The start of it all!

The start of it all!

This is where my interest in photography all began. I was given this 126 camera by my mother when I was 11 years old. It has no flash and no way of setting aperture or even shutter speed. It didn't even have a battery - it was little more than a toy really in build.

My first photos were of course completely rubbish, but this sparked a dogged determination to learn how to make it better so I began to read up on the subject. The first book I found in the library - I liked it so much I went and brought my own copy and I still have it till this day! Then I got a 110 film camera - I still have that and the 126. Sadly the film for both these types of cameras are no longer manufactured. I also have a Polaroid camera which takes 600 film. Impossible are making these again in black and white but the jury is out on the quality on these, so I wait patiently.....

I think I must have got my first SLR when I was 15. It was a Praktica and only cost £50. Unfortunately it got broken and my next SLR was a Minolta Dynax 500si. Minolta eventually were brought out by Sony, but in the interim of waiting for Sony to develop a professional grade digital SLR I jumped ship and went over to Canon. It is funny to think that now I am shooting on digital!

Vases and an abandoned cup of tea

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Urban Bridesmaid Photography is a new concept in contemporary wedding and portrait photography, with a mission to provide photographs with personality, in London and beyond.


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Christening: Copleston Centre Church, Peckham

The weather warmed up again after the bank holiday rain, and turned into a glorious sunny Saturday! Ideal day for photographing a christening at Copleston Centre Church Peckham in South London.

Here are a few photographs with personality from the day!



The arrival of the limo...




































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Urban Bridesmaid Photography... is a new concept in contemporary wedding photography, with a mission to provide photographs with personality, in London, UK and beyond.

www.urbanbridesmaid.com

For any enquiries for wedding and portrait photography coverage in London and the UK, contact Louisa on louisa@urbanbridesmaid.com

Wedding Photography Licences for Parks

If your wedding venue is not located in the midst of beautiful landscaped grounds, many brides and grooms have chosen to have their formal wedding shots in a local park.

Some London parks require a licence to be purchased by the wedding photographer on behalf of the bride & groom to take wedding photography. The licence fee can range in cost from £50+VAT. The fee usually goes towards the upkeep of the grounds.


Here are a list of parks that require a licence.

The Royal Parks including:

1. Bushy Park (with the Longford River)
2. The Green Park
3. Greenwich Park
4. Hyde Park
5. Kensington Gardens
6. The Regent's Park (with Primrose Hill)
7. Richmond Park
8. St James's Park

Other Venues

1. Horniman Museum
2. Queen's House, Greenwich

Photography has been banned in the Museum since 1996. The ban includes photography and video cameras in the National Maritime Museum (NMM), Queen's House and Royal Observatory Greenwich (ROG). Members of the public are permitted to take non-commercial photography (i.e. snap shots) within the Museum grounds, and from March 2007, within the Neptune Court and Streets area of the main Museum. Photography is permitted strictly without the use of a tripod.

1. London Underground

Permits for photography in a London Underground Station (ideal for a trash the dress session!) range from £300 up to £1000 + VAT. Flash photography is not permitted.

Will keep this list updated as and when.

If you know a park/place that requires a licence please feel free to add to the comments box.

London wedding photographer

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What is the best camera?

Some times I am asked what is the best camera to get?

Well, there are two major considerations that will shape your choice - what is your budget and what do you aim to use the camera for?

Once you have your eye on a few models - you can google reviews on the internet to find out what other people's experiences are. Once you have made your choice, don't forget things like memory cards & batteries.

A couple of good sites to check out are Warehouse Express, 7 Day Shop and Ebuyer.

London wedding photographer

The History of Wedding Photography

Wedding photography has changed from over the years. From the formal portraits of the 1800s to the capturing of the moment by wedding photojournalism.

The history of the first photograph can be found here.

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Urban Bridesmaid Photography... is a new concept in contemporary wedding photography, with a mission to provide photographs with personality, in London, UK and beyond.

http://www.urbanbridesmaid.com/

For any enquiries for wedding and portrait photography coverage in London and the UK, contact Louisa on louisa@urbanbridesmaid.com

Corporate Head Shot London

Earlier on this month I was commissioned to shoot some corporate head shots with personality!
Here are some of my favourite photographs from the session.

Corporate Head Shot Photographer London


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Urban Bridesmaid Photography... is a new concept in contemporary wedding photography, with a mission to provide photographs with personality, in London, UK and beyond.

http://www.urbanbridesmaid.com/

For any enquiries for wedding and portrait photography coverage in London and the UK, contact Louisa on louisa@urbanbridesmaid.com

Ask a Photographer: Copyright CD

If you have ever wondered what all this wedding speak means... then wonder no further. Today we look at what a copyright CD and a disc with printing rights means.

A bride and a groom may have a disc of images included in the wedding photography package they purchased. This disc is sometimes wrongly referred to as a copyright CD.

Technically the photographer will retain copyright of the photos as s/he created them and will offer the couple a disc with printing rights to enable the bride and groom to reproduce the photos for personal use.


If you have a question you would like to ask just pop in the comments box and I will see if I can answer it in a future ask a photographer post!
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Urban Bridesmaid Photography... is a new concept in contemporary wedding photography, with a mission to provide photographs with personality, in London, UK and beyond.

www.urbanbridesmaid.com

For any enquiries for wedding and portrait photography coverage in London and the UK, contact Louisa on louisa@urbanbridesmaid.com

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! Here is a flower for you...

Have a great day!

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Urban Bridesmaid Photography... is a new concept in contemporary wedding photography, with a mission to provide photographs with personality, in London, UK and beyond.

www.urbanbridesmaid.com

For any enquiries for wedding and portrait photography coverage in London and the UK, contact Louisa on louisa@urbanbridesmaid.com

Photo Challenge [4] Coldest day of year = experiment

As Monday was the first snow of 2009, and it looks like the weather will remain at minus temperatures all week... time for a photographic challenge....

This challenge is to find alternative light sources to light your photographs.

Can you guess what I used to light these test photos.....

Open log fire..... no

It is a halogen heater - giving out delicious orange light as well as heat.

If that is not enough of a challenge for you - try freezing bubbles and photographing them as mentioned in today's Metro paper.


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Urban Bridesmaid Photography... is a new concept in contemporary wedding photography, with a mission to provide photographs with personality, in London, UK and beyond.

www.urbanbridesmaid.com

For any enquiries for wedding and portrait photography coverage in London and the UK, contact Louisa on louisa@urbanbridesmaid.com

Shoes and Handbags

Today I was commisioned to shoot stunning handbags and shoes for a website. Here is a sneak preview of one of my favourite shoes....
















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Urban Bridesmaid Photography... is a new concept in contemporary wedding photography, with a mission to provide photographs with personality, in London, UK and beyond.
www.urbanbridesmaid.com

For any enquiries for wedding and portrait photography coverage in London and the UK, contact Louisa on louisa@urbanbridesmaid.com

---Befriend Louisa on Facebook or become a fan of Urban Bridesmaid Photography!

Corporate Booklet

Some of my photos have just been published in a corporate booklet. You can check out some more of the photos shot for that commission in my previous posts below:

Personality without face 1

Personality without face 2

London wedding photographer

Dinner Time

Dinner Time - cats cannot share....

Photo a Day [4]

Cat just chilling...

Photo a Day [3]

Cat: what ya want?

Photo a Day [2]

Wedding Photographer, London

Photo a Day [1]

I loved the colour on this bush!

Wedding photographs with personality!

Tavy Bridge

Here are a few photos of Tavy Bridge itself. Tavy Bridge is currently undergoing regeneration.