Scottish Highland Wedding :: Amy & Pete

"Have you seen my cuff links?" said Pete, showing off his arms to my camera. I couldn't help but laugh when I saw them, "Perfect!" Back in May when I met Pete & Amy for their engagement shoot I had been warned about Pete's love of Land Rovers and "The Great Outdoors!!" It really was perfect that on his wedding day Pete was fastening on Land Rover logo cufflinks and milling about outside the quaint Fortingall church (which just so happens to be surrounded by some pretty great outdoors-iness). Thirty minutes away, in a wooden countryside house, Amy was surrounded by her sisters. They were in a beautiful attic-like room with sunlight flooding in through the bright skylights. The room was a pool of calm, no music, just the sound of the birds chirping, distant tractors ploughing, occasional bursts of hairspray, and wedding planners bustling about downstairs. Then we heard the gravel crunching as a car entered the driveway. The flowers were being delivered!

The staircase leading up to the girl's room had these beautiful perfectly white bannisters, which reminded me of The Sims (ha! I love The Sims by the way.) From the bottom of the stairs, as my camera pointed up towards Amy's dress, I could hear the women laughing at the top of the house and downstairs through a door I could see the men in their kilts, eating sandwiches.

The Fortingall church filled up quickly as guests started to arrive in their finest, welcomed by Scottish bagpipes. Amy & Pete had told me about their ceremony venue with such excitement and now standing there in person, beneath that high, rounded, wooden ceiling, I finally understood their enthusiasm for this venue. The ceiling had been constructed by a boat-builder and as I stood there staring up at it, I realised how each beam caught the light that poured in from the church windows. 

Putting away their phones :P, Pete and his men step away for a private moment to bless the day before Amy's Land Rover chariot arrived.

Amy's big sisters, Katie & Louise, were amazing maids-of-honour — helping Amy prepare for her wedding day and taking care of her from beginning to end, fluffing the dress, umphing the hair, sewing the ripped dress (yes, Amy's dressed ripped in the evening when she was dancing but Amy's so chillaxed she didn't blink an eye) and wrapping her up into big hugs all day long.

For months before their wedding Amy had said I can pretty much do what ever I wanted photography wise but please please please, could I make sure that I captured Pete's reaction when she walked up the aisle. I always try and capture the groom's face but knowing how much this moment meant to Amy I felt a bit of extra pressure. I probably took about 50 photos within 15 seconds as she turned the corner to walk up the aisle. Thankfully...we got that one she was hoping for, and what a fab reaction!!!! Pete was seriously excited to she the love of his life walking towards him knowing that in a matter of minutes, they would finally be husband and wife.

I love these two so much. I've never seen two people so excited to kiss. All day long, I kept asking them to kiss and not once did they fail to disappoint —  consistent excitement to show their love for one another. It's just so refreshing to be around them.

After the ceremony we ran away from the crowds and drove to Kenmore Beach for some private portraits.  

We were trying to think of all the different fun games you can play on the beach. Skimming stones was definitely my favourite! 

When we returned to join the guests the bagpipes started up again and we processed along the country lane that connected the church to the village hall. Of course, Pete & Amy realised this was the purrfect moment to update their Facebook status with a quick self-portrait... 

Charge!!!!!!!! Nothing quite so much fun as the groomsmen shot. It's one of my favourite parts of the day because when it comes down to, guys just want to play and have fun :P

The beautiful Fortingall village hall... Every table was named after a different type of tractor!

 While I was busy taking this picture of the beautiful wooden ceiling I suddenly heard Amy shout "Hey Chamonix, you're missing some amazing dancing!" so I whirled around to find the whole family doing the can-can and jazz fingers!!! Amazing :P

And then came the ceilidh dancing — quite possibly my favourite thing about Scotland. This was my first experience of a ceilidh without a caller. We were up in the Highlands after all, so everyone knew what they were doing and just jumped straight into having a great time. This beautiful woman dancing in the image below was awarded best dressed guest (by me) — her purple summer dress was just so quirky cute with her sparkly silver heels = LOVE!

I loved Amy & Pete's Love Line. They had a string suspended all the way across the back wall of the village hall. By the end of the night it was sagging beneath all the little love notes that were held up by those adorable mini clothes pins. Oh and like I said...these two love kissing!!!

The evening ended with one of the coolest drum performances I've ever seen (not that have seen that many drum performances lol). Pete & his band have promised each other that they would perform at all of their weddings and Pete's number came up first. I saw people carrying in the drums and then I tripped over something. When I looked down I realised there were a few pairs of men's shoes & kilt socks lying on the ground. I turned around to see Pete and his band members, barefoot in their kilts.  Amy was so right when she finished of her bride's speech saying "I love Pete because he's just so cool."  Barefoot drummer in a kilt — that's pretty cool. The bagpipes started to play and we all gathered round in anticipation. A whistle blew. BOOM!!!! They started and they were AMAZING.

After Amy & Pete's engagement session I felt so rejuvenated because I'd spend three hours surrounded by their love which runs deep but remains light-hearted. Photographing their wedding was such a joy — it reminded me why I love being a wedding photographer. Their family and friends were so welcoming and friendly...watching the bride getting ready was so exciting...the scenery was stunning and I got to spend more time with the bride & groom than anybody did — it's makes me so happy :) 

Thank you Amy & Pete for inviting me to your special day. I can't wait for your one-year anniversary photo shoot that we'll hopefully be able to do in California!! :D

To see more images from Pete & Amy's wedding check out their slideshow below:

Marvelous Monday :: The Day I Became a Photographer!

One year ago today I decided that I wanted to be a photographer! 

 The Edinburgh festival was in full swing and I was writing reviews for an online magazine called Informed Edinburgh. I received a last minute email from the editor asking me to fill in for a sick photographer. I only had a point and shoot camera but I really wanted the opportunity to have some of photos (as well as words) published — just another thing I could put on my CV really.

I did a little background research on the show I was going to and was quite excited to find out that it was arial/acrobatic theatre. I followed Google Maps to some oscure street in Leith, Edinburgh, finding myself peeking hesitantly through the gate of what looked like an abandoned factory.

I heard a noise inside so I creeped through the overgrown bushes until I saw a man standing with a clipboard talking to other people who had cameras dangling around their necks. Pretty sure I was in the right place I strolled up looking rather empty without a massive camera bag in toe. It become obvious pretty quickly that I wasn't at a show, I was at a photo shoot! I had no idea what I was supposed to do and I didn't exactly have equipment to fiddle around with so I looked around as if I were extremely interested in the building. The man with the clipboard moved closer and I realised I had to tell him which publication I was representing. Oh dear, this all seemed very official.
When it was time to start taking pictures, I reached into my little purse and trying to hide the paintful cringe on my face I pulled out my little "camera." There was a girl beside me with a fancy camera and (I can't believe I said this — I must have been feeling really embarrassed), I said with a laugh "My normal camera's broken." What a bold faced liar I am! Oh dear. As if that made the situation better, there's no way she would have believed me. Cringe.The actress acrobats started climbing up the chains that were hanging from the ceiling and they twisted and turn in all directions as the little mob of photographers shouted up directions from below. I just went along for the ride and soon settled down when I realised no one was paying me any attention whatsoever. The models stuffed themselves into garbage cans and propped their legs up onto burnt wooden doorframes — the photographers huddled together, clicking away, "Look over this way" "Drop your chin" "Leg higher"... Flash umbrellas popped up all around me. "This is what America's Next Top Model must feel like," I thought to myself.The whole thing only lasted one hour and by the end of it (10:30am) I was all jazzed up with adrenaline. I spoke to the models afterwards to get some words to accompany my photos, carefully traversed the derelict landscape, and embarked on a stroll home that gave me the chance to contemplate all that had happened. I remember passing by some police officers and I flashed them a big happy smile. 
I turned the corner and stopped into a Bethany charity shop to photograph some shoes (I was blogging about shoes you can find in charity shops — random lol) and I remember the feeling of wanting to express my joy — I felt like skipping but I think I just swung my arms and had a HUGE smile. The walk home took 20 minutes and somewhere between the factory and my in-law's house I realised that I wanted to be a photographer. I couldn't remember a time in my life when I had found something so exhilarating as I had just found that photo shoot. I wanted to do it again. And again. And again.So when I walked in the door I marched straight to my computer and started Google researching cameras. I found my first camera, a Sony a200, for sale on Gumtree for about £200. Miggy wasn't convinced by this whole new venture of photography and I had to convince him to trust me that it wasn't a waste of money. He escorted me across town to the seller's house and the nice man handed me the camera. I asked him to show me how to use it because I had zero idea which buttons to press.Miggy and I walked home across The Meadows, a beautiful big grassy bit of Edinburgh. The camera only stayed in the box for about 20 meters before I practically ripped it out and started taking pictures of Miggy walking down the path. Of course, I was shooting on automatic and I remember thinking that I've never seen such crisp amazing images. I LOVED THIS CAMERA instantly! It was utterly amazing. One year later and I can't stand to take photographs with my a200 — it's waaay to blurry, dark and lacking in manual controls...funny how times change. I still love it though because it got me started. 

Creative Tolerance Leads to Creative Genius!

The girl loves her edgy rock 'n' rollin'! I want soft lips, she wants dark red. I say barefoot with white lace & she suggests leather jacket and army boots. We're a perfect match. When Rhia and I are shooting together there is so much give and take — willingness to try each other's ideas and tolerance for experimentation.

After shooting, we sat down together and she watched me cull & edit the images. "Ouuu, I hate that one....you can't use that one....oh, no! I look soo bad in that one." That was the little voice over my shoulder. And then 30 images later..."Oh, that one's amazing!...I love my hair in that one....That one's a cracker...please use that one....that one that one that one...no? ok, you know best..."

It's fascinating how different images appeal to us. I have my eye searching for the best light, the best angles, the best composure, the best connection with the camera, etc... She had her eye more focused on her own body, naturally — one can't help but critique themselves. In the end though, once I explain why I liked/disliked an image, we usually end up on the same page. We both love these images :D Yay!

Here's a new motto for you :: Creative Tolerance Leads to Creative Genius!

Have a super happy Thursday! I'm off to meet Miggy's auntie & then we're going on a date to the cinema!!! Woop Woop :D

 

Rhia the Mermaid Rockstar Groupie

More images from Sunday's shoot with Rhiannon comin' atcha right now!!! In fact, I feel like going a little crazy today...I'm going to share two sets with you today! Whoop Whoop :D 

First off, can I just say...isn't her hair incredible!!? We coloured her eyes with turquoise shadow and silver sparkles and then whipped out some brand new black cherry lipstick/gloss. We were shooting in Miggy's parent's guest bedroom where Miggy keeps his drumset (yes, my husband plays the drums...sexy, I know :P). 

For this first set, we laid a massive blue bedsheet on the floor beneath the window and used the matching pillow case as her top. We spread out her hair, surrounded her with white reflectors and I photographed her from above while trying not to laugh as she said she could see straight up my skirt (which didn't really matter since I was wearing leggings :P). This first set makes me think of mermaids. The first image doesn't even look like Rhiannon since from that angle her face looks really round but I just LOVE the hair :P 

Now prepare yourself for this second set which we've entitled "Rhia the Rockstar Groupie" (ha!). 

At first I was worried when Rhiannon suggested that we use the room as a background. These were the last images we took that day so the light was fading fast and I was thinking we'd only get usable images right beside the window. As it turns out, I think she was right — always follow inspiration my friends and never be afraid to just try ideas! Most of the time the random ideas are the ones that work out to be the best. The darkness of the room contrasted really well with the window light that bounced off of Rhiannon — it gave a sort of spotlight effect.

Check out this sexy lady.... Smokin' right?! The top right image is my personal favourite. I just love the way her hair runs all the way from the top to the bottom of the photo. 

Guess what? I have more photos to show you! At least another two sets are hiding in my back pocket. Isn't that just the most exciting thing you've heard all day? :P You'll have to check back again tomorrow for the other images. Oh and did I mention that as you read this Rhiannon and I are shooting more!? That's right, today we're at it again — shoot #6. We're just like creative soul mates or something because we can't seem to get enough. I don't know what I'm going to do when I move to America. I'll have to squeeze Rhia into my carry-on luggage. 

I would never have "found" Rhia if I hadn't spoken up at a dinner party that we were both at last month. Someone asked me how I was and I said I was a little down because I couldn't find reliable models. She volunteered thinking to herself, "What the heck, it'll be fun." and the rest is history. 

So today's lesson is don't be afraid to ask. Ask & you shall receive!