A Recipe for a Great Confetti Shot: Some Helpful tips for Couples & Photographers

Everyone has their favourite shot of the wedding day, photographer and couples alike. My personal favourite is the confetti photograph - notoriously tricky, quite adventurous and easy to mess-up trying to get 'the perfect version' of this shot... plus there's lots of running backwards blindly involved for the photographer so this is always the shot that gets my adrenaline going. Worries go through my brain like fireworks - 'What if absolutely none of them focus? What if I trip over? Am I annoying being in their path? and the ultimate... what if some awful act of misfortune freezes up my camera and the shutter just doesn't go off'? and yet, this is one of my absolute favourite parts of the wedding day. 

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. 

Sonia + Chris at the Mill, Near Bath: A Stormy & Charming, Winter Wedding

Back in November, the British isles were bombarded by a battalion of storms. When Sonia showed me around her quaint venue [A refurbished Mill] nestled in the middle of the countryside, we planned all sorts of rustic-inspired photos but on the day, when the wild winds howled and the rain beat against the windows, plans for country-lane photos had to change - but that didn't stop the fun! Some weddings, it takes a while for the disco and dancers to warm up, but not here. Sonia and Chris [better known as Tapp] love a party, as do their friends and it made for some of the most fun and entertaining party moments. Here are some of the highlights of their wedding :D 

They wanted a fun and relaxed approach [poses to a minimum] so George and I did our best to blend in with the crowd and capture the events as they unfolded. That's not to say we were completely invisible - Sonia is one of my friends so I also got to enjoy the wedding as a guest. 

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. 

Acacia & Gavin's September Wedding at Chacewater Village Hall

Back in September, the beautiful Cornish light shone and we found ourselves travelling to the absolutely breaktaking village of Malpas to meet Acacia on the morning of her wedding. Our jaws fell as we took in the river scenery and the light twinkled in through the windows. We couldn't imagine a better place to wake up to on the morning of your wedding; what a view! Over the river with the little boats nestled in the banks or bobbing away. It was absolutely idyllic. I've known Acacia for quite a few years now and she is the sweetest and kindest person, I was absolutely balled over when she asked me to capture her marriage to her Gavin. 

Fun fact about Acacia and I is that we also share a birthday! (Best day of the year to be born on in my opinion :P)

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.

Late Summer Sea Spray

When Georgie contacted me to ask if I would put together a bespoke shoot as a birthday present for her Mamma of course I said yes! I absolutely love taking photographs for people and although I hadn't done a shoot like this before, I am always up for a new venture. 

We decided to meet up at big Godrevy on Cornwalls north coast during the golden hour and couldn't have been more fortunate with the beautiful hazy weather. They brought a picnic with goodies and drinks and we got comfy in the dunes whilst I bustled around them and snapped photographs. 

I try to keep shoots as natural and fun as possible so that the smiles in the photographs are real so I followed them about the beach and we all got in the sea for a paddle, avoiding splashes from those rogue waves. Georgie and Diana were a delight to shoot, they were fun and up for anything and came fully prepared with glorious hats! 

What a beautiful idea for a present, a mother daughter shoot with a bundle of lovely images to take away and keep forever. I think I shall definitely put together a solid package and make this a thing! I had lots of fun :)