Helen and Paul's Sunny Wedding Day

For most of the week running up to Helen and Paul's wedding there was rain in the air - it seems to have been that way for all the weddings I've covered this year. But on the big day itself, the sun was out and it made for a very happy day. Paul had spared no expense in making this a special day for his lovely bride and he was full of excitement as he waited in the church for Helen to arrive:



Helen was radiant and enjoyed posing in the bridal car before the ceremony:



The ceremony itself was packed with humour:



The reception was held at Putteridge Bury, Hertfordshire. It's one of the region's finest venues and Helen and Paul were happy to spend a little time strolling round the grounds making the most of the photo opportunities it offers:



The wedding cake reflected the humour of the day. Here's a shot of one of the three tiers:



Helen's mother made a very moving speech which, as you can see here, was much appreciated by her daughter:



The evening entertainment began with a very atmospheric first dance. I was almost drowned in dry ice as I lay on the floor to capture this shot:



What a fun day - and I'm sure the evening was great too. Helen and Paul, I hope you get a chance to view this while you're on honeymoon in the Maldives. Thanks for being great to work with and I look forward to seeing you both when you get back.

David

Laura and Ben's Bump Shoot

Little beats the buzz of knowing a baby is on the way, and it's a great excuse for a photo shoot. Photographing Laura and Ben's bump in their stunning home last weekend was a lot of fun. Their modern decor made a great backdrop for a range of contemporary images:



Ben has some great tattoos and Laura asked me to make a feature of them in the photos:





I couldn't resist using their art work as a prop, especially with the appropriate wording on their mini canvas:




I'm sure Ben won't be as keen to listen out for little noises after a few sleepless nights:



For a photographer, there are fewer greater joys than photographing a beautiful expectant mother in fuli bloom - it's such a special time and great to be able to record it in this way:




I've really been blessed this year with the people I've worked with. Once again, with Laura and Ben, the shoot was a real breeze. I can't tell you both how great you were to work with. It was a real joy, and I look forward to seeing you again very soon,

David

Lauren & Jonathan

Lauren and Jonathan were one of the lucky couples who won a free Engagement Shoot when they entered my prize draw at February's wedding fair in Central Milton Keynes. We had a great time as we strolled around Woburn a couple of weekend's ago. It's a favourite place of mine to do outdoor portraits - there are so many different backdrops to choose from and despite being a popular tourist destination it is surprisingly easy to find quiet places to shoot.

Lauren and Jonathan were very easy to work with, nice and relaxed in front of camera, as you can see in this first image:



This is a variant of a shot I often capture at weddings. The main difference is that I usually have the groom hold one wedding ring and the Best Man holds the other - and they're not usually standing quite so close to one another!!!



An engagement shoot is as much about fun as showing the love and romance the couple share:



A couple of individual portraits:






Anyone who had their engagement shoot in the early part of the year missed out on lying in the grass due to the rain. Here's a couple of examples of my lazy shots - so-called because this is where I get to lie down on the job! The light in Lauren's eyes is stunning here:





And the final image is all about the reflection:



It was great fun working with you, Lauren and Jonathan. I hope you like the shots here and look forward to seeing you both soon.

David

Joseph's Baptism

Back in March I posted a handful of images from Zuzana and Gary's maternity shoot. The two of them have become really good friends of ours over the last couple of years and so it was a real privilege at the weekend to be able to capture some images of little Joseph's baptism. It was a fantastic day and Joseph looked like he was enjoying every minute of it - that is until Fr John poured copious amounts of holy water over his forehead! Needless to say, Joseph responded with floods of tears. These were eventually stilled and we had a splendid afternoon back at Gaz & Zuzaz's house.

To kick off with, here's a reminder of the bump:

Jospeh's well and truly his own little man now. Here he is enjoying the attention in the early part of the Mass:

The flood that prompted the flood:

All smiles again:

Very proud (and happy) grandparents:

And our happy little family - well, mum and dad are happy enough, though I think Joseph was more in the mood for food than photos at this stage:

Zuzana's parents weren't able to make it over from Slovakia but hopefully they'll see these photographs and it'll help bring them a little closer to the day.

Congrats to you all and see you very soon,

David

My Special Boys

One of the great advantages of being a photographer is building up a portfolio of wonderful images of your own children. A few weeks back I attended a wedding as a guest. Naturally, I had my camera with me and I can tell you it was quite difficult to resist the temptation to shoot away all day. It was also interesting to see the hired pro at work from the guest's perspective.

My main aim for the day was to get some great shots of Tadhg and Finn, my little treasures. Tadhg is seven, and Finn two. Having an opportunity to photograph them in some smart clothes instead of football kit is quite a rarity! Here are three images from the day. There's every chance the final image may find its way onto a wall in our home pretty soon:







David