Catching up on some blog posts after a hectic few weeks. Ella & Daniil’s wedding was so much fun to photograph, a truly lovely couple, unfortunate with the weather but they certainly didn’t let it spoil their enjoyment as you will see.
I started the day’s coverage at Christ Church, Eaton in the centre of Norwich, a hidden gem within the city’s Golden Triangle.
Shortly after getting to the church Daniil arrived and the guests started to trickle in, before long the bridesmaids and our lovely bride arrived in two classic cars and we were ready to get started…
After a lovely service we all headed back to North Norfolk to the wonderful Chaucer Barn for their wedding reception. By this point the rain had really started to come down but it couldn’t dampen their spirits with Ella having her heart set on some shots in the bluebell woods at the end of the meadow. So after a welcome drink and some canapes we headed out, brollies at the ready and got some great shots despite the rain. It really shows that the more you put into your wedding photos the more you get out of them. Ella & Daniil were great sports, and it really paid off. I would never insist on a couple going out in the rain on their wedding day but Ella really wanted to so who am I to argue?! I’m up for anything which could result in great photos…
Back into the warm & dry, it was soon time for their meal, with the catering provided by the talented folks at Andy Parle Catering, followed a short while after by some truly heartfelt speeches…
After the speeches we headed back out for a few more shots in the grounds…
…and then back in for the first dance and a brilliant ceildh…
Many thanks to Ella & Daniil and their families for having me along to shoot their fabulous Norfolk wedding. Chaucer Barn has to be one of Norfolk’s top wedding venues with such character and beautiful grounds. I feel lucky to have such a beautiful venue so close to home.
I think this set of shots proves that rain on your wedding day doesn’t mean you can’t have a great set of images to remember one of the most special days of your life.
• Chaucer Barn wedding photographer • Wedding photographers in Norfolk • North Norfolk wedding photographer • Norfolk wedding venues • Norwich wedding •
We had a cracking day for Susie & Kevin’s spring wedding at Titchwell, just down the coast road from me. The drive along the coast road is lovely at this time year, not too much in the way of tourist traffic and some beautiful views along the way. I arrived to find the bridal preparations in full swing and the lovely Amanda Steed on MUA duty. Amanda is one of the very best make up artists in Norfolk and my first recommendation if brides ask for suggestions when planning their wedding.
We started the day’s coverage at Susie’s parents’ house just next to Titchwell Manor, a beautiful converted barn and a hive of activity…
With everyone ready I headed off to the church at Brancaster just as the bus full of guests was heading the same way from the manor, can’t beat a red double decker!
One of the flower girls obviously had a late night (or an early morning!), every time I see this shot it makes me want to yawn!
After a lovely service we headed to the beach where Susie’s horse Duke was waiting to meet us. Unfortunately Duke had never been to the beach before so was a little ‘flighty’ so we didn’t use him in too many shots in case he took off across the sand with our lovely bride & groom in tow!
…and then it was back to Titchwell Manor for the wedding reception…
To keep the children entertained Susie had ordered some whoopee cushions and it certainly worked! Susie had thought she was ordering 10 whoopee cushions but when they arrived she realised it was actually ten boxes of ten so they had 100 whoopee cushions to find uses for. I maybe shouldn’t have suggested it but I pointed out that they could easily hide an inflated cushion between the cushion & the base of the seats at the tables so the children carefully selected their victims and some great comedy followed!
Susie & Kev had provided a photobooth for their guests after the meal and they all got stuck in for some fun shots!
And so to the first dance, for me the conclusion to a great day photographing Susie & Kev’s Brancaster wedding, for the guests just the start of a great night of partying & dancing…
Thank you to Susie & Kev for being such fun to photograph. It’s always great when couples want to head to the beach for some extra shots on their wedding day and having Duke there was an added bonus. I have plenty more North Norfolk weddings lined up for the next few months at some of the stunning wedding venues we have on offer on the North Norfolk coast. Watch this space for more North Norfolk goodness!
Stormy weather hits North Norfolk
This week we were hit with some fairly extreme winds (60mph gusting to 80mph) and four days of constant rain, in complete contrast to the 30 degrees & sunshine we had last week. I can’t resist a good storm so I donned my wet weather gear, packed a couple of cameras & headed out into the salt spray (luckily my cameras are weather-sealed but I still don’t think they appreciate the sea spray so I keep them sheltered as much as I can). Didn’t see many people on the prom unsurprisingly!
I absolutely love weather like this, the power & drama of the sea totally energizes me, I find it awe inspiring and just another aspect of living on the North Norfolk coast that I adore.
After having had zero sunshine all day long it was a bizarre sight to see the sun make a very brief appearance on the horizon before setting…
The next morning was a different story, still rough seas but the clouds had moved on & gave us a beautiful morning…
As a Norfolk photographer I do feel lucky to live somewhere that has so much to offer in the way of picturesque landscapes. It may not have the drama of the west coast of the UK with the Atlantic rollers and rugged rocks but the North Sea can pack a punch when she wants to!
A busy week here in Norfolk plus some national media recording….
It’s been a busy week with a half day’s aerial shoot on Monday, a full day’s wedding on Tuesday, photographing the recording of BBC Radio 4’s Kitchen Cabinet yesterday and being filmed myself today for an episode of Channel 5’s ‘The Hotel Inspector‘ with the lovely Alex Polizzi. I’m glad I’ve got a quiet day tomorrow to try to get caught up with processing!
Yesterday’s recording on Cromer Pier for the Kitchen Cabinet show was great fun. I was asked by Darby (editor/producer of this show and Gardener’s Question Time AND most importantly a friend and former wedding client!) to arrive at the pier for 4:30pm to photograph the recording of the podcast and get some shots of the panel for pre-show publicity (and for use as a title image on the BBC iPlayer). It was lovely to meet the host and UK food legend Jay Rayner and the other panelists (Dr Annie Gray, Andi Oliver, Paula McIntyre and Jordan Bourke). We had a few minutes to play with and the light was lovely so we did a few quick shots before they headed in for soundchecks.
The show itself was great fun to watch with local appearances by Julie Davies (Davies Fish shop) dressing crabs live on stage, Philip & Henry Search of Henry’s Coffee Shop in Cromer, bringing along their award winning crab sandwiches, and BBC Masterchef finalist, Norfolk-legend and macaron maestro Tim Kinnaird providing a crab-shaped macaron.
The Kitchen Cabinet episode airs on 5th May and the Hotel Inspector episode with my ugly mug in it will be aired sometime in September.
Below are a few shots from yesterday’s recording on Cromer Pier. I totally forgot to get any behind the scenes shots from the Hotel Inspector filming today (which I was kicking myself about all the way home (tricky to do when you are driving at the same time!)).
The BBC East team did a nice write up with some of the shots as did the EDP….
BBC report: https://bbc.in/2JohKAf
Below, recording the podcast in a huddle out of the wind!
Below, Philip & Henry Search discuss the intricacies of crab sandwiches….
Reiko & Jackson – amazing Norfolk wedding with a difference….
Reiko and Jackson’s wedding last Saturday was an absolute joy to photograph. Amazing people, stunning venue, great weather, costume changes, kimonos, a wedding cake like no other, a rowing boat, one of the best first dances ever and so much more.
I started the day’s coverage with a few quick preparation shots as Reiko had the finishing touches added at Jackson’s family home, a gorgeous converted barn in Gunthorpe, deepest North Norfolk.
I had met Jackson & Reiko (and Jackson’s mother Rebecca) the previous week and we’d all clicked instantly so I knew it was going to be a fun day. Especially as I knew we were in for two stunning silk kimonos (one for Reiko & one for Jackson), certainly not something I see at most Norfolk weddings. I think we should encourage more kimonos at weddings, the colours were beautiful!
Reiko’s nephew Taka, ring-bearer and all round legend was great fun. He spoke about two words in English and I only knew one word in Japanese so we communicated in smiles and gestures, he had a great day, such a nice little fella, a real credit to his parents.
Look at that wedding cake! Sadly Jackson & Reiko’s little dog Bibi passed away a few months ago and they were determined he would feature in their wedding celebration somehow and feature he did!
The rose petal scattering didn’t go quite to plan!
The celebration complete and confetti scattered I put the drone up for a few quick aerial shots…
Jackson & Reiko were such good sports, they took to the rowing boat in all their finery for some photos and thankfully there were no spills. I’m not sure that kimonos have much in the way of buoyancy!
I sometimes ask couples to have a little practice of their first dance if they fancy it. It can create motion in the pictures and can be quite fun, I got a sneak preview into Jackson & Reiko’s incredible choreographed dance!
Just before the meal Jackson & Reiko changed into their English wedding outfits, Reiko is a nanny to the little girl in the photo below. Her reaction to seeing ‘Princess Reiko’ in her beautiful white dress for the first time is priceless!
The catering & event planning was provided by the talented Tom & Hayley of Hatter Events – they were kind enough to recommend my services to Jackson & Reiko in the first place so huge thanks to Tom & Hayley, you guys rock!
Thank you again to Jackson & Reiko and their family & friends for making me feel so welcome at their stunning North Norfolk wedding celebration. It really was a blast to photograph, I hope the handful of shots in this blog post reflect what a terrific day it was!
Footnote: I had this glowing review from Jackson & Reiko on my Google Review page, thanks guys, really appreciate it!
The full gallery of Reiko & Jackson’s stunning North Norfolk wedding is on my Norfolk Wedding Photography gallery page here.
• North Norfolk wedding photographers • Wedding photography Norfolk • Norfolk wedding photos • Wedding photographers in Norfolk •
It’s been a great month for the PR machine with my photo of Great British Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain appearing in The Woodland Trust’s Broadleaf magazine, two double page spreads in Cameracraft magazine, images submitted for publication in the Grand Designs magazine and an appearance on a long-running national TV program in the next couple of weeks.
I can’t publicise what the show is or when it will be aired yet but you can be sure I will once I have the clearance to do so!
There are a few other national projects in the pipeline and some aerial filming for a popular BBC2 series this year. 2018 is proving to be a very busy and interesting year.
Corinne & Tom a winter wedding at Thornham, Norfolk.
Corinne & Tom must have a crystal ball, their wedding reception was ski chalet-themed and sure enough we had snow on the week of their wedding, almost too much snow – in the days preceeding their wedding there were concerns that people may struggle to get to the wedding! All went well though and the roads blocked by snow drifts cleared the day before and a safe journey to the wedding was had by all.
Big kudos have to go to Philippa Pease of Purple Chilli Events for putting together this amazing wedding reception. I have to say that I don’t think I’ve seen a marquee transformed to such an amazing extent before in all the years I’ve been doing weddings. It looked INCREDIBLE! They had trees, skis, toboggans, walls papered to look like stone chalet interiors, a cosy bar, firepit, tree-enclosed dancefloor, snow and every other detail you could imagine, it was a masterpiece as you will see below…
Corinne didn’t want preparation shots so I just did a few quick photos of her dress & shoes before heading off to the church where I found Tom and the chaps greeting the guests as they slipped & slided (slid?!) through the snow…
Owing to the church having no heating some guests improvised!
Formal bit done it was back to Corinne & Tom’s and the Ski Chalet for their wedding reception. The lighting in the marquee was fantastic and makes for some beautiful colours in the below shots…
After the meal and speeches Tom & Corinne had a surprise for their guests in the form of the legendary Kit & McConnel (formerly of Kit & The Widow, well known for touring with Joan Rivers and making a number TV, radio & Broadway appearances over the last few decades). They were incredible and had everyone in stitches.
And so to the first dance to kick off the evening party, these guys sure knew how to cut a rug and the dance floor got a serious pounding!
Thank you to Tom & Corinne for having me as their wedding photographer, it was a great wedding to photograph, party on!
• Thornham wedding photography • Wedding photographers in North Norfolk • Norfolk wedding photographer •
I’m pleased to announce I am now one of the Norfolk wedding photographers featured on a great new wedding suppliers site – The Wedding Secret. It’s a great UK-wide resource for wedding supliers and venues, well worth a look to help with planning your wedding.
So, as of today my business is a teenager but don’t expect any stroppy mood swings, it’s all celebrations here!
13 years ago today my business was registered as limited company and came into being. What initially started out as an escape route from working in IT at Virgin One Account has become one of the best decisions I have made in my life. It’s taken me to places and introduced me to people I couldn’t have imagined I’d be meeting and provided me with a lifestyle and creative occupation I absolutely love so with 13 being my lucky number I thought I’d better celebrate this one.
I commissioned the talented Emma Thorburn at Buns of Fun to make this fantastic cake replica of one of the Canon 5D MKIII’s that I use on a daily basis. The tools of my trade.
Thank you to EVERYONE that has supported me throughout the last thirteen years, whether that is through the encouraging words & lovely feedback or hiring me to photograph various fantastic events, properties and people and providing me with some amazing opportunities and fun along the way. Thank you also must go to my amazing children Charlotte and Will for being understanding when I’m not always there for them as I’m out shooting a wedding and of course to my far better half, Leanne, for her ongoing support and sounding board for my various crazy ideas.
Happy Birthday to me, here’s to the next 13 years, onwards and upwards!
Below is a timelapse video I made of Emma creating the masterpiece…
The Pigs, Edgefield – photography refresh for this unique Norfolk establishment
The Pigs at Edgefield has a serious following and it’s clear to see why, a truly unique place offering luxury accommodation in their amazing spa rooms and an innovative menu. I have friends that travel the world and still say that The Pigs is their very favourite place. Such character and friendly service with all sorts of little treats and surprises in store.
Last week I spent a couple of days back at The Pigs to do an image refresh featuring their new Spa Suites, the spa treatments, jacuzzi and some more of their mouthwatering food. The perks of being a commercial photographer in Norfolk eh?!
Chef Ben knocked up some masterpieces for me to photograph. I’m a sucker for slow-roasted pork belly and this is the best I’ve had. With a new way of preparing the pork belly, Ben has found the most succulent and tasty way I’ve yet seen and when it’s served up with black pudding, crackling, homemade apple sauce and their bacon & beans it’s an absolute triumph!
Another great addition to The Pigs is their custom Shuffle Board, we booked a table there for lunch last Sunday for Mother’s Day and the Shuffle Board was a big hit with our gang!
Anyway here’s a selection of the shots from last week…
To view more of my work as a commercial photographer in Norfolk please follow this link to my commercial gallery. You’ll see I am also a food photographer, property and interiors photographer and much more! This year’s clients alone include the BBC, Gresham’s school, Bacton Gas Terminal, Sheringham Golf Club, Blakeney House, Arnolds Keys, Waterside Estate agents, Brown & Co agricultural agents, Price cabinet makers, renowned artist Brian Lewis, and many more.
