Kerry & Darryl At The Bedford Swan Hotel

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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