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Last instalment of Alexandra and Richard’s wedding pictures taken at Eastnor Church and Castle.

Click into a picture to view as a gallery.

More pictures from Alexandra and Richards wedding at Eastnor Church and Castle.

Click into a picture to view as a gallery.

Some lovely shots from Alexandra and Richard’s recent wedding at Eastnor Church and Castle. More pictures to come in later blogs! CLICK INTO a photo to see the gallery.

Rob, Aimee, Jackie and Richard after a cheeky vimto or two.

With a suitcase full of camera gear (see later) Jackie and I flew out to Cape Town.  We holidayed for a couple of days (see Part 1) then met up with Aimee and Rich at their wedding venue - a vineyard outside of Cape Town - Eaglevlei.

Surrounded by stunning mountain views including Table Mountain this was a breathtaking spot for a wedding. Although we had planned the wedding photography from the UK it was great to finally see the locations and start snapping some landscape background images.

Eaglevlei vineyards

As well as the venue we checked out Hawksmoor House where Aimee was to get ready in the morning. This is a truly beautiful period house filled with antiques, character and bags of stunning views.

 

View towards Table Mountain from Hawksmoor House

Finally the RAILWAY TRACKS! This was a first for me - wedding photography on live rails! After sussing out the venues we went to our guest house which is next door to Eaglevlei - they even seem to share a dog that magically appeared at both places depending on who was serving up the best food! Hoopenburg Guesthouse is a very relaxed place surrounded with vineyards and animals and a great place to chill. I charged the batteries, cleaned the lenses and checked the gear, went through the listings and checked the maps. It doesn’t matter how many weddings I do I always get nervous which I reckon gives you the edge you need to get good images.Hoopenburg Guesthouse with dog!

The big day started unseasonally hot and just got hotter. First call was to Aimee to do detail and reportage shots. The champers was flowing and all was cool - literally. stepping outside was like walking into an oven!

Emma chilling in the heat!

 The team

After blitzing the prep we shot off to the outskirts of Cape Town to meet up with the boys to get some portraits and fun shots. The beers were certainly flowing!!

Mel on the beers!

We got some great shots. Some very nice available light portraits using the prime lenses (50 and 85 mm). I tried some shots lying on my belly and using the intense blue sky as a backdrop. Got really excited about using my new 16-35 lens - oooh what a lovely lens!

Not much time left so we took Aimee’s Dad, Mel, back with us to Hawksmoor House to the girls for portraits prior to the ceremony.

After some final preparation shots it was out to the gardens via the main house for some fab portraits.

Poser

The girls trying to keep cool while Aimee having her pics taken.

After some really nice shots at Hawksmoor we raced off to the main venue. It was really nice to meet so many of Richard and Aimee’s family and we got a mixture of reportage and boys’ shots. Aimee arrived looking FANATSTIC! The wedding was perfect and the ceremony was performed on the lawn with the mountains and vineyards as backdrop. No problem with a dark church here!

After group shots we whizzed off to the railway tracks. The quality of light in South Africa is simply stunning and this is what I have tried to convey throughout my finished pictures (Click here to see finished shots). The place just oozes a golden glow.

 

Perched getting big group shot with Jackie anchoring me down! Love the moon.

This was brilliant - the train stopped for us! Ooops! We got loads of cheering from the passengers who were really up for it. A great laugh and a first for me. Not sure British Rail would be quite so up for it!

Back at the venue the guests were enjoying the facilities! We had a wander around the venue and vineyards as the sun was starting to go down and everything was bathed in golden light. I was keen to use the walls and shadows as well as some steel texture and contrast all of this with the vines. Using handheld primes we got some lovely shots and my new best mate lens (16-35) for some crisp wide angle shots. 

The final group was Aimee and Rich’s mates on the play area. What a way to finish the formals with a really fun shot. The sun going down behind them with Table Mountain in the background.

What a fantastic day! I loved every minute and got some great shots. The reportage photography continued until I was told to put the camera away. Superb wedding breakfast. Great company. Jackie and I chilled on a settee watching the stars.

When are you renewing your vows Aimee and Richard and do you need a photographer there?!!

To see Rob’s finished shots Click Here

 

Camera gear for those interested

Canon 1ds Mk 2 and 5d Mk 2

24-70 F2.8, 16-35 F2.8 Mk 2, 70-200 F4, 50 F1.4, 85 F1.4

580 Mk2 flash, reflector, Giottos tripod and video light plus lots of

Wow! Aimee and Rich asked me to take their wedding pictures near Cape Town, South Africa. Not only was this an honour (they are great friends) but frightening as they are both fab photographers with their own wedding business over there! Their wedding is going to be blogged in PART 2 - coming soon! 

As Jackie and I totally love South Africa (we visited with our two boys two years ago)we snuck in a little whale watching and sightseeing around their big day.Here are some snaps from our sightseeing.

We drove to Hermanus along the stunning coastal road with the evening sun setting over the sea on one side and the rugged mountain spine glowing in the orange light on the other. Hermanus is famous for its whale watching - you don’t even have to get in to a boat to watch southern right whales here as they come right up to the rocks.

There is a great cliff path which was only a short walk from our great value b&b (The Potting Shed) and within a couple of hours we had seen loads of different mamals, birds and insects. The cape fur seals at the new harbour were really funny -squabbling over the best perches in the sun!

Shortly we saw our first southern right whales (announced by a man trumpeting!). What an awe inspiring site. We were lucky enough to see them close at hand many times that day.

Southern Right Whale -tail on left and head on right!

That night we watched the sun go down over Grotto Beach near Hermanus after a long and brilliant day.

Grotto Beach

Walker Bay is an enormous coastal curve that stretches for miles east of Hermanus with whale spotting all along. Even at a distance you could see the spout of the whales followed by breaching the glittering water. Stunning coastline made for some great snaps and chilly dips in the sea.

Walker Bay

Exploring Hermanus was great fun. Early morning forages found sleepy owls (Cape Eagle?) and dreamy views as the sea mist drifted onto the coast. The unexpected exceptionally warm spring weather had me buying a hat and diving into cool cafes.

Hermanus in the early morning

Jackie taking in the view at Hoy’s Koppie, Hermanus

At the back of Hermanus runs Fernkloof Nature Reserve with its astonishing species of over 1600 fynbos species (different types of plant typical of the Cape). If flowers are your thing - then this is the place to be at spring time!

Fynbos at the Fernkloof Nature Reserve.

We had a brilliant two days at Hermanus and were sad to leave such a lovely place but excited to meet up with Aimee and Richard. I’ll cover the wedding FAB 3 DAYS in PART 2.

With time after Aimee and Rich’s wedding we explored some old haunts and some new places in the Cape Town area.

View from the breakfast table at Thandekayo Art Gallery Guesthouse

Hout Bay in the sea mist and mountain lion statue

Based at Thandekayo Guesthouse in Hout Bay (which is owned by one of South Africa’s best landscape photographers Martin Osner) we re-visited Simons Town with its African penguins that nest around Boulders Beach area. You can actually swim with these cute little fellas.

The stunning views from Chapmans Peak drive - hewn from the cliff face - are a must do. At sunset it especially fantastic.

Chapman’s Peak Drive

The famous Kirstenboch Botanical Gardens are on the side of Table Mountain (you can walk up from here) were really good at this time of year as there is so much in bloom. You could easily spend a whole day here. Nearby is the Rhodes memorial with fantastic views but equally great is the resteraunt by it. Chill with coffee over looking Cape Town spread out below you.

Kirstenboch Botanical Gardens

Rhodes Memorial with odd bloke

Our final day before leaving for blighty was spent watching surfers and dolfins at the stunning Llandudno Beach. What a fantastic way to end an awesome week. Thank you Aimee and Richard!!

Llandudno Beach

Part 2  The Wedding Coming Soon!

Despite the snowy weather we had a fantastic time at Eastnor Castle meeting lots of couples as well as making new friends with other exhibitors. Becky (from the castle) made us really welcome and the roaring log fire warmed us all up!

We met up with bridal make up artist Hayley of FK Consulting who we have worked with lots on weddings and portraits. Her friend, Vicky, modeled a stunning dress from exhibitors Lily Oliver Bridal and Hayley did the beautiful makeup.

Vicky in the Octagonal room.

The Lily Oliver stand and fab dresses in the armoury room.

The stunning view from the back of Eastnor over the terraces and lake towards the Malvern Hills.

A big THANK YOU to all at Eastnor for putting on a great day and to all the people who braved the cold to make it such a memorable event.

Tech stuff : All shots were taken on a happy snappy compact Lumix camera as I didn’t take the big cameras along. Some shots were given a vintage look using photoshop. The head and shoulders shot and full length standing images were lit with window light and a reflector (a handy white frame box that I brought the display prints in!).

Sandry Studio

Come and see us this Sunday at the fantastic EASTNOR CASTLE! We are really looking forward to a great event with loads of exciting products from the best suppliers around. Kick off is at 12.00 and the event finishes at 4.00 pm. 

Eastnor is a really wonderful location for a wedding and we have had lots of fun taking some memorable shots there. Here are a few more….

Click here to find Eastnor!

This is one of our new wedding album videos! Take a look :)

This is a quick tour of our studio in St Johns, Worcester. Check out our website here: www.worcesterphotography.co.uk