Henk Van Kooten Seminar

I attended an all day seminar with Henk Van Kooten yesterday. I always love going to these events as it is always a good opportunity to catch up have a good old chat with my fellow photographers, in addition to listening to some truly inspirational speakers.

Henk Van Kooten is a Dutch photographer and his style of photography is truly amazing and it is not hard to tell the story and inspiration behind each image, although a couple had me baffled, but I am sure that was the intention!

It was a full day and the work he showed us was only the tip of the iceberg. The day ended with one of the most moving slideshows I have ever seen. At the end there was lots of blinking and looking up at the ceiling and I commend him for tackling this sensitive area is such a beautiful if heart wrenching way.

Back to work today and trying to absorb all the information that was imparted yesterday.

Hope everyone has the most wonderful bank holiday weekend.

Claire

Vic and Mark at The Ravenswood, Sharpthorne

It feels so good to be able to talk about Vic and Mark's wedding. The actual day was a secret and they had a masked ball in the evening to celebrate Vic's birthday and their very special wedding. It was great fun to watch and photograph the evening guests arriving and when they heard "we're married" it just did not sink in first time; then to see the looks of surprise and joy on their faces was wonderful and made for some great photography.

The Ravenswood is a stunning venue and I am lucky enough to be back there this weekend! Here are a couple of shots from the day. I hope you are having a wonderful honeymoon Vic and Mark and looking forward to seeing you next week.

Have a great weekend and I think it is going to be quite nice again.

Claire

Felbridge Hotel, East Grinstead and The Cupcake Kitten, Angmering, West Sussex

After photographing a really lovely wedding at The Ravenswood in Sharpthorne on Saturday it was off to a wedding fayre on Sunday at the Felbridge Hotel. This event was sponsored by Your Sussex Wedding and as always it is really nice to chat to engaged couples about the preparations they have for their big day. I never tire of hearing about the colour schemes, dress, venues and all the little touches they are planning to make their wedding really special. There is so much exquisite taste out there I am sure weddings bring out the creative side in everyone.

I had the good fortune to be sitting next to a lovely family company called The Cupcake Kitten and as you have probably guessed they make cakes...how lucky was I!! Jenny is the baker and she had some beautiful creations on her stand; there was one item that particularly struck me as being quite unique and it was called the cake pop. They were so beautifully done and really complimented her range of cakes and biscuits and I think they would make the most splendid favour at a wedding or take home gift at a party; the more I thought about it the cake pop's uses seemed to become endless. Lovely Jenny sent me home with some cupcakes and a cake pop and the delicious inside did not betray the outside. As I was half way through I occurred to me that I should have taken a picture of it; alas it was now to late so why don't you can pop along to their website and have a look for yourself.

I have one cupcake left and that is a treat to be savoured whilst editing my latest wedding!

Have a lovely week,

Claire

Portrait Photography East Grinstead - Mercedes and Anise

I photographed Mercedes and Anise my beautiful and gorgeous Goddaughters in the studio recently. Mercedes started senior school last September and it was this session that really highlighted how grown up she is becoming. What particularly shocked me? Well Mercedes is now marginally taller than me and I stress marginally, although I think this will be short lived! Anise has strict orders to stay shorter than me as I do not like being a shorty at all.

This session really shows how the girls are growing from beautiful girls into gorgeous young ladies and I really think my days of being a 'cool' Aunt may be numbered, so I have to make the most of this whilst I can.

Anyway here are some images of the girls and we already have another session planned...why not. Two fantastic models, and I think that's what they call Godmother perks!

Have a great week,

Claire

Lisa and Pete The High Rocks, Tunbridge Wells, Kent

Good Afternoon,

I know, I know I am like a bus you do not hear from me then two posts come along at once! Here are a few images from Lisa and Pete's pre-wedding shoot at the High Rocks in Tunbridge Wells. This is a truly beautiful venue and I had my wedding reception here 11 1/2 years ago so this shoot brought back all sorts of lovely memories.

The High Rocks themselves are wonderful to walk around and the varying light conditions made for some very interesting lighting. The images you see here were taken using natural light only.

We have some great plans in store for the big day itself so lots to look forward to.

Have a great weekend and if this lovely weather stays with us; enjoy!

Claire

Pre-Wedding Shoot at The Ravenswood, Horsted Keynes

Sorry it has been a while since my last blog update; April was a busy month and I am doing lots of editing to catch up, so I am hoping to be able to post some more images during May. Easter proved to be absolutely glorious and I really enjoyed the Royal Wedding; I was glued to the television all day and loved it!

I had a lovely pre-wedding session with Julian and Alyson at The Ravenswood; the evening light was glorious and it was really relaxing wandering around the magnificent grounds chatting about their forthcoming wedding and having some fun with the photography. I always love these sessions and it really gives my Brides and Grooms a good idea of being in front of the camera.

Here are a couple of images from the session and I particularly like the last image as it conjures up dreamy summer days for me; I am hoping to bring this style into my photography a bit more this year.

Copthorne Hotel, Effingham Park, Copthorne, Surrey

I am exhibiting at the Copthorne Hotel, Effingham Park Wedding Showcase on Sunday 17th April, 2011.

If you pop in come over to our stand for a chat; it would be lovely to see you.

Claire

April News and Editorial in Your Sussex Wedding Magazine

Good morning,

I hope you all had a lovely weekend; the weather was balmy yet again. In February I was asked to contribute to an article in the April/May edition of Your Sussex Wedding and I have scanned a copy of my article for you to see. I really enjoy writing and it is a real pleasure to see an article in print with my imagery.

April started off with a lovely shoot over the weekend and trying something completely new. I really enjoyed the session. It is always good for me to stretch myself in my photography, and with the permission of my client I am hoping to be able to post an image here soon; I do want her express permission due to the technique used.

I am on location later in April to photograph some of Emma Tindley's dresses for an event that we have coming up in May, and I will be posting more details about that nearer the time.

Wedding Season is about to start in earnest and I am really looking forward to my pre-wedding shoots in some truly beautiful locations. The High Rocks, Tunbridge Wells, The Bluebell Railway and The Ravenswood to name a few, so lots to look forward to.

Have a great week everyone and I hope you enjoy the article!

Claire

Masters of Light Seminar - Leamington Spa

Good Morning,

I must say the weather over the last week has been absolutely glorious and some days felt more like May than March. The sunny days have definitely given me a spring in my step!

I travelled to Leamington Spa this weekend to attend a Masters of Light Seminar with three very eminent and fabulous photographers. Martin Grahame-Dunn, Kevin Wilson and Oz Kharawala presented a two day programme covering a wide spectrum of subjects and I have so much from the weekend to take away with me.

I was hoping that the weekend would help to clarify the next step in my photographic journey and I had some ideas prior to the weekend. It is amazing how these things really take shape and I now have the theme in my mind, so it is just a matter of executing it now! This week sees me much more office based apart from a very special studio sitting on Wednesday, and I hope to chat with my mentor Kevin Pengelly to go through my ideas with him.

Have a wonderful week and now the clocks have moved forward I feel like summer is on its way and as each day I see some more wonderful flora and fauna waking up from its long winter sleep; how wonderful!

Claire

Felbridge Hotel and Spa, East Grinstead - Wedding Showcase

Good Morning,

Lots to do today after a great day at the Felbridge Hotel and Spa Wedding Showcase yesterday. I had some lovely chats and it is always so nice to hear everyone's exciting wedding plans. For all of you who requested details, these are currently being prepared and will be going in the post today.

Congratulations to the four lucky winners of a studio experience and 10 inch framed print and they are, Emma Lipscomb, Hayley Sims, Shelley Dibbon and Czarina Tiley. Thank you to Paul G Smith, who is the most wonderful Toastmaster for picking the lucky winners at random.

I do like a wedding fayre; Nikki and I got to meet so many nice people and chatting to them is a real pleasure but it is also really nice to catch up with suppliers old and new such as Carly, Libby and Skyla from The Felbridge Hotel and Spa, Joanne from Elegant Stationery in Haywards Heath, Paul G Smith our lovely Toastmaster from East Grinstead, Lisa Jane from Crystal Brides in Horsham, George Moss Jewellers from Uckfield, Lovely Orchard Nurseries in East Grinstead and Cakeability in Forest Row.

Have a great week everyone and Spring is really in the air now, so not long until the long summer days are here again.

Sussex Photographers - Master Photographers Association

Well it has been a whirlwind couple of days for me as I was judged for my Master Photographers qualification and I am pleased to say it was a unanimous pass by the Judges. I had a lovely comment from the observer, who is also a qualified Judge to say that my panel was beautiful. I am extremely pleased and it is the culmination of lots of hard work including the Diploma in Photographic Practice.

I am now Claire Hill LMPA DipPP, Accredited Master Photographer; wow it feels so good to be able to say that.

The photographic journey continues for me and now is not the time to rest on my laurels; it is a time to continue to develop; continue to love photography and relish in finding new and different ways to photograph people and bring out the beauty that exists in us all.

Claire Hill LMPA DipPP
Accredited Master Photographer