Bump Shoot with Rachael in the Lakes

Last week I spent some time with Rachael - capturing her second pregnancy for her. She looked incredible and her bump was so neat and gorgeous. She has got another little fella in there.

We had a very relaxed session in the Royal Hotel and enjoyed the warmth and lovely surroundings while the rain came down outside.

Every time I photograph a bump I regret not having a session myself during my pregnancies.

Rachael - I hope you have a great birth and I really hope we get to spend time together again in the future.

xx

Lee & Lisa's Enagement Shoot at Waddesdon Manor

On Saturday I met up with Lee and Lisa at Waddesdon Manor for their pre-wedding or engagement shoot. It was a bit nippy and very breezy BUT out came that winter sun that I love so much.

We had a wander around the grounds - chatting about plans for their wedding at Notley Abbey in May.

It was very quiet, which is rare, so we were able to use the house and aviary for the photos without them feeling self conscious. Although to be honest these two were very easy to work with and they both relaxed very quickly and then just enjoyed the excuse to get romantic.

So - thank you to you both for being such lovely, relaxed people to work with. Very much looking forward to being a part of the big day and meeting your friends and family. xx

ps from a photographic perspective the light coming through the wrought iron struts in the aviary was nuts. I loved the patterns that it made.

Fresh Work - Thanks to Cat Fransham

For a few months last year I got so caught up in the madness of wedding season that I stopped shooting outside of commissioned work. I was chatting to another photographer earlier and heard myself saying ' you must keep shooting for you, or you stop evolving'. I meant every word of it.

I'm very lucky that I have a group of people who help me to do this - whether around wedding dresses or boudoir etc. A constant in this is the lovely Cat Fransham who is the hair and make up artist that I work with often. An inspiration and a pleasure to work with. Thank you Cat.


Here are just a few shots from the kind of work that I don't normally do. But enjoyed for a change. Tierney modelled for us on both shoots - she's got a very unique look and a very lovely personality.

In their words - a wedding testimonial.

I'm just home from an exhausting few days at the big convention for my industry. Yesterday Nick Ghionis demanded that wedding photographers stopped giving their work away, for almost nothing, on disc.

I'm already in tune with his belief that it is our duty to far exceed our client's expectations by giving them an amazing experience and by delivering extraordinary imagery. Crucially in an album that becomes a little piece of history and the most powerful way to both relive and share a wedding day.

I recently asked one of my couples if they would be kind enough to write a short testimonial about their experience with me. This morning Ross emailed me their thoughts and it reduced me (and my husband) to tears. I put my heart and soul into my work and to actually have a client put into words what that gives them - how it makes them feel - was quite overwhelming:

"From the first meeting with Kate we knew that we had met someone who understood completely what we wanted for our special day. She put us at ease straight away and removed any fears that either of us had about investing in something such as a photographer without an instant guarantee of getting photos that we would like.

With wedding photography, Kate offers a brilliant pre-wedding shoot which enables her to get to know the both of you, she quickly learns how to bring the best out of each person with regard to posture and posing and makes you feel completely and utterly relaxed through the whole process.

Kate is a remarkably committed photographer who doesn't think for a second that laying down in mud in the rain or climbing a precarious step ladder will be too much for her to achieve that perfect photo for you.

Our actual wedding day started in monsoon like conditions with a little bit of hurricane in for good measure. One of my fondest memories is while sitting under some shelter with a laptop at 10am glumly writing my groom speech and watching the ceaseless rain. Suddenly a very wet little lady came through with a plate of breakfast, a smile and so much enthusiasm that I couldn't resist copying it. I don't think I can give Kate all the credit for the rain drying up and the wind dying down exactly 20 mins before the service but I'd happily give that she helped! She equally, without doubt, assured my future bride (who was in ‘floods’ of tears for a lot of the morning) that everything would be ok rain or shine and made her feel completely at ease.

For the rest of our wonderful day Kate worked tirelessly, capturing both the organised photos we had asked for and the reportage photographs of everyone at our wedding. The end result is that we have a photo album that holds some of the most beautiful images that either of us have ever seen (and not just because we are in most of them!). The style and composition of every photo is exquisite and more stylish, stunning and elegant than we could ever have dreamed of.

I had always believed that no matter how good a photo is, a memory is always better, after my experience with Kate, I believe this to no longer be true. Thank you Kate from the bottom of our hearts x"

Ross and Elizabeth Sadler.

By the way - Ross is well over 6ft tall so when he says "a very wet little lady" don't get the wrong idea!! I'm 5ft 8. xx

And finally - Happy New Year!

Look at that - January 9th already.

I hope you all had a gorgeous Christmas. I certainly did - lovely, lovely. And I celebrated New Year on the 27th with some of my very favourite people.

That was due to photographing David and Georgia Tennant's wedding and then their party on Dec 31st. So this was my view as the clock struck 12.

Big Ben and the firework display was projected on to the Globe Theatre

2012 has started at a crazy pace and I'm looking forward to catching my breath after the SWPP convention.

So - I'll be back on the blog soon but really just wanted to say Happy New Year. xxx

Boudoir Masterclass - Friday 13th January

What Women Want From Boudoir 1.00 - 2.30pm


The number of talks on Boudoir at SWPP in January demonstrates how it is becoming an increasingly popular and potentially lucrative part of a photography business.

Having shot a lot of boudoir sessions - both for private clients and as part of my training for Aspire Photography Training - I know it is one of the things I most love to shoot. But why? For various reasons but probably most significantly the positive impact the images have had on women's lives and well being. And on a creative front because I love the female form.

I have a very strong visual aesthetic about what I think boudoir is and how I want to shoot it. Yet I see a lot of boudoir imagery that is more glamour than art. The truth is that boudoir is a very difficult discipline to do well and very easy to get wrong.

I've been thinking a lot about this whilst putting together my Masterclass for SWPP.

I'll be sharing my experience of shooting the genre for the last 2 years - how my work has evolved, tips on posing, lighting, styling but most importantly what the women who come to me want from a session. And the importance of shooting outside client work to improve your imagery.


If you are thinking of attending then let me know what YOU want to get out of it - send me an email: kate@katehopewellsmith.com

Kyle and Charlotte's Waddesdon Dairy Wedding

On November 26th Kyle and Charlotte got married at St Mary's in Wendover and then had their reception in the Dairy at Waddesdon Manor. I was a little bit worried the day before because I almost lost my voice and the thought of photographing a wedding without one was a little concerning - but it held out!

Considering the time of year they were very lucky with the weather - no rain at all and just enough wind to make the group photos a bit nippy but the shots with the bride and groom a little more dramatic.

Due to the ceremony being at midday I began my day with Kyle rather early. As you can see he was on good form - the nerves did set in as the morning wore on though.


When I arrived at Charlotte's parents' house her hair was done and make up was just about to begin. She took me up to the room where the dresses were hanging and all of the stunning accessories and details were laid out. Every detail was just beautiful. She found her dress at my good friend Anna McDonald's Bridal Gallery and her beautiful flowers were created by Joanna Carter who I also love working with.


There was some concern about just how long it was going to take to get Charlotte into her beautiful dress but there were lots of laughs during the process. Great swings of nerves and joy.

We were all telling her how amazing she looked when she quietly asked if her Dad could possibly get her a mirror so she could have a look - she had chosen to put her dress on downstairs and there was no mirror in the room.

I was really pleased that I was able to travel in the car to the church - sitting in the front I'm able to quietly record that last journey with a father and daughter. Below you will see how they both reacted when they first glimpsed the church and loved ones who were waiting for them.


Meanwhile nerves were really getting to Kyle inside.

But just look how they locked eyes with each other as she made her way down the aisle. I also love the moment between her father and his family captured here. St Mary's is a beautiful church and the lighting was incredibly dramatic and atmospheric. It was a really warm, happy ceremony.






After the ceremony we all drove to Waddesdon Dairy and I took Kyle and Charlotte up to the Manor for a few photos on their own. Charlotte was very brave considering the temperature but as usual the couple really enjoyed some time on their own to relish in their newly married status.







Back at the Dairy the guests were enjoying a drink in the warmth but everyone was very good about coming outside for some photos.


The speeches were brilliant - one of my favourite parts of a wedding and this was no exception with lots of laughter as well as tears. The most emotional speech being delivered by Charlotte's younger sister Francesca.


The first dance. Gorgeous!


And finally a special request from a good family friend who had brought some sparklers to the wedding. After a briefing I understood what was involved and we all created the tunnel for them to walk through. Kyle surprised us all with the passionate kiss at the end.


The Dairy - all lit up on a winter's evening.


Thank you Kyle and Charlotte for choosing me to be part of your day to tell your story in images. Hope you enjoy the highlights and look forward to sharing the rest when you return from honeymoon. xx