Haytor, Dartmoor: engagement photography with Ali & Jake

Ali and Jake are getting married this May, so I met up with them last weekend to carry out their engagement photo session.  Here is a quick preview from the shoot, with Haytor in the background.

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Adele and Jamie's winter wedding in Dartmouth

Rachel and Callum's engagement session at Spitchwick, Dartmoor

Katy and Pablo's engagement session at Forde Abbey, Dorset

Wedding photography - it's all about the emotions...

Newborn twins: Ellie and Brad

I really do love a newborn photo session, so this one was particularly exciting!  Ellie and Brad were just seven days old when I photographed them, just incredibly tiny and delicate.  It was so amazing to be able to capture them at this early stage.  As with most other newborn shoots, it took plenty of time to settle the babies and get them ready for their photos, particularly with two of them!  But it was really worth our patience, as we ended up with some really lovely photographs.  So big thanks to Heidi and Rob for asking me to photograph your beautiful babies.  I'm really delighted to have been able to provide you with such a precious record of Ellie and Brad at the end of their first week.

Thanks very much for visiting the blog!  Please do leave a comment below and let me know if you liked the images!

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Newborn photography: Max and his sister Eva

Family portraits: a lovely session in the park

Helen Lisk Photography: portraits

Helen Lisk Photography: weddings

Capturing emotions

I wanted to write a blog post about this, because I think it is the most important thing in your wedding photographs.  When I manage to catch those really emotional moments, it brings the images to life and records the bits that really matter on your wedding day.  And this is how the story of your day gets told effectively.  Whether it's the nervous and thoughtful moments of the bride and groom as they prepare for the wedding, or the way the groom feels as he first sees his bride; the parents bursting with pride during the ceremony, or the joy and laughter of all the people that you chose to share the event with you - these are all such important parts of the day.  When I watch what is happening around me at a wedding, this is what I'm really looking out for.  I love seeing the way that the bride and groom look at each other, and capturing those incredible glances between them.  I love the feel of the anticipation before the ceremony, and the release and celebration afterwards.  I think it's amazing to watch your friends and relatives, and see the experience that they are having.  Of course there is more to wedding photography than just that - the beautiful venue, the details of your day, the stunning dress, etc.  And of course these bits will also make up really important parts of the story in your photographs.  But the element that really makes the images spring to life, and the thing that will transport you back to your wedding, year after year in the future, is looking at those emotions again, and remembering how it all felt at the time.

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Susie & Scott get married in Petritoli, Italy

Adele & Jamie get married in Dartmouth, Devon

Robyn & Peter's wedding at Muddifords Court Country House, Devon

My 2011 faves: some of my very favourites from last year


Thanks for reading!  I'd love to hear your views on this... please do leave a comment below and tell me what you think.  Thanks :)

Rachel & Callum: pre-wedding session

It was really lovely to spend some time earlier this year with Rachel and Callum.  It's a little while until their wedding, but we decided to venture out into the chilly January weather and do their engagement photo session at a gorgeous spot that they know on Dartmoor. I'm always delighted when couples suggest somewhere special that we can visit for these sorts of photo sessions - I think that the familiar location can help people relax, which then helps me get to know you better.  And it's also so much nicer to have your photos to be taken somewhere that has special meaning, as the images will be worth so much more to you.  Rachel and Callum have spent many happy times at Spitchwick, Dartmoor, so it was great to be able to visit there with them.  The muted greens and browns were beautiful for their photos, and we had good fun playing around with some different poses and exploring the undergrowth!  I'm really looking forward to their July wedding, particularly as I'm hoping the weather will have warmed up a touch by then :)

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My 2011 favourites: a selection of photos from last year

Katy & Pablo: engaged

Any questions? Some answers to things that you might be wondering about!