Rachels' Party

Rachel and her friends were celebrating her 12th birthday with a photo-shoot party at the studio. They all brought a change of outfit with them which allowed for a variety of shots to be taken of each of them and when they changed into their party clothes we brought out all the feathers boas and plastic balls for some fun shots. They were a great group of friends and I hope they all love the photos and had a great time.

Victorias Party 20th September 09

Victoria has had photos with us a few times in the past and when her elder sister attended a party her earlier in the year she decided that she was going to have her birthday here too. The shy, quiet group of children soon turned into normal, noisy 6 year olds as Vicky led them upstairs and started modelling for the photos. We got a few rounds of musical bumps and statues in while the music played then the plastic balls came out. Mum and dad came on for a few pictures with the kids and it wasn't long before dad became used as target practise and was bombarded with plastic balls from all directions (not convinced mum didn't orchestrate that!). After two hours of fun parents began to arrive to collect their not so shy and quiet children and hopefully everyone had a good time. Happy Birthday Victoria!

'Trash the Dress' August 2009

For the past couple of years 'Trash the Dress' has been all the rage in the USA and it is now getting a foothold over here. Trying to get brides to sign up for a session without first seeing any images has been a bit of a struggle. Finally however, I managed to coax a friend into volunteering as a model in her wedding dress for me, her daughter wanted to come along so we decided to put her in a bridesmaids dress along with my own daughter and whilst we were all going we might as well bring my sister along in her bridesmaid dress.

So one sunny Friday morning at the beginning of August found the five of us parking up in the countryside. We pulled up on the car park at the same time as a group of 20 ramblers going out in all their walking boots etc and here we were climbing out of the car with a bride and three bridesmaids! They thought we were mad.

Hitching Charlies' dress up we squeezed our way through the gateway and into the hills - country gates aren't made for big wedding dresses! Ilona had on her stunning walking boots under her bridesmaids dress whilst the girls, forgetting to bring their trainers, had to contend with walking along rough pathways with wedding sandals on!

Starting at the small footbridge across the stream we began with some pics of them with the hills and sheep in the background. Everyone was a little nervous to start with but after the first few pictures were over they soon began to relax and really get into the swing of things.

We walked along the stream following it up into the hills and getting pictures of the girls paddling in the edge of the water and sitting on fallen trees etc. Charlie was great! We decided that there would be a fantasic view from the top of an outcrop of rocks so kicking off her shoes (sorry, flip flops) she scrambled, in her wedding dress, up this steep hill that even I was struggling to get up in normal clothes. The effort was worth it though and we got some great shots of her overlooking the whole of the area. Whilst up there balancing precariously on the edge of the cliff a man out walking stopped to ask if he could take a picture of Charlie as his wife didn't believe him when he told her there was a bride up here.

Amazingly I didn't slide down the hill on my behind when we made our way back down to where Ilona, Kiera and Jess were all waiting for us. Again a little scramble down a couple of rocks found us back on the banks of the stream and it is here that we got some of the best pics of the day. Up until now the dresses were all relatively clean and dry, but that was soon to change! This is the part of the shoot where, with no persuassion at all, Charlie got into the stream in her dress and sat down. It wasn't long before Kiera and Jess were asking if they could have a go too!

Half an hour or so later it was time to leave and whilst the girls climbed out and dryed their feet Charlie made her way back across the stream. That was when we heard the splash!

I think everyone had a great time that day and I got some fantastic pictures for my portfolio. I can't thank the girls enough for volunteering to be my guinea pigs for the day and hope the pictures bring back the fun they all had. Kiera and Jess are already asking when they can do it again!

If you think you'd like to have a go at a 'Trash the Dress' session please get in touch, if I have done your wedding the session is free!

PS They are great for prom dresses too!

Jo and Ian 5th September 2009

I met Jo and Ian at a friends wedding in Lapland a few years ago where Jo was bridesmaid and wearing a lovely dress complimented with a great big pair of ski boots! That was definately a wedding out of the ordinary for me, however when they booked their own wedding they decided to stay closer to home.

Doing any wedding is nervewracking as you want to be sure the bride and groom love the results, but I think when it a friends wedding the nerves are doubled and you pray that everything is perfect for them, especially the weather! The forecast was for showers with it clearing later in the afternoon so keeping fingers crossed that it would stop raining at some point, I set off to meet Jo and the bridesmaids at Hair Revival. Despite the rain everyone was in a happy and excited mood whilst they had their hair and make up applied before heading back to the house to get ready.

I met up with Ian, his best men and the ushers at St Pauls church where we managed to dodge the raindrops to get some pictures outside. Jo and Ians' little girl, Lily, arrived and obviously became the centre of attention for all the arriving guests - she was having a great time trying to pull the hats from her nans head!

A beautiful wedding car, from St Leonards, dropped the bridesmaids off before doing the return journey to bring Jo and her dad to church. Luck must have been on our side as by the time Jo arrived the rain had stopped. She looked stunning as she stepped out of the car and made her way into church - not a ski boot in sight!

After the service finished and the confetti was thrown we made the short journey up the road to Dunscar Golf Club where the reception was to be held. The weather was improving all the time and by the time we were organising the groups the sun was finally beginning to put in an appearance. With the hills in the background and the sun shining we got some gorgeous pictures of Jo, Ian and little Lily.

I stayed to cover the speeches which they had decided to do before the meal started so as to allow Ian and his best man to enjoy the food without the nerves. After many laughs and a few tears the speeches ended with a toast to the bride and groom made by the best man, at which point I left to let them enjoy the rest of their wedding day.

Hope you guys had a fantastic day and enjoyed every minute of it!

Lois and Stephens' Wedding 22nd August 2009

The day started a little grey but by the time we arrived at the brides house the sun was starting to shine through. Lois and her bridesmaids were all arriving back from the hairdressers and the champagne was opened for a little drink whilst they got ready. I have to say, everyone seemed remarkably calm for a wedding day, unless they waited for us to leave to meet Stephen and his men at the church!

Getting married at Bury Parish Church on a sunny Saturday afternoon attracts a crowd of onlookers and by the time Lois arrived we had quite an audience - to the extent that someone asked me 'Is it someone famous getting married?'

The service was lovely and after the signing of the register Lois and Stephen were finally married. A few photos at the church while the bride and groom had chance to say hello and chat to their guests outside we headed off to the reception at the Bolholt Hotel.

The Bolholt is a popular venue and the grounds can be ideal for photographs and with the sun shining family and friends of the couple were able to have a drink relaxing in the gardens.

I really enjoyed this wedding and Lois and Stephen were a fantastic couple to work with. I hope they both had a great day and love the pictures as much as I do.

Stephanies Party

A group of teenage girls gathering outside the studio announced the arrival of Stephanie and her friends for one of our photo-shoot parties. Everyones always a little nervous when they arrive not knowing exactly what to expect (including me!) and no one wants to be the first to stand up in front of everyone, but after Stephanie opted to go first everyone was soon beginning to relax and we even had a couple singing on the kareoke in the background whilst the shots were being taken. We always start with some individaul poses of each person before moving onto the group shots and as everyone begins to unwind the fun shots begin - don't know what it is with feather boas but as soon as they come out they turn even the most shy member of the group into an instant model. Anyway two hours and over 600 pictures later we were saying goodbye to everyone. I hope they all enjoyed the party as much as we did and can't wait for them all to see the pictures. Here are a few of my favourites.