Tag: engagement photography chichester

Chichester Engagement Photographer | Maddie & Rob

Chichester Engagement Photographer | Maddie & Rob | Chichester Canal

When planning what sort of a wedding collection Maddie & Rob were looking for, it was clear that they loved the creative arts, so instead of strolling through their wedding venue for a recce and test shoot, they opted for something a little more personal. An engagement shoot at Chichester Canal, with a flying visit to Bishops Palace Gardens at Chichester Cathedral too.

After our initial shoot was postponed (good old British weather) we met up on Sunday on what would prove to be perfect weather for our shots. We started at Chichester Canal, a first for me for an engagement shoot. Maddie and Rob were like seasoned riverboat professionals (one of their first dates was on the canal), I on the other hand, kept my gear plenty clear of the water and narrowly avoided the duck poo that was dotted about the banks!

Although they didn’t row far, there was a nice selection of opportunities to shoot through reeds, capture walls of green as backdrops and enjoy the calm reflections of a lazy Sunday afternoon. Chichester Canal didn’t disappoint, neither did Maddie & Rob, who had used Pinterest and it’s posing ideas and tips and trick to its max potential! As we journeyed through the shoot it was lovely to catch up and get to know them more, as we hadn’t seen each other since they originally booked me back in April.

Thirty minutes on the canal flew by, so after returning all the bits and bobs we hotfooted it across town to the Cathedral. Timed well with the 3pm Matins, Bishops Palace Gardens and the surrounding areas were lovely and quiet.

Chichester Cathedral and Bishops Palace Gardens are a really popular spot for couples to come either on an engagement shoot or their wedding day, so I find myself excited about the challenge to find new spots and different ideas for photographs so I’m not shooting everything the same as I have done before. It certainly helps to have ever changing flowers in bloom, but I can never resist a good old fashioned door or bench!

Maddie & Rob did a great job of shuffling a little to the left, moving their hands up a touch and whatever other instructions I was bleeting out to them! The afternoon felt very relaxed, which hopefully goes a long way in how relaxed they felt having their pictures taken.

While we were fooling around with how to look at each other or off into the distance, where to place hands and arms and how to hold each other, I love how the shots below came together well to look like a burst from a passport photo machine (well, without the plain white background and stern expressions anyway!)

As always, Bishops Palace Gardens came up trumps. Coupled with the session on Chichester Canal, Maddie and Rob now have their work cut out to decide which images to use for their wedding ‘Save-the-Date’ cards or invites. I’m looking forward to the next stages with them…. the planning of the day, then the wedding day next August and finally the wedding album… until then, I will just have to occupy myself with the dozens of other fabulous couples also booked in.

I hope you enjoy the images, and I really look forward to shooting their August wedding at Worthing Pier.

Fiona xx

Matt & Jen | The Live Proposal

This is a short story all about Matt & Jen and their Live Proposal at the Angmering Bluebells Wood.

When Matt contacted me in May about doing his and Jen’s wedding photography in September we talked about how all wedding collections come with a test shoot. This would prove to be a tactical move as Matt hadn’t actually proposed by this point. Matt told me how he and Jen were pushing the wedding through quickly as there were key family members they would love to be able to attend before it becomes too difficult for them to make the journey overseas, but as they had been living together for some years and had a young son together, the actual proposal was just a tradition that had not yet been met.

Matt mentioned that Jen loved the outdoors, nature and was a big fan of the bluebells that covered the forest floors this time of the year, so we booked a date in at the soonest opportunity to catch the tail end of the blooms under the guise of it being a formality and a great chance to grab the three of them in a portrait.

I had mentioned to Matt that before proposing we leave it 15/20 mins so they all get used to having me and my cameras in close proximity. I have to say, I was waiting with baited breath for THE MOMENT to happen! My long lens was out to give them as much space as possible (for the tech geeks out there, I was shooting with a couple of Canon 5D mkii’s and switching between *The Beast* 70-200 f2.8L mkii and *The Tank* 24-70 f2.8L. *The Fave* 50mm f1.2L was decommissioned for this shoot, but a bag of mini cheddars and a pull-back car proved useful). Matt, Jen and Stanley wandered through the woodland acting natural during this time. Although we were at the tail end of the bloom of the Bluebells, they were still an impressive sight to see blanketing the ground of the woodland at Angmering Park Estate

After about an hour (the suspense is killing me by this point!) Stanley is happy perched on a tree stump with some snacks and toys while we “practise posing techniques” with Matt & Jen.

Matt pops back to the bag for a moment before declaring “One last picture”… and there it is, THE MOMENT we’ve all been waiting for happens. The Live Proposal! He drops down on one knee and asks Jen if she will marry him! Obvs, blog fam, she said YES otherwise we wouldn’t be sharing this story together. Jen seemed genuinely surprised at the timing as Matt had always said to her he had it (the proposal) in hand. A very humble romantic, it seems, Matt had used one of Jen’s Grandmother’s rings and had it remade into an engagement ring. How sweet is that! What a talking point for the future.

Massive congratulations to Matt & Jen on their Engagement (finally!!), I’m looking forward to your wedding…. let me know if you are planning any more surprises…

Fiona x

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

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!!