Alison and Dominic were married on Sunday 29th August at Woodborough Hall. Alison was the epitome of Grace Kelly elegance and the camera just loved her! We started the day in West Bridgford with bridal preparations and moved on to Woodborough for the ceremony and reception. Despite the pouring rain early on, the clouds cleared and we had the brightest sunshine in the afternoon. Alison and Dom are clearly very much in love, so the photographs were so natural, beautiful and a pleasure to take. Jo at Dennisson Classic Cars chauffered the vintage white Jaguar, which provided a stunning backdrop too. Alison and Dom: I hope you enjoy your time away and we'll see you soon for the big unveiling of your gorgeous images.

On Saturday I was at Norwood Park in Nottinghamshire, one of my favourite venues, for Carly and Stefan’s wedding day. I just absolutely loved photographing their wedding, not only because Carly now feels like an old friend, but also because their day was the epitome of all things romantic, from the pink theme and rose bouquets, to her vintage pearl jewellery, to that fabulous Hollywood Dreams dress, to all the personal touches that they’d put so much thought into – their amazing table bouquets for example, each one tagged for a loved family member to take home. The day began at The Old Vicarage, where the girls got ready, with Susan at Pretty Flamingo doing Carly’s wedding makeup (natural radiance was the brief – definitely achieved). We then relocated with hair and makeup done, with much less clutter and stuff (a simple idea that worked well) to Norwood Park’s honeymoon room to photograph Carly being laced into her dress. Throughout the whole day there was a real sense of generosity and creative talent, with friends and family having helped to make the cake, stationery, style Carly and her maids’ hair, organise the flowers (by Pam Gibson) and make gorgeous cupcakes as place settings. Everything a wedding should be about. Wishing Carly and Stefan a fabulous honeymoon in Malaysia and a lifetime of happiness to follow! I hope you love the first few photographs of your gorgeous day.

Mirror Imaging Photography - Wedding Photographers Nottinghamshire

It's been a while since my last blog post. I've been very busy with personal projects, one of which is a brand new collection of fine art canvas prints. The first edition of a new print, entitled Red Rose, was a gift to my sister and her new husband for their wedding day, and I was so pleased with the result I thought I'd offer these to everyone. Slightly smaller than my other canvases, at a very displayable 20x20 inches, they are created using a die-sublimation process, which dips the textured cloth in ink, rather than coating it like much cheaper inkjet canvas prints. (This means it lasts longer without the usual cracking or fading.) The result is a beautiful piece of fabric art, featuring a square format image wrapped all the way round the frame. For just £150. I hope you love them as much as I do. Here is the first of the roses in all it's glory. It was just a shame I couldn't photograph the scent too!

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Last Saturday we were at Lyndsey and James’s very English wedding in the rain at the beautiful St James’s Church in Papplewick and The Old Vicarage Boutique Hotel, Southwell. Lyndsey’s pretty pink colour scheme featured a bouquet of baby pink roses and peonies, gorgeous Cath Kidson favours and the palest blush made-to-measure silk dress. The rainy day turned the outside a lush green and guests were a sea of umbrellas as they arrived at the church. In the afternoon, Lyndsey and Jim escaped to the warm comfort of the hotel’s lounge for photographs, canapés and champagne! Wishing Lyndsey and James a very happy honeymoon.

Thursday night I was at the brand new Riverbank Restaurant on Trent Bridge finishing their series of promotional photographs for their new website and branding. It followed on from the gorgeous food photography taken the other week, and this time I was capturing the interior and exterior as the first few customers were welcomed in. Having its own deli counter, the Riverbank caters for all those working in Nottingham who want to relax after 5pm with drinks and nibbles, and also features a huge elegant dining space if you want a more formal meal with head chef Mark overseeing some stunning dishes. The outdoor patio area gives the restaurant space 'wow' factor and is reminiscent of being in the Mediterranean, with outdoor lighting, box hedging and bamboo plants bordering the integrated seating... all with a magnificent elevated view of the river. Please enjoy the following photographs as a special preview of the restaurant, and make sure you make the most of the recent sunshine in Nottingham by visiting the Riverbank soon.

Last night I met up again with Rebecca and Richard who collected their beautiful Queensberry album and parents albums from the studio. They bought with them a thank you card, which was really quite special, having been handmade by Rebecca's mum Karen. It features some of their favourite wedding photographs and it's so lovely I wanted to show you all. Thank you very much Rebecca, Richard and of course Karen for such a gorgeous card!

Keith got in touch the other day wishing to come to the studio to celebrate his wife Sue's 60th birthday with a family portrait. Fortunately we had one day available before Sue's birthday and were able to capture the photographs he wanted in time! The resulting images are a true reflection of a very happy, close family who really enjoy each other's company. I hope the whole family love the first few highlights of their afternoon and Susan and I both wish Sue a very happy birthday for Friday! Have a wonderful party!

Yesterday I was at The Farndon Boathouse Restaurant near Newark, taking images to promote it's new sister restaurant opening very soon on Trent Bridge in Nottingham called Riverside (website coming soon). The Farndon Boathouse and Riverside Restaurants are both connected to the very successful and critically acclaimed Tom Browns in Gunthorpe, providing consistently delicious food with a laid back riverside atmosphere. The brief for the photography was bright, clean and contemporary and we worked with a theme of slate grey and wood to reflect the natural materials used on the interior of the restaurants. Please visit the restaurant's websites to make a reservation and sample some of the gorgeous dishes below!

This week I had the pleasure of photographing baby Mia and her parents, Inese and Mark. Mark contacted me via facebook after seeing the images I captured of a friend's baby and travelled from Aberdeen, via family in Derbyshire, to have the photoshoot! Mia's name means my little beauty and she certainly was! At 16 weeks, she is very expressive and learning to interact with her surroundings, which is perfect for capturing on camera. Inese was first treated to a makeup session with Susan at Pretty Flamingo - something we now include in all our photoshoots. The resulting photographs show some very special, natural moments between mother and baby to be celebrated and cherished, and my thanks to Inese for her permission to put them online. To Mark and Inese - I hope you love the photos and look forward to showing you the rest!

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Our wedding albums are always eagerly anticipated by the bride and groom - and me! I have therefore been passing them over to my clients as soon as possible, so when Claire and Martyn's gorgeous Newstead Abbey wedding album arrived recently, I thought I might take a moment to photograph some of its beautiful detail and craftmanship. Claire and Martyn opted for the 12x12 inch digital Queensberry album, with a silver bengaline cover. One of its pages features a 'flip-out' to show off the stunning palm trees in Newstead's gardens and it certainly gives this album the wow factor! The beauty of the digital album is that the images run to the edge of the page, creating a contemporary look - but the albums still feature 'real photographs', as they are printed on lustre photographic paper and board mounted. Queensberry albums really are in a class of their own and I am exceptionally proud to be able to offer the very best.

Choosing a good wedding photographer can be a daunting task when you first begin to plan your wedding. It’s really the second job to tackle after securing your dream wedding venue, followed by the dress, cake, flowers… and all the details that make your day special. There are many factors involved in picking the right wedding photographer: their style of image taking, their layout of albums and design (even good photographs can be spoiled by overcrowding the pages or poor album materials), their personality, attitude and smartness, experience and, of course, value for money. As you begin to look at more suppliers, your list of ‘must-haves’ will begin to take shape. For example, I have secured some bookings from clients who preferred a female photographer (much less intrusive during the morning bridal preparations!). One of my brides was delighted to have found a Queensberry Albums supplier who hadn’t stinted on the size and luxury of the finishes, offering her the albums she both loved and could afford. Another client confided after booking that it was a lack-of-ego that was important to her and she wanted her photographer to be someone she would happily welcome to her wedding, not wish they weren’t there. In addition, many of my clients have noted that I leave my wedding galleries ‘open’ online, so you can view a wedding from start to finish, as well as meeting to see my wedding albums in full. Full disclosure is a really important point – with the current trend amongst many other photographers being to ‘blog’ a handful of funky photoshopped wedding images and the remaining photographs from the day are often simply downloaded straight from camera and passed to the client, who perhaps expected every image to look as polished as the ‘blogged’ portfolio photographs.

Photographing weddings is most definitely a passion but there is so much more to it than being able to take good photographs and many factors can affect the quality of the images. It’s therefore vitally important, whoever you choose as your photographer, that you see one of their weddings from start to finish – in album format or otherwise.

A capable wedding photographer is multi-faceted: Showing sensitivity on the day, having an eye for beautiful detail, thorough planning and organisation, smart appearance, and their ability to strike a balance between taking epic, award-winning photographs and knowing that you don’t want to walk a mile on wet grass in white heels! Having a qualified stylist with me on the day helps me focus 100% on capturing gorgeous images and I can really trust that the other details are being taken care of by her. And as more than one of my brides have said: “In the end I chose you as my photographer because I knew it really mattered to you that I looked beautiful in the photographs.” And this is perhaps ultimately the most gratifying feedback of all.

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This week I was in the studio again for Dean’s photoshoot. Dean, who performs as Dean Alexander, is a professional singer and can be hired out for parties and events, singing everything from Elvis to the Rat Pack. His act, which features some timeless classics, is already very popular but he and his agency need some basic headshot portraits for promotion on posters, advertising and online. I also wanted to create some more stylised images for him to use as more than headshots, perhaps for CD sleeves and in magazines. As a result, he has a real mix of images, with a few in particular depicting an ‘old-school’ vibe, reminiscent of 40’s and 50’s Hollywood and the glory days of Frank Sinatra. If you’re interested in booking his act please email deanoc@hotmail.com Dean – I hope you love the photographs and see you soon!

Caitlin came for a photoshoot to have a natural, beautiful headshot photograph for her acting portfolio, specifically so she can apply for auditions for theatre and television work.Portrait photographysessions with Mirror Imaging take place in our stunning, intimate studio space, and Caitlin took advantage of Susan’s considerable makeup skills and was treated to a state-of-the-art makeover with airbrush makeup, which is used in film and HD TV to create a flawless finish.These photographs are some of my favourites, and I think she looks incredibly pretty, showing off her gorgeous hair and eyes. Caitlin – I hope you love them all and enjoy seeing the remaining images soon!

Many couples who are looking to book me as their wedding photographer ask about poor weather and the sort of photographs that can be achieved if the sun decides not to shine. In reality, bad weather can quite often mean good photographs, for example we can achieve real epic, romantic photographs with overcast cloudy skies and the diffused light is incredibly flattering. In fact, as a UK based Nottingham wedding photographer, more often than not the weather is typical of our country and we get rolling, thundery clouds that create a sense of drama in wedding photographs, delighting clients who were perhaps initially disappointed that the sun didn't shine for them. So don't worry if on the morning of your wedding the sun isn't shining, the storm clouds are forming and a strong breeze picks up; brave the best of British weather and just think of those stunning photographs!

Many congratulations to Zoe and David whose gorgeous Autumn wedding brought with it blue skies and sunshine! Prestwold Hall in Loughborough hosted the day in true style, which was decorated with stunning floral arrangements by Flowers By Sarah (no connection!), who also created the bouquets and buttonholes. Prestwold Hall is a privately owned property with period details and beautiful planted gardens that we didn’t have to walk far to appreciate, which all contributed to an intimate wedding vibe. Touches of luxury were important to Zoe and David, such as Zoe’s stunning Ian Stuart dress, real rose-bud confetti, the beautiful string-quartet playing in the background and the fabulous hand-painted wedding cake featuring foliage and peacocks (in homage to the real peacocks seen wandering Prestwold’s gardens!) Zoe and David - I hope you and your friends and family love your wedding photographs and I'll look forward to showing you the rest in the coming weeks!

Saturday saw the wedding of Rebecca and Richard, who were married at The Riding Hall at Thoresby. The day started at the very charming Brown’s B&B in Holbeck, Nottinghamshire, where Rebecca had booked out all three rooms for her and her bridesmaids to get ready. We then went on to Thoresby, where fairy lights and white roses decorated their ceremony hall, and friends and family had gathered to see them say their vows. After the ceremony, we braved what felt like gale force winds to capture some rather epic photographs near Thoresby Hall. Rebecca and Richard are a gorgeous couple and were easy to photograph, but I must say an extra thank you to Rebecca for being so wonderful about being outside in the blustery weather - Rebecca I hope you agree that the photographs are totally worth it! I love how her veil took on a life of its own and lifted in the wind, which made a beautiful image that little bit more special. Congratulations to you both – your images will be available to view in the coming weeks. Mirror Imaging wedding photographers Nottingham

Many congratulations to Claire and Martyn who were married in the Orangery at Newstead Abbey, Ravenshead, followed by a reception at Bestwood Lodge, Nottinghamshire. Claire and Martyn are a fun-loving couple and genuinely enjoyed their special day, which was filled with much laughter and emotion. It was Martyn’s wish to have a ‘hat shot’, with the ushers and best men throwing their hats over Claire, who braved nine top hats falling from the skies with a smile on her face! Their ceremony was very moving and following two beautiful readings there wasn’t a dry eye in the house, including mine! Newstead Abbey is a stunning wedding venue to marry and always a pleasure to photograph, with its mature, landscaped gardens offering so much variety and beauty. We took Claire and Martyn to have their photograph taken amongst one of my favourite spots: the tropical palms, as well as in the traditional old English herb and rose gardens with their beautiful scent and symmetry. The weather was warm, dry and sometimes sunny, resulting in interesting and changeable cloud formations, which made for striking and atmospheric wedding photography. Their remaining wedding photographs will be online in the coming weeks.

Many of my wedding clients will know that Susan assists me as a wedding stylist at every wedding I undertake and having her there allows me to focus entirely on taking wonderful photographs – whilst she organises big groups of people, arranges dresses and veils to perfection, carries my heavy photography equipment, helps to ensure the bride and groom have all their requested photographs taken, and many other jobs beside. She’s even been known to lace wedding dresses, rearrange bouquets and stitch bridesmaids dresses when they were too large, allowing everyone to walk down the aisle looking gorgeous and the day to go ahead smoothly!

Susan is also a fabulous bridal makeup artist and a few Mirror Imaging clients have taken advantage of her skills at their wedding, including Sally at Makeney Hall, Anna at Donington Manor and Sara at The Carriage Hall. I feel more relaxed about working with a makeup artist who understands what looks great on camera and about how light and shade work to create a gorgeous look. There is certainly an excellent synergy between photographer and makeup artist/stylist and I urge you to consider booking her considerable talents on your wedding day.

Sometimes, when I don’t have a wedding booking myself, I return the favour and accompany Susan to her bridal makeup wedding bookings, when I take some photographs of her brides’ looking made up and radiant!

Heather was recently made up by Susan for her wedding and she needed a bridal makeup look that complemented her warm skin tone, strawberry blonde hair and gorgeous pink rose bouquet. The resulting look was soft, feminine and very flattering. Heather – we hope you had a wonderful day and you love the photographs.