Hello everyone! Hope you are having a lovely Friday and hopefully there is finally some sunshine on the way for the weekend! I spend my life living and breathing weddings, so it’s lovely to be asked to write a personal post. So what am I most coveting? Experiences, mini-breaks and personal time is probably the most important thing that I covet. Being a wedding photographer, my summer is often one long run of shooting, traveling, 24hr editing and Netflix!
I am so grateful to have made my passion into such a rewarding way of life, and I love weddings in a big way – but it does mean that my year goes by fast! Personal time, experiences and lots of mini-breaks keep my little world going round, and let me create my own memories around my couple’s days that I photograph.
I’m pretty lucky to live in the countryside (literally in the middle of a field!) with lots of country walks and decent country pubs right on my doorstep. I’m a real foodie and love nothing more than a good country pub! My local, The Yew Tree, is amazing, with everything you could want from a country pub. and I can often be found there! My favourite pub to stay at is The Bell at Ticehurst and I always book this room: The Then and The Now.
Mini-breaks! Anyone who knows me knows how much I love a good mini-break! All my couples have amazing days in amazing places all over the UK and worldwide, often in the countryside or unique places, so it’s easy to book a place nearby after the wedding, even if it’s just for a couple of day or just one night. I only like to stay in really unusual places, posh pubs, historical buildings, foodie places or little cottages. My favourite website to find the more quirky places is Under The Thatch.
I always try and make it an experience to remember – and in the last year around shoots I’ve stayed in gypsy caravans, gorgeous thatched cottages, a spooky witch’s cottage, in a cave, on a boat, camped up a mountain. Next month I’ll be staying in a treehouse in the mountains in France!
I’m also big into life experience type trips – whether that’s volunteering for a charity or just doing something really different. Recently I was hired for an editorial commission in India for Dogs Trust and the Worldwide Veterinary Service. I travelled across the whole of India from South to North in three weeks to document one of their current missions. It was heart breaking at times but so rewarding and the experience of a lifetime – and I can already feel the wanderlust kicking in for my next adventure! I was hired directly by the charity but similar opportunities can be found here.
Ok so that’s nearly it from me – but I wouldn’t be much of a girl if I didn’t have a fashion bit thrown in! For me it’s mainly wedding photographer outfits and girly camera bags that I always covet! Now that autumn is approaching, I am grateful to be back to my staple of little shift or wrap dresses, tights and flat ankle boots or pointed flats. It’s hard finding shooting outfits that are practical but pretty, modest but not frumpy! I’m right in the middle of a juicing kick – and have already lost weight, but my main requirements from a shooting outfit is that it covers well and is flattering but looks pretty and ‘me’. I’m currently loving these dresses from Anthropologie. Especially this one. Also this gorgeous wrap dress from Free People.
Have a lovely weekend everyone,
Naomi x
