Pre Wedding Photo shoot in Braintree Essex by Essex wedding photographer Tony Sale

Braintree and Bocking Public Gardens are located close to the Braintree District Council offices in the Causeway in the lovely market town of Braintree in north Essex and it makes an idyllic location for a pre wedding photo shoot.  It is a beautiful public gardens with lots of colourful flower beds, magnificent specimen trees, traditional wooden benches a picturesque pond, shelters and lots of different play equipment for children to play on.

It was here that I met up with Helen and Lee one Sunday afternoon a few months ago to do their pre wedding photo shoot. This was a great opportunity for the three of us to get to know each other before their wedding at St Mary’s Church in Bocking later in the year.  The day was a beautiful autumn day absolutely glorious, the sun was shining and the leaves on the trees were golden brown and all around was peaceful and calm. A great day to be in rural Essex.

Helen and Lee are an extremely nice couple who also live in Braintree only a fairly short distance away from the gardens. Though I have to say I’m not sure they were too happy with their decision to walk as they were a little warm and glowing when they arrived. Although both a bit self conscious they were also were both really enthusiastic and totally immersed themselves in the photo session. We managed to photograph in a number of different locations and included some nice reflections in the pond and some dramatic shots into the sun. They both said they had fully enjoyed the shoot and were looking forward to seeing the photos. They left the park happy and smiling (and heading straight for the pub). I was looking forward to photographing their wedding later in the year.

A selection of some of my favourite images from the day can be seen below.  Please do leave a comment if you can.

If you are planning a Braintree Wedding in the future, and would like to discuss your wedding photography then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Essex Wedding at Stock Brook Manor by Essex Wedding and Portrait Photographer Tony Sale

‘With over 25 years of bespoke wedding services, Stock Brook Country Club has long been established as the premiere wedding venue in Essex’ Well that’s what it says on their web site anyway and I have absolutely no reason to disbelieve it.

I have to say Stock Brook Manor is an excellent wedding venue, it’s set in over 250 acres of English countryside on the outskirts of the picturesque village of Stock in central Essex and It’s here that I photographed the wedding of Jane and Ben some few weeks ago.

For those of you that follow my blog you will know that I did a pre wedding photo shoot a few weeks ago and that unfortunately Ben was unable to make it on the day. It was therefore a pleasure to meet him for the first time on the wedding day itself.

The day started photographing the bride (Jane) together with her bridesmaids Caroline, Nina, Tracey, Seliha and Izzy (and also Jane’s mum who had come over from Ireland). They were all at Caroline’s house in Shenfield and it’s fair to say that all was in a state of very organised chaos when I arrived, there was a lot going on but everyone seemed to know what they were doing. I even got a cup of coffee, which always goes down well (remember that!).

After photographing the ‘bridal prep’ is was off to Stock Brook Manor to photograph the groom (Ben) together with his best man (men) Jake and Aaron, his two brothers. Like I said before this was the first time I had met Ben and I literally had no idea what he looked like, however we had no problems meeting up and I found him to be a really nice guy.

I photographed Jane when she arrived at the venue and I have to say she looked absolutely stunning in her wedding dress, although the dress was all a bit ‘bundled up’ as she squeezed in to the front seat of her brother in laws Ferrari.

The ceremony itself was lovely and a great opportunity to capture some more beautiful photographs. Following this Jane and Ben held reception drinks whilst they greeted their guests before we set off to photograph a few formal group shots on a beautifully manicured lawn, (I think it’s actually a bowling lawn).

On one of my previous visits to Stock Brook Manor I had seen a fantastic line of trees just along from the main gate; I knew these would be a perfect setting for some beautiful wedding photography and so that’s where I headed next, along with Jane and Ben of course. Only this time Jane had to squeeze her dress into the front of my car (not quite a Ferarri I’m afraid).

The rest of the day was brilliant and everything seemed to run very smoothly. The line up, the wedding breakfast, the wedding speeches, the toast, the cutting of the wedding cake, the casino, the chocolate fountain and finally of course as traditional at every wedding – the first dance and of course I photographed them all.

Jane and Ben are a wonderful couple and they were an absolute joy to work with. I wish them lots of luck and happiness in their life together

If you are planning an Essex wedding in 2012, and would like to discuss your wedding photography then please do not hesitate to contact me.

A selection of some of my favourite images from the day can be seen below.  Please do leave a comment if you can.

Portrait Photography in Essex by Essex and Suffolk Wedding and Portrait Photographer Tony Sale

A few weeks back I was contacted by Sharon who happens to live in the same village as me, Gosfield in north Essex, she wanted some portrait photographs of her and her two teenage daughters. She wanted them to give as a birthday present to her mother, which I thought was a very nice idea.

We were fairly restricted on time, as her mum’s birthday was only a couple of weeks off and both Sharon and her daughters have pretty busy life styles. There were no weekend possibilities and so we had to plump for one evening mid week and to restrict things even more they couldn’t make it until 7.00PM – about the time the natural light disappeared.

None the less we still wanted to do some outdoor shots and it was a great chance to do some off camera flash portrait photography. The plan was to meet at the playing fields in the village where there is a large open sports field and also children’s play park with lots of swings, roundabouts and see saws etc. After that we would head to my home portrait studio and do some nicely controlled well lit studio portrait photography.

I actually got to the playing fields about fifteen minutes early just to have a look around and plan a few shots, but WOW! It would have been so good if Sharon and the girls had been there too, about ten to seven the sun was setting and looked quite stunning as it dropped low in the sky. It would have been great to have photographed them with the sun set as a back drop but as it was they were a few minutes late and the effect had completely gone.

Despite that we still captured some really great portraits

A selection of some of my favourite images from the day can be seen below.  Please do leave a comment if you can.

If you would like to discuss your wedding photography or portrait photography then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Essex Wedding Photographer

Suffolk Wedding of Jade and David at Holy Trinity Church and the Bull Hotel Long Melford by Essex and Suffolk Wedding Photographer Tony Sale

 

I recently photographed the wedding of Jade and Dave in the charming village of   Long Melford in Suffolk. Jade and David who live in the nearby village of Glemsford were married in Holy Trinity Church followed by a reception at the Bull Hotel. Both  wonderful historic buildings and both fantastic for beautiful wedding photography.

Long Melford, is so called because the main street is some two and a half miles long. It’s a beautiful and busy village which has thrived since Tudor times and is unusual for a village in that it has a parish church (Holy trinity), which has dimensions much more suited to a cathedral – It’s massive. It was completed in 1484 and is one of the richest “wool churches” in East Anglia.

Long Melford also has two stately homes, Kentwell Hall and Melford Hall which, like Holy Trinity church were both built from the proceeds of the wool trade in the Middle Ages.

The Bull Hotel is also an historic building having been  built in 1450, it’s a timber house and you become are aware of its history as soon as you walk into the entrance hall. Its massive moulded oak beams dominate the reception area and the original part of the building. During the coaching era the Bull Hotel was the principal Posting House of the town and a stopping place of the London, Bury St Edmunds, and Norwich coaches.

I started the day by Photographing Jade at her home in Glemsford, She spent the morning there being pampered and having her hair and makeup done along with her two delightful bridesmaids, Samantha and Belinda.

I then went off to the church where I met up with Dave, his Best Man Adam and his groomsmen Samuel, Daniel and Paul, to take some photographs before the wedding ceremony. They were all a great bunch of lads, up for a laugh and very cool about having their photograph taken. As a photographer I love it when people are relaxed and natural whilst in front of the camera.

Jade  arrived at the church in a very cool ‘old’ Volkswagon Camper Van, together with her dad and she looked absolutely fantastic – stunning in fact, in her wedding dress. After a short discussion with the vicar and her bridesmaids outside, her dad escorted her in to the church for the start of the wedding ceremony.

Following the wedding ceremony, the bride and groom mingled with guests and posed for photographs outside the church. We had just about got all of the formal photo’s completed  before it started to rain at which point we all headed off to the Bull Hotel where they held the wedding reception.

The day of the wedding was a strange mix of sunshine and showers, either brilliant sunshine or else pouring rain. I’m pleased to say though that we managed to avoid the rain and stayed pretty dry all day.

Jade and David were a dream to work with and throughout the day we got some beautiful shots. I particularly like the natural light portraits taken of Jade and David standing in front of the huge church doors and the shots taken using video light on the stairs in the Bull Hotel

I have produced a selection of photographs from the day below, please feel free to leave comments.

If you are planning an Essex wedding or a Suffolk wedding and would like to discuss your wedding photography then please contact me.

Olympic swimmer Ross Davenport at Gosfield Lake – by Essex Wedding and Portrait Photographer Tony Sale

I was recently commissioned by Nexus PR to take some photographs of 2012 Olympic hopeful Ross Davenport at an open water swimming event at Gosfield Lake in the village of Gosfield in north Essex.

The event was a joint event by Gosfield Lake and the charity CORDA with the view of raising funds and awareness of the charity.  CORDA is a pioneering charity dedicated to the early diagnosis and treatment of heart disease and stroke.

During the event swimmers received advice and instruction from Ross before taking part in an open water swim of the lake. The event was also supported by Lord and Lady Newton as well as Witham MP Priti Patel and Jenny Jenks from CORDA.

ROSS DAVENPORT won two gold medals at the 2006 Commonwealth games for 200m freestyle and the 4×200 m freestyle relay. In 2006 he won the acclaimed BBC East Midlands Sports Personality of the Year. Ross qualified for Team GB at the 2008 Beijing Olympics in two events and is now looking forward to the 2012 British Olympic Games.

A selection of some of my favourite images from the day can be seen below.  Please do leave a comment if you can.

Ross Davenport

MP Priti Patel, Ross Davenport and Jenny Jenks from CORDA

Lady Newton, Jenny Jenks, Lord Newton and Ross Davenport

Ross Davenport chats with some of the youngsters prior to training

Swimmers enter the lake

Ross Davenport gives instruction

The swimmers enter the water

They're off - the start of the race.

A lone swimmer

Ross at the end of the race

Ross at the end of the race

Ross Davenport at Gosfield Lake.

Ross with two of the swimmers

Ross presents the prize to the winner

Although Tony Sale photographs comercial and event photography he is primarily a wedding photographer and portrait photographer based in Gosfield in north Essex.

As well as covering weddings in Braintree, Tony Sale Photography covers wedding throughout the whole of Essex, Suffolk, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire, including, Barking, Basildon, Billericay, Benfleet, Bishops Stortford, Braintree, Brentwood, Brightlingsea, Broomfield, Burnham on Crouch, Bury st Edmunds, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Clacton, Cogershall, Colchester, Coringham, Danbury, Dedham, Dovercourt, Dunmow, East Mersea, Elsenham, Farnham, Frinton,Fyfield, Epping, Gosfield, Grays, Great Yeldham, Great Wakering, Harlow, Hedingham, Halstead, Harlow, Harwich, Hatfield Broadoak, Heybridge, Ingatestone, Ipswich, Kelvedon, Laindon, Braintree Essex, Loughton, Manningtree, Mistley, Navestock, Newport, New Market,North Weald, Maldon, Rayleigh, Ongar, Orsett, Purfleet, Saffron Walden, Shenfield, Southend, Southminster, Stevenage, Stowmarket,Sudbury, Thaxted, Tollleshunt Major, Waltham Abbet, West Mersea, Wickford, Witham, also in Essex Tony Sale Photography covers, Braintree north, Stansted, Thurrock, Tilbury.

Great Hallingbury Manor Hertfordshire Pre wedding photo shoot by Essex wedding photographer Tony Sale

The Great Halingbury Manor Hotel is an elegant boutique style hotel situated near Bishops Stortford on the Hertfordshire Essex border just a few miles from Stansted Airport. It’s an excellent location for wedding photography and also a great place to do a pre wedding photo shoot. It boasts a small tranquil lake with a bridge which crosses to an island in the middle; it has beautiful lawns and lots of colourful flower beds.

It was here that I met up with Karla and Mike a few weeks ago. It’s their intention to get married here in so it seemed like a good choice for the pre wedding shoot. I think it’s fair to say that Karla didn’t feel that comfortable in front of the camera, initially anyway. She said she didn’t like having her photograph taken and always felt self conscious whenever anyone pointed a camera at her.

I think it’s fair to say quite a lot of people fit in to this category and it’s one of the reasons I offer a pre wedding photo shoot alongside my wedding photography packages. It’s a great opportunity for the three of us to get to know each other and to feel comfortable and relaxed in each other’s company. It’s also gives me an opportunity to coach the bride and groom (to be) in how to relax in front of the camera and to pose in certain situations and help them to  look their absolute best. It certainly worked for Karla, although she was apprehensive at the beginning she had certainly got more in to it by the end.

Weather wise it was it was quite a mixed bag, it had been raining most of the day but by the time we met up in mid afternoon the sun was shining beautifully and we got some great shots outside. However it was not to last and after about half an hour in we had a torrential down pour and finished off the shoot taking photographs inside the hotel.

A selection of some of my favourite images from the day can be seen below.  Please do leave a comment if you can.

If you are planning a Great Hallingbury Manor Hotel wedding in the future, and would like to discuss your wedding photography, then please do not hesitate to contact me.

Essex and Suffolk Wedding and Portrait Photography – pre wedding photo shoot in Halstead Essex by Wedding Photographer – Tony Sale

 

Halstead Public gardens set in rural North Essex is an excellent location for a pre wedding photo shoot. It is a truly beautiful public gardens with lots of colourful flower beds, magnificent specimen trees, traditional wooden benches a picturesque pond and a band stand.

I met up there with Joy and Sam one Saturday morning a few weeks ago to do a pre wedding photo shoot, this was a great opportunity for the three of us to get to know each other before their wedding at Hedingham Castle in a few weeks time. It was one of those glorious days when the sun was shining and all around was peaceful and calm, there was a little cloud cover and all in all it was a great day for photography.

Joy and Sam are a fantastic couple who only live a fairly short distance away on the other side of Halstead. Sam in particular is quite a character with his Mohican haircut, goatee beard and his pierced ears.  They were both really enthusiastic and totally immersed themselves in the photo session. After a while we had a few members of the public watching what was going on and I think Joy and Sam really enjoyed the attention.

A selection of some of my favourite images from the day can be seen below.  Please do leave a comment if you can.

If you are planning a Hedingham Castle Wedding in the future, and would like to discuss your wedding photography, then please do not hesitate to contact me.