Tag Archives: pembrokeshire wedding photographer

Getting married at Gellifawr Pembrokeshire

May 10, 2011

The Wedding of Tree and Tom

Hi there,

A couple of weeks ago I had the pleasure of photographing the wedding of Teresa (Tree) and Tom – I had first spoken to the couple via Skype while they were in Texas (USA) and they booked me on the spot. So it was not until the day of the wedding that I first met Tree and Tom. You might thing that strange but I actually only meet around 50 % of my clients before the actual wedding.

Tree and Tom had expressed exactly what they were looking for and I had a few secret emails with Tree about the dress etc – I got ever excited when i knew that Tree would be wearing a deep red wedding dress – I knew this would make for great photos, then I heard that they wanted to go up to Pentre Ifan and shoot some similar photos those I shot at the wedding of Liz and Hayden.

Well I turned up to Gellifawr which is a GREAT place for a wedding with lots of amazing photo opportunities, no mobile phone signal so no distractions and the most friendly and efficient staff you could ever wish to find. I shoot a lot of weddings in Pembrokeshire since I lived there for 7 years and Gellifawr is one of my favorite venues.

From the second I arrived I knew the theme of the day would be flowers, butterflies and bows – and I have never seen the inside of the hotel looking so good – The ceiling was dressed - this was the first time I had seen this at this venue

and talking of butterflies, there were amazing ones hanging from the ceiling

and did I mention flowers ? well these had butterflies as well

and I decided to use these for the ring shot

and since I am doing the flowers at this time, here is a beautiful wand that the young bridesmaid carried – I saw it sitting on a window sill next to it was the buttonholes

so after we shot all the detail shots etc, we took a trip to the brides room to photograph the wedding dress – it was breathtaking – there is something magical about red wedding dresses (maybe it could be because Nikki my wife wore one on at our wedding)

I knew the second I saw the dress it was going to look spectacular on and couldnt wait to get the couple outside for a few ‘signature style photos’

While Tree got dressed Tom got a special gift – it was beautiful, and it came in a very special little blue box

shortly after this Tree was ready and made her way over to the main hotel building for the wedding service, naturally I used this time to grab a few shots

and a closeup of the beautiful Tree in her amazing wedding dress

and then the moment all brides dream about – walking down the aisle

and looking at Tree walking down the aisle was Tom – this photo gave Tom huge kudos with all the girls at the wedding, if he hadnt just got married…….. well lets say he let is softer side show !

and the happy couple got married !

and the exchange of rings

and then as man and wife they walked down the aisle together

at this stage I let the couple have a mad 10 minutes with their guests before starting to shoot the formals

The big group shot

while we were outside the staff turned over the room and dressed it for the wedding breakfast – again tons of detail went into this and it looked amazing

Then while the guests were being seated for the wedding breakfast I took the couple off for 15 minutes for a few of my signature style images – these are the more artistic, staged images.

Then it was back inside for the wedding breakfast, after this were the speeches and I shot this pretty much in a photo journalistic way (raportage style) – around 2/3rds of my coverage is shot this way I dont often put too many of them on the blog as I like to get in the details, the wedding and the other shots but today decided to give you a small selection.

This one got a good chuckle during the slideshow

and I am a sucker for little babies and black and whites so when you get a shot like this its just magical

*** ooops I suddenly realised that I forgot to show you a photo of the brides bouquet, I know its out of order but its such a stunning arrangement that I have just got to pop it here

Then after dinner it was time for the first dance, and here is quick one from that

Normally after the first dance is where the photos stop, however Tree and Tom had requested a sunset trip to Pentre Ifan – its a burial chamber that kind of looks like a mini Stone Henge and it makes for great photos.

What an amazing day – I cant say a big enough thanks to Tree and Tom for choosing me to be part of their big day, I had the time of my life it was a great wedding and I am delighted with the results. I know Tree and Tom are due back from Honeymoon today so have put the photos up for their return. I wish them all the very best in the world and hope that the joy and the happiness they experienced on that day lasts their lifetime.

Congratulations guys,

ciao

David Purslow
Wedding Photographer
http://www.davidpurslow.com
Phone 01299 250114

Tags: gellifawr wedding photography, pembrokeshire wedding photographer, pentre ifan wedding photos, west wales wedding photographer

Engagement Shoot: Freya and Nick

May 2, 2011

Getting married in Pembrokeshire

Hi,

Last weekend I was in Pembrokeshire for a wedding, the next day I got up really early to meet Freya and Nick on the beautiful Newport Pemb’s Beach before flying up the motorway for an easter egg hunt with the kids.

Freya and Nick chose Newport Pembs Beach and somewhere down near Strumble head and one of the requests was to include their camper / conversion van – naturally this made me happy due to the fantastic reflections the windows gave off !

Here are a random few photos from the day.

Newport Pembs Beach – Pembrokeshire.

Then we went to Strumble Head

.
Congratulations to Freya and Nick – what an amazing morning it was,

Cant wait till the wedding – there are surprises in store at this wedding that I cant wait to blog about – its going to be GREAT

ciao

David Purslow
Wedding and Portrait Photographer
http://www.davidpurslow.com
Phone 0759 007 6666

Tags: pembrokeshire wedding photographer, pembrokeshire wedding photography, wedding photographers pembrokeshire

The Wedding of Rachel and Mike

July 9, 2010

Rachel and Mike Getting Married at the Plas Hyfryd Hotel

Followed by a beautiful wedding reception

Hey there, David here from David Purslow Photography – www.davidpurslow.com – We provide wedding photography throughout West Wales, Worcestershire and the West Midlands.

A couple of weeks ago I had the great pleasure of shooting the wedding of Rachel and Mike, I had met up with them 6 weeks before for their engagement session and it was obvious then that these guys were really madly in love with each other.

Each time I write these blog stories they tend to drift in one direction and focus on one main area and with Rachel and Mike it was no difference, the whole day was about people, friends, family and having a good time.

Helen and I arrived nice and early, actually I stayed at the Plas the night before the wedding and had a nice drink with Rachel and her family. So we started the day nice and early and one of the must have shots is the dress, I had a little heads up on the dress but when I saw it, I knew it set the scene for the whole day.

Beautiful !

The detail on the dress was amazing.

Then in the living room we stumbled upon Rachel (The bride) she was in the middle of having her hair done and sitting with the kids

and I am sure she told me off with a little smile on her face when I snagged the photo of her with the box of Malteser’s

Then we went off to shoot a few detail shots

We found Rachels garter and Helen went and grabbed Rachels engagement ring for another of my favorite shots, ring shots.

Then it was back to get a few more shots of the bride getting ready. The bridal suite at the Plas has a belconey when we went back there, we found Rachel sitting in the sun enjoying a quite 5 minutes. I always wonder at times like this whats going thru the brides minds but I never ask…..

Then it was back to getting ready for the wedding

Rachel was not alone, her bridesmaids were also getting ready,

While we were up in the bridal suite, a phone call came in saying the flowers had arrived. Since the girls were still getting ready the flowers were left downstairs we popped down and grabbed a few shots of the flowers.

The flowers were beautiful

When the flowers were brought upstairs I get the feeling Rachel was over the moon

Then while the bride started to get dressed we when downstairs and shot a few photos of the boys.

Mike was looking pretty cool and relaxed

and as a joke he had gotten the two best men £1.50 Casio watches as gifts which they took in good spirits.

and mike took me to one side to show me a beautiful necklace and earings he brought for Rachel

and the rings

the just as I was about to go back upstairs I happened to notice this little lad with such a great big smile on his face.

Then it was back upstairs to see how the girls were getting on, and the little ones were having a great time by the looks of things

I love this cheeky face

and we found one of the bridesmaids just doing up the back of Rachels dress

and this is why I love being a reportage or documentary wedding photographer, as I looked over I saw another of the girls just looking on with such an amazing look on her face, it really was a Kodak moment

time was ticking along at a good old rate now so Helen and I went downstairs to get ready for the wedding to begin. We were in the main room at the Plas Hyfryd hotel and I stepped out into the smaller bar area just to see when Rachel would be coming down the stairs, she already was and as she stepped thru the door, I saw what I thought would make for a great photo.

I snapped it and then dad came thru so I snapped that also.

Well just after this picture was taken, everyone went into the wedding room and the the wedding took place.

Withing a couple of minutes of this picture being taken it was time for the father of the bride to walk Rachel down the aisle and didnt he look like a proud man

I love this picture – I saw Rachel and Mike holding hand during the service !!!!

and here they are exchanging vowes

Following the wedding it was time for a quick picture with the witnesses before it was party time !

and as they were walking out, I noticed one of the guests with my favorite mobile phone the IPHONE taking a picture

Then it was outside for lots of fun, we shot a few formals, nothing too overpowering but the family etc.

Then after the group shot, we shot the confetti pictures which turned out great

after which I left the everyone to have a good time whilst Helen and I went off to shoot the detail shots of the room before the Wedding breakfast started.

as we were walking into the ballroom we spotted this young man chatting up the bar tender.

A few shots of the ball room set up for the wedding breakfast

and right in the middle of shooting the room setup, Mike happend to be walking thru checking everything out, I love this candid of Mike, he looks so happy, relaxed and enjoying an ice cold beer.

and what a cake !!!!!!

and as we walked around we noticed a table for absent friends - I thought this was a really nice and very personal touch but that just summed up the day really.

Then it was back outside for a final few photos of the kids having a great time before everyone went into the wedding breakfast

Rachel and Mike had arranged Giant Chess, naughts and crosses and Jenga for the guests

We spotted this little girl hanging onto the Jenga for grim life

but in the end she had to let got and down it came which left her in hysterics – all the kids and adults had a truly fantastic time

Shortly after this the guests were called in to find their seats for the wedding breakfast, this normally takes around 15 minutes to get everyone sorted, we used that time to take the bride and groom off for a few alone photos !

Then it was time for a little break as the wedding breakfast was served, Helen and I set up the photo booth and created a slideshow ready for the evening session and then settle down to enjoy the amazing food they had laid on for us !

Just before the first dance we put on the slideshow (it gets everyone together) and right after it was time for the First Dance.

and last but not least, at almost 11pm we took the couple and 4 very special people outside to shoot the last photo of the day,

Congratulations to Rachel and Mike on a GREAT day,

Ciao

David Purslow
Wedding Photographer – for the whole of the UK
http://www.davidpurslow.com
Phone 01299 250114
Phone 0759 007 6666

Tags: pembrokeshire wedding photographer, pembrokeshire wedding photography, plas hyfryd wedding photography

New Product ! – Framed Collage Prints

June 7, 2010

Hi everyone,

Just a very quickie today, I had a fabulous wedding on Saturday and will be posting pictures in a few days, then Yesterday I was at the Wedding Fayre at the Hotel Plas Hyfryd in Narberth where I unveiled my latest offering.

I chose the Plas to unveil it as the pictures were from last weekend (10 days ago now) wedding of Barry and Becci, Barry runs the Plas so it seemed the perfect wedding to use for the show piece.

As you can see, this version if the later of the two I will be offering. The Finished size of this piece is 51 inches by 41 inches and the photo is 30 inches by 40 inches. This version has 65 photos in it.

I will also be offering a smaller version with 50 photos, this version will be 20×30 inch print in a 30 x 40 inch frame when finished.

There will be a selection of contemporary and traditional frames available and all are printed, mounted and framed by a professional framer not by me– its too much work for me to do that.

The 30×40 inch mounted print (41×51 inch frame) will cost £695.00

The 20×30 inch mounted print (30×40) inch frame will cost £495.00

Hope you like,

ciao

David Purslow
Wedding Photographer for Birmingham, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire, South and West Wales
Phone 01299 250 114
Mobile 0759 007 6666
David@davidpurslow.com
http://www.davidpurslow.com

Tags: birmingham wedding photographer, Framed wedding photos, montage wedding photos, pembrokeshire wedding photographer, society wedding photographer, top wedding photographer, worcestershire wedding photographer

The Wedding of Becci and Barry

June 4, 2010

A Church Wedding followed by

A Wedding Reception at Hotel Plas Hyfryd

FORWARD:
I was very very happy to get booked for this wedding, Barry is the Manager of The Hotel Plas Hyfryd in Narberth, a fabulous wedding venue and one at which I work at very regularly. When I heard that Barry and Becci were getting married I wanted to shoot the wedding for many reasons so when the chose me I was over the moon.

Hello there peeps, David here from www.davidpurslow.com – I am a wedding photographer covering West Wales and the Midlands – Yep a big area and I love it !

Last weekend I shot the wedding of two of the nicest people you would ever want to meet. Since my move to the midlands I have been staying at the Plas Hyfryd before every wedding, so by now I know most of the staff really well, the owner really well and Becci and Barry have become good friends. One of the hardest jobs a wedding photographer has to do is shoot the weddings of good friends but last weekend was easy as pie, Barry and Becci put total trust in me and even let me do things I have always wanted to do but never done at a wedding before ! – Stay tuned

Although the Hotel is a big part of both Becci and Barry’s life I wanted their wedding photography to be about them, their love and their day, this blog story is the same way, Yes I took lots of photos of the hotel etc but I took way more of the couple themselves so here goes.

Helen (my amazing assistant and right hand man / woman / arm) went to meet up with Becci at Andrew Price – the hair dressers in Haverfordwest at……..wait for it, 8 AM – this was going to be a full service day.

I took loads of shots of the girls getting ready so here are a selected few

Becci having her hair washed

Mum

Becci again

and Becci’s little girl

I love shooting into the mirror because generally the subjects dont know your doing it.

Then it was back to the Plas for Bacon sandwiches and makeup etc.

and after this while the girls do what girls do on the wedding morning, Helen and I ran off to grab a few shots of Barry getting ready.

I should point out that I had not ever noticed that Barry was shy until you get anywhere near him with a camera, its kinda sweet and a nice trait I think

Barry was helping the boys to get dressed and to hand out cuddles when the big mean photographer fella popped into view

and you gotta love the expression when you say give me a wink !

so while Barry was helping the boys getting ready, his brother was helping him put his finishing touches together.

Then it was back to finish off the shots of Becci getting ready, as we walked in I spotted on of the bridesmaids just standing there looking at Becci while she was finishing having her makeup put on – I just used the day light that was spilling in thru the open door to grab this shot,

then Helen and I spent a few minutes grabbing shots of the dress – We decided to do something we dont often do or really like to do and moved the dress – The hallway in the bridal suite at the Hotel Plas Hyfryd is amazing and since the last time I was there they have got a Mannequin on which to put the dresses to help the creases drop out, from what I understand that was Becci’s idea at one of the staff meetings, a great one as it lends itself to great photos.

THE DRESS !

and a little closer

Then with time ticking away it was time to rush down to the church to get ready for the big event

I have to thank the Priest at The Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception in Narberth, he was one of the coolest priest I have worked with and let me pretty much do what I wanted as long as it did not involve flash – I wish more vicars and priests were like this guy – what a gentleman !

When I walked int he door there was a string quartet playing, this had been a surprise for Becci from Barry.

and then the proud moment where Becci walked down the Isle

very quickly followed by the wedding itself

and while the couple where exchanging rings, I managed to get a great shot of the best man

and then as a couple they lighted the candle

Then it was time for a few formals

and after everyone had left the church, I took the couple back in to shoot a very special photo, here are two this didn’t make the cut, you will see in a minute what we did with them.

Then it was back to Hotel Play Hyfryd and time to party !!!!!!!!!

I like to get my big group shot out the way first, that way anyone not needed for more shots can shoot off to the bar and start drinking.

and then just a few others

Then while the rest of the guests went off to go in for the wedding breakfast, we stayed outside and played around a little with Davids car.

Then it was inside for speaches and the cutting of the cake – and I should point out that the speeches seemed to draw a lot of attention, int he following pics you will see Erica, Baz and a bunch of the staff from the Plas watching on and having a good laugh

and this shot, I LOVE this one, its some strange lady man attacking the groom (Barry) – you needed to be there to understand fully

Now just before the last couple of pictures I wanted to show you just a few photos of the room before the guests hit it, I have been to lots of weddings at the plas but this colour scheme was Becci’s idea and it looked AMAZING.

and then what a better way to finish off with than a cake cutting

Well thats the story of the day thru my eyes, I really hope you enjoyed this small preview.

Heartfelt congratulations go out to Barry and Becci, big hugs and big kisses,

Congratulations guys,

ciao

David Purslow
Wedding Photographer
http://www.davidpurslow.com
Phone 01299 250114
mobile 0759 007 6666

Tags: Hotel Plas Hyfryd, pembrokeshire wedding photographer, pembrokeshire wedding photographers, Weddings, west wales wedding photography

The Wedding of Sami and Matt

May 19, 2010

Wedding followed by reception at Trefloyne Golf Club

With photos on the beach !

Hello there, dp here from David Purslow Photography – I am a wedding photographer covering West Wales and the Midlands

I have been looking forward to this wedding for what seems like a lifetime really. I first met Sami and Matt way back when, it must have been almost 2 years ago now. Sami and Matt were quickly added as facebook friends (like so many of my couples) and we have been in constant contact since then – A little while back I shot their engagement session on the beach as Saundersfoot in Pembrokeshire West Wales. They turned the photos from the engagement session into a signing book that wend down a STORM !!!! at the actual wedding and it was great seeing it filled from cover to cover with comments from their friends and family. If you did not see the engagement session, you can view it by clicking here. – it will open in a new window.

Anyway, back to this past weekend, (also this is a shortish blog post as the couple are away and I dont want to show too many pics without them seeing them first) – God has smiled on Sami and Matt this weekend, the weather was perfect for a wedding, not too hot, not too cold, a tiny bit windy but only in little bursts and great sunny sky’s but with a tiny amount of cloud to take away the very strong shadows – Perfect for me

I arrived about 2 hours before Sami was due to leave for the church to grab a few bridal preparation shots, with 11 – thats right 11 bridesmaids getting ready the house was pretty manic but clam at the same time – I shot a few pics of all the girls getting ready then went upstairs to get shots of the wedding dress – a Beautiful Sophia Tolli wedding dress. It looked fantastic on the hanger and even better on.

And here is a shot 1/2 way thru Sami putting it on aided by her mum – there is a funny story about putting the dress on but thats one of the benefits of it being your wedding, you get to hear all the stories – this one shall remain private since its all about me !!!

and while Sami was upstairs getting dress, downstairs was Gethin was down stairs getting ready also

and here is the little man with his grandad.

and Sami makes her grand appearence coming down the stairs – a few tears were shed at this moment !

Sami and Mat were getting married at St Oswalds Church, Jeffreystone which is the family church so it had a really nice warm feeling to it.

and here is Sami being walked down the isle

and a few shots taking during the wedding service

and outside for a fantastic confetti shot- this is one of 15 shots, this one has the MOST confetti I have seen in recent years !

Following the wedding while the guest left for Trefloyne Golf Club in Tenby for the wedding reception Sami, Matt and myself headed off to Saundersfoot beach for a few photos – The couple were really up for a few beach shots and so was I – this is the same beach were we shot the engagement session so it all ties in nicely in telling the story.

and I just love this one to bits, its a great cuddle shot !

and thanks to the kind vendors on the beach, how could we resist a few deck chair shots ?

From here we went and left for the wedding reception at Trefloyne Golf Club in Tenby

This again is another one of my favorites, you can see Trefloyne Golf Club in the background and the grounds make it perfect for wedding photography.

and this one

so naturally we had to shoot something like this

Then it was on to the reception for real, and I have to say the wedding cake was the biggest wedding cake I have ever seen in the flesh – it was fantastic !!!!!

and yes, thats 11 bridesmaids, two best men, the bride and groom and Gethin on the cake and the walkways – it was a fantastic sight

Since the sun was not setting till between 9 and 10 we shot the formal photos after dinner which made for a very unhurried afternoon for the guests – and with 150 of them that’s a good thing. Here is the BIG GROUP shot

and a slightly more informal one of Sami and her dad

and the boys being boys

Inside the marquee the guests were being entertained by a good friend of mind, Stewart Maxwell an amazing swing and easy singer and the little kids had little bottles of bubbles which worked really well – this shot is a bit of an outtake really, but I wanted to capture the bubble in focus which would throw the boys out of focus.

If you take a hard close look at the bubble you can see me all in black (on the left of the bubble) and also the two flash lights I had on either side of the dance floor these were for the first dance and the kids going nuts !

Talking of kids (big and small) the dance floor in full swing

sorry its smaller, it just snagged it of my facebook page !

here is a shot of a couple of the flower girls

Then it was time for the first dance, I love this shot !

Then just as the sun was setting I took the bride and groom out for a few sunset portraits.

and finally outside for a few firework photos

all in all a fantastic day and a fantastic wedding.

Congratulations to Sami and Matt on their special day.

Hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek,

ciao

David Purslow
Wedding Photographer

http://www.davidpurslow.com

Phone 01299 250114
Mobile 0759 007 6666
David@davidpurslow.com

Tags: pembrokeshire wedding photographer

The Wedding of Angharad and David

May 4, 2010

Upton Castle Pembrokeshire Wedding Reception

sneak peek

Hello there, David here from www.davidpurslow.com – I am a wedding photographer based in just outside of Birmingham in the West Midlands. Before I moved to the midlands I had been lived and worked in Pembrokeshire West Wales for 6 years.

I had been recommended to Angharad by her cousin who’s wedding I shot almost 2 years ago. This always bring added benefits in as much as I know lots of people there and David and Angharads wedding was no exception – its great working with families over and over again as they really relax with you and leave you to do your thing.

I had met up with Angharad a few weeks prior to the wedding and went over the kinds of photography they wanted, as it turns out they wanted me to shoot in a little more traditional style which is something I do about 1/2 a dozen times a year so its still pretty popular.

I arrived at the house to capture the final few moments of Angharad getting ready and as I walked in I loved what I saw – whenever (as a photographer) you walk into someones house and see the walls adorned with photographs you know that they value photography and photographs – I love taking photos but more importantly I love people enjoying the photos I take so right there before I had even taken one photo I knew what I wanted to create for not only A & D (as I am going to call them) but also for Angharads parents.

I set about capturing the details and started off with the flowers

and as I turned around I spotted Angharad putting on her veil with the assistance of one of the bridesmaids.

a little while later we went outside to shoot a few portrait style photos. The first one of Angahard at the bottom of the garden.

and then a closeup

Then I headed off to the Bethany Free Church in Clarbestone Road, its funny but I love photographing wedding at this little church because of the widnows and the way the building is situated its almost perfect for flash free wedding photography.

I got a few shots of David the groom outside the church before we went inside to wait for his bride.

and shortly after that The bride arrived in the back of a beautiful black car – don’t ask me what it is, I am not a car person but its old and looks fantastic.

I had planned this shot way before the day itself, I had taken a very similar one of Sarah at her wedding (Angharads cousin) and this is where shooting at venues often helps out, I knew exactly where to go to grab this photo and use the building and trees to block the glare from the window.

Then during the actual service I snagged this shot, I took about 50 photos during the service, I ran from the front of the church to the back of the church (via the outside as there is a door right where the photographer stands) – and into another building !!!! – Oh I forgot to mention, the wedding was SO BIG that the church was totally FULL and had to be relayed via VIDEO into another building where the rest of the party was !!!!!

and i love this tender moment – this is why I carry two cameras – the second one is set up for close up work and without it, I would have missed this gentle moment.

Following the weddings the reception was held at Upton Castle in Pembrokeshire – the venue is amazing and only hosts between 5 and 10 weddings a year so I have been wanting to shoot there for some time.

and the bride and groom outside the front door.

As you enter the house there is an amazing hallway covered in a glass roof – the light in there was fantastic so naturally I snapped a few photos.

and the reception was being held in a fabulous marquee outside in the back garden

One of the greatest compliments I get from people is when they say the don’t realize I am even there, apart from group shots which take a bit of work and the confetti shots I try to let the whole day just unfold. This was the case from the father of the bride who said afterward that he had not realized that I had been taking photos at the reception until I set up for the group shot – I had taken around 50 photos at that point

The group shot was 160 people big !!! – so I had to improvise a little – Due to the angle of the sun I could not get the shot from any elevated position so I simply popped my camera on a mono pod – a big long stick !!!! and hoised it up to about 15 foot in the air – I pre focused it before I did that and triggered it (took the photo) by remote control – I took 4 photos to make sure I had everyone in it correctly and positioned where I wanted them – I am pretty pleased with the final result – it would look GREAT as a double page spread in an album !!!!!

and once I had all the safe group shots, and since we had a little time left I decided to play around a little – I had spotted a rose garden which would make for an interesting shot considering that A&D had a bridal party of 12 people – pretty big by today’s standards.

I have this as a normal file also, but I always like to try new things out once I know I have what I call the money shots in the bag, so I have posted this one here, I am still in two minds whether or not I like the effect on this photo – actually it does not matter if I like it, its what the couple thinks that matters so I am waiting to hear from A&D on what they think. – I would also love to know what you think.

after this I took A&D off for a walk around the grounds, some alone time, some funky photos and just snaped away for about 5 minutes before they went into dinner.

After this the couple went into dinner, Helen and I set about setting up for the slideshow which we ran at the end of the meal however during the meal just we were finishing our main meal one of the waitresses came over and told me there was a very pretty rainbow outside – I ran over to A&D and let them know, I asked if they wanted to pop outside to quickly take the photo which they did – I thanked the waitress whole heartedly.

Then we returned inside and a little while later Angharad and David had their first dance together as man and wife.

Well I hope you have enjoyed this sneak peek of the wedding of Angharad and David, naturally I would like to pass along our congratulations to the happy couple and to thank them very much for choosing us to be a part of the day.

take care

ciao

David Purslow
Wedding Photographer covering the WHOLE of the UK !
http://www.davidpurslow.com
Phone: 01299 250114

Tags: getting married at upton castle, pembrokeshire wedding photographer, west wales wedding photography

St David’s Cathedral Wedding

May 3, 2010

Nia & Lee’s Wedding

St Davids Cathedral / Wolfscastle Hotel Pembrokeshire

Hello there, David here from www.davidpurslow.com

This weekend saw me in Pembrokeshire West Wales for a couple of Weddings. – For the next couple of years I am going to be shooting a lot of weddings in West Wales – I should point out that I am based just outside of Birmingham in the West Midlands. I moved to the Midlands early 2010 after spending 6 years in Pembrokeshire – this is why I have so many weddings down there !

So back to the wedding of Nia and Lee, If you remember a little while ago I visited Dublin for an engagement shoot – Well it was Nia and Lee’s engagement shoot and last friday saw the wedding take place. I was so excited when I heard that Nia and Lee were getting married at Saint Davids Cathedral in Pembrokeshire – its such an amazing wedding venue and makes for photographs you will want to cherish forever – the light in the Cathedral is amazing from a photographers point of view.

Following the wedding A reception was held at The Wolfscastle Hotel just outside of Haverfordwest in Pembrokeshire.

The following is just a sneak peek as I have just started to go thru the photos, I always like to get one or two up so the bride and groom can check them out while on honeymoon and its amazing how many emails I get from couples from far away exotic places.

As this is just a sneak peek I will keep the story short and save it for the full story which will be posted in a few weeks time.

The first photo is of Lee and the boys – this shot was actually a grab shot, I was walking towards the entrance at the back of the cathedral when I noticed a few people taking a shot of the boys, I quickly jumped in, grabbed this shot and the following one and then left them to it – its kind of a posed candid shot if that makes sense.

and here is a head and shoulders version – slightly more relaxed as I got the boys to undo their jackets

Shortly after this Nia arrived in a beautiful wedding car – I have some great shots of them but they are saved for the full story.

Here is Nia walking thru the main door of St Davids Cathedral

As I said before, St Davids Cathedral is a photographers dream, in this shot, Nia had just walked down isle and was met at the front of the Cathedral by Lee – I love the detail in this photograph.

And a little closer – I love the details of the roses and the bows in this shot – they lead the eye into the couple

and talking about those roses, I snagged this shot shortly after

Just after I took this photo, this young lady stepped into the isle to get a better look, unaware I was behind taking photos – she was standing there watching what was going on and I like to think that she was starting to plan her own dream wedding………… but back to my story – so she was watching the activity taking place up the front of the church when I took a photo – she heard my camera go click and turned around to check out what made the noise and I got the shot I wanted – I had waited for her to turn around because I knew it would make a good story telling photo. Several years ago I took an almost identical photo to this one but with a young man in stead of a young lady.

Then she jumped back out of the way and I waited for another photograph I had wanted to capture. This photo was inspired by one my good friend and great wedding photographer Kevin Mullins had taken – I had played around with it to create a black and white photo and loved it – as soon as I saw the original photo of Kevins I knew the next time I shot a wedding at a Cathedral I would want to try to create something similar. I am happy to say I even surprised myself with how well the photograph turned out, it was exactly what I had envisaged.

One of the great things I like the most about working with an assistant is that I can totally control the light in the photos. Helen my assistant carries around (as you will see in a later photo) a mono pod (big long pole for holding lights etc) and on top of he is a very expensive light – by using this light to balance flash with the natural light you can create some fantastic shots, quickly and on the run.

I had Helen stand to the camera right (my right hand side) and using a flash and an umbrella to soften the flash light, we made beautiful light for the recessional (walking out of the church after being married)

The recessional if one of the really important shots imho – this photo normally produces some great facial expressions, this is when the bride is at her very best on her wedding day, happy, relieved, excited, MARRIED, in love and enjoying the fact the pressure of the wedding is over – you always get great photos during a recessional !!!!!!

I just love Nia’s expression in this set of photos – Lee looks a lot more relaxed also.

Then it was outside for a quick confetti shot and then into the cars for a short ride to the Wolfscastle hotel

and what beautiful cars !

Back at Wolfscastle Nia and Lee had booked a fantastic entertainments company – believe me I know what I am talking about having been lucky enough to be the chosen photographer for 30 weddings a year for the last 4 years.

In this shot Nia is giving it up big time, the whole room was buzzing and jumping around – I have never seen people have such a good time !

and in this shot, Lee if looking over the guest signing book (the reason for the engagement shoot !!!!)

and last but not least on this sneak peek, here is a shot of the family – Did I mention this was an Irish wedding ? – well lots of the family got together to do a bit of local folk singing and some Irish dancing to boot.

Well I hope you have enjoyed this quick sneak peek – My whole hearted congratulations go out to Nia and Lee on their wedding and my sin sear thanks for choosing us to be a part of it.

David Purlsow
Wedding Photographer
01299 250 114 / 0759 007 6666
www.davidpurslow.com

WARNING – The next bit is for photographers and is boring photographer speak mumbo jumbo !

I say we all the time because I generally work with my long time assistant Helen – Helen is one of our best friends, she is god mother to both Soukie and Joshua and is my wifes best friend – she is also one of the hardest working people I have ever met – Helen lugs around my bags, reflectors, lighting equipment, phone, car keys etc – she keep me on track with formal photos, keeps me dry if it rains and generally makes sure from our point of view the wedding goes as smoothly as possible. – I have chosen a good few of the photos above for the benefit of not only Nia and Lee (who saw a 176 image slide show on the night of the wedding) but for other photographers – I have quite a number of photographers visit my blog and many are curious how I produce the light in my photos.

Well here is a shot of Helen in action – here she is holding a Quantum Qflash on top of the mono pod – this is where she was standing for the speeches ( the photo of Nia dancing and the photo of Lee looking at the book) The flash is triggered via Radio Poppers and utilizes the Nikon CLS system. The radio popper is a radio transmitter that takes the IR CLS signal and converts it to Radio waves and transmits them to the flashes.

Getting your light off camera is the easiest way to elevate your photography to the next level – Yes working with an assistant adds additional cost to the weddings but the quality you get out of your photos by using them makes it all teh more worth while.

Get yourself a VALS as soon as you can – VALS – Voice Activated Light Stand !!!!!

I have moved from the back of the room to the front of the room to grab this photo – the light is actually set up for the other end of the room, so directly around her its a little too bright – but I only wanted it as a demo of the CLS system.

Tags: Nikon CLS, pembrokeshire wedding photographer, st davids wedding