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Thursday 29 August 2013

Cat & Tim's Beautiful Wedding In Nidderdale

It was a beautiful sunny day in early June when I made my way over the hills to Pateley Bridge in Nidderdale.  It was Cat and Tim's wedding day, and I knew from getting to know them and chatting, that this was going to be a very special wedding!  Me and Gavin, my second shooter on the day, popped in to see Tim and the lads preparing.  There was a flurry of tea drinking, ironing and shoe shining.



Then, it was up the dale to the Sportsman's Arms to take a few prep shots of Cat, her bridesmaids and a few details.


The sun was shining over the whole dale, and we travelled a little further to the cute little church which is perched on the edge of Middlesmoor village, looking out onto the most beautiful countryside.

 After a few photos at the church, we travelled back down into Wath to The Sportsman's for the reception.  Everyone was milling outside drinking Pimms and soaking up the glorious sunshine, laughter filling the air!  Cat had designed all the gorgeous birdie table name cards and they had used wood from their garden as a perch for their cake and to hold the table decorations.  I love these personal touches...




We had a little stroll down the lane to take a few photos together.  I was so impressed by Cat's amazing calm reaction to a wet dog emerging from the river, and careering towards her!  After a drama that could have had a very different ending, we went into a sun-kissed field to capture a few shots...


After the meal, there was time to relax in the grounds once again, and as the sun lowered in the sky, we were bathed in beautiful golden light.  The perfect end to the perfect day.


Saturday 10 August 2013

Mini Landscapes On The Beach

After a busy couple of months, and before some lovely August weddings, I managed to squeeze in a few days away this week.  The Northumberland coast is probably one of my favourite spots in the UK, it's stunning.  As a family, we spent the first 10 years of my life making the annual pilgrimage to Seahouses in the summer holidays.  The little town is nestled at the edge of one of the most stunning stretches of sand and dunes, Bamburgh beach, with the castle book-ending it in the distance. 

It was time to explore Warkworth.   A gorgeous little town, situated in a loop of the river Coquet, with a medieval castle perched on a hill looking over the town.  It's just a short walk to the beach.  When we went down, the tide was on its way out.  The receding water kept uncovering new treasures.  What I loved the most were the mini landscapes the wind and the sea water had created.  Some of these landscapes almost looked like those times you peep out of a plane window onto the land below, the colours, ravines and mountains.  There were mini whirlpools, eddies and strange spiraling streams.

Glistening jellyfish peppered the tide-line, their translucent beauty reminded me of the glass ornaments my Grandma used to collect.


There's something other worldly about a beach when the tide is out and its ever changing mini landscapes.





Thursday 1 August 2013

Ali & Nick - a Beautiful Battersea Wedding

I thought I'd share a bit of sunshine on my blog today and show a selection of photos from Ali & Nick's beautiful wedding down in London.  I'd met them for the first time a couple of months before when I went down to the smoke for their pre-wedding shoot.  They're such a lovely couple, great company, lots of laughs.  I knew their wedding was going to be a lot of fun, they wanted it to be very relaxed on the day.

We started off in the pub, The Woodman in Battersea, to take a few photos of Nick, and friends and family arriving.  Then hotfooted it through Battersea Square to St Mary's church.  Alison walked from their house along the riverside.  After the beautiful ceremony, drinks were served in the sun in the grounds of St Mary's.  It was lovely to have The Thames all sparkly and shimmery in the background, the odd boat cruising by.  Then back to The Woodman for a spectacular buffet!  The guys at the pub were amazing.  Then in the blink of an eye, we were into Nick's speech and the dancing.  The day seemed to pass so quickly and as we packed the gear up and walked down the street, it was so lovely to hear the laughter and music drifting amongst all those other hustle bustle sounds of London.  Congratulations Ali & Nick!