Some of my favourites ...

October is generally a quiet month for me - I have a portrait shoot later today and an engagement shoot in a couple of weeks - oh, not forgetting my birthday next week too :) So I generally have some time to sift through some favourite images that I am going to use for promotional purposes or just for bloggin !

Here are a few of my favourites ... comments welcome as always :)

This was a shot taken in a marquee as the staff were dishing up dessert - I focused in on the words, leaving the rest of the cake slightly out of focus ... yum !

This was an early 2006 wedding - before I was blogging ! Even though the dress is blown out in this, I love the laughter and sense of motion ... this was their favourite image from their day ...

I second shot a premier footballer's wedding with Sophie Griffiths last year - this is definitely a favourite of mine and one I use for my backdrops at wedding fayres ...

You will perhaps remember I got hired to cover some bridal preps a few weeks ago ... this is my favourite image - it is usually quite difficult to find somewhere to show off the dress while it is hanging up in the morning - for this one, I closed the doors to the bedroom and shot in natural daylight which was flooding in through the windows. I think the sloppy border and BW conversion really add to the beauty of the dress ...

Another one of my fayre stand images ... this was taken while Kim was actually signing the register, with daylight streaming in through the church windows, no flash, unobtrusive ... I think these make for better images than cheesy posed shots :)

This next one was a complete grab shot of the bride's kicked-off shoes ...

The next 2 are further stand images ... I love getting my brides to pose as if they were going into a magazine spread ! Work it, Ladies ! :)

This last shot has caused much discussion in our house ... I love it, Hubs hates it ... hey, at least it is creating reactions either way, right?

Gill x

New and Improved !

Well, with a little help from another photographer who uses the same blog software as me (ACEllis Blog) I finally managed to get some bigger images on here for you to view ... I have amended the last wedding so you can see what I mean - WOW, what a difference !

Here are a few personal images to show it all off !

My stepson, Richard ...

Louise - I blogged her portrait shoot before ...

And no personal blog would be complete without the cats :)

Comments welcome :)

Gill x

Nicola & Matt's Wedding - Stafford

Phew ... what a busy few weeks !!

Well, I first met Nicola last year when she rang and exclaimed that her Mother lived on the same street as me - she just HAD to meet me LOL - fortunately we all got along great and they decided I was to be their wedding photographer :)

Fast forward a year and here we are, blogging their wedding photos - amazing how fast time goes, isn't it !

The day started at Nicola's Mum's house, a 30 second walk for me :) Chaos as usual, but the house was big enough to accommodate people in different rooms - handy ! Nicola was the calmest person of all, having her makeup done in the downstairs family room.

While I was shooting the bridal preps, my assistant, Tony, was off capturing all the fun at the Church with Matt & his guys ...

Then on to the ceremony - this being my Parish Church, I was delighted to be shooting there :)

Then it was time for some fun ...

... and stylish bridals ...

One final shot ... this guest had a particularly funky pair of shoes ... after some persuasion, I decided I had to take this shot :)

Gill x

Amy & Bobby's Wedding - Hunter's Lodge

Last Friday was the turn of Amy and Bobby to tie the knot. The day started in the usual hustle and bustle at Amy's parents house - I just couldn't resist chasing her little niece around as she played merrily while chaos reigned all around :))


As usual, there were plenty of details to capture, from the gorgeous flowers, to my first ever pink dress, accompanied by those funky strappy silver shoes !


Then it was off to the church to catch up with Bobby and his guys ... Bobby had been attacked the previous week and so we had to be very careful photographing his poor, bruised face - of all the timing !!! I did manage to borrow the rings for a quirky shot :)



Then Amy arrived - looking radiant and happy - until we realised she had left her bouquet at home - argh !


Still, soon sorted and in for the service ... here are some of my favourites ...


Amy, Bobby and I held back at the church for some downtime before we headed off to the venue ...

Amy was a tad thirsty as we headed out for formals ... well, it was a hot day and that dress was big, after all ;)

Then it was time for speeches, as always very well received !


And finally, the first dance ...

Don't forget I am exhibiting at the Wychwood Fayre this weekend ! Drop by to see me - I am in the Atrium (directly under the catwalk shows) - look forward to seeing you there :))

Gill x

Viki & Graham's Wedding - Alvaston Hall

Phew ... what a weekend ... 2 weddings and a fayre (ok, I know it doesn't quite have a movie title ring LOL, but close !)

Now, so I know this is all going to be in the wrong order, but since Viki and Graham are back home from their honeymoon already, I thought I would start with their wedding.

The beautiful Alvaston Hall was the location for Saturday's wedding. However, the day started back at Viki and Graham's house, where I captured all the buzz and excitement in the morning, and of course Viki getting ready ... Viki was extremely calm in the morning - however, once everyone had gone and it was just her and Dad, well, that was when the nerves set in ... here are a few of my faves from the day as always ...

Viki's Mother bought her a beautiful diamond and pearl set to wear ... here the necklace is draped around her favourite perfume ...
The flowers were gorgeous ...
Viki with her Son, James ...

Then it was off to Alavaston to catch up with Graham and his best man, Mark and usher, (Graham's Son) Stephen ... we had some fun with a fisheye lens and a rather large chess board :)

And of course, not forgetting Graham's Daughter, Chelsea ...

Viki's Mother, Joan, was very emotional as she waited for Viki to come down the aisle with her Dad ...

And this is why ... beautiful - I love this photo ... the look on Viki's Dad's face is priceless and Graham just looks so happy !

And of course ... the first kiss :)

Then it was time to take the newlyweds out for some romantic shots ...

And time for some fun and laughter too ...
This little sweety wanted to pick every single piece of confetti back up again :) The speeches were fun and well received ...
The cake shot even more so ...
Gill x