Peak at our latest Wedding Guest Book

Here's a peak at our latest guest book design, an Asuka Book, 7x7" 20 page hard covered coffee table book. It's a lovely keepsake and goes perfectly with a wedding album of the same style. These books are offered exclusively through Faith Stone Photography and are one of our many unique books on offer. We will even design them with your own images if you like! 

Essex Engagement Portraits

Playing catch up here and about to show you a couple I photographed back in July 2010. Lucina found me at wedding fair and took me up on a limited time offer of a deeply discounted engagement photo session here in Burnham-On-Crouch, Essex. First we did some lovely Mother-Daughter pics, then Daniel came along and we went for a wee walk down to the waterfront and park. Burnham is a great place for location portraiture because there's such a great variety of places to choose from. This couple doesn't have a date picked yet, but I know I'd be honored should they choose me to document their wedding day!

I'm so Lucky

So the light is dimming earlier and winter is upon us. I actually love fall, but I have to admit, winter is not my favorite season. I'm from Colorado and there never seems to be a lack of light there. Although I've been in England for about 5 years now, I'm still not quite adjusted to the lack of light this time of year! Sometimes I even get down right bummed and home sick. I'm very lucky, though, because I have a wonderful golden retriever named Molson (he's Canadian, therefore the name) a mixed breed dog called Zuzu (her original name was Juju, but I misunderstood the lady at the rescue centre and just decided Zuzu sounded better. She seems to be ok with it too. The dog, not the lady at the rescue centre.) and Matilda, my 17 year old cat. I have to admit, though, and not playing favorites, but Matilda is my pride and joy. (Ok, maybe I am showing a little favoritism. But she's 17. And we've been hanging out for almost 16 of those. You get it, right?)

Now when I have a couple over for a consultation or a shoot, I try to keep the dogs out of the way. As lovely as they are, not everyone is a dog person. And if they show up in black, they won't leave without some golden hair all over their clothes! Matilda, on the other hand, is, well, a cat. There's really no telling a cat what to do, so I just don't bother much. When Samantha and Andrew came by for their consultation, Matilda wandered in. I immediately lost Samantha as she oohed and aahed at Matilda and just decided to go with it. I left the room to make some tea or something, where upon Matilda decided to release a hair ball not 100 yards from the lovely couple. Oh geez. I quickly cleaned it up and tried to make light of it. It didn't seem to throw the couple off too much and they booked me. Whew.....

Here's a composite of my favorites from the engagement session.

I actually think the above would make a lovely canvas or acrylic. Beautiful wall art is one of the many options I offer a couple. Albums, however, are my specialty. This couple is getting the most unique book in these parts, a guest book with their engagement images. If you'd like to have a look at the layout of these kinds of books, go here: http://www.faithstonephotography.com/SamAndrewGuestBook2/

If you join me on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Somerset-UK/Faith-Stone-Photography/62282506577?ref=ts) you'll find out about a great offer I have on right now so you can get your hands on one of these babies.

Samantha and Andrew are getting married in May 2011. I can't wait 'cuz this couple are so relaxed and easy to work with. I hope they find it dido with me. Seems so, as Samantha said they laughed all the way home after this shoot. That makes me feel awesome! If a couple goes away from an engagement session just a little more in love, just a little happier, and on top of it all, laughs on the way home, then I've done my job. The images, of course, need to look great too. That's not luck. But finding a couple like this makes me feel lucky. Lucky that I have a great feline and lucky I get to hang with great couples like this.

Friends Make Great Clients!

Wow. I recently got a little slack on keeping up with my blog. I feel like I let some people down. I mean, my last wedding was a dream job. They're friends first and became clients. It meant so much to me that they even considered me to document their wedding day. We went back and forth a bit to get the package just right, and it all worked out in the end. That's how it should be. Get the package YOU want.

Ross and Christy manage one of my favorite pubs in Watchet, Somerset. Here's the thing. There are quite a  few pubs in Watchet and it's hard to say which one is my favorite as we have friends that frequent any number of them. So I don't want to tell the world one pub is more favored over another because I really don't want to offend anyone. Pubs in Watchet, I think, are like moods. Sometimes I'm in the mood to go to the Anchor. Sometimes I'm in the mood to go to the London. But for the most part, The Star Inn was the easiest, closest to home, REALLY good ales and that warm comfy feeling one appreciates in a pub. Bonus is, Ross and Christy are great publicans! (And yes, Christy, your pepper sauce is still superior!!!)

Having said that, their wedding day did not disappoint. Ross made the cake and it was really clever. Christy's dress was amazing and her sister was THE most, so on top of it, helpful and excited person I've ever encountered at a wedding! She really made my job easy and big Kudos and thanks for that:)

The ceremony and reception were held at Raleghs Cross Inn, Exmoor, Somerset. Although I've done a wedding fair there and know the place, I'd never shot a wedding there. The team there were so great in helping me find my way around and organizing the day. Kudos to them!

Although we've relocated to Essex, I always love the opportunity to go back to Somerset to visit friends and shoot. It's outstandingly beautiful and there's never a shortage of shooting locations. This wedding, in particular, was a great event for all the reasons I stated, but also one more. This couple knows ALOT of people, as you can imagine. They kept their wedding a little more on the intimate side, though, and the reception grew in numbers. But it seemed to me that ALL the people there were genuinely happy and supportive of these two people getting hitched. It was gratifying, because I have a pretty good record of my couples still being together. I like that. It means they might have kids. It means they might call me to shoot their pregnancy, then their baby, then their family pics. But most of all, it makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside that THESE sort of people are the ones that choose me to shoot their wedding.  The kind of people who are genuine. The kind of people who value their bonds with others. The kind of people like Ross and Christy. Thanks guys, and hope you have a great Mexican honeymoon! Vayas Con Dios.