A family shoot with one of my first ever wedding clients!

One of the things that really fires my soul as a Devon wedding photographer is connections: the emotional connections between my couples and their wedding guests; the aesthetic connection between a wedding venue and its environment; the connection between the celebration of love and the openness that it brings to feelings otherwise often kept private; and, most sentimentally held dear to me, the connection between myself, as the wedding photographer, and my couples. It is a unique position, being entrusted to capture the very spirit of one of the most monumentally important day in two people's lives, and it is not one that I ever take for-granted, even now, after having shot 70+ weddings. The anticipation and excitement ahead of a wedding day is infectious, and it never grows tired, for with each wedding, comes two individuals with their very own set of feelings. From the point at which my couples make the very first contact, it is an honour to be able to be part of that; exciting nerve-wracking, fun and at times; stressful, challenging and occasionally overwhelming journey - to what is, ultimately, the most meaningful connection of all - marriage. So, you might ask, "what is your point, Amy?". My point is - I bloody love it when I see my couples take the next steps in their adventures together! You see, I am a sentimental old fool at heart (don't tell anyone). I grew up in a family with long, strong marriages; holding with great awe the idea two people could love each other so very much that they would dedicate their lives to each other (see, I told you i'm sentimental). To that end, it is with delight that I greet each piece of news that one of my couples have forged a new chapter in their adventure together: bought a house, adopted a furry friend, travelled in a van across continents, expecting a baby...all these milestones stemming from a happy marriage...one which I got to document the inception of. It doesn't get much cooler than that for job satisfaction.  

And so, finally, to my pictures on today's blog. Lovely Lauren and Jake you may recognise from some of my portfolio images. They were one of my very first wedding clients when I started out as a documentary wedding photographer. We stayed in touch after their fun-filled summer festival wedding, and this year Lauren and Jake were guests at the wedding of two of their friends who I had met at their wedding! Lauren was blossoming in the late stages of pregnancy and shortly after, the gorgeous Matilda was born. I was over the moon when Lauren's grandparents decided they would like to hire me to do a family photoshoot as a Christmas present for Lauren and Jake. The fact that they were among my first couples to hire me as my wedding business flourished makes it even more special that I was able to document the next big chapter in their lives. It was also great fun to catch up, reminisce about their big day, see some of my pictures in print at their house and of course, meet their gorgeous new addition to the family! With Christmas being so close,  Matilda was sporting a rather fetching Christmas outfit when I arrived, which I had to get a few snaps of before we all headed out for a (very) autumnal walk.