Joanna Barber Photography

"to every thing there is a season..."

2011-03-02T10:23:00.005Z

In my relatively short lifetime I have wanted to be a marine biologist, a nurse, a midwife, a vet, a superhero, a teacher, a linguist, an illustrator, a photographer, an Air Force pilot, the list goes on. I was not one of these children who ‘always knew’ what they would be when they grew up. My ‘dream career’ could change from one week to the next, heck; it could change from one minute to the next!

But there has been one constant in my dreams of the future. Whenever I was asked at high school “what would you like to do when you leave school?” or “where do you see yourself in 10 years time?” I would say (in all seriousness) “I see myself married and surround by kids!” Apparently that’s not what my teachers / career officers / mentors wanted to hear so I told them my ‘back up’ plan (see career list above!)

For as long as I can remember, being a wife and a mother (in that order) has been my life’s ambition – I couldn’t think of a greater future than marrying a loving (and handsome!) man and building a home together, and then filling that home with children!

I have looked forward to caring for my own children, teaching them and learning from them.

Well, now I have it – I am living the dream! (haha…. I’m going to keep it real here and say that when I envisioned this great and glorious future of mine I left out the part where I would spend the majority of my mornings picking up yesterdays dinner from off the floor! And I certainly didn’t see myself spending a good portion of my day smelling like baby throw-up and other spurious aromas!) But I love it, I really do.

For the last year I have been juggling the roles of mother and wife with the role of photographer and though I have loved being able to develop my skills and be part of so many people’s lives, my home life – this precious treasure that I have waited for and worked for, has suffered. Last year I felt that I was just ‘getting by’ in my life. That I could (only just) keep on top of everything but I wasn’t excelling at any of it.

I wasn’t being the wife or mother that I wanted to be (if you don’t believe me – you can come round and see my spare room which is where all the excess stuff got thrown last year and that now I have to somehow dig through and find my life again!! J)

It was clear to me that something had to give…

These decisions have been weighing on my mind for a while now and even when one can clearly see the best course of action, implementing those actions can be so hard.

This is not about whether I can ‘make it work’ or even whether a mother should have a career or work outside the home. We each do what we feel is right for us and this is about what is right for me and my family…. Right now.

So it is with a heavy heart (because the right decisions are not always the easiest!) that I leave behind professional photography, and pursue my life’s ambition… building a family of my very own. I have loved capturing your stories and I have loved been part of those tender moments that make up your lives. Who knows where I will end up and when we may meet again?

One thing is for certain, I won’t be leaving the world of photography completely behind.

Dominic sold one of our cameras (and bought a wii with it?!!!!) but I have managed to keep hold of the good camera (and I hid my favourite lens too so he can’t go and trade it in!!) and will continue to work on my skills and to capture the stories of our day to day lives because there is still so much to see and experience!

I will of course keep blogging (mostly because I love it – it’s like therapy… but cheaper!!) but this blog will most likely develop into something quite different from what it started out as…. I am excited to see it evolve and always, you are more than welcome to join me on this journey…

Special Delivery...

2011-02-04T14:14:00.002Z

Wow! The stork has certainly been busy around these parts...! (Before you ask, I'm not talking about us! haha!)

This time I'm talking about my sister and her husband who had a visit from the stork last week!

Meet my darling little niece Izzy...

Haha!! I *love* the hair!! It makes me think of a little fairy or a little imp! Sooooo cute!!

I love Caleb's reaction to meeting his newest cousin....

...But I think I love Izzy's reaction more....

Welcome to the ~~funny farm~~ family Izzy! We are so excited that you are here!

Thanks for stopping by - I will be back soon with another photoshoot to share!

capturing the 'everyday' moments

2011-01-20T18:45:00.004Z

I want to capture more of those everyday moments - those seemingly mundane tasks that actually make up our lives. Because really, our lives are not lived from one big celebration to the next, they are lived in those in-between times, each and everyday (yes, even those days when you get up and decide it is just too distressing to get dressed so you stay in your jammies until 3pm! What...?! Well obviously I'm not talking about myself here, noooooo! I mean....you know....other people! ahem!)

Moving on, have you heard of Project Life? It's quite HUGE in the scrapbooking world (for more information click here) and I am in *la-la-love* with this idea!! I'm feeling so inspired to take a picture every day of what's going on around here and what we're up to, jot down some journalling and call it good!

I have been involved with scrapbooking for about 8 or 9 years now (oh...my....word!! How old do I feel right now?!!) and to put things into perspective I am about 5 years behind in my scrapbooks! Yep - I said it - 5 years!! I haven't put our wedding pictures into an album (how's that for ironic?!) and I am ~~collecting bits and bobs that get shoved unceremoniously into an otherwise empty album for Caleb~~ working on Caleb's scrapbook here and there.

Alas, it means the day to day details of our lives, those funny little stories and the things that actually make us who we are, never get recorded. And that's sad because there is so much in those moments that make up our daily lives!

I have been quietly playing along with Project Life since the beginning of the year (without the kit as I can't afford to fork out $85 for the shipping! but that's a story for another day...) and already I have an album that is rich with pictures and stories of our lives. Like I said, I love it! (Actually I said I *la-la-love* it but it's getting late so I should probably stop singing!)

So here's the idea - you start any day you like (we started on Jan 2nd because I like my weeks to run Sunday - Saturday) and take a picture every day for a year. You can use a regular camera, or your phone's camera (we are using a mixture of pro camera equipment and just the cameras on our phones) - we're not too worried about having amazing-quality-fantastic-arty-farty shots here, we are just concerned with capturing the moment/s, otherwise we'd spend so much time everyday trying to get the perfect shot that our project life album would be just filled with pictures of us, working on the project life album... and what's the point of that?! haha!

Ok, I have talked more than enough! I just wanted to share with you a few of the pictures we have captured so far (and that are already becoming favourites of mine!)

This next picture makes me laugh so much every time I look at it! Dominic made the mistake of leaving his Christmas cheese board within reach of Caleb on the sofa and whilst he popped out to get something from the kitchen, Caleb saw an opportunity and seized it! Here he is with an entire block of cheddar, nibbling away at it like a little mouse!! haha!

Ok, I'll admit I did get a bit arty with this next one. It's because I was cold and getting bored waiting for Robin Hood! :-)

This one is Dominic with the new love of his life...

So there you have it, a little slice of our lives from the past couple of weeks. I'm really looking forward to all that this year brings - and especially I am looking forward to capturing (and celebrating) the every day moments.

A picture a day, for 365 days! Wish me luck!

amy + sam : wedding

2011-01-07T12:09:00.004Z

Last week Dominic and I headed up to Whitby for Amy + Sam's winter wedding! (Remember them from this post?)

Every now and then we come across couples who are so much more than clients... Amy + Sam (along with their families) are those people. From the moment we met them, they made us feel welcomed and a part of the family. We feel so fortunate to have met them and to have been able to be a part of their special day!

Amy + Sam were married at St. John's Church, Sleights and had an afternoon reception atTrenchers Restaurant. Later on in the evening, everyone headed up to the Saxonville Hotel for an evening celebration! Everything was so perfect! So classy and so...fun!! This is a couple who always seem to be smiling and who LOVE to laugh! (Check out the pictures of the speeches!)

I thought I'd try something a little different this time around... introducing my first attempt at a slideshow! (eeep! <--- that's my excited squeal! Ok, it's excitement mixed with anxiety in case it doesn't work!)

I had a really hard time narrowing down my favourites for the blog so the slideshow is quite long (6 mins) - and because it is my first time doing a slideshow I breeched all kinds of copyright laws which means it now doesn't have sound! (But hey, at least youtube didn't delete it and then drop-kick me off the site! We must be grateful for these small mercies!)

If you want the full effect, you should play Bruce Springsteen (Fall Behind) in the background whilst watching this, as that is the song that Amy + Sam chose for their first dance. Ok.... on with the show!!

Amy + Sam.... What can I say?! You are a lovely couple who kept us laughing all day!

Your wedding was wonderful... it all came together so beautifully!

Thank you for allowing us to share your day with you!

Much love and appreciation,

Jo + Dom

a look back at 2010

2010-12-31T17:35:00.003Z

Wow! Can you believe another year has flown by?!

I thought it would be fun to look back on our weddings from this past year and to say a huge THANK YOU to those couples who asked us to document their weddings and in doing so, invited us into their lives - even for a small moment. Thank you, Thank you for making this year so spectacular for us! We have loved spending time with you; sharing your excitement, your joy, the laughter and the tears!

Here is the '2010 Hall of Fame'......

**you may notice quite a few weddings that haven't been blogged before - this is because I decided to move blogs half way through wedding season! (Not recommended!) I will try to get them up in the new year**

Arlene + Graeme:

Nat + Shane:

Lauren + Karl:

(Dominic's sister!!)

Stacey + Devin:

Laura + Richard:

Hannah + David:

Emma + Shane:

Sarah + Craig:

Kelly + David:

Stephanie + Terry:

Kay + Mark:

Amy + Dane:

Helen + Ashley:

Kirsty + James:

(My baby sister!!)

Emma + Chris:

And the most recent wedding (this couple got married yesterday!!)...

Amy + Sam:

I am so thankful to have worked with such wonderful people and I am especially grateful to have Dominic with me - such a great partner to work with (even if I do sometimes joke that I'll fire him! haha!!) I have loved this year!

Have a great (and safe!) celebration and please pop back in the new year for exciting changes!!

See you in 2011!!

it's beginning to look a lot like...

2010-12-17T15:05:00.005Z

Ok, Ok, I know – it’s been ‘lookin a lot like Christmas' for a while now! But I have been busy, busy with my nose to the grindstone (what a weird phrase THAT is…) preparing wedding albums etc.

I am just this week starting to feel the Christmas cheer! (hurrah!)

I wanted to let you know that I’ll be taking a little break during the Christmas season – as of Monday 20^th December, I will be officially ‘out of the office’ until January 17th 2011. I'll be checking on my email from time to time but the next few weeks will be dedicated to spending time with my family and enjoying this Christmas season. Unless I have otherwise stated to you personally, print orders will not be processed until the new year.

That being said - I do have lot's of things I would like to share here on the blog. So while I won't be working, I will still be posting!

Let the Christmas festivities begin!

Around here...

2010-12-03T18:22:00.004Z

...we've been celebrating our little man's birthday!

We have had a couple of days of simple celebrations (mostly involving snuggles, snow and cake!) and it's been so wonderful!

**WARNING: This could get mushy!!**

I can't believe it has been a year since Caleb first made his appearance! I don't think I ever shared pictures of those precious moments when we first met! Here is Caleb (only a few minutes old) laying on my tummy...

What a whirlwind this year has been! I remember the nurse handing Caleb to me and an immense feeling of relief came over me. "Wow!" I thought "That's the hard part over!"

Can I just say... HAHAHA!!

This year has been one of the toughest of my life! (Who knew you could function on that little sleep?!) And it has also been the happiest!

Here are some pictures taken over the course of this year...

This little man has changed our lives and our world! I can't believe how much richer, how much deeper and how much LOUDER our lives have been since he came on the scene!

Caleb - we love you so much! We feel so blessed to be your parents! You make us smile and laugh so much... you are our little ray of sunshine!! Happy Birthday Caleb-Bug!!

amy + sam : engagement

2010-12-01T12:17:00.002Z

I have been looking forward to this engagement session for a while now and it was a lot of fun!

Dom works with Amy at the University and when it came up in conversation that she was getting married at the end of December, he mentioned that we just happen to be wedding photographers! haha!

Amy + Sam are so much fun! Whenever we're around them, my cheeks hurt from laughing and smiling so much!! I can't wait for their wedding at the end of the year!!

They both met in Whitby and will be getting married there too, so what better place to take engagement pictures?! Being from a small seaside town myself, I love being near the sea in the winter! A seaside town takes on a totally different feel when the tourists have gone and ice-cream parlours have all closed for the season... I love it!!

Here are a few of my favourites from the day...

(Oh look, an ice-cream parlour that has closed for the season... yummy colours!!)

I love this next one... Amy + Sam - you two could be models!!

I tried out a different way of editing for this next one... it's not my usual style and I still have a lot to learn, but I like how it turned out!

Haha - I love this shot that Dom caught!!

I'm so glad the rain held off long enough for us to get some good shots!! I can't wait for their wedding at the end of this month!!

baby: David

2010-11-22T16:04:00.004Z

Well, you may have guessed from my absence from the blog that I have been buried under a massive pile of work :-) but I have managed to squeeze a couple of shoots in here and there!

I am currently portfolio building at the moment and it's all about babies, babies, babies!!

Dom and I recently had the opportunity to meet up with a couple whose wedding we shot at the beginning of this year. It was sooooo nice to meet up again with them and to chat about life this past year (and to swap 'birth stories'!) and to meet their darling little boy David!

So here he is... Mr. Adorable himself...

Look at that GORGEOUS smile + those shiny eyes!!

A little snuggle time with his mama....

*LOVE* this next one...

Agr! I can't stand the cuteness anymore!!! It's enough to make me want 10 more!!

(Be strong Jo...!!)

This next one is so cute... E.T......phone....home.....

(or maybe he's saying "erm.... you appear to have something stuck to your face..... right.....thurr")

He was such a little darling the whole time we were there and only started crying as we were packing up to leave!! Dom caught these pictures of his cute bottom lip stuck out...

(I like to think he didn't want us to leave!! hehe!)

Well, thanks for stopping by!

spoooooooky!

2010-10-31T17:01:00.000Z

Just thought I'd let Caleb wish you all a...

married: Emma + Chris

2010-10-23T12:45:00.003+01:00

This wedding was AH...MAZ...ING!

It is no secret that autumn is my favourite time of year and oh! this wedding was so very autumn-y (yes.. that's a word!) that I almost collapsed! (Which is not ideal when you're a photographer!)

Anyway, from the dress to the shoes, from the flowers to all the beautiful, personal details - Autumn was definitely in the air!

And Emma + Chris? What can I say - a beautiful couple who make me smile whenever I am around them!

Here are a few of my favourite shots from their day...

HOTT shoes!

Emma + Chris were married here at Rudstone Walk (I loved this place! So gorgeous!)

Love, Love, Love these colours...

Yummy colours....

Beautiful bridesmaids!

The new Mr + Mrs! (you both look so gorgeous here!)

Then outside for some loooove shots!

I can't believe these berries - both Emma and I loved them!

Emma + Chris... I love this next picture... can I just say that when you decide to have babies... they will be BEAUTI-ful! Seriously stunning! :-)

You know you're going to get a shoe picture when you wear wedding shoes like THAT Emma!

(So worth getting a tarmac imprint on my elbows for! hehe!)

I had some serious ‘wedding envy’ when I saw this set up for the reception! (Yes, that is a medical condition! It is when you go to a wedding and you go “aaaaaw!!! WHY didn’t we do that at our wedding?! Oh… THAT is so cool!! OH!! Can we get married again…?!”

Emma + Chris are serious foodies so the tables were all named after famous chefs!

When we saw this cake… I about died!! (No really! Dom had to put his camera down and revive me!) ah…maz…ing!! aaaaaand - Emma (+ Chris I think) made this cake and all the little cupcakes! (where were you when we got married?!)

A yummy candy buffet...

Beautiful sunset over the Yorkshire Wolds....

For evening entertainment, Emma + Chris hired a caricaturist (yes, I did have to google that to be able to spell it properly!) And what fun this was! He was a genius with a pen! (Emma + Chris even let us have our portraits done! eeeeeeeeee! <----- excited squeal!)

These guests knew how to par-tay!

Time for the first dance....

Love this picture! I set the camera down on the dance floor and 'click' - I blinded myself for the rest of the night... I forgot my flash gun was pointing toward the ceiling!! haha!

Totally.... worth.... it!!!

Emma + Chris,

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!

We loved spending your day with you!

You are a beautiful, generous couple and we wish

you many, many years of happiness together!

(and lots of beautiful babies!)

We'll be sure to give you a call if we decide

to get married all over again!

cousin ethan

2010-10-22T21:27:00.004+01:00

He is adorable! Like… “oh I forgot all the pain of labour and the sleepness nights – I could soooooo do it all again” adorable!

This is my sister’s son (it feels so weird to say that!) and he was born last Thursday. We are so excited to have him join our family!

He is so cute and so small and I love snuggling him! Dom does too and Caleb...?! This was his first experience with a newborn and he did surprisingly well! (We did have to intervene on occasion when he raised his hand high in the air over Ethan's head, ready to give him the "welcome to the family" face-smush!!)

Here are a few pictures we snapped of him when we met him for the first time on Monday….

I just found out today that our friend's baby arrived this morning - a month ahead of schedule! Babies, babies, babies everywhere!! It's enough to make you broody....

married: helen + ashley

2010-10-12T11:26:00.004+01:00

It has been such a pleasure to get to know Helen and Ashley and their friends and families! They were married on a beautiful autumn day here in Hull and Dom and I absolutely loved spending the day with them!

Here are a few of my favourites...

I love these shots of Helen peeking out of the window... What could possibly be so exciting?!

Ahhh.... Aussie!!! The Austin 7!!! (So much cuteness!)

haha - I love this picture that Dom took of Ashley (on the right) and his best man trying to figure out the buttonholes!

And just in case the men forget their respective roles...

Dom was verrrry excited when he saw the groom's car for the day...

Look familiar?!

It is one of the actual Audi quattro's used in the BBC's Ashes to Ashes series! Seriously! (If you google it, you will even see that it has the same license plate! How cool is that?!)

Ashley seems happy enough about it...

Helen and Ashley were married at St. Johns Church, Clough Rd and though we weren't allowed to photograph during the actual service - we did manage to sneak in beforehand and get some shots of the inside of the church.

The beautiful bride (+Aussie!) arriving at the church...

Isn't Helen gorgeous?!

Helen and her brother waiting to go in...

The new Mr + Mrs! Hurray!

Before we left for the reception, I noticed that the gate to the vicarage was painted in the same colour that Helen had chosen for the wedding! (How convenient!) So we got a few shots in front it - I loved how they turned out! I love this one in particular...

Reception details (reception held at The Goodfellowship Inn, Cottingham Rd)

Then outside for some couple shots in the gorgeous, early evening light...

Don't they look soooo happy to be married?! :-)

The first dance...

Helen + Ashley,

What a pleasure it was to spend the day with you both

and document the start of a new chapter in your lives!
Your wedding day was beautiful and we feel

lucky to have been a part of it!
We wish you the very best!

BOO!

2010-10-05T17:03:00.004+01:00

Around this time of year, I have an overwhelming urge to close myself up in a warm room, with a mug of hot chocolate, and craft, craft, craft.

Alas, I am still buried under a mountain of editing and album designs, trying to finish off the craziness that was our wedding season. But there's nothing to stop me from sharing a few of the crafty projects I managed to get done last year!

So here's another one... my 'BOO' banner:

(Wooden letters bought from Hobbycraft and painted with acrylics)

I like my Halloween decorations to be a little bit spooky, classy (cute is ok too) but definitely not gory or soooo scary that I refuse to stay in the house on my own! (That may have happened... once or twice in the past!)

Well, I hope you like it! I'm off now to burrow back under my mountain of work!

If you have some time free and fancy some more Halloween inspiration - pop along to this blog for oodles of ideas... (I love it!)

countdown to halloween

2010-10-04T22:15:00.004+01:00

This time last year I was on maternity leave - and I had BIG plans for Halloween! I got me a new blog, ~~pimped it out~~ made it look pretty and launched myself to the world as a 'domestic-goddess-crafting genius-soon-to-be-mama' with a series of daily blog posts I called "13 days of Halloween"!

It lasted about... 4 days I think! Pregnancy tiredness, preparing for the baby and my own disorganisation got the better of me. Thankfully I didn't have to feel embarrassed by my failure as a 'crafting, baking mama' because no one from internet-land actually read it! haha!

So I pulled off all the bling (and my 4 sad little posts) and handed over the blog to Chantelle who turned it into this masterpiece you see before you! (Did I mention Chantelle is a html genius?!)

Anyway, I felt kind of sad that I never actually shared my Halloween delights so I've decided to pull the pictures out of my archives, dust them off and share them with you this year, here on the blog! (Hurrah!)

First up is my 'countdown to Halloween' - I had wanted to make an advent-calendar style countdown (with little pockets and treats etc) but the fabric I had purchased for it got lost in the post. The replacement turned up around the end of October!

So instead, I stitched these cute little numbers, attached magnets on the back (so they'll stick to our chalkboard) and they live in this cute little bucket until they're needed...

Not quite what I had in mind, but I think they turned out pretty cute!

I'm linking this up to a site filled with all kinds of halloween loveliness, so if you love this time of year as much as I do, you'll definitely want to check it out...

Thanks for stopping by!

married: amy + dane

2010-10-03T01:41:00.004+01:00

This was the most fun we've had at a wedding... ever!

It helps that we've known Amy for ages! Dom grew up with Amy but I know her as the uber-talented girl who played the cello at our wedding (and made my Pachabel's-canon-dream come true!) accompanied by her brother Adam - I am not kidding when I say there is some SERIOUS musical talent going on here!

And Dane - we only met him a few months ago but we feel like we've known him for ages too! He is so funny and personable and I think I must have spent pretty much the WHOLE of their wedding day laughing at the crazy faces he pulls, and the witty one-liners he comes out with!

Like I said... the most fun... ever!

Here is a little taster of their day...

"Oh... Hello beautiful shoes... what's that?! You want to come home with me?!"

Beautiful.... just beautiful!

A sweet moment between Amy and her mum...

Bridesmaids...

The groom and his best man (Dane is on the right)...

A white Rolls Royce... of course! (gorgeous!)

Because of strict rules within the chapel, we were not allowed to photograph any of the service, though we did get a sneaky picture of Amy and her Dad going down the aisle...

The new Mr. and Mrs!

I *love* the colours Amy chose for the wedding!

(Hey, you see that bouquet there... yeah, that one! Well, I made that! I really did! Did I mention I used to be a florist? hehe!)

Amy + Dane had TWO cakes! (One at the church, and then one at the reception later on) I love that Amy's dad painted the groom's hair to look ginger! YES!

On their way to the Gardeners Country Inn, Coniston for their afternoon recepetion...

And look who's waiting for them...

(This piper was originally there for another function but stayed around to pipe in the Bride + Groom!) Dom thinks it's funny that I got a picture of his legs! hehe! I think it's.... arty! :-)

Reception details...

(floral arrangements by Joanna Barber Photography! hehe!)

Cake number two... (Amy's Dad made both cakes and the sugar paste flowers!)

After the reception, we headed out for some couple shots...

This picture just cracks me up....

This one too...

Love, Love, Love this one... (probably my favourite from the day!)

They finished off the evening with some fireworks - Dom got these pictures as I was at home with a verrrrry sleepy little boy (who'd had the time of his life at the wedding!)

Amy + Dane,

We hope you like your 'sneak peek' - thank you for

asking us to be your wedding photographers!

We had so much fun, sharing your day with you!

Take care of each other, love each other and keep making each

other laugh! :D

married: stephanie + terry

2010-09-27T12:58:00.004+01:00

A few weeks ago, we headed up to St. Augustine's church in Hedon to photograph a gorgeous couple as they committed to love each other for the rest of their lives.

We met Steph + Terry a last year ago at a wedding where Steph was a bridesmaid and Terry was the best man. They got in contact a few months later and asked if we would be their wedding photographers! :)

So here are a few of my favourites...

Terry and his best man (Terry on the right... hiding his nerves very well!)

The beautiful bride and her Dad!

a-DOR-able page boys! How cute are they...?!

LOOOOVE this next shot - Steph's face and Terry's bod language... "Oh! I just remembered we are in church... and everyone is looking at us!" haha! So cute!

Walking back down the aisle as husband + wife! HURRAY! *sssh Jo, you're still in church!*

I love this door we found to take pictures in front of...

A few reception details...

I had to literally drag Dominic away from this cake...

Quick! Grab the groom!!!

First dance...

Dom's view of the first dance (we love us some silhouette loveliness!)

Steph is really close to her dad and so they had a dance together too...

Terry, dancing with his mum...

And then Terry's little brother joined in...

Some fabulous ladies showing off their moves on the dance floor....

Steph + Terry,

Thank you for allowing us to document your special day!

You are so lucky to have found each other - we wish you both the very best

for a long and happy life together!

married: Kay + Mark

2010-09-20T13:02:00.003+01:00

I love these weddings... the one's where we feel like we are instantly part of the family! I love that we have been looking forward to Kay and Mark's wedding for over a year! I love that I was able to work with Kay, designing her wedding stationery! I love that a lot my clients this year have been sent from Kay! (I'm thinking of putting her in charge of marketing!)

Kay and Mark were married on a beautiful, autumn day at the Hallmark Hotel, Ferriby.

Here are some of my favourites from the day...

This was so funny! Kay's bridesmaid was trying so hard not to mess up Kay's hair as she put the dress on, that Kay got a bit stuck in the dress! I wanted to help but I think these pictures are so cute, I'm hoping Kay will forgive me!

Simply beautiful!

How cute are these bridesmaids?

I loved this chandelier! The Hallmark Hotel was having a refurbishment and these are a new feature! The hotel will change the colour to suit your wedding colours! I think it makes for a stunning picture!

Mark - who doesn't look nervous... at all!

I really love the feeling of ceremony shots in black and white!

Reception details...

I love this idea! Giant games to occupy the children...

After the reception, Dom and I took the bride and groom outside into the GORGEOUS afternoon light for some lurve shots!

We were pretty much done when Kay said... "hey, I have an idea!"

The result: a series of jumping pictures! So fun!

More of that chandelier... and a reflection of the dance floor...

Kay and Mark - you are a wonderful couple! Thank you for allowing us to document your special day! I'm so glad everything came together so beautifully for you! I hope you love your pictures!

ENGAGEMENT: EMMA + CHRIS

2010-09-08T21:23:00.004+01:00

We met up with Emma + Chris in a park across town for their engagement session. Emma had specifically asked that we take pictures at a play park and we had so much fun running around and photographing this stunning couple! (A side note - whilst we were in the playground part of the park, a bunch of kids started following us around. They asked us what we were doing so I told them that Emma + Chris were models! :-) There were no arguments either!)

We are really excited to photograph their wedding at the end of the month!

married: Kelly + David

2010-09-06T22:00:00.003+01:00

A few weeks ago, Dominic and I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of two lovely people - Kelly + David.

They were married at The Church of the Holy Cross, Cottingham. This church is very special to Kelly + David (I think it was David's parents that were married there!) and both sets of parents attend services there so it was an obvious choice for their own special day!

For this wedding, Dominic and I went straight to the church to get some detail shots. It was the first time we had ever photographed a wedding in a catholic church and let me tell you...I loved, loved, LOVED taking pictures in this church!

Here is David and his best man... (he doesn't even look nervous!)

Kelly... a very beautiful bride!

This picture makes me giggle... (the wedding ring got stuck!)

The new Mr. & Mrs!

The reception was held at the Ramada Jarvis Hotel. Here are a few of the GORGEOUS details... (love those fish bowls!)

I usually don't post pictures of the speeches but I couldn't resist this picture of Kelly + David's reaction to the best man speech! (Seriously, one of the funniest speeches I've ever heard!)

After dinner we went outside in the grounds for some... luurrve shots! :D

Amazing car! When Dom said "it's a Humber" for some reason, I heard "Hummer" and was sooooo surprised to see this beauty....

You know I have to slip a couple of vintage ones in here...

So happy, and so obviously in love! Kelly + David - you are such a gorgeous couple!

And on to the evening reception - these people know how to partay!

There was break-dancing.... no seriously.... look at this....

And.. ring-a-roses... or maybe country dancing?! (It made me want to get up and bust out some moves but Dominic wouldn't let me...)

And the first dance...

Kelly + David, what beautiful people you are - inside and out. We loved sharing your day with you and wish you the very best! Thank you for letting us document your special day! xx

9 months

2010-09-02T19:07:00.001+01:00

I can't believe it's been 9 months already! He is growing up so fast!

I've had a few requests from you, for some more pictures of our Little Man so here you are... (these were taken this week in the park behind our home - we had a spare 10 minutes so we decided to have an impromptu photo-shoot!)

I've got a wedding almost ready to post so drop by soon!

Hello September...

2010-09-01T21:35:00.005+01:00

Well, I’ve been so busy that September almost caught me by surprise... almost! I have noticed the mornings are darker and the evenings are chillier… and my pumpkins are GROWING!! *insert extremely proud and happy face here* (More on that another day!)

So… I thought I’d jump onto the blog and wish you all a HAPPY ALMOST-AUTUMN!

This is my absolute favourite time of the year and even though this September will find me buried beneath mountains of editing and album designs (5 weddings in 4 weeks?!) not to mention the laundry and washing up that will inevitably pile up - I am still sooooo excited about the change in the seasons and all the fun that Autumn brings with it!

Yes, Autumn is just around the corner and I can’t help but be totally excited! :-)

For me, the beginning of September always brings with it this overwhelming urge to go back-to-school shopping for new shoes and lovely stationery things! So if you do happen to see me down a random stationery aisle somewhere – be sure to give me a little wave (and don’t mention to Dom that you’ve seen me! Haha!)

Well, this month, I am hoping to share lots and lots of weddings with you (and see if I can get caught up!) and I’ll try and share some Autumn-inspired projects with you along the way!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy your September!

MARRIED: SARAH + CRAIG

2010-08-17T17:09:00.003+01:00

Well, what an adventure this wedding was! So much fun!

I met Sarah + Craig last year (2009) so I feel like we've been waiting a long time for this!! (And it was definitely worth the wait! What a fantastic day!)

Here are a few of my favourites from the day...

{Hello GORGEOUS dress and GORGEOUS shoes!}

Isn't Sarah a beautiful bride?

The wedding car - a 1930's Rolls Royce!

Adorable flower girls and page boy!

Dom got these shots of Craig with his 2 best men... Love the jackets on the fence!

I love that first look...

The reception was an ocean themed affair at The Deep aquarium...

Reception details...

The coolest ocean-themed cake... ever!

After the reception, guests were allowed to walk around - what an amazingly cool venue for a wedding!

Look! Finding Nemo... and we did! (Find him I mean!)

We took Craig + Sarah around the aquarium for some couple shots (I'd like to give a little *wave* to Mason who accompanied us around The Deep and made sure we were being good and not using our flashes! - He also carried a lot of our stuff! :) Thank you Mason!)

We started at the very top of the building and caught some gorgeous 'early evening' light...

And then we ventured into The Deep...

This picture makes me want to sing the Jaws theme!

(Sing it with me now - "DUM DUM..... DUM DUM.....")

Thank you Sarah + Craig for a wonderful opportunity and experience. We *loved* shooting your wedding and sharing such a special day with you!

BABY: Little Emily

2010-08-05T21:43:00.003+01:00

Just thought I'd share a few of my favourites from a photo-shoot that Dominic and I did for a friend of ours who recently had a baby. Say 'hello' to Baby Emily! (And her big brother Adam!)

I love these darling little baby feet...

You gotta love these cute little toes...

This was the first baby photo-shoot we did (apart from Caleb of course!) and I loved it!

I am really looking forward to taking more pictures like these... (It's just as well really because I have 2 sisters and a very good friend of ours who are going to be new mums soon!)

Thanks for looking!

Married: Emma + Shane

2010-07-26T13:20:00.006+01:00

Welcome to the first wedding post on the new blog! Yey!

And let me introduce you to Emma and Shane... two beautiful (and stylish!) people who are so very much in love!

How did you meet? Shane and I met at school. We had been in the same form since we were 11 but only really noticed each other when we were 15! Shane always caught me looking at him during our Art lessons and it really started from there. We sat and talked about music and our favourite bands, it turned out we had a lot in common!

How did he propose? Shane proposed to me after having a meal at a restaurant called Ask. (very appropriately named!) After we finished the meal, we walked around the marina where Shane turned to me and asked me if I'd marry him. I can't quite remember what I did besides saying "Yes!" as it all felt so surreal! I know it was the best decision of my life!

Emma and Shane got married at the Village Hotel near Hull and it was perfect! Surrounded by family and their closest friends, they promised to love each other for the rest of their lives!

Here are a few of my favourites from the day...

This Emma and Shane's adorable daughter Chloe May - she was the cutest flower girl.... ever!

Shane and his Best Man turning their mobiles off...

I *love* the way Shane looks at Emma - especially in this shot...

Can you believe Emma made all of the buttonholes, as well as her 'Button Bouquet'....?!

Gorgeous afternoon light! (And gorgeous Bride and Groom!)

So much cuteness!!

How cute is this... (hee hee - it makes me giggle!)

Emma and Shane - Dominic and I loved being part of your special day, and feel honoured that

we were able to witness your love, and document the start of this new adventure for you!
We wish you all the very best for your new lives together! - Thank you!

WELCOME!

2010-06-25T21:46:00.006+01:00

Yeah! I have a shiny new blog home! It’s finally here!

Thanks for visiting – please, have a look around (I know there’s not a lot to see… it is new after all!) and please leave a comment!

This new blog will be a mixture of sneak previews (with lovely big images – thank you again Chantelle!), professional and personal news, special offers and of course, an awful lot of this little fella…

Meet Caleb - born December 2nd 2009!