We have a great builder, Jason Sargeant of Omnific Building and Property Services, on board who is making sure everything runs like clockwork. The footings have now been dug. We have been blessed with the weather so far as it has been pretty dry with the odd hail shower but it has kept the mess to a minimum.
The building work is expected to last between 3 and 4 months so please accept my apologies for any disruption when you visit the studio and mind where you stand as some of the surfaces are a little uneven, but we are open for business as usual.
Well, here we are 16th Feb and things are progressing well although we had some persistent rain over night which has made the site a little muddy.
18th Feb and the walls have got higher and although we have had a little drizzle it hasn’t hampered progress except making the paths a little muddy. KJM windows are dropping by today to measure for the large concertina doors which will open up to the garden – that’s the plan anyway.
3rd March already. We have had excellent progress to date with little delay due to the rain we had last week. Fortunately the builders are very considerate and they know that I need to still run the studio and business can continue as normal. When you visit though, please be careful where you walk but access is pretty good and doesn’t cause any problems.
As you can see from the photos the heavy steels that support the first floor have been supplied and placed in position. The old utility room which can be seen in the new extension will eventually be knocked down to give us one large room which is the extension.
As some of you know we are involved with the local charity, Naomi House Children’s Hospice, helping to raise funds again this year with a second art book project (see separate blog article). We are also volunteers on the Andover Carnival committee to bring the carnival back to Andover with floats (confirmed for this year) and hopefully get the community spirit back.
The Andover Carnival is on 18th July 2010 and was launched with a spectacular concert ‘The magic of the musicals’ which was held at the Lights in Andover.
I was happy to provide the photography for the evening which was a great success showcasing local talent such as Jamie Walsh, Laura Shears, Jake Ward and Liam Abram with his West End Wannabies Dance Group.
Congratulations to Mark Lazenby of the Quality Hotel and Maureen Fail for producing the show.
A stunning smiley bride, Michelle welcomed me at her mother’s home, on a very cold wintery afternoon. The wedding wasn’t starting until 4.00pm, so we had plenty of time to capture some lovely natural shots of Michelle and her attendants before heading off to the church where I was met by David and his best man.
With the light fading fast, Michelle arrived in a silver Mercedes and slowly made her way up a very slippery path to the church where the romantic service was conducted with only candle light for illumination.
We managed a few family photos by the alter before making our way up the A303 towards Norton Park Hotel.
This is a wonderful venue for all year round wedding photography. As it was now pitch black outside we made use of the contemporary reception lobby and the traditional surroundings of the old Manor House with its wonderful oak panelling and staircase.
There was also plenty of opportunity to wander around to capture those natural, informal shots of the guests enjoying themselves before, during and after the meal.
Wedding – Lainston House
Paul and Elisa’s wedding – St Mark’s Church, Ampfield then to Lainston House, near Winchester.
Both Paul and Elisa work for Meridian TV, where Paul is the Meridian News sports presenter and Elisa is an editor.
With heavy snow just a couple of days before the wedding, Lainston House was picture perfect for this white winter wedding with clear blue skies and a carpet of soft snow.
The day started at Lainston House where Elisa and her family were getting ready. This gave me the opportunity to shoot some fabulous portraits of Elisa in one of the wonderful suites of Lainston House.
It was then off down some one track snowy country lanes to the church to meet up with Paul and the guys. After a few shots with the men and then some of the guests arriving, we all waited for Elisa with her entourage.
The beautiful vilage Church had a lovely Christmasy feel with the snow outside and this continued in the church with a large decorated tree near the alter, the perfect setting for this romantic ceremony.
It was then time to drive back to Lainston House and as it was bitterley cold outside we shot a few family groups in the hotel reception area in front of their beautiful delph tiled fire place. With a lot of the formal photographs already done it was an ideal opportunity to shoot plenty of natural, informal images.
Shortly after the meal we headed for the hotel’s staircase and the couple’s suite for some more intimate, romantic and arty photographs.
Book Launch 2009
Thank’s to everyone who came along to our 2009 Book Launch. It was a very nervous evening for me but it seemed to go very well and I hope you all love your books.
I’m sorry that I did not get round to speaking to everyone, which was my intention, but time didn’t allow it.
Thanks to Helen from Naomi House for her support and for giving up her evening to come along and saying a few words about the great work of Naomi House Children’s Hospice.
We are hoping to create a new book for 2010 should we get enough interest so please email me if you would like to pre-register your interest. Please tell your friends and work collegue’s about the project and hopefully we can raise another £3000 for Naomi House next year.
I thought you might like to see a few images from the evening:
I have been very lucky to photograph some wonderful children recently. The beauty of location photography when photographing children is that you never really know what to expect from your subject. I never tell a child what to do or to smile. I talk with them and try to get down to their level and then you are rewarded with some wonderful moments which provide for great photographs.
I hope the like some of my favourites from recent shoots for the Naomi House book project. I am still looking for more participants to complete our project which must end soon. So if you are thinking of taking part or know someone else that would like the opportunity to take part please call me on 01264 334056 or send me an email so that I might contact you.
What do you think of these two cuties – 21 month old twins? We had such fun splashing around in the water at Anton Lakes in Andover. Not to be out done I also put on my wellies for a paddle!
I spent a great hour at the swing park recently with Calum and his mum. He certainly kept me running around as he lept from the swings to the climbing frame and back again.
I love photographing babies. Here is Flinn. His shoot was done mainly indoors as this is where he spends most of his time at the moment.
Did a lovely little shoot the other day with sisters Phoebie and Margaret. The girls ran around in a nearby field while mum watched on.
Here are a few recent additions to the Naomi House book project:
Sophie, Adam, William and Amy
