Just over a week ago I met up with Heather and Steve for their pre-wedding shoot in London. It was bitterly cold but we managed just fine, although we did take a coffee break midway through the shoot to warm up a bit! For a while now I have wanted to create a little “behind the scenes” video showing how relaxed and fun these shoots are. It’s a highly recommended way for the couple and myself to get to know each other better and for the couple to have a very good idea of what to expect on the wedding day. This is my first attempt at doing this and it was great fun! Especially merging the video and edited images into one cohesive video clip.

For the photographers out there, I used a fair bit of off-camera flash (OCF) during this shoot. I don’t always do as much OCF as this, and generally just start off and let things evolve without too many preconceived ideas. If we see something cool, we stop and make a few images, then move on. I like to pack as light as possible to be nice and mobile so carry minimal gear compared to a wedding day. Keeping things simple and fun is the order of the day!

A huge thanks to Heather and Steve for being a fabulous couple to photograph and putting up with the icy weather! Can’t wait for their wedding in a few weeks!

BellissimaPhoto - Gorgeous wedding photography based in London

When Rachael and Chris booked me for their Coworth Park wedding photography I was delighted, not only because they are a fantastic couple who were an absolute pleasure to work with, but the venue is stunning. A winter in December in the UK can be lottery weather wise, usually with a dull and grey outcome, but we were treated to a perfect, sunny, albeit crisp day.

As usual I started off photographing Rachael’s bridal preparation in one of the magnificent suites in the hotel. There is a good reason this hotel is part of the Dorchester group – it is stunning! I did a bit of multitasking by popping out and capturing some shots of Chris during this period, before heading down to the Oval Room for the ceremony. Shortly after the ceremony, but not before everyone enjoyed a glass or three of champagne, we headed outside for a couple portrait shoot. Rachael was brave! It was pretty nippy to put it mildly, but she was fantastic in her stunning wedding dress, braving the late afternoon cold. After heading back inside it was time for the reception, which included some highly entertaining speeches. Then we all headed to the dance floor where an eight piece band had the crowd thoroughly enjoying themselves! From start to finish this was a fantastic wedding and many congratulations once again to Rachael and Chris.

If you are getting married please do not hesitate to get in touch for your Coworth Park wedding photography requirements.

BellissimaPhoto - Gorgeous wedding photography based in London

Berkeley Castle Weddings: definitely one of the most amazing wedding venues I can think of!

Berkeley Castle was built around 900 years ago and is unique in that it is still inhabited by the original family. The castle itself is spectacular and clearly built as an imposing fortress, steeped in a very long and colourful history.

One of the most spectacular aspects of Berkeley Castle is the fantastic gardens. They are vast and offer virtually unrivalled opportunities for a fabulous couple shoot on your wedding day. That said, there are plenty of locations within the castle itself for further photographs.

Overall this venue is one of my clear favourites, without a shadow of doubt. If you are planning a wedding at Berkeley Castle, please do not hesitate to contact me for a chat about your photography requirements for your big day. Further, feel free to browse my wedding photography gallery and the blog, for plenty of examples of recent weddings and engagement shoots.

BellissimaPhoto - Gorgeous wedding photography based in London

Indian wedding photography is definitely one of my favourites, so when Sapna and Kavi asked me to photograph their Hindu engagement ceremony in Coventry, I knew that although this was not their wedding (yet..!) it would be another fantastic and very colourful event with lots of intricate details and pre-wedding rituals to photograph. We had a lovely couple shoot at Coombe Abbey just outside Coventry the previous day. So after a good night’s rest I arrived at the cricket club, where the ceremony was held, nice and early just as the final touches were being made to the hall preparation and decorations. It looked fantastic, complete with a Mandap at the far end. The main responsibility of the organisation and preparations fell to Rakesh (Sapna’s brother) and Manisha, a fabulous couple who’s wedding I photographed last year. I know they worked their socks off and did the most amazing job at making this a very special day for Sapna and Kavi!

After enjoying some coffee and sampling some of the traditional Indian breakfast treats on offer, I had a thoroughly enjoyable time capturing the multiple ceremonies within the event, which lasted for several hours. Sapna and Kavi both looked amazing, as you can clearly see in the photos below.

If you are getting engaged and are looking for a photographer to capture your Indian wedding photography or engagement ceremony in London or further afield, please get in touch today as I would welcome a chat about your requirements in further detail.

BellissimaPhoto - Gorgeous wedding photography based in London

Coworth Park is a stunning wedding venue, situated in over 200 acres of land very close to Ascot, Berkshire, and also very close to Great Windsor Park. As for Berkshire wedding photography, it certainly stands out as a venue offering fantastic photographic opportunities. Coworth Park is in the Dorchester group of hotels and the entire experience from the moment you enter the premises, is very befitting of a five star venue without a shadow of doubt!

The suites in the hotel are simply magnificent and just perfect for photographing the bridal preparations. Ceremonies are held in the Oval Room which is lovely and contemporary. With vast and very picturesque grounds, there is ample opportunity to capture a wide range of gorgeous couple shots after your ceremony, before returning to the celebrations with your friends and family. The level of service is truly exceptional in all aspects, not to mention the fabulous food!

This certainly is one of my favourite Berkshire wedding photography venues with easy access to London and both Heathrow and Gatwick airports for guests arriving from further afield. They also have a spa for some relaxing treatments you can take in during your stay.

If you are planning a wedding at Coworth Park, or for Berkshire wedding photography at other venues as well as London and surrounding areas, please do not hesitate to get in touch for a chat about your requirements. If you haven’t done so already, feel free to browse my wedding photography gallery and the blog, for plenty of examples of recent weddings and couple shoots.

BellissimaPhoto - Gorgeous wedding photography based in London

Last week my Canon 24-105mm F4 L IS finally failed after many years of excellent, reliable service. The symptoms indicate that it is the well documented diaphragm failure and I am sure visit to Canon CPS will sort that out very promptly!

That said, I had one more wedding to shoot this year. My 24-105mm is a real workhorse of a lens and along with my 70-200mm F2.8L IS, is my most used lens when shooting weddings. So although I carry multiple backups of all my gear and can easily cover all focal lengths, I started to consider other options… My mind went straight to the new Canon 24-70mm F2.8 L Mk ii lens and I thought it would be great to try it out in a real life wedding situation. One phone call later and I had reserved a copy of this lens at Calumet in central London and hurried over to pick it up! Unfortunately I do not have any wedding images, shot with this lens, which I can share in this post as the wedding was only yesterday and they will take a little while to be processed.

Before having to return the lens tomorrow morning, I decided to run a much abbreviated sharpness/contrast test versus a couple of my other lenses, just to get a “finger in the air” impression of the lens:

1. Canon 24-70mm F2.8 L Mk ii versus Canon 70-200mm F2.8 L IS Mk I at 70mm, F2.8
2. Canon 24-70mm F2.8 L Mk ii versus Sigma 50mm F1.4 at 50mm, F2.8

The Sigma is a fantastic prime and although I don’t use it much, it has given me very good results and from F2.2 onwards it is very sharp indeed. Due to a lack of available time I simply chose the above two comparisons but have a look at the results and the conclusion is like night and day.

Test setup:

• Camera body: Canon 5D Mk iii
• Camera on tripod approximately 2.8 meters from the target
• Manual focus using live view at 10x magnification as well as AF and selected the best version
• Mirror lockup enabled
• Timer shutter release
• Exposure settings for all images: ISO 800, F2.8, 1/100^th

The area shown below is at the centre of the frame cropped at 100% view.

Comparison #1: 24-70mm F2.8 L Mk ii versus Canon 70-200mm F2.8 L IS Mk I at 70mm, F2.8

Comparison #2: 24-70mm F2.8 L Mk ii versus Sigma 50mm F1.4 at 50mm, F2.8

Summary:

Although this test covers only a snippet of a thorough Canon 24-70mm F2.8 L Mk ii review and comparisons versus other lenses, it if very clear that the Canon 24-70mm F2.8 L Mk ii lens is fantastically sharp with great contrast. Clearly better than the Canon 70-200mm at 70mm focal length at maximum aperture and surprisingly also clearly better than the very good Sigma 50mm F1.4 stopped down by 2 stops (where it is pretty sharp in its own right). The cost of this lens seems to be the only complaint and I have to agree, at £1700 in the UK at the moment it certainly isn’t cheap. But the results seem to be outstanding and I will definitely be looking at acquiring this lens to compliment my lens line-up for weddings!

BellissimaPhoto - Gorgeous wedding photography based in London

Northbook Park, Surrey: situated in Farnham, this is a tranquil, gorgeous wedding venue.

The grounds are spectacular. This wedding venue offers the complete package in catering for both ceremony and reception and they also have a row of lovely cottages on the grounds for overnight accommodation – perfect for the bride to get ready at on the morning of her wedding, or for guests to stay over after the festivities of the day.

The Vine room must be one of the best ceremony rooms around, from a photographer’s point of view at least. It is bright and airy with plenty of natural light gushing on from both sides. Not to mention the gorgeous architecture. Then there is the nearby Orangery which can cater for large wedding receptions. Have I mentioned the very pretty walled gardens?

With vast grounds, including a lake, there is an abundance of fantastic photo opportunities for a romantic couple portrait session and as a wedding photographer I could happily spend as long as the bride and groom would allow me to wander the grounds, dodging the peacocks…, taking a wide array of gorgeous photographs for their album.

If you are planning and are considering Northbrook Park as a wedding venue or possibly have already decided on this fantastic venue, please do not hesitate to contact me for a chat about your wedding photography requirements in further detail. A recent wedding shot at this venue can be seen here.

Based in London, I photograph weddings all over the South East and further afield as well.

BellissimaPhoto - Gorgeous wedding photography based in London

When Jenny and Kenny booked me to be their London Marriott Hotel County Hall wedding photographer I was delighted, as although this was the main venue, there were other very interesting venues and experiences planned for the day! I started photographing Jenny’s bridal preparation.  Being a Chinese wedding with different traditions to Western wedding, Kenny arrived at Jenny’s home and they travelled together to the ceremony. They both looked amazing dressed in the first of three outfits they would wear on the day.

After the wedding ceremony at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall we went off to capture some couple portraits. Then it was time for them to change into their traditional Chinese wedding outfits, which looked amazing! After the tea ceremony the guests enjoyed some nibbles and afternoon tea. Then we all set off for a trip on the London Eye which was spectacular as always, before boarding a boat to make our way to the London Riverside Royal China restaurant in Canary Wharf for the evening reception.

Many more guests arrived for the evening reception and thoroughly enjoyed the celebrations and twelve course meal. Yes, twelve courses! Jenny and Kenny both slipped away during the reception to change into their third and final outfit. This was a spectacular and highly enjoyable wedding of a fabulous couple.

If you are getting married at the London Marriott Hotel County Hall and are looking for a wedding photographer, be it a Chinese wedding photographer or for any other type of wedding, please do not hesitate to get in touch for a chat about your big day.

BellissimaPhoto - Gorgeous wedding photography based in London

I recently had the great pleasure of photographing Sapna and Kavi’s pre-engagement couple shoot at Coombe Abbey in Coventry. Sapna is the sister one of my wedding clients from 2011, Rakesh, who’s wedding is featured in an earlier blog post. The shoot took place the day before the actual engagement ceremony, which I will be sharing on the blog very soon.

So after a leisurely drive up to Coventry, Sapna and Kavi collected me from my hotel and we made our way to Coombe Abbey just outside Coventry. They both looked absolutely stunning as one can no doubt see in the images below! With the shoot scheduled for mid-afternoon on a not too cold November day, we were lucky to have some lovely sunshine including plenty of autumn leaves to add fabulous colour to the pictures.  Sapna and Kavi were a delight to work with and really got into the session. My style of shooting engagement sessions and also the couple shoot during the wedding is very relaxed, with minimal directing or posing. I prefer to place the couple in the right location with the right light and let them get on with it. I believe this creates the most relaxed atmosphere and I am able to capture very natural, fun, photos.

Once the sun had dropped below the horizon and we were all pretty chilly, we headed inside Coombe Abbey for a delicious hot drink and a chat. Absolutely lovely couple and watch out for the engagement shoot blog post, coming soon.

If you are getting married are looking for a wedding photographer, please contact me for a chat.

BellissimaPhoto - Gorgeous wedding photography based in London

Sonal and Rhodri contacted me early this year asking me to be their Kew Gardens wedding photographer. I absolutely love this venue! About a month earlier we had a fun engagement shoot in central London, so it was great to see them again. I started off in the morning at Sonal’s home, photographing her bridal preparation. There was a fantastic atmosphere and lots of excitement as everyone buzzed around getting ready. Then I wrapped up and made my way to Kew Gardens for the ceremony and reception.

Something I really enjoyed about this wedding was Sonal & Rhodri’s unique take on how the day ran. So, one of the things which made this wedding a little different is that after Sonal entered the main gate in a magnificent florally decorated Hindustan Ambassador, flanked by Dhol drummers, Rhodri was there to meet her as she exited the car. They were then flanked by all the guests outside the Nash Conservatory as they made their way inside together, with the guests following them inside.

After the ceremony we went onto the lawn for a drinks reception and some group photos before being whisked around in a golf buggy for a lovely and very relaxed couple portrait shoot. Then the reception kicked off in the Orangery, which was fabulous. After both Sonal and Rhodri made their entertaining speeches it was time for the cake cutting and first dance. Wow, the day had flown by and I must say how amazing Sonal looked, and Rhodri was very sharp himself. A very enjoyable wedding, a lovely couple to work with, and another fabulous day of Kew Gardens wedding photography!

If you are getting married and are searching for a Kew Gardens wedding photographer, please do not hesitate to contact me to discuss you requirements in further detail.

BellissimaPhoto - Gorgeous wedding photography based in London