Today I’d like to introduce you to Kamila and Paul, who were married last weekend at the picturesque Stanhill Court Hotel in Horley, Surrey. Karen and I were there to photograph the event, and it turned out to be a real corker! Right from the start we found everyone we met was very friendly and helpful – including Kamila’s Mum who went out of her way to make sure we got some really great dress shots, even after we ’stole’ her room and turned it into our shooting space!

The day was a little cool, but stayed dry for the wedding, so guests made good use of the grounds outside the hotel – which you can see is kept in impeccable order. We got some great photos… from bridal portraits to wedding rings, the wedding ceremony, bridesmaids, groomsmen, cake, speeches, fun and merriment… we got the lot! So let’s show you just a few previews from the day then, starting with a couple of detail shots…

I love the little story of Dad seeing Kamila for the first time in her wedding dress… and the look between bride and groom in the photo below speaks volumes…

Beautiful wedding venue… and a really fun wedding party…

Hey, that’s it for now! I could sort of go on forever posting more and more, but I really should be getting on with processing the rest of the pictures! As you can see, the wedding day was a whole lot of fun and everyone had a great time. This was my first visit to Stanhill Court Hotel, and I must say this is a very impressive venue with great facilities and lovely grounds and rooms – so I’ll look forward to shooting my next wedding there when the time comes.

Thanks to everyone for your hospitality, and since I know Kamila and Paul will be looking in on the blog  to see their first previews…. a big congratulations to the bride and groom! I hope you all like the pictures, and your comments  as always are of course very welcome.

Have fun looking!

Rob.

Wedding photography at the Stanhill Court Hotel, Surrey

Something a bit closer to home today. Let’s take a look at a few photos of our very own Karen (my better half, for those that don’t know) who was good enough to model for me on a recent Sunday afternoon “lighting test” session:

We’ve been so busy recently that we haven’t had a chance to do anything like this for some time – but after recently buying a few new light modifiers for our studio lighting, I was keen to test the waters and see what we could do with them. Karen stepped in as my model for the afternoon, and we proceeded to “have a play” with some different lighting setups… and this is what we got.

A bit of fun, some hair pulling and head scratching to get things dialled in, and I think some lovely pictures at the end. The first one is our favourite right now, and we’re looking forward to a big acryllic version of this arriving any day now, which should look great on the wall. Big thanks to Karen for modelling for me and being so very patient while I worked out best setups for shooting in our new space at home.

I think you’ll agree she scrubs up pretty good, no?

Hope you enjoyed looking!

Rob.

Surrey portrait photography

What a beautiful day for a late September wedding! Today I’d like you to meet Jen and Jamie, who were married in Christ Church, Beckenham on what turned out to be a really lovely late summer’s day. Unusually for me, I’d not met our couple before the wedding day… but as soon as I met Jamie at the church I knew we were going to get along just fine. Confident and friendly, I warmed to Jamie immediately – and when Jennifer arrived arm in arm with Dad and looking stunning in her wedding dress, her instant smile set the tone for the day. The wedding had an intimate feel to it, and once the formal marriage ceremony was completed the wedding party moved on to the Selsdon Park Hotel  in Croydon for the reception.

The day continued to feel relaxed, intimate and friendly, and the sun continued to shine – giving Karen and I the opportunity to get some beautiful warm wedding photos a little later in the day as the sun began to lower. Our newlyweds turned out to be great models, very comfortable in front of the camera – so we got some lovely pictures for them, both posed and unposed. Let’s take a look at a few more then:

Well I think you’ll agree that both Jennifer and Jamie looked fantastic on the day. We got lots of great pictures, and I’ll be looking forward to showing them all to our couple soon. I hope you enjoyed the previews – and of course, your comments are welcomed below.

All the best for now then,

Rob.

Kent wedding photography, Surrey wedding photography

The Millenium Bridge, a warm late afternoon sun and St Paul's Cathedral set the scene for this technically challenging but funky pre wedding shot!

Meet Tracey and Mike – a really fun Vietnamese couple who are getting married in February of next year: Mike contacted me to arrange a pre-wedding shoot recently, and was keen to do it quite soon because he and fiance Tracey are soon to set off back to Vietnam for their wedding day. Having lived in London for some time, they told me they wanted to include some of the iconic sites in their pre wedding shoot – as a memory of the time they’ve both spent here. We met up at London Bridge station, and set out to get some fun, funky and modern photos for them. Here are just a few of the results…

Our couple enjoy a quiet moment together in the late September sunshine at Tower Bridge

You wouldn't believe how busy it was outside St Paul's Cathedral when we actually took this shot... a bit of post-processing magic, and hey presto..!

Tracey and Mike were a great couple to photograph and were very relaxed, as I think this photo shows

A busy subway entrance provides a 'romantic' backdrop for our engaged couple... between commuters rushing by!

A slow exposure, stunning background and a bit of help from a backlit flash for a unique perspective of the London Eye

Well there you have it: Tower Bridge, the embankment, The London Eye, Big Ben, Westminster, The Tower of London, The Millenium Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, phone boxes, security guards, long walks and taxi rides and more: all in an afternoon’s work. I love my job.

As you can see, we had a blast taking the photos for Tracey and Mike. A big thanks to Wayne for stepping in as assistant/lighting guy – and also to Michelle, who came along to video the shoot but ended up getting roped in as second lights assistant after the big security guy on the embankment said we couldn’t use our tripod (and so I needed Wayne to lean on)!

…but mostly, thanks to Tracey and Mike for being such a fun and willing couple, and happily going along with all my strange ideas in the name of art..! I think the results speak for themselves, so I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as i enjoyed making them.

And remember, if you’re looking for your own set of unique pre wedding or engagement photos – or even a post wedding photo shoot – all you need to do is to get in touch, and we can go play together too!

All the best for now then,

Rob.

Contemporary pre wedding photo shoots for fun and modern couples

]]> http://www.roberthooper.co.uk/blog/2009/10/tracey-and-mikes-funky-central-london-pre-wedding-photo-shoot/feed/ 3 http://www.roberthooper.co.uk/blog/2009/10/tracey-and-mikes-funky-central-london-pre-wedding-photo-shoot/ http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/RobertHooperPhotography/~3/Ms9KIzoPWx4/ http://www.roberthooper.co.uk/blog/2009/09/helen-and-liam-get-married-at-sacred-heart-church-and-westerham-golf-club/#comments Mon, 28 Sep 2009 15:04:39 +0000 Rob http://www.roberthooper.co.uk/blog/?p=1676 The marriage of Helen Keating and Liam Feeney on 19th September 2009 at Sacred Heart Church, Caterham on the Hill, with wedding reception at Westerham Golf Club in Surrey

Today I’d like to show you the loveliest couple, Helen and Liam. Karen and I photographed their wedding last weekend and enjoyed capturing a really lovely day for them. From the bridal preparations, to the gorgeous church, to the warm and friendly reception, the day was a resounding success… and we got some great pictures for them. Want to see some then? Let’s show you just a very quick preview of what’s to come then…

Well, that’s it for now… I hope you’ll agree that both Helen and Liam looked amazing for their wedding day, and it’s clear to see that they’re both very much in love. Thanks so much for looking, I hope you enjoyed the previews – and do feel free to leave your comments below.

All the best for now then,

Rob.

Exceptional wedding photography for South East England