Tortie Hoare: New Designer of the Year 2010

Posted on July 18, 2010 by Paul

No-one could ever say this job isn’t varied. Some days, admittedly, are more varied than others – and this was one of those days.

We first met Tortie and her amazing furniture over at Bucks University when we photographed their Furniture: Design & Craft graduate work. Well, Tortie’s designs have gone on to win her the title of BDC New Designer of the Year 2010 – one of the most prized awards there is for a new designer!

So, firstly, congratulations to Tortie – who is a) really lovely, b) incomprehensibly talented and c) very photogenic. A good mix in my opinion.

We took some more pictures for her press and PR releases – only this time we stepped outside to capture the images (well, her work is very organic and so it seemed appropriate somehow!)

I loved it. Beautiful furniture and an unusual location. Oh, and good company too – Dr. Lynn Jones from Bucks University, a long-time friend of ours and one of Tortie’s course leaders, also came over and it turned into quite an impromptu social event. Which is, I think, how photography should be!

Cheers
P.

PS. If anyone would like to talk to Tortie about her furniture, her email is tortshoare@gmail.com





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The Sir Henry Floyd Grammar School Leavers Ball at Woburn Abbey

Posted on July 12, 2010 by Paul

OK,OK. I know I say we don’t really do balls and proms but just when you think I’d be writing about lifestyle or wedding photography, here’s yet another one! That’s the thing about summer balls – you wait all year for one and then three come along at once. And it’s not that we HAVEN’T been shooting anything else, it’s just that the proms tend to take over (we’ll shoot 2,000 images in one evening!)

Anyway, this was the Henry Floyd school leavers prom at Woburn Abbey which is one of those iconic venues that cannot be surpassed on a gorgeous summer’s evening like this one.

We’ve been photographing the guys at the Henry Floyd for a few years now so it was really nice to catch up with familiar faces and wish them well as they head off to the strange and scary world of student life. When I say strange and scary life I do, of course, mean the four best years imaginable!

So, a night of revelry and photography! Another set of images that we are very proud of – not staid or too formal, just a lot of fun. And, thanks to the unusual occurrence of the late evening sunshine we’ve been having, a lot of pictures could be captured out on location which is ALWAYS my favourite way of working!

So to everyone who we photographed for the last time at HFGS, we wish you the very best of luck in your future careers – it’s been an absolute pleasure to have pointed a camera at you! And should, by chance, you ever need a portrait or wedding photographer…

Take care
Cheers
P.





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Royal Academy of Music End of Year Ball at ZSL, London

Posted on July 4, 2010 by Paul

I like ZSL (a.k.a London Zoo.) I’ve shot there before and it’s always good fun. The staff are nice and the venue is always interesting.

This time it was musicians and performers in the gorilla enclosure. A heady mix! The gorilla’s didn’t seem particularly phased by it any way while some of the most talented performers in the world peered through the glass at them!

This ball was one of those that you just knew would be funny and the alcohol was flowing at quite a pace – something you might be able to spot from one or two of the pictures! I’ve always loved working with performing arts as there is a real vibrancy and energy about the characters involved. In this instance the talent ranged from musical theatre to violin, French horns and jazz guitar – all of it at the highest standard.

I really loved the entertainment laid on by the musical theatre group in between the meal courses – usually there isn’t much to photograph while people are sat at tables but this was completely different! The lighting in the room wasn’t great but with a little help from a remote-control flash gun I think we still managed to get a real sense of theatre in the images. Brilliant!

I really hope the images reflect just what a nice crowd this was and just how much fun I had photographing it!

And I’m really sorry to anyone who thinks they look a little drunk in them…

Let us know what you think.

Take care
Cheers
P.





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Henry Floyd Grammar School Year 11 Prom at the Oxfordshire Golf Club

Posted on July 3, 2010 by Paul

Blimey, another long title! Couldn’t think of a way of shortening it though!

I know our blog has been a little slow recently but that’s just ’cause we wrote our summer newsletter and we’ve been a little sidetracked with being out working with clients!

So, I have a bit of a backlog of interesting sessions to talk about but I’m going to bump one or two up the queue as they’re very much ‘of the moment’ – The Henry Floyd Grammar School Year 11 Prom and the Royal Academy of Music End of Year Ball (see later blog).

Now, I have to be honest, we don’t really specialise in events as such but it’s always a real pleasure when it’s for clients like these.

We’ve been photographing the Henry Floyd Prom for a few years now and I love it. It’s energetic (i.e. tiring!) and a load of fun – and we always end up with some fantastic images! We had a queue from the minute the doors opened until the end – when we grabbed a few of photographs of the D.J outfit (a crew called Diamond Cut if anyone’s interested – they were brilliant!)

So, to everyone who attended the prom last week a huge ‘thank you’ for being so hugely entertaining and for helping create another brilliant year of photographs. And to anyone who’s thinking of having an event but doesn’t think we’d do it? You can always ask – we might just say yes!





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Barbara & Ben’s Wedding: Warsash, Southampton

Posted on June 19, 2010 by Paul

You just know when you’re going to love a wedding. Way in advance of actually picking up the camera and taking those first few tentative shots of the bridal party getting ready, you just get that feeling that the day is going to be a load of fun.

This wedding was exactly that. I’d been excited about it ever since meeting the Barabara and Ben all those months ago. The way they described the day and what they wanted, it was utterly apparent that this would be a truly beautiful affair. And so it proved to be.

Barbara is a yachtswoman – and a phenomenally good one at that – and so are her two bridesmaids. Ben is a cyclist and guide. So we knew the weather would never be a problem! Just as well as when we arrived it was throwing it down in that way that only coastal rain can be. But no-one really seemed too worried about it which is perfect for us!

The stunning dress? Barbara’s mum. The most gorgeous flowers? Barbara’s bridesmaid’s mum. The gleaming red MGA? Ben’s dad. The location? Barbara’s sailing club. The catering, the cake, the bar? Their mates. I tell you, with a bunch of talented friends and family like this they could do weddings for a living! Everything about it was what you’d wish a wedding to be!

And we had a ball! The photos are funny, joyous, romantic and just a little emotional. And they tell the story of a wonderful day with a ridiculously chilled crowd as seen through the eyes of a very very happy photographer (and I must have appeared that way as Barbara sent us a picture of me laughing as I worked!)

And all that in spite of the rain (and yes, the horizontal stripes in the photo of the lads is exactly that – horizontal rain! Nice!)

Enjoy!

Cheers
P.





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Emma Bevan’s 16th Birthday Photo Shoot in Haddenham and Whiteleaf, Princes Risborough

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Paul

OK, I admit it. The titles to the blogs have, er, grown.

Sorry.

I know they don’t look so succinct as they used to (they once had nice punchy titles like ‘Em & Her Friends’ or ‘Nancy & Phil’ or ‘What a wedding!’) but, in these days of Google, Yahoo and Bing (Bing? Bing? I ask you…) we have to make sure that the title says exactly what it does on the tin. And this particular blog is about Emma’s 16th Birthday and the photo shoot that she and 4 friends had with us. In Haddenham. And at Whiteleaf in Princes Risborough. Hence the title.

Sorry again.

But it does work – it makes it much much easier for people to find us. And that’s good. At least from a readership point of you if not from a readability one.

So, anyway, back to this fantastic shoot. I loved it. Emma, Tabby, Libby, Rosie and Megan were really up for it and so we spent a very happy few hours messing around with the camera – and the outfits ranged from casual (well, casual in a very ‘Hollister’ kind of way – you gotta love that Abercromby & Fitch look!) to the utterly beautiful: prom-dresses and wellies. Oh, and umbrellas on a hot sunny day. A particularly fine combination if you ask me.

I love party shoots like this: they’re funny, energetic and hugely creative. And we provide a load of nibbles out (it’s great having a working relationship with Cadbury!) which ALWAYS go down a treat!

The weather was beautiful – though as a hayfever sufferer it caused me a lot of grief – and the images we have will stay with these guys for many years to come. Which is never a bad thing.

Let us know what you think.

Take care
Cheers
P.





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MPA Central Region Awards

Posted on June 16, 2010 by Paul

Forgive me for blowing our own trumpet a just little, but last night turned out to be a particularly good day at the office (if that makes any sense.)

It was the Master Photographer’s Association Central Region Awards evening and our images – or rather images we’ve shot of and for our clients – did rather well.

We won the Under 5′s and Press/PR categories and we were runner-up in the Wedding category. In any of the regions this would be a good result but given some of the other big names in photography in our region this is an exceptional outcome.

I couldn’t be there as I had a long-standing appointment with clients that couldn’t be moved but Sarah was there and the feedback has been amazing.

So a huge thank you to all of you, our clients, who continue to ask us to produce images that not only look fantastic in frames and albums in your homes but also stand up as beautiful images in their own right. And the judges seem to agree!

Take care
Cheers
P.

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Charlotte & John: Pre-wedding photography in London’s Richmond Park

Posted on June 6, 2010 by Paul

Who’d have thought it? A huge acreage of stunning countryside right in the heart of a capital city. Well, that’s London’s Richmond Park. And it’s stunning. However, on a hot Sunday like this one, it’s also frighteningly busy! I have never seen so many cyclists, cars, pushchairs and ice-cream vans in one location! Even parking was nearly impossible. Ah, you see why we own a Land Rover now – we found the only space in the car-park that the BMWs, Audis and Mercedes couldn’t go – i.e. a 3ft high undulation in the ground – and perched ourselves on it. Good bit of British engineering :)

Getting images without London’s great and good in the background was equally challenging – at least without walking for miles – but we managed pretty well! Charlotte and John are lovely so it was a real pleasure to do this session in spite of the madding crowds.

Can’t wait to photograph their wedding at the Crazy Bear a bit later in the year!

Let us know what you think
Cheers
P.





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Mark & Chandima: Pre-wedding photography in Oxford

Posted on June 4, 2010 by Paul

Given how close we are to Oxford, you’d think we’d spend more time photographing there. But, just like London I guess, it’s so close we sometimes forget just how much of a beautiful city it really is.

Luckily for us, Mark and Chandima opted to have their pre-wedding photography there. A fine choice sir!

The guys first met in Oxford which made a really romantic/nostalgic location for them to have their session. And it just so happens it’s one of the most photogenic locations on earth. That said, we specialise in portraiture (rather than city-scapes) so the biggest challenge was to focus on the couple rather than getting sidetracked by Oxford itself! Note to self: go back and photograph there when I’m on my own time!

Anyway, this session was fantastic. Mark and Chandima are lovely company and so we chilled and chatted our way through the city and down to the meadows beside the river. The sun shone and, in this early part of the season, it wasn’t too busy for us to get quiet gentle imagery in amongst the bustle.

Can’t wait to photograph their wedding at Le Manoir Aux Quat’Saisons in just a few weeks!

Let us know what you think

Take care
Cheers
P.





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Jennifer and Isibel: First Year’s Baby Photography

Posted on June 2, 2010 by Paul

There’s no getting around it. This job is only so much fun because we have lovely clients.

Yeah, yeah, I know you hear me say that all the time (and, by the way, what about the photography?) Well, the photography is, of course, crucial – so much so that it’s a given really. If we couldn’t take lovely images then we wouldn’t have a business. But we can and so we have.

But, and here’s the thing, it’s the process of capturing the images that makes it the beautiful job that it is.

Of course, like all photographers, I do love a little Photoshop and I adore the finishing touches that can be brought to your images using it but, frankly, that’s not what makes this the coolest job in the world. Yup. It’s definitely you – our clients!

Which brings me neatly to this particular session with Jennifer and Isibel. We’ve photographed Jennifer before with Torston – yet another fantastic session I might add – and it’s a real joy that she’s come back with their daughter Isibel for one of our First Year’s Baby packages. A lovely gentle session and a beautiful baby of course! And with awesome hair like this, who couldn’t have pictures that they’d treasure for a lifetime?

Let us know what you think

Take care
Cheers
P.





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Melanie: Family photography session

Posted on May 31, 2010 by Paul

Oh why can’t it always be like this? Hot hot hot! When the sun is shining like it was on this session, who can’t help grinning as they wend their way to work? Actually, to be honest, I grin most of the time but that’s not the point here.

In actual fact, the sun was so hot (and so unbelievably bright) that we had to work quite hard to find angles that didn’t involve squinting or deep shadows but that’s photographers for you – never satisfied.

This, for me, is family photography as it should be. Beautiful location, lovely family and – though I may be setting the bar a little high here for the UK – beautiful hot, sunny weather. A really lovely session that has produced some really beautiful images!

Let us know what you think,

Take care
Cheers
P.





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Sammie & Gareth: Pre-wedding photography session in Haddenham

Posted on May 30, 2010 by Paul

Sammie & Gareth’s wedding has been in our diary for nearly two years now – and finally it’s getting close!

I love our pre-wedding sessions as they’re a very chilled affair: possibly more chat than taking pictures! But that’s the point. And we still get stunning images like these. You don’t need pressure to make it happen – just nice clients like Sammie & Gareth and an eye for it I guess.

We’re really excited about their big day – particularly after so long – and it’s great to get the ball rolling with their pre-wedding session. And, if this session is anything to go by, it’ll be a really lovely one to photograph!

Let us know what you think
Take care
Cheers
P.





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The Foulkes family: Lifestyle photography in amongst the Bluebells!

Posted on May 28, 2010 by Paul

One of the great pleasures of specialising in outdoor photography (rather than studio-based) is that the natural environment is constantly changing and refreshing. Mother Nature likes things to be different – best friend a photographer could have!

The Bluebells aren’t with us for long – and this year they appeared like some girl-band diva at an after-show party. Which is, to say, late but (at least from an aesthetic viewpoint) well worth the wait!

For those with a good memory, you may remember we photographed this family back in the January snow so it was nice this time to have some colour!

Lovely session (the parents enjoyed a bottle of wine while we worked our way through the stunning woodland) and I think we have some really lovely, distinctive images.

Let us know what you think!

Take care
Cheers
P.





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Rotary Club Youth Photographic Competition

Posted on May 24, 2010 by Paul

Just a quick reminder to everyone who lives in the Haddenham/Thame area that the district Rotary Club Youth Photography Competition is in full swing (see attached poster.) Great prizes and a chance for your (or your offspring’s) handywork to be exhibited throughout the area.

If anyone needs an entry form, I can send one over to you. While we’re not part of the Rotary Club, we are backing this competition (I’m one of the judges!) to encourage kids in something I’m hugely passionate about (no, I don’t mean old single malts!)

Of course, when someone submits that superlative image that I absolutely wish I had taken, I may feel ever so slightly differently…!

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Cassidy & Richard: Pre-wedding session in London

Posted on May 23, 2010 by Paul

Really? It’s 20-something degress? In the UK? Yup. Great isn’t it? If anything it’s too hot but it’s just so much of pleasure to see this great country bathed in glorious sunshine. I’m surprised the new government aren’t claiming it’s their doing but still ;)

This shoot is from last weekend and even then the weather was definitely improving. London is such an iconic city it’s a shame we don’t photograph up there more than we do. Should make a note to self to change that. Trafalgar Square, St. James Park, The Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Borough Market, – the list is utterly breathtaken and, given we have quite a lot of customers from our famous capital, it really is an opportunity to capture some great images!

We started with Richard and Cassidy at Borough market and then, like three tourists with a somewhat oversize camera, we sauntered along the Southbank chatting and capturing images. I’ve wanted to do this again for so long! Brilliant! The hours just slid past and it was an absolute pleasure: perfect location, perfect weather, perfect people. Cannot tell you how excited I am about their wedding later in the year!

Let us know what you think!

Take care
Cheers
P.





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