Wales and Dyrham Park

This week, I took a short break in Wales, near the picturesque Brecon Beacons. I love this part of the British Isles, both for walking and because of the remoteness. It's sometimes nice to 'get away from it all' (meaning the big city!)  and I took several photography books that I've been meaning to read. 'Luckily' for me the weather was the usual for this area, meaning I was confined to my tent for most of one day, so I was able to get a lot of reading done! I visited Brecon itself and also Abergavenny, which had an outdoor livestock market on the day I went.

On the way back, I made a detour to visit the beautiful Dyrham Park, a grand baroque house near Bath, now owned by the National Trust. This was the location for the film 'The Remains Of The Day' and is a great example of how a working 17th-century mansion used to be. There is a good collection of Dutch artwork, and the mansion has its own gardens and adjoining church.

Dyrham Park is available to hire for weddings - if you're thinking of hiring it for yours I'd certainly welcome the opportunity to revisit.

Leanne & Richard - St Martin's, Eynsford, Kent 04/07/09

The big day went very smoothly, the recent unsettled weather holding off so it was humid with very sunny spells - the usual English summer in fact. As rehearsed the week before, the wedding ceremony went well with no mistakes, and although St Martin's church had been slighly rearranged from when I visited the week before, I was still able to get my designated 'photographer spots'. I had to crouch behind the bridal party in order to shoot the ring exchange; otherwise I couldn't have seen anything from where I had been standing. Although I had been told the rear alcove/main altar was out of bounds, there was a choir stood there on the day. I'm sure it was due to insurance purposes and they sounded great so I couldn't really complain! 

Afterward, group shots were taken by the river; I had to put on my loudest bellow to move people around which was difficult as my voice is only just recovering from a nasty cold. Dinner and speeches followed; as there were three best men these went on for some time! I then sneaked the couple off for posed formal photographs in the adjacent cricket meadow where there were some picturesque willow trees and the all-important bench to sit Leanne and Richard on!

We got some nice posed shots and it was back for the rest of the festivities. Congratulations to the happy couple! More photos to follow on Facebook and my main website www.amberglowphotography.com (password protected gallery).

 

Wedding preview - Leanne & Richard

This coming weekend I'm shooting the wedding of Leanne and Richard in Kent. I attended the rehearsal last week (a first) and hopefully will get to attend more in future. Rehearsals are a great way to meet the family if you haven't already, and also to meet the vicar and find out the rules prior to the day.

Luckily, the vicar for Saturday is very easy-going, so as long as I minimise disruption, I can shoot almost at will! One exception (and very common) is the signing of the register, as this is restricted by the Data Protection Act. I'm also slightly restricted by the fact that part of the church is in need of repair, so will be out of bounds. As with many in the UK it's a very old building, so renovations are often necessary. Still, it will look fantastic I'm sure- I think old churches have a wonderful charm of their own.

While hoping for good weather on their big day, hopefully the recent very hot spell will have cooled down a bit- it's hot work carrying all that equipment so I always pack a change of clothes just in case.. and I think I'll need them this weekend!

There is also a family Fun Day in the meadow adjacent to the reception, so I need to park my car early in order to get a good spot. Eynsford is always popular as it is a pretty village with a river.. I expect a large turnout for this one!

More with some preview images soon...

Update, Norfolk and a few images

Hi,

I've been a bit slack lately and haven't updated the blog for a while due to being so busy- but I'll make more effort in the coming months I promise!
Here are a few images taken from a recent trip to Norfolk. I stayed at Burnham Deepdale and visited Wells-next-the-Sea and also the nature reserve and vast expanse of beach at Holkham - perfect for getting away from it all! Scenes from the film 'Shakespeare In Love' were filmed around the sand dunes there. I haven't yet shot a wedding in Norfolk but with all the beautiful scenery and churches to be found there I can't wait for my first!

Max & Louis's baptism

A couple of weeks ago I was invited to the baptism of these two youngsters over in Henley-on-Thames. If you don't know it, the Royal Regatta is held there every year on the River Thames, and attracts many people over the five days.

Henley itself is a very pretty town with several churches, including Sacred Heart in Vicarage Road where the baptism took place. After the event we were invited for tea and biscuits back at the proud parents' home.

Although no photographs are allowed during the actual ceremony, the vicar was only too pleased to pose with the family afterward.