Simon Carr Photography

Christmas Greetings, and a new home!

2009-12-21T07:27:00.001-08:00

December has been a busy month for me. I have been the Essex wedding photographer for five great couples so far, with 2 more to photograph before the end of the month.

I have now moved the blog to a better and brighter new home. The new address is:

http://www.simoncarrphotography.com/blog

I would like to wish all my clients past and present a wonderful festive season, and a happy new year.

Please check out the new blog space!

Amy and Richard at Great Fosters, Surrey.

2009-11-20T01:11:00.000-08:00

London wedding photography: Maribel and James at The Savile Club.

2009-11-01T23:52:00.000-08:00

Sarah and Jonathan's wedding photography at Woodhall Manor, Suffolk

2009-10-08T11:53:00.000-07:00

More success in the International WPJA awards

2009-10-02T08:13:00.000-07:00

I've had a little more success in the recent international WPJA awards. Two images, from the same wedding, achieved a 16th and 18th in the emotion category. Not as good as my previous category win, but still pleasing as the WPJA is recognised as a collective of the best documentary style photographers in the world.

So thanks to Katie and Adam's family and guests for being such an emotional bunch.

Wedding photography: Richard and Adele at Grosvenor House, London

2009-10-02T07:06:00.001-07:00

September was a crazy month for me...hence attention to the blog has slipped a little.
Here is a selection from Adele and Richard's day at Grosvenor House, Park Lane. Like many of my weddings in September, we were blessed with great weather, so we took a quick trip across the road for a few shots in the Serpentine.

Kerry and Frank's wedding photography at Parklands Quendon Hall

2009-08-26T08:32:00.002-07:00

Saturday 22nd August I was the Essex wedding photographer to Kerry and Frank at Parklands Quendon Hall. I've shot this venue quiet a few times over the past 18 months, and it's always a pleasure to work there.

Kerry and Frank were keen for me to give them some creative portraits. I work very quickly in these situations, my aim is to make sure my couples get great pictures, but only need to dedicate around half an hour to them.

Liz and Steve at Little Clacton

2009-08-26T08:27:00.000-07:00

Liz and Steve held their wedding on a farm in Little Clacton. Many of the guests camped in an adjacent field, it had the atmosphere of a mini Glastonbury!

Rebecca and Dermot at Penshurst Place

2009-08-22T01:11:00.000-07:00

Wedding photography: Melanie and Paul at Gosfield Hall

2009-08-22T00:47:00.001-07:00

Jodie and Andrew at Creeksea Place

2009-08-10T13:33:00.001-07:00

It's always a pleasure to discover something rather wonderful that's right on your doorstep. Until Jodie and Andrew approached me to be their wedding photographer I had never heard of Creeksea Place. This Essex venue is just a 20 minute drive from my home next to the river Blackwater in Burnham...it can only be described as a hidden jewel.
Annabel the wedding planner at Creeksea Place is delightful, it was a pleasure to work with such a warm and friendly team.

We were blessed with great weather, the perfect weather for an ice cream! Luckily Jodie had a little surprise for Andrew with the arrival of a Rossi ice cream van. I can understand having a passion for Rossi ice cream as I spent 7 years living in Leigh-on-Sea, and know there is just nothing else quiet like it.

Carolyn and Jonathan's wedding photography at St Augustine's Priory, Kent

2009-07-23T04:35:00.000-07:00

Wedding photography over the last month.

2009-07-22T09:07:00.000-07:00

Things are becoming really busy now as we hit peak wedding season, so it's difficult for me to find the time to blog all weddings.

Here is a selection of wedding photography from some of June's weddings. These included Essex wedding venues as well as London and Scotland.

Viviana and James at Fulham Town Hall and the Phoenix in Putney

Fiona and Alistair in Dunbar, Scotland.

International award winning image

2009-07-06T00:39:00.001-07:00

It's been a pretty amazing weekend. Other than photographing a really nice couple at a very enjoyable wedding, I received an e-mail from the States letting me know that I won first place in the recent WPJA competition.

The WPJA is an international body of wedding photojournalists. The competition standards within the WPJA are extremely high, with a panel of award-winning press photo-journalists from around the world as judges - so winning the ‘Getting Ready’ category is quite an achievement that I don’t mind admitting I'm delighted with.

The image of Becky was taken at Parklands Quendon Hall in April 2009.

Katie and Adam's wedding photography at Gosfield Hall

2009-06-30T10:31:00.001-07:00

We had some great weather at the end of May, the 30th at Gosfield Hall was an absolute scorcher. Gosfield Hall is a great place to work, the venue has so much character, and the staff are really friendly and helpful. It's one of those places where I push myself to find a new idea for a shot every time I visit...there are just so many great features to work with.

Katie and Adam married at Gosfield Church which is just a short walk along a rural path from the main hall. They have a very encouraging perspective on photography at the church, I was requested by the Vicar to shoot as much as possible and ensure Katie and Adam had some wonderful memories of the service. This sadly is quiet rare these days with churches, it's always worth checking well before the big day on what exactly the church will allow with regards to wedding photography.

Heron Cyclesport Go-Race series 4...my second road race

2009-06-21T13:33:00.000-07:00

Last Thursday I was back at the Dunton test track for my second race in the Heron Cyclesport Series. After the first race I came away thinking that I wanted to be a little more adventurous than just running the race mid-pack, and attempting a sprint for a decent place at the end. So, from the start I found myself working at the front for a couple of laps. The wind was blowing along the back straight which made the going quiet hard and energy sapping.

An early group broke away and I attempted to chase along with my training buddy Matt Haig...big mistake, lots of energy wasted,and the breakaway was caught by the main group within a couple of laps anyway.

Then things got really hard for me. I had an attack of cramp in my calf and had to drop to the back of the group and recover while hanging on for dear life. Two laps of pain and I got over it and got back into a reasonable rhythm. I found myself in a reasonable position for one of the prime laps, but got totally blown away in the sprint.

Around 40 minutes into the race the cramp set in again, this time in both legs. I should have pulled out, but again dropped right back and got out of the saddle to try and stretch my legs and shake off the cramp.

With 5 minutes to go I felt quiet good and moved right up to the front of the pack with visions of putting in a good sprint for a decent finish. 3rd off the last bend, I waited for the two guys in front to sprint and then gave it everything. sadly my everything wasn't up to much, I got wacked into by a team mate who is a big powerful guy...not sure who's fault or if that's just racing! but I backed off pretty much spent before the line as virtually the whole field flew past.

A not so good 23rd. Disappointing after a solid finish in 8th for my first race.

So, time to practice sprinting, any maybe next round I'll be a little more humble and aware of what my current abilities are.

It's one hell of an adrenalin rush though!

Katherine and Adrian at Newland's Hall

2009-06-18T14:24:00.001-07:00

May 29th saw me back at Newland's Hall as the Essex wedding photographer for Katherine and Adrian. The weather was fantastic...sunny and very warm. Katherine and Adrian were keen to make the most of the beautiful evening light and we created some great artistic pictures. These work really well alongside my documentary images, and as I work very quickly, we had a good variation of creative portraits in around 20 minutes.

First road race

2009-06-09T01:41:00.000-07:00

On Thursday 4th June I entered my first cycling road race. This was held on the test track at the Ford Dunton site. After a slightly shaky start I managed to stay with the pack for the entire race, and even had enough left after an hours racing for a sprint and a reasonable finish. I got 8th out of 46 riders. It was a good day for the Essex Roads CC with Rob Young winning, Trevor Phillips 5th, myself 8th and Ben Sayles in 9th.

Sleep just wasn't going to happen afterwards! I spent half the night staring at the ceiling....maybe the caffinated energy gels were not such a good idea for an evening race. There are another 5 races in the series which I plan on entering.

Jessica and Stephen at St Paul's Cathedral and the Andaz Hotel

2009-05-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

It was great to be back in central London again for the wedding of Stephen and Jessica at St Paul's Cathedral and The Andaz hotel. The mix of classical and modern architecture of the two venues was fun to work with, and will look amazing in their storybook of the day.

Fran and Dan at The Boatyard

2009-05-07T02:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday 2nd May saw me back in my old home town of Leigh on Sea in Essex. Fran and Dan married at St Clement's in Leigh Broadway, a church I know well, as my wife Sarah and I married there 5 years ago. The Vicar at St Clement's is farther Kenneth Harvey...one of the nicest guys you could ever wish to meet, he certainly adds a little humour and a modern welcoming face to the church. It was great to be back there as Fran and Dan's wedding photographer seeing things from a slightly different angle.

Dan is about 9ft tall and plays front row rugby to a high standard....I hope they like the pictures.

Essex Roads Time Trials

2009-04-30T06:51:00.000-07:00

When I'm not working on wedding photography, or spending time with my family, I'm riding my bike.

I'm very lucky that I live in the village that's the HQ for the Essex Roads Cycling Club Wednesday night 10 mile time trial series. For me its so close that I can leave a water bottle on my doorstep for a drink after the 10 mile dash!

Yesterday I decided not to ride. Instead, I took a few shots of some of the guys, and tried out a few new lighting techniques that I've been working on.

Becky and Dan at Parklands Quendon Hall

2009-04-20T08:33:00.001-07:00

I seem to be becoming a regular Essex wedding photographer at Parklands Quendon Hall.
I'm very happy working there, the venue suits my style of available light and natural photography, and has one of the nicest bridal suites that I have ever seen.

Here are a few favourites from the April wedding of Becky and Dan.

Back to working with beautiful metal

2009-04-15T01:58:00.000-07:00

My previous career before becoming a full time snapper was an Art Director for an ad agency. I used to mostly work on car accounts, often being away from home for long stints of directing photo-shoots in France, Spain and Portugal. So I was delighted when a Sales promotion agency contacted me with a brief to tell the story of the hand over of the first Nissan GT-R sold in the UK. This had to happen at exactly 7.29.03 in the morning..why? well that's the time that this rocket ship raced around the Nurburgring.

Here are a few of my favourite's from the shoot.

Jessica and Steve at Leez Priory

2009-03-31T09:18:00.001-07:00

A few favourites from Jessica and Steve's day at Leez Priory. The Primroses and Daffodils were in full bloom, marking the fact that the busiest time of year for an Essex Wedding Photographer is just around the corner.

Leez Priory is a wonderful venue with stunning grounds, it's run by some of the most helpful and friendly staff that I have ever met.

New Woburn Abbey brochure

2009-02-16T04:00:00.000-08:00

I have just received some printed copies of the new Woburn Abbey Sculpture Gallery promotional brochure. It's beautifully designed, and very gratifying to see a lot of my photography used in it. Over the past few years I have had wedding photograpy features published in a few magazines, but this one will take pride of place in the collection.

Stunning new picture books

2009-02-16T03:47:00.000-08:00

I have just received some sample books from a new supplier. I'm delighted, the print quality and binding are superb. These books come with either a leather or metal cover. In the near future I will also be offering some cover materials and designs that are completely unique to me. Mini parents books can also be ordered.

St Brelades, Jersey

2009-02-02T04:38:00.000-08:00

I started the New Year with the wedding of Pauline and Andrew at St Brelades in Jersey. This was my first visit to Jersey. I had some time before the wedding to wander the beach and take some shots. These have been used on the first page of Pauline and Andrew's album as scene setting images. The weather was bitterly cold, but the guys were happy to take a quick walk on the beach after the service just before sunset.

Although I am a wedding photographer based in Essex, I now shoot commissions all over the UK, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
Enquiries for destination weddings further afield seem to be on the increase, and I am happy to shoot a limited number of these each year.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-08T04:35:00.000-08:00

Despite the gloomy economic situation, 2009 is shaping up to be a record year with over half of my available dates already full.
I have some wonderful locations to shoot this year, from Scotland to Jersey, and venues from St Paul's Cathedral to small London restaurants. I'm very much looking forward to the busy season kicking off.

I don't really do New Year resolutions, but I am planning to work on my cycling fitness and maybe even enter a race or two.
This takes some time and dedication, not easy while also being a busy wedding photographer in Essex. As the Spring approaches I plan to be putting in at least 150 miles a week trainning on the bike. The first event on the calendar will be a 65 mile sportive in February around Burnham and Baddow. I'm pretty lucky with where I live....the start is next door to my house in East Hanningfield.

Justine and Rob at Woburn Abbey

2008-12-15T03:59:00.001-08:00

December was a busy month for me with 4 weddings. Here is a selection of images from one of my favourites, Justine and Rob at the stunning Woburn Abbey Sculpture gallery.

London Weddings: Alanna and Scott at St Etheldreda's, Holborn

2008-11-27T06:03:00.001-08:00

I'm very keen on central London weddings. I love both the challenges and architectural opportunties that London weddings offer. I knew that Alanna and Scott's wedding at St Etheldreda's in Holborn would certainly be challenging! A 4pm service in late October, and a reception in the crypt of the church lit by little more than candle light would create a few problems for me.

St Etheldreda's is the oldest Catholic church in England, and surely one of the most beautiful. The Crypt has hosted many historic feasts over the centuries, including one attended by Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon that lasted 3 days and included the consumption of hundreds of Larks and Swans.

I approached the reception in the Crypt with particular consideration to lighting. Most of the images are photographed purely by available light using very fast lenses. Any use of flash was carefully controlled to give a sympathetic and natural look that seamlessly blends with the nautal ambience.

Here is a mail that I received from Alanna and Scott after the wedding.

Dear Simon,

Thank you for the wonderful gallery of photos!

They are exactly what we wanted and capture our event perfectly. We really hope that you are as pleased with the results as we are - especially as we know that the lighting levels in both the church and the crypt were a challenge to photograph.

(I am particularly happy that you managed to achieve some flattering pictures of me - I know that I am not easy to photograph well! so I would like to thank you for those shots in particular.) We are so pleased that we decided that you were the 'right' photographer for us. your work confirms this and we feel that your services are definitely an investment worth making. We will have no problem recommending you highly in the future.

Alanna and Scott

Alison and Richard at Quendon Hall

2008-11-21T04:59:00.001-08:00

It's been some months since I have updated the Blog. My website ranking on Google became unstable, and one school of thought was that the Blog was affecting the sites ranking. Things seem to have stabilised now, so back to posting!

Here are a few shots from Alison and Richards day at Parklands Quendon Hall on the 30th of October.

No more blogging

2008-09-01T04:11:00.000-07:00

it seems that the blog is causing me some problems with my website Google ranking. Until I can A: understand it B: fix it, I will have to stop posting new weddings etc. So please go to my website www.simoncarrphotography.com for further information.

Lisa and Charlie at Parley Manor, Bournemouth

2008-07-22T07:15:00.001-07:00

Things are just so busy here that I have decided not to post every wedding I shoot on the blog. For the next few months it will be just a selection. (unless of course it's important to you, then I will try my best!)

Sunday 13th July saw me travel to Dorset for the wedding of Lisa and Charlie. This was quiet a tricky wedding for me....there were a number of very talented commercial photographers in attendence, including Charlie himself! Nothing like a little pressure to push creativity.

I stayed in Bournemouth for the night as I was a tad tired for a 3 hour journey home, and I wanted to visit a very special cycle shop the following morning. If racing cycles are your thing, then vist Primera they stock the most fantastic Italian carbon fibre exotica.

Emine and Arif

2008-07-10T04:38:00.001-07:00

I have been lucky enough to photograph weddings from various different cultures. This was the first time I have shot a Turkish wedding, and wow, these guys just loved to dance!

2008 bookings

2008-06-23T11:30:00.000-07:00

I am now virtually fully booked for the whole year, with just a few available dates for wedding photography left. November is the only month that looks relatively light...I may get the bathroom re-tiled after all.

Blog neglect...

2008-06-23T11:19:00.000-07:00

...guilty. Things have been extremely busy lately, so the poor blog hasn't had the usual level of TLC. Infact, I'm combining 2 weddings in this post, with just 2 shots from each. The first is Madison and Craig at Layer Marney Tower. Then, a couple of images from Julie and Claudio's big day in Hertfordshire. June is a crazy month for me, this week I am the Essex Wedding Photographer at 3 great weddings ...pictures to follow.

Philippa and Nigel at Felsted Church, then Stock Brook Manor

2008-05-29T23:56:00.001-07:00

On Saturday 24th May I was the wedding photographer for Philippa and Nigel. The sun managed to shine again in Essex!

Sara and James

2008-05-29T23:44:00.001-07:00

This was my first wedding of a busy weekend. Sara and James married in Essex at Maidens Barn. We were blessed with a fine day that made a nice change!

Alice and Nick at Little Dunmow

2008-05-22T14:08:00.000-07:00

The heavens opened, then opened a little more....but nothing was going to stop Alice and Nick enjoying their day, I don't think Alice actually stopped smiling.

The theme of the day was very much country village fete, with bunting, afternoon tea and delicious cakes, then folk dancing. It was quiet unique, and a pleasure to be involved.

It was also an honour being the wedding photographer at an Essex church that has only seen 4 weddings in the last 6 years. Little Dunmow is a stunning village, I need to go back and try the local pub - The Flitch of Bacon.

Government to ban register signing photography.

2008-05-16T03:24:00.000-07:00

Considering the current economic climate, escalating food and fuel prices....you would have thought they'd have better things to focus on.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/liv...n_page_id=1770

Karis and Ricky at Brentwood Cathedral

2008-05-04T13:12:00.000-07:00

Lucy and Alex at The Lawn, Essex

2008-04-15T23:42:00.000-07:00

What a fun wedding to mark the start of "silly season" (silly season = busy wedding photographers with little time for anything other than wedding photography!)

I always enjoy working at The Lawn in Rochford, Essex, and Lucy and Alex were a very cool and relaxed couple, making my job a pleasure.

Karen and Brett at Newland Hall

2008-03-30T00:09:00.000-07:00

It was a pleasure to be the wedding photographer for Karen and Brett at Newland Hall on a very cold March day. We were quiet lucky in Essex, as the weather in other local counties was very poor.

We battled against cold winds and snow flurries...but it all came good in the end!

Another published wedding

2008-03-24T10:30:00.000-07:00

I find my occupation as an Essex wedding photographer extremely rewarding. One of the highlights is seeing my work make it into the wedding magazines. The latest published wedding is in the Feb/March issue of An Essex Wedding, Kate and Michael at Crondon Park.

Natalie and Darren at Parklands Quendon Hall

2008-02-27T02:22:00.001-08:00

Jack

2008-01-28T07:54:00.000-08:00

My son at 5 days old.

Dionne and Daniel at Stockbrook Manor

2008-01-23T08:44:00.000-08:00

A cold and stormy day in January. Luckily just as Dionne was due to arrive at Stockbrook Manor the weather gods decided to bless the day with a dry break, and even some beautiful low winter sun - great light conditions for wedding photography.

Arrival of another monkey

2008-01-09T08:53:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful end to the year. Our second son 'Jack Samuel' entered the world on New Years Eve, making us both very proud parents. Here is a couple of pictures, Jack on his own, and with his older "monkey" brother.

Claire and Henry, a winter wedding in Chigwell

2007-12-29T08:00:00.000-08:00

Heres a few of my favourites from Claire and Henry's December wedding in Chigwell. We were blessed with beautiful low winter sun, great light makes the photography so much more rewarding! Although it was bitterly cold...not much opportunity to capture natural images outside the church, as everyone made a run from their cars to the warmth inside the church.

One of my faves

2007-11-20T07:43:00.001-08:00

I was asked by another photographer friend what my favourite image of 2007 has been. This one springs to mind. The wedding of Tina and Marc in London Docklands. I had a just a few minutes to grab this picture, and knew it would make a stunning black and white the instant I saw it.

This girl can really sing.

2007-10-25T13:24:00.000-07:00

I've photographed a couple of weddings this year where pianist and singer Claire Harper has been performing. Her mellow jazz and soul fusion, delivered with a stunning voice, can add a great ambience to any reception.

Katherine and Matt

2007-10-25T13:08:00.000-07:00

Mid October saw me back at Greenwoods for the wedding of Katherine and Matt.

Fast puds no:2

2007-10-25T02:47:00.001-07:00

Summer pudding with raspberry and chocolate coolie

Vicars that say no

2007-09-27T03:14:00.000-07:00

I seem to be coming across this problem more and more often, Vicars (Priests, Reverends, Pastors etc) that refuse any photography at the front of the church during the service. Maybe they have been scared from previous photographers who have blasted the rituals with flash and got themselves just a little bit too close.

It seems a real shame to me that couples can be deprived of images of a moment thats key to the wedding day, and often rich with emotion. My solution to this is to only move while the congregation are singing hymns, not to photograph during prayer, to use available light and no flash and to use a long lens that keeps me well away in the background.

Heres some pictures from a classic recent example. After being adamant that he wanted no pictures during the service, this particular Vicar didn't even know I was there.....and the clients loved the pictures that are an important part of their wedding story.

Still, for every Vicar that says no, there are many that are happy to say yes.

Fast Puds no:1

2007-09-19T06:59:00.000-07:00

Chocolate tian with wild berry jus.

Kate and Michael

2007-09-19T06:38:00.001-07:00

A few favourites from Kate and Michaels day.

Taking the plunge

2007-08-25T00:52:00.000-07:00

We'll here we go....a blog, journal, diary, ramble and constant update on my life as a photographer . I'll try to keep it honest and amusing.....promise.