Portraiture Archives - Marianne Taylor Photography | Portrait & Family Photographer in Cornwall

Solo Portraits: Johanna on Crantock Beach in north Cornwall

June 22, 2026 · Leave a Comment

As I dust off the corners of this blog, I keep finding little sessions that I’ve done here and there over the years that I never blogged. It seems that I wasn’t THAT dormant after all, it’s like I’ve been regularly getting hits of portrait sessions to keep my need for working with humans satiated!

Johanna is a photographer based in Finland, and one of my oldest dearest friends. When she was updating her materials, she needed new portraits, so when she came to Cornwall for a visit, it seemed obvious that we needed to head down to the beach for this session.

If you’re looking for a portrait session in Cornwall, Crantock beach with its gentle dunes and magical evening light never disappoint!

Brand Portraits for Jo & Co lifestyle store in north Cornwall

June 10, 2026 · Leave a Comment

I never blogged these images, as life kind of got away from me at the time. There are way too many images from this shoot with Jo from Jo & Co to choose from, so I’ll just share a small selection here. It seems appropriate while I’m in the midst of updating and reshuffling (or should we say resurrecting :D) this website!

Shot at Jo’s beautiful store in Hawksfield Artisan Village, it was such a pleasure to spend time picking out pretty details and making portraits of Jo and some of her staff members at the time.

If you’re in north Cornwall and would like me to come take portraits and lifestyle shots of your business, you can find more information on brand portrait sessions here.

Brand Portraits for Creatives in Cornwall

September 15, 2017 · 2 Comments

Carrie runs Jewelbox Cornwall, a small creative business where she hand paints beautiful frames for people’s heirlooms. It was a joy to take some brand portraits for her new website, even if we were experiencing the strongest winds Cornwall had seen in a while, which made our trip to the beach a literal whirlwind!

If you run a creative business in Cornwall, do get in touch to ask about brand portraits and headshots!

Living is easy : country sunset portraits

September 15, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I’m pretty sure you’re beginning to recognise this girl. Since moving to Cornwall, Lucie has become a muse to me, and she really helped me rekindle my love for photography. I’m so happy to get to work with her, both on commercial projects, but also on personal projects and inspiration shoots like this one.

I’ll never forget what a lovely evening we spent capturing these leisurely images under the candy sky. These kind of evenings and shoots make me feel like my heart is bursting with love for Cornwall, and for being able to make a living with the camera in my hand.

Day as a ballerina : a styled portrait session

August 2, 2016 · 2 Comments

I’ve been shooting a LOT lately. I feel like an old flame has been rekindled and I want to be doing so much more with photography again. One of the ways of shaking things up is by combining client work with projects that are inspirational to me. These ballerina lifestyle portraits of dancer Rose Hartigan are an example of such a collaboration. I had such a clear idea in my head of how I wanted to portray her and her strong dancer’s physique, and I’m so happy with the way these images came together .

I really hope you’ll like these portraits, and feel inspired to celebrate whatever your particular strength may be with a photo shoot. Also, keep an eye out for a pretty special Siren of the Sea session we also shot with Rose, coming up later on!

THE TEAM

Photographer: Marianne Taylor
Hair: Severin Hepburn of Hepburn Collection
Make-up: Tamsyn Siddiqui

The Siren of the Sea : Elli

May 18, 2016 · Leave a Comment

I met Elli for the first time when she was just 3 months old. A few years later, she was the subject of one of my favourite portraits I’ve ever taken. Now, at thirteen, she is turning into such a beautiful and gentle young woman, and I couldn’t be happier that I had the chance to photograph her here in my beloved Cornwall! I don’t know what it is, but my soul is at its happiest doing these shoots, feeling the wind and hearing the roar of the ocean.

If you want to have your own Siren of the Sea portrait shoot down here in North Cornwall, do get in touch! (Likewise, if you have a woman or a girl in your life you’d like to treat to a beautiful experience & some pretty magical images!)

The Magic of Cornwall: The Siren of the Sea

March 31, 2016 · 12 Comments

Ever since I moved to Cornwall, I’ve yearned to do a shoot that incorporated some of the stunning scenery here, from the beautiful beaches to the magnificent cliffs with views over the majestic Atlantic Ocean, combined with the kind of portrait photography I want to do more of in the future. When I came across Lucie, who’s a local surfer and a model, I knew she was a ready-made Siren of the Sea, and I couldn’t wait to photograph her!

Putting this shoot together was also a chance to get to know and work with some of the incredibly talented suppliers in the local area, and I really couldn’t have been happier with our little team. Here’s to creating many more beautiful things together in the future!

I hope you’ll enjoy these images, and perhaps even get inspired to travel down to the breathtaking North Cornwall to have your very own day as a Siren!

The Team

Photographer: Marianne Taylor
Model: Lucie Rose Donlan
Hair: Joanne Einnis of Gold Bird Hair Design
Make-up: Chloe Drew
Flower crown: Elle Grime of Inspire Hire
Gowns: Minna

Bridal Musings styled shoot

July 18, 2014 · 5 Comments

Here’s a dose of pretty for your Friday afternoon! I did a super cute little shoot for the Bridal Musings girls Elizabeth & Claire. We wanted to capture some portraits for their fabulous website, and capture some prettiness styled by Louise of B.loved Weddings weddings. You can see lots more pictures on Bridal Musings today. In the coming weeks they’ll be revealing some cute DIY tutorials that we also shot on the day.

P.S. if you want to see some behind the scenes photos of our team at work, pop over to Her Lovely Heart to see what Sophie got up to.

Stylist: Louise Beukes of B.loved Weddings / Venue: The Institute of Contemporary Arts / Hairstylist: Hepburn Collection / Makeup Artist: Mariam Jensen / Flowers: Blue Sky Flowers / Cookies: Nila Holden Artisan Cakes and Cookies / Cake Baker: Olofson Design / Macaroons and Marshmallows: Anges De Sucre / Linens: The Sweet Hostess / Elizabeth’s Shoes: Faith at Debenhams / Behind-the-Scenes Photography: Sophie of Her Lovely Heart

Dreamers | Amy Seeley

December 18, 2012 · 6 Comments

After stumbling into my personal project with Jerome, I was a little bit worried about losing momentum, about not following through. With this second instalment of Dreamers I’ve regained faith in the knowledge that this will indeed be a series. It will continue, because keeping it alive keeps a fire burning, a fire I wish never to go out.

In early December I spent time in Kansas City with Amy Seeley. Amy is an incredible woman, so gentle, sweet, and talented in so many ways. Her music has been a huge inspiration and companion to me for some time now, but not only that, she also has an incredible eye for photography, just take a look at her beautiful Instagram account for starters.

Spending time chasing the sun above the ceilings of Kansas City with Amy will be one of those memories I will treasure forever. And later that night, sitting in Amy’s living room, listening to her singing one of my favourite songs, Mile Marker, I felt so incredibly grateful that following my heart had led me to that moment in time.

Later in the week I got to witness Amy becoming Mrs Messenger in a beautiful wedding ceremony. Looking at these images now, I feel I can see her hopes and dreams for her marriage reflected on her face, something that make these some of my favourite photos I’ve ever taken. Knowing what a good and sweet man she married, my heart really does burst with joy for her.

Dear Amy, I feel so lucky to be a part of your life, you truly are the kindest person I know. Thank you for sharing your spirit, and all your beautiful gifts with the world. x

Dreamers | Jerome Alexander of Message to Bears

November 22, 2012 · 15 Comments

This blog post means a great deal to me. It is both a return to something familiar, and the beginning of something new. Before I shot weddings, before I got lucky enough to be too busy to think about anything but weddings, I used to make a lot of personal work. Photography was an outlet for my ideas and an expression of what was going on inside. And while I obviously love love love calling photography work now, for the longest time I’ve missed not making personal work, not shooting anything just for myself.

Sure, I’ve talked about starting a personal project. A lot. I’ve abused Instagram and I’ve tried to complete a 365 project on the iPhone. But it is not the same. When ever I thought about a ‘proper’ personal project, I felt it should be something… grand, something with a wider reach, something that would help people… and yes, that’s something I still want to do down the line. But I realised that in order to start making more personal work, I have to start with something more straightforward. I have to start from within. I have to start with what gives me joy, right now.

So, almost by accident, I finally stumbled onto a project. The music of Message to Bears has been hugely inspirational to me for a while now. Many a wedding has been edited to the beautiful songs written by Jerome Alexander, and I felt this huge pull to spend some time with this man and make a few photos along the way. When we got together and walked around Southwark chatting about music and chasing the sun, a feeling of a flame being ignited took over. I had nearly forgotten how amazing it felt to be taking photographs just for myself, just because. And then and there I decided that this would continue…

The working name for this project is ‘Dreamers’, and I mean to photograph people who inspire me in different ways. People who dream big.

I am so fricken excited.

Neri | Portrait

April 4, 2012 · 4 Comments

I don’t often take portraits of just one person, and it’s even rarer that I would blog any of those, simply because I see myself more as a photographer of couples. But I couldn’t resist sharing this one frame of the gorgeous Neri, whose beauty pales only in comparison to her accomplishments. What an inspirational lady indeed!

Jani in Welcome to Finland Magazine

March 29, 2010 · 2 Comments

Welcome to Finland magazine

This is really rather old news now, but it took me forever to get a hold of the magazine, so even I hadn’t seen the issue until very recently. Probably some of you may remember that late last year I flew to Zurich Switzerland on a very short notice. The purpose of that trip was to take some shots of Jani Penttinen, the founder of XIHA Life. He was being interviewed for several magazines and needed some pictures of himself to go with the interviews. Some were used in this online article, but the main interview was for Welcome to Finland magazine, as seen above. Below are a few other shots from the shoot, which I quite liked myself.

Portrait shoot Zurich Switzerland

This one of Jani with his family was published in an interview with a Finnish tabloid Ilta-Sanomat at the end of last year.

Poppy | Together

January 25, 2010 · 6 Comments

As promised, some more pictures of the adorable Poppy, who was three weeks old when I got to photograph her. Poppy was definitely the most relaxed baby customer I’ve ever had, so relaxed in fact that we couldn’t really get her to wake up at all during the session! But I think her chilled attitude kind of adds some extra cuteness to the proceedings.

Poppy | Sneak Peek

January 18, 2010 · 1 Comment

Meet Poppy, who defines the term ‘chillax’. :D More later.

We love… Melanie Eddy Jewellery

September 21, 2009 · 2 Comments

It might seem like a bit of a departure for me to be taking pictures of jewellery, but there is actually a wedding connection behind these images. Melanie was a guest at Eleni & David’s wedding, and as it happens, she also designed Eleni’s wedding ring, the earrings she wore on the day, and David’s cuff links. After she saw the pictures I took at Eleni & David’s wedding, she contacted me to ask whether I’d be interested in photographing her jewelery, as she felt my style would be a good fit for it. It certainly was a first for me, but I must say I really enjoyed the experience, not least because I absolutely adore Melanie’s pieces, and I hope to be working with her again in the future.

Here’s a snippet from a press release about Melanie’s work at the upcoming Goldsmiths’ Fair.

“The Goldsmiths’ Company has awarded Melanie Eddy a Graduate Bursary to take part in this year’s Fair. She is one of ten recent graduates who are being supported by the Company at the Fair as they encourage new talent in the trade. Melanie will be showing in Week One of the two week event, from the 28th September – 4th October.

Goldsmiths’ Fair is now in its 27th year and continues to showcase both established and emerging British talent in contemporary jewellery and silverware. 90 designer-makers will be exhibiting during each week of the fair.

Melanie creates sculptural jewellery using applications of historical and contemporary geometries as tools to explore the relationship of form to the body; through new applications of traditional approaches she aspires to reinvest jewellery with some of its historical, symbolic power. She is currently introducing gemstones into her signature faceted style with a colour palette inspired by both the lush greenery and sea blues of her native island of Bermuda and jewellery of early civilizations.

To see Melanie’s work visit Goldsmiths’ Hall, Foster Lane, London EC2V 6BN.”

Michelle – The Undrowned Child | Portrait

July 1, 2009 · Leave a Comment

You may remember that I took author portraits of Michelle Lovric back in May. Well her new book, The Undrowned Child, will be published tomorrow 2nd of July. It’s Michelle’s first foray into children’s literature, but it’s definitely not just for the young ones. In her own words the book is for:

“everyone who might be interested in a book about Venice,
rude mermaids, baddened magic,
hot chocolate and curry.
And books, of course. (Isn’t that everyone?)“.

Go check out the fun website, complete with some excellent sound effects. :D You can order your own copy of The Undrowned Child through Amazon.

We love… Rock ‘n Roll Bride

June 4, 2009 · 5 Comments

A while back I asked Kat, of Rock ‘n Roll Bride fame, to take part in a personal photography project of mine. She was all up for it, and I’m really pleased with the results (which can be seen in my personal portfolio). Somehow Kat managed to persuade me to also take some portraits of her with balloons (despite me protesting about balloons having been done to death :P), and these shots are what came out of that session. It was a blindingly bright and super hot day, not really ideal for an afternoon shoot, but I do like how a fair few of these came out, and I guess I’ll have to admit that the balloons are pretty cute. :D Also, doesn’t her hair just kick some serious ass!

Michelle | Author Portrait

May 9, 2009 · 1 Comment

On Friday I had the pleasure of taking portraits of author Michelle Lovric. Taking author portraits was a new experience for me, and it was interesting trying to approach the task from a perspective of ‘what does the portrait convey to the reader’. It did add another aspect to taking a portrait, and I must say I quite enjoyed the challenge.

It was also a great experience to be able to shoot in Michelle’s absolutely beautiful flat, and to hear about her life, which sounds pretty enviable to me seeing that she divides her time between London and Venice – my two favourite cities!