Sainsbury's Magazine Feature
Just a quick post to mention about some images of mine that have been featured in the latest Sainsbury's Bank magazine.
The Kent wedding in question was Dave and Marrianne's awesome village fete themed day (which was also featured on the great English Wedding blog) where an incredible amount of work went into hand making nearly everything you saw! Their full storyboard from that summers day in the village of Leigh can be seen here
Be it a wedding magazine or bank magazine, this is a national publication so always nice to get featured!
Documentary Wedding Photography
Holding hands, a hug, a pat on the back. Every day gestures in life, and at weddings even more so. It's a powerful thing touch, it's a gesture of affection and love between people and is something I love to photograph should I be in the right place when it happens.
It's something that you just can't stage in my opinion (although when I do see it attempted, it's a big fail!), and as a documentary Kent wedding photographer I thrive on getting moments like this.
More often than not it's an incredibly subtle and brief exchange. We are a reserved nation on the whole, but at a wedding you may get a family member for example, who is normally a bit shy on the hug front, open up for a split second to dish them out!
For the image below, I could have chosen any number of couples holding hands pictures, but I went for this one from last years wedding of Ian and Becky at the wonderful Gosfield Hall in Essex. I selected it as for me it's a tender moment between Becky and her mum before the ceremony, and conveys an incredible amount from a single frame.
Photographing a wedding in a documentary style means capturing a huge amount of love and emotion as it happens and on the fly, and for me touch is a incredibly important part of that.
Any comments or opinions are always great to hear below!
Kids at Weddings | Why I love this picture...
I've been meaning to share this image for some time now, because as a Kent Wedding Photographer it sums up how I like to photograph guests (and especially young guests) at a wedding.
This photograph was from Benjy and Hannah's fantastic Kent wedding back last summer. Guests were milling about as guests do and the kids wanting to make their own entertainment broke free of the adults and went to play.
I managed to get some lovely images of them before they noticed me and started pulling some big cheesy grins, but this picture below shows how as a photographer I like to capture the natural side of children at a wedding. Whether it's them or adults, there is absolutely no need to start instructing them to pose (which I simply don't do anyway) when you can get results like this.
Tears and Laughter
Tears and Laughter. It's something I see and get to photograph at every wedding I attend.
A wedding day is jam packed full of emotion, and aside from the incredibly moving ceremony, there is the interaction between family and friends for example that haven't seen each other for a while (some jetting in from far off lands), and lets face it it's a rare occurrence in life where we get everyone together under one roof!
The speeches are a part of a wedding I really look forward to, as it's a time when someone can stand and speak from the heart about the wonderful day we've all just experienced, and of the incredible couple who've just sealed there friendship for ever.
It's heartfelt and moving and I always without a doubt look for guests reactions at this time, because there is sure to be some!
A Kent Panto | Beauty and the Beast
As a Kent wedding photographer it's always nice to have other photography projects on the go too, and as well as lifestyle family photo shoots, I also get involved in providing the official pictures for the annual Southborough Pantomime.
It's run by the great Wicked Productions (who I can't recommend enough) and this year it was a production of Beauty and the Beast. These guys work their socks off every year, starting in late summer auditioning and set building, all the way through to the very last show, and give 110% into everything they do. If you haven't been to see them yet you're missing out! Shameless plug alert, but as well as the high end production and acting, the choreography provided by my lovely wife Carla was yet again top notch, and she runs a great dance school for children and adults in Tunbridge Wells called Firefly. Check it out here.
I always love photographing the dress rehearsals and below are some of my favourite images. If you or your children were involved in this great Kent production the full set of images can be viewed in a password protected gallery, please contact Carla for the password if you'd like to view or purchase any prints.
If you haven't done so yet a 'like' of my Facebook page is always lovely to have and a comment in the box below to let me know what you think is equally awesome!
2013........it's been fun!
"I enjoyed 2013". That is an understatement. 2013 blew me away!
Not only did I get to photograph the most special day of couple's lives, which in itself is the most rewarding job on the planet, I got to meet such lovely people that I would probably never have crossed paths with otherwise.
I travelled all around Kent, Surrey and London documenting their own wedding days and below are some images from the last 12 months that are personal favourites for me. It's no simple task going through thousands of pictures to choose a small selection for this post, so I chose ones on gut instinct and ones that mean something to me.
I got married myself in 2013 so I'm biased in saying it blew me away! We were fortunate enough to manage to secure the services of a great photographer and those awesome photographs he took are incredibly special to us. Best investment I ever made.
2014 has yet another fab line up of great weddings to look forward to photographing with a plethora of new venues for me to have fun in. Can't wait!
An Autumnal Family Photo Shoot
Mid afternoon on a crisp December day in Tunbridge Wells, with late Autumn colours hanging on in there, all meant a perfect time to book in a family lifestyle photography shoot with the beautiful Bartley family.
By lifestyle I mean, relaxed natural photos in the great outdoors. No white backdrops here. Fresh air and natural light is always so much better. For one kids are immediately at home in it, the weather does't matter to them, it could be chucking it down but with wellies and brollies they still love it! When the kids are relaxed and having fun, the parents are relaxed and having fun, they both go hand in hand and this all means good photos are to be had.
Some favourite images of mine are below. Any comments here or on social media are always welcome.
If you would be interested in having a similar family photography session please contact me for more info and price, or alternatively visit my dedicated family photography website: stevefullerphoto.com
Buxted Park Wedding Photography | David and Liane
" Many thanks, Steve, for the professional way in which you approached our wedding. We didn't necessarily want the standard posed images and you provided exactly what we wanted - we're delighted with the end result, a range of natural shots. The quality of the photos is fantastic and we have plenty to choose from for framing! You were very friendly and put us at our ease, but importantly, we barely noticed your presence whilst you were working. And as a final bonus, we didn't have to wait long after the wedding until we received the pictures. Thanks again for your hard work and we would happily recommend you to friends looking for a photographer " David and Liane.
Buxted Park Hotel is a great wedding venue set in the East Sussex countryside near Uckfield, and is always one I enjoy photographing at. David and Liane's wedding fell on a wet November day, but I find venues like Buxted come alive inside at this time with crackling fires and beautiful bright rooms to hang out in.
I joined Liane as she got ready in one of the huge bedrooms at Buxted Park, and after getting some coverage there I joined up with David downstairs who was busying himself meeting and greeting. A good handful of couples that book me I don't actually get to meet until the day of the wedding, David and Liane were one of these and so it's always lovely when you meet and discover that, as they were, a joy to work with and be part of their special day.
A beautiful and emotional ceremony led to the gods being kind to us and clearing away the rain for a short while so we could get some family and couple shots around Buxted's fantastic grounds. Come 4.30pm the night drew in, fires were lit, speeches were said, tears were shed, faces laughed and cakes were cut! A special first dance made even more unique and fun with the children photo bombing it (a first for me!) rounded off a great day.
Some of my favourite images from David and Liane's Buxted Park Wedding follow. If you like a comment is always lovely to have, as is a helping of shares on Facebook or Twitter!
Firefly Dance School
As the wedding season quietens down I'm always on the lookout for other projects, so was fortunate recently to be able to photograph at the awesome Firefly Dance School which is owned and run by my lovely wife Carla.
I've seen her build this Tunbridge Wells based dance school up from scratch and so am obviously very proud to see it doing so well. She provides a mind boggling array of classes covering different genres of dance, as well as providing some top class cupcakes that makes Paul Hollywood's ones look like something from Gregs.
The children were all great to work with when I was there and didn't laugh at me too much which was a bonus! Thanks kids! If you are a parent then you can access the galleries via the 'client area' tab at the top of this page. You will need a password to view them and this is being supplied by Carla.
If you like the pictures I always appreciate feedback which you can leave at the bottom of this page, and a 'like' of my Facebook photography page would be very kind too!
If you are looking to send your children to a friendly and professional Kent dance school then please check out Firefly Dance School's website here.
