Welcome To The Blog | Grab A Cuppa And Dive In! - Photography by Michaelangelo

Arundel Pre-Wedding Session with Kirsty & Darren

12/6/2019

Kirsty and Darren are getting married in July 2019, and they opted to take me up on my recommendation to have a pre-wedding session before the big day. It's something I always suggest to couples who book me for their wedding, for several reasons. First it's a great chance to talk more about their plans for the big day. Secondly I can teach them some poses that will no doubt come in useful when I do their wedding photos. And lastly and perhaps most importantly, they can dispel and get over any awkwardness a couple may have about having their photos taken. To be honest I didn't need to worry much about the last one, as Kirsty and Darren were pretty much in their own little world during their pre-wedding session and simply oozed confidence all afternoon!

Whitstable Couples Session with Alice & Liam

24/5/2019

Alice and Liam entered my Valentines couples session competition for the chance to win a free mini photo shoot, and they were the lucky winners! I met up with them both on a windy spring afternoon on the North Kent coast in Whitstable, not far from where they both live, for their mini session. We timed it so if the weather was good to us, we would have the best of the late afternoon light coupled with a dramatic sunset amongst moody clouds. We started out getting them both used to the camera amongst the gardens of Whitstable Castle, which provided a great backdrop to some lovely moments between Alice and Liam as we wandered around the grounds together.

Richmond Maternity Session with Vicky & George

8/5/2019

Vicky & George were one of my couples that married in 2017. They had a really small celebration with a ceremony at Kingston Registry Office and a low key reception and photos at and near a restaurant at Hampton Court Palace. Despite it being a really small wedding, I got a great vibe from them both and we all had a lot of fun creating some really lovely images for them both. Although they had their legal UK ceremony here, they also had a much larger religious wedding in Santorini (one day I'll make it there myself!) but they told me they didn't have the best experience with their local photographer out there, which I was saddened to hear given the occasion. Then Vicky got in touch with me again with some amazing news...

Knole Park Pre-Wedding Session with Jemma & Jamie

29/4/2019

Jemma & Jamie live up in London and have their wedding next month, and they really wanted to take advantage of a pre-wedding session beforehand, and to have it somewhere out in the countryside as a contrast to their usual surroundings. I've used Knole Park as a location for couples and pre-wedding sessions many times before, as it's within easy reach for those in and around London as well as several home counties. It's a great open space with such huge variety of locations to use, not to mention a fairly large number of deer too! It's a shame that the park hadn't fully come into bloom and leaf at the time, but we all had a great few hours exploring the park and taking some lovely photos of Jemma & Jamie.

Folkestone Sunset Pre-Wedding Session with Mandy & Mark

14/10/2018

Many & Mark smiling together in the sunset on The Leas

I first met Mandy and Mark at a wedding fair earlier in the year, and they were lucky enough to win 50% off their full day wedding photography too! I'm always keen to encourage pre-wedding sessions before the wedding, especially if people are a little uneasy or not used to being in front of the camera. It's always an added bonus if this happens during golden hour too! We were blessed with some lovely light along the Leas in Folkestone, before we headed down the famed zigzag path to the coastal park and finally the beach for some really dramatic shots as the sun set. Mandy and Mark were great fun to photograph and soon got into the swing of things. It's great to know they'll be more relaxed on their wedding day now!

Scotney Castle Pre-Wedding Session with Hannah & Craig

26/8/2018

Hannah & Craig looking into each other's eyes in the grounds of Scotney Castle

I met up with Hannah and Craig on a gloriously sunny day at Scotney Castle for their pre-wedding session ahead of their big day next spring. This place holds particular importance for me as it was where my journey into becoming a professional photographer began. We had a great time exploring the grounds and the old moated castle getting some lovely photos of the happy couple. It's amazing to think how many people we had to dodge to get these pristine backgrounds - you'd think we had it all to ourselves! I'm really looking forward to their wedding next March at the Southdowns Manor in Sussex. If the weather is as good as it was here then we'll all be very happy bunnies!

Borough Pre-Wedding Session with Sylvia & George

2/8/2018

Sylvia & George kissing in a small park in central London

After Sylvia and George's traditional wedding back in April, I headed back up to London in May for their official pre-wedding session. They had the great idea to have it in a small park literally next to the church they planned to get married in - so I could take a look at the inside of the church and the surrounding area to scout out some great spots to take them both for their couple photos on the wedding day too. A great idea I have to admit! We had a lovely warm day for their pre-wedding session but found some shady spots in the small park - you wouldn't even know it was slap bang in the middle of London! These two were great fun to photograph and really got into the swing of things by the end too which made for some lovely and really natural photos of the two of them.

Shorne Woods Country Park Pre-Wedding Session with Jenny & Ben

24/6/2018

Jenny & Ben embracing and laughing in front of a small lake

I met up with Jenny and Ben ahead of their wedding in July one warm evening at Shorne Woods Country Park. I had been meaning to come here for some time to do a pre-wedding session as I knew there was huge variety of scenery to use as a backdrop and have fun with. They brought along their adorable daughter for this session too, who took some time to get used to me I think! However with some encouragement from mummy and daddy she soon started smiling and giggling. The three of them make a great little family unit and I can't wait to photograph their wedding in Essex next month!

Kingswood Pre-Wedding Session with Kelly & Stuart

20/6/2018

Kelly & Stuart embracing amongst trees and woodland

Kelly and Stuart are due to get married late in July so they wanted their pre-wedding session to be as warm and summery as possible to reflect their wedding. I suggested we head to a favourite spot of mine at Kingswood near Canterbury late one afternoon to catch the best of the late in the day light as it started to soften and go that lovely golden hue! I had a good little route in mind that both captured the drama of the woods and the obvious love between these two. It didn't take long before they really got into the swing of things and they were pretty comfortable being silly and cuddly by the end - definitely naturals! I'm really looking forward to their wedding, not long to go!

London Engagement Session with Isobel & Rob

10/6/2018

Rob kissing Isobel on the forehead in a park in Greenwich

Shortly after their engagement, Isobel's lovely mother got in touch with me with the great idea to gift her daughter and her fiance an engagement session with me around London. It took some time to organise as I had up to 3 hours with these two to get some gorgeous photos around the city, and we had to plan our route carefully. We decided on a mix of modern and traditional aspects of London as we wound our way from around Canary Wharf and the financial district down to Greenwich and the majestic Naval College and the royal park to end as the sun set on a gorgeously warm sunny day. These two were great fun getting to know and by the end were such naturals in front of the camera!

Knole Park Pre-Wedding Session with Jess & Ash

12/8/2017

I met Jess and Ash on a lovely sunny afternoon in Knole Park for their pre-wedding session, taking advantage of the warm light and verdant greens of the park, we went for a lovely amble around, capturing the love and fun these two clearly have in their lives and for each other! They even cosied up with a woollen blanket I brought with me. I'm really looking forward to capturing their wedding celebrations next year - these two were naturals in front of the camera too.

Knole Park Pre-Wedding Session with Karen & Kevin

18/6/2017

Karen and Kevin met me on the edge of Knole Park one warm June evening for their pre-wedding session ahead of their wedding in September. They told me they're a little anxious as they don't often have their photo taken but they quickly got into the swing of things! As the sun continued to set we were bathed in some beautifully soft golden light which complimented the lush greenery of the park wonderfully.

Central London Pre-Wedding Session with Laura & Pete

10/6/2017

I headed up to Central London to catch up with Laura and Pete for their pre-wedding session on a lovely warm June evening. We decided to go on a little 'tourist route' around the Tower of London, over Tower Bridge and towards the Shard, weaving our way around the many people also enjoying their Saturday evening. We had great fun making the most of our surroundings and they were all too happy to include a few 'cheesy' snaps in the red phone box and along Southbank.

Whitstable Pre-Wedding Session with Donna & Phil

12/4/2017

Donna & Phil together on the beach with the sea and a slipway behind them

Donna & Phil got in touch with me about their wedding photography and were really keen on the idea of a pre-wedding shoot beforehand as they both confessed to being a little camera shy and nervous about being the centre of attention. They suggested heading to Whitstable beach one evening, as the town and the coast had special meaning for them early on in their relationship. We really struck gold as we had some gorgeous warm light and it was lovely and mild that evening.

Mote Park Pre-Wedding Session with Sam & Steven

16/10/2016

Sam & Steven cuddling on a bench in Mote Park

I've known Sam for a number of years and I was delighted when she contacted me after seeing my business posts on Twitter expressing an interest in booking me for her wedding. Sam, Steven and myself headed to Mote Park in Maidstone one Sunday evening to take advantage of the warm dusk light and the beautiful autumn colours for their pre-wedding shoot. The clouds created some gorgeous dappled light as the sun went down, and we even had a bit of fun towards the end throwing the leaves around.