Rachel and Michel, Ramster 24^th April

Getting ready for a wedding can be stressful at the best of times – I remember standing in Jermyn Street the afternoon before my own wedding having just collected my waistcoat and feeling daunted by the number of tasks to be done by the following day.

For Rachel the situation was complicated by a large volcanic ash cloud in European airspace and the fact that  many members of her family and friends were coming from Canada. Even early in the week of the wedding the situation looked grim, but by Saturday virtually everyone had made it and the sun shone to give a classic English spring day.

They both fell in love with Ramster from their first visit and chose to use the grounds for these set piece shots – which left me free to be a fly on the wall during the reception.

Rachel and Michel were both keen to have reportage photography during the reception and so made the decision to have some family group shots before the ceremony. They both fell in love with Ramster from their first visit and chose to use the grounds for these set piece shots – which left me free to be a fly on the wall during the reception.

Their strategy paid off handsomely – the groups were stress free and quickly achieved, using the beautiful backdrop of Ramster Gardens, whilst they had all the time of the reception to spend with their friends, not the photographer.

Thank you Rachel and Michel for the glowing feedback and comments. Here’s a selection from their day.

Emma and Ben, Hampton Court House, Surrey – 27th March 2010

Another new venue for me – Hampton Court House and what a great place for a wedding. I visited it with Emma and Ben before the day – wonderfully atmospheric daylight in the ceremony room was something I was looking forward to and that Emma and Ben immediately responded to when they saw the pictures.

The elegance of the room combines with the warmth of angled light to give a very special quality to not only reportage shots throughout the day but also the handful of family shots Emma and Ben wanted and most importantly pictures of the dress, made by Emma’s Mum. The reception itself took place in the conservatory – wonderful natural light again, keeping the photography spontaneous and fun.

The reception itself took place in the conservatory – wonderful natural light again, keeping the photography spontaneous and fun.

Emma particularly wanted shots of the speeches and guests reactions to them. I needn’t have worried about the light levels in the dining room as once again the glass roof helped, so I was able to capture a variety of reactions to the speeches and do justice to the wonderful table settings and flowers Emma had organised.

A fabulous day, thank you Emma and Ben.

Nicola and Brian, 19^th December, Chalfont St.Giles

A wedding in the snow – what could be more romantic or pretty?

Nicola was hoping for snow and on this occasion the weather did not disappoint – the 19^th of December was a beautiful crisp day with clear blue skies. The snow that had fallen heavily on Thursday night settled and stayed put for the wedding.

Nicola arrived at the church for a 3.30 ceremony as the sun was setting, casting the whole village in a beautiful warm light. But by then end of the ceremony the sun had gone and I was left with the challenge of using enough flash to see Nicola and Brian clearly but also allowing maximum use of what little daylight was left so that the snow could be seen in the background.

Confetti shots in the dark? The results are really magical and very atmospheric.

There can definitely be a very special magic in weddings just before Christmas and this one had it in spades.

As I drove back to the reception my car helpfully told me the temperature was already minus 3 degrees, not great for battery life, but back at the marquee in the garden you would never have known and a wonderful evening following. There was even just enough light in the marquee to show the ‘stars in the sky’ lights on a black background that formed the ceiling of the marquee.

I was pleased to be asked to stay to photograph the dancing – it added another dimension to the story of the day with its sheer happiness and exuberance. There can definitely be a very special magic in weddings just before Christmas and this one had it in spades.

The old cliché is that the sun always shines on a bride, but at the start of Claire and Dan’s wedding the promised afternoon improvement in the weather didn’t appear to be materialising.

Wisely Claire and Dan took the view they were going to have a memorable day, whatever the weather did to them, but there was an audible sigh of relief mixed with joy when as the vows were being exchanged the sun spectacularly emerged. Claire and Dan were keen to get outside for photographs in the courtyard – you can get outside at Ramster as soon as the rain stops and they were rewarded with some great photographs, as well as many of their guests following them.

We’ll be able to look back at them with pleasure over the years to come as they capture the moments and emotions of the day so well …We are both very happy we met you and had the opportunity for you to photograph our wedding

Claire mentioned when I met them that she hated being photographed and it would be hard to get any good pictures of her. This is something I hear from most of my clients – and why I’m particularly happy and pleased with a really good set of pictures. Their verdict? “We’ll be able to look back at them with pleasure over the years to come as they capture the moments and emotions of the day so well …We are both very happy we met you and had the opportunity for you to photograph our wedding”.

“Dear Henry, you photographed my wedding back in 2000 …now my little sister is getting married in October this year …your photography is just so amazing …I would love you to photograph her wedding.”

You can imagine my reaction to the e-mail – Jo’s wedding was enormous fun, so I looked forward to seeing everyone again. It’s been the year of the sisters – I’ve photographed at least 5 sisters of previous brides this year – and I always enjoy seeing those I’ve photographed at other weddings and in this case to see Jo’s seven year old son and two year old daughter.

Highcliffe Castle – A gem of a Dorset wedding venue

Highcliffe Castle is a beautiful venue, surrounded by immaculate gardens, overlooking the Solent and the Isle of Wight, with steps down to the beach – bridal footwear permitting. The exterior is is magnificent, imposing and beautifully proportioned. It has an added fascination in that the perfect outside hides an interior that was completely gutted by an horrendous fire in the sixties. Rather than being restored, the remaining original details have been left as at the end of the fire, which shows you just how the Castle was constructed in the first place – it’s well worth a visit. The ceremony room has huge windows on three sides – an enormous help for a photographer who avoids flash as much as possible.

The photos are gorgeous thanks so much! I just smiled looking through all of them and it really bought the memories back of the day!

In mid- October you never quite know what the weather will do, but Laura and Richard had sunshine and warmth enough for everyone to be outside and explore the formal gardens – and to have a shot by the old Highcliffe Castle main entrance, which particulalry appealed to them. Laura’s reaction was just what I’d hoped: “The photos are gorgeous thanks so much! I just smiled looking through all of them and it really bought the memories back of the day!”

I couldn’t help reflecting on the changes in ten years – Laura and Richard live in Australia, but unlike ten years ago their pictures are viewable by family and friends across the globe at any time of day or night. Ten years ago there was just one hard copy set of pictures and sometimes it took months or even a year for friends and family to see them.

Thank you Richard and Laura for a great afternoon – see you in Melbourne one day I hope!

After an unpromising week the sun shone for Matt and Georgina – a glorious day full of Autumn sunshine giving a warm light as the day progressed.

We started with the ceremony at All Saints, Denmead – a very big thank you to the Vicar and Verger for their help and co-operation – and the light meant I could capture the ceremony without distracting the congregation. Although the low level of the sun at this time of year needs handling with care the colours it gives are simply wonderful.

Farbridge, at the bottom of a valley, was bathed in sunshine and every single guest was outside – pretty good for October 10th. Georgina and Matt also had a magician to entertain their guests, in the form of Dominic Reyes. If you have read my earlier posts you’ll know I’ve been photographing weddings for 15 years. Have I seen it all before? After watching Dominic at work the answer was clearly no, he was just fantastic – and Georgina and Matt’s faces show the reactions he gets, a wonderful addition to a truly memorable day.

Ana Rosa and Chris booked me well over a year ago but time seems to have flown since they sat opposite me discussing what they would like from their wedding photography.

They had a very philosophical attitude to the weather – whatever will be will be and we’ll enjoy ourselves whatever the weather. In Clandon Park too they had a perfect venue for whatever the weather threw at them – loads of room inside, in elegant surroundings, with lots of possibilities outside if the weather allowed.

In the event it was dry but windy, so Ana Rosa and Chris decided to brave the elements for their group shots – with friends from Spain, Ireland, The U.S.A. and other parts of the globe these were important photographs for them – and for a very brief stroll in the grounds.

I congratulate on their serious preparation, their dancing was clearly thought out and rehearsed, whilst their performance of “We’ve only just begun” was seriously good – great stuff, thank you both.

This is a special 15th anniversary blog – it’s fifteen years to the day that I left a well paid job and the company car behind to follow my dream of becoming a photographer.

Appropriately enough I had a wedding at Amberley Castle to celebrate with and Rachael and Peter’s wedding was everything I enjoy, relaxed, fun, unstuffy and very spontaneous – it had been all of five weeks in the planning! Thank you both for a great day and for your comments on the day and now you’ve seen the pictures: “they’re fantastic. You really captured the day …Many people commented on how nice and relaxed you were, thank you for adding to our day”.

They’re fantastic. You really captured the day …Many people commented on how nice and relaxed you were. Thank you for adding to our day!

It’s amazing how much has changed – I started working with Hasselblads and quickly left them behind in favour of 35mm autofocus SLRs – the reaction of other professionals at the time was “you can’t photograph a wedding on 35mm”.

In my training I shot a wedding for another photographer – I was given four rolls of 220 film (24 shots a roll, 96 in total) to cover the whole wedding. Today in the digital era it’s easy to shoot over 1000 frames at a wedding – and you may have noticed there seems to be a guest at every wedding who is determined to shoot even more.

A massive “thank you” to my clients and wedding venue partners

I’ve had many fabulous days with very happy brides and grooms and received lots of wonderful and treasured comments like those above. For me, around 800 weddings later, the adrenalin still flows and every wedding generates a huge buzz – so a big thank you to all my clients, past and present, and to those booking for the future.

And a massive thank you to the venues who have recommended me over the years – Ramster, Clandon Park, Amberley Castle, Upwaltham Barns, Farbridge and Jeremy’s Restaurant, your help has been and remains greatly valued.

New website. New kit. New opportunities for outstanding wedding photographs.

This summer saw the launch of the new website and the new blog – a big thank you to Alex for such a great result in a very short time, if anyone ever lived up to their company name it’s you – 247 Creative.

Next week a new Canon EOS7D arrives, which is hugely exciting – anything that helps to capture the moment is great news. In fifteen years the equipment may have changed, but the aim remains the same, outstanding photographs of genuine, uncontrived and spontaneous moments that truly reflect the day and will be treasured for years to come.

Despite dire forecasts Hannah and Adam had a fine sunny day for their wedding.

We started at St.Mary’s Church in East Lavant, with a first glimpse of Adam and Hannah’s wedding car, their very own much loved Land Rover. The breeze added atmosphere to many of the shots, especially the confetti, giving great natural smiles. After the service we moved on to the reception venue, Farbridge.

Farbridge is a purpose built venue near Lavant, just outside Chichester. Because it was only completed recently it has been able to reflect what many brides and grooms are looking for – huge well lit inside space, with a separate dance area where civil ceremonies can also take place, whilst outside there’s plenty of greenery and views across the downs.

Hannah and Adam had a fabulous reception – the inside looked truly wonderful thanks to Hannah’s painstaking attention to decoration and detail, with beautiful displays from Debbie at Country Flowers. Hannah and Adam had always wanted Thai lanterns at their wedding and were looking forward to watching them drift slowly across the Sussex countryside in the night sky. But by this stage in the day the wind was very strong and it seemed like the lanterns might not happen. However the two best men, Munster and Stu, were not to be deterred and overcame the elements to give Hannah and Adam the display they wanted – a great conclusion to a highly memorable day.

Sunday the 30th saw a very welcome return to Jeremy’s Restaurant in Borde Hill for the wedding of Iain and Marite.

Jeremy’s is a venue I’ve grown very fond of in a short space of time. The day started with a very intimate ceremony at The Holy Trinity Church, Cuckfield, with all the guest being seated in the choir stalls. As well as being a very beautiful church, it’s also very subtly lit which helped to reinforce the closeness of all involved – and made for very evocative pictures. After the service we all moved on to Jeremy’s, Iain and Marite in a fabulous Mark VII Jaguar.

Jeremy’s itself has wonderfully spacious grounds – and the option of going into Borde Hill Gardens themselves. Whilst the vine ‘tunnel’ lends itself to set piece shots, there’s loads of space for photography outdoors and the interior decor gives a gentle warmth to any indoor shots. Iain and Marite had a truly memorable day – thank you both for letting me be part of it.’