THE BRIDAL PHOTOGRAPHER BLOG

MY NEW BLOG IS NOW LIVE! - Farewell to my trusty faithful Blogger Blog and Hello to Wordpress!

2011-04-21T06:18:00.000-07:00

Times move on and things on the web improve so it was finally time to retire my old Blog I have been using since 2008 which you have arrived at here and switch to a new much funkier New Blog. From now on all my latest work and posts will be posted onto my new Wordpress blog but this old one will remain active so you can search my older posts.

My new blog is now live. Please bookmark the site and I hope you enjoy the many new features and most importantly the larger images I can now use. The web address is http://thebridalphotographer.co.uk/blog

Click here to v iew the blog

Hope you like it.

Latest Magazine Front Cover - latest issue of Your Berks & Bucks Wedding

2011-04-07T12:07:00.000-07:00

My first Your Bucks & Berks magazine front cover… thanks to Rowena and the gang… called all you Bucks and Berks Brides go buy a copy! www.countyweddingmagazines.com available at W.H.Smiths etc in the Berks & Bucks area.

The issue also features a lovely Real Wedding from the couple Ria & Nim featured here on the cover that I shot over at Latimer Place Buckinghamshire last September. Glorious wedding with a mix of English and Sri Lankan traditions and amazing colours!

Please visit my website for more wedding photography images!

Couple of Sneaky Peaks for the Lusan Mandongus Bridalwear Fashion shoot

2011-04-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

Shot some stunning images for the new 2011 Lusan Mandongus Collection on a scorching hot spring day at beautiful Poundon House. With many thanks to Ellie Sanderson, Poundon House, Mira Parmar our Make Up Artist and stunning model Chloe.
Many more to come once they are retouched and we have some stunning images for Ellie's website but for now here are a couple of sneaky peaks.

Sarah & Matt Pre-Wedding Shoot, The Queens Eyot Island, Bray, Berkshire

2011-03-23T15:29:00.000-07:00

Sarah and Matt are geting married in May in a beautiful church in Windsor then onto a proper Island in the middle of the Thames in Bray for their wedding reception. Literally the only way on and off is by boat!!
Queen's Eyot is a secluded four acre island on the Thames, a few miles upstream from Windsor. The island is accessed by its own private ferry so it is a perfect and unusual venue for both corporate and private hire.The island has been owned by Eton College since 1923, and has a beautiful clubhouse built in a classical style from cedar and pine, decorated throughout with memorabilia from the College's illustrious rowing history. The word Eyot (pronounced 'eight') is old English and means 'a small island' and is used almost exclusively to describe islands on the Thames.The clubhouse is surrounded by extensive, well tended lawns and mature trees and has views of passing boats and wildlife on the river.
Despite a minor hurricane on the day we got some lovely shots over on the island and I'm really looking forward to shooting their wedding in a few weeks there. Here are a few of my picks from the shoot we did.

Wedding of Kylie & Elliot, 5th February 2011 at The Olde Bell Hotel, Hurley

2011-03-17T05:11:00.000-07:00

My second wedding of the year was back at a familiar venue just south of Henley Upon Thames in the beautiful village of Hurley. The Olde Bell Inn in Berkshire. It is a beautiful old hotel with a fantastic barn which is used for ceremonies and wedding receptions just opposite and where I have been lucky enough to photograph some of my Berkshire weddings in blistering sunshine in the height of summer and also in thick snow in the depths of winter!
Kylie bought her beautiful gown Anoushka by the wedding dress designer Stephanie Allin from my wife's boutique Ellie Sanderson in Beaconsfield along with her fab Rachel Simpson boots so I had no concerns she would look stunning and she certainly did. The gown is very distinctive with a huge black bow on the side and this black and ivory theme extended through to the whole wedding with black organza ribbons on the chairs in the ceremony and even on the cup cakes wedding cake. Kylie also changed into a gorgeous Magpie Vintage bespoke necklace for the evening party which you can see at the end of this sequence of images.
I managed to get some beautiful natural light shots in the room where Kylie got ready before doing the shots with the guys in a side road just near the venue. Despite threatening rain all day the weather was kind and we managed to get all of the shots of the couple outside before we all headed inside to the wedding breakfast.
The first shot in this sequence is just lovely Kylie looks amazing (she has the most beautiful hazel brown eyes) with her mum out of focus in the background of the shot.
For more wedding photography images and to view prices and packages please visit my main website which you can view here The Bridal Photographer

Ellie Sanderson Bridal Boutique Scoops Best Bridal Retailer Award 2011

2011-03-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

To a packed audience of the biggest movers and shakers in the Bridal Industry on Monday evening at the annual Bridal Buyer 2011 awards held at the International Conference Centre Harrogate Ellie Sanderson Bridal Boutique was crowned Best Bridal Retailer in the UK. This is an incredible achievement for Ellie and the team and Ellie herself being my gorgeous wife makes it all the better!!

Ellie finally managed to have the dress of her dreams for the awards night, a dress she has been dreaming about ever since she tried it on at Suzanne Neville's shop in London, it was going to be her wedding dress but thought something more English and traditional from Sassi Holford would be appropriate. However Hollywood style awards are something different altogether so she finally got her Red Messina red silk gown by Suzanne Neville (as was featured on Gok Wans Clothes Show last night on TV and worn by Holly Willoughby on TV in Jan on the Dancing on Ice show).

With nearly 500 entries into this fiercely competitive category this was THE one to win and with 2 incredible boutiques in Beaconsfield and Oxford under her belt in less than 4 years this is nothing short of stunning.

We were all there in force to support Ellie with the managers and some of the staff from each boutique plus Ellie's mum and auntie and the fantastic team at Pure Couture who are the dressmakers who ensure that each and every one of the designer wedding gowns sold by Ellie and her team fit like a glove on her brides.

I can't tell you how nervous we all were when it came to this category, Ellie won Best Bridal Display in 2010 which is testament to her incredibly high standards of interior design and layout in her boutiques but this category was too hard to call and the competition was so intense. However we needn't have worried as Ellie Sanderson was announced as the deserved winner and the champagne corks popped all night.

The annual Bridal Buyer Awards, now in their 10th year, are widely acknowledged as the most important and influential awards programme in the bridal industry. Recognising excellence in retail, design, manufacturing, innovation and export, the awards attract many thousands of entries who are judged, initially, on their ability to meet a rigid set of criteria.

The judging process itself is lengthy and complex, with three independent panels investing time and experience in assessing the category finalists. Retailer awards are judged by a team of industry suppliers with an overview from trade associations and the media; supplier award winners are picked by a panel of top-notch retailers, again with input from the relevant trade associations.
This year there were no less than 17 categories in the Bridal Buyer Awards. The glittering ceremony on 14 March, at a black tie dinner at the Harrogate Exhibition Centre, saw the coming together of the stalwarts of the bridalwear industry. Some 600 guests from across the UK, Continental Europe and the US joined forces to celebrate the best – and that firmly included all the finalists involved, many of whom were separated by just one or two voting points.

Some of the other winners were:

Best Bridalwear Retailer, sponsored by Sincerity
Winner: Ellie Sanderson Bridal Boutique

Best Bridal Designer, sponsored by Wedding magazine
Winner: Jenny Packham

Best Bridalwear Manufacturer, sponsored by the British Bridalwear Association
Winner: Justin Alexander

Wedding Dress of the Year, sponsored by Liza Designs
Winner: Hadley, by Maggie Sottero

So a HUGE, MASSIVE congratulations to Ellie and her fab team, here are some of the snaps from the night.

Ellie in Red Messina by Suzanne Neville (full length)

Ellie in Red Messina

L-R: Barbara, Ellie, Laura, Nicola

The Ellie Sanderson Team

Ellie & Hubby (me!)

All the guests on table 3!

3 lovely ladies in red! (Ellie and the girls from Chez Bec)

Ellie and Bev from Pure Couture

The Management Team!!

Laura, Ellie & Nicola Celebrating with the "oscar"

Barbara, Ellie & Laura

Party Time!!

Anna & Mark, Pre Wedding Shoot, Gerrards Cross, Bucks

2011-03-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

For the pre-wedding shoot of Anna & Mark who are getting married on 2nd April 2011 we found some beautiful woods close to where they are having their wedding reception after the church ceremony in Gerrards Cross. The light was just beautiful and the warm colours of the fallen beech leaves were lovely. These are some of my favourite images from the shoot.
Please visit my main website The Bridal Photographer for my wedding images.

First Wedding of 2011 - Ruki & Phil at Stoke Place, Buckinghamshire on the 28th January 2011

2011-02-26T07:56:00.000-08:00

When I met Rukminder last year I didn't realise she was one of the registrars for Buckinghamshire as we had amazingly never done a wedding together before. The wedding was set for Friday 28th Jan at the beautiful Stoke Place in Buckinghamshire, a venues Ruki & I had worked at several times before but never at the same time!
Ruki wore traditional Indian dress for the civil ceremony with a beautiful gold jewelled sari with purple sash and her amazing 4 inch high Christian Leboutin gold shoes (she confesses to being a complete shoe-aholic, watch out Phil!!). The bridal suite at Stoke Place is a lovely place for wedding preparations photography as the large windows give lots of lovely natural light even on a winters day. I met Phil and his best man for some shots at Stoke Place before heading off to the local pub with the rest of the guys for some relaxed shots. Despite being over 30 minutes late for the ceremony Ruki & Phil had an amazing day and we managed to get outside for the signature shots in the last rays of sunlight on a beautiful but very cold afternoon (my long crombie coat came in handy for keeping Ruki warn between shots|!!). Lindy, my assistant on the day, was helping out with the Lowell video light just to give an extra kiss of warmth into the shots. In the evening after the reception which consisted of lovely Indian food (I know as I had some!!) the couple were led into the first dance by some traditional Indian drummers and the first dance was a million miles away from the slow slushy numbers that often make up the first dance, everyone was on the floor 'Bollywood' style! Ruki & Phil then jetted off for a fantastic honeymoon. A great start to the wedding season for me a wedding full of life, love laughter and beautiful colours.

Congratulations to the new Mr and Mrs Makin!!

Ellie Sanderson Catwalk Scene at National Wedding Show at Olympia Feb 2011 shot on my 5DMK2 DSLR

2011-02-25T05:08:00.000-08:00

As part of my experimental foray into the world of DSLR HD Video I shot this from the press tower at last weekends National Wedding Show at Olympia. Ellie Sanderson sponsored Scene 7 featuring dresses from designers Sassi Holford Suzanne Neville Augusta Jones Kate Sherford Alan Hannah and Lusan Mandongus. It was a fantastic show for Ellie and her team with 60,000 brides through the doors over the weekend. This footage was shot using available light on the catwalk and edited in Sony Vegas Platinum v10 and is displayed with the kind permission of the National Wedding Show.
I expect to post more videos and fashion stills from the show over the coming weeks.............click on the video below to play and enjoy!!

Beautiful Wedding of Anna & Terry at The Grove Hotel featured on The Wedding Vine website

2011-02-10T00:13:00.000-08:00

I was delighted to be asked by The Wedding Vine for permission to feature my images from the amazing wedding of Anna and Terry that I shot last year in Beaconsfield St Mary's Church and then onto the fantastic The Grove Hotel in Hertfordshire which is a wonderful place for wedding photography. Terry is actually a very successful sportsman with 1 Commonwealth Gold and 2 Silvers amongst many other fantastic achievements in the International Table Tennis scene when he was playing professionally but he certainly surpassed himself with his proposal which is probably the best one I have ever heard and just sooo stylish. The following is an extract from the interview which can be read in full on The Wedding Vine website.

"On a beautiful September day Terry spent the morning persuading Anna, (who was feeling under the weather with a cold,) to put a nice dress on and go to lunch at some friends’ house to make the most of the lovely weather. Reluctantly Anna had a shower and got dressed and managed to perk herself up enough to enjoy lunch.
Terry and Anna’s friends own a helicopter, which is kept on their land at home in Berkshire, and Anna had been very envious when Terry was taken up in the helicopter without her earlier that summer. So when their friend offered Anna a ride in the helicopter herself, she was very keen to take the opportunity. A slightly nervous flyer, Anna would not go up without Terry, which he had banked on, and as they took off on the beautiful September afternoon, Anna had no idea what the rest of the day had in store.

Anna and Terry were flown right into the City of London, flying directly over the River Thames and all the wonderful, famous landmarks along the way. Only when Anna noticed a familiar building in her hometown, did she realise that they were in Hertfordshire. The next familiar sight she saw was a stunning lush green golf course. The pilot announced that they needed to make a stop there to drop something off, which Anna thought nothing of, until she looked out of the helicopter window only to see a huge banner which spelled out the words, ‘Anna… Will you marry me?’

Anna was overwhelmed that after 4 years, she was being proposed to by Terry, and in such a perfect way! She looked immediately back at Terry who was sitting to her right with a beautiful offering, a two-carat emerald cut diamond ring, held out in front of him. He asked Anna if she would marry him, this time through the microphone on his headset, and she immediately said ‘Yes’ whilst holding out her left hand for Terry to place the perfectly fitting ring on her finger!

Anna had recognised the golf course because it belonged to one of her favourite places, The Grove Hotel, a splendid five star hotel in the middle of the Hertfordshire countryside."

The Grove is an amazing venue for wedding photography as it has a fascination with Giraffes which pop up everywhere from 3m high photographs to topiary versions in the walled garden. It also has an "urban beach" in the amazing walled gardens complete with a sandy beach and weather New England style beach huts and even an old rowing boat which means the photography I can do there has a real fashion edge to it.

The story has a really happy end as Anna and Terry's baby daughter Gracie Mae was born just after Xmas and by the sounds of it mother and baby and dad are doing very well indeed!!

My First Magazine Front Cover!

2011-01-27T04:36:00.000-08:00

I was delighted to have one of my wedding images from last year used for the latest February issue of Elite Magazine and their Beautiful Brides Spring supplement which is widely circulated by Bucks Free Press throughout the Buckinghamshire area and has a high AB1 female target audience. The image which is actually one of my favourites from last year was shot at Wasing Park venue in Berkshire at the beautiful wedding of Anna & Drew. I had to climb the spiral staircase near the bridal suite and shot down to get this image. The expression on the brides face doesn't need any explanation she is just so happy having been married within the hour!!
Shooting images you feel may be suitable for magazine covers requires a little more discipline in terms of how you decide to crop "in-camera" it's always going to be important that you leave adequate space around the image for captions, by-lines and feature titles and this image worked well in this respect as there is some negative space in a light colour of the left of the image where the editorial dept was able to put their text.

Anna & Steve Pre-Wedding Shoot, Mountains Country House, Kent

2011-01-18T06:31:00.000-08:00

We did this shoot before Xmas and I have just finished the edit for the couple. Great venue down in Kent, Mountains Country House really looking forward to shooting their wedding their this summer..............enjoy the short video of a few of my fave shots from the shoot

Pre-wedding shoot with Kylie & Elliot at The Old Belle, Hurley

2011-01-13T01:59:00.000-08:00

We actually did this shoot just before Xmas but before the snows. Kylie & Elliot are getting married at the lovely Old Bell Hotel in Hurley where I have shot many weddings in probably every type of weather. The barn opposite the pub/hotel is very romantic for weddings, not much light which makes it challenging for available light photography but makes it look brilliant in the evening with the candles on the tables, very cosy!!. Here is a small selection of some of the images we captured outside.
Only 3 weeks now to their wedding on 5th February!!

Thank You to all my 2010 clients and a very Happy New year to you all!

2010-12-27T18:43:00.000-08:00

As 2010 draws to a close I can reflect on some of the amazing weddings from 2010 which started at Kirtlington Park for the February wedding of Carrie & Adam and ended just before I flew out for my Xmas vacation in New Zealand with the winter November wedding of Vanessa & James at Northcote House.

2010 was a very busy year for me and I ended up shooting 47 different couples' weddings at some of the most prestigious and beautiful venues in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Northamptonshire, Berkshire, London and Essex. We had sun, rain, snow, wind and temperatures from the high 80's down to sub zero but, without exception, every wedding was different and every wedding was great fun to shoot which is down to the fabulous "up for anything" couples I was lucky enough to work with.

Of course none of this would have been possible without the amazing small but very talented team I have around me from the people who help me on the day at the weddings and those that help with all the important things that happen before and just as importantly afterwards, so I wanted to make a special thanks and mention this year to Lindy, Simon, Victoria B, Jenna, Theresa, Mike, Anna, Rachel and also a big Thank You to Jo Newman at Queensberry Albums and Nicole at Booked Images for their unfailing support and advice. Also a big thanks to Rowena at Your Berks & Bucks wedding magazine and John and the team at Guides for Brides. Thanks also to to Neale and Giles my fellow Colectiva wedding photography peers.

There have been lots of new exciting venues for me this year which I am very much looking forward to visiting and photographing in 2011 (many are already in the diary).

2011 for me starts with the winter wedding of Ruki & Phil at Stoke Place, Bucks in January but I have lots and lots of images to post up from the many weddings and engtagement shoots that I shot but didn't get a chance to post up in 2010.

Also this will probably be one of the final posts from my Blogger blog as I move over to a funky new Wordpress Prophoto Blog which will go live early in January 2011 along with a brand new website. All the posts will remain here on this URL but the new Blog will be able to host much larger images etc and lightbox and flash gallery slideshows which should make it a more engaging experience for my readers.

One final word of thanks must go to the fabulous team of girls from Ellie Sanderson Bridal Boutiques in Oxford and Beaconsfield who so brilliantly promote my work and allow me to display my wedding photography in their beautiful shops so thank you Ellie, Nicola, Laura, Barbara, Diane, Julia, Sam, Emma.

See you all on the other side in 2011!

David
x

The Bridal Photographer at Ellie Sanderson

2010-12-01T00:46:00.000-08:00

Last month I was asked to do a photo shoot at the Ellie Sanderson Bridal Boutique in Oxford. What a shop, its newly opened and is the sister shop to Ellies now famous boutique in Beaconsfield.
It is quite simply stunning, everything a wedding dress shop should be. I know the Ellie Sanderson team moto is "classy and Fabulous " and to be honest that is exactly what this shop is.
Ellie Stocks Suzanne Neville, Sassi Holford, Stephanie Allin, Alan Hannah and Mia Mia - quite a line up of the best designers not only in the UK but the world.

So no mean feat to capture this on film and thats exactly what I did, take a look. I had such fun with the Oxford team doing this and thanks to the wonderful guys at Fabulous Flowers who supply Ellie with the most awesome wedding flowers.
Its not often as a wedding photographer you get asked to photograph such a stunning location with some of the most stylish wedding dresses in Oxford.
Why me I wonder, maybe its because she is my lovely wife!!
David

The Altruist: Cambodian Streetchildren Documentary, a charity I am supporting

2010-11-15T11:24:00.000-08:00

About 5 years ago my now wife and I went travelling throughout South East Asia and over to Australia and New Zealand for about 3 months. We were both unbelievably moved by our visit to Cambodia both the incredible temples at Siam Reap and Ankgor Watt and the horrific history of the Khmer Rouge and the Pol Pot regime down in Phnomn Penh. The poverty of some of the families was truly heartbreaking and we found young mothers in cardboard boxes in the streets with their newborn families. We were also very shocked by visiting some of the better restaurants in Phnomn Penh and seeing these very young girls perhaps no more than 11 or 12 dressed-up to the nines with false eyelashes, full make-up and provocative clothing on the arms of male tourists being paraded around like trophies. It was much more shocking than what we had already witnessed in Thailand. Therefore when I was approached recently by a charity who were looking to raise funds to raise funds to finish the result of 5 years hard work in the form of a Documentary focusing on the street kids of Cambodia who are victims of poverty, AIDS & pedophilia, it immediately struck a chord with me and I wanted to get involved. I have donated two Signature prints photographed in Angkor Watt to the fundraising site and am really hoping some people who might be reading this blog would feel motivated to provide a donation to the charity to help it reach it's target funding of $18,800 to complete this important awareness documentary.

Here is a short description of the project "The Altruist" so far from their own website:

The Altruist has been shot over a 5 year period, where we have collected over 80 hours of footage. The principal filming has been completed, and we have edited down the footage to a three hour version. We need post-production funds NOW in order to edit our three hour rough cut down to a one hour TV documentary.

To support The Altruist & M’Lop Tpang, award winning photographers and artists from around the world have donated signed prints of their Cambodian photos/art to our fundraiser. The photos not only help a charitable cause, but make great Christmas presents. Please click on the photo you like below for more information or to purchase.

Prices of prints vary depending on size and quality of print. Please visit our Kickstarter Campaign Page, or click the Buy Now links in the image captions below.

Thank you for your support, if you want to find out more please visit the links below:

http://thealtruist.net/
http://twitter.com/thealtruistfilm
Gallery of donated photographic prints http://thealtruist.net/blog/fundraiser

Here is a video of what we are all trying to achieve, it only lasts a couple of minutes so PLEASE click here and watch it.

Ellie Sanderson Oxford Boutique Interior Shoot

2010-11-10T00:27:00.000-08:00

Ever since my wife opened her second designer wedding dress Ellie Sanderson Bridal Boutique in the centre of Oxford in the trendy area of Little Clarendon Street I have been dying to do an interior shoot for her.
Well we finally did it last Monday and we are all delighted with the results. The shop is so beautiful inside and the attention to detail is second to none, it's easy to see why along with the fantastic service the brides get from Nicola and the team there that Ellie has already gained such an amazing reputation and some lovely reviews from brides on Guides For Brides.
We visited the Spirit of Christmas show at Olympia last week looking for some final display props and found the gorgeous large silver giant clam shells which were filled with soft veils, pearls (of course!) and to finish off a fab pair of Rachel Simpson shoes. All the beautiful flowers you see here were kindly provided by the highly regarded Fabulous Flowers.

For the shoot I used mainly the available boutique lighting with some off camera flash with colour correction gels and a tripod plus I hired a 50mm f1.2 L series Canon lens for the day as I wanted a really tiny depth of field for some of the accessory shots. The main boutique shots were taken at f11 at 1 second with a tungsten white balance setting and tweaked in Lightroomrge afterwards using some further colour correction and boosting the vibrance, clarity and contrast.

Boutique: http://www.elliesanderson.com/
Flowers: http://www.fabulousflowers.biz/
Photography: http://www.thebridalphotographer.co.uk/

Here are a few of the shots and a video of the shoot at the end.

Here is a video of the shoot.

A beautiful moment in time - My favourite wedding photograph of October

2010-11-04T12:19:00.000-07:00

A beautiful autumn day in the stunning grounds of Knebworth Hall, Hertfordshire and I was lucky enough to have everything come together for me to capture this gorgeous shot. The right lens, the beautiful late afternoon rim lighting, a perfect pose and a "moment in time" shot I know is already one of my favourite this year.

Details:
Date: 16th October 2010 at 16:42
Venue: Knebworth Hall, Hertfordshire
Camera: Canon 5DMK2 with Canon EF70-200mm f2.8L IS lens
Exposure: 1000th @ f4.0 at 200mm
ISO 400

Funky Wedding of Claire & Rob, The Crazy Bear, Oxfordshire

2010-10-23T03:37:00.000-07:00

A fab and very funky wedding at the equally fab and funky The Crazy Bear Hotel in Stadhamption, Oxfordshire. Roberto & Claire obviously had so much fun on the day and despite a few drizzles and cold they were still game to go outside for some great shots in the grounds and on the crazy red bus that is there. The Moroccan Glasshouse is always a stunning venue for an evening reception and the coloured lanterns glittering along with the chequerboard dance floor and DJ set the scene for a huge party!. I honestly had so much fun shooting this wedding and really loved doing some very stylised shots in their gorgeous honeymoon suite called "The Black Room". With a huge roll-top bath at the end of the bed and spotlights everywhere it set the scene for a very fashion-themed shoot. Rob & Claire were totally up for this after the wedding breakfast when it was dark and as a result they have some stunning images.
Here is a video of some of the shots of the day so click below to view it:

My Facebook Fan Page now has it's own URL

2010-10-13T09:32:00.000-07:00

A huge Thank You to everyone who has been following my wedding adventures across Twitter and Facebook. I now have enough fans that they have allowed me to have my own The Bridal Photographer URL which should make it a lot simpler for people to be able to follow what I am up to and the videos and albums I post up there so hope to see some of you over in social media land!! You can click the links here to get to either my Facebook or Twitter pages:

Come and Visit our stand at The Oxfordshire Golf Club Wedding Fayre, Sunday 10th October 2010

2010-10-06T02:09:00.000-07:00

We are exhibiting at The Oxfordshire Golf Club Wedding Fair on this coming Sunday 10th October from 11am, organised by Guide for Brides and would love to see any couples who haven't yet booked their Oxford, Berkshire or Buckinghamshire Wedding Photographer for 2011 or 2012. We will have a wide selection of our albums featuring recent weddings on display from the legendary Queensberry of New Zealand plus luxury Coffee Table books and other matted and digital albums as well as other information and literature and it would be really great to see you.

Your ‘Big Day’ requires a special location and The Oxfordshire Golf Club offers just that. Set amongst 300 acres of beautiful rolling countryside near the picturesque market town of Thame between Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire.

The quality of the setting is apparent from the moment you drive up the tree-lined driveway to the magnificent clubhouse. With its elegant interior and landscaped grounds it provides a winning combination for a romantic setting for your memorable occasion.
The Oxfordshire is a stunning wedding venue licensed to hold wedding receptions, civil marriages and evening celebrations for up to 180 guests, the wedding suits all lead out to an elevated terrace with panoramic views overlooking breathtaking countryside, offering a glorious backdrop for an outdoor drinks reception and photographs.

And despite being in a tranquil area of natural beauty The Oxfordshire is conveniently located just off junction 7 of the M40 a short distance from the historic university town of Oxford putting it within easy access of London and Birmingham.
The Wedding Fair starts at 11am and runs until 3pm.

Free Admission which also includes a Free Bridal Information Pack including your free Guides for Brides North Oxfordshire guide.

The Oxfordshire Golf Club

Rycote Lane
Milton Common
Thame
Oxon
OX9 2PU

01844 278300

Click here for a Map

Come and see us at The Oxford Thames Four Pillars Wedding Fair Sunday 3rd October

2010-09-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

We are exhibiting at the Oxford Thames Four Pillars Wedding Fair on this coming Sunday 3rd October from 11am, organised by Guide for Brides and would love to see any couples who haven't yet booked their Oxford, Berkshire or Buckinghamshire Wedding Photographer for 2011 or 2012. We will have a wide selection of our albums featuring recent weddings on display from the legendary Queensberry of New Zealand plus luxury Coffee Table books and other matted and digital albums as well as other information and literature and it would be great to see you.

The Oxford Thames Four Pillars has run successful wedding fairs for the Oxford Mail for many years, and now has joined forces with Guides for Brides, the UK's premier Wedding Fair organisers.
Just over three miles from the centre of Oxford, this luxury four star hotel offers an elegant retreat from the bustle of the city. Set in 30 acres of beautiful parkland leading down to the River Thames, its unique architectural style incorporates a group of charming medieval buildings, along with sympathetically designed modern additions. I was fortunate to be booked to shoot the wedding of Victoria and Neil Mackay here back in the summer on a glorious perfect day and it's river setting and walled gardens are just lovely so it will be interesting to see it in the autumn.

The Wedding Fair starts at 11am and runs until 3pm.

Free Admission which also includes a Free Bridal Information Pack.

Oxford Thames Four Pillars

Henley Road
Sandford-on-Thames
Oxford
OX4 4GX

Map

Sneaky Peak - Meera & Chris Wedding, Kew Gardens, Surrey

2010-09-27T02:27:00.000-07:00

It's not every day a wedding photographer gets to shoot an Indian themed wedding at the amazing Royal Kew Gardens so I was really looking forward to seeing all the colours on the day and I certainly wasn't disappointed. Meera is a beautiful girl and dressed in her gold, cream and pale green sari with an intricate and striking henna pattern for the day on her hands and arms looked amazing. The weather was lovely all day as we went off into the stunning gardens for the signature shots on the golf buggy. This was followed by a champagne reception in the Prince of Wales glass house complete with tropical butterflies flying around and onto a sumptuous Indian feast in the Orangery. These are just a few of my fave images of the day as I get stuck into the final edit and retouching process. I know the couple are desperate to see a few sneaky peaks so these are for you Meera and Chris, hopefully now basking back at home in the Australian sunshine........I will post up some more images when the edit is complete.

Pre-wedding shoot with Claire & Rob at The Crazy Bear, Stadhampton, Oxfordshire

2010-09-10T02:24:00.000-07:00

Claire & Rob are getting married at the amazing Crazy Bear in Stadhamption at the end of September this year, a venue that needs no introduction but is one of the funkiest venues around!!
We did this pre-wedding shoot there a few weeks back and I'm really pleased that the couple love their pictures. Here are a few of their faves........can't wait until the wedding now!

Sneaky Peak - Natalie & Peter Wedding Wed 1st September 2010, Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Oxfordshire

2010-09-08T02:01:00.000-07:00

Natalie and Peter got married a week ago at Le Manoir and it was a wonderful day with just a small group of about 22 family and close friends. A big highlight of the day was an amazing surprise Natalie had booked for Peter in the afternoon. Just as the guests were playing croquet in the Belle Epoque gardens the unmistakable sound of a helicopter getting closer and closer could be heard and it landed just next to Le Manoir ready to whisk Peter and Natalie away with their son Ben over the Oxfordshire coutryside upo to Blenheim Palace and then whisked their parents away for the ride of a lifetime. The couple had a big party with friends on the Friday and asked me to choose a few pictures from the day to show their friends what a wonderful day they had so I was happy to oblige and also produced the video below for them.
Natalie was really happy and now can't wait to see the proper final edit and sent me a lovely email:

Hi David,
What can we say???? A huge thank you for the way you were at our wedding last Wednesday. Your calm and friendly personality really helped to keep the moments before the wedding relaxed and for most of the day it was hard to believe you were there at all.
A massive wow for the dvd and photos you supplied for Friday. We watched the dvd on Friday afternoon and I was in floods of tears, I couldn't believe how beautiful they looked. You really put a huge amount of effort into producing them for us and our guests Friday night got a real feel for just how good the day was.
Now we have had a taster we cant wait to see the proofs..!!!
The day was perfect and although I knew Le Manoir would do a good job the whole day was even better than I could have ever imagined. Thanks for keeping the helicopter surprise quiet, that went down as one of my best ideas yet..!!!
I really hope you enjoyed shooting our day as we are really pleased we chose you to be our photographer.
Once again, a huge thanks.
Speak soon
Natalie and Peter x

You can view the video slideshow highlights from the wedding here:

Brisk Business at the Eynsham Hall Wedding Fair

2010-08-31T01:00:00.000-07:00

David in action (looking slightly "tango-ed" for some reason!) at Eynsham Hall wedding fair

Well the Bank Holiday Monday sunshine certainly brought the engaged couples in their droves to the Eynsham Hall wedding fair yesterday where Guides for Brides were organising their autumn wedding fair. I think one of the organisers said there were nearly 600 people through the door and over 200 brides so that is an amazing number. I was certainly very busy on my exhibition stand all day and took lots of enquiries and booked quite a few meetings for some of the remaining dates in 2011 and some for 2012. It seems there were a lot of couples really planning ahead to get the best choice of key suppliers, venues etc and couples seemed to be coming from quite a wide catchment area. Some were getting married or having their reception at the gorgeous Eynsham Hall itself but I also had some brides getting married in Bucks, Surrey and Berkshire. All in all a worthwhile fair for me and one I will do again next year.

Next I am exhibiting at:

Oxford Thames Four Pillars Hotel in Sandford on on 3rd October, Opening times: 11am-3pm Admission: Free
The Oxfordshire Golf Club on 10th Oct

so if you didn't manage to get along to see me at Eynsham Hall please come to one of these two we'd love to see you!

Come and Visit our stand at Eynsham Hall Wedding Fayre, Bank Holiday Monday 30th August 2010

2010-08-27T04:24:00.000-07:00

We are exhibiting at the prestigious Eynsham Hall Wedding Fair on this coming Bank Holiday Monday 30th August from 11am, organised by Guide for Brides and would love to see any couples who haven't yet booked their Oxford, Berkshire or Buckinghamshire Wedding Photographer for 2011 or 2012. We will have a wide selection of our albums on display as well as other information and literature and it would be great to see you. The baronial halls at the stately Eynsham Hall set the scene for discerning brides to speak to exhibitors in a spacious relaxed setting. This Wedding Fair is always well attended.
Details are here: Wedding Fair Details

Guides for Brides is pleased to announce Oxfordshire's Premier Wedding Fair at Eynsham Hall on Bank Holiday Monday 30th August. With a vast selection of exhibitors from all over Oxfordshire, this is a "not to be missed" event.

The Wedding Fair opens at 11am until 3pm
Free Admission which also includes a Free Bridal Information Pack
Fashions shows at 12 noon and 1.30 pm.
Pick up your free Guides for Brides North Oxfordshire guide.

Address:

Eynsham Hall

North Leigh
Witney
Oxfordshire
OX29 6PN
Map

Situated on the A4095 between Witney and Woodstock

Wedding of Sian & Chris at Gosfield Hall, Essex

2010-08-19T10:19:00.000-07:00

Sian and Chris were originally going to get married down in Surrey at Northbrook Park but the venue changed to the beautiful Gosfield Hall near Braintree in Essex which is somewhere I hadn't photographer before. As usually I planned everything in terms of travelling distances and timings and picked my assistant Lindy up en route in Epping and at that time had 90 minutes to cover a journey that should have been only 30 minutes up the M11. Lucky I had left lots of time as there was an accident on the M11 leaving the traffic stationary and me stuck 11 miles from my turn-off. I sat and watch my sa nav tick by showing I was going to arrive close and closer to the shooting start time. I have to admit to a minor panic as the traffic was going nowhere and people were getting out of their cars and walking around.........luckily the traffic started to move and I arrived just 5 minutes after I said I would be there which still gave loads of time before the ceremony for the bride and groom shots. Still I think I lost a few pounds in stress on the way there!!!
Anyway the wedding was absolutely beautiful, Gosfield Hall is an amazing venue with stunning grounds surrounded by wheat fields and the weather was kind to us despite threatening to rain all day!
Sian looked stunning in her beautifully fitted gown and I had great fun getting some lovely signature shots as well as some great photojournalism moments where the rain (just!) held off.
I hope I get the chance to photograph another wedding there as it is a really special venue and the bedrooms I saw were just to die for!

To check out more of my wedding photography please visit my website THE BRIDAL PHOTOGRAPHER

Sneaky Peak - Anna & Terry, The Grove Hotel, Hertfordshire

2010-08-12T05:52:00.000-07:00

Just had to post this image as I had been planning to shoot this on Anna & Richards' big day last Friday after we did a beautiful pre-wedding shoot there earlier this year. The Grove Hotel is a new venue for me but there is so much to go after there as they have a beautiful walled garden with a little beach and beach hut would you believe and stunning grounds. This image was taken in one of the circular hallways with the amazing blue paneling and skylight flooding the hall with lovely daylight. The couple were then lit my my assistant Lindy with the video light I use to give my subjects a little lift and warmth. This second shot was taken on the beautiful staircase in the old manor house, they have a strange fascination with giraffes there!!

Can't wait to get stuck into the edit next week..........

The view my Wedding images please visit my website here: The Bridal Photographer

SWPP Winner of Wedding Image for Week 29 - Bride and Groom From a Distance

2010-08-11T09:03:00.000-07:00

I was really chuffed to be voted this weeks winner in the Society of Wedding & Portrait photographers (SWPP) international weekly image competition with one of my favourite images from Le Manoir, shot at 6pm last August. It is voted by the other professional photographers on the forum so it's a nice little ego boost!!

Hannah & Andrew pre-wedding shoot, The Olde Bell, Hurley

2010-08-04T05:29:00.000-07:00

It seems a while now since we did this shoot but now I'm pleased to say the pictures are edited and finished and I am really looking forward to photographing the wedding of Hannah & Andrew on 28th August 2010 at The Olde Bell in lovely Hurley. Here's hoping it will be as sunny as the last wedding I photographed there back in April this year!
Here are just a few of my favourites from the shoot...........

Roland & Ros 3rd July 2010 - A very Vintage Wedding at Silchester House, Berks

2010-08-03T10:35:00.000-07:00

I have photographed many brides in vintage inspired gowns but never one in an original actual 1940's silk wedding dress until the wedding of Ros and Roland at Silchester House in Berkshire. It was my first time at Silchester House which is part of the Bijou chain that owns Notley Abbey and Botleys and I was delighted to find it was a lovely venue with lots of natural light flooding into the ceremony room there. Ros looked every bit the 1940's vintage bride with her make-up and dark bob and it all just seemed to work!
The weather was stunning and despite some dubious weather forecasts the sun was still shining when I left the happy couple after their first dance. The guests were having a great time drinking in the late evening sunlight and the whole venue was cast in a warm glow.

Here are a selection of my favourite images from their day.

A couple of lovely new client testimonials received today....

2010-07-29T05:58:00.000-07:00

If I was in this photography game just for the money I would seriously be doing something else (ask any professional wedding photographer you know!) but the reason I specialise in documenting weddings is simply because I love what I do and can't think of another form of photography that blends fine art, passion, adrenaline, technique and real People (with a capital "P") in any other way.
So it's always really lovely when my clients feel they want to give feedback that everyone can see and it always gives me a real boost to know they were 150% satisfied with the photography I delivered on perhaps the most important day of their lives and the final album.
The first testimonial is from the couple whose wedding is featured in the post below Carrie & Adam who are off this weekend on their long awaited honeymoon to the Far East leaving their album in the safe and capable hands on the their parents who will no doubt be showing it proudly around the family!.........here is what they had to say on the Guides For Brides website:

Carrie & Adam on their wedding day in February 2010

Rating 5 stars

"My husband was in charge of finding a photographer that could take the style of photographs we wanted. He found David who invited us to his house to see his portfolio. I know people say you should look around at different photographers, but we knew that his style was perfect for us.

The pre-wedding shoot was a good idea and it really helped. Both of us felt nervous and neither of us really likes posing for photographs. The pre-wedding shoot allowed us to see all the bad things we did when posing for a picture. By the time the wedding came around we were relaxed and posing like the pros!

On the day of the wedding, David took some amazing photographs of us and our guests. He stayed for 8 hours which meant he even photographed our first dance (I would recommend trying to organise your day to fit this in - we did and it was worth it). Everything was relaxed and we felt very comfortable around David and his assistant. There was so much to capture at our venue, but David managed to get as much of it as possible. We spent quite a lot of money on our photographer, but we were willing to do that as we knew the photos would be one of the only things we got to keep. We love the prints we got and the album is wonderful. Everyone has seen it and loves it. It is something we are proud to show to anyone!

Wedding Venue: Kirtlington Park, Oxfordshire

Wedding Date: 13 Feb 2010

The second review I received was from Clare & Sean Smith whose wedding I photographed on one of the snowiest days of December 2009, a couple whose wedding is up for being nominated for the 2010 Wedding of The Year in Your Berks & Bucks Wedding (see separate post)..........Clare has this to say on Hitched

Clare & Sean on their Wedding Day in Dec 2010 Ye Old Belle, Hurley

Rating: 5 stars
Heading: Fantastic Photography!
Description: From the moment we met David we knew he would be the perfect photographer for our wedding. He immediately put us at ease and we really enjoyed our pre-wedding shoot.David is a very professional and friendly guy and his style of photography was just what we were looking for. David produced absolutely breathtaking pictures of our snowy winter wedding that we'll cherish forever. We found it very difficult to choose the photographs for the album as they were all amazing!

Wedding of Carrie & Adam, Kirtlington Park, Kirtlington, Oxfordshire on the 13th Febuary 2010

2010-07-10T05:51:00.000-07:00

As I promised I am going to be posting some of my favourite images from the 2010 weddings I have photographed up to now that I didn't have a chance to do beforehand.
The lovely winter wedding of Carrie & Adam Cook took place on the 13th February 2010 at the very beautiful Kirtlington Park in Oxfordshire, a venue I hadn't photographed before for a wedding but had the chance to shoot late last year at the couples pre-wedding shoot. It's a very exclusive venue that reminded me a lot of Cliveden in Berkshire but on a slightly smaller scale. They don't have lot's of weddings there as it is privately owned and the owner lives there on one of the upper floors.
The light in the plush bedroom Carrie used to get ready in was amazing, beautiful natural light and lots of it!
Being February we half we preparing for snow but the weather was kind and although cool it was a lovely bright winters day and we managed to get some lovely photographs. Carrie wasn't taking any chances and opted for a fur coat which she wore when we weren't off doing photographs. Carrie & Adam are picking up their beautiful wedding album this week which looks absolutely stunning and I know they will be over the moon with it. Of particular mention were the groomsmens' socks which you can see from the pictures here were anything BUT understated.

Over the coming weeks and days there will be lost more images being posted from other 2010 weddings and pre-wedding shoots so please come back and visit again and for wedding photography in Oxford, wedding photography in Buckinghamshire and wedding photography in Berkshire at most of the major venues please visit my Blog archive opr use the search function or visit my main weddings website here: www.thebridalphotographer.co.uk/main.php

Cute shot of the weekend! - Helen & Jay's Wedding, Crockwell Farm

2010-07-01T04:39:00.000-07:00

I know I have been very quiet on the old blog posts recently as I have shot an incredible number of weddings since April this year and have been locked in the studio "bat cave" editing something like 40,000 images from the 25 weddings I have shot since February this year not to mention about 30 pre-wedding shoots............net result I think a trip to the opticians is necessary as have been staring at my computer screen for many hours a day..........!!!

Anyway I digress, hopefully Blogging will resume as normal hopefully from next week and I can start to share some of the amazing images I have been lucky to capture and create so far in 2010...

Here is one to start, a lovely little "love is" moment from Saturday's wedding at Crockwell Farm up in Northamptonshire.......

You may be interested to know that I am also posting video slideshows, images and other comments both on my Twitter page @davidbostock and also you can join my fan page on Facebook which you can find by searching for The Bridal Photographer.

VOTE for Clare & Sean in the first round of 2010 Wedding of The Year

2010-05-27T02:45:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Wedding of the Year competition is now live on http://yourberksbuckswedding.co.uk/woty2_1stRound.cfm

One of my very lovely couples Clare & Sean Smith who got married in December at The Olde Bell in Hurley on a very snowy winters day are one of the couples through to the first round but rely heavilly on the votes of the readers!

This is where YOU come in.

You can also join the Facebook page, and will too be sent a direct link when the competition is made live. Visit, www.facebook.com/countyweddingmagazines

So please get voting, remember it is Sean & Clare the third couple featured with the picture above!
http://yourberksbuckswedding.co.uk/woty2_1stRound.cfm

My very best wishes and Good luck to Sean & Claire lets hope they get through to the final!!

Anna & Terry, pre-wedding shoot, The Grove Hotel & Spa, Hertfordshire

2010-05-20T00:44:00.000-07:00

It was the first time I will have photographed a wedding at The Grove in Hertfordshire so, as with all venues, whether I have been there 20 times or never before I always try and do a couples pre-wedding shoot at the actual venue itself so we get a feel for where the best spots are then on the big day and we know exactly where we are going, it seems to relax the couple as we are all on familiar ground.
Sometimes I visit a venue and there is very little photographically to make it stand out but we still manage to get some stunning shots (I have even photographed a couple in a car park but you would never have known it wasn't in a gorgeous mansion when I produced the final shots!) the job of the professional photographer is to have the eye and experience to produce something stunning out of nothing. One of the guys I really admire in Wedding Photography is an Australian Award winning photographer Jerry Ghionis

The Grove for weddings is a completely different kettle of fish and it has so much to offer photographically that you are spoilt for choice. The seem to have a bit of a thing for giraffes and from 8ft high pictures of them inside to full size topiary giraffes in the garden it is all very unusual but striking.

When I was there in Feb this year I had the pleasure of doing the pre-wedding shoot of Anna & Terry who are tying the knot there in August this year.
After being grilled by security as to what I was doing there with a huge camera and 70-200 lens (I think they thought I was part of the Taliban as they had some high level Deutsche Bank conference there!) I met Anna & Terry in reception and we went outside into the walled gardens to do some pictures.
Now I know some people reading this may think this was a set up shoot with 2 models I can assure you it isn't, just that Anna & Terry are an amazingly photogenic couple and it really was difficult to take a bad picture of them. I was inspired by some images I had seen recently from a fantastic UK photographer Damien Lovegrove that he shot in Amserdam called Passion on the street of Amsterdam and loved the close focus shots where you can only see parts of the face which I think are just SOOO sexy.

The walled gardens in the hotel have a slight "Alice in Wonderland" feel to them with a potting shed (which is hired out for corporate functions!) a brightly painted blue beach hut, an old battered wooden rowing boat and even a small sandy beach with some driftwood, all this a stones throw from Watford!!. The fact that Terry wore a pink jumper and Anna a petrol blue top couldn't have been better as it combined brilliantly with the coloured beach hut in the shots.

As you can probably tell from the photos we all had great fun doing these shots and I genuinely cannot wait to photography their wedding there in August. I expect to produce something very special as there is so much photographic opportunity there.

My new website and Blog is almost ready to go live but in the meantime please visit my current site to see lots of my wedding photography at The Bridal Photographer

We now have our very own Wedding Photography Facebook page

2010-05-10T16:37:00.000-07:00

Finally we have a dedicated Wedding Photography Facebook page up and running which you can follow here . Over the coming weeks I will be posting some of the latest Pre-Wedding Shoots and Weddings I photograph up there along with some funky videos of my wedding images and comment and tips on the best way to get the images you dream of on your big day so please visit our page and follow our posts as the wedding season hots up!

You can visit our Facebook page here The Bridal Photographer

You can also follow our Tweets on Twitter by visiting David Bostock or you can send me a message to @davidbostock

Come and Visit our stand at Bisham Abbey Wedding Fayre, Bank Holiday Monday 3rd May 2010

2010-04-30T10:36:00.000-07:00

I will be exhibiting at the Bisham Abbey Wedding Fair in Bisham, Marlow, Bucks this coming Monday 3rd May and would love to meet any couples who are currently looking to choose their wedding photographer for and want to view some of my recent weddings and have a chat about my wedding photography style

I will have a wide selection of my albums on display from Booked Images (coffee table books), GF Smith and of course the legendary Queensberry albums from New Zealand.

Organised by: Guides For Brides runs from 11am-3pm

Address: Bisham Abbey, Bisham, Marlow, Bucks SL7 1RR

Bisham Abbey has been holding wedding fairs for many years, and Guides for Brides is proud to be hosting its first event at this prestigious venue. Set in spectacular and secluded surroundings, Bisham Abbey provides a wonderful venue for weddings and celebrations.

The Wedding Fair starts at 11am until 3pm.

Free Admission which also includes a Free Bridal Information Pack.

Pick up your free Guides for Brides Buckinghamshire guide.

Jessica & Richard Boyden win Wedding of The Year 2009 competitons in Your Berks & Bucks Wedding magazine

2010-04-16T04:22:00.000-07:00

A huge, massive congratulations to Jessica & Richard Boyden whose 1950's themed wedding was voted Wedding of The Year 2009 by the readers out of all the many entries in the 2009 competition in Your Berks & Bucks Wedding magazine.

I was very proud to be chosen as their wedding photographer and they were a lovely couple to work with and were so much fun on the day!

Jess and Rich were married on 4th April 2009 at St Lawrence Church in Waltham St Lawrence and held their reception at Monkey Island Hotel.

Jessica wore a 50's style cappuchino fitted wedding dress by Maggie Sottero with her hair up Audrey Hepburn style (think Breakfast at Tiffany's!) and all the guests were transported in a original 1950's vintage bus provided by Elegant Lady Wedding Cars.

It just goes to show that you can never predict the weather and it turned out that 4th April 2009 was one of the hottest days of the year with cloudless blue skies and yellow spring daffodils everywhere. You can read the full article on pages 44 & 45 in the current issue of Your Berks & Bucks wedding magazine which is available in many good newsagents in the Berks & Bucks areas but here are a couple of comments from the article:

Jess said on winning the competition:

"It's unbelievable. We are really touched by everyone's support. This competition journey started 9 months ago and the result has been worth the wait."

Was it love at first sight?

"Rich and I first laid eyes on each other at Hillingdon Hospital whilst I was on police duty. I was drawn to this gorgeous man standing in the foyer and immediately thought he was a member of the public. My colleague told me his name was Richard and that he was also a police officer. It was through my colleague that we exchanged numbers and began to text each other. Our first date was about 3 weeks later on 4th May 2006. We met at Covent Garden for drinks. I was very nervous. We spent the week getting to know each other and enjoyed each others' company. At the end of the evening we had our first kiss at Paddington Station and, as they say, the rest is history."

How and why did you choose David Bostock as your photographer?

"We found David of The Bridal Photographer on the Internet. He was very friendly and put us at ease, so I knew straight away that I would not mind him being at my wedding. He's funny and engaging, but knows exactly what works. We enjoyed our engagement photoshoot with David back in the field where we got engaged."

I really love a happy ending and last time I spoke to Jess a few weeks ago she was in the last month or so of her pregnancy so I would expect they are now both proud parents of a beautiful baby, a perfect ending to a perfect story!

To view more of their photographs from the day CLICK HERE.

If you would like to put your own wedding forward visit http://www.yourberksandbuckswedding.com/ and follow the Wedding of the Year link where you will find a short entry form or you can CLICK HERE to be taken there directly.

I would at this point also congratulate Lisa & Richard Hood who were one of the other finalists whose summer wedding I photographed at the beautiful Ardington House you can view the Blog post I did at the time by CLICKING HERE

To have one couple in the final was exciting enough but to have two couples in the final and then to have photographer the winners wedding was quite something!

I hope many of my 2010 couples will enter their wedding to the competition this year as the prize is a two night stay worth £2,000 at the gorgeous stately home Cliveden including dinner, breakfast and full use of all the facilities and complementary spa treatments.

To view my Wedding Photography please visit my website here:

THE BRIDAL PHOTOGRAPHER

Sneaky Peak - Anna & Drew, Wasing Park, 9th April 2010

2010-04-14T10:15:00.000-07:00

What an amazing day that Anna & Drew had in the heart of the Berkshire countryside on a beautiful, perfect sunny day last Friday. Wasing Park in Berkshire is a beautiful venue with a whole host of wedding photography possibilities and I was really pleased to get the first shot featured above by the old granary, I just love the way the couple are obviously having such a brilliant time, you can feel and see it in their expressions..........!!

Hopefully Anna & Drew are now having a wonderful time on a hot and sunny beach well away from computers and the Internet but in case they couldn't resist logging onto the blog here are just a few of my favourites from the day before I start the proper edit next week.....

For more of my wedding photography please visit my website here The Bridal Photographer

Wedding of Clare & Sean, The Olde Bell, Hurley

2010-03-30T05:50:00.000-07:00

Just as the pre-Xmas snow fell in earnest, onto my calendar came three of my December weddings on 19th, 20th and 23rd December. All were shot in deep snow, which is a real rarity for me with my stupidly good luck (most of the time) with the weddings I shoot. The wedding of Clare & Sean was set in the old beautiful village of Hurley just past Henley on Thames at a lovely venue I had driven past many times but never photographed The Olde Belle. The Olde Bell is a wonderful setting for an English country wedding. In the grounds of the Olde Bell are the historic Tithe Barn & The Malt House. It was nearly "the preparations that were almost not photographed" as my trusty Volvo snaked it's way up the steep hill to the house that Clare was getting ready in. Many cars were abandoned in the streets and it turned out the wedding cars that had been booked could not make it up the hill so the 4WD's were called in to get Clare safely to the Tithe Barn on time. Despite the cold Clare & Sean were fantastic and happy to pose in the grounds for some lovely images in the snow. Their children played a starring role with their youngest daughter even doing a reading on her own in the ceremony. A perfect winter wedding complete with fresh snow!

To view a short showreel of the wedding highlights click the video below.......

For more images of the weddings I shoot please visit my website The Bridal Photographer

Sneaky Peak - Jennie & Matt Wedding, 13th March 2010, The Tudor Barn, Burnham, Bucks

2010-03-23T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here are just a few images before the post-production starts from the lovely wedding of Jennie & Matt shot on 13th March 2010 at the gorgeous Tudor Barn venue in Buckinghamshire. Jennie & Matt have jetted off somewhere hot and sunny after their fantastic day so hopefully just a couple of images will keep them both going until they return! Have a great time guys!

Come and Visit my Exhibition stand at Weston Manor Hotel - Wedding Fayre this Sunday 28th February 2010

2010-02-23T06:36:00.001-08:00

I will be exhibiting at the Weston Manor Hotel Wedding Fair in Weston-on-the-Green, Oxfordshire this coming Sunday 28th February and would love to meet any couples who are currently looking to choose their wedding photographer for 2010 or 2011 and want to view some of my recent weddings.

I will have a wide selection of my albums on display from Booked Images (coffee table books), GF Smith and of course the legendary Queensberry albums from New Zealand.

Organised by: Guides For Brides

Address: Northampton Road, Weston-on-the-Green, Oxfordshire, OX25 3QL

View Larger Map

T 01235 770078

W http://www.bridal-shows.co.uk/

Opening times 11 am to 3 pm
Free admission

Free information pack for every Bride.

Fashion Shows at 12 pm and 1.30 pm.

To view my wedding photography images please visit my website The Bridal Photographer

Hope to see you there!

Wedding of Allie & Jason, Phyllis Court Club, Henley 19th December 2009

2010-02-07T03:40:00.000-08:00

Allie had hoped for snow for her wedding, in fact she had dreamed of it......so much that she told me she almost hired a snow machine for the day to make sure. Well she didn't need a snow machine but could have done with a 4 wheel drive as there had been heavy snows the week before her wedding and even 2 days before as she typed an email to me from work where the snow was starting to fall and settling in Cookham she was so excited!.
On the day of the wedding I was using a new assistant Lindy who was a friend of my regular assistant who I have sadly lost from assisting at my weddings as she has just set up the own photography business in South Africa ClicketyClick leading tours to teach people about photographing big game, a far cry from weddings!. Lindy was, as I expected, fabulous and I am looking forward to doing lots more weddings in 2010 with her assisting.
I arrived early to take a few snowy photographs of Holy Trinity Church, Cookham before I went to Allies' parents house for the getting ready shots. Allie has the most incredible blue, almost violet coloured eyes which looked fantastic in the make-up shots so I left most of them in colour and gave them a fashion look/tweak for the final presentation. We then headed off to the church where the paths were treacherous underfoot with ice and snow, I lost my footing a couple of times but managed to stay on my feet!.
After the ceremony we all headed off after a few family group shots to Phyllis Court Club in Henley for the reception which is a fabulous place for wedding photography in Oxfordshire. It was so christmassy when we arrived with snow on the glass 1920's art deco hotel dome porch but as the light was almost gone I managed to get a couple of outside shots but everything else I did inside. When we went to do the signature wedding phototography shots with Allie & Jason we use the inside of Phyllis Court and their hotel room. I often use a dimable video light to light my indoor shots of a couple as it is so much more atmospheric and stylish than using flash.
I actually shot one of my favourite indoor images ever at this wedding with Allie & Jason spotlit at the bottom of the staircase with lots of negative space around them, Lindy did an fab job lighting this shot with my trusty Lowel ID-pro light and I feel it is a timeless image, this could have been shot in the 1930'3 or 40's so very much in keeping with the venue. Most importantly Allie & Jason love it too! We also got a great sequence of the couple bouncing on the bed together
The couple were using one of the shots they chose from their pre-wedding shoot for guests to sign so that was a nice touch. Often my couples will want me to supply their engagement images in a white 16x20 inch mount for signing and it makes a lovely keepsake. After the wedding Jason & Allie headed off for their honeymoon, whereabouts you might ask after the freezing UK, was it Bali or Maldives, Mauritius perhaps.........no..........you guessed it Finland for more snow and igloos!!
A lovely winter wedding with a lovely couple.
To view some more shots of the day in a video presentation click on the video play icon below:

This is what Allie and Jason had to say on return from their honeymoon:

"Hi David

I just wanted to drop you a line now that we are back from Honeymoon, to say how grateful we are for all your hard work on the day. It really was a pleasure having you there.
The viccar said you were one of the least intrusive photographers he had seen. I know also that I can speak for both of us when I say that sneaking away with you and Lindy for the shots of Jason and myself was actually a totally enjoyable part of our day. It gave us time to take everything in, be together and we really had fun- I never expected to be bouncing up and down on a bed in my wedding dress, but I'm glad I did!

I have just had a look at your blog and seen the sneak peek of our pictures.... I can't wait to see more!

So Thank you so much again for the photos- they are just fabulous! We sat down together to look last night with a bottle of fizz and neither of us could stop grinning!
Honestly, there are some really beautiful shots as well as some little moments that you have captured which would have passed a lot of people by.
The trouble now will be trying to choose for the album and for the enlargements.... I am glad it will be such an enjoyable dillema though.
Thank you again for doing such a fantastic job. We had a lovely evening enjoying the memories they hold."

Wedding of Rachael & Paul, Washbourne Court, Gloucestershire, December 12th 2009

2010-02-02T07:39:00.000-08:00

A perfect winter wedding, cold but sunny and crisp is what Rachael & Paul were lucky enough to have back on 12th December 2009 for their beautiful winter wedding. The venue for the reception after the church ceremony in Freeland, Oxfordshire was the very lovely Washbourne Court Hotel, Lower Slaughter, Gloucestershire. Rachael the bride looked sensational as she pulled up in the wedding car outside the church complete with strappy Jimmy Choo's. After the ceremony we all set off on the 40 minute journey into deepest Gloucestershire and the Slaughter's where we got some cool shots of the stretch limo the couple had hired for the day complete with disco lighting and full bar inside!. The weather stayed fine and everything went to plan as we finished the final signature shots just before the light started to fail us and went straight into a lovely wedding breakfast with amazing flowers by Riche De Fleurs . Rachael & Paul jetted off to exotic Borneo for their honeymoon and are now in the process of making the tough selection for their wedding album.
To view a video of some of the shots from the day click the play icon below (and turn your speakers on!):

Jo & Steve pre wedding shoot, Fallowfields, Oxfordshire

2010-02-01T05:27:00.000-08:00

Before Xmas I shot a few pre-wedding shoots for my Jan/Feb 2010 wedding couples and this was the turn of Jo & Steve whose wedding I have the pleasure of photographing on Saturday 20th February at the lovely Fallowfields, a wedding venue in North Oxfordshire perefect for Wedding Photography. It was one of those cold crisp winter days with the lovely pale winter light which is so lovely to photograph in at this time of year.
Here is a short video slideshow of the shoot:

Come and Visit our stand at Eynsham Hall Wedding Fayre Sunday 24th January 2009

2010-01-22T02:57:00.000-08:00

I will be exhibiting at the Eynsham Hall Wedding Fair in North Leigh, Witney, Oxfordshire this coming Sunday 24th January and would love to meet any couples who are currently looking to discuss their wedding photography dreams for 2010 or 2011.
I will have a wide selection of albums on display from Booked Images(coffee table books), GF Smith and of course the legendary Queensberry albums from New Zealand.

Set in the heart of the Oxfordshire countryside, Eynsham Hall is a Grade II listed manor house nestled in 30 acres of beautiful gardens and parkland

Organised by: Guides For Brides

Address: North Leigh, Witney, Oxfordshire OX29 6PN

T 01235 770078

W http://www.bridal-shows.co.uk/

Opening times 11 am to 3 pm

Free admission

Free information pack for every Bride.

Fashion Shows at 12 pm and 1.30 pm.

View Larger Map

To view my wedding photography images please visit my website The Bridal Photographer

I hope to see you there!

WESTON MANOR WEDDING FAIR POSTPONED TO 28TH FEB

2010-01-07T05:41:00.000-08:00

With the current treacherous driving conditions set to continue, and more snow forecast for Oxfordshire on Sunday the Weston Manor Wedding Fair this Sunday (10th January) is being POSTPONED to Sunday 28th February 2010. The Fair will run from 12 - 4pm as the hotel is at full capacity the night before.

This revised date has the added advantage of following Valentine's Day and is a date that would not usually be available at such a popular venue for a Wedding Fair.

Details are as before.

Come and Visit my Exhibition stand at Weston Manor Hotel - Wedding Fayre this Sunday10 Jan 2010

2010-01-04T23:10:00.000-08:00

I will be exhibiting at the Weston Manor Hotel Wedding Fair in Weston-on-the-Green, Oxfordshire this coming Sunday 10th January and would love to meet any couples who are currently looking to choose their wedding photographer for 2010 or 2011.

I will have a wide selection of albums on display from Booked Images (coffee table books), GF Smith and of course the legendary Queensberry albums from New Zealand.

Organised by: Guides For Brides

Address: Northampton Road, Weston-on-the-Green, Oxfordshire, OX25 3QL

View Larger Map

T 01235 770078

W http://www.bridal-shows.co.uk/

Opening times 11 am to 3 pm
Free admission
Free information pack for every Bride.
Fashion Shows at 12 pm and 1.30 pm.

To view my wedding photography images please visit my website The Bridal Photographer

Hope to see you there!

Sneaky Peak - Allie & Jason Wedding, Phyllis Court Club, Oxfordshire

2009-12-29T02:26:00.000-08:00

Allie, the bride, had desperately hoped for a 'winter picture postcard' for their December 19th Wedding so she was over the moon when the snows came a couple of days beforehand to snowy Berkshire and she had her dream fulfilled. She even braved the snow in strappy Jimy Choo's for the pictures. Lot's more images will be posted when I have finished the edit but suffice to say it was one of those magical winter weddings where although the light is short it takes on a lovely soft quality as the sun stays low in the sky.

Sneaky Peak - Rachael & Paul, Washbourne Court, Gloucestershire

2009-12-21T03:28:00.000-08:00

December weddings don't come much more perfect weather-wise than this one at Wasbourne Court in the lovely village of Lower Slaughter, Gloucestershire. It's always a challenge for wedding photographers shooting winter weddings, with the rapidly fading light from mid afternoon, but the trade off is the most beautiful quality of light which is what Rachael & Paul had on their wedding day. With the mulled wine flowing and the fireplaces roaring it got me very much into the Xmas spirit. The happy couple jetted off to Borneo for their honeymoon so I hope they get time between watching the Orangutans to see a glimpse of some of the lovely shots we got here and I will of course be posting a few more once the edit is done!

Gold and Silver Awards in the November SWPP International Awards for Weddings & Travel Photography

2009-12-05T00:58:00.000-08:00

I was absolutely delighted and very honoured to find that not only had one of my Wedding Photojournalism images from earlier this year (which originally was awarded Silver in the SWPP (Society of Wedding and Portrait Photographers) July International Monthly Competition) been upgraded to a Gold Award (this is the highest accolade as they are judged against several hundred monthly entries from all over the world).

Also one of my Travel Photography images from Madagascar was awarded Gold in November too!

Both of these Gold: Awards will now go forward to the annual judging and are deemed to be images of the highest standard and will be published in Professional Imagemaker next month.

In addition I was really happy to get a Silver Award for another Photojournalist Reportage Image shot at a summer wedding. The best man had daubed HELP on the bottom of the grooms shoes which caused much giggling from the wedding guests in the church and the bride wondering what was up couldn't resist taking a look!, luckily I was totally on the ball and waited for the perfect moment to press the shutter. What makes this particularly nice is that it is one of Darren & Therea's favourite images and is laid out as a full bleed page in their gorgeous 15x15 inch Queensberry DUO wedding album that arrived yesterday, can't wait for them to see it,: Silver: Awards are for images that are deemed by the judges to be above standard.

Silver images are reviewed every three months and have the potential of being reclassified as Gold as my image of the little blonde boy peaking out of the pew was (above)

I was also really pleased to get a further 5 Bronze: Awards for November in the Wildlife, Wedding Traditional, Pictoral, Children and Landscape categories so all in all a fabulous month, especially I as also got 4 Bronze Awards in October!!

You can view the images and scores by clicking the links here (below):

Gold Upgrade: Wedding Photojournalism

Gold: November Travel (November)

Silver: Wedding Photojournalism (November)

Bronze: Wedding Traditional (November)

Bronze Pictorial (November)

Bronze: Wildlife (November)

Bronze: Landscape (November)

Bronze: Children (November)

Also here were my Bronze SWPP Awards from October (click on the links to view)

Bronze: Wedding Contemporary

Bronze: Wedding Traditional

Bronze: Bridal Portraiture

Bronze: Wedding Photojournalism

Wedding of The Year competition Finalists - please vote!!!

2009-11-26T03:17:00.000-08:00

I am delightd that another of the fantastic couples I have been excited to photograph in the last few months have been nominated for the coverted Wedding of The Year 2009 feature in Your Berks & Bucks Wedding Magazine this month you can view their entries by clicking here Your Berks & Bucks Wedding of the Year Competition

The Prize!!
The lucky overall winners will not only be crowned with the Wedding of the Year 2009 title, they’ll also win a romantic night away for two at Mansion House in Reading, worth £300. The prize includes an overnight stay in one of the hotel’s luxurious rooms with dinner and breakfast.
This fabulous prize is provided by De Vere, who operates a large chain of luxury hotels and coveted wedding venues throughout the UK.

The lovely couple in questions are Richard Hood and Lisa McCann who were married on 1st August 2009 at Holy Trinity Church, Ardington with their reception at the beautiful Ardington House.

"One of our bridesmaids made our four-tier wedding cake," says Lisa. "Something must have happened while the cake was being transported to the venue, because by the time we reached the reception only three layers remained. "When it came to taking photos of the cutting of the cake, the photographer had to take shots very quickly as the cake started to resemble the leaning tower of Pisa! All you can see in the photos is us laughing as the cake slowly collapses. Fortunately, the venue staff were very close to hand to catch the falling layers so it could be cut and served up later. By the end of the night there was no chocolate cake left at all - every last bit was eaten. It was so delicious and moist, which might have had something to do with why it collapsed."The best surprise was the one we actually gave our guests at the end of the night. Just before people started to leave we invited everyone outside and gave each couple a Chinese lantern to light and make a wish as they let them float off into the night. It was absolutely beautiful and so poignant, and many of our guests were moved to tears. It was so nice to be able to do something surprising for them, as the day so far had just been about us."

Photography by David Bostock, http://www.thebridalphotographer.co.uk/

REMEMBER THIS COUPLE NEEDS YOUR VOTE!

To vote for Richard & Lisa's classic countryside wedding CLICK & VOTE HERE then click on the "I want Richard & Lisa McCan to win wedding of the year 2009" BUTTON at the bottom of the page.

Terms and conditionsOnly one vote can be submitted per user.

Multiple votes from the same person will be void.

Deadline for entries 13/12/2009

Pre-wedding shoot with Rachael & Paul at Wasbourne Court, Cotswolds

2009-11-14T06:55:00.000-08:00

I had the most beautiful drive down to Lower Slaughter in Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds a few weeks ago to meet Rachael & Paul again for their pre-wedding shoot on the most gorgeous Autumn day in October. The trees were at their most fiery with golds, reds and orange bursts all around us. We found some lovely Virginia creeper growing on the side of the hotel that added a burst of colour to some of the shots which we took in and around the lovely venue for their December 12th wedding Wasbourne Court Hotel. I always love December weddings even though they can be a challenge if the couple are getting married later due to the light disappearing early but roaring logs fires and the smell of mulled wine always tell me that Christmas is just a few days away, reminds me I must order my turkey!!

For more of my wedding images visit my main website, click here The Bridal Photographer

Come and Visit our stand at Taplow House Hotel Wedding Fayre Sunday 8th November 2009

2009-11-07T00:45:00.000-08:00

I will be exhibiting at the Taplow House Hotel Wedding Fair in Taplow, Buckinghamshire this coming Sunday 8th November and would love to see anyone who is currently looking to choose their wedding photographer for 2010 or 2011.

I will have a wide selection of albums on display from Booked Images (coffee table books), GF Smith and of course the legendary Queensberry albums from New Zealand.

the show is organised by: Bucks Free Press

Essential Information:

Taplow House Hotel
Berry Hill
Taplow
Buckinghamshire
SL6 0DA

T: +44(0)1628 670056
www.taplowhouse.com

Shows starts 11am and runs until 3pm

Free Admission

Fashion show at 12.30 pm

A stunning Georgian retreat situated on the border between Berkshire and Buckinghamshire. Taplow House Hotel is a peaceful haven only 15 minutes from London Heathrow Airport and 10 minutes from historic Windsor.
Set in 6 acres of beautiful gardens and boasting Europe's largest tulip trees Taplow House Hotel is the perfect setting for a meeting, private event, wedding or relaxing overnight stay.

Some of the images above are from weddings I have shot in the past year at Taplow for more galleries and images visit my website The Bridal Photographer

Hope to see you there!

Wedding Photography Showreel 2009

2009-10-23T06:26:00.000-07:00

I have compiled a short slideshow/video of my most recent wedding photography the majority of which has been shot at weddings in the past 12 months across Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Surrey you can view the video here:

Wedding of Megan & Jon Batty, Notley Abbey, 21st August 2009

2009-10-21T11:37:00.000-07:00

I will over the coming weeks be featuring images from lots of the weddings I have photographed this year but never posted on the Blog starting with some more images from the lovely wedding of Megan & Jon Batty at Notley Abbey. When I arrived the sun was shining and by the time I had started to do the bridal preparations shots with Megan and her bridesmaids the mother of all rainstorms was raging outside the window. This did not bode well as at Notley you have the opportunity to get married outside (weather permitting) but they make this final call about an hour before the ceremony. Suddenly the rain stopped and the sun came out so it was thumbs up for the outside ceremony. All went well until the heavens clouded over again and we had a downpour again halfway through the ceremony. Jon's ushers and best man were at the ready with the brolly's for the happy couple whilst the guests grabbed what they could to shield themselves from the rain. At Notley there is a sort of hole in the wall where you do the contacting words and vows so at least Jon and Megan didn't have to get too wet and the benefit is that they did the signing of the register inside Notley itself. Jon was in for a surprise when Megan picked up a violin and serenaded his with her bridesmaid on lead vocals and the other bridesmaid on keyboards (talented bunch!). When we went off to do the signature shots of Jon & Megan it was beautiful, so much so we even managed to do some sitting down shots on the lawns (I take my trusty sheet of polythene for this so bride doesn't get wet sitting down!). The rest of the wedding went really smoothly and we got some really super shots. I am really looking forward to designing their album which is the beautiful 15x12 inch Queensberry so the wedding will look totally stunning presented in one of the best albums in the world (I just LOVE my Queensberry albums!). Jon and Megan jetted off to a Safari in Tanzania and then a week relaxing on Zanzibar and had a totally relaxed time. Lovely wedding, super couple, lovely venue. For more of my wedding photography visit my site here at The Bridal Photographer

To view a video of some of the wedding featured here then click below:

How Does a Wedding Photographer choose a Wedding Photographer for his own Wedding??!!

2009-10-09T09:19:00.001-07:00

All the above images courtesy of Steve Barry Photography.

It's a question I have been asked all year by every couple I photograph since I announced I was getting married, everyone seemed to want to know "well who will take YOUR photographs at YOUR wedding?".
Being a professional photographer I draw my influences from a wide variety of sources and know more than anyone that unfortunately, as was featured in the news this week, there are sadly some very poor examples of wedding photography out there and people who call themselves wedding photographers who just do not have either the technical side or the composition nailed and you certainly DO NOT want to be taking any risks on your wedding day. With the price of Digital SLR cameras coming down all the time and the quality going up it's no surprise that at many of my weddings some of the wedding guests have high-end gear, however it takes a hell of a lot more than a decent camera to take memorable and original wedding photographs.
My (now!) wife Elaine and I had made a decision that we wanted some highly stylised images from our wedding (wedding art if you like!) and I am a huge fan of the now late fashion photographer Bob Carlos Clarke and the incredible almost fantasy-like images he created long before the days of Digital cameras in the 70's, 80's and 90's, this stuff was created as one-off pieces from developer, fixer and complicated toning processes plus combination printing of several negatives together to create some really extraordinary images (it was my birthday treat to myself on my 40th birthday to purchase a limited edition Bob Carlos Clarke hand printed original which cost me a small fortune. Anyone who knows me knows I am also a fan of someone who I rate as currently one of the most original wedding photographers working in the UK, the very Scottish and talented Gordon McGowan and I have a link to his blog from this site. Gordon specialises in signature images of bride and groom and is a thousand miles away from the photojournalist/reportage images I am known for. Being based in Scotland he is also a long way from leafy Oxfordshire where we live!
I came across a UK photographer Steve Barry who shot one of my wife's' brides (Elaine owns & runs designer wedding dress shop Ellie Sanderson Bridal Boutique in Beaconsfield Old Town, Bucks) and who happens to live just a few miles from me who is a protege of Gordon's (don't think he would mind me saying that) and we hit it off from the start. It's so important that you can build a good rapport with your wedding photographer, I am always stressing this with the couples I photograph which is one of the reasons I always do a pre-wedding shoot with them, so we get to know each other better before the big day. The more relaxed you are with your photographer the more natural your images will look on the big day. A wedding photographer plays a massive role in your big day, most likely he/she will be with you for 6-8 hours so you need to pick someone who you get on with!!
Steve Barry has a great eye for composition and can really visualise how an image will unfold once he has done the Photoshop work afterwards in the computer that makes his images unique. It's not a style for everyone but it's the sort of thing Elaine and I like. However I also wanted coverage of our guests in a natural reportage style and the details, bridal preparations etc (including my gorgeous Jeffrey West shoes with the red leather soles with song lyrics carved into them!) as well as the speeches and the entertainment, magician etc so who else could I ask but Michelle Lutener my trusty assistant (any of my couples from 2008 and 2009 will remember her helping me out at their weddings) who is a great photographer in her own right and knew exactly the sort of shots I wanted her to get whilst Steve was off photographing Elaine & I which she did a really great job of (now I have to do all the post production on them which will have to take a back seat for a while as I am full on in album designing season pre-Xmas!!). Reportage photography is just not Steve's bag/style but he does what he does brilliantly as these images show. I wanted someone who we could just let get on with it whilst we enjoyed the day and Steve did just that. I know another couple of brilliant reportage wedding photographers who have become good friends, Neale James from Breathe Pictures and Giles Penfound who shoot much more like I do and would have done a great job but it was important I hired someone who did things slightly differently from me. A huge thanks to Steve for being fantastic fun on the big day, for managing to get some half decent shots of me (believe it or not I am not that comfortable being photographed, I prefer to be behind the camera!) he had an easier job with Elaine as she looked amazing in her one-off Sassi Holford gown and full length coat. Thanks to Steve also for giving us permission to use the images on our websites and of course I promised to mention his website so here it is http://www.stevebarry.co.uk/

You can view a quick funky video of some of the shots here:

Come and Visit my Exhibition stand at Oxfordshire Golf Club Wedding Fayre this Sunday 11th October 2009

2009-10-06T23:48:00.000-07:00

I will be exhibiting at the Guides For Brides Wedding Fair at The Oxfordshire Golf Club this coming Sunday the 11th October 2009 and will have a selection of my beautiful Queensberry, Booked Images, GF Smith and Graphistudio traditional and storybook albums on display so if you are still yet to choose your Wedding Photographer for your Big Day then please come along and see me for an informal chat. I can show you how I approach the many weddings throughout Oxfordshire, Bucks and Berks that I shoot, the album packages I offer and answer any questions you may have.

There will also be an Exclusive Show Only Offer for new clients booking at the show.

2010 is already looking very busy but there are still some Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter dates still available and I am taking bookings now for any remaining 2010 slots and for dates in 2011.

Your ‘Big Day’ requires a special location and The Oxfordshire Golf Club offers just that. Set amongst 300 acres of beautiful rolling countryside near the picturesque market town of Thame between Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire. The quality of the setting is apparent from the moment you drive up the tree-lined driveway to the magnificent clubhouse. With its elegant interior and landscaped grounds it provides a winning combination for a romantic setting for your memorable occasion. The Oxfordshire is a stunning wedding venue licensed to hold wedding receptions, civil marriages and evening celebrations for up to 180 guests, the wedding suits all lead out to an elevated terrace with panoramic views overlooking breathtaking countryside, offering a glorious backdrop for an outdoor drinks reception and photographs. And despite being in a tranquil area of natural beauty The Oxfordshire Golf Club is conveniently located just off junction 7 of the M40 a short distance from the historic university town of Oxford putting it within easy access of London and Birmingham.

Date of event: Sunday, 11th October 2009
Opening hours: 11:00am - 3.00pm
Location: Rycote LaneMilton CommonThame Oxon OX9 2PU
Telephone: 01844 278300

For More Info on this Wedding Fair Click Here

To View a Map Click Here

My Wedding on 19th September 2009 to Elaine, best day of my life

2009-09-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

Everything was perfect yesterday, the weather was amazing, the venues Britwell House where we had our ceremony and The Beetle & Wedge where we had our reception were both stunning. The entertainment from opera singer, violin, piano in the ceremony, our close magician, our accordion player Romano and the band in the evening were all stunning. Elaine my bride took my breath away in a one off SASSI HOLFORD dress and full length coat in pure silk she looked gorgeous. As a surprise she booked a 1952 yellow Buick convertible to take my groomsmen and me for a spin around the Oxfordshire countyside before the ceremony (and a quick pint) which was amazing, I even got a suntan before the service!. My trusty assistant Michelle handled the reportage shots and Steve Barry did the set pieces and I think he will have got some great shots which I will post up when I am back from my 2 week honeymoon in Malaysia. Can't wait for a well earned rest after the summer wedding photography workload.

David

Only 1 day to go o the big "W"

2009-09-18T06:03:00.001-07:00

It will all be a bit quiet on the Blog from for the next couple of weeks as I am actually getting married myself tomorrow to my wonderful Lainey at Britwell House, Britwell Slome and then onto our reception at The Beetle & Wedge. We had a last minute dance lesson today but I am sure after a few glasses of champers it will all go out of the window. So who is the lady in question you may ask well it's none other then the founder and owner of the best wedding dress shop in the area Ellie Sanderson of Beaconsfield. The main question everyone has been asking is who is taking the photos!. Well my trusty assistant Michelle is stepping in to do all the reportage shots and the fantastic Steve Barry is doing all the set pieces. A photographers photographer I think.......in the mould of the great Gordon Macgowan rest assured I will be posting some pictures up when I return from honeymoon which I have kept a complete surprise from Elaine!
Lots of great images from my summer weddings when i get back.............

Warm Wishes

David

Sneaky Peak - Megan & Jon, Notley Abbey, 21st Aug 2009

2009-09-13T10:54:00.000-07:00

I'm always amazed how in England you really can experience 4 seasons of weather in a day and Jon and Megan's wedding at Notley Abbey was no exception......we had driving torrential rain which left us all running for cover and then sunshine so bright it hurt your eyes. I will tell you more when I post up the main images from this wedding in a couple of days when the edit is complete but couldn't resist giving the couple a sneaky peak as it's going to be a stunning set of reportage images for them!

Introducing my new best friend Drobo!

2009-09-13T03:29:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my new best friend (if computers can ever be "best friends"!!
As you can imagine in my line of work backing up my clients precious images several times is critically important to my business and I have always taken this very seriously (after all it is my livelihood!) but my studio is littered with many hard drives and I am always having to buy new ones as the old ones get full. Shooting everything at my weddings in RAW on a 23 million pixel Canon 5D Mk2 means huge file sizes which means lots of storage but now I have a DROBO data storage robot that sits and burbles away happily on my editing desk with 8 terabytes of capacity across 4 hard drives so I don't expect to be filling that one quickly. Aug was the busiest time ever for me and I shot 8 weddings between 1st and 28th Aug so lots of editing for me so I can deliver to my clients within the 28 days I always promise their images will be edited and online to view. I had a minor disaster at the end of August when my trusty Dell XPS 720 desktop decided to make my life tricky by suddenly dying on me meaning I had to work on my back up laptop which is a mirror of my desktop, not a heart stopping problem but just not nearly as fast as my desktop meaning my edits took twice as long, so I was delighted to get it back from the Dell doctors with a clean bill of health. All this means I have been very lax on the Blog posts but expect a flurry of activity in the next few days as I post images from lots of my July and Aug weddings..........

My favourite recent wedding contemporary image - Stoke Place

2009-08-28T03:41:00.000-07:00

Have been doing some photo-manipulation to this lovely contemporary image that I shot of Natalie at Stoke Place recently. I had the idea for what treatments I would use for the shot and have made a special photoshop recipie. I really like it so I thought I would share it with you on my blog!

Sneaky Peak - Natalie & Dave Wedding, Stoke Place Bucks, 31st July 2009

2009-08-21T02:26:00.000-07:00

A lovely wedding at beautiful Stoke Place in Buckinghamshire and a couple of taster images from the day whilst I work on the edit. David & Natalie were a joy to photograph and I shot some really contemporary images of Natalie lying at the bottom of a staircase with her dress around her which I can't wait to work on!. It's great when a bride and groom are up for some really creative photography!

Sneaky Peak - Lisa & Richard, Ardington House, Oxfordshire, 1st August 2009

2009-08-17T08:45:00.000-07:00

Well despite the weather forecast we all managed to dodge most of the rain at this lovely Oxfordshire wedding of Richard & Lisa at beautiful Ardington House. We had a bit of a downpour just after I set up the group shot with the car but we still got a winderful shot before the rains came. Richard & Lisa are still away on honeymoon but I thought I'd keep them going until their wedding is fully edited and finished with a few sneaky peaks of a couple of my faves from the day.......

SWPP Monthly Image Competition - July 2009 Silver Awards

2009-08-07T03:22:00.000-07:00

I was delighted to be awarded 3 separate Silver awards in the July 2009 SWPP monthly image competition awards in 3 different categories:

Wedding Contemporary click here

Wedding Photojournalism click here

Wildlife click here

As I haven't entered these things before, mainly due to time, it was great to get the recognition so I will now make an effort to enter something every month to see if I can attain the coveted Gold which goes into the end of year overall competition. I was particularly pleased to get a Silver in the Wedding Photojournalism category as there are always lots of entries of a good standard and it was an image I shot back at a lovely wedding in July this year so a very new image. The little boy wanted a better view of the service and I was there to capture it. Usually I prefer to be shooting from the front of the church or venue but if I had been at this wedding I would have missed the shot!!

Am going to post some images up from this wedding in the next few days, really great fun wedding.