Welcome to my blog! I am a full time professional photographer specialising in natural, creative wedding photography and a range of different types of portrait photography including maternity, new born babies, families and pets.

I love my work as, for me, a photograph is a split second in time, which is shaped by the emotions of a moment. Every photograph tells a story and particular images can conjour up strong and sometimes powerful memories. I count myself lucky to really love what I do as I have a passion for taking photographs and finding out what makes people tick.

I am based near Bristol and Bath in the Chew Valley. For weddings, I work mainly in the Bristol, Bath, Somerset and Gloucestershire areas and photograph weddings regularly at some of the best venues in the region including: Hunstrete House, Thornbury Castle, Ston Easton Park, Maunsel House, Kingscote Barn, The Park, The Matara Centre and Guyers House. I am happy to travel to other parts of the country and abroad. To find out more about my wedding photography please click here. For portraits I work either in clients' homes, on location or from my studio in the Chew Valley and aim to offer a relaxed, fun and personal experience, particularly as many of my clients have known me since photographing their wedding and come back to me for their family photographs. For more information about portraits, please click here.

I hope you enjoy looking through my most recent work on the blog. If you are interested in wedding or portrait photography specifically and would like to search for posts related to that, just use the categories button to refine your search.

Bristol Wedding Photography – Greg and Lara’s Wedding pt 2

April 21, 2011 By sarahc View Comments

So after the ceremony, guests headed out to the front of the house to enjoy the sunshine and a glass of bubbly.  All the little flowergirls loved running around the huge lawn - which is such a great space particularly for weddings with lots of children as it keeps them really busy! 

I took Greg and Lara off for a few minutes to take some photographs of them and then it was time for the meal and speeches. I love taking photographs during the speeches as there are so many emotions to watch out for – what wedding photography is all about really.  At the end of the meal, coffee was served for guests to enjoy while watching the sun go down on what had been a perfect day.  Greg and Lara had their first dance and the whole dancefloor was soon jumping around to some old favourites.  There was then a surprise for guests in the form of a fireworks show, which was a real treat and a great end to the day.

Here are some of my favourite images:

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Erica and James’ Pre-wedding shoot near Bath

April 21, 2011 By sarahc View Comments

On Monday evening I met up with Erica and James who are getting married in Bath Abbey in a few week’s time. I had not seen them for nearlly a yeear so it was really nice to catch up with them over a drink in the early evening sunshine and plan out the photography for their wedding.

We also did their pre-wedding shoot in and around their venue – The George in Norton St Philip – which is a lovely venue with stunning views from its garden over the valley.  Here are some of my favourite images from their session:

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Bristol wedding photography – Lara & Greg’s wedding at Ston Easton Park (pt 1)

April 15, 2011 By sarahc View Comments

What a day for a wedding we had last Friday – I think it was the first time this year I have coated myself in factor 15 before leaving the house anyway!  When I arrived at Ston Easton Park, near Bristol I stopped to take some photographs of the daffodils and bluebells which were just stunning and a lovely springtime backdrop.  I then headed up to see Lara, who was getting ready with bridesmaids Katy-Jo, Lauren, Honey and also 4 year old identical twins Beatrice and Mathilde. It was all go with hairdressing and make up so I spent a while capturing the action before heading down to take some photogaphs of Greg, who was getting ready in the cottage with best man and Son Ben and ushers Luke, Cesar, Lee and his Father, Colin. 

As there are such a lot of images, here are a few of my favourites from the morning until the end of the ceremony.  Watch this space for part 2:

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A lovely message

March 11, 2011 By sarahc View Comments

I have neglected the blog a bit over the past couple of weeks while a new computer system has been installed in the office but that is coming to an end now (horray!). It’s a great time of year to get everything organised and up to date before the start of the main wedding season which I am really looking forward to.

Last week I was at a business lunch and conversation turned to the following topic  – What are you in business for? /Why do you do what you do?  An interesting question and one which might have a variety of answers depending on what work you do and what motivates you. For me, this message I was sent a couple of weeks ago from a couple who got married several years ago came to mind:

“Hi Sarah. I have just been looking at our Wedding album once again (Thornbury Castle 5/11/06) and wanted to send another thank you, four years on! Each time we look at it, it brings smiles and warm memories as each moment is captured perfectly (and we look so young..).I don’t think it will ever date. The photography is of a quality I never thought we would find. As my Mum passed away 18mths later, it is beautiful to look back at a day she absolutely adored and you were able to capture on paper, what was already in our hearts. It looks like you are still producing amazing work and I wish you all the luck you deserve. Many thanks again.”

So I feel very fortunate to be able to have the relationships with my couples that I do. It’s also nice to know that the images and albums they keep are a lasting reminder of that special and defining point in their lives. 

Coming up soon is the Major portrait session and Greg and Lara’s wedding so watch this space!

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John and Diana’s Wedding at Thornbury Castle

February 14, 2011 By sarahc View Comments

It’s been a really busy couple of weeks for me here with a couple of weddings, several portrait sessions and the first wedding fayre of the year last Sunday which was a great start to the 2011 wedding season.  To backtrack a little, two weeks ago at the end of January (doesn’t that seem a long time ago already?!) I photographed John and Diana’s wedding at Thornbury Castle near Bristol – a favourite venue of mine, particularly at this time of year as it is so warm and cosy!

John was greeting guests in the lounge when I arrived so I took a few pictures of him with his guests before heading up to see Diana who looked amazing in a medieval style gown and a really stunning gold tiara.  As they wanted a small intimate wedding, John and Diana got married in the library, which is such a lovely room for smaller weddings as you can get married in front of the window and your guests can take their pick from the comfortable arm chairs and sofas.

John and Diana couldn’t stop smiling at each other throughout the ceremony and everyone then tucked into Champagne and canapes while I took some photographs of the drinks reception.

The sun had decided to come out so we nipped outside briefly for a few photographs – you can get lovely shots outside even at this time of year if you know where to look!  Back inside, everyone was ready for their wedding breakfast – which was set up with just one big table, which is a really nice touch if you can do it that way.

Here are a few of my favourite images:

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Zoey & Jurgen’s Wedding at Ston Easton – Part 2

January 10, 2011 By sarahc View Comments

Here is the second instalment from Zoey and Jurgen’s wonderful wedding.

We left off with Zoey and Jurgen coming out of the ceremony. They were followed by their guests who tucked into Champagne and canapes in the library and were entertained by a magician.  I wandered around taking informal photographs and later on took Zoey and Jurgen outside for a few shots on their own. By now it was completely dark so using some nifty lighting, got some great shots of them in front of the house.

Soon it was time to sit down for dinner and a fantastic pianist (www.iantowerspianist.co.uk)  played a mixture of music – including some favourites of mine, while guests enjoyed their meal. There were 4 speeches – Zoey’s uncle, Jurgen, Jurgen’s Father and his Best Man Paul – who managed to strike just the right note of fun.

After dinner, there was a brilliant surprise for everyone – a fire-eater on the front lawn and Chinese lanterns to set alight.  These can be tricky to get going but I don’t think anyone had any accidents that I could see!  We all then walked around to the back of the house for a fireworks display, mince pies and mulled wine, which was a real treat.  Back inside, Zoey and Jurgen had their first dance as man and wife before all their friends joined them on the dancefloor.

Here are some of my favourite images:

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Zoey and Jurgen’s Wedding at Ston Easton Park – Part 1

January 6, 2011 By sarahc View Comments

Last Wednesday, just after the snow had melted and we had that ever so brief spell of milder weather, Zoey and Jurgen had their wedding at Ston Easton Park, near Bristol, which is a favourite venue of mine. The house looks lovely at any time of year but is a great venue for Winter weddings in particular as its so cosy and comfortable.  When I arrived I went for a wander around to see what had been set up already (including a fabulous looking sweetie bar! ) and also to admire the huge and truely fabulous Christmas tree in the dining room.  What a nice way to have your wedding breakfast – with all the decorations up and a huge twinkling tree.

Upstairs, Zoey was having her hair done, along with bridesmaids Katy B, Katy H, Claudine, who is Jurgen’s Sister, Ellie and Victoria. A girl after my own heart, Zoey was getting stuck into the Champagne and seemed to be really enjoying having her hair done and the company of all the girls.

One of the nicest things about hiring a lovely venue for your whole day is that no one has to spend ages driving around and it means that preparations are more leisurely, as you are all already where you need to be.  I headed over to Jurgen’s room to catch up with him, his Best Man Paul and his Father Kurt.  As Jurgen is South African, his family had made a pretty big journey over for the wedding which meant it was a doubly special time.

After taking some photos of the boys’ preparations, I went back to the girls and before long it was time for the ceremony. Zoey had made a real effort with her decorations and had really thought of the details throughout the day. The Yellow Room looked amazing with an aisle of flower petals and candles and rich red fabric ties on the chairs.  During the ceremony, Paul and Katy both did readings and there were a few tears (happy ones of course!).

Here are some of my favourite images from the first part of the day (watch this space for Part 2):

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Hannah and Lloyd’s Wedding – Part 2

December 23, 2010 By sarahc View Comments

After we arrived at Bovey Castle, I did some photographs of Hannah and Lloyd in the grounds before it got too dark and then we headed inside to the Drawing Room – which had a huge Christmas tree and lots of candles as well as a really welcoming log fire.   Guests were enjoying tea and homemade biscuits and of course plenty of Champagne!

As people sat down for dinner I wandered around capturing the action and later on after the meal I photographed the speeches – always great for funny moments and expressions!

Bovey has a fantastic lounge area for the drinks and dancing after dinner which I loved as the lighting was just fantastic. Hannah and Lloyd cut their huge cheese cake and then swished around the dance floor for their first dance.

Here are some of my favourite images:

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Hannah and Lloyd’s Wedding in Devon – Part 1

December 23, 2010 By sarahc View Comments

A week last Saturday I headed down to Devon for Hannah and Lloyd’s wedding in Exeter Cathedral.  Hannah and Lloyd live in sunny Dubai so it was a bit of a temperature drop for them coming back to the UK for their wedding – although the snow had retreated quite a bit. I had spent a morning with them earlier in the week to go through everything and as often happens, the time flew by and before I knew it – it was time to hit the M5 again!

When I arrived at Hannah’s Mum’s house she was getting ready with bridesmaids Nicky, her Sister, Venetia, Helen and Lucy. Before long, the Champagne was cracked open and there was a real sense of excitement.  I then drove into Exeter and met up with Lloyd. The Cathedral looked stunning with all the Christmas decorations and for a big church was surprisingly warm.

Hannah and the girls arrived (in Bovey Castle’s fantastic big Landrovers!) and walked into church to the fantastic sound of the organ  - quite spine tingling!  The highlight of the service for me was Hannah’s surprise for Lloyd of the choir singing the Band Aid song – Do they know it’s Christmas -which everyone loved.

Outside, everyone mingled greeting Hannah and Lloyd but before long, thinking of cups of tea and a log fire at Bovey Castle, headed off for the reception.

Here are my favourite images from the first part of their day – part 2 coming up soon!:

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John and Gareth’s Civil Partnership in Bristol

December 16, 2010 By sarahc View Comments

A few weeks ago now I photographed John and Gareth’s Civil Partnership at Bristol Registry Office and then their reception at Brasserie Blanc. We had a lovely bright late Autumn day and so guests were milling around outside the Registry Office when I arrived. Luckily, there wasn’t another wedding on so it was fairly quiet and I took some shots of everyone chatting while waiting for John and Gareth to arrive.

I think their ceremony has to be one of the loudest, happiest services I have ever seen. There were quite a few ex Navy boys there as John himself used to be in the Navy and it was obviously a real treat for all the friends and family to catch up with each other and also the celebrate with John and Gareth.

Afterwards, we headed over to the park for a few family photographs en route to Brasserie Blanc. I also did a few shots with just John and Gareth, making the most of the gorgeous colour.

When we arrived for the drinks reception, everyone was enjoying themselves in the courtyard just outside the Brasserie. As the light dimmed, I took quite a few shots using the floodlighting and uplighters on the building and also inside as the room was ready for dinner. John and Gareth had gone to a lot of trouble to decorate the room in creams, oranges and yellows and it looked fantastic – particularly the flowers done by one of my favourite local florists Emma Petersson.  There was also a fantastic musician – Jon Pickard playing acoustic Spanish guitar music – which I am a real fan of.

I wandered around during the meal and speeches and got some really fun shots of people enjoying themselves and particularly the AV of photographs of John and Gareth brought the house down!

To round off the evening Hazell Dean (of ‘Get this party started’ fame!) sang a set which all the guests loved and resulted in some pretty wild dancing!

Flowers – http://www.emmadesignerflorist.co.uk/events.html

Music – www.jonpickard.co.uk

Here are some of my favourite images:

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