At last weeks wedding we had the pleasure of revisiting 2 of our favourite venues to shoot at.  Brian and Laura started their wonderful day with a ceremony at the beautiful Hedgerley Church, Farnham Common and then on to the Royal Berkshire Hotel, Ascot.  With this wedding we paid particular close attention to the finer details like the confetti, the tiara, the favours and the cake because all of it was homemade by family and friends.  We were especially impressed with Laura’s dress as this was handmade by her mum.  We got to take plenty of great shots of the beautiful detail on the dress as well as the huge amounts of layering underneath.

The day started with my assistant and I splitting up,  meeting the boys at the pub and meeting the bride at her home for getting ready photos.  There was a great atmosphere at both but it was particularly evident the closeness the bride had with her parents.  There were a few lovely emotional moments that we almost felt that we were intruding on, but inevitably knew these were special moments that should be captured to add to the story of the day.

The ceremony was lovely and really personal to the bride and groom with friends both playing the organ but also making up the entire choir.  By the time we arrived at the Royal Berkshire hotel the sunshine had come out and we had a great afternoon of photos and fun, before leaving the happy couple to enjoy the rest of their day. I also spotted the grooms brilliant socks during the ceremony, so made sure to do a dedicated photo later to show them off!

It was a privilege to shoot Laura and Brian and their family and friends all made us feel very welcome and part of their day.

Although we have a pretty good selection of toys in our studio, we really love it when people bring in their own toys, props and costumes for their kids to use during their shoot. It really helps make the photos more personal and representative of that stage in their life. They can look back in years to come and remember how much their child used to love that teddy or ball! It works particularly well for the 2nd Cherubs shoot as they are at that age where they are really interested in toys and doing things, and it brings out some brilliant expressions. Unusual props are also great to inspire some different images. Here are some recent photos where people have bought in their own things.

As much as we love our job, like most people we occasionally need time off! This year I have gotten to enjoy a couple of great days off but inevitably my camera comes out.

Back in February I got to go on my second ever snowboarding trip.  Still being a complete beginner I thought a slightly less crowded, more beginner friendly resort was in order and picked Kranjska Gora in Slovenia.  My other reason for Slovenia is that I had heard that it was great for photographers and Lake Bled was a must see.  I was not disappointed!

My week away consisted of lots of falling, lots of sitting in the snow and a few brilliant days out including a trip to Lake Bled (see below photos) and a european Husky racing tournament (see below).  I loved the end results and even though I put off some of the dogs by practically laying in their path, I think the photos were worth it  My husky photos have done very well in a recent photo competition with one coming second in a snow sports category.

Another day off I had earlier this year that led to an unexpected opportunity, was when I attended a Florence & the Machine gig at Alexander Palace.  I only packed my point and shoot camera (Canon S90 for those who are interested) which is still a fully manual camera, just a lot more compact.  I had a fantastic view point of the stage and loved some of the shots I got, so much so I decided to ‘tweet’ the photos to the bands to show them.  I was honored (and pretty suprised) when a fashion blog requested to use my images instead of the official PR shots in their post about the gig. (Examples below)

So it just goes to show you never know when a great photo moment will arise and it’s always good to be prepared!

Hannah

We shot an amazing vintage wedding last week for our existing portrait clients Ben & Lou.  The wedding was held at the fantastic Bearwood College, which really fitted in with the style of the wedding.  We were really excited about this wedding as we already knew Ben & Lou and their son, but also because with Lou being a designer we knew we were in for some creative treats!

The wedding had a vintage theme that was evident in the amazing dress Lou wore, the style of car they hired, the decor of the venue and some great little extras such as an old red post box and a gramophone.  One really fun element was the ‘photobooth’ section.  The couple had gotten their hands on a great ornate frame and lots of vintage props such as handle bar moustaches and aviator hats.

We pride ourselves on being able to bring out the best in an image and with this wedding we wanted to emphasise the vintage feel through tweaking the colour tones and giving the images that analogue/film feel.  We are careful to choose the right images to make look more vintage and try to keep the post production fairly consistent throughout the wedding.

Now it’s getting warmer outside and we have officially entered British Summer Time, we thought it would be nice to take a look back at some of the brilliant winter shoots we had last season. Many people put off having their third Cherubs shoot between November and February whilst they wait for better weather, but we think this is a brilliant time for a location shoot! We get great results in all seasons, but the benefit of a winter shoot is the beautiful soft lighting it gives.We find that kids don’t tend to mind about the weather as long as they are wrapped up warm and running around having lots of fun. It also gives Mums a chance to buy really cute winter outfits!  Here’s some of our winter favourites:

We pride ourselves on always going the extra mile for our clients in all areas, especially when it comes to their wedding.  Lou and Ben had specifically styled their wedding to have a vintage theme and wanted to tie their pre wedding shoot into this same style.  Between us we wracked our brains and came up with attending a travelling vintage fair in Reading one Sunday.  The couple were really into this idea as it also meant they could continue shopping for props for their wedding.

We had loads of fun and it was a great way to relax the couple encouraging them to try on different props.  The only trouble we had was keeping Lou’s attention on the photo shoot and not on the shopping!

After we had finished at the fair we made our way over to the Forbury Gardens to continue the shoot, complete with purchases.  The gardens really complemented the style we were going for and the bandstand looked brilliant with what Ben and Lou were wearing. They had also just bought a great vintage suitcase which made a great prop to the outdoor photos.

Together with the couples brilliant styling, excellent purchases and a few vintage enhancements by us, we got a fantastic set of photos.  Here are some of our favourites…

www.artisstudios.com

Berkshire Wedding Photographers, Vintage Engagement Portrait Shoot

A little over a year ago, we photographed a very memorable wedding! What made it so remarkable was that on the day we had the worst snowfall in 30 years. We battled through the snow to get there, and although it was quite challanging at the time, we are so glad to have been a part of it!

We arrived at Victoria’s house where tensions were running high, the phone hadn’t stopped ringing all morning, and everyone was starting to panic. All the neighbours rallied together, clearing the paths and doing everything they could to help. The bridal car couldn’t quite make it up the hill, and so the bride and her bridemaids stuck on their wellies and went for it! It was a lovely sight to see them all walking down the road arm in arm with their neighbours cheering them on – it was a brilliant atmosphere.

When they finally arrived at the church, Victoria walked down the aisle in tears of joy and relief, to her wonderful husband-to-be, Kevin. Some guests had been unable to get there, and the choir of school children had dwindled to four, but their teachers all pitched in and it was a lovely touch to a very moving ceremony.

The next challenge was was get to Farnham Castle where they were holding their reception, and we knew that there was quite a steep hill to get the car up. We were greeted by a bagpiper outside, and when we went through the doors it was beautifully decorated with festive Christmas trees. Kevin and Victoria were great sports and braved the freezing temperatures for some stunning photos at the top of the castle overlooking Farnham.

It all goes to show that although things don’t always go exactly to plan at weddings, it doesn’t have to take away from being the most amazing day of your life. The day proved very challenging for us as photographers for many reasons, but all the planning and effort on the day made it worth it to have some really one off photos.

Your Surrey Wedding Magazine are currently holding their wedding of the year competition, and Victoria and Kevin have made it to the grand final! We really think they deserve to win and all they need is your votes. Just follow this link http://www.yoursurreywedding.co.uk/woty8_Final.cfm to vote before 24th February. Heres a few photos to remind us all of the day!

For the past few months we have been running a promotion with the Virginia Water Veterinary Clinic to help raise money for The Cinnamon Trust, a national charity for the elderly, the terminally ill and their pets. As well as being for a great cause, we have had so much fun with customers pets in to our studio for a photoshoot, and have met some brilliant characters along the way! We’ve had everyone from dog trainers and groomers, to showdogs and agility dogs, and have embraced the slightly more unusual photoshoots involving guinea pigs and even a chicken!

At the end of the scheme we will compile a lovely photo book of all the animals we’ve met, so each one can have their crowning moment of glory. Here are some of our favourite photos so far:

Berkshire portrait photography, Berkshire pet photographer