Marianne Taylor Photography | Portrait & Family Photographer in Cornwall
On-location portrait and family photography in North Cornwall. Siren of the Sea sessions, couples, families. Soft, romantic, coastal.
I was over the moon to finally find some proper blossoms for this Family Together Session. It was so good to see Hannah and Brendan again, and to meet the adorable little Miles. The wind might have been a little bit brisk, but we still had a lovely time with lots of giggles. The thing I enjoy most about family shoots is that I get to see my old clients again, and see where life has lead them. It really is the best.
I first met Rachael and Dan four years ago at their London engagement session. I can’t quite believe how the years have flown by! It was such a pleasure to get together again, this time for a Family Together Session in Bushy Park, with the addition of the adorable Noah. We tried not to let the freezing drizzle which we call spring bother us, and had a lovely time in the end, albeit some red noses!
Jasmine & Russell’s Bushy Park engagement session was quite adrenaline inducing, as it turned out that their adorable french bulldogs, Clouseau & Valentina, weren’t the biggest hit with the local deer population. There were a few occasions where we felt better to move on when a huge deer made it’s opinion loud and clear, or when another one went into Rambo mode and started coming at us across the pond!
Never the less, we did manage to avoid a major incident, and it was actually lovely to spend time with these two, as they were so clearly absolutely smitten with each other. And what can I said about Clouseau & Valentina? The deer might not have warmed to these two cuties, but they certainly stole my heart completely!
Abigail & Simon got married back in 2011, in a ceremony which included the baptism of their son Charlie. Their family now has a new addition, the adorable Rosie. Abi and Simon were the first ones who (with their unwavering persistence, really!) managed to twist my arm and got me considering doing Family Together Sessions again. And it’s a good thing they did, as we had the loveliest afternoon in Bushy Park with lots of squeezes for both Charlie and Rosie!
How about a little bit of summer magic? Ashley & Jacky came all the way from Hong Kong to have their engagement, or pre-wedding shoot, in the UK where they used to study. In some places, such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia, it’s quite common to have your wedding portraits done before the big day. Mainly because the weddings tend to be so big and busy with hundreds of guests, and often held at hotels with no access to wilder locations outside, plus it’s customary to have the portraits on display at your wedding.
We had such a lovely time traipsing around the Hampton Court & East Molesey area, and charming some deer in Bushy Park. I’m personally a little bit in love with these images, and I hope you’ll see why!
I just love Bushy Park, and I was so happy when Charlotte & Luke agreed to have their engagement session there. The day was beautiful and the deer came out of hiding, it couldn’t have been much more perfect. I had so much fun with these two, and I can’t wait for their wedding at the amazing Preston Court later this year!
Sometimes magic just happens. Sometimes you stumble onto the only sunny day among the unnaturally freezing days of ‘spring’ (which forced us to reschedule the session once before). Sometimes you manage to find the only few trees still blossoming, while all the others have left is just a blanket of petals at their feet. And sometimes you even attract little animal friends to come check out what’s happening, in the manner of Snow White…
Yes, Nicole & Benny’s engagement session was pretty special indeed. We had the whole of Bushy Park to play in, and we certainly made the most of it. If only every day could be filled with soft petals and warm sunshine, balloons and pretty love signs made by Berinmade. Oh what pretty bliss!
I’ll just leave this sneaky peek from yesterday’s session here okay…
Lucy & Matt’s wedding day was special in so many ways. First of all, we shot Lucy’s brother David’s wedding to Eleni three years ago, so it was a real privilege to get to celebrate with their lovely family once again. Also, seeing David and Eleni so happy and blooming, expecting their first baby in just a month, made me feel a bit maternal (like I slightly embarrassingly told David, it’s like my babies are all grown up!). Eleni & David also played a part in the wedding, as Eleni had created the beautiful cake, while David performed in the evening with his band, The Big Red.
Another reason that made this wedding pretty awesome was the fact that is was one of the very rare local weddings I get to shoot. I do love travelling around the country and beyond, but there is definitely something extra special about attending a wedding in your local neighbourhood.
Lucy and the girls got ready at the Bloated Mallard in Teddington, where Natalie Guest created an absolutely stunning hair do and make-up, before Lucy slipped into her adorable Charlotte Balbier gown. We then headed for a beautifully intimate ceremony at Orleans House Gallery in Twickenham. After the ceremony Brula, from my old neighbourhood in St Margarets, provided yummy-looking canapés under the blossoming trees, before the guests were ushered into a routemaster that took us to the reception venue, The Bloated Mallard in Hampton Hill.
One of my favourite bits was heading out for some portraits in my ‘local park’ i.e. Bushy Park, which was just amazing (and amazingly windy). It was also lovely to briefly catch up with Gareth of GJ’s Discos, who got the party started in the evening. Most of all I loved how everything about the day felt so comfortable and familiar, and how all the bits of the wedding were created by family and friends, such as the flowers for example, which were by Lucy’s mum’s friend Ginny.
These sort of days make my job feel somehow more meaningful, getting to see how my previous couples are flourishing, and feeling like I am somehow connected to these different strings of life out there. It’s just the best.
I think I’ve made it pretty clear by now how much I love doing these Beloved sessions. As much as I adore photographing people getting engaged and all the happiness of their wedding day, there’s just something very special about photographing a couple who’s been together for longer. It’s comforting to find those roles and routines that keeps a relationship ticking, but as years go by we tend to forget to take the time to really have fun with each other like we did at the beginning. Beloved sessions are such a lovely way to reconnect and spend some quality time together. It’s like they give a permission to forget our busy lives for a while and just have a giggle and remember all the things we love about our chosen partner.
This Beloved session with Elizabeth & Steven was such a joy. Despite the threat of rain when we headed to Bushy Park, amazingly, when we got there the sun came out to play with us and made the gorgeous colours of the autumn shine. Watching these two was so very lovely, I got to laugh along with them, I got to feel moved, and when I got home I just felt incredibly grateful to be able to do a job such as this. At it’s best it can be pretty amazing. Thank you Elizabeth & Steven. x
P.S. do also check out Elizabeth’s photography blog.
Roz & Severin are known as one of the hardest working (and also the loveliest!) couples among wedding professionals. Most of the time they are super busy running Hepburn Collection, creating beautiful hair styles for brides and models. Since they are literally always working and rarely have time to spend quality time together, Sev decided to surprise Roz on her birthday with a booking for a Beloved session with yours truly. Personally I think Roz & Sev are pretty much the ideal couple I had in mind when I decided to start offering dedicated Beloved sessions, a couple who has been together for a long time and deserves to take some time out of their busy lives to reconnect and to enjoy each others company.
At first Roz wasn’t sure about being in front of the camera (oh I know how she feels!), but she bravely agreed to the session – and I’m so glad she did. Below are her thoughts about the experience in her own words:
‘The day arrived. Now what could Marianne do with a tired married couple who quite frankly could potentially ruin her lovely camera? You will be amazed! Our shoot was to be at Bushy Park and it was an awesome day – the sky was blue, not too cold and the colours of autumn were breathtaking. So far so good. Now for the serious stuff, our minds were racing. How is she going to do this? How will we respond to her instructions? Now of course I couldn’t possibly tell you all, as this would ruin ‘the experience’ but let me just say, she was incredible and we felt so comfortable in her presence. I would even go so far as to say it was easy.
I had always thought these shoots were primarily for the engaged couple just before their big day. BUT believe me when I say that they can be for anyone. I’m sure most of you will agree that being married can sometimes be a little busy so taking time out is really important. This shoot for us was like therapy, we laughed until it hurt, felt re-energised, relaxed and more importantly we had reconnected. Marianne and her camera had captured something very special between us, being in love! Thank you Marianne.’
Well, what can I say… thank YOU Roz and Sev, for trusting me so completely and for being as cute and in love as a teenage couple! I loved every minute of our session and would be very happy if this was what I got to do for the rest of my life. I will never ever tire of witnessing people in love. x
P.S. look out for a feature on Roz & Sev’s Beloved session over at Love My Dress today.
