Lily Sawyer Photography

Sarah & Scott engagement shoot at the Horniman Museum Gardens | London Wedding Photographer

Lily Sawyer — Thu, 17 May 2012 18:23:03 +0000

When I was thinking of what to write for this blog, the song Love is a many splendoured thing came to mind…but no, not Frank Sinatra’s version, the Moulin Rouge version.

“Love is a many splendoured thing, love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love. Please, don’t start that again. All you need is love. A girl has got to eat. All you need is love. Or she’ll end up on the streets. All you need is love. Love is just a game. I was made for loving you baby, you were made for loving me.”

Oh yes, Sarah and Scott, they’re fun. Lots of fun. And very young too. And in love. They met at university and Scott lost no time in proposing. Fresh out of university, they now have teaching jobs. It’s a rarity nowadays to find very young godly men who know what they want and young godly women who wait and pray. Young as they are, Sarah and Scott have big hearts for people. It’s exciting to see them start this amazing journey called marriage and I know many will be blessed by their love for God and love for people.

As Sarah and Scott are very cool friends of mine, I asked if they would allow me to experiment with a style completely different to my usual. They agreed and patiently put up with me whilst I fiddled with the flash and light meter. It’s my first time to experiment with this type of shoot and so please forgive me for the many technical flaws. But, I think they’re quite fun!

Click this link to see all the photos.

The E family: Of love, life with kids, and the next decade…at Crystal Palace Dinosaur Park| London Family Photographer

Lily Sawyer — Tue, 15 May 2012 10:33:48 +0000

If you have followed my blog from 2010, you would know that this beautiful family needs no introduction. I have featured them here a couple of times before. So it’s no surprise why shoots with the E family are always special to me. I feel that as they grow as a family, I grow with them too, as a photographer. I have photographed their family through various stages of learning this thing called photography and even through 3 camera upgrades! Seeing these delightful kids are always a joy. So without further ado, let me share with you their latest photos.

C is handsome and clever. He always has smart and funny things to say.
He even has a very very special dance that I felt so incredibly privileged to see! And he loves dinosaurs.

But not as much as he loves his little sister. Petite and pretty as a little daisy, F is delightful… and very busy. She loves life and rarely ever sits still. Gone are the days when I was able to put her in a little basket one Christmas season…

She has the most gorgeous blue eyes. This time though, getting her to look straight into the camera so I can capture those amazing blues was very very tricky!

They make their parents very happy, as you can see…

They love Mummy and Daddy so much they hardly leave them to have some special time for themselves…

But Mummy and Daddy need some special time alone, it’s their 10th {yes 10th!} wedding anniversary after all!

Happier and more in love than ever. Congratulations C & C! You are one amazing family. {And in my opinion, C deserves something very sparkly!}

Let me leave you with my favourite shot of Mummy and baby girl…

Hayford & Rhodes at the BAFTA | London Wedding Photographer

Lily Sawyer — Mon, 14 May 2012 07:30:50 +0000

Now that you’ve seen the drinks reception gallery, take a peek at the boardroom transformed into floral glory. Whilst the florists were working on the flowers, the lighting man testing and positioning his funky lights, and us taking every opportunity to photograph, BAFTA staff and some visitors would pop in to have a look at the breathtaking displays and take photos from their phones.Hayford & Rhodes pulled out all the stops to make this event truly beautiful, memorable, and successful. A perfect location for a stunning display by one of London’s very best florists.

Thank you to Lisa Warren for shooting with me at very short notice! I’m very grateful.

Hayford & Rhodes at the BAFTA Gallery | London Wedding Photographer

Lily Sawyer — Sat, 12 May 2012 07:30:03 +0000

One of London’s top florists, Hayford & Rhodes hosted a dinner on Thursday evening at the glamorous 195 Piccadilly, the iconic home of the BAFTA, British Academy of Film and Television Arts. The photos below were taken at the Gallery where the guests had their drinks reception. Wait until you see the Boardroom Hayford & Rhodes transformed with their breathtakingly stunning floral displays…up next on the blog!

The bride and her vintage shabby chic touch | London Wedding Photographer

Lily Sawyer — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:31:35 +0000

This wedding took more than a year to plan. K loves vintage and shabby chic and has her own personal collection of vintage jewellery and trinkets. Not only that, for over a year she worked hard sourcing all the pretty vintage china she used at her wedding from markets, ebay, and various vintage shops. Her wedding dress is layered with an elegant bolero lace and a delicate lace-embellished veil. So I think it’s only fitting to have a post dedicated to the Bride and her vintage / shabby chic touch. To view more photos from the wedding, just click here where you will also find all her wedding suppliers credited.

KK Wedding @Richmond Hill Hotel | London Wedding Photographer

Lily Sawyer — Fri, 04 May 2012 07:30:26 +0000

It might have been the wettest day in April, but for K and J, it was the happiest as they start their life together as husband and wife. I bet Richmond Hill Hotel has never seen anything like it! The day was amazing from start to finish. So much laughter, so much joy, so much dancing and wine spilling over. These guys knew how to party. So forgive me if this post is looong, but I wanted to share the spirit of the occasion in pictures and I only hope these selected photos do justice to one very memorable and special day.

Credits: My assistant: Esther Bissessar, Church: St James Twickenham, Dress by Maggie Sottero, Veil and Bolero by Pronovias, Dress alterations by Dominika Zasada, Designer rings by Bobby White, Shoes by Pink, Hair and Make-Up by Beauty Call, Cake by The Cake Parlour, Table decoration by Vanessa Kepple, DJ Jon Saunders, Chair covers from Beautiful Chairs

And now the PORTRAITS…

If you want to see more photos of the details from the wedding, click here.

Richmond wedding teaser | London Wedding Photographer

Lily Sawyer — Tue, 01 May 2012 09:09:57 +0000

Excited to share photos from KK & JK’s wedding very soon…stay tuned

Home D-I-Y, finally! | London Lifestyle Photographer

Lily Sawyer — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 07:14:42 +0000

{Things get crazy busy from this weekend, so allow me to indulge in a personal post or two…}

Aside from photography, I also love d-i-y, especially if it costs me next to nothing. I find great enjoyment in creating new uses out of old things, using materials I pick up from charity shops or in the sales or markets. It’s no surprise to my husband to find furniture moved around, vases swapped for tins, old dresses made into something for the kiddies. If only there’s enough hours in the day to do everything…

Recently, I picked up some fabric from John Lewis in the sale and made new cushions.
The ribbon idea came from The Guardian, believe it or not.Sewing guru that I am, it only took 4 completed cushions before I realised the wrong methods I have been using {doh!}, making things more complicated than they should have been. {Jan, I miss you, please come back!}
A few years ago, my mother gave me this blanket she crocheted and we all love it.

Lastly, here’s a photo of my kitchen wall. It’s only taken me 6 months to take a photo of it. I painted the tree, blossoms and birds using old left-over tester pots. Except for the photos, nothing on this wall costs over £5, not even the light shade on the ceiling! These photos are priceless. There are a few of my kids – all practise shots. And there’s this little gem…it’s a tiny black and white photo of my mother taken by a professional when she was pregnant with me. She had full make up on, false eyelashes, and a glamourous big wig! Nothing can beat that!
For my friend Ellena…
***
Oh and if you missed my post on the free pretty stationery download, you can get them here.

Free pretty stationery cards download | London Wedding Portrait Photographer

Lily Sawyer — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 22:00:04 +0000

I’m excited to announce my first FREE download for all of you. They’re pretty, they’re versatile, and best of all, you can print them from your home printer. Card or paper they serve plenty of uses: pretty postcard, special photo card, unique greetings card, small folded notecard, writing paper, floral note sheets, pretty notebook covers… Embellish these with buttons, ribbons, fabric, scribble or draw cute doodles on them…the list is endless.

There are 5 different designs. These are all in A4 size. You can fold them into an A5 greetings card, or cut them into A5 flat cards, fold them into A6 greetings card, or cut them up as A6 postcards, or use as gift tags!

The 5 designs coordinate with each other so you can also mix and match if you like!

To get the download link, just sign up to my mailing list in the subscribe box to the top right of this page, or in the box below.

Being on my mailing list means once a month or so, you will get a little message in your inbox from me that will contain the any or all of the following exclusive content:
*a summary of posts
*some surprise goodies
*useful links to inspiration ideas, wedding ideas, clothing ideas, craft activities, creative and fun things to do with your family or your photography…
*freebies that I come across that I think might be worth sharing.

Thank you very much and please share this post to let your friends know. You can also click ‘like’ below to share it on Facebook!

Creative tip 10: Try something new at Coombe Hill, Bucks | London Portrait Photographer

Lily Sawyer — Sat, 21 Apr 2012 07:00:10 +0000

It always does me good to sometimes step away from the familiar and try something new. I find those times incredibly refreshing – there’s no pressure to be perfect, it’s challenging and I always learn new things.

For this next creative tip, I thought I’d try non-people photography, specifically landscapes. This is the very first time I have shot landscapes like this. At the bottom of this post, I will tell you what I’ve learned from this experience as well as some tips.

One weekend we visited one of my sisters-in-law. She lives in a very nice part of country, away from the hustle and bustle of city life. Surrounded by green hills and stunning scenery, we naturally went for a walk…

Given the choice between a gentle but long or steep and short route to get to the top of the hill, my 5 year old son decided for all of us and chose the steep route. Then off he went running up the hill.

This might not look very steep to you but trust me it was. I had 2 camera bodies with lenses attached and had it not been for the tree roots on the ground providing grip, I might have had a disaster with my equipment…

So relieved to reach the top…a bit breathless.

The views were awesome but my companions were on a mission, so I was constantly playing catch-up…

Finally we got to the spot. The blue kite came out of the bag and the boys had a blast.

It was windy and cold, but this panorama made it totally worth the effort.

Then we headed back home, the girls via the gentle but much longer route, and the boys slid down the steep short route.

The next photos were taken from inside my sister-in-law’s house. These are what she looks out to every.single.day.

So what did I learn from this little exercise? I surprised myself; I thought shooting landscapes would be vastly different from shooting people. But actually, from my experience, not so. All the rules of composition that I use for people, the techniques of focusing – which to focus sharply on and which part to keep blurry, capturing details and closing in, taking vertical and horizontal versions of the shot for variety, being mindful of the light, and even the camera settings I normally use…were all applicable to landscapes. The only difference was that I was shooting inanimate objects which made it easier and stress-free. In fact, felt I was shooting landscape portraits, yes, portraits of landscapes.

But perhaps, that’s because I’m not a landscape photographer and therefore completely ignorant of landscape photography rules, if any. And that’s fine by me. These images make me remember special memories of our countryside visit and those memories make me smile.

If you missed the previous creative tip, click here and follow the trail…