Kate and Guenter is another couple whose pre-wedding shoot turned into a location family portrait session - can’t help it with their two adorable children around!

Kate arranged us to meet on the playground as a safe and activity-rich environment for kids. It was good for photography too. Here are some photos from their shoot:

Some in black and white:

Happy!

Those ropes are made for action shots:

Here are some photos from my last pre-wedding shoot with Deborah and Justin who are getting married in May this year - urban setting, cold weather, great couple.

I loved Deborah’s telephone box red bag!

Outside an office building:

The red wall sequence - just messing around:

On a staircase of the Eldon Square shopping mall:

Sian and Kevin’s pre-wedding photosession took place in Tynemouth, a small coastal town near Newcastle where they plan to get married in January. As theirs would be an afternoon winter wedding we timed the engagement shoot to show the outdoor location to its best advantage!

We met outside Tynemouth Priory:

I loved the colours and the notice at the bottom of the hill:

On the beach nearby:

The varied masses of boulders, stones and pebbles shaped by the sea made such a great environmental setting!

Sian and Kevin on the pier:

On the way to the car park we took a break at the Salutation Inn:

Started editing Sarah and Phil’s wedding photos and looked at some images from their pre-wedding session with their dog on a beach at Druridge Bay in Northumberland. With our move and the long wait for internet that followed I haven’t had a chance to blog this shoot.

Here we go:

I am going to photograph Victoria and Stuart’s wedding at Lumley Castle this summer. Meanwhile we met in Newcastle for their pre-wedding shoot. Victoria and Stuart are both serving away in the Navy so it was a good opportunity for us to finally get to know each other. John was assisting.

Here are some photos from their session exploring urban textures and settings.

Stuart:

Victoria:

Outside Fenwick:

I saw some interesting architectural reclamation fragments incorporated into a modern brick wall which made a great frame for Victoria and Stuart:

Amazing - just opposite there were some modern bike stands and delivery bays:

Victoria and Stuart the streets of Newcastle upon Tyne:

Kristin and Paul booked me from Singapore to photograph their wedding at Horton Grange in Ponteland. They came over for Easter and we met for an overcast afternoon pre-wedding shoot on the streets of Newcastle upon Tyne.

As you can see their baby daughter Lauren (extremely well behaved on this occasion) was there too:

Paul:

Kristin:

By the end of the session Lauren fell asleep in her pushchair and I photographed Kristin and Paul in the 55 Degrees North courtyard. The shapes and colours there were fun, as was this couple to work with.

Emma and William were en route to St Andrews, Fife, in Scotland, where I’ll photograph their wedding this summer. We met at Berwick upon Tweed just off A1 for their pre-wedding session.

In the afternoon on the 17th-century Old Bridge over the river Tweed:

We ventured further into town and used an old metail shop gate for these portraits of William and Emma:

In the old courtyard:

Reflctions in the shop window:

At the old wodden gates on the quayside:

We were finishing the session as the sun was setting down and the couple were preparing to resume their trip to St Andrews.

Jo and Kalum are getting married next year at Jesmond Dene House Hotel in Newcastle.

We had already cancelled one pre-wedding shoot date previously due to adverse weather, and that afternoon also looked quite overcast. Nevertheless, the BBC weather website promised sunshine from 4pm onwards so we braved the Newcastle city centre for an afternoon session.

Jo:

True enough, the sun came out after 4pm casting beautiful sharp shadows.

Kalum:

Playing with traffic cones:

and sun flare:

Finishing the shoot near Grey Street Hotel - blue sky included as requested:

We photographed Nicola and Geoff’s pre-wedding session at the Black Gate not far from the Central Station in Newcastle upon Tyne. That morning I saw John off at the railway station for a training course in London, and used a chance to wander around looking for exciting locations. I saw the barbican of the Black Gate, fell in love with it and thought it would a great place to photograph Nicola and Geoff.

The Black Gate was built in the 13th century by king Henry III and has a fascinating history. If you want to know more about it you can visit its website.

Meanwhile I’ll just show you some photos from this shoot:

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On the footbridge outside the entrance:

Nicola:

Geoff:

Inside the central archway of the gate:

The street lamps went on by the end of the session. I liked the golden sheen on the stone walls of the Victorian railway bridge that separates the Black gate from Castle Keep:

The setting sunlight was very pretty on the Theatre Royal and I used it for this quick parting photo of Nicola:

I am photographing Jon and Adrian’s civil partnership ceremony in September. Meanwhile we had a pre-wedding session at Holkham beach in Norfolk to get to know each other and play.

Here are some photos from their engagement session:

Beach huts lent themselves well to a nostalgic moody treatment. I took a series of shots at the hut made of weathered wood. First I asked Adrian and Jon to give me an almost blank look that you see in old Americana photos:

And no, they don’t make those faces in real life - I needed some crazy expressions for this composite board I had in mind…

Some fun against the patchwork of huts:

Walking on the beach:

The water was rising leaving puddles in the sand as we headed for the carpark: