Liz & Christian - What A Wedding!

When an Austrian chap and an English lass meet, fall in love, and subsequently get married, this is the amazing wedding you get!

It was a sunny morning up in Simonstone, near Hawes.  We arrived as the bridal preparations were underway, and the staff at the beautiful Simonstone Hall were putting the finishing touches to the hotel.  Liz was calm and beaming with excitement as we took photos of her getting ready.  And then to West Burton for the service.  Christian and his best man drove in style, in a gorgeous red Morgan. The guests rode in style aboard a shiny Yorkshire Heritage Bus!  After a beautiful service, we all headed back to Simonstone, where the celebrations began.  Liz & Christian were greeted by the fantastic jazz quartet Mad Dog Jones & the Sophisticats  playing tunes on the terrace, which resulted in an impromptu conga around the grounds.  Then came the log sawing!

As the evening dancing started, Liz and her Dad warmed up with a quick Gangnam style. After the 'official' first dance, we said our goodbyes, and as we drove away from a moonlit Simonstone Hall, the sounds of the ceilidh band drifted into the night.  What a beautiful day for a beautiful couple.

West Yorkshire Archive Service

I recently went to Wakefield to work with West Yorkshire Archive Service who were sprucing up their promo images.  I felt I was in Aladdin's cave.  I love old books, documents and maps, and this place (as you would expect), is full to the brim with them! There seems to be a recent surge in people wanting to discover more information about their ancestors, filling out the gaps in their family trees.  In fact, WYAS were visited by Sir Patrick Stewart when he was researching his ancestors in the programme 'Who Do You Think You Are?'

People can donate their own family documents and records.  It felt strange looking at a soldier's notebook, where he had mapped out in pencil drawings, the tactics for their next attacks and defences. Someone had donated their diaries written in the 80's (Adrian Mole sprang to mind).  These are recent in comparison to some documents that date back to the 12th century. 

So, if you're doing a bit of research about your family, or maybe a full scale 'Who Do You Think You Are?' investigation, I'd recommend giving the WYAS a visit!

Eddie

What can I say about Eddie?!  Hearty chortles and cheeky grins.  Twirly feet and thoughtful looks.  Big hugs and those smiley eyes!  He's a special chap.  I met him, and his Mum and Dad, a few weeks ago for a summer shoot.  I'm documenting Eddie in my Life Through The Seasons package, so we'll soon be amongst those autumn colours for part 2 of our journey together...

Luca's Dream For Life Shoot

A few months ago I launched a competition to win one of my Dream For Life packages.  I've never run a competition before, so I was entering into the unknown.  My Dream For Life package is one of my latest and is centred around the child choosing the theme for their photo shoot.  The idea first came from a shoot I did last year with Amy who I have been photographing since she was a baby.  When I asked her what she would like to do for her shoot she answered  'a Teddy Bears' Picnic!' so this is exactly what we did (you can see the shoot here).  We sat down and chatted about what she would like to do, and how she'd like it to look too.

So the competition ran, and I had some great ideas from children for shoots, from pirates to The Gruffalo.  In the end, Luca's suggestion was chosen at random.  Luca wanted to be Jack Frost from the film 'The Rise Of The Guardians' - what a great idea.  Luca's Mum had emailed me with his words as to why he wanted to be Jack Frost, and these great little sketches!

We talked about whether we should go the whole hog and go for a frosty face painting option.  Luca was really up for this (not that he needed any help to get into character as you will see!), so the preps began. Thanks to Hannah for the face painting skills, and to Suzi and Debs for the superb snowball pom poms!

It was great to spend time with Luca racing around the forest 'flying and frosting' - we had such a fun shoot.  I love all these great ideas you're coming up with.  And well done to Jack Frost!

My 'Dream for Life' package isn't exclusively for children, it can also be for us bigger kids too - any takers?!

 

Farewell Summer, Hello Autumn

Here we are again, nesting into a new season.  Farewell summer (at least we had one this year), hello autumn!  The low light, the colours, the smell of wood smoke in the air.  The morning mists, the bright berries, the birds getting ready for their winter hols.  Everyone rooting out jumpers and warmer coats.  New hats and gloves purchased in preparation.  The first time you see your breath on the air in the morning.

The trees are turning and the forest floors are full of little treasures.  I'm  looking forward to my autumn weddings and family portrait sessions - what a magical backdrop.