David Lester Photography - Blog

Gemma

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:34:00 +0000

A few weeks ago I posted an image of Gemma and promised to upload several more. Well, here they are - half a dozen shots of Gemma looking truly radiant. Gemma and I didn't have much time on this session but, despite a strong wind that played havoc with her hair, we came up with some wonderful images. I hope you like them:

I think you'll agree Gemma has a great look and I'm looking forward to working with her again soon,

David

Becky

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:23:00 +0000

I met aspiring model Becky at a recent wedding and found a few minutes to capture a handful of shots with her. I'm looking forward to shooting Becky's model portfolio shortly. With her gorgeous looks and geat figure, I'm sure she could go far in the modelling world:

David

Kerry & Darryl At The Bedford Swan Hotel

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:35:00 +0000

Last Saturday, I spent the day at the Bedford Swan Hotel with Kerry and Darryl as they celebrated their wedding. It was a really great day and I enjoyed myself enormously in their company. Daughters Scarlet and Poppy had a lovely day, too, and one of my favourite shots from the day features the two of them in the window of the room where mummy and daddy tied the knot (see below). Here's a selection of images I've chosen to showcase from the day:

Congratulations Kerry and Darryl on such an enjoyable wedding day. I wish you both a very happy married life and wonderful future together,

David

Abigail - Bringing Up The Ton

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:56:00 +0000

Abigail's portrait shoot last week is the subject of my 100th post on the David Lester Photography blog, and I'm really pleased to have such a wonderful set of images to mark the occasion. We started the session with a few traditional studio images but what I really wanted from the shoot was a set of trendy fashion-inspired photographs for a more urban, contemporary look. As you can see, Abigail made the perfect model for this:

This one, without doubt, is my favourite from the session:

David

Gemma's Portrait Shoot

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 20:14:00 +0000

Last week I spent an enjoyable few hours photographing Gemma who I met at a recent wedding at Notley Abbey. We got some great shots and will be shooting together again, hopefully in November. I'll be posting a series of images from our first shoot quite soon but, for now, here's just one of my favourites as a starter to whet the appetite:

David

Today's Portrait Session

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 17:36:00 +0000

Just got time for a very quick post from this morning's portrait session with Elise. We went for some colourful backgrounds today, including this shocking pink one which complemented Elise's outfit perfectly:

More images from this and other recent portrait sessions will follow soon.
David

Melanie & John's Wedding This Afternoon

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 16:29:00 +0000

I had a great time this afternoon photographing Melanie and John's wedding in Shenley Church End. These two are a really special couple and I knew today was going to be a lot of fun. There was much giggling as the girls got ready in the morning and the smiles and laughter carried on right through the service too. After a clutch of family shots, we managed to squeeze in some great images of Melanie and John before they settled down for their meal and evening entertainment (which they're enjoying right now, I hope, as I publish this post).

Here are a few of my favourite images from their day:

How's that for a funky image to end on!

Many congratulations to you both, Mel and John. I know you're going to be very happy together and that you'll enjoy a wonderfully long and fulfilling marriage.

David

Helen and Ed's Engagement Shoot

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 09:02:00 +0000

On Saturday I was lucky enough to photograph Helen and Ed's engagement portraits. Helen was a bridesmaid at Claire and Chris' wedding at Ashridge, just a few weeks earlier (you can see images from the wedding by scrolling down a little). During the evening reception, Ed proposed to Helen and so it was fitting that we should shoot their engagement portraits at Ashridge.

We made some great images together and had a lot of fun creating them. Here are just a few of my favourites:

Congratulations on your engagement, Ed and Helen. It's clear that the two of you
are very well suited to one another and I'm sure you'll enjoy years and years of joy together.

David

Elise

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:00:00 +0000

Elise spent a fortnight gaining work experience with me last year and has developed a keen interest in photography. In fact, she's just about to start a photography course at Milton Keynes college. So to mark the start of this next phase in her life, here's a selection of images we made recently when she came to sit for me as I practised some new studio techniques. As you can see below, Elise has the makings of a first class model, as well as photographer:

David

Whipsnade Zoo's Baby Elephant

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 09:38:00 +0000

In mid-August, as part of our celebrations of my son Finn's 4th birthday, we spent a day at Whipsnade Zoo. As zoo members, we quite often go to Whipsnade and I've fallen out of the habit of taking a camera with me. But a birthday demands a few family snaps, at the very least, so I was delighted to find myself armed with my kit when we came face-to-face with one of the zoo's newest additions - a female baby Asian elephant. Born towards the end of July, she was around 3 weeks old when we visited and, not suprisingly, she was a big crowd pleaser. Here she is, exploring her new surroundings, under mum's watchful eye:

This shot is a particular favourite, it's just too cute - she almost looks like she's giggling away there as she scratches her trunk on the knobbly tree roots:

It was a pretty hot day, and here's one of the adult elephants tossing dirt on its back to keep the effect of the sun's rays to a minimum:

And finally, a study of an adult elephant, probably wondering what all the fuss is about:

David

Two More From Isaac's Shoot

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 08:51:00 +0000

To usher September in, I'm uploading a couple of images from the shoot I did recently with Isaac and mum Abi:

My boys are back to school tomorrow - first day for little Finn. I think we're all looking forward to it for different reasons! Hopefully, I'll get time to post a few of the images we've taken during the summer. Good luck to everyone who's off to school again, or going back to college or university soon!

David

Cristina and Bill - Tying The Knot at Notley Abbey

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:07:00 +0000

I've driven past Notley Abbey on countless occasions and often wondered what lay beyond the impressive tree-lined driveway that welcomes visitors to this historic house. So when Cristina and Bill invited me to cover their wedding there I was delighted finally to have the opportunity to see the place at first hand. And I wasn't disappointed - they had chosen a wonderful venue, boasting excellent grounds, friendly staff and even fantastic weather!

This first image illustrates just how tantalising the driveway is. It hints at a marvellous house yet gives away nothing at all of what lies beyond:

My image of the house itself features at the end of this post. The next two shots showcase Cristina's beautiful wedding attire. First, her stunning dress:

And next, a touch of the sumptuous details adorning her gorgeous shoes:

Cristina suited her outfit perfectly and looked absolutely radiant:

As she made her final prepartions upstairs, Bill waited nervously for her arrival while the string quartet entertained their guests:

Here's Cris, just a few minutes later, as she makes her way to the ceremony with her attendants, Uncle Bob leading her along with Auntie Jean and Auntie Anne (my special pals for the day) keeping the train on the straight and narrow:

After the exchange of vows and rings, and after the group photos had been captured, we took a few images in this wonderful reception room:

Bill entertained family and friends with a truly wonderful speech after dinner, paying a warm tribute to everyone who had helped them prepare for the big day and a special and moving tribute to Cristina:

And then we took a stroll through the grounds in the late evening sun:

Finally, here's the image of Notley Abbey itself, taken just after sunset:

It really was a magnificent day and great reward for all the effort Cristina, Bill and their friends had put into the arrangements. Congratulations to you both - I wish you a long and happy marriage,

David

Lauren and Jon - The First of the Mohicans

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 07:18:00 +0000

This wonderful wedding on Friday featured a number of firsts for me: the first time I'd photographed at St Andrews in Woburn Sands and at the village green in nearby Eversholt; first time I'd shot a groom with a Mohican; and the first time I'd stumbled upon my dream car, an Aston Martin DB9, in the car park (made sure I got a few snaps of that)!

But it was the second time this month that I'd photographed the wedding of Lauren and Jon - not the same Lauren and Jon, of course. There were more similarities than just their names, though, not least a clear determination to have a lot of fun on their special day. And that shines through in this first image - you'd never guess it but as Lauren was having the finishing touches applied to her make-up she was looking out on driving rain, while a relentless drumbeat of thunder filled the air:

Giggly sisters, Lauren and Danielle, both looked gorgeous in their gowns:

When I parked up at the church I didn't recognise Jon at first as I'd not seen him sporting a Mohican before. Looks pretty cool, don't you think:

Here's a lovely study of Lauren as she pauses for a moment before making her entrance:

St Andrew's in Woburn Sands is a beautiful church and I was lucky enough to be able to photograph the ceremony from several viewpoints:

On the way to Eversholt, we stopped off briefly for a few photographs in the park at Woburn. I'd hoped to get quite a few shots here but the wind was unbelievable and the images I had in mind - especially a peaceful shot of Lauren and Jon with the deer grazing in the background - just woudn't have worked. We did, however, get this great shot of the newly-weds looking out over the park, with Lauren protecting her veil from the wind's attention:

It was much calmer at Eversholt where we posed this wonderful backlit image of bride and groom with their wedding car and reception venue:

To close with, here's a couple of the images we made at Eversholt that emphasise what a fun day it was. The first shows happy bride Lauren being supported by Jon and his entourage:

And this one is possibly my favourite from the day. I wanted to compose an image that really made a feature of Jon's hairdo, but which also showed off Lauren's beautiful eyes. This is simply crying out to be made up in canvas and hung on their living room wall:

It was a great day, helped along by the disappearance of the early morning rain and everyone's intent on having a fantastic time. Congratulations to you both, Lauren and Jon, and my very best wishes for a wonderful future together,
David

Isaac's Portrait Shoot

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 13:07:00 +0000

Late last week I had the pleasure of photographing little baby Isaac, son of Abi and Matt whose wedding I shot in 2007. As you can see, Isaac is extremely cute - he's also very inquisitive and spent much of our shoot absorbed in the studio lights and all the other bits and bobs about the place. After shooting in the studio for a while, we took the little man for a wander to the nearby park where we got some super shots. Here's a few from the day:

You did a great job, Isaac. Hope mummy and daddy like your photos!
David

Lei & Simon's Dumbleton Hall Wedding Day

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:22:00 +0000

It was a beautiful day yesterday when I photographed Lei and Simon's wedding at Dumbleton Hall. The house is set in the Cotswolds, not far from Broadway, and is a glorious venue for a wedding:

As Lei got ready, I captured the detail shots, including this lovely image of her wedding shoes:

... and this close-up of her bouquet's stem:

Lei had chosen two dresses for the day, one in traditional western white which can be seen in this next image, the other a traditional Chinese design which complemented Simon's waistcoat:

More can be seen of Simon's waistcoat in an image below. This one shows our groom looking pretty relaxed just minutes before the ceremony:

Here, Lei shares a hug with her father before they make their big entrance:

Simon looks on in admiration as his bride enters:

Lei and Simon are parents of little Kim - we had great fun trying to coax a smile from Kim. Eventually, we managed a few, though this image features a rather more pensive look:

Here are Simon's friends getting into Reservoir Dogs mode:

And this is the shot that really shows off the evening outfits to best effect:

This is one of my favourites from the day:

And so is this one, showing Lei and Simon heading off hand-in-hand for a future of happiness together:

It was a very fine wedding and I wish Simon and Lei a long and fulfilling future as husband and wife,
David

Jana's Portraits

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 16:10:00 +0000

Here's a handful of images I made recently with Jana, who came into the studio for a shoot before returning to live in here home town of Brno in the Czech Republic. Jana was great fun to shoot, and as you can see here, has the most amazing eyes. She told me she was nervous but I never noticed it on the day, and there's no sign of it in the pictures either. I hope you like them:

David

Lauren & Jon's Perfect Wedding Day

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 09:16:00 +0000

I had a great time on Friday at Lauren and Jon's wedding. Prior to their big day, we'd worked together twice on a pair of pre-wedding shoots. I'm a firm believer that the experience of a pre-wedding shoot helps me build an excellent rapport with couples and that this adds real value on the wedding day. In Lauren and Jon, I was blessed once again with a fantastic couple to work with. They get on so well together and are an ideal match for one another - even down to their complementary funky specs!

The day started off at Lauren's family home where mum put the finishing touches to Lauren's gorgeous wedding gown as the bridesmaids looked on, suitably impressed:

Lauren looked like a supermodel bride:

And, fittingly, there's something of the cool super hero about Jon:

The wedding ceremony was a really happy affair - just look at these uncontainable smiles:

Having fun was an important part of Lauren and Jon's day which is one of the reasons they opted for these amazing Beauford wedding cars. Owner Rod Robinson has adapted the vehicles so they blow bubbles out of the back as you drive along. It creates an amazing spectacle which the guests love, especially children! This shot shows the newly-weds and their bridesmaids arriving at Knebworth, venue for the reception:

Here's Jon with the lead car:

For more information on Rod's wedding cars, visit www.wed1n.co.uk.

This image shows Lauren with her wonderful bouquet in the beautiful gardens at Knebworth:

Jon had hired a separate car to make his way to the church, an Aston Martin Vantage. The classic British car, Aston Martin is my favourite marque, so we made several images with the Vantage, too. How cool is this!

I always like to shoot a close-up of the rings at a wedding. This time, I arranged them on the cover of the wedding guest book:

And finally, here's a full room shot taken during the Father of the Bride's speech:

It really was a fun day and I know everyone enjoyed themselves a great deal. Congratulations Lauren and Jon on a wonderful wedding, and my very best wishes for a long and happy marriage,
David

Claire and Adam Tie The Knot In Style

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 10:42:00 +0000

A couple of weeks ago I was fortunate enough to photograph Claire and Adam's wedding. In this job I meet lots of couples setting out in married life together and I think I've become a pretty good judge of what makes a special pairing. Claire and Adam fit this category perfectly: they get on so well together and it's easy for everyone to see that they share a really deep affection for one another. This shone through so much on their wedding day and I'm sure it will be a big feature of their life together.

For the wedding, Claire had chosen a beautiful gown, as you can see here:

Sam, one of Claire's bridesmaids, helped with the back of the dress - she also helped me out during the day holding the reflector in place and keeping everyone smiling, so thanks Sam!

Claire looked great in her dress, more of which you can see below, but I really want to show this image featuring her veil as it has a lovely intimate feel about it:

Adam was resplendent in his suit as he awaited his bride's arrival at St Andrew's Church, Great Linford:

The bridesmaids and page boys were on hand to greet Claire as she arrived, arm in arm with her father:

And so to the ceremony itself:

Afterwards, before departing for the reception venue, we took a stroll around the parkland that surrounds the church where we were able to make this beautiful image:

Time for a quick sip of champers en route to the Holiday Inn at Newport Pagnell:

Here's Adam rising to make his speech at the reception:

And finally, one from the first dance that shows off the wonderful detail in Claire's dress:

My congratulations to Claire and Adam. I wish you both a fantastic life together,
David

Claire & Chris's Perfect Wedding

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 09:27:00 +0000

I've no idea how many wedding photographers are based between Reading and Leighton Buzzard, but they must number somewhere in the hundreds. So for Claire and Chris to choose me to cover their wedding at Ashridge was a real privilege. And you really couldn't hope to meet a nicer, better suited couple.

The day began with the bridal preparations:

Here's Claire's beautiful bouquet, set against the backdrop of Ashridge's wonderful main house:

Claire looked absolutely stunning in her bridal gown:

Chris cut a dapper figure, too, and seemed very relaxed in his last few minutes as a single man:

With friends and family looking on below, Claire descended the magnificent staircase with her father to find Chris waiting below, just out of shot, for their ceremony to begin:

You may now kiss your bride:

After the ceremony, we took a few formal family shots before having a little fun with the bridesmaids and Chris's pair of Best Men:

How much longer before this guy sets down his load and tucks into the beautiful cake!:

Claire and Chris performed a fantastic dance for their guests. As Craig Revel Horwood might say - simply gorgeous, daaahlings!:

What a splendid day it was. Claire and Chris, I hope you enjoyed it as much as your guests did and I wish you both a wonderfully long and happy married life together,

David

Angela & Phil's Wonderful Wedding Day

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:09:00 +0000

Two weeks ago I had the pleasure of covering Angela and Phil's wedding on a rather wet July afternoon. Spirits were far from damp, though, and everyone was in great form. We managed to capture most of the family formals in the gardens at the beautiful Missenden Abbey but a lot of the day was spent inside, at times dodging the thunder and lightning!

This mini-gallery gives a good feel for how enjoyable the day was, especially the obligatory embarrassing of the groom during the Best Man's speech:

Congratulations Angela and Phil on a magnificent wedding day. I wish you both a fulfilling and loving married life together,

David

Elegant Ellie

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Thu, 16 Jul 2009 10:36:00 +0000

Yesterday, I had the pleasure of photographing Ellie in her school prom dress. The idea was to create a set of images that showed off her elegant gown and jewellery, using a mix of studio and outdoor settings. And, of course, to show off Ellie's radiant beauty! We had a great time, and Ellie caused a few raised eyelids as we took our outdoor shots in the centre of Leighton Buzzard.

Here are a few of the images we captured, starting with three from the studio:

And then the outdoor images, all deliberately taken with edgy urban backdrops for more of a fashionable look:

This one is my personal favourite from the session - it has a very glamorous feel to it, yet the background is a scruffy-looking public loo!:

Well done, Ellie, for being such a great subject. I'm looking forward to your viewing soon,

David

Daniella's Urban Portrait Shoot

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 11:50:00 +0000

OK, I've got over the disappointment of Andy Murray's semi-final exit at Wimbledon now and am fully expecting him to put it all behind him by winning the next major, the US Open (which is on his favourite surface, so it's entirely feasible). No pressure, Andy!

I've been busy with commercial work recently but did promise a few days ago to post some images of Daniella. So here they are:

Daniella was fun to work with, she has an almost regal look in some of that first image. Not quite so regal in the following shot, as the wind took hold of her hair!

More images to upload soon. Keep positive,
David

Urban Fashion Shoot with Sophie

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:58:00 +0000

This year seems to be rushing by and I'm not keeping up with my blog as well as I ought to be - though, at the moment, that's partly down to Andy Murray's performances at Queens and now Wimbledon. And it's so hot, too! I can't be the only one who is working a little slower than normal - can I?

I have two more weddings to do before heading off on holiday in two and a half weeks. We're going to Fethiye in Turkey, and I'm really looking forward to the break. There's an abandoned village nearby and I'm hoping to come back with some great shots to put on the blog.

For today, though, it's back to one of my urban fashion shoots. I took this set of images of the lovely Sophie about a month ago. The first one's about as smiley as Sophie wanted to get - as you'll see from her other images, the theme for the day was sullen and moody (obviously taking after the supermodels in Vogue and the like):

Sophie's friend Daniella came along on this shoot and I'll be posting some images of her soon for you to see. For now, time to start preparing for Murray's semi-final against Roddick. It'll be a tough one but I think Murray will win - let's hope so!

David

Jodie & Will's Fantastic Wedding Day

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 10:29:00 +0000

Ten days ago I had the privilege of photographing Jodie & Will's wedding in Milton Keynes. After a week of glorious sunshine and soaring temperatures, the skies filled with tumbling grey clouds and the heavens threatened to open and dump a month of rainfall on us in one fell swoop. Luckily, though, the deluge never materialised and we got away with occasional drizzle and a largely dry day! But I doubt if even a monsoon could have spoiled Jodie and Will's big day, it really was a great occasion and all present had a fantastic time.

I'm going to start this showcase with a shot of the engagement and wedding rings:

Jodie wore a beautiful off-the-shoulder gown and looked absolutely stunning:

The ceremony took place at St Mary Magdalene Church in Willen, Milton Keynes. There seems to be a beautiful church hidden away in every nook and cranny of Milton Keynes, and this is a fine example, built around 1680:

This image was taken shortly before Jodie made her entrance. It was taken by Stephanie who was my assistant for the day. Stephanie is studying for her A Levels and plans to go on to university to study photography. She has great potential, as you can see from this image in which she's captured a nervous groom and (oddly) an even more nervous-looking best man:

This shot from the rear of the church shows great happiness on Jodie and Will's faces, and I love the way the onlooking bridesmaids are so utterly engrossed in the action:

Here's another of Stephanie's shots, again capturing a wonderful expression:

After a few group shots, we captured a handful of images by the church door, of which this is my favourite:

Then it was time for the confetti 'tunnel of lurve':

This image was taken at the reception venue, Holiday Inn Milton Keynes East between MK and Newport Pagnell:

I set up a few fun shots in the hotel courtyard, though this one was shot by Stephanie as I captured mine - I chose this one becasue I like the way Jodie and Will are looking out of the frame, and their friends' expressions mirror one another perfectly:

Will's best man made an excellent speech, during which he embarrassed Will to the great amusement of all:

Will wasn't content with being embarrassed during the speeches - as was evident from the first dance which followed shortly. No, only kidding, Will! In reality, much preparation had gone into the dance, and it showed as Will and Jodie tripped the light fantastic around the dance floor, impressing their guests with their expert steps. Well done to you both!

And so begins another married life. It's a great pleasure to photograph people on their big day. I get to meet some really fun people, and Jodie and Will fall into this category. It's clear that they are wonderfully well suited to one another and I'm delighted to have had a chance to meet them. I wish you both a fantastic marriage and many, many years of happiness together.

David

Megan's Portrait Session

noreply@blogger.com (David) — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:31:00 +0000

I've photographed more portraits than weddings recently. Here's a small selection of the images I made with Megan a couple of weeks ago. She's a complete natural in front of camera and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see her modelling some time in the future!

The colours in this rape field made a great backdrop:

How's this for a supermodel headshot:

More portraiture to show in the next few days,

David