A little bit of colour to cheer us all up from #Waterperry Gardens.

With all this rain and cold weather I though we all needed cheering up so I just had a look at some of the images I took at Waterperry Gardens a few weekends ago on a jolly with Mrs Lord.

Becky armed with Instagram and me with my camera we had a great time photographing the blossom at it’s best in the orchards of Waterperry as well as many other plant varieties.  I want to try a few things out with floral photography, something less precise and more artistic than the technically perfect images of flora we see in catalogues and magazines. I hope to make several visits to Waterperry this year and build a collection of more expressionistic images of flora and botanical images for future use in the countryside part of my business.

Here are a few working images I have put through Lightroom to share with you.

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The next step is an early morning start to catch the early morning light! Good night all!

 

Antonia and David, Wadham College and The Tythe Barn

Last month Jack and I photographed the wedding of Antonia and David at Wadham College and then onto the beautiful Tythe Barn, Launton, Bicester for the reception.

David studied at Wadham so it was a great choice of venue to wow their guests who were mainly from Belgium and Wales. Wadham College is in Oxford’s city centre and is surrounded by architectural splendour and history. The architecture of Wadham College is simply stunning and offers great backgrounds for photography. Having photographed  several Oxford colleges in recent years I always get excited when I get another enquiry to photograph at such magnificent venues.

After the service the reception was held at The Tythe Barn, Launton, near Bicester one of my favourite wedding venues in Oxfordshire. Will & Emma who run the barn have restored this historical building beautifully & their attention to detail shows in every wedding I have had the pleasure to photograph there.

Here are a few pictures from Antonia and David’s stunning day. Please see more on my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/marklordphotography and please LIKE my page for regular updates and offers in the future.

For weddings at The Tythe Barn I offer up to two complimentary hours into the evening if you book me for 6 or more. For more information either pick up a leaflet next time you visit The Tythe Barn or email me for details.

In the meantime enjoy the pictures…..

 

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Charlotte, Robin and Other Animals….

A couple of months ago I met one of my lovely couples, Charlotte and Robin at Wellington Riding near Reading, Berkshire. Charlotte keeps her horse there and wanted to have some pictures with him and their dog Oswald. Pirate the horse and I originate from Cornwall so we had something in common, he is definately more handsome although my nose is smaller!  I love photographing people as well as animals so this session was going to be great fun and possibly challenging as Oswald and Pirate do not always see eye to eye!

It was a great session and I think we all enjoyed it, even Pirate and Oswald! Here are some of the pictures that Charlotte and Robin had in their signing book for their wedding.

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Keep a look out on my Facebook page http://www.facebook.com.marklordphotography for a sneaky peek at some of their wedding pictures from last weekend!

 

 

A busy weekend coming up for weddings…..

I’m currently busy designing a lovely album for Danielle and David who’s wedding took place last weekend at Great Fosters, Egham. Keep a look out for a sneaky peek once they are back from their honeymoon – there are lots of great pictures!

Tomorrow I will be photographing a wedding at the wonderful Silchester House in Hampshire and then Sunday I will be at the Compleat Angler Wedding Fair in Marlow.

So if you are looking for a photographer for your wedding day please come along and see me and a wonderful lady photographer called Maria who will also be attending. There will also be an array of other wedding suppliers all recommended by The Compleat Angler.

Doors open 11am until 3pm. Come along and see one of Marlow’s best wedding venues on the river River Thames.

Here are a few images from Gemma and Paul’s wedding from a few years ago at the Compleat Angler.

 

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Wet and windy wedding advice…..

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With the unpredictable weather we have these days who really knows when is the best time of year to get married. I’ve photographed glorious weddings in March and weddings where it’s hammered down in August. Whatever the weather the show must go on and regardless of the weather everyone will still have a great time.

But from experience here are a few tips in case the weather is not quite want you wished for.

1. Hire or buy some white umbrellas. These will be invaluable for you and your guests who need to go outside and being white they will be nice and bright underneath for some photos. Most quality venues should have some but it’s worth checking beforehand.

2. Pack wellies and enjoy the puddles. It’s popular now to pack the Hunter wellies in case of bad weather and are a great look in the photos and a nice contrast to the Jimmy Choos!

3. Give your bridesmaids a small can of hair spray for windy days and a pack of hair clips just in case it’s windy and your hair gets blown around during the group photos.

4. Ask a bridesmaid or close friend to come with you when you are having photographs with your groom. A bridesmaid can be on hand to help with hair adjustments or to rearrange your dress.

5. Have a back up plan. What will you all do if it rains all day long and you were planning an outdoors reception? Speak to your venue so you know where you and your guests can go if it’s wet outside.

6. Speak to your photographer and ask them where they plan to do the group photos if the weather is bad. A good photographer will have some portable flash heads they can set up to do the group photographs indoors.

Regardless of the weather you will have a fab day as you are surrounded by your family and friends and those that love you both.

Finally in my 15 years of photographing weddings I have never photographed one where it has rained ALL day long. Call it the luck of The Lord!

Princes Countryside Fund charity clay shoot at West Wycombe Park now online

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For those that attended the magnificent West Wycombe Park yesterday for the Princes Countryside Fund clay pigeon shoot hosted by Sir Edward Dashwood the images are now online and ready to view. Please contact me or the Princes Countyside Fund for the access code.

If you were not lucky enough to be there you missed a real treat. Fabulous weather, generous hospitality and brilliant clay pigeon targets presented to the guns over a variety of stands. The day started with speeches from Rob Fenwick of E J Churchill who organised the event & set the course & Mark Price Managing Director of Waitrose on behalf of H.R.H The Prince of Wales. With top UK and International clay shots there with some impressive shooting, namely from George Digweed, Ambassador to The Princes Countryside Fund, Charlotte Kerwood and Micky Rouse who put on a fine demonstration afterwards. Also showing their support to the fund were Phil Vickery, Cornishman and England Rugby Pro and Heston Blumenthal the highly renowned chef.

The fund raised approximately £50,000 yesterday with the generous support of several of its supporters who attended the shoot along with friends of the fund.

I am the official photographer to the Princes Countryside Fund and some of the projects I have photographed for them can be found further down this blog. The fund is there to support rural communities, train farm apprentices, and educate the public what goes on in the British countryside.

With many farmers suffering with the bad weather in recent months losing crops as well as their livestock the fund has donated nearly £600,000 to farmers and their families since the new year.

To find out more and to see how you can do your part in helping rural communities please checkout the Princes Countryside Fund by clicking here

In the meantime here are a few images from yesterday.
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Portrait Of Heston Blumenthal

Today I was photographing The Princes Countryside Fund charity clay pigeon shoot at West Wycombe Park, Buckinghamshire. One of the ambassadors of the fund is Heston Blumenthal, a cookery legend.

I asked Heston if I could do a few portraits of him before we went into the house for lunch and he obliged giving me a couple of minutes. I spotted a small archway on the West Wycombe Estate where the light was great and did a few half length pictures of him, then I spotted this magnificent statue and asked him if I could photograph him underneath it. ‘Of course’ came the reply. Here’s the picture!

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I will soon finish the rest of the pictures from today and will post a few on here soon.

Wadham College Pre Wedding Shoot

Last Saturday ( in slightly better conditions than today)  I photographed a lovely couple, Antonia & David for their pre wedding shoot. Their wedding service will be held at Wadham College chapel in Oxford during April. We had a fantastic morning & I captured some great shots of them in & around the college. The fabulous architecture & gardens were a wonderful backdrop & as David was a student at Wadham College the images will be a lasting reminder of one of his favourite places that hold so many wonderful memories.

After the service the reception is being held at The Tythe Barn, Launton one of my favourite wedding venues in Oxfordshire. Will & Emma who run the barn have restored this historical building beautifully & their attention to detail shows in every wedding I have had the pleasure to photograph there.

Please keep an eye out for some of Antonia and David’s wedding photos on my blog sometime in May.  In the meantime for anyone who would like to see more of The Tythe Barn there’s a little surprise coming up…..

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#MerryChristmas to you all

#HenleyShow – Ploughing Match, Dunsden

Last weekend I put on my wellies and took the family to a field in South Oxfordshire. With family celebrations on we had my parents staying for the weekend so what better place to take Mum and Dad than to a ploughing match – Mum loves heavy horses and Dad loves an old tractor!

This was a new event for me to photograph but being a country boy I have had my fair share of mud in the past. I’m currently building a portfolio of more country based images alongside my portrait and wedding work and have been busy working on several themes over the last year.

Here are some of my favourite images from the day. Photographing at shows is always tricky if you are trying to get a timeless looking image as there is always some plastic fencing in the background or a modern motor vehicle but on Sunday I did manage to get some more vintage looking images.

For those that competed in the show please have a look at my Photobox Gallery by clicking here for more photographs of the event.