Rebecca and Rob of Paylor Photography got in touch and said they were looking for some photographs of the two of them to use for their photography business and also hopefully a few they could frame at home too. I met up with them bright an early one crisp Wintery Sunday on Redcar seafront to capture these two together. I have such a soft spot for a seaside town with the beach, arcades, ice cream shops.. Redcar had some fab opportunities for photos and it was a pleasure spending an hour or so searching them out with Rob and Rebecca.

When I Skyped Hayley and Benji ahead of their wedding they told me they were planning a central London wedding at The Asylum and then The Amadeus, there was going to be a London bus transporting guests and there would be a hell of a lot of cheese.. I knew it would be a good day and I knew it would be right up my street!

Amongst wedding chaos I really love to squeeze in photographing families too. It’s a totally different type of shoot. I love when I get to hang out with a family and really capture them as they are. No studio stuff, no gimmicks.. families at home or out and about just being their true selves. I love seeing characters come through, meeting families at special points in their lives and also for capturing the everyday.. I love being there to capture play fights, tickles,, cuddles on the bed.. capturing kids being wild, playing with a favourite toy, pulling funny faces, quiet moments and moments of chaos. It’s all magical for a million different reasons. These times are so fleeting and every stage is worth capturing.

“We expected them to be fab as we love your work, but we were still blown away by just how gorgeous they are - fully obsessed and I don't know how we will pick just one or two to frame at home...!”

One of my favourite parts of work is creating stop motion films.. they take an absolute age to put together, they involve processing thousands of photos, hours agonising over music choices, fiddling and adjusting and tweaking over and over again.. but when they finally come together it feels like magic - the photographs become alive; it’s a completely different way of reliving the day.

“Having Sally as our photographer was one the best decisions we made for our wedding.

On the day she was brilliant, moving subtly between guests to capture shots and handling delicate family situations with the utmost professionalism and tact. 

The photos themselves were out of this world magical.”

Jade and Sam - WHAT a way to end the year!

A few days after Christmas I headed over to the beautiful Lake District to shoot at Low Hall near Cockermouth for the first time. My sister has booked this as her wedding venue for next July so I was even more excited to see this beautiful barn wedding venue for the first time and also just to be back in the Lakes - it always makes such a beautiful setting for a wedding.

Any excuse to have a little cuddle with a beautiful newborn baby.. meet baby Emily! Another wonderful little girl for Rebecca and Andy. It was such a joy to be back visiting this beautiful family and being there to capture this point in time while Emily was only two weeks old. Big sisters Sophie and Beatrice were totally smitten and so gentle with their little sister but also full of beans with each other - so much fun to capture!

Autumn feels so far away now, doesn’t it?! I met up with Alison, Jacob, Melody and Abigail for an engagement/family shoot ahead of their April 2020 wedding. I suggested Ropner Park because I knew the colours at the beginning of November would be amazing to work with.. it was a bright crisp Autumn day and it was wonderful to hang out with this beautiful family and hear about how their wedding plans are all going.

It was so wonderful to see Rebecca, Andy and their girls again! Last year I’d shot their wider family (Rebecca’s parents, her siblings and their partners and kids) so it was extra special to see them all again at this time with a new baby on the way. Sophie and Beatrice were so fun and such happy girls.. totally excited to be big sisters to the new baby.

I loved spending an hour or so with these four - little Henry was only a few weeks old and I’ll always love a little cuddle with a new baby. I visited Ruth, Max, Albert and Henry at home at this special point in their lives to capture them in their own surroundings. Albert showed me around his room and some of his favourite toys, and I got some shots of them all playing, cuddling, hanging out and being themselves. It never stops being incredibly special to be there to document families at such special and fleeting times in their lives.

Here are a handful of favourites from the time I spent with this lovely lot..

Hannah and Dan! What a laugher and fun-filled day.. my face actually hurt from smiling and laughing after your wedding!

Hannah and Dan married in Malton, saying ‘I do’ at the town centre church before walking down to the Talbot to celebrate afterwards. They held their reception in the house and then a marquee in the gardens which was styled beautiful with a mix of greenery, elegant touches and nods to Dan’s love of cricket. They danced the night away to a ceilidh (always the best idea IMO) - it was SO much fun and the perfect wedding to end my wedding season on.

It was so fab to be back at Middleton Lodge for Lizzie and Simon’s beautiful wedding and to create this stop motion wedding film for them. I love a day that is elegant and ends in a good party - such a good combination for a wedding! I’ve heard that it all ended in style down in the cellar bar at Middleton Lodge too.. It was an absolute pleasure to spend such a relaxed day with these two and their full-of-fun wedding guests - thanks again for having me as part of your celebrations!

As much as I love shooting people and weddings, I do love a bit of commercial photography too. It was fab to be back at JN Rusticus HQ to shoot their new pieces. Every time I visit I come away wanting to redcorate my house and this time was no different.. I adore their new textiles that they’ve added too. Here are a few favourite shots from their latest shoot.

Just look at these colours! Do I need to say much more? Alex and Andrew married at the Fig House on the MIddleton Lodge estate one beautiful September day and it was absolutely stunning. After sharing a few preview photos on my social media I had dozens of messages about Alex’s incredible ‘3D’ wedding dress - how beautiful and how absolutely perfect for the time of year and setting is it?! Their styling at the Fig House was simple and cool, lots of personal touches and fab ideas which suited the room so well.

Here are a few favourites from their day..

It was such a privilege to meet 10 day old Arthur and his parents Kellie and Mathew. I visited this family of three (five if you count the dogs!) at home and we got some relaxed newborn photos at this special time in their lives. Here are a few favourites from their family shoot..

The sun really shone for these two.. it was one of those truly beautiful September days, the light was gorgeous, it felt like one of the last days of Summer, and everything felt so easy - just perfect.

“Thanks for the amazing job you did and the effort you put into the day! The photos are fantastic and the stop motion film is so good! We must have watched it 1,000 times and it’s a great memory of our special day we will have for the rest of our lives.

Not only are the photos perfect, but it was a real pleasure having you play a part in our special day. We’re not the type who particularly like being in front of the camera but you made us feel completely at ease. We are so glad we chose you!”

One from the archives.. A rainy and rainbow-filled day.. Sara and Joey had a Liverpool city centre wedding before going on to celebrate at beautiful venue Oh Me Oh My - an old bank building near the docks and the Liver building. It was such a wonderful day and I loved being back in Liverpool and being there to capture it.. Here is their stop motion wedding film!

I mean.. that light just speaks for itself, doesn’t it? Rachel and Tom had a beautiful September wedding at Doddington Hall in Lincolnshire. The venue was spectacular - totally stunning - and we were lucky enough to have access to the gardens and that sun set for some photos. The main reception was in the Couch House at Doddington Hall, guests played garden games and relaxed before dancing the night away to their rock wedding band Anthemic. Absolutely wonderful stuff.

Here are a few previews from Rachel and Tom’s sunny September wedding day..