Sarah & Ben #sneekypeek #Bisham #Danesfield

Before any wedding I always ‘recce’ the venues to run through the journey for the day & check for any ‘issues’ that may arise; such a parking at the church etc. I went to Bisham Church, near Marlow for my usual look around a week prior to Sarah & Ben’s wedding & my wife Becky was baffled to see a No Fishing sign on the lychgate on entering the churchyard. All became clear to her a few moments later as we walked round the church to be welcomed by the sight of the River Thames in all its glory meandering its way past the churchyard.

The River Thames played a part throughout Sarah & Ben’s day. Sarah prepared for the wedding at the famous Marlow hotel The Compleat Angler where I have photographed many a wedding before she travelled the short distance to Bisham Church to meet her groom. After the service the bride, groom & guests (plus photographer & his assistant Kiti!) travelled to the renowned hotel Danesfield House for a drinks reception & dinner.

This wedding was truly to the adage ‘small but perfectly formed’ with only 14 guests but with all the lovely trimmings of a larger wedding.

Sarah looked absolutely beautiful in her lace dress & her ‘look’ inspired me with some new image styles. Inspired by everything vintage it gives the images an almost ‘milky’ quality rather than the standard black & white. These are applied post-production & whilst they will never be applied to every image add another variety to the styles that I offer. I am really pleased with the range of images in their sneaky peek, I hope Sarah & Ben love them as much I do!

Last minute #MothersDay offer #MotheringSunday

Looking for a last minute Mothers day present for you Mum? Why not treat her to a family portrait session? Portrait sessions are just £25 for a shoot in Aston Rowant OX49, £50 for up to 10 miles ( Marlow, Henley, High Wycombe, Oxford and Thame areas) and £75 for up to 25 miles of OX49.

Just click on the link below and you can enter any value you wish to give your Mum from £25. She will then receive an email from you showing the value of the session. Prints and digital files also start at £25.00

http://www.marklordphotography-clientarea.com/index.php?do=giftCertificates

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Please contact me letting me know you have sent your Mum an e-voucher and we can log your details. The voucher will be valid for the rest of 2014. Thank you

http://www.marklordphotography.co.uk info@marklordphotography.co.uk 01844 351218

A wedding fair with a twist….

Following on from my twisty theme of the unpredictable today I was in Marlow for a wedding fair at The Compleat Angler. Thank you to those that came along to see me and the other suppliers and it was good to discuss your wedding day plans.

I went for a stroll with a new compact camera I have to do some test shots in low light hotel situations. Because of it’s size it will be a great camera for candids in amongst wedding guests. However, more of that to follow in future posts.

There I was loitering outside and I could see some commotion going on and a lady in a track suit with Sochi 2014 written on it. It was Katherine Grainger, one of our rowing Olympians no less. It all soon became clear what was going on when I saw a man carrying a flame in a miners lamp, taking an unlit winter Olympic torch from her, going inside and lighting the torch. Katherine soon appeared with the torch alight and headed to the river to pass the flame to fellow rower and paralympian Naomi Riches! This is part of the flames journey in preparation for the Sochi Paralympics and the flame will now be heading to Russia for the next stage.

So here it is, certainly a picture I would never have thought I would’ve taken today!

Many thanks to the media and press photographers there for allowing me to take this image.

It’s raining….. So what? #wedding #photography

With the current British weather I’m sure several brides will be worrying about it raining on their wedding day.

Unfortunately this is not something any of us can change and what will be will be. However, a rainy day can make for some stunning photography if everyone is prepared for it. Check with your venue to see what their wet weather plan is, see if they have a load of umbrellas or whether you need to buy some for the bridal party. We bought a job lot of clear umbrellas for our wedding day which thankfully we didn’t really need but it’s one less thing to worry about if you have some. Also, remember the grounds of the reception venue may be waterlogged if there has been flooding or a lot of rainfall. I would suggest getting yourself a couple of pairs of wellies, Hunter do some very trendy ones now so treat yourself to a pair, if you don’t use them on the wedding day then I’m sure they will come in handy another day!

But most of all, don’t let it get you down. Just smile and remember it’s good luck if it rains on your wedding day!

You may not get a chance to say thank you to everyone…. #Weddings

A wedding is a busy day, especially if it’s your wedding day! Don’t worry if you do not get a chance to say thank you to everyone on the day, they will understand.

Most weddings have an average of 100 people at them so it is almost impossible to go around to everyone for a chat. Many weddings have a receiving line where the bride and groom and sometimes parents and bridal party greet everyone as they go through for the wedding breakfast.

This is a great opportunity to say ‘hi’ to your guests but it is important to keep the queue of people moving so not to hold up the proceedings in the kitchen!! It is also a great opportunity for your photographer to get some lovely reaction pictures of you and your guests.

Here is one of my favourite receiving line pictures from a wedding last year at The Tythe Barn.

The tears and emotion of a #wedding day @PhyllisCourt

Last year I photographed a wedding at Phyllis Court in Henley on Thames for Eric and Elizabeth. They had a civil ceremony in the Ball Room with their family and friends who joined them from all over the world.

Many of the pictures I am most proud of from a wedding are the ones I capture during the service or ceremony and this set of images sum up the emotions of a happy wedding day. I’m just glad I can hide my emotion behind a camera sometimes! It’s such a privilege to be part of somebody’s most special day of their life and to be a big part of it, taking those images that will be with them for the rest of their lives.