Burgess Photography Blog

At last I can blog these gorgeous photos of my (Beccy’s) mum as the surprise has been revealed! Back in March mum asked as to capture to lovely, natural photos of her to give to my dad as a surprise 60th birthday present. Dad’s birthday was this week; we had a big party at home out in the garden (the sun shone all day) and dad has now seen the photos and loves them. Below is a small selection of my favourite shots – none have been airbrushed; mum is in her 50s but still looks very youthful and funky!

We were blessed with a glorious day of sunshine for Sharon & Neil’s pre-wedding shoot. We met them and their two children, Imogen and Jayden, for the afternoon in Buxton which provided a stunning backdrop for their photos. We started the shoot on the slopes in front of The Crescent in Buxton and then headed over to the Pavilion Gardens. The gardens are a beautiful oasis in the middle of Buxton brimming with colourful flowerbeds, a babbling stream and plenty of people laid out on the lawns making the most of the sunshine!

We actually photographed a wedding within the Gardens in 2006 as the bandstand is licenced to hold small civil ceremonies. It makes a pretty and unusually venue for a wedding (provided the weather is nice) and is the closest you can get to marrying outside in England. There are a few bandstands around the country that are licenced for civil marriage ceremonies and, as a coincidence, Sharon and Neil are also planning to marry in one at The Gibbon Bridge Hotel near Preston.

We ended the photo shoot in the kids play area where Imogen and Jayden were treated to a few goes on the bouncy castle slide there followed by an ice-cream - they were incredibly well behaved all afternoon so definitely deserved it.

We are looking forward to photographing Sharon, Neil, Imogen and Jayden and their family and friends at their wedding next month.

What a good looking bunch!

One for Imogen & Jayden: Mum & Dad kissing – yuck!!

Imogen and Jayden having fun in the playground.

Christy & David took the opportunity of some time on their own (courtesy of grandma babysitting their daughter, Kiera!) for their pre-wedding shoot. Although it was a bit drizzly we headed out to Willow Park to get some fun, relaxed photos of the two of them. Although the rain stopped Christy and I quickly realised that ‘mock’ Ugg boots are not well suited to long, damp grass and we both ended up with wet toes but some great photos to boot!

We are looking forward to Christy and David’s wedding at Goosedale in June.

Some of you may have noticed that we have been a bit quiet over the past couple of weeks and anyone that has tried to phone will have noticed the funny ring tone. We have actually been on holiday for 2 weeks visiting Andy’s sister and brother-in-law and our nephew in South Africa. They moved out to Durban in South Africa last September as Phil is now working for Soul Action. They are trying to find out about all the small charities and projects based all over Durban and help to enable these projects to meet and communicate with each other to enable shared learnings and support. Their aim is to reach at least 100 projects in 2008 and they are already well on their way towards that goal. If you would like to find out more about what they are doing you can visit their blog on the Soul Action website: http://www.soulaction.org/stuff/blog.html

It was great to catch up with family and we also had a bit of time to take in some sights including 3 days on safari in Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Game Reserve and 2 days in the beautiful Drakensberg Mountains. We will try to get some photos from our trip up on here when we get time. However, we have got quite a few bits and pieces to get caught up on first. If you have emailed while we have been away we will get back to you this week. And if you called but didn’t leave a message please call again!

Hilary & Nick were married at St. Mary’s Church, Wistaston followed by a reception at the Chimney House Hotel near Sandbach – www.bespokehotels.com/chimneyhouse   The wet weather did not dampen anyone’s enthusiasm and a fun and relaxed day seem to be had by all. Hilary’s other passion in life (other than Nick!) was definitely reflected on their wedding cake which was covered in cats! A limo drove them to their evening reception at The Cheshire Barn at Alveston Hall Hotel near Nantwich where more guests joined them for an evening of entertainment including a disco and some casino games. The highlight of the day for us had to be their first dance….. a ‘unique’ choice and a great performance by both Hilary & Nick!!