Laura & Dean

Wow - what an amazing day we had last weekend! With about 150 people travelling over to Guernsey for this wedding, it was always going to have a unique flavour. What made it so special for me was the sheer energy and sense of fun, mixed with heartfelt emotions from genuine people.

We start off with the groom's party getting ready, it's surprising what good light you can get even in a small crowded hotel room.

What a way to put on a jacket, but check out the similarity with Dean crowd surfing later in the night!


Laura was so excited by her day and couldn't wait to show her truly spectacular dress, this image of the dress filling the wardrobe makes an amusing scene.

Just look at those amazed expressions as they catch the first glimpse of Laura coming down the stairs.


My wife and assistant ensured this rear view showed the dress to best effect as they entered the church. Also capturing the lovely view of the little guest getting a clear view up the aisle.





Time was short but we worked fast on a visit to the harbour on the way to Les Cotils for the reception. I am always aware of the need to work efficiently and extract the most from situations so the wedding party is not held up. Often parked cars are in the way for photographs, but how about the 853 foot Oriana! Actually I quite like the juxtaposition with the liner here.

Another prestigious symbol of the day was the Spirit of Ecstasy on the Rolls Royce that has a strong family meaning and was used for the couple's transport. What better than a picture using this and the wedding rings? It was very tricky to get the rings to stay in position on the highly polished chrome.

Les Cotils proved a perfect place for the reception, the children had fun and despite many pre-speech nerves, all the speeches were funny and well received.






Well done Lee, it wasn't that bad then?


It was nice to make use of the grounds for a few pictures of Laura and Dean, they were so natural in how they interacted.



The evening entertainment started, DJ Carl Ward got the dancing started and The States proved superb as the band. These people from Essex certainly know how to party!




A pretty wild time was had by all!



Laura lanched the bouquet into orbit high into the night sky, but there was a great reaction by the lucky lady who managed to catch it!

The day drew to a close, what an incredible event.


To the person who asked, yes I am more than willing to travel to the UK to shoot weddings, check out my Tetbury wedding on the blog from June as an example.

Catherine & Taurai

This wedding was notable as being the smallest event I have ever covered. In addition to the bride and groom, the guests present were the couple's beautiful little children. This wedding was small and really sweet.

A nice scene as the groom waits for the bride to arrive at the Greffe.




The couple had the best weather Guernsey could offer for the first two weeks of their trip, a bit ironic then that their first day of rain co-incided with the wedding day. It's hard being a bride and mother to two small children, here Catherine is sheltering in the doorway as we prepare to walk to a nearby garden for a little picnic lunch.

The cover of a beautiful copper beech provided the perfect spot to settle down.

Afterwards we walked to Notre Dame church where Catherine and Taurai lit some candles and spent a quiet moment of reflection.





We met again later in the day, the continuing rain allowed us to take some atmospheric images.


The next day normal weather resumed and we met on the beach to finish off our coverage with some lovely family pictures.


All in all a beautiful day of great intimacy.

Laura & Neil - a Herm wedding

Laura & Neil had a beautiful day for their wedding in Herm. This was my second overseas wedding in as many weeks, even if I only had to travel a few miles eastwards to get to Herm!

Laura worked in Herm for many years, plus she met Neil there, and it was special for them to come back for their wedding. The community spirit and friendship among the people from Herm was very evident and gave a great atmosphere throughout the day.

Here Laura is receiving the finishing touches to her hair, with some interested onlookers watching.


Just round the corner in the village the groomsmen got ready and made their way to St. Tugals Chapel. This chapel is a wonderful place with immense charm.




The chapel may look small on the outside, but it accommodated all the guests and a touching service followed.


A generous helping of confetti and the bride and groom led the procession down the hill, accompanied to the great sound of the bagpipes. This drew a small crowd of people off the beach by the harbour to have a look.



The scene at the White House Hotel was picture perfect, lovingly tended gardens set off against the deep blue sky.


The meal was held inside the cool hotel, where Neil found that having your brother as the best man meant that several quite embarrassing moments were recalled with glee by him!



A brief break at the Mermaid Tavern after and then the evening carried on centred on the marquee in the gardens.


The throwing of the bouquet was quite dramatic and I was able to capture an amusing sequence of images. Sorry no room to show them all here.

The dancing was great fun and eveyone had a really memorable time.


As sunset approached we were keen to take the opportunity to make use of the lovely light to create some beautiful pictures.


Unfortunately the day drew to a close, many guests were staying on Herm for the weekend, for the rest it was a walk to Rosaire and a trip back to Guernsey.

Lucy & Ben - The Great Tythe Barn, Tetbury

Lucy and Ben's wedding was a bit different for us to cover in several ways. One was that it all took place in the beautiful Gloucestershire countryside, all in one location at the Great Tythe Barn. Also the large number of Italian guests gave it a unique flavour with the mix of cultures. The cottages and the barn where the service and reception were held are all clustered around the yard, it was nice to just walk from one area to another. The history is something to wonder at, the barn is well over 400 years old.

The bride and groom got ready in different areas and had to take care not to see each other before they were meant to.





A quick peep through the net curtains to check that people were going inside for the service. I really enjoy these sorts of images, they tell a story as well as make attractive pictures.

Another moment captured, as dad checks his watch. It is difficult to photograph genuinely candid moments, one has to be alert and anticipate any action, as well as combine light and composition to add the final touches to the image.


The interior of the barn is surprisingly large, just as well as it was pretty crowded with all the guests attending this wedding.

On the way out after the service, this series of images sums up the exuberant mood.

The nice weather and gardens gave us an opportunity to take some attractive portraits.


I operate in a very discreet and documentary fashion, so even though I kept back from this part of the day when the couple were videoed I managed to be quick enough to get this shot as Lucy's veil blew away.

The reception started and the interior was beautifully laid out, olive trees made the centre point of each table. The trio of Italian singers (called Take Two) set the mood in a superb way. At frequent intervals people would bang their plates with the cutlery and chant "bacio, bacio" - the couple then were expected to stand and kiss, all great fun!


I couldn't resist this nice detail shot in this blog.

The caricaturist was very popular, and skilfully drew various guests, naturally doing one of the couple themselves.

The speeches proved very amusing and were appreciated by everyone present.



Fast forward to the first dance, it is challenging to record the emotions of such an event and, at the same time, provide beautiful images. Between myself and my assistant (Karen, my wife) we managed to achieve some delightful images.





With chinese lanterns not being allowed, the couple had a balloon release instead.


Eventually the day drew to a close, we had a spectacular day and we hope that these images provide memories for the future.

Ali & Stuart

What a fantastic day everyone had for Ali and Stuart's wedding. Lots of preparation went into the day and it was a pleasure to photograph the day's action. The bride is always at the centre of attention on her special day, here the bridesmaids are busy while the make-up receives the finishing touches.




Meanwhile the guys manage to fit in a quick round of golf, watch a bit of the Test match, grab a bacon roll and off for a drink. Now note those shoes that the best men are sporting! I have to credit this image to my assistant (and wife), I have recently had some people compliment me on some blog pictures and I had to own up that their favourite was actually my wife's work!



A brief glimpse of the bride and her father as they enter the church. The inside was packed with a large number of guests.





It was nice to have a walk to the marquee from the church, with a few pictures taken on the way.


The garden and marquee gave a very summer garden party feeling, with perfect weather. The speeches were great fun, the two best men gave a great double act, even if some of what they said was a little embarrassing for the groom.


As night fell the action continued.

The first dance gave the couple the chance to show their athleticism. The dance floor was absolutely heaving, making it actually difficult to find room to take pictures.



One of my jobs is to record memories and it was lovely to photograph such a precious moment as the bride and her mother danced together.

The marquee certainly made a beautiful sight as the day drew to a close.


Finally the party ended, except for a few die hard party goers at one end of the otherwise empty marquee.
What an amazing day.

Kirsty & Ian

We had another busy and fun packed day with Kirsty and Ian on their wedding day. It all started on a damp rainy morning with a round of golf. Now 10 year old Morgan showed his potential by being the only person to score a par on the round!


We'll stay with the groomsmen as they completed their preparations, (great hair do Ian!), onwards for a pint and a game of pool.



Meanwhile Kirsty was getting ready and looked stunning. So did little Millie, who was beautifully behaved throughout the long day.




A nice intimate service followed and it was rewarding to photograph some precious moments.



A few pictures on the way to the reception at the Farmhouse gave us the opportunity to take some lovely portraits of the newly wed couple.


Everyone had great fun at the reception, with very amusing speeches.




The evening entertainment included not just a DJ and dancing, but also a casino. This proved very popular and seemed to be taken pretty seriously by the younger crowd!




We finish this blog off with a little intimate moment at the end of a very late evening.

This blog is a bit short on text, but I am sure you prefer for me to share a few more pictures, thank you for looking.

Francois & Stephen

We had a beautiful day last Saturday for the wedding of Francois and Steve. They had planned this day for a long time, and I am sure that all their preparations were more than worthwhile. The weather was absolutely gorgeous, blue skies warm and light winds.

There was a crowded house where the bride and bridesmaids were getting ready, I really enjoyed this picture, where the little flower girls gaze in admiration at Francois as her dress is laced up. Fran made a stunning bride as expected.


Onto the groom's party for their preparation. Another crowded house, especially as the men are all rugby players. Now you don't expect men like this to have to use make-up, but Steve had a good excuse. There is never a good time to cut yourself shaving, least of all on your wedding day!



At the church we had some nearby roadworks to contend with, but everyone made it in good time. Here the bridesmaids are waiting for Fran to arrive at St. Martin's church.



Reverend Keirle always has a good joke or two for the people present, but the best man played his own joke by presenting a couple of hula hoops as rings. Once the laughter died down he promptly ate them and normal service was resumed!


We stopped off at Fermain Bay on the way to The Venue for a splendid reception.



The first dance provided me with the opportunity to record this close moment between the newly weds.


To finish off this blog I have chosen one of my favourite images of the day, a very demanding picture to take as the couple let off a chinese lantern into the dark night sky. What makes it so special are the beautiful colours, dramatic lighting, and of course the lovely expressions as I got the perfect moment just as the lantern was released.

Liz & Chris - a wonderful wedding in Sark

Every wedding is special, but some end up being truly exceptional and, this was one of the latter without a doubt. As a lover of Sark it was wonderful to be chosen by a couple who share this affection and naturally wanted their wedding there. They had organised everything meticulously and the whole day ran beautifully. I really found it very difficult to select which images to use in this blog, so please enjoy the below knowing there are a lot more beautiful pictures to share of this day. So there's not much text below and a few more pictures than normal.

I started early in the morning with the bridal preparations, it was a pleasure to photograph those special moments that illustrate the bonds between Mother and Daughter and between the bridesmaids. A record of precious moments showing precious friendships.


Liz looked stunning and the grounds of the house made the perfect walk to the waiting carriage to take her to the church.





La Moinerie was where the groomsmen were getting ready, those button holes certainly proved a bit tricky to fit.


A gentle walk to St. Peter's Church was ideal to keep the nerves calm, where Chris awaited the arrival of his bride.

St. Peter's Church in Sark is surprisingly big inside, with an unusual layout as there is no central aisle. The scene inside looked very impressive with the packed guests and stunning flowers.

Now I knew the couple well after spending time with them in London and Guernsey shooting their engagement session. Liz is a person who hardly stops laughing, this was very evident on her wedding day!

A favourite candid moment as the couple await to come out from signing the register.

There were congratulations all around outside the church as the sun smiled on the newly weds. Then it was off in the carriage accompanied by the sweet sight of some of Sark's children cycling behind the carriage.


La Seigneurie gardens in Sark are one of the premier tourist attractions of the island and it was a fitting place to stop off with the now Mr. and Mrs. Carter to take some beautiful portraits of them. Thank you to La Seigneurie Gardens Trust for their permission to do this.


Then a gentle ride to Les Cotils to the marquee for the reception.

What a perfect location and how beautiful it all looked inside. The staff of La Moinerie and Le Aval du Creux have to be congratulated with the results of their efforts.


It was difficult to photograph the speeches as there was much to laugh about and I found that infectious.


As dusk fell the scene outside made a worthwhile picture as the lights in the tent contrasted with the blue of the approaching night.

What a first dance! They promised something different and certainly delivered, the speed and energy of their unusual routine was fun and admirable, if a bit of a challenge to record.

The band was made up with Luke as The Trumpet Player, The Kings of Swing and Wavelength. A great mix of music from brass to crashing Queen numbers accompanied with frenzied dancing. It was a treat to hear these accomplished musicians perform.

The dancing continued unabated with extraordinary energy the whole evening. What fun everyone had.



A conga to finish off and, yes Liz is still laughing. What a superb end to the day.



To those who have not seen Liz and Chris' engagement album, please scroll down to my blog entries in February and January.
Also for the visitors to Sark for this wedding who may not have had the chance to see as much of the island as they would have liked to, please check out the Landscapes section on my website where there is a small selection of some of my Sark images.

Guernsey Festival of Photography

The Festival has opened and what a packed month of events it will be. I encourage everyone to visit as much as possible and take the opportunity to get involved and especially attend the lectures by some of the world's greatest photojournalists. Catch up with the full timetable of events at www.guernseyphotographyfestival.com

I am honoured to also have an exhibition to celebrate the 65th anniversary of Guernsey's Liberation. My show is on the railings around the Town Church, I photographed people who actually lived through the Occupation in the Island. Each image is accompanied with a few words about each person's memories of that difficult time.

The text that introduces the exhibition is reproduced below, together with a few of the images on show. Hope you enjoy these and go to see the rest.


"Occupation Recollections - A Series of Portraits"
by Nick Després FRPS

Nick is a Fellow of the Royal Photographic Society, and is a local professional photographer who specialises mainly in weddings. He was delighted to be invited to have his own exhibition as part of the festival on the theme of the Liberation, his own family history gave him a strong connection and understanding of that time. Doreen Bichard and Desmond Tostevin, both featured in this exhibition, are relatives on his father’s side. In addition Juan Alarcon was a good friend of Nick’s grandfather. The latter was a Polish national who had settled in Guernsey after fighting for the British forces in the war. The first time he saw his daughter, Nick's mother, she was 18 and had being allowed to leave to settle in the Island. His own family's plight gave him an appreciation of the subjects' hardship throughout the Occupation.

Nick said it was quite moving to meet and photograph the subjects for this exhibition, he gained a lot personally from this project. He is keen to continue to photograph people from this period, please contact Nick if you would like to take part.
Please take your time to view the images on display, and appreciate the hardships that people living through the Occupation faced.

Juan Alarcon - fought against General Franco in the Spanish Civil War, but was captured and brought to Guernsey as a slave worker by the Germans. Enduring atrocious conditions, he also lost part of his hand. Many of his compatriots in his division were massacred by the Germans after being taken to Austria. Juan managed to stay in Guernsey, married and worked as a farmer. The picture he is holding shows him as a 17 year old soldier in Spain, he is 91 this year.

Doreen Bichard – wonders how her Mother coped with caring for the children. She left school at 14 and worked as a children’s nanny. She recalls that many goods were bartered for with tea being a precious commodity to barter with. Also a vivid memory was the pitiful state of the slave workers that used to be transported in railway trucks past where she lived at Les Vardes.

Desmond Tostevin – as a boy of 14 when the war ended Desmond says that he did not feel the responsibility and worry that his parents had. He recalled that during the initial air raids on Guernsey he was in a fishing boat off the west coast, they were fired upon and had to run the boat aground amongst rocks where they hid, pertrified. A bullet was lodged in the bow of the boat. Tragically he lost an uncle in 1941 who was part of a fishing trip that was shot at in Saint’s Bay, the exact circumstances are still not clear or fully disclosed.

Madeline Sims – worked as an assistant in the Bailiff’s office. She used to listen to her crystal set at home and would record the news. At huge personal risk she would provide typed copies of this and would brief the Bailiff daily. Madeline and her husband would print up what they had heard and distribute these as part of the Guernsey Active Secret Press. The consequences of discovery would have been extremely severe.

Roy Burton – had to work hard on the family farm, he was 14 at the end of the Occupation. A German soldier who had tried to use one of their fields for grazing his horses ended up becoming a life long friend, helped out around the farm and sometimes ate with the family. Roy wrote to his friend Rudolf, “when we first met we were classed as enemies in the 1940-1945 war and now we are as close as brothers after being friends for 67 years”.

A few portraits....

Now I had photographed a couple of sessions with Matthew, on my third visit I took the opportunity to photograph a few pictures of Edna his mum. Edna is one of the most striking women I have photographed and I am really pleased with what we managed to achieve in a short space of time, one flash light, a piece of background material pinned to the curtains in the dining room and of course a great model.





We photographed quite a few different poses many worked very effectively. Matthew awoke from his post lunch nap and so we couldn't waste the opportunity to take some additional images of him.

Ali & Dave's wedding

This was a really sweet event that took place back in February. Ali and Dave got married in the half-term at the Greffe, followed with a blessing at Notre Dame church. Here the bride arrives in style.

A few moments adjusting the bridesmaid's outfit gave me the opportunity to capture an unexpected image of the beautiful backlit blue dress.

Notre Dame is one of my favourite churches, I remember being told when a child that the roof timbers were constructed to ressemble the construction of a ship's hull.


I am always vigilant to any discreet candids where I can, the lighting here suited a black and white image that enables the lines and textures to be more prominent.

The couple were throughly enjoying this informal service, Father PJ was in great form and added much humour as expected.

I love winter weddings, the low light gives lots of wonderful opportunities to take different pictures. Photography is all about light and one has to be able to make use of the direction and quality to produce great pictures, timing and composition add the finishing touches. This all comes together here with these shadows.

A short picture session followed on the way to the reception, the cold conditions ensured that no-one wanted to hang around for long.


A small and intimate reception dinner followed. I concentrated on a few details and capturing the moments that make special memories.



A dance rounded off the day, the younger guests made full use of the floor and I was able to photograph some touching and initmate moments.

Tim Gaudion at The Gallery

I wanted to post a short piece on an enjoyable evening a week or so ago when Tim Gaudion ataged an art exhibition at The Gallery in Mill Street. Now I have known Tim for a fair time, mainly known him as a web designer and videographer, he is behind the filming of Karl Taylor's instructional dvds. So it came as a bit of a surprise to find out recently that Tim was a very accomplished artist, I was keen to see more of his work and the opening night of his show provided this opportunity. I took my camera and just a standard lens, it was interesting to see what I could achieve in these circumstances, I was pleased I went.

Tim was kept busy chatting with the large crowd that gathered.

There was a lot of interest in the beautiful work on display.

How much? Bargain!

One of my favourite pictures for a while, it was cold and wet, but the view from the street made for a fascinating picture.

Just a quick picture on the cycle ride home, dark and with a brooding night sky, but there was a certain quality about this image that I couldn't just pass by.

Landscape in New Clinical Block

I am naturally a fairly quiet person who doesn't shout about my work too much, I do literally let my images do the talking. But please permit me to share with you a quite stunning print of mine that has been hung in the New Clinical Block at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital in Guernsey.

The builders of the block, Charles Le Quesne, donated this piece of artwork via Karl Taylor at www.perfectprints.co.uk. The scale of this canvas is quite breathtaking, it is huge! It really does stand out in the crisp, modern corridor.

The scene is of a still evening at St. Saviour's Reservoir in Guernsey and is one of my favourite landscapes. So without further ado, please see below for the pictures themselves.



For those who have asked or have an interest this image was not taken digitally. It was photographed on a Canham T657 camera, (a large format 5x7 inch format), with a 6x17 roll film adaptor, on Fuji Velvia 100, the lens was my amazingly sharp Rodenstock 90mm, (an ultra wide angle lens in this format). Working with equipment like this is another world from the digital cameras most of my work is carried out with now. Everything is entirely manual, there are so many areas to make mistakes, seeing and focusing the image is a challenge in itself, plus you have all the multitude of camera movements to make to ensure you have got the perspective and planes of focus correct. A far cry indeed from the convenience of digital capture.

But above all this you still have to have the eye for a good picture, no matter how you photograph it.

I for one am grateful I grew up with varied photography like I have for the 30 years I have been using cameras, the skills I have learnt serve me well and enable me to draw on my experience to handle situations that present themselves during my wedding photography. There is no substitute for hard earned experience, and no short cuts to developing the necessary skills. I am happy for my clients to know what I am capable of so that they have full confidence in my ability.

Yoga in Herm

Last weekend I was privileged to attend a Beinspired Yoga weekend in Herm.

Everyone had lots of fun and benefited from some great classes and instruction from Emma, Vicky and Sheila. My job was to take some photographs to show the workshop, as well as sneak away occasionally to try and take some personal work. Another prominent feature of the weekend of course was the weather, we saw some disruption to the programme due to the severe gales and rain that hit the area that weekend. But nothing could dampened the spirits of the people who braved the journey. The staff on Herm were wonderful, the classes took place at the White House Hotel and we had some lovely meals at the Mermaid Tavern.

I will let Emma cover the weekend from her perspective on her website www.beinspiredby.co.uk, but here are a few of my images of the weekend.

The classes were very well organised and I must say I have great respect for those who practice yoga, whatever their experience and abilities, it really does seem to be a way of life for many.



Sheila also took an introductory session in watercolour during some free time in the afternoon, what better for people to practice on than scenes of the lovely island of Herm. The enthusiasm was infectious.


Thank you to Vicky for taking the time to allow me take a few photographs of her doing some yoga on the beach, also for being taken by me to the other end of the island in the rain only to find that the conditions were so bad we didn't take any more pictures.

But if you can't do what you want to there are always other opportunities, like this delightful detail of rain dripping off some pine needles.

Now most people probably thought I was still in bed when they started their yoga class on Sunday morning, but no, one of my loves is landscape photography and a gale and driving rain wasn't going to put me off! I got my spiritual fulfilment walking around for a few hours from well before dawn. All the pictures you see here were taken in the rain. But bad weather also means mood and emotion, something I love portraying. Overall I impressed myself with what I managed to achieve under the conditions, though I was limited to pointing the lens away from the wind to avoid the rain. My camera gear is still drying out in a container with lots of silica gel.


There was no obvious sunrise, it just gradually went from black to dark grey and lighter shades of grey, Belvoir Bay is seen here still pre-dawn with one of the highest tides of the year.

Shell Beach in Herm is world famous, here is my view from the weekend, making use of the billowing grasses in the blowing wind.

Herm Common is surprisingly large and on such a wild and windswept day has an appeal that reminds me of moorland such as the Yorkshire Moors, even though the sea is just behind.



The whole weekend was a very worthwhile experience. Thank you Emma for asking me to attend.

Liz & Chris - Engagement Part 2

As promised here is the second part of Liz and Chris' engagement session. Part 1 took place in a cold and snowy London, well the weather also had a prominent role to play in our Guernsey session. A brisk wind and heavy rain showers greeted us, but we ventured forth with our usual great enthusiasm. I enjoy these conditions, bad weather often gives exciting light, and of course photography is all about light, though in these conditions you have to be quick with your decisions to react and make the most of whatever opportunities present themselves in such changeable conditions.

You can gauge the conditions from the opening shot below, but hey we're having a great time!

Like I mentioned grab the opportunities quickly, this fleeting but perfect rainbow appeared, what a beautiful memory of the occasion. A quick wipe of the lens to clear the rain away and we got our picture.

Once again the light brightened enough to give a lovely saturated colour with highlights on the wet grasses. You can tell we're in for another squall by the sky behind.

Not sure what rules of composition this picture adheres to, certainly goes against some advice to get in close. But my over-riding rule is if it looks good it is good! This is going to be a stunning double page spread in the album.

A dramatic sky, a semi silhouette and again that sense of fun all combine to give us another effective image.

When I photograph an engagement session or a wedding I always try to keep in mind the final use of a picture, difficult but often very helpful. In this next image I purposely kept a large amount of negative space, now this would work as an image in its own right. But then see the following picture which is the actual double page spread out of the final album design. It was a bit windy for an umbrella, as was soon proved. But with quick reactions and a deft reversal of the upturned brolly Chris rescued the poor umbrella and it lives intact for another day! A good laugh too.


We had a good variety of work already but were keen for more, so we changed location and braved further rain. I really don't have the space to share many more images here, but to finish off this post here's an image that utilised my vision gained from my darkroom days, with the scene before me I knew what I wanted out of it, it is rewarding when one is able to manage this.

Even later in the day the smiles were still there, and yes, so was the rain! Once more the effort was worth it and we got a nice series of images to close off our session.

So thank you to Liz and Chris for their endless enthusiasm, the album is designed and being printed at the moment. I really can't wait to see the finished result in print.

A special engagement session - part 1

Well this was a rather special engagement session for me. Yes my couples all show enthusiasm and energy, but Liz and Chris spent all day going to various sites in London, not only that but an extremely cold and snowy London. Their stamina and energy never faltered for a long day, it was no surprise to learn that they have both completed the London marathon.

I was lucky to get to London, the airports had seen much disruption due to snow and ice. So it was nice to open our photography with a few images showing some snow. Certainly the grey lighting and covering of snow lent themselves to more graphic compositions, a lot of these earlier shots were better in monochrome to make full use of the conditions.


Battersea power station is such a massive landmark, again the conditions were great to convey the nature of this building.

With a couple who know London so well it was quick and easy for us move through our list of areas to cover, looking for slightly unusual compositions and some lesser known corners of the city.

Even with the colour image below it mainly looks monochromatic, until one notices the splash of colour from the sole of the shoe.


Here's an area I wouldn't have known about, but Liz knew she wanted a picture amongst these beautiful pillars. A slight restriction was the stack of tables there, but I have to deal with things like this without delay and find compositions that work and eliminate distractions. An exposure to enable me to make a higher key picture, with a little use of flash to highlight the couple, meant I was able to realise my vision and make best use of the location.

While by St. Paul's I noticed buses in the background and thought about the shot we see here, of course just when you want a bus there isn't one, or it's going at the wrong speed and stops, or there's people in the way! But with a bit of perseverance I got the shots, thank you for your patience Liz and Chris!

This trip to London also gave me the opportunity to see a few sites that I had never visited, a walk across the Millenium Bridge and onto the Tate Gallery.

It is good to see the use that some buildings have been put to, the Tate is another old power station now used as an art gallery. But no time to admire the exhibits as I had to try and produce some art of my own. I immediately recognised the beauty of the backlighting and sheen from the concrete floor. I also wanted to show Liz and Chris as tiny figures in this vast industrial cavern, drawing attention to them by the use of a slow shutter speed, blurring other people walking by. A result well worth the effort in the end.

A little break for lunch and a chance to warm up, then we were out to play at dusk. A lot more colour in the following pictures, using the artificial lighting from the city lights and the remaining ambient light in the sky. There's always a short period when these light sources balance and give a nice colour in the sky.


One of my favourite images of the session is the next one, a fairy tale scene with the beautiful blue lights on the trees and the London Eye. I chose the order of our night shots carefully to make best use of the dusk light, this image allowed for a darker sky so could be left until later. I was troubled with keeping the rain off the lens, but in the end the droplets of water actually add to the overall feel of the picture.

Then to conclude a memorable day a quick visit to Tower Bridge. Thank you very much to Liz and Chris for this opportunity, we have some amazing pictures that will provide you with a lovely memory of your life in London.

Look out for part 2 of this engagement session in Guernsey in another post, coming soon.

A few portraits....

People might not realise but I also shoot portrait commissions. My aim is not just to create a record of people, but to ensure I portray the emotions and love present between them, whether couples, family groups or children. Using my experience and vision I can transcend the ordinary portrait and provide you with a work of art that demonstrates your bonds for each other.

So a few examples from a recent family session. It's amazing the natural moments one can capture just by watching and lying on the floor for a while, letting children just be children. It is also lovely to see the obvious bonds between parents and children, and seeing children so at ease with their grandparents.

So thank you to Detlev, Katherine, Abigail and Colin and the grandparents of course. We now have a priceless collection of beautiful moments of your wonderful family.

Samantha & Matthew

This wedding was special in that so many people had travelled from all corners of the globe to assemble in Guernsey to join Sam and Matt in their wonderful day. I was aware of a large contingent from South Africa, naturally as this is where the groom's family reside, plus people from Bermuda, New York, Australia and others from not so far away. One of the pleasures of this job is being able to meet some remarkable people, there were plenty in this event, though unfortunately I don't get a chance to stop to chat.

It is difficult to condense such a wedding into a select few images for the blog, so excuse me if you feel left out in this blog. There are plenty more images to show in due course, plus these have taken me 2 long days of effort to get to this stage.

Apart from a minor worry when the cravats couldn't be located for a few moments and a few tight shirt collars, the groom and his party were in a relaxed mood as they got ready. It was nice that everyone throughout the day was on time.

Photography is so much about the use of light and I quickly seized upon the opportunity of this scene as the bride was in her final preparations, the beautiful bridesmaids dresses contrasting with the other colours.

Now when one of my daughters saw the next image as she glanced over my shoulder this evening she exclaimed that the bride was stunning and looked like a Roman goddess.

The service was lovely and the bride really shone as she entered the church. Confetti flew in abundance on the way out.


Now one of the highlights of the day had to be the use of the old cars. The bride's parents have a stunning Austin 16/6, this was immaculately turned out. Several friends had also come in their cars, this ressembled a scene from a by gone era as they motored away through the lanes by the church.


We stopped off on the way to the reception and I was able to take full advantage of the colours of autumn and the immaculately valeted car for this portrait of the newly wed couple, even if it did mean lying in the gutter for the best viewpoint.


With so many people travelling so far it was nice to have a vantage point that enabled me to show the entire wedding party in one go, a precious record.

A bit of fun before the meal for one of the younger guests and a stroll in the gardens.



Some funny speeches followed, I love the match between the groom's brother's waistcoat and the wallpaper. These shots were especially difficult to capture as the lighting levels were low and rather challenging!

Now the first dance that followed was the most energetic routine I have seen at a wedding. Quite breathtaking, note the veil disappears at some point during the dance! The pace slowed up for a second dance with the couple's parents, this was a nice touch and it was good to photograph them all on the dance floor together.



No room to share more pictures with you here, but the party continued at a high pace throughout with lots of great action until past midnight. I was able to record some fun images throughout.
Hope you enjoyed this preview of the images.

Kate & Richard

Oh what a beautiful day we all had, yes myself included!
A great looking couple, lovely venues and lots of fun all add to another memorable day. Now the aim of my photography is to capture this all in a genuine natural way, I want my couples to relive those intense emotions they experienced on their day when they view my work and the album. This is how I measure my success.

Here are a few images of the preparations early in the day. The dress was so pretty, so perfect for the bride.


It is often difficult to get the groom's party in a lighter mood, but no problems here.


Now I can't remember the combined ages of these delightful ladies, but it was pretty close to the triple century and they enjoyed the entire day from beginning to very end!

The bride looked quite radiant.

Onto the church where it was lovely to record the intimate moments from up close.



There are so many things to capture at a wedding, I am vigilant for the grand scenes as well as the tiny details.


It was a sunny but breezy day, love those bridesmaids dresses too.

I can't show everything I want in this post, but here's a few to complete the day. I ensure my editing is thorough and meticulous, the remainder of the images will take me a long time to go through. This is one of the factors that I believe separates me from a lot of other photographers. Hope you have enjoyed this selection to keep you in anticipation of seeing the rest.

Delphine & Chris

Every event has it's own signature, and this one certainly had some unique points. Quite casual and relaxed with the added element of a lovely two part reception. The service was at St. Andrew's church and a short stroll took everyone to the couple's most remarkable house. Now Chris is an amazing designer and he is responsible for the design of the house, I am told Delphine was responsible for the building. I am in awe of your skills, and was very excited about seeing what I could photograph showing the building.

The dress was hung in the perfect place for me, just off a staircase to have enough height to clear the floor. Being able to put the white dress with it's sheen and textures offset by the graphic white interior was stunning, the lighting balance took a while to achieve but well worth the effort. Of course I took full advantage of the amazing interior lighting that is such a clever feature in Chris' design. Photography is all about light, especially to me the edges of light.


Now onto the people, which are naturally the main focus of a wedding. Here we have the bride adding a few finishing touches to her hair with the simple addition of some flowers. I am observing the reflection in the mirror waiting for the perfect moment. Delphine is in a beautiful pose, the lighting is so soft and scattered it is all I can ask for to give this stunning result.

When I want to take a few portraits often all I want is a a blank wall. This is surprisingly lacking in most of our houses, well here I was spoilt. The bridal party are in fine spirits, no nerves evident yet.

I had to include the little flower girl Alex, not once but twice in this blog. Plus I have lots more images of this delightful little girl who behaved impeccably throughout the day. Now one other factor in this event was that the age span of the guests was virtually 100 years, for one of the French relatives was literally 100 years old. What a great occasion.


It was a pleasure to be allowed at the front of the church until just before the ceremony commenced, this enabled me to capture the precise moment the bride and groom saw each other for the first time on their wedding day, a priceless moment. In particular as Papa looks on as he steps aside having just walked his daughter up the aisle.

As mentioned before a short stroll to the house followed the service, everyone sat amongst the trees and enjoyed the fine weather. Naturally a look around the house proved a popular diversion.


Onto the second part of the reception, held at the beautifully decorated Bella Luce hotel. Great speeches were followed by the meal. Toast images are difficult to capture, I was pleased with this image of the groom raising a glass.

Then onto the evening entertainment, some danced, some sat outside in the gardens, but everyone had a great finale to the day.


Look closely and check out one of the craziest dance moves I have seen for a long time!