Our Fun-Packed Disney Weekend

With a considerable amount of barely containable excitement in the air, Fionnuala and I took the boys to Disneyland, Paris at the weekend. It was our first experience on Eurostar, which was full of children humming their favourite Disney tunes. I fully expected to spend two or three hours enduring the "are we there yet?" phenomenon - but no, the trip was very smooth and the boys seemed perfectly happy to wait for their appointment with Mickey and friends without driving their mummy and daddy up the train walls.

If you've never been to Disneyland before, there's two things you need to know before setting out. The first is that you will have very tired feet at the end of each day. And the second is that your wallet will feel drained, too. Having said that, we had so much fun and enjoyment that I couldn't possibly claim we didn't get value for money.

Slightly concerned about keeping an eye on my camera equipment, I decided to take my old Canon 350D and the standard lens that comes with the kit. And I'm pleased to say they did a very good job. Here's a few images from our trip:

We brought two very tired boys home with us - along with two bagfuls of Disney goodies - and both agreed it had been the best weekend of their lives. Already they're talking about their next trip to Disneyland - time, I think, to remind them about their savings account!

David

Louise and Mike's Stunning Stowe School Wedding

Last weekend I spent a glorious day in the company of Louise and Mike as they tied the knot at Stowe School, Buckinghamshire. It's difficult to imagine a more spectacular venue for a wedding and when the sun burned through the early morning clouds I knew we were in for a great day. Louise and Mike had put a great amount of effort into planning their day, and it certainly paid off with everyone having such a tremendous time.

In the morning, Louise got ready at home and here's her gorgeous bridal gown hanging in the bedroom:



I usually feature the bride's flowers when showing a bouquet and Louise's was very special, as can be seen in a couple of the images below. But just by way of a change, here's a close-up of one of the bouquets carried by Louise's beautiful bridesmaids:



Mike was very relaxed before the ceremony as he posed for his portraits. In this shot, he's accompanied by his excellent Best Men, Jethro:



As Louise arrived, she was piped in ceremoniously as her bridesmaids and mother helped keep the dress in pristine condition:



As I mentioned above, Stowe School is a wonderful venue. This can be seen all too well in these next two images, taken in the Marble Saloon during the ceremony:

Afterwards, everyone spilled out onto the terrace for drinks and congratulatory hugs and kisses (I particularly like the framing in this shot, and the placement of kilts at each side of the image):

The school offers some truly world class backdrops for wedding photos which we used to good effect:

And the great lawn at the rear of the house made a pefect setting for this shot:

As the guests sat down to the wedding breakfast, I chose this splendid statue at the front house as a background for the rings shot which I took lying on the floor (just as I was in the image above - I must be getting lazy in my old age!):

And then it was time for Louise and Mike to take to the floor and wow their guests with the waltz they'd been learning (and what an excellent job they made of it, too):

It was a truly wonderful day and was greatly enjoyed by all present. As I left, a full scale ceilidh was in the offing and I doubt whether many of the guests escaped that night without having flung themselves and probably several others around the dance floor.

My congratulations to you, Louise and Mike, on such a fantastic wedding day and my best wishes for a wonderfully long and fulfilling life together,

David

Emily and Matt's Wonderful Wedding Day

Emily and Matt had glorious weather for their wedding the weekend before Easter. The sun shone down on them, and so did the warmest wishes of their family and guests. It couldn't have been a more enjoyable day - everyone was in such great form and the joy of the occasion was evident on each and every face.

As usual, I started the day with the bride as she made her final preparations. Emily's bridal gown and shoes were really beautiful:



And Emily looked like the happiest and most beautiful bride in the world:



As Matt waited for her to arrive at the church, there were no signs of any nerves, just a handsome groom who simply couldn't wait to marry the girl of his dreams:



I wanted to capture a few shots that really brought home the brightness of the day. So I lay in the grass to get this unusual angle of Emily's walk through All Saints' church yard in Leighton Buzzard and that enabled me also to include a blast of lens flare from one corner to the other of this image:



Once the vows and rings had been exchanged, Emily and Matt signed the register and legalised their marriage:



And before long, it was time to make their exit as a very happy husband and wife:



This shot was taken as Emily and Matt approached their guests, who had gathered to shower the newly weds in confetti at the church gate:



And then it was off to Bletchley Park for the reception, where we made a selection of relaxed images with which to cherish the memories of their special day:

The next image was shot during the Best Man's speech, and I think he can be pleased with the reaction he was getting:

Finally, a shot of the wedding rings, together with Emily's engagement ring, nestling on the cake:

What a superb day it was, Emily and Matt. I'm sure you enjoyed yourselves greatly - I know I did. As I left, the ceilidh band was getting into full swing and it was clear that a fantastic party was about to unfold. I hope you've recovered from that now!

My congratulations to you both and best wishes for a long and very happy life together,

David

Amanda & Toby's Maternity Shoot

When I photographed Amanda and Toby's wedding last summer it was evident that they are very much in love. Well, pretty soon they're going to have to share that love with a precious little baby and I'm sure they're going to make wonderful parents.

Of all the different types of portraiture, the maternity shoot is probably my favourite. It's just such a special time in our lives, and it's a real joy to share in it. It was great to work with Amanda and Toby again, like meeting up with old friends.

Congratulations to you both!















And finally, one to show the little cutie is going to be well-dressed - whether these will be worn by a boy or girl, only time will tell!



David

Time to Book Your Portrait Session in the Bluebells

This afternoon I took a quick stroll round nearby Docky Wood, famous for its mid-Spring carpet of bluebells. It's a photographer's paradise, though we'll have to wait another week or so before this year's bloom is at its best - in fact, there are only a handful of early petals to be seen at the moment.

Bluebells don't last long, so if you fancy a memorable portrait session in this special setting, now is the time to book your shoot. As a tempter, here's a few shots from a previous session in the bluebell woods, starting with a scenic:



And here's a few examples of classic bluebell portraits:









Bluebell portraits make great images, so give me a call and book your session now.

David

Wedding Guests - Beware The Crazy Guy With The Camera!

At Karen and Rick's wedding last weekend, I photographed this beautiful guest. Nothing unusual in that you might think, and you'd be right, of course! Except for one thing - this lady was wearing a pair of amazingly coloured shoes. I couldn't resist photographing them, but didn't want to capture them in a dull and boring way. So, if you're attending one of the weddings I photograph, be warned - you may be asked to pose in the most unexpected manner:

David :)

Steph's Urban Fashion Shoot

One of my shoot's this week took me to Central Milton Keynes where I met up with budding model Steph to create a range of urban fashion portraits. Town centre locations make fantastic settings as there as so many different backdrops to work with. Steph also had to endure a large number of onlookers but she didn't allow that to distract her. She engaged with the camera like a true professional and now has a set of amazing images to add to her growing portfolio:

Well done, Steph, for working so hard. It really was a fun shoot!

David