Hello Copenhagen * Hej København

A PERSONAL POST

Hej København!

Oh how you have welcomed me with your delicious light and sparking waters. You are a photographer's dream with beauty and surprises around each corner, and I'm so excited to have you as my new canvas and home. The last few months have been a flurry of unpacking the many leaning tower of Pisa boxes with a good sprinkling of fun adventures (and far too many scrummy Danish pastries), as we (the dear hubster and our beloved cats Kiki and Klein), have settled in and made København our new home. Now we are all happily settled, I can't wait to put my cameras to work. Denmark is a beautiful location to tie the knot, be it a chic city wedding to Boho nuptials in a dramatic forest. It lends itself as a stunning backdrop for LOVE shoots too. 

I will still very much continue to shoot weddings in the UK too, keeping a West Sussex base to work from. So I will be welcoming and looking forward to future weddings and commissions on British soil, just as before, as always, no change here... Don't hesitate to drop me a line should you be planning a wedding in the UK and would like to know more about my wedding packages. :) I do love a British wedding and look forward to dividing my time between København, UK and where ever my camera takes me as I do love to travel!

So the Danish adventure begins! It's been a wonderful one so far learning about the culture and the Danish way of life. I can now see why the Danes have been labeled the happiest race in the world. Highlights so far have been embracing the bike love culture (there is nothing better than cycling through beautiful scenery with wind in your hair!), and the food...did I mentions the food?! Ahhhh another piece of heaven.... It's just as well cycling is the best form of transport!

Here are a few personal family snaps taken on film of my very first impressions of the city. We naturally jumped at the chance to spend Sunday doing as the Danes do so well, dedicating the day to a long lazy brunch spent with family! The images are shot on Fuji 400h film - oh yes, this city deserves some film love! You can't beat the beautiful luminous quality and soft tones that film creates. I will be sure to shoot more film this year, especially as I'm  thrilled to discover some specialist camera shops who are also in with a love of film and analogue cameras too such as One of Many Cameras and Photografica. 

It's clear that I'm head over heels smitten with this city and it's friendly folk. Summer has certainly arrived and the waters are glittering away with a bright sparkle. Water is  EVERYWHERE from the sea, to canals, to beautiful lakes, natural harbour pools. I can't wait to jump in metaphorically to the way of life and literally into the crystal clear waters! :) Looking forward to more Danish adventures and making new friends. If you are planning a wedding in Denmark it would be lovely to hear you... :) LOVE x

Loving you always...

Today a very special man is in my thoughts....my father. Four years ago I watched a beautiful spirit float away after a rapid battle with cancer. So, in his honour I will indulge in a few of the joys he loved in life, such as a fine Italian red and a cheese that can move across the table.

I will reflect on all the wonderful memories that have shaped my life, and shed a tear over the highs and lows of recent times which he missed. To quote Friedrich Nietzshe "That which does not kill us makes us stronger". I can personally identify with this. Immersing myself in the world of photography helped me grow stronger and I have my dad to thank for this and with that my successes. It was interesting to see that many Olympic athletes drew strength from the loss of a loved one including Tom Daley. 

The pensive nature of today highlights my belief in the power and importance of images representing memories...from a phone snap to a lovingly crafted darkroom print, they are all equally emotionally charged with the language of memories. I sometimes wonder how our digital negatives will be treasured in years to come, and hope that we all have as rocking a filing system as my father set up (I think mum has forgiven him now for the hours spent glued to the computer scanning transparencies!). So let's all keep our negatives safe (analogue and digital) and print our favourites...you can never beat the beauty of a printed image! :) LOVE x

1971 The happy couple on their wedding day...looking rather dashing! (Taken on a phone from analogue print - excuse quality)

1971 Wedding Belles (Taken on a phone from analogue print - excuse quality)

1977 Kodak transparency...happy times...the beach obsession was born....

2008 the gastronomic trip to France where the lack of appetite rang alarm bells...this is one of our last memories captured on a friend's phone (excuse bad quality...it's a picture of a picture)

Go for Gold Team GB!

COME ON TEAM GB  - GO FOR GOLD! A past project saw me documenting a couple of our GB Olympic 2012 diving team members: Peter Waterfield and Chris Mears. Pete will be competing with partner Tom Daley in the 10m Synchro, and in the 10m Individual. Chris Mears will dive in the 3m Individual and 3m Synchro Spring Board. I have pure admiration and respect for these athletes, having seen how hard they train and the dedication involved in competing at this level. A rigorous training schedule of gymnastics, weights, trampolining, eye wateringly tough body weight excercises and physio to counteract the force of hitting the water at 40+ miles/hour all make up a normal week on top of the many hours of diving. Team GB are predicted to bring home 1-3 medals - GOOD LUCK guys, I will be cheering for you  :)

Sweet Valentine

While Valentine's Day can be one great big commercial whirlwind of a day....it is a wonderful excuse to bake cookies!! Wishing you a sweet day... LOVE x

Beach Dreaming & Forever Film

With the onset of a cold and frosty spell with the possibility of a sprinkling of snow, my thoughts quickly turn to balmy beaches and the sound of splashing waves. Images brim full of memories, and these holiday snaps are reminiscent escapist moments from happy summertime Ibiza and Formentera. They are shot on my lil ol' Minolta using film: FUJI 400s pulled one stop.


I LOVE film and don't use it half as much as I'd like to. It seems the convenience of digital has made film redundant...art directors insist on immediate capture to tweak on set and clients need images yesterday. So sad as film ROCKS! The colours are sublime and radiate a magical luminance.


No wonder analogue is becoming increasingly expensive to buy and process. Only just ealier this month saw sad times as film giant KODAK, a company who didn't commit to digital technology fast enough, file for bankruptcy after dying a slow painful death. 


I'd like to think that film is not on the way out. Huge respect goes to the  fine art photographers who are doing an amazing job of singing praises from the rooftops and living the dream. One of them  being Jonathan Canlas who holds the life changing Film is not Dead Workshops: http://jonathancanlasphotography.com/workshop


Such a workshop is yet another dream but for now these holiday snaps are a little reminder of the beauty of film and how I should shoot it more often....


This set also goes out to my God daughter Miss Iyla Rose who is about to be joined by a baby brother. At such an unsettling time for a two year old who has been the center of the universe for the last couple of years, these images are a reminder of how gorgeous she is and how much she is loved. LOVE x

There is one bogus image - a digital impostor.....guess which one!!!? x x 

Mmmm beetroot cake LOVE x

The BIG Blue

Well...there has been a distinct lack of blogging of late... and that is because every once in a while it is a grand idea to refuel on creativity and inspiration...and there is no place more powerful and inspirational for me than the sea....Here are a few snaps from a magical spiritual home - the White Isle otherwise known as Ibiza and it's little sister island Formentera... 
B E A U T I F U L... LOVE to the SEA   x o x o