23/11/2011

what we've been up to....

I've been a rubbish blogger recently.. it's been the most wonderful summer with so many beautiful weddings and then squeezing in as much as physically possible in between has meant that there was just enough hours in the day to do the work but not enough to blog about it! So I thought I'd do a bit of a quick summary of what's been going on over the past few months and then I'll try my hardest to be a better blogger and post stuff fully over the quieter months... deal?
So back in September the From Our Hearts ladies got together to mostly sit in our pj's.... and take a few piccies of course... :)


We travelled down to Whitstable and had the BEST time at Sinead and Dan's wedding....



Caroline and Stuart's wedding went off with a bang with a confetti gun and Elvis!


We were back at The Designer Vintage Bridal Show exhibiting and taking piccies...



Henry brought along his parents, Laura and Dan for a shoot in the park.. :)

Beth and Robin had the most beautiful day on Battersea Barge...


Me and Anna Hardy shot the (marathon) spectacular wedding of Aneesha and Ed....



Amber and Steve were married in Nottingham and even popped on a tram with the wedding party!



There's also a few more shoots that will be revealed soon including a bit of a boudoir shoot with someone you might just recognise... :)

14/11/2011

The Lost Happy Endings


If you've read my 'about me' section on my blog you'll know that before all the photography thing started I used to be an Actress (we use this word loosely and no I've not really been on TV at all)... but when bookings for weddings started to come in I had to make a decision... I couldn't be available for months to tour as I was committing myself to weddings so in my head I had actually thought that I had given up Acting and although it's been amazing and I've been really busy the past 18 months deep down I was starting to really miss it.
A few months ago I got a phone call from Red Earth, a fantastic Theatre Company I toured with a few years ago asking if I was free over Christmas... I knew I had weddings booked and didn't think it would ever be possible to fit everything in... but we've managed it!! It's going to be the most hectic Christmas ever BUT I'm acting again and I couldn't be happier!
The play is called 'The Lost Happy Endings' and it's a beautiful story based on the book by Carol Anne Duffy... and even though it's a children's show I'd definitely recommend it for adults too... (we haven't stopped laughing for a second in rehearsals!)
The play starts on the 3rd December and runs through until the 7th January so if you want to book tickets or find out more info then click the link below...
The Lost Happy Endings
...and I thought it might be nice to take a photograph a day all through rehearsals and through the run so you can see what we're getting up to...

Wednesday 9th November
First day of rehearsals and we get a glimpse of the set already!

Thursday 10th November
Every day after lunch a game of 'keepy uppy' should be compulsory in every work place...

Friday 11th November
I'm introduced to Little Red Riding Hood...

Monday 14th November
Caro got a lovely surprise for her Birthday...

Would be so lovely to see some of you there... :)

03/11/2011

Bonnie and Chris {Elopement}





















I haven't blogged a full wedding in a while.. it's been such a busy few months and actually quite refreshing to just get on with taking pictures, but I've just finished this wedding and I had to share it.
Bonnie and Chris got in contact a little while ago saying they were coming over from Hong Kong, by themselves to get married in Edinburgh. They were having a simple ceremony in a hotel and then wanted some pictures around the city... I loved the idea and as I was sat on the train up to Edinburgh I felt excited... excited about their story, the love but most of all the intimacy of the day.
The morning of the wedding came and they both started to get ready, Bonnie with the help of Hannah and Claudia (Hair and MUA) and Chris on his own. I honestly don't think there's anything more beautiful than both getting ready on your own to make a promise to each other. It had a different feel to it... a real atmosphere.. and the cutest was that Bonnie was super excited and Chris was incredibly nervous.
Me and Chris made our way into the ceremony room and along with the Hotel Manager (both myself and him were witnesses), Hannah and Claudia (Hair and Make-up) and the Registrar we waited for Bonnie. Chris turned to me with a very serious face and said "Emma are you nervous?", I said "I think I'm excited"... he then said "Are you going to cry?".. and I said "I might.." With that Bonnie entered the room in the most amazingly beautiful vintage dress and headpiece with a great beaming smile and Chris burst in to tears.
The ceremony was beautiful, just writing about it I'm smiling... it was so intimate and real and the love that came from them both was incredible.. they were really saying their vows to each other, nothing else mattered and by the end we were all crying, even the Registrar had to stop as she got choked. They did it, they declared their love to each other... and now Chris had a beaming smile to match Bonnies... :)
After the ceremony we went back to the room as Bonnie had a birdcage veil (two incredible veils in one day!)... and then we headed out by bus with coats and umbrellas to brave the Edinburgh weather. We then had the most amazing few hours wandering around the city taking pictures. We stopped for lunch and were given a free glass of champagne each and ended up in a well known Supermarket where Bonnie just kept picking random things up off the shelves to have a photo with..
It really was an incredible day. I actually feel that in some ways it's changed me as a photographer. It gave me time to concentrate on their story, their love and what's important and I maybe feel that I travelled back on the train with a slightly different pair of eyes...
I will always be a big part of Bonnie and Chris' wedding day (as a witness, their photographer and being, for the majority, their only guest) and for that I feel incredibly lucky and truly honoured. What a magical thing to experience.