Modern wedding photography is very much informal, ‘as it happens’ imagery but there’s still room for the formal, more traditional images.  I’m often asked to show more of this work and so here’s a slideshow of some of my favourites.

“Thanks for the photo’s, they’re fabulous” – so said the groom when he saw the pictures!  So thanks Guy.

Guy & Laura got married at the end of last year at Silchester House in Reading but before the big day we spent a little time together shooting some pre-wedding images.  All very low-key and relaxed but some lovely shots.

So, it’s women who are mostly at it and they’re at it monthly, some even daily.  Expression is the key here, it makes them feel good, focusing on what they like and want.  No, we’re not talking about reading Fifty Shades of Grey under the duvet (although I’m pretty sure that’s happening too!).  We’re talking of course of Pinterest – the new kid in Social Media town.

In case you haven’t heard, Pinterest is a virtual pinboard.  It let’s users share the beautiful images they come across on the web. Favorite places, cupcakes, shoes, cars, flowers, maybe even favourite photos!

And so far it’s women who seem to be the real users (more than 90%).  They’re using Pinterest to share and recommend things they think others need to see or need to know.

So, as a women (yes, it’s Rachel blogging today not Jon, who’s frantically editing last night’s event) I’ve jumped on board the latest social media bandwagon.  I’ve set up a business Pinterest page.  But more exciting than that, I’ll be adding a Pin It button to every one of the images we blog.  Brilliant for brides who like images, details etc etc.

So feel free to share anything you like, hopefully it’ll link back to our website so we’ll get a little bit of marketing into the bargain too.

Have a great day.  R.

This week’s been about all things local.  There’s so much fantastic business in the Thames Valley.  It’s been 2 years since we set up home in Berkshire but we’re only just getting stuck in to finding some great local work.

So, it’s great news that we’ve been commissioned to do some work for Waitrose this coming weekend – a super company and one we’re really excited about working with.

We also had a chat with Sarah from Outsource PA.  Her company, based just outside of Reading, maybe the answer to all our database problems!!  Whilst she was here, we popped up our portrait studio and took a quick snap of her.  The pop-up studio is officially open on 11th May for portraits and so we’ve been booking them in for what will be a great day next Friday.

We’re also seeing Lynda Harvey (aka wine-supremo) to photographer her and her stall in action at Wokingham Market this Saturday.  Lynda runs The Wine Place and needs some marketing shots – let’s hope the rain hold off for a few hours tomorrow!

We also been chatting, researching and generally surrounding ourselves with all things wedding this week.  The season has already kicked off with a lovely wedding last weekend for Sally-Ann and Martin at St. Annes Manor and there’s a wedding meeting in the diary tomorrow for a lovely event at Kensington Roof Gardens later this year so fingers-crossed.

So how great is it to be part of a brilliantly produced fashion show in my home town?!  

The team at The Oracle, Reading put on an amazing Fashion Week recently at the shopping mall.  A week of catwalk shows, colour consultations, skincare advice and mini makeovers – a fashionista’s dream and there were plenty of stylish ladies (and gents) taking in the action.

Models showcased clothing by high-street brands including French Connection, Zara, Oasis and Reiss, when they took to the runway to inspire shoppers to get their wardrobe ready for S/S12.

So many pictures to edit… I couldn’t possibly showcase them all here so check out the Hair & Fashion page on my website to see more of the Spring trends.  For now, here’s some highlights!

Oh, and A BIG THANK YOU to all at The Oracle for giving me the gig, I loved it and look forward to working with such a talented group of people again soon.

I can’t believe it’s May already (although with this rain, it feels far from spring-like).  But with the new month comes a new Pop-Up Studio date – Friday 11th May 2012.  As always sessions are just £70, perfect for small business owners, consultants and freelancers who need a 5* shot but don’t have a 5* budget.

Here’s some details and then there’s a little Q&A with Jon on why you should get a good corporate portrait, with some tips and tricks too!

So, Jon, what is a corporate portrait and why do I need one?

A corporate portrait is basically a head shot (head & shoulder shot) and is a typical portrait that you’re buying for business use.  Corporate portraits can be used on your corporate website, blog and across the social media network (Linkedin, Twitter, Facebook, Google +).  They can also be used on printed marketing materials and business cards.  Essentially what you’re doing is putting a face to a name.  People buy from people, people connect with people and so increasingly a head shot is vital.

Can anyone take my business portrait?

The people who come to me want to project a professional look and so a quick snap from a camera phone just isn’t good enough.  Equally, a hastily cropped holiday snap of you looking good with a tan might be a good photograph but it isn’t a good corporate portrait.  You need a photographer who can make you feel relaxed in front of the camera, who can position you well and who has experience with lighting.

What about background?

The pop-up studio concept works as it keeps costs low for the clients and it doesn’t take up too much of their time.  Therefore, I tend to stick with the same background throughout the day.  Obviously I’m happy to work inside and out, with props and without and you can see more of my portraits and the varied styles on my website.

However, for the purposes of the Pop-Up studio I work with one consistent, timeless look.  I work with a white background as it isn’t distracting and it’s a good all rounder – flattering for all ages and skin tones.  It also helps your face/your portrait, stand out.  When you consider that your head shot will be seen as a thumb-nail on most mediums (Twitter, Facebook, Linkedin) you need to keep the image simple and clean.  White works well here but also it means that you can ‘cut out’ your image for use on your website.

What should I wear?

You picture will need to reflect you and your business.  If you’re a graphic designer, you may not opt for a business suit;  a lawyer may not want to wear leisure wear.  Sterotypes I know, but you know your business, you know your audience and so you’ll know how to dress accordingly.

Equally, you’ll want your corporate head shot to last longer than the season so classic, timeless clothing is always a good option rather than wearing something that will look dated the following year.

A few other tips:

• Long sleeves are good – much more flattering.
• Wear a jacket or cardigan – something that can be removed/put on to give another look.  You could go for a more formal shot with your jacket on and then have a more relaxed, smiley image wearing a shirt/blouse.
• Don’t opt for crazy patterns – they date and distract from your face.
• Block colours are fantastic – less distracting but avoid black and white.
• Wear a colour and style that you feel comfortable in – you need to look relaxed in front of the camera.

What about make-up?

If you don’t normally wear make-up, I would suggest some foundation.  Just to give you an even skin tone.  If you do wear make-up, wear what you would normally wear if you were going out.  It needs to be well done, not over done!  Avoid lip gloss or anything with any sparkle.  Matt colours are best as they don’t reflect the light and distract.

What about re-touching?

I love photographing people and I love honest, natural but flattering photography.  I will do basic retouching of your portrait just to tidy things up, I will colour balance everything and make your image look tip-top and this is included in the fee.  If once you receive the images, you want a little extra work on them, I’m happy to discuss this with you.  I won’t, however, go crazy in Photoshop!  I find it really disconcerting to connect with people and then meet them in the flesh at a business meeting/networking event and find that they look nothing like their photograph!   So, if you want to look like you’ve had botox, bleaching, lipo and lifts, maybe best to look elsewhere!

What do I get after the session?

You’ll receive a high-definition digital image for your use.  You will get a few different shots and I’ll will provide them in B&W and colour.

Any restrictions?

No.  You can use your images for web, print, whatever with no limit on time.  If there’s any chance you can credit me, I’d be really grateful!

What a week it’s been.  The rain hasn’t stopped so we postponed one pre-wedding/engagement shoot (thanks Laura & Pete, we made the right decision!), blogged another (Lynda & Jonny, you look great) and everything else carried on despite the April showers.  Wait.  That should read despite the April monsoon, it’s been crazy hasn’t it?

Whilst Jon’s been busy shooting, on the marketing/PR side of things I’ve been busy keeping up with the all the press clippings of Jon’s work that’s appeared in print and online over the last few days.  The Huffington Post, a personal favourite (how many hours can I waste reading such a super news site?), featured shots of Jon’s when it covered the Weight Watchers Lifestyle Centre launch in Reading.  As did the Daily Mail  (online and paper) as well as Yahoo News and Marketing Week.  The PR team at Weight Watchers have done an amazing job selling the story into the press and we’re delighted as it’s always great to see Jon’s images being used.

Romans Estate Agents, another favourite client of ours, posted a lovely note on our timeline this week to let us know of more coverage.

Portraits in their super-glossy, top-end Town & Country Magazine.  So thanks guys, delighted!

The website has been updated once again – check out the launch of  Le Teint Touche Éclat – stunning models wearing Yve Saint Laurent and looking out of this world.  Lloyd Simmonds is a genuis and I know I can’t wait to get my mitts on this foundation when it launches in July.

So the week is almost over but the photography never seems to stop.  Jon’s shooting a fashion event in Reading today and then has a wedding locally in Wokingham tomorrow, with cowboys hats, a hoe-down and everything.

So what started as a crazy week looks certain to end crazily too.  Just how we like it!

Have a fantastic weekend!

Lynda and Jonny are a fabulous couple.  I met them and got to know them recently as they worked on the design and launch of our new website.  Jonny is an amazingly talented (and patient, when it comes to dealing with low-tech people like myself!) website designer and Lynda is far more than his glamorous assistant.  Through my work with them, they got to know Jon’s work and to our delight they booked him for their wedding later this year.

To me, they are such a high-tech, cyber couple – they are amazing at all things web based, be it websites, SEO, SEM and social media. So it made complete sense when I heard that it was 2 years ago via twitter that Lynda and Jonny first met!  As two small business owners – Jonny with this web design agency 10degrees and Lynda with her fantastic The Wine Place business – they connected via tweets.  But it wasn’t all plan sailing.  The first month for their ‘virtual relationship’ was spent having virtual rows and generally not getting on at all!  Months later, they got together at a local ‘tweet-up’, the tweets had softened and bang, that was it…..Jonny fixed Lynda’s website problems, they set up home together and a proposal wasn’t far behind.

They seem to have become serial wedding guests over recent months, attending 6 weddings within the last 7 months and so when it comes to planning their big day in September, it’s been a breeze.  They know exactly what they want and are working tirelessly to get it.  No wedding coordinator or cookie-cutter ‘package’ wedding for them. They’ve gone off-piste and planned, sourced and arranged everything themselves.

“Thankfully I am good at organisation and planning and Jonny is incredibly creative and technical, so we complement each other quite well. Working from home we run two businesses together too, so the wedding has effectively become our third ‘joint venture’”, says Lynda on the planning.

They stumbled across Monks Barn in Hurley and knew straight away that they’d found the perfect place.  And Hurley is such a beautiful location.  For this shoot Jon, Lynda & Jonny ambled around near the river to get a few natural shots of them both.

Last week I was booked to photograph the new Weight Watchers Lifestyle Centre in Reading.  A fabulous concept, stunning interior and a great team of people.

It’s the first of it’s kind on the country and it’s already received some fantastic editorial.  How great to see my photographs on a personal favourite The Huffington Post.  My images of the store also made their way into The Daily Mail.

Dubbed the ‘Lifestyle Centre’, the new slimming superstore offers slimmers one-to-one consultations, as well as the chance to stock up on Weight Watchers own brand food treats.

Weight Watchers plan on expanding the concept depending how successful it becomes with dieters in Reading.  But judging by their Facebook page it seems people want one on every high street up and down the country!

The people behind the superstore believe that it will prove popular with weight-conscious commuters who don’t have time to attend traditional group support meetings.

The idea is that they ‘pop in’ for an express weigh-in and do a weekly shop of low-calorie foods that tie in with the weight Watchers ‘ProPoints’ scheme.

A fabulous concept, executed to perfection with some fantastic editorial coverage nationwide.

Havering & Brentwood Bereavement Service (HBBS) is an Essex based charity that has experienced rapid growth in the last two years.  They have expanded the services they offer to the community and trebled the numbers of counselling hours they provide.

Their focus going forward is to promote the charity both to potential users and to donors and like many businesses, a key component of this is their website.

“We had been working on a new site, but felt that it lacked emotion and reassurance.  The most valuable resource we have at HBBS are our volunteers and staff, they are the most amazing bunch of people, who bring their own unique qualities to the charity and all passionately believe in the work we are doing.” explains Lizze Allen, Marketing & Finance Manager at HBBS.

So the charity commissioned me to help them try to translate this – they needed images with emotion and personality.

And what a fantastically amazing group of women they are.  As Lizzie said afterwards, as soon as the studio was set up in one of their counselling rooms, “the fun began”.

I took informal headshots of all the staff and volunteers, group shots and shots of them in action, working in the office.

www.hbbscounselling.org