The wabi-sabi of the yellow sticker special

Cut flowers are expensive and I only really buy them when they're on sale (anyone else refer to sale items as yellow sticker specials?) This means, of course, that often they're wilting, rotting, or dried out. Shedding petals, these bronze and lilac lovelies were somehow even prettier for it, clinging to the damp cellophane wrapper as I brought them home on New Year's Day.

If photographing flowers is basic, I don't want to be extra.

Oh, and if you've ever wondered what happens behind the scenes at Leedale Towers, it's a lot of this beast getting up in my face / camera / grill...

Merry Light in the Dark Festival to you all!

I'm signing off from work tomorrow and wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas. May your festive break be a red flower and some spangly lights in the deep shadow of the midwinter. 

Some mustardy flowers

Just a quick post to share this cosy autumnal arrangement I captured last night at Second Home while photographing an event for TEDx Shoreditch, and to say hi! I'm alive! Been busy working on some more experimental bits and pieces for the last little while, and if you're interested in that could I suggest you follow me on Instagram, where I post snippets and Stories of what I'm up to far more regularly than I do here...

In this year...

...I'd like to remember that you can find beauty in looking at things from the wrong side up.

Bloomsbury Anemones

Is this not perfect?

Nature Morte

Oh Berlin

You are very nice and I wish I could live in you.

Romance rejects

I'm starting work on a personal project about romance, beginning with some test shots today to get a sense of the tone I want to strike for the rest of the images. These are (I am pretty sure) rejects so I'm just going to go ahead and share them here for prettiness. 

Catching up, part four - Laura + Adam

Laura and Adam have been together since they were 16; nearly half their lives. Let's pause for a moment and reflect on the sheer old-fashioned romance of marrying your childhood sweetheart. Their wedding day echoed that old-fashioned romance, with both ceremony and reception being held at the simply dreamy Voewood, a unique Arts and Crafts house in the Norfolk countryside. 

Adam's mum stitched this gorgeous sampler for the couple.

Laura's stunning Jenny Packham dress, in the palest dove grey.

Bridesmaid Jo enjoying getting ready.

Bride and mother of the bride.

Such glamour.

Decor in the central hall.

Father of the groom ready to go.

The ring-bearer, rewarded with juice!

The bridesmaids.

Check out Laura's incredible handpiece.

Singing The Beatles' Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

The home-made maracas prove too hilarious.

The house itself.

After the ceremony we retired to the flower arch (constructed very able-y by the ushers and best men the day before!) to shoot some group portraits.

...just avoiding the start of the drizzle. I then stole Laura and Adam away into the beautiful grounds to snap some bride and groom portraits.

Plus one or two in the Klimt room. 

Here's wishing Laura and Adam as happy a marriage as their relationship has been so far.

Springing

Things are growing again.

Are we there yet?

Dedicated to those of you who, like me, are getting a bit desperate for spring.

A New Year

 Well, hello.

I have got a bit slack lately both with posting and with pursuing all those more creative personal projects. One of my New Year's resolutions is to post at least once a week, and to start sharing some more collage, painting, printing and scan projects (which I dabble in but don't often post here).
So here's my resolution post, there'll be another tomorrow about the recent client work I've shot, and then I will be on the road to fresh new pastures. At least, that's the plan.

Above are images from my Christmas, in Maidenhead, Essex, and Oxford. It was jolly and I'm still sulking it's all over.