Vanessa Clark Photography

Vanessa Clark Photography: Pre wedding photo shoot Oct 09 - Buxted Park

2009-11-01T13:05:00.000-08:00

Vanessa Clark Photography: Pre wedding photo shoot Oct 09 - Buxted Park

Pre wedding photo shoot Oct 09 - Buxted Park

2009-11-01T13:04:00.000-08:00

I had a lovely time taking pre wedding photos at Buxted Park for Katy and Harvey, who get married in November 09 at the stunning Buxted Park in Uckfield, Sussex.

Kate and Harvey are a lovely couple, when I first went to visit them in January this year we chatted and I found that they liked a more informal style of wedding photography with some group family photographs and couple photos.

I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed taking them! x

Engagaement photo shoots

2009-10-20T08:12:00.000-07:00

It's great to have a pre wedding photo shoot or engagement shoot, its a good way to get to know your photographer. You will get relaxed in front of the camera so that it takes any stress away that you might have felt on your big day.

Sometimes I find that people have angles that they look better from or 'sides' that they like better. This is the time to find out what looks best. I love to get to know my couples and chat as I take photos.

Its great to be at the venue where the wedding will take place or to be at a place that menas something to you. One of my favourite venues is Buxted Park, Uckfield Sussex with it's wonderful grounds and stunning regency building as a backdrop.

A few days after the time we spend together for your pre-wedding photo you will receive your link to your web album. Then you can order the prints that you would like, alot of my couples get these framed up in a stunning acrylic frame as a photo story on the shoot, this has often been given to parents as a thank you on the big day. You also get to choose one of the photos to be mounted up for your guests to sign on your big day.

Some photos from pre-wedding shoots:-

The Energy of Water

2009-04-05T09:05:00.000-07:00

Some photos I have taken of a bottle of Fizzy pop, I think they are quite beatiful, I wonder what energy is contained in the liquid?

The Energy of Water

I love water, especially with some lemon squeezed into it and a massive ammount of ice cubes, often so much so that it spills all over me whan I try to take a sip! I have often throught about the importance of water and wondered if it had any special healing properties. When I watched a film called what the bleep do you know a few years ago I became facinated even more about water. So today whilst sitting in the garden I hatched a plan, I thought I would combine some of my photos with an article about the fabulous Dr Emoto. I stated to think about how we used to send messages in bottles (some still do!)and then through that it would be great to comment on Dr Emotos work on water. I hope that I can do his work justice, please let me know your thoughts after reading this.

For generations, people have thrown bottles with messages into the sea. These bottles have been known to contain wishes for miracles, attempts to find love or friendship, or just an experiment to see where the message ends up. Of course messages in bottles are very much connected with Robinson Crusoe, but I like the more romantic notion with the wishes for miracles.

I few years back I decised to take photos of a bottle of water and came out with come magical results, the only chnages I have done here are to make the colour darker, as I love dark green!

I love the idea of mesages connected with water....

Dr Masuru Emoto has done some amazing work on photographing water crystals and belives that water can be infused with the energy of a certain word, Since the water reflects the composite energy of what is being sent to it. He also belives that you can tape a word to the front of a water bottle with a clear intension and the water becomes infused with that intension. If it is the word love for instance the water would become infused with that love and the water could then be used as water that contains the energy of love. I love the power of intension too and my intension is that my photos are infused with love, so I always do a buddhist chant Nam Myoho renge kyo for all of my couples for their day to be amazing and filled with love, it is my view that through my chanting the day becomes very special. My views are that your intension and energy can infuse whatever you do with love.

The research of Dr. Masaru Emoto captures frozen water crystals in photographs that present a glimpse into the mysterious response of water to thoughts, words and pictures. Dr. Emoto and many of his readers believe that water holds the potential to create peace on earth. Dr. Emoto and many of his readers believe by holding the intention of peace towards water ― by thinking, speaking and acting with the intention of peace toward water ― water can and will bring peace to our bodies and to the world.

Water that has been infused with the message - "you make me sick"

Water that has been infused with the message love and gratitude

"The messages from water are telling us to look inside ourselves"

He undertook extensive research of water around the planet not so much as a scientific researcher but more from the perspective of an original thinker. At length he realized that it was in the frozen crystal form that water showed us its true nature through. He has gained worldwide acclaim through his groundbreaking research and discovery that water is deeply connected to our individual and collective consciousness

I have always belived in thanks and appreciation for what we have in this world and as part of my buddhist fait there is a phrase that I have heard recently called kan-sha. Dr Emoto thinks that this phrase is the most important of them all for infusing healing properties into water.

Dr Emoto says... There is a special combination that seems to be perfect for this, which is love plus the combination of thanks and appreciation reflected in the English word gratitude. Just one of these is not enough. Love needs to be based in gratitude, and gratitude needs to be based in love. These two words together create the most important vibration. And it is even more important that we understand the value of these words. For example, we know that water is described as H2O. If we were to look at love and gratitude as a pair, gratitude is the H and love is the O. Water is the basis that not only supports but also allows the existence of life. In my understanding of the concept of yin and yang, in the same way that there is one O and two Hs, we also need one part yang/love to two parts yin/gratitude, in order to come to a place of balance in the equation.

Love is an active word and gratitude is passive. When you think of gratitude -- a combination of appreciation and thankfulness -- there is an apologetic quality. The Japanese word for gratitude is kan-sha, consisting of two Chinese characters: kan, which means feeling, and sha, apology. It's coming from a reverential space, taking a step or two back. I believe that love coming from this space is optimal love, and may even lead to an end to the wars and conflicts in the world. Kan-sha is inherent in the substance H2O -- an essential element for life.

I am going to test writing prosperity on a bottle of water for a month and drinking it, I will let you know the results. Sending you huge hugs and happiness - Vanessa

His work is amazing, I have just read an article about him on the web which is shared on this blog - above under the title - the energy of water

Wedding Venues in Brighton and Worthing

2009-02-15T11:56:00.000-08:00

News Flash - Recommended Wedding Venues Feb 09

I am now recommended for wedding photography by some of the best venues in Brighton and Worthing, these venues are renowned for their great service and looking after every need of their couples...

The Grand Hotel, Brighton

The beautiful Five star Sea front venue the Grand, Victorian splendour, sumptuous service and decadent cuisine, with the backdrop of the classic Brighton seafront: one unique and unforgettable day. Your moment, at The Grand.

Call 01273 224300 and ask for Danielle White

http://www.devere-hotels.com/our-hotels/the-grand-brighton/weddings-and-celebrations

The Lansdowne Place Hotel, Hove

A stunning Boutique hotel in Hove - If you plan a civil ceremony, civil partnership or commitment ceremony, we can provide a choice of wedding venues. From the magnificent Ballroom Suite seating up to 180 to the Garden Room which is suitable for up to 22 people, we can offer an environment of unassuming elegance, relaxation and sophistication

Call 01273 736266 and ask for Laura Hogbin

http://www.lansdowneplace.co.uk/weddings/

The Palace Pier Brighton

This fun venue is ideal for a Brighton Wedding on the sea with a difference!

Call 01273 609361 and ask for Sue Page

http://www.brightonpier.co.uk/indexflash.htm

Roedean school for girls

With stunning views over the sea in Brighton, this beautiful venue offers the chapel for Church of England services and the library for civil ceremonies, this is a beautiful venue, do phone for more details and to view.

Call 01273 66750 and ask for Kate Hawley

http://www.roedean.co.uk/

The Burlington Hotel, Worthing

This splendid accomodation on Worthing seafront has been refurbished to a very high standard and offers guests the best of the old and new combining period splendor with contemporary design.

This prominent Worthing Hotel was built in 1865, has a wealth of history and is situated looking onto the seafront promenade as well as being ideally located for Worthing town centre, which is approximately 10 minutes walk away.

Call 01903 211222 and ask for Tamara the wedding co-ordinator

http://www.theburlingtonworthing.co.uk/weddings.php

I will be adding more venues shortly!

Best Wishes
Vanessa

Winter wonderland - Snow in Brighton 2nd Feb 2009

2009-02-02T04:52:00.000-08:00

Happy February everyone!

Usually I would only use my blog for my wedding and civil partnership photography, but when it started to snow yesterday I knew I just had to get out there camera in hand. It all started last night I went for a walk through the woods and saw two foxes, the snow made the darkness seem light and I was able to walk around with no torch. It was magical, being the only ones out in the snow, I kept thinking of Narnia
and the beauty of seeing trees with there branches bowing from snow

So I got on my ski clothes and Uggs and put my camera into a black bin liner (I know not exaclty stylish) but it protected the camera well from the snow. I knew I would keep getting it out so no point in putting it in the camera bag.

It was so beautiful out crunching through the snow where others had not set foot. Out walking up hills looking out over the Downs, I just wish I could have walked to Devils Dyke.

The main thing that struck my mind today was how lovely it is to see so many people smiling and saying Hi. The snow has brought a massive glimpse of happiness, which is our birthright, not just for one day but always. (Sorry me trying to be as deep as the snow today!)

It was great when my cat George or chairman Meow as I like to call him decide to go into the garden, he was so delicate trying not to get his paws snowy!

Anyway I hope you enjoy the photos, please comment on them below!

Vanessa xxx

Clair and Danny's wedding

2008-11-24T09:57:00.001-08:00

Clair and Danny's wedding at the Buxted Park Hotel, 15th Sept 08

Getting ready.....

What a beautiful day!

It was a gorgeous sunny day with not a cloud in the sky as I set off to Clairs Mums to take photos of her and the Brides maids getting ready. Clair is a lovely, fun person and I was filled with excitement at the day that lay ahead. When I arrived Clair was as calm as a cucumber, sometimes Brides get a bit nervous but I'm great at calming down frazzled nerves and love making people feel comfortable and confident.

Clair looked absolutely stunning as she came down the stairs after getting ready. Some of her family and friends had come over from South Africa and the joy was written all over their faces to be part of her special day! After leaving Clair getting into the car I whizzed off to Buxted Park so I would get there in good time for her arrival and photos of the ceremony.

The ceremony took place in the beautiful orangery at Buxted park, where the sun streamed in through the huge glass windows, filling the room with a golden light.

Clair and Danny had decided that they wanted a combination of reportage style or photojournalist style which captures the moment with a minimum of posed photos to ensure that they could spend the day enjoying themselves with their guests. With this in mind I kept the posed couple photo session down to ten minutes as I always capture some great photos within this time and would also get some great reportage photos too.

Posed photos...

During the day I captured some fab reportage photos....

Meet the family
I also had fun taking photos of Clair's family, an excellent opportunity to capture Clair's mum and her brother who had come over from South Africa especially. Clair's mum Karin and dad Clive had not had a formal photo taken together since their wedding!

Details matter..

The decorations had all been laid out in the orangery prior to the wedding breakfast, I always like to capture these details too as Clair has spent ages choosing what to have. These photos are great keep sakes of what the room looked like.

The very tasty wedding breakfast

Clair and Danny had asked me to join them and their guests for the wedding breakfast, and I sat down with Clair's sister for a lovely meal! The food at Buxted is fantastic and the staff are always so accommodating, it's a great place!

I'm so lucky....
All too soon it was the end of a wonderful day for me as I took some final pictures of Clair and Danny having their first dance as a married couple. As a gave them both a hug and a kiss goodbye I thought as I do often how lucky I am to be part of an amazing day and to use my creativity to take photos that they will have as memories forever.

The pictures where ready for Danny and Clair within 2 weeks, they loved the photos......

"Thank you so much for capturing our wedding day exactly as we wanted!" Clair and Danny

If you have any questions or comments on this wedding day please let me know, I'd love to hear what you think. Or I am available for advice, give me a call 01273 507966/ 0774 8901188.

Pre-wedding photo shoot - Terri and Bruce Sept 08 - The Seafront Brighton

2008-11-19T10:25:00.000-08:00

Terri and Bruce Pre-wedding photo shoot

I had a wonderful evening back in September on the sea front in Brighton with the lovely Terri and Bruce. I met up with Terri after I was recommended to her by her hairdresser Mark who's wedding I had photographed back in May.

They are a lovely couple and we had fun with iconic images of Brighton in the background - The West Pier, The Palace Pier, The sea etc!

Terri and Bruce were getting married at Due South along the seafront in Brighton. Due South is a lovely venue for food and the ambience in there is fantastic! It's well known as being one of Norman Cooks favourite resturants. They have a liscense for Civil Ceremonies and it's lovely to have the ceremony with the sea just outside the huge windows! It's a great venue for a intimate wedding or partnership!

Terri and Bruce were very pleased with the photos and felt confident that I would so a fab job on the day! Not only did they have the free benefit of having pre- wedding photography with me I also mount up a photo of their choice, which I took with me on their wedding day for their guests to sign. I will post the photos from the big day soon so watch this space! x

Gail and Evertons Engagement photo shoot 17/11/08

2008-11-17T12:35:00.000-08:00

What a lovely winters day for a engagement photo shoot!

It was great to meet Everton & Gail and their lovely new baby Thea, mum & dad and nieces at Buxted Park in Uckfield their venue for the big day!

Pre- wedding chat and photos.....

It's great to meet up at the venue and take some photos as an engagement or pre-wedding photo shoot so that the couple can see the photo style prior to booking. It is important for each of us to have rapport as the photos reflect that relationship and they are able to relax in front of me.

I had a chat to them about the kind of photos that they would like posed or reportage and the options available in terms of presentation leather albums, suede albums, wedding story book.

I also introduced them to my new range of albums in the lace and retro croc range.

Also the length of time that they would like me for as I am flexible on how long I am with a couple - it's there day not mine! But I can advise on how long things take and often advise a couple to have a fake cake cut just after the couple photos if they are on a budget and therefore want to go for less photography time.

They wanted three hours of photography but could not decide which album to go for now withEverton liking the idea of having a big leather album a bit like his parents have. So I advised on a DVD option now with the option to upgrade to an album after the wedding thus cutting the costs before the wedding.

We were then ready to step outside to take photos...

It is lovely to get natural photos that show a couples love for each other.

If you have any questions in regards to this post please contact me on 01273 507966/ 0774 8901188.

How to choose your perfect wedding photographer

2008-11-11T08:46:00.000-08:00

7 steps to choosing the perfect wedding Photographer for your wedding/ Civil Partnership day

1. Take some time to discuss the photographic style that is important to you both

Ask yourself....

Do you like creative wedding photographs that show that the photographer has the ability to be in the right place at the right time, with a portfolio of photographs that show spontaneous moments perfectly? This is known as reportage or photo journalistic style, it is part of my photographic style.

Some examples of my reportage wedding photos

Photos taken at (left to right - Brighton Sea front, The Buxted Park Hotel, Uckfield, The Brighton Registry office)

This is a great way to have beautiful informal photographs if you are uncomfortable about having your photo taken. I offer a free pre-wedding/ civil partnership photo shoot so that you can feel comfortable in front of the camera.

wedding story book photography

These are stunning photos of the special details of shoes, rings and all other important details. Artistic photographs of details of shoes and rings are also important as mementos of your day. After searching the internet for wedding photography you will have an idea of who you will invite to quote for your wedding / civil partnership day.

For more on wedding photography style click here:-

http://www.vanessaclarkphotography.co.uk/website_v24_2008/Style.html

Some examples of my story book photography

Photos taken at the Runnymede Hotel, a beautiful riverside wedding venue in Surrey

2. Feel at ease with your photographer

Arrange your appointment with wedding photographers either in the comfort of your own home or in a hotel or other place where you feel comfortable.

If you meet a photographer at a wedding fair always arrange to meet them at a later date to gauge the attention that you deserve.

Ensure you feel relaxed with your photographer, when you are comfortable with your photographer it really shows in the photographs. Your photographer will have a rapport with you so that you both genuinely smile, rather than a fake smile produced upon request "say cheese!" You and your guests will have a wonderful experience with a photographer that is pleasureable to be around.

3. Viewing a photographers portfolio
When meeting with a photographer always ask that they bring a couple of complete wedding albums rather than showing you just the best shots of the day.

Have a chat about the style that you like and ensure that it is reflected in their photographs. Look at the photographs and ask yourself if you feel moved by the photos, do you feel that they have captured love and fun in the photos?

Look for a photographer that is genuinely interested in you and your day. A photographer that is passionate about their work will really come across on the day and show in the quality of the photographs produced.

4. Check what's included

Be very clear about what you would like, some photographers have set packages where as other are more flexible. I tend to have packages to give an idea of price but am flexible on timings and listen to exactly what you would like.

Do have in mind what group photos you would like i.e. if you want a special photo of you and your mum and sister's taken, just ask. This can then be added to the list of photographs to be taken on your day.

It's your day so chat about what you would like and the length of time you would like a photographer present. You should be able to choose the length of time that the photographer is with you not the other way round.

5. Ask to see Testimonals
Your chosen photographer should have a multitude of happy clients, always ask to see testimonals. Then you can have piece of mind that the photographer is experienced and you will be happy with the results.

I have many very happy clients, click here for their opinion on their wedding photography:-

http://www.vanessaclarkphotography.co.uk/website_v24_2008/Comments.html

6. Arrange a pre wedding photo shoot
The best way of ensuring you will love the results of your wedding photos is to have a pre-wedding photo shoot.

Some photographers like myself will offer this for free when a wedding package is booked. This can take place at the venue that your are having your wedding or civil partnership at, or another location.

This will not only build the relationship between you and your photographer it will mean that you can see how they work prior to making a booking.

You will see the result of the photo session before your wedding and if there are any camera angles or poses that you would rather not have in your wedding/ partnership this is your opportunity to say. I encourage feedback on the photos, to ensure my clients are happy with their wedding photography.

Terri and Bruce - Pre wedding photo shoot, August 2008, the sea front, Brighton

To book your free wedding photos shoot email me here

weddings@vanessaclarkphotography.co.uk

Or phone 01273 507966/ 0774 8901188

I will be adding more about pre-wedding photo shoots shortly, so watch this space!

7. A stress free wedding day!

Before your wedding day ask a friend who is good at organising people if they would get people together for group shots. This could be entrusted to an usher, but make sure it is someone that will be able to get your wedding guests together for photographs.

Your photographer can then provide the friend with your agreed list of group photographs. It is best that your photographer does not round up your family and friends as this can sometimes cause you/your guests to feel uncomfortable and even bossed around, which will show in the photographs.

If you would rather I have no problem getting everyone together as I do it in a non bossy way!

Phone now to tell me more about the photos you would like on your wedding/ civil partnership day and to book me please email me on weddings@vanessaclarkphotography.co.uk

or phone 01273 507966/ 0774 8901188

Visit my website

http://www.vanessaclarkphotography.co.uk

Sussex Wedding photos

2008-11-05T05:07:00.000-08:00

Clair and Danny's pre-wedding photo shoot at The Buxted Park, Uckfield, Sussex, Aug 08

It was a bit of a yucky day, but we spent some time before the rain started taking some fab pre-wedding photos. Danny and Clair are a lovely couple, they wanted a combination of relaxed informal photos and posed couple photos for their wedding day. It was fun to work with them!