We often get asked to photograph large groups of people, especially when families get together. It’s often quite difficult to get your relatives in one place at the same time, and so a family photoshoot is a really great way to capture these moments.

Whilst we can do large group shots in our studio (typically about 8 adults maximum), it’s also really nice to go on location. The benefits of this are that you can choose to go somewhere really special to you, and kids tend to feel more relaxed in a familiar place. Also we are not limited in terms of space and can really utilise the surroundings to create interesting set ups and poses.

As the holiday season tends to be the one time of year when families visit each other, we always open for one day between Christmas and New Year so that families don’t miss out before their relatives go home. This year we’ll be available for shoots on Friday 30th December.

Something to bear in mind if your shoot involves very young children – don’t have too many different combinations of poses in mind, as whoever is last on the list may get some very grumpy looking kids! It is best not to push them too hard all in one shoot, and instead maybe have an extended family shoot on one day, and then an immediate family shoot on a different day where we can also focus on nice individuals, siblings together etc. Once you are customers of ours, all shoots become 1/2 price so its not going to cost the earth and you will get much stronger photos for both the extended family and yourselves.

Berkshire portrait photographer, family photographer

We had loads of fun at a recent civil partnership at the Stirrups Country House Hotel, Maidens Green.  Our brides sense of humour clearly came through with the grounds covered in garden games including snakes and ladders and giant Jenga.  The highlight of these games, amongst adults and children alike, was the bouncy castle!

When hearing the couple would have a bouncy castle we instantly prepped them that they WILL be having photos on the castle despite wearing wedding dresses.  We had to ask the kids to leave the bouncy castle for a few minutes whilst we focus on some great bride shots and even got the bridesmaids up on there too.  As the day progressed (and the alcohol flowed) the adults couldn’t help themselves and the bouncy castle provided much of the evenings entertainment.

There were even more playful features througout the day including the table placements being themed around ‘Celebrations’ chocolates, a sweet pick and mix was available in the evening and the Pinata provided much entertainment for both the adults and the kids.

We had a really great time and got some really fun shots, here are just a few.

…..a really fun and unique wedding!

We had a great time shooting Sally and Ben’s wedding last week at the wonderful Oakley Court Hotel, Windsor.  This wedding had soo many different elements that made it really unique and quirky.  There were far too many great features to include in the blog, but here a few to summarise.  The wedding party were all immaculately dressed, the groomsmen complete with top hats and a cane for the groom, which he occasionally wielded like a weapon.  The bride looked stunning and elegant, but her cheeky side came through by wearing underwear with her new married name on the bum!  The bridesmaids took no prisoners when it came to the bouquet toss, the groomsmen demonstrated a unique ‘crab dance’ for us during the groomsmen photos, and we implemented a special group shot for them as well!

The rooms were decorated with a striking blue and all the chairs had a peacock feather attached to the back.  The cake was like no other cake we have seen.  Beautifully decorated with the couples blue colour scheme, peacock feathers incorporated into the design and each tier added a interesting element by being slightly warped and lopsided.  It looked amazing!

This brilliant day was finished with a very romantic first dance by the couple, but then swiftly followed with the majority of the guests joining the dance floor for the Rocky Horror Time Warp!

There were too many great photos to choose from but here some of our favourites!

This year Hannah entered a selection of photos into the Master Photographer of the Year Awards 2011. The Master Photographer Association is the UK’s most respected organisation for professional photographers.

This is the first year she has taken part in the competition and we are delighted to announce that 3 of her images have achieved a merit award! This means she can now use the title ‘Merit Master Photographer of the Year Awards 2011′ alongside her images. They will now go forward for the final judging, where she will be up for ‘Classical Portrait Photographer of the Year’, ‘Pet Photographer of the Year’ and ‘Family Photographer of the Year’.

Hannah’s work was amongst some of the best in the world and with over 2,500 entries submitted this year, it’s a great achievement, and we wish her the best of luck for the final.

Here are her shortlisted images: