Open Leaf Images Photography

Allerton Castle - Eliza and Matthew

This was a very special wedding for me as I have known Eliza for some 27 years with us both sharing family friends (The Courtneys) and spending many holidays and Christmases together. 

I have not had time to look through all the images yet as the wedding was in North Yorkshire yesterday and I had another wedding in Kent today. I am a busy man! I have just picked a few immediate images that stuck out to me.

There is no other way to describe how Eliza looked apart from stunning. She wore a Couture dress made by Allison Rodgers, with hair and make up by the beautiful and amazing Anthea Clark. This was a special wedding so the pressure was on to capture images consistent with the day.

The wedding encapsulated elegance and finesse with the pre-wedding dinner the night before being a great success, bringing many people together on the day ensuring a wonderful atmosphere throughout. 

I will be making a slideshow of the highlights in the next couple of days. If you would like to be informed of the address of this please leave a comment at the bottom of this post with your email address. This will not be published. 

Cooling Castle - MIchelle and Graham

3 weeks ago I shot Michelle and Graham's wedding at Cooling Castle in Kent. I think it was the second or third time this year I had been there as it is such a popular and great venue.

Michelle had 7 bridesmaids and Graham 6 groomsmen so a pretty large group to say the least! It was all really good fun photographing the day for them though and the weather was perfect. Michelle and Graham specifically only wanted a few group shots which was fantastic as it can spoil the flow of the day if you have too many.

I really enjoyed the vibe as everyone was is excellent spirits and there was a good party atmosphere. The kids could play on the lawn and having dodged the proverbial guest who fancies himself as a photographer we got some lovely shots of the couple during the day. 

Eastwell Manor - Julie and Ian's wedding photos...

I love photographing weddings at Eastwell Manor as that is where I got married almost 10 years ago. Julie and Ian's wedding was one of the first this year with the Christmas tree up so it looked spectacular. It did rain all day but this really wasn't a problem as the house has so many places to photograph inside that you are almost spoiled for choice.

Here are a few samplers for you...

 

London Club - Claire and Russell...

Sorry I have not been posting much recently - having got the gallery/meeting room and studio I have have all my time swallowed up refurbishing it. I am hopeful that it will be ready just before Christmas but will probably wait until the January before buying a souper dpuper 50"+ Plasma for the viewings.

I recently photographed Claire and Russell's wedding at the London Golf Club which all went according to plan apart from the weather which was a little cold and windy and wet!. This did not detract from the day at all though. Everyone stayed upstairs at the venue which enabled the happy couple to see and talk to everyone a lot more easily. 

Apart from a few shots of the boys outside the front door all the photographs were taken inside (my last 3 weddings have been the same).

Eastwell Manor - Elizabeth and Ian's wedding...

I shot Elisabeth and Ian's wedding a few weeks ago and wanted to share some photos with you. The ceremony was held at the church in Boughton Monchelsea near Maidstone and the reception at Eastwell Manor near Ashford.

Choosing a Wedding Photographer - Part 1

I have recently written an article crammed full of advice on choosing a wedding photographer. It looks at the many pitfalls couples encounter and addresses some common concerns and questions. It is quite lengthy so I have serialized it with each section published weekly. Please pass the link on (www.dpearce.typepad.com) to your friends who are also getting married.

Choosing your photographer is perhaps the most daunting task you will have after your venue choice and table plan. By reading this, I assume that you already realise that you need a professional photographer to capture your wedding, and not a friend or colleague who happens to have a nice camera and does it as a hobby. Wedding photography is a very specialist field to master, fully understand and execute well. It is not a fully transferable skill – for example a top end advertising photographer would have a hard time as it is so different, fast paced and instant. It is almost impossible to expect a friend to do a competent job, let alone a good one. They will simply achieve snapshots.

It is very hard to choose a photographer because, unlike virtually everything else you will choose for your wedding, prices vary enormously. Not in the tens or hundreds of pounds like cars or invitations but in the thousands often. This makes it very confusing as the majority of you will never have hired a professional photographer before. I hope to make it a little easier for you by detailing below why prices vary so much and if they are worth it.

It is difficult to know where to start, as there are so many aspects involved. First and foremost though, the golden rule is that whether they cost £500 or £5000 you have to love the photographers work. It sounds like common sense but how many times do you hear that someone hated their wedding photos? Usually it is because they did not follow the advice below and chose the wrong photographer or simply did not budget enough for one that could meet their expectations.

All photographers are not the same hence the vast array of prices. The industry in ungoverned so anyone can set themselves up as a wedding photographer – you could tomorrow if you wanted. This means that there are a great deal of people doing this at the weekend in addition to their regular job. This raises a number of questions, such as do they have full insurance, why don’t they do it full time, how can they devote 100% attention to your wedding, do they have all the equipment that they need etc? If they were good why are they not full time? You can usually spot a part timer as their prices are cheap and generally the quality lower than a full time professional. BUT – there are some brilliant part time wedding photographers out there and this will be evident in their work. They will work exactly like a full time pro and will have addressed the points coming in next weeks installment...

Louise and Andrew in Dublin...

Last weekend saw me fly over to Dublin to photograph the lovely wedding of Louise and Andrew. On arrival it was teaming with rain and the forecast did not look good. On waking up on Saturday though the sun was shining and it was warm. Fantastic!

The wedding was not until 14:00 but as I had nothing else to do and Louise wanted certain shots taken I arrived at her house at 11:00. Unfortunately when a bride has everything all planned out detailing were everyone will be and at what time it rarely goes to plan. This was the case with Louise who managed to be 45 minutes late to the ceremony! I think Andrew (and the guests) were getting a little worried :)

It makes no difference to me but meant that we missed so many shots that she had requested and ones that I usually do as a matter of course. Never mind - the rest of the day was fantastic and everyone was absolutely charming. I really did enjoy being there and being part of their day.

The reception was at Richard Corrigans restaurant "Bentleys" on St Stephen's Square which proved the perfect setting in exquisite surrounding and superb food.

I wanted to include a photo of Louise's brother James who competed in the Special Olympics in Shanghai last year in basketball. I thought it was an amazing achievement and an incredible experience. James was really welcoming and keen to show me his medal which he is duly proud of. Good on you James - it was an honour to meet you!

David Pearce Photography

Michelle and Graham's E-Shoot...

Last week I went out with Michelle and Graham on an engagement shoot. This is a fantastic way of seeing how easy it is to work with me and shows you how un-stressful it actually is. Most couples have them printed up into a 10x8 book which they use as a guest book. I leave the first 10 or so pages blank for everyone to sign - it always goes down really well on the day!

Here are a few to show you..

David Pearce Photography

Michelle and John...

What a glorious day - wonderful weather and a great couple. It makes life far too easy for me!

I loved the fact that there 5 bridesmaids made up of their combined daughters and that John's son was his bestman. He did really well and gave a great speech (one of 6 given which must be a record!) and the girls looked fabulous.

We were lucky that Heathfield Hall allowed us to use their grounds for some images giving us some privacy from the other guests. Here are a few teaser images so please feel free to leave comments at the bottom...

David Pearce Photography

Thank you cards...

It is always lovely to receive thank you cards from our bride and grooms - we really appreciate getting them! It is great to know that you have appreciated all the time, work and decision making that has gone into making those amazing albums!

I had 3 in the past fortnight so thought I would BLOG them. They range from weddings in May through to September.

Thank you are very much for being terrific brides and grooms! We had great fun working with you all.

David Pearce Photography