Wistmans Wood, Dartmoor: An Adventurous Engagement Session with Abz & Dave

A few months back, before the warmth of spring had returned to us, I ventured for the first time to the incredible rolling hills of Dartmoor in Devon to capture Abz & Dave for their engagement session. 

It was one of those incredible mornings where I woke up and it was barely light, driving up to the next county I dipped in and out of blankets of mist and banked around sleepy creeks and glowing country lanes and I knew it was going to be a magical experience. 

By the time I reached Dartmoor I could barely believe my eyes. The light was magical, swapping between a hazy gold and dramatic clouds of fog. I swear I always say this, but this is probably my favourite engagement shoot to date! I may have gone a little bit mad and taken wayyyyyy too many photographs but in my eyes, there's no such thing. 

Abz & Dave were such a great couple to capture. Not only because they're my friends and I'm super excited to be capturing their wedding in September but because their love is so playful and real. Much love to these fabulous twosome, I'll let the pictures do the speaking. 

Jo & Ash's Real Life Engagement in Hyde Park, London: Capturing the Moment

You may well be familiar with the concept of an "engagement shoot" by now - little photo sessions where the photographer gets together with the couple before a wedding to get to know each other, make some fun images wearing some nice clothes in the couple's favourite spots. But what does "engagement shoot" really mean? I mean... they're already engaged right? They're already planning their wedding and most likely announced it. I sometimes prefer to call them "couple shoots" or "love documentaries..." <-- okay, maybe that sounds a bit soppy, maybe not that one. Let's go with couple shoot. They're more of a fun and exciting session, day out and excuse to make some truly great images and I enjoy them immensly. BUT, what if you got to photograph the ACTUAL moment at which the couple got engaged? You got to capture the sweet moments when one asked the other to be theirs forever and ever, the expression, tears and emotion that followed and give them the gift of immortalising those moments and being able to look at them forever more. That's a real engagement shoot. 

Here's the very real and authentic engagement shoot of the incredible Jo & Ash in Hyde Park gardens, London. It has to be hands down my most favourite engagement shoot, for many many reasons, and I'm about to show you why. 

Jenna + Scott Among the Magnolias: A Spring Portrait Session

 Spring feels like a distant memory now that we're well into the great British summer. I don't know about you, but I haven't achieved nearly enough beach days to be done with summer yet. If only I could wind back the clocks to make it spring again so that summer felt infinite and balmy, spread out before us. So to throw back to spring, I'm sharing this quaint little shoot that I did for Jenna and Scott in Bath's botanical gardens while the cherry blossoms were out. 

Chloe & James engagement shoot: Briny Beaches & Wintery Winds in Devon

In late February, I followed the light and took an unusual trip from Bath to Lyme Regis, twisting along the unfamiliar Dorset roads. I had no memories of Lyme Regis - even though I'm sure I've been as a child - and as I approached the quaint, seaside town, I was filled with delight. 

I searched for the cafe where I was to be meeting Chloe and James and after a few phone calls, I spotted a waving arm and a smiling face and so I hurried up the stippy-steps to the poky cafe to meet these two awesome people.

Charlotte & Dec's Winter Engagement Session

Some highlights from Charlotte and Dec's rainy engagement session in the city of Bath in February. 

Ben & Michelle at Prior Park

It has become almost a given now, that whenever I schedule an engagement shoot in Bath with a couple, the heavens open. It doesn't matter what time of year it is, you can almost guarantee it will rain on us. That didn't deter Ben & Michelle though; we caught the bus to Prior Park together, a beautiful National Trust historic landscape gardens in the hills of Bath and took in the astounding views of the misty city from its skyline. 

Ben and Michelle are getting married at the elegant Orchardleigh house in March so we thought that Prior park's romantic gardens reflected them and their choice of wedding venue. Looking very much like a look-book for Fat Face clothing's autumn/winter collection, we had fun exploring the park together (it was the couple's first visit), playing on the chair swings, discovering the little patch of delightful snow drops and warming our numb hands on the bonfire. Despite the dark colours, perpetual rain and grey skies, we had a truly delightful time and as the light dwindled and the temperatures dropped, we headed back to our warm homes to dream up photo's for their big day ^_^. I am so excited! Ben is also a friend from my last job so it's going to be wonderful to photograph his special day and see all my coworkers again, celebrating the love of these two fabulous individuals :D 

Lydia & Gerwyn's Bath Engagement Shoot

Back in blustery November, I had the pleasure of meeting Lydia and Gerwyn, a Bath based couple who have the most beautiful wedding plans for this summer, but shh! I can't tell you where - it's a secret, but it's going to be amazing. After chatting over coffee, lots of giggling and getting to know each other we took to the streets of Bath where their love story began, for an Odyssey of little, precious moments and capturing the joyful love between them both. 

They told me that the most important thing to them was 'fun' and 'silliness' (people after my own heart) and so I made it my mission to capture their energetic, soulful and lively personalities in their engagement photographs. Much fun and goofing around was had, that we barely noticed the time whizzing by until the rain set in and put a lid on our fun. I can't wait to capture the marriage of these beautiful people this summer in this quirky, old city. 

We stood atop a Cliff inside a Cloud

To stand inside a cloud atop a cliff by the sea as the droplets of water swirled around us, is a beautiful sensation. We watched it roll in and we waited for it to engulf us. And then I got to photograph that moment and hold it forever. It was perfect. This photograph is extremely important to me, as I feel incredibly privileged to have taken it. It was like a gift from nature and to be able to give it to Laura and Connor was such an honour. This is exactly what it looks like to stand inside a cloud. I just can't get over this. I love clouds.

Alex & Matt at Kynance Cove

Sharon & Dan's 'Bath in the Rain' Engagement Shoot

Having briefly bonded with the energetic Sharon during a mutual friends' Dance Dissertation shoot, we quickly established, as she put it a 'Photographic Chemistry'.  I promise you that's not as weird as it sounds :P We are basically two funky humans who enjoy photographs and artsy fartsy things, so when she send me a message asking if I'd be available for photographing her and Dan's wedding in September, I was quite delighted and a massive bit excited. 

Naturally, it was pouring down with rain on the day we arranged the shoot but I am Cornish and it takes more than a bit of mizzle (something I am well adapted to) to knock my spirits. We met in a cafe and got chatting all things wedding- they filled my head with their fabulous ideas, and I don't want to reveal anything... but I can promise you, I think it's going to be a lot of fun and I can't wait to photograph it!