BEHIND THE SCENES AT REAL WEDDINGS

When I'm blogging a wedding and sharing photos with you - sometimes it could be hard to imagine me actually taking them. So I thought I'd share some behind the scenes photos from real weddings I photographed, just so you can have an idea what I'm doing, and how that turns into your beautiful wedding photos :-)

Next photo is taken by a guest at the Windsor wedding I photographed in August:

I'm such a poser...

Special thanks to Juliet McKee and Alex Beadon for snapping photos of me!

Hope you gonna have a fab weekend! 

Dasha

x

FEATURED: PHOTOPRO MAGAZINE

This post is loooong looong overdue! But better late than never :-). Together with my friend Antonina Mamzenko (who is a brilliant family photographer based in London) I have been featured in the September issue of Photo Pro Magazine (the UK's biggest and fastest growing magazine for professional photographers)! Happy dance! They dedicated the whole page to our interview about the shoot we did a while ago. There is a photo of yours truly in the top right corner :-). When the issue was out for sale, I walked into our local newsagent and bought all the copies they had. I sent one to my mum and although I didn't see her reaction, but she sounded very proud over the phone! Soon after that I traveled to Ireland for the engagement shoot with Lena and David (whose wedding I'll photograph next May). When I was waiting for my plane in the airport, I noticed a guy (well, he was more of a man) who was reading the magazine and our interview! Made me feel a little bit famous! :-)

JIMMY CHOO, DUNE, GLITZY&GLAMOROUS - SHOTS OF WEDDING SHOES TO DATE

I love photographing wedding shoes! I know how much they mean to a bride and how much time she has probably spent looking for them, because I've spent a looooot of time looking for my perfect pair of wedding heels. I think my bridal shoes are the best shoes I've ever bought for myself! They totally deserve some special attention from me and my camera and a place in your wedding album. I like to get creative when photographing them, and show off the beauty of heels or bows or anything that makes that particular pair stand out and relate to my bride.

I've put together a few photos of wedding and bridal shoes I've taken at my recent weddings. Enjoy, ladies! :-)

 

PICK YOUR OWN SUNDAY

Yesterday my husband organized a great day out. Weather was perfect and the sun was shining through yellow leaves. I felt like I just wanted to turn my face towards the sun, enjoy its warmth, and smile! We kicked off quite early (10am is quite early to leave the house on Sunday morning :-) ) and went to the Hewitts Farm located on our doorstep in Orpington, Kent. Such a great place for a family day out! You can pick your own fruit and veg and they literally have everything! We were eating apples and plums straight from the trees, and I can tell you - there's nothing better! You bite into an apple and it's so juicy and full of taste and flavour, all you want to say is 'eeemmmmm'! It makes you appreciate the real food and where it comes from. We had a great day walking around the farm tasting apples, sweetcorn, pears and plums, and even picked our own perfect pumpkin! I would encourage everyone to try and go to a 'pick your own' farm to get fresh local produce - it just tastes so much better than what you'll get in supermarkets!

Hope you are enjoying the sunshine, and happy Monday!

These plums:

turned into a homemade jam in a few hours after we picked them!

IN FRONT OF A CAMERA: TIPS AND ADVICE

Being a wedding photographer means that I'm usually the one behind the camera taking photos of people. I must say it feels good and I love capturing expressions, kisses, hugs and smiles! However, the experience of being in front of the camera for some of you, who have never been there before, can be quite daunting and feel a bit uncomfortable. Guys, I know how you feel! I've been in your shoes. I've been photographed three times on my own, and one time together with my husband (who doesn't really like his photo been taken, which is common for guys). In this post I want to share my experience with you, and give some tips on how to feel more comfortable in front of the lens and get beautiful photographs as a result. 
 - Meet your photographer before the engagement shoot or before your wedding day. It will help both sides to get to know one another and feel more relaxed about the whole thing. If you don't have time to arrange a meeting - suggest going for coffee on the day of your pre-wedding shoot. Again, it will help you to loosen up.
 - Concentrate on your partner, not on your photographer! It's about the two of you and that special something you share together. 
 - Make the most out of this time together. You might be caught up in daily routines and maybe you don't see each other as often as you wish, so this shoot is the perfect time to say 'I love you' one more time. Say things that usually make you laugh. We all have secret words and phrases that no one else knows that make us smile. Cuddle up to each other. Hold hands. If you like to mess around - do!
 - Trust your photographer to get beautiful images. Every relationship should be built on trust and this one is no exception. Trust your photographer to see those special moments between the two of you.
 - Relax! Yeap, it really is that easy! Relax and enjoy your time. Think about it this way: would you rather enjoy the couple of hours with the person you love most or would you rather worry how you look on camera and be stressed out? I think the first option is the way to go! ;-)
 - For ladies: consider for your hair and make-up to be done professionally. 
 - For gents: consider having a haircut and a shave ;-)
 - For both: consider getting a new outfit which you are gonna rock during the shoot! 
Michael contributed to these tips, so guys - pay attention! ;-)
And because every post is better with a photo, there is one below for you. It feels as if I wasn't even there. They probably shared something funny. Quietly, just between the two of them...

And that's us captured by lovely Dominique: