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HIGHLIGHTS FILM (LOTS MORE TO COME)
Viewing entries by
adam rowley
Or.. how to look hot when it’s cold outside.
Now it’s Christmas, many of you will be taking a well-earned break and have a little time on your hands. And you may well be thinking to the year ahead or beyond, and thinking about what to wear on your big day, or perhaps even what to wear to your friend’s, your sister’s, your daughter’s big day. And some of you will be looking for something a little different, a little bit glam, a little bit individual. And this was the inspiration that got us as a gang of girls (and me, the one token guy, behind he lens) to put together a little styled shoot.
For fun. For inspiration. And for the glamour of it all.
Sure, most of you will be having your wedding in warmer times, with the sun beating down, with the chaps in three-piece woollen suits bravely trying not to curse the groom for choosing tweed in the baking midsummer heat, with the girls cooling off with prosecco as that hot summer sun beats down on the canopy of the marquee.
But you still need to look good when the sun goes down, and you still need that magic and sparkle. You may even be having a magician. Or sparklers! And you may well need some fresh alternative ideas for what to wear and how to look good.
And this is our little yuletide gift from me and designer Felicity Westmacott. We decided to celebrate Christmas by getting a little inspiration for all you brides looking for something a little different when you’re not busy stuffing the turkey. So without further ado, well, maybe a little bit more ado, here is our magical winter wonderland London Christmas Styled Shoot.
We chose classic London landmarks, Regent Street, Covent Garden and Fortnums and Mason. Lit up in their sparkling Christmas finery they became elegant and joyful backdrops for our shoot. Sophisticated bridal make up by Anusha Solanki made our model, Elodie Foray, into the perfect winter bride. We allowed the fun we were having on the shoot to bubble up into the pictures, as we hope any bride on her wedding day would feel. Like Christmas come early!
Dressing a bride for a winter wedding is a very different task to a breezy summer day. And adding the Christmas season into the mix means it's really important to make sure the bride stands out even amongst all the beautiful and atmospheric decoration and lights. I designed two very different dresses as inspiration for Christmas Brides. Ethereal 'Cassiopeia' is a cloud of tulle in pale ivory and palest blue with subtle sequins glinting through. And Felicity made a tulle overskirt with invisible 'whisper' waistline so a dip-dye look can be added to your wedding dress without actually colouring your dress at all!
'Elodie' our second look is for a modern, bolder bride in red silk with a glittering sequin bodice. The statement back features a tiered back necklace and sash and bow train.Claire Cain of Birds and Sirens Milinery added accessories and jewellery made in leather, crystal and French veiling. We added uniquely Christmas season details with sparkly shoes by Marsha Hall and a wreath style bouquet by Darvall Design.
A lot of photographers are scared of the dark. No seriously. Using the right controlled lighting and the right lenses to create a magical, glamourous look is not easy for everyone and not a challenge that everyone wants to take on. For me, it is always a great pleasure and a challenge. The night brings so many creative and beautiful opportunities that the day cannot. But that’s enough about me and how fabulous I am, the shoot could not have been possible without the amazing team that put helped me put this all together, and they are:
Dress, http://www.felicitywestmacott.co.uk/ | MUA, https://www.facebook.com/AnushaSolankiMUA/ | Accessories, www.birdsandsirens.com | Model, Elodie Foray | Florist https://www.darvalldesign.com/ | Shoes, https://www.facebook.com/MarshaHallHandmadeShoes/
I hope this helped relieve the pre-Xmas rush, or helped break up the Boxing Day torpor, the post Christmas lull, or was simply a fun and joyous couple of minutes looking at beautiful dresses on a beautiful lady. And maybe hopefully we gave you a little inspiration.
Merry Christmas x
What is better than a winter wedding?
Okay so I may be a Dad, but no, this isnt’t a cheesy dad-joke found in a Christmas cracker. I’m genuinely asking - Is there anything better than a winter wedding? Summer wedding for the sunshine? Spring wedding for the temperature? Autumn wedding for the colours? Nah, give me a winter wedding every time. And what is better than a winter wedding, is a wedding close enough to Christmas that you get all the seasonal magic and sparkle. Throw in a lovely Catholic church like the Church of Our Lady of the Assumption, in Englefield Green, with just the NICEST priest, add an awesome venue like the DeVere Beaumont Estate, and top it all with a fun and funky good-looking young couple like Holly and Jack.
Game for everything, even the sparklers - good man Jack, props to you I know you dont like them, but it brought us a lovely couple of shots. Full of life, fun, love and champagne, these guys gave it their all in what was a classic, festive and joyous day. Congratulations guys x
HIGHLIGHTS FILM
What an amazing day and an amazing couple in an amazing venue. This is a story that encompasses a French farm house, Napoleon’s mistress, a classic car, white doves, an artistic burlesque gymnast, a run-down chateau, some serendipitous Facebook friendsips, and an incredible amount of love.
But how does a half-Scottish Englishman end up shooting the wedding of an American photographer and a Belgian filmmaker in rural France?
This story starts in the medieval city of Carcassonne in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of Southern France that stretches from Provence to the Pyrenees.
It is a lovely area of pretty provincial French villages, picturesque cobbled streets, orchards and vineyards, and of course the famous tree-lined shady tranquility of the much-celebrated Canal du Midi
Here, it was that Napoleon drained an area of mosquito infested swampland to build a house for his mistress Maria Countess Walewska, that would become the main geographical focus of our story La Thibaude Domaine Saint-Jean
Fast forward to the present day and Alice, photographer and academic, who had grown up in the area, but who now lives in Salt Lake City Utah, and Fred, a talented professional filmmaker who lives in Belgium, both decided that it was time to seal the deal on their two-year long-distance love affair with a kiss and a ring.
Alice, Fred and I had become firm friends on Facebook through our shared love of photography, and as you can see, Alice’s collection of vintage cameras played their supporting role in the day with truly aesthetic aplomb. Not sure what that means but sounds fancy, right?
Unlike many weddings, where everything is timed with barely minutes to spare, Alice and Fred were super-keen to build in lots of time for photography. So it was that we could factor in not only a perfect first look, but also some pre-ceremony portraiture. And this was where things started to get really interesting.
“I don’t know if this would be of interest to you”, said the venue owner, with a wonderful mix of modesty and generosity, “but we have just bought a run-down chateau a couple of miles away, if you might like to take some photos there”.
Just let that sink in for a minute: two photographers and a filmmaker, on a wedding shoot, with time to spare. Run-down chateau. Photos. If that would be of interest. Me, I nearly exploded. And when we got there, my eyeballs did that cartoon thing when I saw just how beautiful and rambling the place was. When I die, I want to come back as someone who gets to do this ALL THE TIME. What a location! Complete with ramshackle barns and wine cellar!
Finally we dragged ourselves away from the photography. Damn, we have to go and do this marriage thing. And so it was on to the Mairie de Malves en Minervois, the local town hall, for Alice and Fred’s offical legal wedding ceremony. Alice took a classic Citroen Traction Avant, possibly the prettiest car known to humankind, lovingly restored by the courteous young driver himself. While we all had fears of overheating in the 36 degrees summer sunshine, those concerns were more for the over-enthusiastic photographer than the car, which performed admirably.
And then it was back to the house of Napoleon’s mistress (I probably shouldnt keep mentioning that) For the real ceremony. That’s right, one ceremony just wasnt enough for these two, who had the most lovely rustic outdoor ceremony arranged, beneath a tasteful flower arch, in the french sunshine, in the french countryside. Romantic doesnt even begin to describe it.
Now we had already done a whole bunch of portraiture, but alongside our shared love of photography, there was another reason to go out and do some more portraiture. I mean honestly, orchards and vineyards and crumbling french farmhouses in the warm, low summer sunlight is reason enough, but Fred had a big surprise in store for Alice, so a distraction was important.
Because while we were busy getting all romantic and stylish out in the fields, back at the farmhouse - you know the one with Napoleon’s…. (stop it with the Napoleon’s mistress stuff now Adam for God’s sake) - back at La Thibaude - Fred and Alice’s friends had been busy setting up the rig for Alice’s good friend Mandi to do her thing - a hypnotic and truly beautiful gymnastic burlesque performance. The photos are nice, but really, the grace of movement, the music, the sheer artistry of it. You had to be there.
And after this beautiful lady had caught the bouquet it was on with a fantastic summer night’s party of eating, dancing, doves and champagne. An incredible day, and an incredible couple, with fantastic friends and family in an lovely rural setting in the French countryside. Without doubt, an affair to remember. Fred and Alice, from the bottom of my heart, congratulations and a bientot xx
Right then.
Pippa and Joao. A gorgeous lady who looks like a young Julianne Moore and a tall dark handsome dude with the perfect beard. In the Cotswolds. At Hyde House. It was all going so well…. and then it just got better! Because they were lovely, their family were lovely, their friends were lovely.
The venue is perfection, the perfect space with perfect light. Great staff, great views, great food, great ambience. Even though the late summer English rainclouds almost washed us out, we survived. And to be honest, at Hyde House, the space is so comfortable, if you were stuck indoors, it would be fine.
So we got a sunset, we got the confetti shot, we got the backlit at night gazebo shot. But what really stood out from Pippa and Joao’s day was the relaxed, easy fun throughout. So much warmth and love.
So for those who want to rush through the experience, below is a little slideshow of the day, with music, a mini-movie of the day. Those who like to linger, pictures come after.
HIGHLIGHTS FILM
AND HERE IS THE FILM GUYS!!
Oh these two!
They were so lovely, and so much fun.
And while Nymah and Marco’s wedding party was quite small, like many small things, it was perfectly formed, with only the kindest, warmest, funniest, loveliest of friends, family and guests.
We had a blast and the sun was out most of the time too, which always helps keep the party firing on all cylinders.
Nymah and Marco’s wedding all took place at the Gorse Hill Hotel in Hook in Surrey. And I just know you want to hear all about it’s magnificent history.
Dating back to the time of Henry VIII, this imposing and grandiose building gives onto magnificent surrey gardens. It is said that Anne Boleyn had her hair done here, often, presumably while her head was still attached.
Ok, so it isnt that historic. And if you wanted the history you could google it. But you can see from the pics, it’s a lovely, really laid-back, stylish and comfortable venue, with great staff and lovely gardens and rooms.
A fantastic day - with Marco in particular getting totes emosh as gorgeous Nymah walked down the aisle. Congratulations guys x Adam
Me: I forgot my glasses, who caught the bouquet?
Nymah:
Now here is an elopement story with a difference. It's not just another blog piece from a glamourous location with tips for your destination wedding, although it IS that too. But this is also an incredible story of love, endurance and adventure. It is also the story of a heroic young couple, an incredible challenge and the happiest of happy endings.
It ends in Port St Charles in Barbados, with our two young lovers making their commitment to one another on the beach, but it starts a year previously, in Lymmington near Portsmouth, and will leave you speechless.
Because the reason any of us ended up in Barbados in the first place, was not originally to do with tying the knot or making a romance public. It was to do with the amazing challenge Greg and his brother Jude undertook. After the death of their father, they decided to row the Atlantic Ocean unaccompanied from Gran Canaria to Barbados, a distance of three thousand miles, which took them eight weeks alone at sea.
Try and imagine how it feels to have your loved one, away, alone at sea, vulnerable in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, days away from any help. Naturally when Francesca and Greg were finally reunited in Barbados, feelings ran high, and the pure love and passion they felt for one another, the commitment they embarked upon, was truly inspiring.
There are many incredible places to marry and to vacation when in Barbados. As well as the famous Sandy Lane in Holetown, a stone's throw from Rihanna's new condo, there is the Sandals complex in Maxwell Beach, and then there is the Turtle Bay, also in Maxwell Beach, which was Greg and Francesca's choice.
Life’s a journey not a destination, Ralph Waldo Emmerson famously stated. And who doesn’t love to embark on a journey? But while some may think it is better to travel hopefully than to arrive, most of us are happiest when we hit our destination. And when it comes to a destination wedding, this is even more true. It’s your biggest, best day ever and it’s in an incredible place!
Every since I first shot abroad, a documentary about the salvaging of the Costa Concordia ocean liner that ran aground off the coast of Tuscany for global broadcaster Viasat Explorer’s documentary channel, back in 2011 I’ve been hooked. At that time I was mostly shooting commercials and commercial photography, but already I was getting drawn into what I found to be a much more rewarding and creative world, the world of wedding photography and film making.
In the years that followed, my passion for working in the wedding industry grew while my enthusiasm for the trial by committee of commercial work waned until today where I find myself shooting about half and half. My weddings for the most part remained UK-based, but even though my commercial work took me to all kinds of places, the US, Russia, Poland, Lithuania, Barcelona, Italy, France, Germany, Sweden and Denmark, still it was shooting wedding photography and films that got my heart racing.
And shooting abroad, practically speaking was so little different from shooting in the UK for me, where I travel and stay over for the bulk of my weddings. There is little that is different, practically speaking for a professional shooter – managing logistics and being a long way from home is all part of the day wherever you are. It helps that I speak a little Russian, Italian and Spanish, and French almost fluently. Beyond that it’s as easy as shooting ten miles from home. Consider a wedding photographer's day. There simply isn't the time to pop home for a spare lens or a forgotten light stand.
And while it may sound expensive to fly your photographer out with you, you will be surprised how much more it might end up costing – and in more ways than just financially – to rely on the local offering.
If you are getting married abroad then choosing to take your destination photographer with you means you can meet up and get a feel for exactly what to expect on your wedding day. You can also be assured of the quality of photos. I’ve heard so many horror stories of overseas weddings where couples have been left disappointed with the quality of their photographs after their wedding as they booked without meeting their photographer or settled with the photographer that was included in their package.
My approach is always the same. To tell the story faithfully, to capture the best locations, the best light, the best moments, and the very essence not just of the time and the place, but of the characters and feelings of my couples so that each photo tells it’s own story of that day in a beautiful and editorially creative way.
It would be an honour to accompany you to your chosen wedding destination. Whether it be a sun drenched beach resort where you can marry bare foot on the sand, or against the striking backdrop of an international city that boasts unique architecture, culture and atmosphere
I love being a destination wedding shooter, because, quite simply I love shooting, and who doesn’t love to travel? So when you’re ready why not drop me an email, give me a call or leave your number, using the form below. I’d love to hear more about your plans.
And to return to the heroic back story of that transatlantic adventure, and how I got involved?
As well as running a busy, successful wedding photography and videography business, my other hat is as a Commercial and Television Producer and Creative. And having produced the brothers' fundraising film and photographs, we decided to make a film about their extraordinary transatlantic adventure, alongside the press photos, a couple of which you can see below, and which were syndicated through the BBC and then used worldwide to promote the brothers' journey and raise awareness for Skin Cancer.
Here are the guys crossing the line, at the end of their arduous, intrepid, courageous and terrifying journey across the Atlantic. What a moment. And what emotions went with it!!
I have shot in destinations across the world for twenty years, producing posters and commercial campaigns, but this challenge was something different, and we were to start a journey at the end of it, almost as mind-blowing as the brothers' own one. To find out more you can watch the little film here, a film guaranteed to move and inspire.
What happens when you let a bunch of wild party animals from North London loose in the Surrey countryside? Hmm… that includes me though doesnt it, so let me rephrase that. What happens when a delightful Islington couple and all their friends and families cross the river and head for the green of Surrey Hills to get married in style? Why, they put the style back into getting married.
Kicking off prep at the fabulous Nutfield Priory, a four star country house hotel and spa in Redhill inspired by the Neo-Gothic splendour of the Palace of Westminster, which dates back to 1872. Danielle and her girls made the most of the exquisite, stylish interiors, posing beneath some of the unique artwork and making the most of one of the best prep bedrooms I have ever seen.
Then it was on to the fantastic Woldingham Golf Club where hilarity was order of the day, with the odd sentimental tear or twenty, fantastic food, friends and family. A perfect Autumn wedding day, with lots of glorious sunshine, and some gorgeous gothic clouds for our portrait session. Oh and a fantastic party, aided by the amazing Sister Sax. Congratulations guys xx
AND FINALLY…. THE FILM OF THE DAY!
So here we have it. A tale of two wedding ceremonies, two bands, two lovely people, one marquee, one astounding day, oh and some garden gnomes and carrots that took a bit of a battering.
I wanted to write more about Julie and Riant's fantastic day, because it was just so much fun, so down to earth, so colourful and alive. But it's late July, which is to wedding shooters what late December is to Santa's elves, and have you checked out how HOT it is? Who can write? I can barely spell my name right.
So I'll keep it short - we got a Ceilidh; awesome. We got Hobo Disco; awesome. We got a blessing by the lake, and a lovely hot sunny day and a golden sunset, and cake and we got laughter. All awesome. So thanks for a brilliant day guys, and congratulations x
