Contemporary Wedding Photographer of the Year 2012 | Wedding photography in Herts

In my re-newed effort to blog the latest news, weddings, portraits etc I thought it might be prudent to post some quite exciting news that happened a short while ago. My wedding photography has gained me the distinction of becoming the Master Photographer Association (MPA Central Region) Contemporary Wedding Photographer of the year and overall Wedding Photographer of the Year 2012 (for the second year running), as well as the title of Contemporary Portrait Photographer of the Year! All in all I picked up 23 awards including 17 merits.

I have to say, I am quite chuffed as this follows on from becoming the MPA London and Essex Region Photographer of the Year 3 years ago, so a triple whammy.

The awards themselves had some of the regions top photographers present, so to walk away with a hat full of awards as well as the 'big' one was fantastic. As much as I wanted to win, I felt really inspired by some of the work that was entered and I left the evening feeling that the strength of photography in the East of England is at an all time high as far as the serious pro's and serious businesses are concerned. This can only be good news for the future couples that see wedding and portrait photography as more than just a commodity and something more akin to 'art'!

The winning wedding image.

First and second place in contemporary portrait category

 

First and second place in the 10 from 1 wedding category.

Third place in the child portrait category.

Here are a selection of some of the photographs that picked up merit awards.

Winter weddings at Fanhams Hall - Fanhams Hall weddings | Laura and Thor

Boy I really struggle to keep on top of blog posts. Looking back at my last entry you could be forgiven for thinking that I had retired (not that old yet :-)).

In an attempt to get back in the swing of blogging more of my work I am going to dive right in and post my last wedding that I shot at Fanhams Hall a couple of weeks ago. I think that Laura and Thor should be just about back from their honeymoon so this will be a nice little surprise for them. I have just bought a fantastic new blogging tool called Blogstomp that creates quick and easy blog layouts so I really have no more excuses.

The wedding day was gorgeous, considering it had been raining all week, but Thor had promised me that the weather was going to be perfect on their day. He is not named after the god of thunder for nothing (pronounced Tor really) because he was true to his word and we had clear skies and beautiful light. So, great light, a fabulous venue at Fanhams Hall and a stunning looking couple! What more could I ask for? The day was good to go and made even more enjoyable when it just so happened that I knew one of the ushers. Little Chris! Always good for a laugh and very helpful on the odd occasion that I needed a little help. Thanks Chris.

Anyway, back to Laura and Thor.....

They both were fantastic on the day and were really going with the flow as far as the photography was concerned, as I knew they would after recalling that they booked me specifically for (and these are Laura's words) ..."The drama and glamour that you have in your work!"  "Wow!" I remember thinking at the time. "This is definitely my kind of couple".

Without boring you senseless with any more waffle, as I am not the best word-smith around, here are a few images from the day. I hope that you like them and if you feel inclined, it would be lovely to have some feedback in the comments section below this post.

Enjoy!

Phil.

 

Hertfordshire pre-wedding portrait photography | A walk in the woods | Anna & Peter

With their wedding day fast approaching there was still time to squeeze a pre-wedding shoot in for Anna and Peter.

Location: Check

Weather: Check

Outfits: Check

My wellies: Errr...No!

My trainers took a battering from the mud, but it was worth it in the end because we made some cool photographs...despite almost getting lost in the woods. I was so sure I knew where I was going !! I absolutely love the brown tones that come through in this woodland and I must take my family to this spot for our annual mugshot! Anna and Peter looked rather stylish (Peter like he's just taking a break from his band) but I can take no credit for their dress sense. It was all them. Looking forward to photographing your wedding at Offley Place in a few weeks. But for now, enjoy our brief ramble in the woods.