Chelsea Old Town Hall
A fabulous day of love, fun, & happiness with family & friends for Robert Stuart & Robert Kennedy at their Civil Partneship Commitment Ceremony at Chelsea Old Town Hall. I love the images taken down on the Embankment.
1.Weddings
March 29, 2010
July 28, 2009
Crystal & Stuart, Stoke Park Club.
11th July and I'm back at the wonderful Stoke Park Club. www.stokeparkclub.com Stuat looks after the golf course here and Crystal had always dreamed this would be the setting for their wedding . Every detail of this wedding was carefully planned even to Crystal's shoes with "I do" spelt out in sequins. My good friend Mike Taylor provided cool Sax music throughout the Wedding Breakfast. www.miketaylorjazz.co.uk
May 27, 2008
Emma & Jason fly in from Brisbane!!
Emma & Jason Foreman would seem to have the best of all worlds. They live in one of the most beautiful areas of the world, Queensland, Australia, but chose to get married in one of the most beautiful towns in England, Marlow, Bucks.
The weather was kind to them and "Ozzies " do know how to party!!! Emma's close friends Zoe, Avril, Heidi, & Christy made the journey from Queensland. They seemed to have a fasination for Sir Steve Redgrave's statue. They just wouldn't leave it alone!!!!
Oliver - 4 months old
Oliver
I don't usually photograph babies but, a couple of months ago, I spent a morning with Sarah & her 4 month old son, Oliver. Here is an Album of the best shots
July 05, 2007
There are 9 million (and 1) Bicycles in Cambridge!!!
Emily & Marko Nikolic's Wedding in Cambridge
Storms were all around us on Saturday but the weather held off for Emily and Marko for their Cambridge Wedding.
This was a first for me, in that it was the first wedding I've ever covered by bicycle!!! Central Cambridge is no place for a car and the only way to keep up with the wedding party was to "bike it" from Brides Home to Church and on to Reception. Emily & Marko met while at Girton College and so it seemed fitting to choose the college for their wedding reception. www.girton.cam.ac.uk Serbian born Marko, flew in a Serbian Trumpet Band to round off the evening and the reception party continued late into the night.
April 25, 2007
Sonya & Angelo. Taplow house Hotel
The April sunshine is still holding and last Saturday I was at Taplow House Hotel www.taplowhousehotel.co.uk . Fabulous couple, Sonya & Angelo, so relaxed in front of the camera, (Sonya, anyway!). Chris the Vicar deserves a mention for allowing me to take discrete photographs during the ceremony so I was able to capture those special moments and his service was so heartfelt. Lots of Italian family on Angelo's side, perfect English and all I could offer in return was "Avanti" & "Prego"!
Taplow House Hotel was a super setting and Sonya & Angelo had great fun in front of the camera.
Most poignant moment: When Sonya stopped on her way down the aisle to kiss Dominic, her Grandfather. See the image in the slideshow. Weddings are all about these things.
April 20, 2007
April 13, 2007
Dennis “takes 5” in Las Vegas!!
What an incredible six weeks!!!! Early March saw me Windsurfing in Fuertaventura. A 50th Birthday present from my wife Julia (she’s trying to kill me, I’m sure!). And yes, true to form I ended up being rescued, one mile offshore by my instructor. I have to remember I’m not 21 anymore.
Back to the studio for a week. Time spent designing and assembling albums from last year’s weddings. Always love it when an album comes together and I can at last see my ideas laid out. Put a great one together for Kelly & Chris.
Then on to San Francisco for what has become my annual “Road Trip” with my best mate and “second” greatest wedding photographer in the world, Steve Tarling. (Bet you can’t guess who’s first?!). Steve and I share new Ideas for the coming wedding season on this trip as well as Skiing, shooting landscapes, getting caught speeding, (Ooops sorry I distracted you mate) & many many laughs.
Ended up in Death Valley at dawn and by chance met up with Annika Metsla, a very talented Estonian Wedding Photographer. She was eying up some dune landscapes as well. I offered to shoot some images of her at work. The dawn light & dunes made for a dramatic setting.
Then on to Vegas, which has become an annual pilgrimage for me, to attend the largest photographic convention on the planet – WPPI www.wppionline.com. I treat it as an “ideas supermarket”. Around ten thousand photographers attend, with over 100 speakers, and I always wonder as I walk thru the door of the casino, who will influence my style most, this year? Photography is all about learning. I love to introduce new styles to my clients.
I was honoured to be chosen, for the forth consecutive year, as one of the 3 UK judges for the International Print Competition. Print judging is a sure way to improve your visual awareness. You have around 30 seconds to assess a print in front of you for it’s quality, composition, and to me, most important of all, it’s emotional impact. This pays dividends when I return to shoot my own wedding work, as I am continually assessing what I see in my viewfinder. I feel my photography is much stronger now for having had this discipline of assessment.
My own prints did well, (I don’t get to judge those myself!!) and I ended up with 5 Gold Awards of Excellence. My favourite, Jenny’s Father, is a study of the relationship between a father, once tall, and his daughter, now grown to adulthood. The look in his eyes as he sees her for the first time in her dress and the way it caused him to have to sit down in astonishment at how beautiful she looks. These are the moments I wish to photograph! 
Special praise must go this year to Simone Sutton a UK photographer & friend. She led the Brit’s by achieving 8 Gold’s and got a third placing in the Premiere category. Well-done Simone. Fly the Flag!!
Annika Metsla www.annikametsla.com also had her best year ever, scoring 15 Gold’s and 2 third placings for Estonia. But I bet we beat them at football this year!
Top Awards went to a Canadian Photographer Jesh de Rox. Wonderfully, haunting images and very strongly art based. www.jeshderox.com . My main influence became a Californian photographer by the name of Jose Villa. Very clean, simple, big blue sky images. www.josevilla.com At the end of his talk he announced he would be shooting a wedding in Scotland next week and being the kind of person I am I had no hesitation in offering to help him cover it wherever it was. To this he agreed.
Back on the Virgin red eye and straight to work on Friday with a wedding at The Compleat Angler Marlow with a wonderful, bright, couple, Lynda And Richard.
Sooo very much in love with life and each other and it came thru in the pictures. Then next day down to Bovey Castle, Exeter to photography Diane & Martin. Gorgeous Diane & CuddlyDudley Martin. They had a very stylish & intimate wedding. Around 30 guests and Black Tie. Diane looked stunning and Martin kept his promise not to talk about photography (His Passion).
I was able to use my new found influences to good effect and will let you know their reactions next time I write.
Monday was rest day then Tuesday up to Inverness followed by a two hour drive across Scotland thru some gigantic “Jurassic Park” scenery (Who needs New Zealand) to Loch Torridon where I met up with Jose. The wedding was as perfect as the weather and I got on so well with Jose that we will be sharing a workshop together this December in Mexico. Anyone want to sign up??
I had one day before returning home so I took the opportunity to rediscover landscape photography. And what Landscape!!!
Finally back home with Julia & the kids for Easter and more glorious sunshine.
Kelly & Chris finally picked up their album and loved it to bits.
Many more fabulous weddings to cover this year. Keep you posted.
Life’s a Beach & then you get to take Pictures!!
Dennis
12th April 2007
