A sneak peek from the beautiful wedding of Steven & Harpreet x
Kent Wedding Photography: Turkey Mill- Lewis & Rox
The Orangery at Turkey Mill is a stunning location for a wedding in any season but with the Spring here it really is at it’s best. You don’t need me to tell you we’ve had a real lack of sunshine in the UK though so to say we were all over the moon when the sun came out to play on Roxanne & Lewis’ wedding day is a huge understatement!
Though the morning was grey, it cleared up just in time for the ceremony and shone down on the grounds into the early evening making for some gorgeous light! Guests were clearly doing their sun dances that morning! They did become Mr & Mrs Summers after all, so the sun needed to make an appearance!
It was such a beautiful day full of colour, love, friendship and warmth. I had so much fun. The live band The Locals were amazing too so I boogied a bit from the photobooth.
Thank you Lewis and Rox for letting me be a part of your day and cannot wait to hear about your honeymoon around Asia! Here’s a selection from the day…..
Lauren xx
If you’d like to see the full gallery to get the idea of what a full day of photography will capture, Roxanne has kindly agreed to let me make their full gallery public so follow this link http://laurenbythesea.zenfolio.com/roxlewisturkeymill/slideshow
The Portrait Diaries: Day 26
Sometime a photo takes you by surprise. This is one of those. We’d just changed set ups during a dance photoshoot so this was an inbetween shot while I tested the light and these ladies got themselves ready and into position. They were all very talented and inspirational dancers with incredible flexibility that I could only dream of!
Shortly after this, I got the shot we’d set out for, to capture them leaning back with their legs straight up in the air. I will share some more soon but for now just wanted to focus on the fact that though this isn’t the shot I was briefed to get, that’s the whole point. In the inbetween moments, magic happens and you can’t set a brief for that. That’s what I’m there to capture as a photographer. Not only those staged moments, but more importantly the magic inbetween.
I really love the expression on her face and the way the light is radiating around her. I also really like the contrast of the girl to the left looking down whilst the girl in the center is looking up. It’s as if they’re praying. Can a photo be spiritual? I think it can.
What do you think?
Lauren xxx
Margate Wedding Photography: A Quirky Homemade Wedding Full of Love & Laughter
I’m excited to share with you some photos from the wedding of Liza & James who got married earlier this month at Aberdeen House in Ramsgate, followed by a fun-filled reception at the one of a kind Walpole Bay Hotel in Margate.
I really do enjoy spending the day with the bride & groom and their families, sharing in all those moments of excitement and anticipation.
There’s always a couple of things that stand out in my mind from each wedding and this day was no different. The personal highlight for me has to be the moment in the photograph below. The bride’s house had been buzzing all morning but started to empty until the only people left were Liza and her son Jordan who was accompanying her to the church and giving her away.
I can still visualise the excited look of anticipation on Liza’s face as I too left the house, one of realisation that this was really happening and she was soon to become Mrs Drake! Liza had told me previously that it would probably really difficult if not impossible to get a photo of Jordan because he hates having his picture taken. So I was really happy that I’d managed to make it bearable for Jordan and captured a really special moment I know that Liza will forever treasure.
Other great bits:
- The gorgeous light pouring onto Liza’s unique dress (which was made by her Mum) and Liza trusting me to take her dress outside under an umbrella to find that light. (Thank you!!)
- The cutest little dog I have possibly ever seen! I very nearly hid him in my bag and took him home!
- The proud look on Jordan’s face as he walked his Mum down the aisle
- The sound of four children collective playing the vintage keys of The Walpole Bay Hotel’s piano. ( look out for this photo in the slideshow)
- The quirky collection of vintage goodies in every nook and cranny of the reception venue. Amazeballs!!
- The huge grin on Liza’s face when her and James were pronounced man and wife! (See below)
Thank you to Kate Malyon who was my glamorous assistant and great company for the day and congratulations to Mr & Mrs Drake who have just returned from an amazing honeymoon in Paris!!
Enjoy the slide show and let me know your favourites in the comments section below. This one is mine…. pure unadulterated happiness!
Lauren xxx
Herne Bay Photographer- Guild of Photographers Bronze Bar Winner
I’m here doing a little happy dance so I thought I would share my joy. Really delighted to to say that I won a Bronze Bar in The Guild of Photographer’s monthly competition with this shot below. I was also commended for the two shots below it.
It means a lot to me to be recognised for hard work and I’m always trying to improve so hopefully may have a silver bar award to share with you in the future. Fingers crossed.
Lauren xx
Keep Calm & Go Glamping: 18 photographers and 1 amazing weekend in Oxfordshire
Two weekends ago saw me driving off on a mini adventure to the Oxfordshire countryside. Why you ask? Well, to join my Shooting Sisters for some glamping good times!! I’ve known these ladies for about ten months after we formed an online group of photographers from all over the UK. Formed by Jo of Summer Love Photography and Becky of Becky Male Photography who wanted to create an all female support network, nobody quite knew where it would lead but straight away knew it was something we wanted to be a part of.
We couldn’t all make this trip but 18 of us (eventually) made it together for a weekend to remember. Some of us got lost en route, some of us arrived in the pouring rain, some of us forgot our tooth brushes, and some of us slept in pyjamas, two pairs of socks, a jumper, dressing gown and under two duvets and STILL couldn’t get warm- but- I think I can safely say that regardless of the lack of sleep, or any other obstacle the weekend threw at us, we all took so much away from the weekend (and I’m not just talking about the leftover cider!)
Knowledge was shared, advice was given and friendships were built upon. We brought our online group to life and proved the value of our great support system many times over. Being in a job where we quite often sit alone infront of the computer it is so nice to have the opportunity to share experiences and hopes and dreams with people who are on the same page and understand the hard times from a first hand perspective. I genuinely think our support has contributed to one another’s success and given us the confidence to pursue our dreams. More importantly than succeeding, we have given each other the confidence to fail because now we know that even if something goes wrong, we will all be there to pick each other back up, dust each other down , learn from it and start over.
A quote I think sums up our group perfectly: “Learn from yesterday, live for today and hope for tomorrow”- Albert Einstein
What started as a support network of 26 photographers has transformed into something much, much more than I think any of us had even considered. I’m really excited to see the group continue to grow, not only as a group, but to be a part of everyone’s individual journey and see how we can all help each other to be the best we can be. I feel really honoured to be a part of something so positive and genuinely life-changing.
I have a massive place in my heart for everyone of these ladies and know that each and every one of them will continue to do great things.
Here’s a little slideshow of my photos from the weekend along with a group shot courtesy of Becky Male and our lightpainting collaboration courtesy of Anna Bowkis.
Lauren xxx
THANK YOU SISTERS!!!! xxxxxxx
Please check out the following links for a different perspective of the weekend and leave some love for my amazingly talented Shooting Sisters on their blog. I’ll be adding more links as they are published so check back for more. It’s always amazing to see the same experience through different eyes and that is the beauty of photography….
{The Portrait Diaries} Day 25: More than just a leather jacket
For me this is an oldie but a goodie. I came across this photo again recently while cleaning up my hard drive. A few years back my cousin had asked if I would photograph her son Max in the leather jacket his late and much loved Uncle Andy had given him, as he was starting to outgrow it.
So armed with his favourite bear for company we set out to get some great shots of Max looking super cool in his leather jacket. This is my favourite, I think because of the way he’s holding on to that bear so tightly, as if they were his memories and love for his Uncle Andy. That jacket is so much more than just a jacket. It represents the love and kindess Andy showed to Max growing up. It’s so special and important to be able to capture and keep these moments in time. I know his Uncle Andy would both love this photo and be incrediby proud of Max, he’d probably buy him a new leather jacket too.
Lauren xxx
Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn <3
It’s official, summer has ended and though that lovely sun shows her face from time to time, the temperature has dropped and the central heating is back on! I thought in honour of what’s been an amazing, busy, tiring but fun few months i’d do a little reflection on summer through a medium that’s been part of most of my days this summer- Instagram!
I have a little bit of an obsession with Instagram. Well with photography in general of course, but Instagram is just a little fix of joy in my day. I usually browse through it over breakfast and again before bed to see what people have got up to through out the day, the places they’ve been and things they have seen. Its ease and accessibility allows people to turn little moments of normality into something that has the potential to be art. I know that it is quite controversial amongst “professional creatives,” and I find myself defending it to people quite often but anything that allows and develops an appreciation for creativity and an artistic eye is a wonderful thing in my book.
Instagram opens peoples eyes to the beauty that surrounds them. It lets you take an every day normal thing and turn it into a record of beauty.Plus I get to use it to observe and remember the things I’m drawn to: colours, typography, textures, objects and design, and keep them as a constant source of inspiration.
So here’s my summer in Instagrams. If you’re on Instagram, I’m ‘laurenbythesea’ feel free to follow and let me know your username so I can follow you too. I’m looking forward to instagramming way through Autumn and Winter too!
What did you get up to this summer?
Lauren xxx
The Essex Wedding of Natalie & Wes at Prested Hall
On the blog today is the Essex wedding of Natalie & Wesley at Prested Hall which I was happy to be invited to second shoot with Kerrie from Kerrie Mitchell Photography. It was a beautiful, laid back day and despite rain overnight Natalie’s wish to get married outside came true.
Natalie and her bridesmaids excitedly watched all the guests arrive from their great view in the gorgeous bridal suite. Friends and family expectantly waited the bride’s arrival in the sunshine and even some resident ducks joined the congregation. Later guests enjoyed the beautiful grounds while Kerrie and I walked about and found some lovely spots to photograph Natalie & Wes whilst they had some time to themselves to take being husband and wife! They then joined with friends and family and celebrated their marriage by dancing the night away.
Thank you so much to Kerry for having me there to work alongside her and to Natalie & Wes for letting me share in their special day. As always, comments and feedback most welcome. It’s been a busy summer for me, I’ve been working hard with some great photographers building up my experience of wedding photography so it is nice to finally be able to share some with you. To browse at your leisure you can also see these at Laurenbythesea on Facebook. I’d love to know which are your favourites so like away.
Lauren xxx
Herne Bay Bump to Baby photography: One very loved bump & one very lovely sunset
I am so so excited to post these photos as this bump shoot only happened last weekend but Hayley, one of my oldest friends in the world, gave birth to little baby Woods yesterday!!!!! Can you feel the excitement or shall i do a few more exclamation marks!!!
So it looks like there will only be a week between the bump and baby photographs, that must be a record?
Congratulations Hayley and literally C.A.N.N.O.T. W.A.I.T. to meet the little man. *Recites to self ‘Must not get broody, must not get broody’….*
Look out for some adorable newborn photos coming soon…. and if you’re expecting, please get in touch!!
I would really love to record this very special time for you.
Lauren xxx
