, Devon

posted in: bride, film, groom, portraits, wedding | 0

After 9 years together having met at their summer job Melissa and Sam became engaged while travelling around in India on the Andaman and Nicobar islands, marrying the following year. This inspired their theme with the wedding breakfast being held in a Raj tent lined with hand printed Indian fabric. Melissa and Sam chose Lupton House as their venue. The house is situated in Brixham, Devon and the current owners are in the process of restoring this grand house to its former glory. “We loved the elegance of Lupton house and its surrounding parkland which is right on our doorstep. We could see ourselves marrying in the mint coloured ballroom, which together with a hint of coral became our colour theme” explains Melissa.

She chose an elegant Jenny Packham gown together with mint green Rachel Simpson shoes to wear on their special day “As soon as I saw the Marion gown from Jenny Packham with its 1920’s vibe I knew there was no point in looking any further as my heart was sold”. The bride and groom chose a Raj tent lined with Indian fabric to hold their wedding breakfast, in which tables were adorned with coral flowers. “We wanted a relaxed feel to our wedding breakfast with food being displayed like a family meal beautifully dappled with edible springtime flowers”.

The bride and groom hired a mint green Nissan Figaro, which Sam drove down to a nearby secluded cove where they had chosen to have their portraits taken. The soft pebbles and deep blue sea provided a beautiful backdrop for their photos.

“In the evening we had a ceilidh band to get everyone dancing and in tribute to my Scottish roots”. Melissa wore a beautiful lace dress from Mango to join in with the dancing before changing back into her Jenny Packham gown later in the evening.

Congratulations Melissa and Sam xx

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Lucy and Tony’s Autumnal Wedding

posted in: bride, film, groom, portraits, wedding | 0

On Halloween last Autumn I had the pleasure of photographing Lucy and Tony’s wedding at Stanton Manor Hotel near Chippenham. We were blessed with a sunny day and were able to make the most of the beautiful hotel gardens. Lucy and Tony chose a rustic/vintage theme for their wedding day, details included a vintage suitcase for cards, china teacups, hand carved wooden decorations and a restored vintage tandem.

We made the most of the light and had some fun with the tandem, I then captured some portraits of Lucy and Tony in the garden amongst the fallen leaves as the sun was beginning to set.
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The Illuminated Collective Workshop

I have wanted to take part in a workshop for a while; to develop both my photographic and styling skills but to also meet like-minded professionals in the wedding industry. When I saw the Illuminated Collective Workshop advertised I knew it was an opportunity not to be missed.

The workshop took place last May at the stunning Barnsley House in the Cotswolds. The aim of the day was to bring together beautiful styling with photographers who are interested in working with film.

As soon as we arrived at the venue we received a warm welcome from the organisers Jessie Thomson (styling), Ashlee Taylor-Barnes and Holly Rattray (both Fine Art Film Photographers). Every attendee was presented with a welcome pack, containing a range of goodies including discount vouchers for other wedding vendors, which was handmade in a lovely pastel fabric.

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We enjoyed fresh coffee and croissants as we read through our packs and introduced ourselves. Then the fun really began… the 16 attendees were divided into 2 smaller groups, enabling us to have plenty of time and space in the grounds of the hotel. The day was divided up into ‘details’, ‘engagement portraits’, ‘bride and groom’ and ‘bridal’ portraits. Jessie and her team made great use of the stunning grounds and as the sun shone down on us I realised just how lucky I was to be part of such a fab day.

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We had gentle guidance from Ashlee and Holly to help us with posing the couples, if we needed it. Working in smaller groups meant we were able to bounce ideas off each other and get to know the other attendees well. When I received my scans back from UK Film Lab I was delighted with the results. I used a mixture of Portra 400 and Fuji 400 (Full list of vendors at the bottom of the page)

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Vendor/ Suppliers:

Illuminated Collective: www.fineartwedding.com

Mentors:

(Photography) Ashlee Taylor Barnes: www.taylorbarnesphotography.co.uk 

Jessie Thomson (Stylist) – JessieThomson Wedding and Events: www.jessiethomson.co.uk 

Holly Rattary – Belle and Beau Photography: http://belleandbeaublog.com 

Assistant Stylist – Georgia Westwood: www.westwooddesign.co.uk 

Venue – Barnsley House: www.barnsleyhouse.com 

Florist – The Rose Shed: www.theroseshed.co.uk 

Linen – Table to Dine For: www.tabletodinefor.com

Stationery – Juliet Grace Design: www.julietgracedesign.com

Cake – The Natural Cake Company: http://thenaturalcakecompany.co.uk 

Bridal Boutique – The White Rose Bridal: www.thewhiterosebridal.co.uk 

Engagement Dresses –Maids to Measure (from The White Rose Bridal): http://www.maidstomeasure.com 

Wedding Gowns– Johanna Hehir (from The White Rose Bridal): http://www.johanna-hehir.com

Hair Accessories – Kelly Spence (from The White Rose Bridal): www.kellyspence.com

Jewellery – Astley Clarke:  www.astleyclarke.com 

Crockery, Cutlery, Glassware – Helene Millot: http://www.helenemillot.com

MUA – Nina Norman: www.ninanorman.co.uk

Hair – Nicholas White: http://www.nicholaswhite.co.uk 

Goody Bags – Lizzy May Design: www.lizzy-may.co.uk

 

 

My Adventure with Film

posted in: film, portraits | 1

People frequently ask me why I shoot film when shooting digital is ‘easier’. Granted digital is easier; it’s cheaper, well actually it’s free if you don’t count the cost of editing images, you can instantly see your images and delete any you aren’t happy with. On paper it does seem the better option and don’t get me wrong, there are situations when grabbing my digital camera rather than my film camera works best for me. However, I just love the look of an image shot on film ten times to that of a digital. The colours are richer, the slight grainy look gives it a nostalgic, romantic appearance, the light is just beautiful and has a lovely warm feeling that makes you go all fuzzy. Basically I think film is just stunning.

On a recent mini-break with friends I took some photos of my friend Hannah and her husband Jimmy wandering through a pretty garden in a country estate. Once back from the lab (which I will get to in a sec!) and published on Facebook, Hannah’s comment was “beautiful, it looks all hazy and summery; exactly how I remember it” and that is the main reason why film is just lush- it captures a moment in time perfectly.

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My adventure with film started in Art college, but it’s a very distant memory of dark rooms, chemicals, and very grainy black and white photos that did nothing to wow me. I experimented a bit more in the dark room at uni but again, wasn’t really impressed by the results I was getting. I do love being in the darkroom though, it’s like a little secret world where magic happens. Like Narnia! It’s ten years later and I am teaching Photography in Swindon and I still love the magic of the darkroom. I love teaching my students how to develop their own film, enlarge their photos and watch as they place the photographic paper in the tray of developer and their image appears after a few seconds.

But only this year have I discovered my love for colour film photography. After reading this book I was completely inspired and desperate to start shooting with film again. I borrowed a Canon AE-1 that was donated to college complete with vintage leather case, and bought a roll of Kodak Superior and off I went, and it was a lot harder than I expected. Firstly, in an age of iPhones and digital cameras it was really weird not being able to see the photos. I found myself looking eagerly at the back of the camera!! I had to rely on my knowledge of ISO, aperture and shutter speed to suss out the correct exposure and hope for the best. Secondly, the Canon AE-1 has manual focus which with my dodgy eye sight was interesting to say the least!! But nevertheless I just loved the experience and was so careful not to waste my 36 exposures, which is another thing I love about film- I don’t waste photos. How many of us are guilty of taking about 5 photos of the same thing ‘just in case’. I do it all the time on my iPhone. Not with film. You have to actually use your brain too which is refreshing! Here is the lovely Canon AE-1 and a couple of photos shot on it:

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After a bit of research I invested in my first film camera, a Canon 1V. I am still getting to know her (yes I’m one of those sad people who refer to their cameras as people!!) but so far I am impressed and I just adore the results. I am also enjoying experimenting with different film, so far Fuji 400h is my fave.

Nowadays it isn’t as straightforward as dropping your film into a high street store for developing. I use UK Film lab to develop my photos, but there are loads of others that I will get around to trying as each give different results. I send off the film and 10 days later I receive digital scans straight into my inbox with feedback from the lab on my photos. Lovely jubbly! Here are a few taken on my Canon 1V of the lovely Louise and Derek.

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As I send more and more film off for developing I am becoming more confident shooting with film and I love the photos I am creating. I hope you do too! Please leave a comment below and come back soon to see my adventure with film continue.

 

Renata x