Mercedes' Birthday Shoot - East Sussex Portrait Photographer

Good Afternoon,

Recently my Goddaughter Mercedes had a birthday shoot with her friends to celebrate her 13th birthday....well what's the point in having an Aunt/Godmother as a photographer if you cannot have a shoot whenever you want one!

This is one of the few sessions that is not secret. We had a fairly varied session that went from high to mid to low key and all the girls looked absolutely stunning. After the session it was off to The New York Coffee Club in East Grinstead where Ashley was over the moon to spot Peter Andre's brother Danny; I think all the girls were hoping that Peter Andre would pop up but alas no! Never mind girls there is always next time.

I still have frame orders to complete and I am awaiting deliveries of wall art; I will be relieved when it is all done and with all my clients in time for Christmas. I had a great studio session this afternoon and I am looking forward to another 1/2 day in the studio tomorrow too.

Enjoy your Friday and ho, ho, ho,

Claire

Last Order Dates: West Sussex Photographer

Good Morning Everyone,

I thought I would keep the festive theme going and post an alternative view of my Christmas tree. As you can see I am not known to hold back on the decs! This week is the last week that orders can be made to ensure they arrive in time for Christmas; so things are a little hectic chez Woodland Hill!

The majority of the sessions are for Christmas surprises and I will not be blogging anything from these until January so as not to ruin things. There is all sorts of subterfuge going on at the moment and I love it :) I also have some nice blog posts planned for January that will cheer up what can be quite a dreary month.

I am starting to feel a wonderful atmosphere now as everyone is planning their Christmas with loved ones. I love getting together with my family to make new memories and reminisce over our childhood Christmases, which are dear to my heart. We had huge Christmases as a child and I loved them; I think my Mother, Nan and Aunts were such troopers to make everything so special and memorable. There are so many stories to be told and it is great telling my cousins who are not so little now the antics that my Brother and my Cousins got up to when we were younger; often met with a few glares from the elders...ahh happy days! For those of you who know me would probably not be surprised to know that antics were involved somewhere; and for my poor parents it was double trouble with my Brother and me :)

If you are having your Christmas party this week have a great time and enjoy singing along to all those Christmas classics.

Claire

Ashdown Park Hotel, Wych Cross, East Sussex: East Sussex Location Photography

Good Evening,

Welcome to a festive post! I recently photographed a really lovely family at Ashdown Park Hotel and the shoot was to celebrate Maggie's birthday. What a wonderful weekend she had with her family and it was full of surprises, which just kept on coming; so much so I think she couldn't believe it. Her wonderful sons in addition to the weekend, this shoot and a beautiful huge framed print of her choice have also given her a once in a lifetime trip to New Zealand! Sons of the world you have an awful lot to live up to because this will take some topping.

Here is a slideshow of the shoot and I hope it brings back lots of memories of a truly fantastic weekend.

Enjoy your weekend everyone; I am all set for the studio tomorrow so looking forward to my sessions with my ever gorgeous clients.

Claire

Sweet Little Blings: West Sussex Photography

Good Afternoon,

I have been doing some product photography for a new company called Sweet Little Blings and the first items to come into the studio are these personalised dummies to bring a little sparkle to your baby's life. They have all sorts of things they are going to produce with a great emphasis on the Bride to Be and the wedding day, so I am really looking forward to seeing what arrives next. I know that one side of the product range will be very difficult to photograph and not eat!

Their website is being designed as we speak so keep any eye out for this great new company.

I hope you are all coping with this wacky weather we are having at the moment and your Christmas preparations are going well. I have a something a little festive to blog later in the week.

Enjoy your windy evening...cue a Brussel Sprouts joke!

Claire

Heather and Roy's Engagement: West Sussex Wedding Photographer

Good Afternoon,

Recently I photographed Heather and Roy's Engagement Party at Clair Hall in Haywards Heath. It is a really nice start to their wedding story as I am photographing their wedding next year at South Lodge. They had the most lovely blessing conducted by the vicar who will be marrying them next year. Roy placed the engagement ring on Heather's finger and it was the first time that her ring had been seen in public. It was such a special moment and has really marked the start of their new life together.

Here are three pictures from the evening, one of Heather and Roy and they are so in love it is a joy to see, another of this gorgeous little boy who was having a quiet nap as it was way past his bedtime and one just after the blessing.

December is now well and truly upon us as I am going to try and snatch some time in the evenings to put up my decorations as I just love this time of year.

If you are Christmas shopping...have fun!

Claire

Paul G Smith Installation Luncheon - The London Guild of Toastamsters

Good Morning,

Yesterday we attended the installation luncheon for the London Guild of Toastmasters. Paul G Smith who I think is the best Toastmaster ever is now the President of the London Guild of Toastmasters, and it was a real honour to be present as he was installed in his new position.

We had an amazing lunch at the Kingswood Golf and Country Club and it was lovely to see everything looking so festive. After the lunch there were some very good speeches; and of course they would be. I did feel very sorry for the Toastmaster who is now the vice president having to be the official Toastmaster at an event of Toastmasters; now that's pressure!

There was an excellent raffle and all proceeds went to Hounds for Heros, which is a very worthy cause, some of the stories told brought tears to my eyes. Over £1,000.00 was raised in total and I won a spa day for two at Alexander House, how fabulous!

The day did not end there as it was rounded off with some carol singing, I had to cajole but I managed to get our table to animate the 12 days of Christmas. They were unsure but where we lead others merely followed and not before long the whole room was involved; so I consider that one a personal success.

I have also had a honour bestowed upon me as I will be photographing Paul in his official uniform with the President's chain. Looking forward to it too.

Thank you all for a fantastic afternoon and here's to a successful Presidency Paul.

Claire

Molly: West Sussex Portrait Photographer

Good Morning,

My gorgeous Cousin Molly and I recently had a 'play' session in the studio. It was a fairly dreary Monday morning and we fancied taking some images and just seeing what I could come up with. As a result of the session some very interesting images were taken that I am now going to perfect. This has reinforced my belief in just experimenting and playing in a stress free environment; it is often the time when new ideas are born. I had a good old chat with my Mentor Kevin about it and I will be back in the studio to expand on the idea and play with the light.

So the image I am posting of Molly today is not one of the prototypes but a classical portrait, which I love to bits, showing Molly as the beautiful young woman that she is. It seems like only 5 minutes since I was carrying her around as a baby and she believed our car had a magic roof!

Claire

Rememberance Sunday at Horse Guards Parade, London

Good Morning,

I was exhibiting with Emma Tindley at The Institute of Directors at 116 Pall Mall on Sunday; it was a stone's throw from Horse Guards Parade and Emma and I had the great privilege to be able to witness the gun salute with the two minute silence.

I was moving to see soldiers both young and old coming together to remember those that have fallen and to give thanks to the great sacrifice they made for future generations. Both my Grandfathers served in the First World War; luckily they survived but so, so many did not and have not since. My Uncle was a Paratrooper in the Second World War, again he was lucky enough to survive but when he used to recount the experience of jumping from the plane whilst being shot at by the enemy; one can only be amazed he made it through.

Today these experiences are usually in the form of games on the Wii and Xbox, but so many young men had to experience the reality and still do today, we must give thanks to those who fought and continue to fight for us.

I am attaching the video showing the two minute silence on Sunday; the guns were extremely loud, so much so they set car alarms off and that small scream you can hear is Emma as we both jumped out of our skins! The other image is of Horse Guards Parade with the London Eye in the background. I only had my trusty iphone with me on Sunday so images and video are from that today!

International Loupe Awards 2011- Silver!: West Sussex Portrait Photographer

Good Morning Folks,

Well after an very eventful, productive and long day exhibiting at 116 Pall Mall in London; I returned to home last night to check my e-mails to find that I had been Awarded a Silver in the 2011 International Loupe Awards for the Abstract/Illustrative category. This morning I have been informed that the second image I entered in Portrait and People category has been also awarded a Silver in the 2011 International Loupe\Awards. I cannot believe it, two Silvers!!!

I am extremely pleased and grinning from ear to ear!

Another blog post to follow with some i phone footage of an extremely moving remembrance Sunday that we had the privilege to witness at Horse Guards Parade.

Enjoy your week everyone.

Claire

Wedding at the Felbridge Hotel, East Grinstead, West Sussex

Good Morning,

The image from today is a blast from the past; well last year! I am in the middle of doing a print order and this was one of the chosen ones. As soon as I opened the file I remembered how emotional this shot was. Graham's Mother is not too well and had to leave the wedding early; as they were saying goodbye to her she started crying and Graham bent down to comfort her. It was just one moment in time, but when I look at the image I am immediately transported back to the emotion that I felt when I pressed the shutter, so I cannot imagine the emotions that Graham was feeling. It seemed so right to have it in today's blog post; today is 11.11.11 and at 11.11 I will be remembering all of those who fought to give us the freedom and democracy that we all enjoy so freely today.

On another note; there has been much excitement in East Grinstead this week with the opening of Peter Andre's New York Coffee Club. Peter Andre is a resident of East Grinstead and has chosen to open his first coffee shop in his hometown. Monday and Wednesday saw screaming girlies, a few celebrities and free coffee. I don't think I have ever seen the High Street with crowd control, Police and bouncers all at the same time!

Have a great weekend everyone; I will be exhibiting at 116 Pall Mall on Sunday 13th November and I have a very special studio session tomorrow so a busy one for me.

Claire

The Girls: West sussex Portrait Photography

Good Morning,

I recently had a lovely but poignant studio session with three lovely girls; they are firm friends. The reason for the session was to create some memories that they could keep before Jennie returned home to Zimbabwe. We had lots of fun creating glamour and guffaw, and it is nice to think that as Jennie is enjoying some lovely weather she can look back at the images of her friends. I have posted an image of the girls together and one of Jennie.

I really enjoyed catching up with this year's and next year's wedding clients over the weekend, and as usual had some fabulous chats...I do love a good chat! Have a great week everyone; I have lots to do and a few bits to get ready for my wedding fayre on Sunday.

Claire

116 Pall Mall Wedding Showcase!

Good Afternoon,

I am very happy to say that I will be exhibiting at the 116 Pall Mall Wedding Showcase on 13th November. This building is stunning and situated in the heart of London; the building has the most beautiful stairs that are licensed for weddings, yes you read it correctly, they are that beautiful!

Have a great weekend everyone, I will be busy photographing an engagement party and also seeing clients for new weddings and viewings. Enjoy the fireworks; I know I am looking forward to them.

Claire

Jane and Nick, Copthorne Gatwick Hotel, Copthorne, West Sussex: West Sussex Wedding Photographers

Good Morning,

Recently I photographed the wedding of Jane and Nick. We started off at the most gorgeous St Bartholomew's Church in Burstow then the fun ensued at the Copthorne Hotel London Gatwick. We had loads of fun on the day and I was laughing so much my sides began to ache! Nick has a close group of friends who really looked after them both on the day, so thank you lads for all your help. I have chosen two images of Nick and Jane for this post, but the third one was with the lads. I saw this location and immediately thought of Star Trek, so we did a 'beam me up Scotty' inspired shot; much to the amusement of people walking by! You really do not want to know where we went next but the looks got even stranger; ahhh happy days!

I hope you are all having a productive week, I have been busy editing, designing albums and yesterday I had a great test shoot for a commission coming up in Spring 2012.

Live long and prosper :)

Claire

Your Kent Wedding Magazine Editorial: Kent Wedding Photography

Good Morning,

I hope you all had a great weekend and have your sweets ready. Mine have stayed firmly hidden away otherwise there would be none left for the children this evening!

I was asked by Your Kent Wedding to supply an image for their photographers feature in the current issue of the magazine. The editorial they decided to use although short does sum up, for me, what the first dance is all about.

Have a great week and enjoy yourselves this evening.

Claire

Jasmine: West Sussex Children's Portrait Photography

Good Morning,

I recently photographed a lovely portrait session as a surprise gift for Jasmine's Grandparents. It was fantastic madness!

I thought I would post this image as it looked like the session was calm and tranquil, if only you could all see what was happening around this image it would have made you a laugh, and I certainly had a great time.

Today and tomorrow I am seeing clients to chat about their weddings next year, so lots more lovely things to discuss.

Have a great weekend and have any of you started your Christmas shopping yet? I confess I have.

Claire

Alexis: West Sussex Portrait Photography

Good Morning,

Something a little different today and may not be to everyone's taste but I like to experiment with my photography. Alexis came along with her Mum to have a portrait sitting and we had a great session using high, mid and low key styles. At the end of the session I wanted to try something a little different and my aim was to try and create an ethereal ghost like image and here it is.

When I take a photograph, my aim is to try and capture what I have in my head at the time so I end up with a real photograph rather than the composite/montage digital art that seems to be popular now, which relies entirely on photoshop. This image was created in the studio with very little post production and is what Alexis saw on the back of my camera during the session.

I had a very busy weekend photographing a wedding in the most glorious Autumn sunshine followed by some lovely chats with potential wedding clients and I am pleased to say I will now be photographing their special days next year. They have new and exciting things planned so I am getting excited already!

Have a great week everyone.

Claire

Grace: West Sussex Newborn Photography

Good Morning,

I recently photographed Grace's newborn session and it was so lovely to meet her having photographed her as a bump! She was about 2 1/2 weeks old in these images and I was really surprised by the strength that she had for one so young. I have chosen these images as she looks so unfazed by the whole experience and is just chillin'.

Have a great week everyone, the Autumn colours are really starting now so hopefully we will see some glorious hues soon.

Claire

Eva: West Sussex Children's Portrait Photography

Good Afternoon Folks,

Hope this blog post finds you all well. I recently photographed the lovely Eva, the story starts when I photographed Eva's Grandfather's wedding, then I photographed Eva's Mummy and Daddy's wedding. Little Eva was just a bump when I first photographed her and a month old when she had her first out of bump studio experience and here stood before me was this beautiful little girl who was just sitting up when she last came to me. Now she is walking and loves to talk to Daddy on the telephone; not quite sure Daddy understands it all. I translated a few of words and it was first, car, Ferrari; now don't say I didn't warn you Dad, you have 16 years to save up!

KJ Floral Designs: Sussex Commercial Photography

Good Morning,

I have been photographing the beautiful flowers of KJ Floral Designs and these will now be replacing the imagery that is currently on the website. Kirsty is an extremely talented florist and has produced flowers for UK and international royalty. She is now setting up her own business and will be specialising in wedding and event floristry. Kirsty is familiar with the many beautiful venues we have in the area and works alongside the fantastic wedding and event decorators Reveries. Now that's a match made in Heaven!

Have a great week; I am getting back to normal after the Master Photographers Association Awards 2011 for which I was very pleased to be awarded two Merits in Fine Art and Classical Portraiture. Cannot wait for next year now!

Claire

Spa Hotel Wedding Fayre, Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Good Morning,

Just to let you know that I will be exhibiting at the Spa Hotel Wedding Fayre tomorrow. It would be lovely to meet with you and have a chat about your wedding.

Hope to see some of you tomorrow.

Claire

Ladies' Night at Dale Hill Hotel and Golf Club: Sussex Event Photography

Good Afternoon,

I recently attended a Ladies' Night at Dale Hill Hotel and Golf Club. It was really lovely to see so many lovely ladies in the most beautiful dresses and you were all a pleasure to photograph. It really reminds me of James Bond seeing a tuxedo and a glamorous dress. I also had some wonderful chats as well!

I enjoyed having a a few days off, especially over the weekend, which is a rarity in my industry and the weather was a real bonus too.

Enjoy the week everyone,

Claire

Another lovely Album!: West Sussex Wedding Photographers

Good Morning,

Wow, what amazing weather we are having, and I am particularly excited as I am having two whole days off this weekend!

I thought I would post another album image today; this album is a very simple, elegant design and I really like the metal engraving with the Bride and Groom's names.

The whole experience surrounding these albums is just lovely, they come in beautiful boxes and they are contained in fabric bags, just what you would expect when buying something exclusive. It is the album equivalent of Jimmy Choo's!!

Have a great day and I think we should all meander in the sun eating ice cream!

Claire

Kirsty: East Grinstead Portrait Photography

Good Morning,

Recently I photographed a studio session with the lovely Kirsty; I have chosen to share this image with you because Kirsty ordered this as a panoramic 40 x 20 inch acrylic and it looked fabulous. I think the image has real drama with this crop and the high gloss made it into a piece of art that looks wonderful on her wall.

As well as being incredibly photogenic Kirsty is an accomplished florist and has produced flowers for royalty amongst other well known people in the past. She is in the process of setting up her own business and we have lots of plans to photograph her creations, so plenty to look forward to.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed a little Autumn sunshine. For me it was a working weekend. I met some very interesting people at an event on Saturday evening followed by numerous chats about future weddings at the South Lodge Wedding Fayre yesterday; I love hearing about the plans that you all have for your weddings, so it does not really seem like work!

Enjoy your week everyone,

Claire

South Lodge Wedding Fayre, Horsham, West Sussex

I will be exhibiting at the South Lodge Wedding Fayre on Sunday 25th September and it would be lovely to see you and have a chat about your big day.

Hope to see you tomorrow.

Claire

Isle of Wight

Good Morning,

The Equinox occurred on 21st September with 12 hours daylight and 12 hours darkness, so now starts the turn from longer days to longer nights. I love the seasons and each one has its beauty and I think as photographers we are very lucky to have such a varied climate; despite the constant complaining about the weather!

Today I am including some personal imagery that takes us back to the heady days of summer. We were lucky enough to enjoy a couple of days in the Isle of Wight in July. I had a wedding the previous day and before I could 'clock' off I had to ensure the images were backed up and another set off site. It was only a couple of days; it was so relaxing it felt like a week. We stayed with some lovely friends who took us to this little restaurant tucked away in the rocks that served just lobster and prawns. It is extremely popular on the island and just simple and lovely. On the way out I saw this door and loved it, I had visions of 'Under Milk Wood' and 'Doc Martin' of all things! To me this image summed up the ethos of the restaurant.

That evening we were talking in their lounge, which has big velux windows giving the most beautiful unsullied view of the sky. I spent quite a while gazing at the moon and watching the various cloud formations pass through, so I thought I would pop one on here for you to see.

Thank you Cay, Phillip and Amy for a really relaxing couple of days and yes this is the first chance I have had to look at the images properly!

Enjoy the weekend and I think we will be seeing some autumn colours starting to appear soon.

Claire

Jane and Nick, Copthorne Gatwick Hotel, Copthorne, West Sussex

Good Morning,

I hope you all had a brilliant weekend; I had a great time in the studio on Saturday and tried out something completely new so looking forward to editing that session! It was great to meet potential wedding clients and chat about the plans they have for their special day and then to have a wedding viewing to reminisce about how lovely their day was. It is always pleasing when they say "wow I forgot about that, ooh is that what happened before I arrived".

Recently I had a great pre-wedding session with Jane and Nick at the Copthorne Gatwick Hotel. This is another venue with some beautiful grounds to stroll around, we have so many in area I do feel a little spoilt. Their young son Harry had a brilliant time running around and it made for some funny moments during the shoot.

Looking forward to seeing you soon and yes Harry I will try and bring some chocolate rolls!

Have a great week,

Claire

Julie and Jon The Beacon, Tunbridge Wells, Kent: Kent Wedding Photographers

I recently photographed the wedding of Julie and Jon at the very picturesque Beacon Hotel near Tunbridge Wells, Kent. We were extremely lucky with the weather, it stayed dry until 10 minutes after they sat down to eat and the rain was relentless for the entire evening; so no more going outside for us that day! Julie and Jon had a wonderful time celebrating with their family and friends and I had so much fun with you all. Jon has the most infectious smile I have ever seen, he gets that from his equally lovely Dad and I giggled all the way through the edit. I think the pictures of Julie and her Dad speak for themselves what a truly lovely and funny man, although I was told off my Julie's Mum for encouraging him ... it was worth it!

Have a great weekend everyone,

Claire

Wakehurst Place, Ardingly, West Sussex

Good Morning,

I hope your week has gone well and here we are again at Friday!

Last night I attended a function at Wakehurst Place to celebrate the opening of a new venue for weddings. Going forward as well as being able to have your reception in the magnificent mansion house you now have the choice of the seed bank.

For those of you that have been to Wakehurst you will know that they are doing magnificent work in building an archive of the world's seeds to ensure that the world's amazing flora and fauna does not become extinct.

The seed bank building is in contrast with the mansion house with its contemporary lines and would make for some very interesting photography and I for one am very excited at the prospect of photographing a wedding there.

It goes without saying that any wedding that takes place at Wakehurst comes with the most beautiful grounds that just takes your breath away.

It was nice to know that Wakehurst Place uses the profits from its weddings and events to plough back into the seed bank and grounds to keep this venue looking gorgeous and to ensure the seed project continues to grow; how brilliant is that.

It doesn't matter whether you are getting married or not go an have a visit to this tranquil paradise and try the scones, they are just yummy!

Enjoy the weekend, I am in the studio on Saturday and I am also seeing lots of lovely wedding clients new and old.

Claire

Nicola and Chris Yew Lodge East Grinstead West Sussex: West Sussex Location Photographer

Good Morning,

Happy and a slightly less windy Tuesday everyone.

I recently photographed the wedding of Nicola and Chris and we were so lucky with the weather just the odd shower here and there. The day started off at the Selsdon Park Hotel a most magnificent building and Nicola organises many events for them so she had the run of one of their wonderful suites. The next step was the most gorgeous St Mary's Church in Farleigh tucked away down a beautiful lane and surrounded by fields and inside it twinkled delightfully with lots of candles. Next stop was the wonderful Yew Lodge in East Grinstead and this venue never fails to delight with its many photographic opportunities; I am sure was a feast for Chris' eyes as he is a landscape gardener (and a very good one too).

It was a lovely day and I really enjoyed photographing you all, Nicola wanted lots of Bride and Groom portraiture and it was such a joy, and I even think Chris enjoyed it a bit too!

Looking forward to seeing you soon you two.

Claire

Lovely Album Covers: West Sussex Wedding Photography

Good Afternoon,

Well it is the end of another week and to everyone getting married tomorrow, including my lovely Bride and Groom I hope you all have the most wonderful day.

I thought I would share a lovely album cover with you; I only use one very exclusive album company now and they have so many wonderful coverings that would suit most wedding themes. This cover was the exact colour and pattern of the coat of a recent Groom of mine and it looked fabulous on their album. It really completed the whole theme of their wedding, so I though I would share with a little bit of imagery.

Enjoy the weekend and let's hope we have a few dry spells.

Claire

Julie and Jon The Beacon, Tunbridge Wells, Kent: Kent Wedding Photography

Good Morning,

I recently photographed Julie and Jon's pre-wedding shoot at their gorgeous wedding venue The Beacon in Tunbridge Wells Kent. We had great fun planning the photography for their big day, the theme of their wedding is very close to their hearts and so fitting to the county of Kent. Having grown up in Tunbridge Wells and frolicked amongst the 'gardens' and orchards myself as a child, I cannot wait to see the finished theme.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend; I saw lots of lovely clients on Saturday and it was a pleasure to talk about some really exciting plans for a wedding that I now have for 2013. I never tire of hearing the lovely things that couples are planning for their weddings, and there is always something new to look forward to that I have not photographed before too. We are so lucky to have so many beautiful locations for wedding photographers in Surrey, Sussex and Kent.

Well it is back to editing weddings and studio sessions for me, so I hope you all have a great day.

Claire