Tag: engagement photographer bognor regis

Jess & Geoff | The Engagement Shoot | Chichester

When I got an email from Jess enquiring about doing an Engagement Shoot in Chichester following her recent engagement to Geoff, after putting two and two together I realised we had an army of mutual friends between us. I was shocked at how our paths had not crossed before this! After a flurry of emails, we got onto location… Being torn between the floaty dreamy setting of West Wittering, or the more gothic architecture and floral blooms of Bishops Palace Gardens at Chichester Cathedral, they chose the Cathedral.

Meeting Jess and Geoff at Chichester Cathedral for their Engagement Shoot was like hooking up with old friends. They are a lovely, vibrant couple with a real sense of fun and joy! I learnt that Geoff likes to climb trees (he’s very good at it) and is not afraid of the spiders that may live in those nooks and crannies!

Jess was a bold and adventurous model, very quick to be comfortable under the glare of my lens, and full of laughter with it! At times it seemed we forgot we were on a shoot as we chatted and got to know each other better! I found out that they met as Geoff was supposed to be interviewing Jess for a job in the family business…. it seems he not only scored a great employee but his future wife to boot! Lucky man!

One of the lovely things for me about joining a couple on an Engagement Shoot is that you get to see that fresh flush of love and excitement as a couple are starting to prepare for their married life ahead… I’m not sure where this romantic side of me has come from, but it sure seems to be creeping out more and more! As they chatted about ideas for their wedding day, what they may or may not like, whom they wish to share it with, I couldn’t help but share the excitement!

As you can see from the images, Jess and Geoff share a wonderful love… they also look fabulous together! Bishops Palace Gardens at Chichester Cathedral is a wonderful place to explore. As a photographer there is a plethora of backdrops to use, and despite having shot here multiple times, I can always find a new angle or scene to capture. The buildings and walls that surround the area are also a great backdrop to use.

After editing and sending over the online gallery and mobile app to Jess and Geoff following their Engagement Shoot in Chichester I realised they would also be a perfect subject for me to test out and order a sample of the GoBook, a new product by Graphistudio (whom I use for all my album products). Beautifully handmade in Italy, I’m sure you’d agree this album, with it’s free standing box frame would be a perfect addition to you home, preserving those fantastic memories.

I was very pleased to see that Geoff also values the medium of print, when upon my morning Facebook and coffee ritual I saw (much to my amusement) that Geoff had bestowed upon his beloved a gift of a cushion…..using the image below!! Cheeky eh?!

Peace and Love

Fiona x

Jess & Sos | The Engagement Shoot | Chichester Cathedral

In the normal timeline of events, having your Engagement Shoot just 5 days before the wedding is pushing it, but with this transatlantic couple it was the only way! Jess and Sòstenes met on soil foreign to both of them. She is English, he Brazillian. They both live in Portugal but were coming back to Bognor Regis for their wedding. We had booked in a morning to do a location recce and capture some shots of them together to practice their pouts and posing for their big day. The Engagement Portrait Photography Shoot spanned Chichester Cathedral, Bishops Palace Gardens and somewhere a little closer to home, Hotham Park.

Jess and Sòstenes have a wonderful combination of characters; Responsible, flamboyant, expressive, fantastical, fun and generous. I cannot wait to see these characters combine to create, what I truly believe, will be a unique, colourful and expressive wedding!

Jess really wanted to incorporate some comforts of home into her wedding day so off we headed to the beautiful grounds of Chichester Cathedral for the first leg of the Engagement Shoot. The Cathedral and its grounds will be a fantastic setting for the fairytail wedding that is being organised. With the dramatic, gothic architecture of the Cloisters and the soft and colourful secret gardens leading towards the beautifully landscaped Bishops Palace Gardens we will certainly be spoilt for choice for portrait opportunities!

To bring things closer to home, Hotham Park will provide a simple and accessible backdrop for some family group shots….however, for the purpose of this visit a little more childlike fun was enjoyed (as you can see from the lower images!)!!

I cannot wait for their wedding on Saturday, the colour, the themes, the love and the marriage that will be combined to create a flamboyant, fun and emotional day….I’m hedging my bets on Sòstenes being the first to shed a tear!!

Fiona xx

Liz & Jack | The Engagement Shoot

It’s been quite an exciting summer as yet another set of friends prepare to tie the knot this year and I have the pleasure of being their photographer. I have known Liz and Jack for a number of years now, but since they’ve been a couple, with Jack being at University in Canterbury, Liz in Chichester and their time together precious, I haven’t had the chance to really hang with them as a couple and get to know what makes them tick together. The engagement shoot in preparation for their wedding was a great opportunity.

To start off we visited a place close to Liz’s home called Brandy Hole Copse in Chichester. As we were trekking through brambles, warding off wasps and kicking playing toddlers off picturesque benches, Liz and Jack shared with me why this Copse was so special to them. It was where they had their first date, first kiss, where Jack asked Liz to officially be his girlfriend and then later asked her to be his wife! I mean, seriously! How romantic can you get?! To top it all off, Jack had even drawn Liz a picture at random (pre-dating) of the same clearing with a pond, trees and a couple hanging out before he had visited! Meant to be or what?!

I loved the light flares created by the dappled woodland when shooting into the light, and natural framing of the shots emphasised by the surrounding foliage. I could have spent far longer exploring, but the couple of hours at Brandy Hole Copse doing a photo-op recce was definitely rewarding as we plan to return on their wedding day and really come full circle in their dating journey. We detoured via Liz’s house to grab some much needed lunch in preparation for the next stage….Boxgrove Priory & Ruins.

I came to realise during our time together that Liz and Jack are an incredibly tactile couple. I decided to use this to my advantage as it made for some really romantic shots. The ruins are a wonderful backdrop for romance. As they are having their wedding reception at Boxgrove Village Hall it will be perfect to return here with all their wedding day finery and attire to capture some more portraits.

I’m hoping too, to be able to inject some youthful spirit into the wedding day photos as we are planning to bring the bridal party – consisting of their best friends, here for some fun shots!

The last part of Liz and Jack’s engagement shoot consisted of an impromptu trip to Bognor to visit the sea. Jack and Liz really got to know each other in Bognor at Opengate Church that we all attend, so they have spent much time at the beach or walking the prom together. As they will both be moving to Canterbury after their wedding, Liz really wanted to get some photos of them together at the beach, capturing those precious memories.

Again, I had great fun playing with light flares and rebelling against the photographers’ golden rule of not shooting into the sun….especially during the Golden Hour!! One of my favourite moments from this part was the moment Jack lost his footing on the moving stones as a wave rushed in whilst he was paddling and holding a shrieking Liz! They soon made up….as you can see!!

The beach in Bognor, along Aldwick Bay, was a lovely, quiet spot to finish the day. It was lovely to hang out with Liz and Jack and really get to know them better, as well as priming them for a whole day of being papped by two of us on their wedding day. I can’t wait!! Roll on September 6th!!