Wedding Florist in Nottingham

As a wedding photographer in Nottinghamshire, I visit many wedding fairs and another local wedding supplier I met (and one my family and I have used many times since for birthdays, mothers day, anniversaries etc.) is Vaas the florists. Vaas is based in Nottingham centre and their floral creations are contemporary, original and fresh. They also host fabulous floristry courses, which you can personalise to suit your group of friends. Vaas supply the flowers in their elegant Nottingham shop and teach you to create your own floral display, which you get to take home (and enjoy a glass of wine while you’re creating it) – a brilliant and original idea for your hen do.

Drawing from their design background, Vaas creates design boards for each wedding to show you exactly what your bouquet and wedding arrangements will look like. This preparation and research helps to reassure the client about the final result so you can feel entirely at ease on your day.

Chosen by Master Florist as one of their top 250 florists, Vaas really is a cut above many other local florists. Call 0115 959 8959 for more information. (Photographs courtesy of Vaas).

Wedding Cakes in Derbyshire

Many of my Nottingham and Derby wedding photography clients who have booked their wedding locally but not yet found their perfect wedding cake may be interested in a fabulous cake maker based in Matlock.

I first met the people at Chocolate Art last year at Hart’s wedding fair in Nottingham. Hart’s Restaurant host a fairly intimate wedding fair in their corporate room above the restaurant, with only one supplier represented from each area of your wedding preparations.

Chocolate Art had a stand showcasing some of their fabulous creations with delicious samples to try. As someone who isn’t a huge fan of the traditional fruit cake and marzipan (and I’m a bit of a chocoholic too), it would be my preference to choose a chocolate wedding cake! What sets Chocolate Art apart from other chocolate cake makers I’ve come across is their delicious cake recipe, which is more accurately described as a chocolate tort and is as light as air, with a real Belgium chocolate taste and lacking any sickly sweetness.

The finish on these cakes is also astounding, my favourite being the very elegant ‘US style’ chocolate tiers, adorned with hand crafted chocolate roses or lilies (or indeed a flower of your choice to match your wedding bouquet). Chocolate Art will also undertake unique commissions to match your wedding theme.

For more information contact 01629 581291.
(Photographs courtesy of Chocolate Art)

How to look good in your wedding photos

I run through many of the following points with my brides on or before their wedding day, or as needed, and they are simple yet hugely effective pointers to help anyone (not just the bride) get the wedding photographs they love.

1. Relax and enjoy the moment

An increasingly popular style of wedding photography is reportage, or the capturing of spontaneous moments. As a contemporary wedding photographer in the East Midlands and across the UK, Mirror Imaging has plenty of examples of this type of photography and we mix it with some gentle direction to get a good combination of timeless and fresh photographs of your wedding.

It is really important therefore to try not to worry about how you look on camera! Your wedding photographer will almost certainly stand a better chance of getting a great picture if you relax and enjoy your surroundings and be in the moment. A good digital wedding photographer will never put a bad picture forward and will kindly delete it immediately! This is why I emphasise on my homepage my understanding and empathy with my subjects; it’s in my interests professionally and personally to make you look amazing.

2. Practice posing

Not an obvious one and not perhaps one which many brides will consider. As a wedding and portrait photographer I spend some time working out at which angles a woman looks good, so I can best direct my brides and models (it helps that I’m a woman myself!). When you are next sat in front of the mirror, perhaps doing your makeup, really look at your features in the mirror and practice posing for the camera (perhaps close the bedroom door first!).

One huge advantage to those brides treating themselves to our makeover portrait sessions held at Norwood Park in Nottinghamshire is that, by the end of the session, being in front of the camera will feel a lot more comfortable and you will instinctively know on your wedding day at which angles you feel your most confident. The resulting picture will also hopefully do wonders for your love of the camera and yourself! For example, my beautiful sister almost always blinked in front of the camera flash for years, resulting in unflattering photographs of her with her eyes predictably closed. She thought she was afflicted for life, but since she had her first photoshoot with me she’s not blinked for the camera again and even now enjoys having her picture taken.

2. Do the tilt and turn

All celebrities on the red carpet know how to pose to maximize their assets and minimise their flaws. And it can make a huge difference to how you look in your wedding photographs.

Stand at a 45 degree angle, put your weight on the back leg and slightly bend the other, twist your torso back to face the front and gently drop your shoulder furthest from your back leg. This makes your waist and hips look their absolute smallest and pushes your chest forward, but looks surprisingly natural in your wedding photographs (especially in a wedding dress).

3. Smile!

It may sound obvious (and you try and stop many brides!) but however critical you are of your own smile, just go for it! Often there will be a good number of photographs without you smiling and it makes for a better wedding album to have at least one or two wonderful happy shots. If you feel really self conscious, don’t smile at the camera, smile at your new husband instead!

4. Have your makeup done professionally

A good makeup artist will know which makeup finishes look good on camera and which do not. As a rule, a matt finish tends to look better and the camera will absorb the colour so you can go slightly stronger than you would normally do. Make sure you have a trial makeup run before your wedding day (and take your dress, veil or a fabric sample along), so you know exactly what you will look like on the day. I work with Nottingham makeup artist Pretty Flamingo, whose trial sessions (diary schedules permitting) include a photograph by me for you to take away (whether or not you have booked me as your wedding photographer).

4. Don’t shy away!

The most difficult job for a photographer is photographing someone who simply does not want their picture taking. If you’ve invested in a wedding photographer, make sure you get your money’s worth by allowing them to click away and take as many quality photographs as possible. The more they take, the more likely it is they’ll capture that golden moment. A very good wedding photographer won’t be too intrusive either and will help to put you at ease, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by letting them do a great job for you.

Mother and Baby Photography

Although being a wedding photographer in Nottingham and Derby means I mainly get to photograph adults, I was honoured to be asked to photograph baby Bryn and his family recently. He was born two weeks early at the end of June and is now around eight weeks old. His parents wanted some professional photographs taking to help remember this special time.

This particular photoshoot was taken in the parents’ bedroom, as they have a beautiful large open space with floor to ceiling windows, letting in loads of natural light, which helped capture little Bryn as the angel he his. We then gave mum a mini-makeup session, who looked flawless and natural for a mother and baby photograph she’ll hopefully treasure forever.

Photographing babies is an absolute joy, especially at Bryn’s age and his parents have a booked a second photoshoot in a few months as he grows bigger. We also hold these mother and baby photoshoots, together with mother-to-be makeover and photoshoots, at Norwood Park in Nottinghamshire, a beautiful and calm environment that suits the light, bright and angelic feel of the pictures. Pregnancy and the birth of a child are as important and emotional a time in your life as your wedding, if not a lot more! It’s definitely worth capturing in print therefore, and as a photographer it’s a real privilege to share the moment with new parents.

Still Life Prints

Those of you who have read the About page will know that prior to wedding and portrait photography, I spent some time photographing flowers and the odd landscape, much of which was kept for my private collection and never printed.

Mirror Imaging will be selling these prints online as mounted and framed images, with the same quality and attention to detail as we present our wedding and portrait work.

Many of the images have been photographed in what is called macro format, which basically means very close up. They are larger than life, extremely colourful and look equally at home in traditional or contemporary settings. Almost exclusively taken with only natural light in their garden setting and without any digital enhancement, it just goes to show just how beautiful nature can be when you get in close enough!

I hope you agree that they make amazing presents and artwork for your wall. Please look out for them in the future, when the online shopping area of the site will allow customers to view and buy photographs over the internet. Or, if you would like to enquire about ordering a print before then please email me at sarah@mirrorimaging.co.uk

Wedding and Bridal Makeup

Susan Smith of Pretty Flamingo has just launched her website, which details her wedding and bridal makeup services, together with the fashion and portrait work she does with Mirror Imaging. Susan’s makeup style is polished but very natural, bringing out the best of a person’s features. She likes to draw attention to the eyes, with contouring and blending.

Her skin prepping products are organic and totally chemical free - using 100% natural skincare makes sense when it’s your wedding day! She also uses cutting edge mineral makeup; these are beautiful pigment powders in rainbow colours, which can be mixed with a range of products to create matt, luminous, or high-shine effects. Many of the products she uses are available to purchase too.

Having worked with me extensively on several photography shoots whilst I perfected the lighting, she has an understanding of how the camera ‘sees’ makeup, where the light hits the face to create the most flattering finish and how heavy or light a touch is needed for different lighting situations. This is crucial for a wedding, when you’re lit with a mix of both natural light and artificial (tungsten) light.

Susan is also qualified in Indian Head Massage (which should be compulsory for stressed out brides to be!) and offers 100% natural skincare facials separately if you feel your skin needs some correct care and attention in the run up to your wedding.

You can see a selection of her work on my online gallery, or by reading recent photoshoots earlier in this blog.

For more information email susan@prettyflamingo.co.uk

Pre Wedding Bridal, Engagement and Hen Party Photoshoots

I’m delighted to report that in addition to wedding photography in Nottingham, Mirror Imaging is now offering portrait sessions for brides to be, pamper portrait days for hen parties and also engagement shoots in the exclusive and very beautiful location of Norwood Park in Southwell, Nottinghamshire.

Norwood Park has been home to the Starkey family for the last five generations (famed as fruit growers for their Bramley apple). They host wedding ceremonies and wedding receptions in their elegant Georgian Country House and grounds, and now portrait sessions with Mirror Imaging! The house itself is full of character, charm and style, with authentic Georgian architecture and interiors. This makes the perfect backdrop to create classically beautiful images with a touch of old-school glamour that I strive to make my trademark style.

Working with Pretty Flamingo makeup artist, the day comprises of a full makeup and photograph session, with both natural light and studio light. This is the perfect opportunity for a bride to be to experience having her photograph taken professionally before the big day, to learn poses and angles that compliment and flatter and, ultimately, to create stunning, timeless images for herself and her husband to treasure.

As hen parties go, it doesn’t get more classy than a pamper photograph day, complete with champagne, makeup session and photography shoot. Treat your girls to a fabulous experience together, which can be an amazing esteem booster and bonding experience. Be as brave as you like in your photo shoot, knowing it’s a totally supportive, non-judgmental environment and great fun too.

Finally we’ve put together an engagement portrait shoot for those couples booking the Classic or Elegance wedding packages (this is automatically included in the Luxury package), or even for couples who have already booked their wedding photographs with another photographer.

High quality, hand finished mounted and framed prints are available, with prices starting at £85 for and framed and mounted 8x12 print.

Further details of Norwood Park and our pre wedding photography, together with photographs of future photoshoots, will appear on the website in the coming months. In the meantime, if you are interested in booking or finding out more you can contact me on 07968 159465 or click on the contact page and submit your enquiry.