Beautiful story telling wedding photography for Worcestershire

Chantelle & Paul’s Wedding at the Beggars Reach

July 27, 2008

Hello there, David here from www.davidpurslow.com

I am a little behind on blog entries this week as its really starting to hot up – tis the season as they say…………

Well this Saturday saw not only FANTASTIC weather but a truly fantastic wedding also, I had the great pleasure and I mean pleasure of photographing the wedding of Chantelle and Paul – This was the second of my weddings at The Beggars Reach this year and as normal William and his staff pulled out all the stops to make for a fantastic day.

This wedding came about as Chantelle is the granddaughter of my next door neigbour – They booked me about a year ago and I didnt get to find out all the background info I like to as Chantelle lives WAY up north, somewhere around the Newcastle area – on Saturday I managed to fill in all the missing points.

I am not saying this because its my next door neighbor but this is one very special family. I saw 4 generations of a family joining in and celebrating the marriage of Paul and Changelle – If ever you need a reason to get into wedding photography days like today are what its all about. The grand parents (as you will see in pictures) are a fantastic couple who seem so very much in love still, they were the life and sole of the party, I got some cracking shots of Gran getting made up. The whole family on both sides were there for the guys – it was a wonderful day.

Okay, in normal David Purslow style, its way past my bedtime so I am going to post the pictures quickly with a short description and hopefully will come back in a few days to set the story right.

I arrived early to get the bridal prep – thats Bridal Preparation to you, these are the shots of the bride getting ready for her big day, hair, makeup and the ubiquitous glass of wine (or stronger) in hand – Bridal prep photos are some of my favorite of the day, its the most relaxed the bride is going to be all day and one of the times I get to play at making arty photos.

Chantelle having her hair done.

Then me playing with a new lens and throwing everything but Chantelle’s eyes out of focus

While playing with this lens I shot a couple of closeups of the bridesmaid getting ready also – she was having her eye makeup done by Lyn, The makeup lady – Links on my website. I really enjoy working with Lyn she is a really nice lady and all the brides seem to enjoy her sense of humor and her easy ways.

Once I snagged a few shots of the girls getting ready, its upstairs quickly to get a shot or 2 of the all important wedding dress

Then its back downstairs to finish getting the shots of the guys getting ready – Remember that Gran I was telling you about, well here she is in all her glory

This was the mother of the brides mum and here is a shot of the mother of the bride and her dad, seconds after she had pinned his button hole in place.

Time and time again brides tell me after the weddings that its these pictures that mean so much to them, not the posed photos at the wedding but the candid moments that you just cant stage, little looks shared between family members and photos that tell a whole story in themselves.

Following the bridal prep, off we race to the Beggars Reach and them its onto the wedding itself – Just one from the wedding today as I have used up so many of the pic spots with the prep pictures !

Then onto some of the romantic photos, The Beggers reach is a photographers dream, little spots all over to make for interesting shots – in this first shot, there is a love bench hidden away in a horse shoe style little cove with a fantastic stone wall – just the kind of spot to pop a bride and groom for a few pics’

and later on, on the driveway of the Beggers, a stolen hug and a kiss, I grabbed both but will only share the hug with you, the kiss is for the B+G eyes only !

I will leave this wedding with a couple of detail shots as my bed is calling me, all I can say is it was a fantastic day that produced some amazing wedding photos, I cant wait for the couple to get back from there honeymoon to share these with them.

The cake topper was a little unusual, the story is another one of the reasons I LOVE being a wedding photographer, but those stories are for me, the guests and the couple

and last but not least, a ring shot, I did try a few different ones today and really liked this one

Congratulations to Chantelle and Paul

I hope you enjoyed this little preview, please feel free to use the comment box to leave your comments,

take care

David Purslow
Photographer
www.davidpurslow.com
07799 666808

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Pembrokeshire Wedding Photographer……

July 20, 2008

Hello there, David here from www.davidpurslow.com

Today I am please to show off my new logo, would LOVE your comments on it.

I am putting it up with both a black and white background as I have not decided on the new design of my site as yet.

For the 2009/2010 season I am having a totally new website built. The new website has started to be developed but should not be online for a couple of months 🙁

2009 / 2010 will see a dramatic change in prices, I am cutting down a lot of the packages and offeing a much more al a cart type of wedding photography – this will ultimately cost more however I intend to work with a lot fewer couples and dedicate a lot more of my time to them !

Until the new prices go online I will honor my prices for next year and 2010 – so book early !

I will NO LONGER be offering a SHOOT AND BURN package – this is where I photograph your wedding and provide you with a disk of the images instead of an album as I feel I loose control over the finished quality of my work and dont trust others to post process the images nearly to the same standard that I do myself !

I will also be introducing a “VERY SMALL WEDDING” package for simple registry office only weddings of no more than 2 hours ! – stay tuned for that

On to my new logo – The new logo concentrates on wedding photography – I know I also shoot portraits however I may well split the websites into a Portrait only and a Wedding only website.

Let me know what you think of the logo and if you prefer the white or the black background !

thanks

David Purslow
Photographer
www.davidpurslow.com
07799 666808

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IncahoppopsMarch 6, 2009 - 5:49 pm

Very good site! Thanks!

Manorbier Castle Wedding

July 14, 2008

Hello there, David Purslow here from www.davidpurslow.com

* UPDATED **

I recently shot another wedding at Manorbier Castle on a stormy day but this allowed me to capture some amazing photos of the castle itself – if you would like to see a couple of amazing shots of Manorbier Castle please visit the following page

http://www.davidpurslow.com/blog/2009/11/14/manorbier-castle-wedding-2/

** END OF UPDATE *

Today I had the great pleasure of shooting the wedding of Anna and Matt. This was the first of my weddings at Manorbier Castle this year and Oh boy, what a fantastic venue. I had been looking forward to this day for a long time, well EXACTLY 1 year to be exact (okay, I am kidding, today was Joshua’s 1st Birthday but we had partied yesterday) but seriously I had been looking forward to shooting this wedding ever since when talking to Matt, he mentioned those magic words Wedding and Castle in one sentence. Well the wait was over and today the wedding took place. I had only met Matt and Anna on Friday, this was another of my “internet weddings” I had received a phone call months ago, we talked for a good while, and a few days later the wedding was booked. I always try to meet up with couples prior to a wedding as you get a feeling for exactly what they want, what kind of people they are etc, Well Matt and Anna proved to be really great folks, we chatted for an hour or so and once everything was sorted out we went our seperate ways, me knowing what a great day I was in for – A small intimate wedding at a fantastic castle location with a great couple and plans that made it sound fun. I am sure Anna and Matt went away thinking OH MY GOD, that guy is nuts – I often get told I am way to enthueastic about wedding photography and am hyper at meetings with brides and grooms, I cant help it, I get carried away by all the planning and details, I LOVE weddings.

Okay onto today. At our Friday meeting Matt told me he was going for a quick pint before the wedding with his best man and invited me for a drink – naturally I had orange and lemonaid. We met up at The Castle (The Castle Inn by the sea) just around the corner from Manorbier Castle at 3pm an hour before the wedding was due to take place.

Inside Matt got the pint he and Anna had said he was having before the wedding and since he was standing under a clock and it was only 58 minutes until the wedding was due to start, I though it made a good picture.

Once all the drinks arrived we went outside. As this was very much a relaxed and informal wedding with a total wedding party including the bride and groom of only 12 people, I was not shooting the traditional formals of the groom and his best man but we did get a few cracking shots. One of the things I remember Anna saying to me was to make sure I got some shots of Matt laughing and smiling, as she said he has a lovely smile !

Also while at the pub, I thought it was a good place to shoot a couple of ring shots, this one came to mind while I looked around the beer garden.

So after a swift pint (orange juice) I popped over the road to The Castlemead Hotel to shoot a few pics of Anna getting ready. On arriving, Anna was already in her dress and looked amazing. I remember her telling me the story of how she brought it, it was the first dress she tried on and as I have already said, she looked fantastic in it. So with Anna already dressed all that was left to do was pop on a little bit of Lippy (Lipstick for our American viewers)

I only stopped with Anna for a couple of minutes before walking across the road again ! – there was a lot of walking across the road at this wedding but everything was within minutes of each other. So across the road to shoot some establishing shots of the castle. Since I have tons of toehr photos of the castle coming up, I wont post the establishing shots at the moment.

Exactly as planned at 3:45 pm Anna and her mum and dad came across the road and arrived at the castle. I was a little ‘miffed’ that someone had parked there car right in the shot however it turned out it was Matt – THE GROOM and we moved it later for photos, so no harm done !

So we jump to the wedding at this point, a few photos were shot of getting ready for the wedding and Matt looking all nervous but they are for the B&G to see first !

The room you get married in at Manorbier Castle is amazing and has to be seen in the flesh really, the photos just dont do it justice, you can feel hundreds of years of atmosphere as soon as you walk in. Anyway, the wedding started and I was allowed to snap a few pics, here DAD (father of the bride) is reading a reading to the couple.

and here shortly after I had shot my posed signing of the register shot, everyone else is taking pictures. This is the WHOLE wedding party !

The chapel is on the first floor of the castle (just above the dungeon) and following the wedding, Matt and Anna came down the stone stairs with Anna’s Bridesmaid – Mary.

So with the wedding over, it was time for the guest to enjoy a glass of bubbly and a few canapes on the lawn, I snuck the B&G off for a few photos by themselves. The grounds of Manorbier Castle are fantastic, well maintained and a photographers deight – Here is a long shot taken from ground level, I asked Matt and Anna to pop upstairs to the grand ball room, stand in the window and just grab a moment.

And here is why its important to carry 2 cameras, I quickly changed over to the LONGER lens and snapped this.

I kept the happy couple away for no longer than 10 minutes and shot a few of the romantic shots – not staged or directed but I told the couple to go for a walk, take 5 minutes to themselves and talk about the day – these are a couple of the results

Naturally after I was finished I let them go grab some food ! – I never show a lady eating food on the blog, I dont think its a fair photo but the guys are fair game in my book.

Guess who ?

and with such a great location to play around in, Mary burnt off a little energy herself.

Well with the wedding winding down, Naturally a group shot is a must, and in a castle with stair cases everywhere, what else are you going to shoot ?

I was asked if I could grab a special shot for Anna and naturally said yes, how can you ever say no to a lady on her wedding day ? – Anna and her friend both with something hiding inside !

With the day winding down all that was left to do was shoot a couple of pictures on the outside of the Castle, first the happy couple kissing on the draw bridge

and last but not least, Anna and Matt walking down the driveway from the castle – I am sure they will agree, a FANTASTIC DAY.

Congratulations for Anna and Matt, and thanks for asking me to photograph you wedding, I had a fantastic time, I hope you enjoy your honey moon and look forward to talking to you on your return.

David Purslow
Photographer
www.davidpurslow.com
david@davidpurslow.com
07799 666808

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David Purslow Photography » Blog Archive » High Praise indeedAugust 4, 2008 - 7:34 pm

[…] I am not normally into posting comments I receive from people on my photography on the blog however today I received an email that really touched me. The email was from Anna, a bride who I shot a couple of weeks ago see the post here http://www.davidpurslow.com/blog/?p=299 […]

Family Portrait Photography in Pembrokeshire

July 11, 2008

Hello there, David here from www.davidpurslow.com

Today was a good fun day. One of the best parts of my job is getting to photograph babies, toddlers and little kids. The reason its so fun is kids really do the funniest things when you pull out a camera and try to photograph them. I was shooting baby portraits in Pembrokeshire today, well I guess they were really toddler portraits. We have had to pospone this shoot a couple of weeks due to the weather recently however I have been looking forward to this shoot for a while. The reason simple, not just one baby, not twins but triplets ! – thats right I was shooting portraits of triplets today and it was a blast.

Its not really a secret, but what you HAVE to do is get the kids used to you being there before you can really start taking photos. So while mum and dad played with the kids, I sat around on the grass with a long lens just following the action and letting the kids get used to me pointing a lens at them. It took about 30 minutes before the kids stopped worrying about my camera equipment and then we had a window of about 10 minutes before their attention span was gone. All in all I am very please with the outcome however I am not the customer so will leave final judgment up to mum and dad who I will be checking with tomorrow !

In the meantime, here are a few from today.

Remember, I am available for baby portraits and family portraits not only in Pembrokeshire but anywhere within Wales and the rest of the UK.

Take care, thanks for checking out the blog,

More soon.

David Purslow
Photographer
http://www.davidpurslow.com
07799 666808
01437 779412

Hope you like them !

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Another Rain soaked wedding but what a happy one !

July 6, 2008

Hello there, David Purslow here from www.davidpurslow.com – First off, shameless plug – I am a wedding photographer covering mainly pembrokeshire, carmarthensire and West Wales. I do shoot weddings all over the country and LOVE my job ! so if your getting married visit my website at www.davidpurslow.com

Okay, got that out the way. Today I had the great pleasure of shooting the wedding of Nicci and Nigel. I have been looking forward to this wedding for almost a whole year now, they booked me last year and told me all about the wedding plans – As a wedding photographer you drool when you here things like, horse and buggy, converted barn, The couple are part of a band and will be singing at the wedding – These all make for Portfolio busting photos and as I said I had been looking forward to it for a year or more.

Well today the weather could only be described as atrocious, it was very windy, very rainy and really wet – top that off with being pretty cold, you would think you had all the makings of wedding disaster – Well you would be wrong – Nicci and Nigel were not going to let a little thing like the weather spoil there fun and the weather has helped turn there wedding ablum (in my mind) into a very dramatic looking book.

I shot the wedding TODAY – got home just but wanted to get a few pics up because I just cant help myself after shooting all day, I just want to play with the photos – call me sad but as I said before, I LOVE BEING A WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER.

Tomorrow or the next day (I see lots of rest tomorrow) I will fill you in on all the story behind the photos, but for now, just little comments and a bunch of photos.

This has to have been one of my favorite weddings for a very long time, and it just goes to prove a little rain never spoils a wedding !

Enjoy, sorry for my shamless plug at the top, but its time to be booking up 2009 and 2010

Yet another night where I tell you, its way past my bedtime, I have been shooting since 12:00 and finished at 10:30 – a long wedding but the photos make it all worth while.

Congratulations to Nicci and Nigel – thanks for the dinner !

Okay, a couple of church photos first, after all it was a wedding ! – one of my favorite shots is always the slipping on of the rings, see pic 2

Here is why I love the Nikon D3 – it allows me to capture great wide angle shots like this – The signing of the register in the vestry.

And one last one from the wedding itself, here are the bridesmaids and they looked fantastic – the dresses were to die for, this is actually a quite a difficult shot to shoot, if you notice the young lade on the right hand side of the photo is being lit from outside, the lovely young lady on the right was in quite a bit of shadow – lights lights and more lights. A really nice shot I am very pleased with.

Okay, I am going to jump right to the rain and the band playing as its way past my bedtime, I will post more pics in a few days, but enjoy these

Nothing artifical in this pic, the raid was sideways rain to use a Forrest Gump Saying – this was because of the very high wind and what happens when you take a brolly out into the wind?

Thats right, bent to buggery !

So as I said the bride and groom (Nicci and Nigel) are in a band – here are some of the pics I have been waiting all year to shoot !

Nicci on the mic

Nigel hard at work – The drummer, a groom as a drummer, what a cracking shot !

Another band member, I just love this shot – Oh if I did not mention before, I also shoot music groups, bands, artists etc if your interested in band photography drop me an email to david@davidpurslow.com and I will send you a link to some great shots.

And what is a room full of people going to do when you have a cracking band singing there lungs our, thats right DANCE !

Okay, I have added one more picture this monring, its a cake shot, Nicci and Nige had one of the greatest cakes I have seen in a very long time – It was wicked !