Viva Lewes - The way we work (out) 2020

February 03, 2020 / Rebecca King

I had the pleasure of being asked to photograph Februarys Viva Lewes 'Way We Work (out)’ section. The theme was local personal trainers. I got to meet and photograph four lovely, motivated people. That made me feel extremely guilty for my lack of fitness.

I am so pleased with the results and the photographs, they look even better in print. I love that all the photographs have similar colours, so there is a cohesiveness between all of the photographs.

I first photographed Lisa Dickson at the new fitness centre called Body Happy in Lewes town centre. The gym is relatively new and was full of the most up to date equipment to help you get fit or retain your fitness.
I then photographed Katie Weir who runs Lewesfit and is also a weight loss coach. She runs her business out of The Southdown Club. She has such a positive attitude and I could imagine her being a great help to someone who needs motivation to get healthy and active.
Then I photographed Gyles Abbott who runs Soulfit. He’s a personal trainer, but Soulfit also offers yoga, boxfit and other fitness classes, as well as having a healthy eating cafe.
Finally I photographed Nick Williams from That Coach Nick. His story is very interesting. A few years ago he found himself in hospital finding out he was diabetic. He turned his life around and is now helping others to do the same whilst training to participation in an Ironman.

It was lovely to meet these amazing inspirational people, I felt healthier and fitter just being around them.

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categories / Lewes, Portraits, Viva Lewes
tags / viva lewes, fitness, portrait, photographs, photography

Daniella and Sandrine - Michelham Priory

January 09, 2020 / Rebecca King

I can’t believe it has taken me this long to write this blog about the two lovely ladies, Daniella and Sandrine.

This wonderful wedding took place at the beautiful Michelham Priory in Hailsham. This stunning venue is a part of the Sussex Past venues, which include Lewes Castle and Anne of Cleves House in Lewes.

We were very lucky , as this was one of the only dry days in October. It always helps to be able to take photographs outside. I feel the natural light ( even if it’s cloudy ) lends something to the quality of a photograph. Michellham Priory has some lovely gardens, a pond with a bridge and some stunning buildings, so it was great that it stayed dry so we could make the most of the lovely environment.

One of the brides was from France, so they had a bi-lingual MC who was able to translate the speeches. He was also a great help in rounding up the family and friends for photographs. It can be quite difficult at weddings to get everyone together for a photograph, even more if they do not understand the language.

Their wedding was full of lovely personalised touches, they love to surf so they had a miniature surf board for everyone to sign. Their cake was a giant croque en bouche, one of the brides did not like big flowers so there were no big table displays and her button hole was a blue thistle and their first dance was a cèilidh, so everyone could join in.

Weddings are such fabulous occasions to be a part of. I always find it the greatest honour to be asked to document and share in the couples special day. I love the ceremony, the speeches, and meeting their family and friends, but my favourite part is when I steal the couple away from the celebration and take them for their couples photographs. They get to have some quiet time and can reflect on their day so far. It is a really lovely moment. It is one of the only times in the day it is just the two of them (apart from me). A tip for any future couples, always make sure you have a good length of time to have with just the photographer. You get to process the days events and get some beautiful photographs at the same time. It can be quite a lot for a photographer to get those magical forever shots in just a 20 minute window, so make sure you find that space in your day, it will be worth while.

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categories / Wedding Photography, Photography
tags / wedding bouquet, wedding hair, wedding dress, weddings, newlyweds, Michelham Priory, Sussex past

Alice and Ed -Anne of Cleves House

October 01, 2019 / Rebecca King

I was lucky enough to be asked to photograph the wedding reception of this adorable couple at the stunning Anne of Cleves House in Lewes. I had photographed weddings at Anne of Cleves before, so I felt very comfortable with the venue and I know quite well the lovely people that work there.

There is also a beautiful garden a short 3 minutes walk from the venue, so we went to the beautiful Southover Grange for some couple shots within the colourful flower gardens. It was a glorious sunny day and we were there early evening, so there was a beautiful soft light. Alice looked perfect, she was like a May queen with her flower crown on and surrounded by the stunning blooms of many colours. Alice was perfection in her amazing beaded dress. She looked naturally beautiful and ever so cool. Ed was my first groom in a patterned shirt and I thought he carried it off with aplomb, and looked fabulous.

It was such a lovely day, the couple and their friends didn't take themselves too seriously and had so much fun with their photos. There was many a fun pose and plenty of silliness. It’s brilliant for me as that makes for great photographs that are a representation of the couple and their personalities. I always try to make sure that my couples are relaxed and themselves in their wedding photographs, I don’t want them to pose for photographs in a way that makes them feel uncomfortable.

One of my favourite decorative touches Alice and Ed had was a photograph of their cat, Laszlo, so I decided I would embroider him on their usb keyring, as part of their gift package as well as their gingerbread people avatars.

Go over to our Facebook page for more photographs from Alice and Ed’s big day.

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categories / Wedding Photography, Lewes, Photography
tags / wedding bouquet, wedding hair, wedding dress, weddings, wildflowers, lewes, Anne of cleves, Southover Grange Gardens

Maggie and Simon - Michelham Priory

August 12, 2019 / Rebecca King

It was such an honour to experience my first Quaker wedding of the lovely Maggie and Simon. They had already married in their home country of Hong Kong, but this was a service for the UK family and friends, even though people had travelled from all over the world to come. It was such a thoughtful and peaceful service, full of so much love. There is much time for contemplation and stillness.
The venue of Michelham Priory was a perfect choice, as it's a haven of calm and tranquility. This beautiful 800 year old manor house and gardens is a beautiful venue with so many wonderful spots for photograph opportunities, from the little bridge to the barn and all the surrounding green spaces.
The weather had been very changeable but we were lucky that it stayed dry for the outside ceremony, drinks and all the photographs. It was quite windy but Maggie took the rain and wind in her stride, It's a good job her hairdresser was so good at fixing in veils, but it did make for some fabulous veil photographs.

The evening consisted of Ceilidh dancing, (like a barn dance) which was great fun and enjoyed by everyone. It was fun to get in the middle of it all to take photos. Also Maggie and Simon had their own dance, which everyone enjoyed very much.

This was a really lovely, funny and happy day to have been a small part of. I met so many lovely people. Maggie and Simon were a lovely couple and I wish them all the best for the future.

See our Facebook page for our bigger album.

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categories / Wedding Photography, Photography
tags / wedding bouquet, wedding dress, Michelham Priory, wedding hair, wedding veil

WedFest - Part 2

August 02, 2019 / Rebecca King

The second part of the wedding celebration for my lovely couple was to be held in a marquee on a family members property. The vibe was to be a less formal occasion than their wedding. It was to be a fun celebration that was titled ‘WedFest’. All the guest were given a wristband and encouraged to pitch their tents and dance until dawn, with the promise of a cooked breakfast on the Sunday morning.

in the run up to the wedding the weather had been drizzly and grey all week, but on the Saturday the sun had his hat on and it was stunning. There were spectacular views over the Sussex hills. The marquee was beautiful, it was festooned with coloured streamers and bunting. There were gift bags full of toys and treats for all the children. There was food to suit everyone, a hog roast, pizza van and cheese table, as well as an ice-cream van, several cakes and a sweet cart. in addition there was a cocktail bar.

As the weather was so beautiful, outside the marquee were other tables and chairs as well as sofas. There was a bouncy castle, giant jenga and other games, as well as space hoppers and hula hoops. It really had a festival feel about it.

The music accompaniment was several acts throughout the evening, like a music festival. The first on the line-up was a relaxed jazz band with smooth tunes, then if your bridesmaid is a singer, it would be rude to not have her perform, following them was an amazing band that performed and when they were on a break there was a Dj set. The evening then continued into the night with dance music and sparklers. It was such a fun wedding celebration to be a part of. I think the couple had thought of everything, the details were fantastic, even down to beautiful flower crowns for the ladies. It was a wonderful fun event to be a part of.