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

Good Morning,

Well it has certainly been a busy few days and I think the weather was very kind for the South East and Sussex Wedding Photographers!

I recently photographed the pre-wedding shoot of Nicola and Chris at the lovely Yew Lodge in East Grinstead West Sussex. Chris is a landscape gardener and I think he felt right at home in the beautiful grounds of the lodge and having visited their home I know how fabulous his own garden is!

We had a great time walking, photographing and chatting and it made for a very lovely evening indeed.

Have a great day and watch out for some images of the lovely May this week.

Claire

Master Photographer National Awards 2011!! : Sussex Portrait Photographer

Good Afternoon from a very excited photographer in East Grinstead!

I was informed this morning that two of my images have been awarded Merits in the Master Photographers Association National Awards 2011. One in Classical Portraiture and the other in Fine Art; I am so happy as these images will now be in the finals and I will be pitting my wits against some of the photographic legends. The standard of this competition is really high and to gain a merit and a place in the finals is quite something.

I am still excited and what a fabulous start to the weekend.

Claire

The Many Faces of Jess! : Kent Location Photography

I had a fantastic shoot yesterday creating some imagery for a project that I am working on. Unfortunately the images will not be posted anywhere publicly for some time and the only person that will get to see them is my Mentor. However, we had some fun at the end of the shoot and I had a few minutes to capture these images of the wonderful, vibrant and funny Jess; and as a collection they just make me laugh, so I thought I would post them here to hopefully bring a little cheer to your day.

Isn't she just brilliant; can't wait for the next shoot Jess.

Claire

Emma Tindley Couture East Grinstead, West Sussex: Sussex Location Photography

Good Afternoon,

I hope you have all had a good week and you have lots of nice things planned for the weekend. More imagery again today and this is the beautiful shop of Emma Tindley Couture based in East Grinstead. Emma was a finalist in the Young Designer of the Year awards and I am certainly not surprised as her dresses are exquisite. We are creating a collection of imagery that is going to be used for her new website; it is extremely exciting and I cannot wait to see the finished product that will show the collection we photographed in April, the shop interiors and the new collection that she is planning for next year at a very special location. I was very privileged to have a sneaky preview at some of her materials and the one shown here is a French Chantilly Lace, which has recently been used in some of Vera Wang's designs. I cannot remember the celebrity who wore it but the lace was used in a dress by Vera Wang that recently featured in Hello magazine; just how fab is that...love it! The lace is just sublime close up. Emma will be available for appointments commencing 3rd September, so if you are getting married next year take a look at her beautiful dresses; you will not be disappointed and they are a pleasure to photograph.

Happy Friday everyone,

Claire

Paula - East Grinstead Pregnancy Photography: Sussex Portrait Photographers

Good Morning,

A little more imagery today; Paula came to the studio for a secret pregnancy portrait session as she wanted to give her partner a piece of art for his birthday; and what better than a beautiful image of her carrying their beautiful baby girl.

Pregnancy is such a beautiful time and often gets overlooked; I just love the contours of a pregnant woman. She is carrying the miracle of a new life and this should really be celebrated.

Here is an image of Paula and she was quite happy for me to post it to my blog, and who wouldn't be; she is gorgeous!

Their little girl has now been born and I cannot wait to photograph her in the next couple of weeks.

Have a great day,

Claire

Czarina and Ragnar - Portrait Photography East Grinstead West Sussex: Sussex Portrait Photgraphers

Good Morning,

I hope you all had a lovely weekend and managed to enjoy some sunshine. Czarina and Ragnar had some engagements portraits done ahead of their wedding next year. We were meant to be on location but the weather was not kind so we decided on a studio session. It was so lovely to hear of their wedding plans and their love for each other just exudes from the images so their wedding day will be very special indeed.

Thank you for letting me be a part of of your engagement story and it was a real pleasure to photograph you.

I cannot believe we are in the middle of August already, where is the year going!

Claire

Location Photography East Grinstead West Sussex

Good Morning,

Thought I would post some more imagery today; this was taken on a recent location shoot and I just love the wistful nature of the image. I have called it going home, look deep into the image and you will see why.

Enjoy your Sunday and I am having a client viewing day today, and I always enjoy those.

Claire

Lydia - Portrait Photography East Sussex

Good Morning,

Had the most fabulous day yesterday; I love this location and the array of photographic opportunities both inside and out just seems endless. Lydia has a timeless, classical beauty about her and it was hard to choose one for my blog, eventually I made a decision and here she is. The image was taken utilising the natural light available at the time with very little post production.

Have a great weekend whatever you are up to.

Claire

Julia Margaret Cameron

Good Morning,

A slightly different blog post today! Recently I went to an exhibition of Julia Margaret Cameron's work (1815-1879), she was a late blooming photographer who really experimented with portraiture. She was not afraid to close crop, blur and smudge her images, these methods so commonplace today were pioneering in her time. She was never afraid to use cracked negatives to create a new and interesting effect; and she was much derided by her fellow photographers.

I was wandering around the exhibition and could scarcely believe that some of these prints were 150 years old. She managed to capture a contemporary yet timeless element to her subjects that stand well with the imagery of today.

I did feel a little sad that photography and the art of taking an image seems to have become very devalued over the last decade and where are the prints that will be viewed in another 150 years; I truly hope they will not be lost in the digital mire. There are so many wonderful cameras on the market and in the right hands can really open up new and exciting opportunities for the photographers of today. On the flip side this new technology is giving rise to a fallacy that the camera will 'work' everything out and the operator will always get a good image. Alas this is not so, seeing light, creating light, composition, storytelling, instructing the camera and not letting it instruct you are the things that separate the a photographer from an operator who has bought a lovely camera.

All this from one exhibition, very profound; and I am sure she would be very pleased to think that generations later she is still having an effect on the photographers of today. I now know why I get so excited when I receive my albums and wall art back from the manufacturers, these images are here to stay for generation, upon generation of that person's family to look, touch and feel the emotion that was captured by the photographer and immortalised as a moment in time.

Have a great day everyone!

Claire

A lovely testimonial

Good Morning,

I just wanted to share a lovely testimonial that was written on the reviews section of my Facebook business page. It is always lovely to read people's experiences of my work and the service I offer and they never fail to bring a tear to my eye. Thank you and your words really do mean a lot to me.

Here is the review:

We were married on 25th June 2011 and were fortunate enough to be able to have Claire and her assistant record our perfect day for us.

We looked at a relatively small number of photographers before deciding on Woodland Hill, simply because we didn’t need to look any further once we had spent a small amount of time in Claire’s company and seen some of her beautiful work – not to mention baking skills!

Claire’s obvious photographic talent is there for all to see, it is the less tangible talent that makes her so special. Her personality, sense of humour and passion make her so much more than our wedding photographer. She was our guest whose company we are so thankful to have had on our day (before our day and since our day).

We couldn't be more delighted with the outcome of our wedding photography - all the photos are beautiful and more than we could have ever imagined and we have such a wonderful record of our day. The album is unique and timeless and something we will treasure forever.

I am confident you will not find a more skilful, enthusiastic and passionate photographer who will strike such an instant rapport with ALL of your guests however long you look.

Our guests have even commented on how brilliant she was! She made us and guests feel happy and confident in front of the camera and being people who don't like having their photos taken we and they enjoyed every minute of it - especially the fun evening shots at the Rocks with the bridesmaids and groomsmen!

Worth every penny and so, so much more.

Thank you Claire for helping to make our perfect day just that.

Monday at 16:13