Artist's Commission - Hester & Phil's Wedding

In September last year I photographed the wedding of Hester and Phil Ashby.

After the wedding I was asked to make some of my photographs available to a local artist, Louise Braithwaite, who had been commissioned by a group of Hester & Phil's friends to paint a picture to commemorate their wedding day. Louise has a unique style and her paintings have been described as "happy Lowrys".

I was very interested to see how my photos had been used to create the painting and if you visit September 2008's blog entry you can see some of my photographs from their wedding. Here is Louise's painting of Hester and Phil's wedding which was a total surprise for them and they love it!


Louise accepts private commissions and if you are interested in a painting of your wedding, or would like to arrange one as a wedding gift, then please contact www.mulberrytreegallery.co.uk

Christmas in St. Ives

We have just returned from a week long break in St. Ives, Cornwall. St. Ives is a favourite place of mine as it never fails to deliver new interest and surprises each time I visit.

St. Ives was originally a fishing village, and much of the town's historical charm remains in the granite cottages and labyrinth of lanes and alleys in the area. Today St. Ives is made up of a mix of cosmopolitan restaurants, art galleries, beaches and stunning scenery.

Over the years many artists have been attracted to St Ives and there is a very strong artistic flavour in the town, which is also home to one of the Tate Galleries.

Here are a few images from our stay.

Wedding Photography 2009/10

I still have some availability for 2009 weddings, however, as I restrict the number of weddings I do each year, to give each couple the personal attention they deserve, dates are limited. So if you're looking for wedding photography in Dorset and West Hampshire, and you haven't booked your wedding photography for next year, please get in touch to check my availability.

Mobile Studio Kit

I thought I would make a blog entry to introduce my portable studio kit to demonstrate how images like this can be created in your home.


I have used the space in my own home to demonstrate the kit. My lounge has available space of 6x10', and the ceiling height is just over 7'.

The kit comprises of a pop-up background, a white floor train and two studio lights. One is used to illuminate the white background and the second is used to illuminate the subject.

The kit is extremely versatile for different spaces as the kit has been specifically designed for portable use where available space can be limited.

The kit is great for photographing babies and young children. As we all know children do not always perform to order and while I have always found children to be very willing and co-operative, it is good to know that if they need time-out they can do this in their own home where they are more likely to feel at ease.

Obviously the kit does have limited use as to the number of people I can photograph, but as a guide two adults and two children under five is the maximum the set-up can accommodate. For larger groups photographs taken on location using our wonderful local scenery make great backdrops for your images.

Being mobile also means that I do not bear the costs of running a studio, which is why I can offer good quality photography at very reasonable prices.

Autumn Fun!

I've been meaning to photograph the lovely colours of autumn and had my chance today.

We collected a few leaves and took them home to make leaf prints. You can see the results below.

An Afternoon in the Forest

Yesterday we went to the forest and I captured some natural images of the girls playing.

Photographing in simple black and white produces timeless images that will look as good in fifty years as they do today. Also when children are photographed having fun, natural portraits can be produced whether at home, in the garden, at their favourite park, or on the beach.

Here are a few images from our afternoon.

The Kittens

The kittens are now four months old and are growing rapidly. They have wonderful personalities and are very, very nosey. I took some pictures today of Chloe's newly decorated and very pink bedroom. It wasn't long before I had company ...