Kim Hawkins Photography featured in Your Herts/Beds Wedding magazine – again!

I’m delighted to report that for the second time in as many issues, Your Herts/Beds Wedding magazine has used one of my weddings as a Featured Wedding in their new issue, due to hit the shops on January 22nd. Robyn and Jamie’s wedding at Royston and the fabulous Fanhams Hall Hotel last year was one of the most memorable for two reasons: they were a very photogenic couple and it was a military-dress wedding, which made it very special for me as a photographer, what with the uniforms and medals – there were loads of details not normally seen at weddings. Even though the weather wasn’t brilliant, it kept clear for just long enough for the photographs – which turned out beautifully.

Not only is Robyn and Jamie’s day a featured wedding in this issue, but I was also asked for my contribution as a photographer for an article covering the capturing of the big day  – I was asked to cover why the groom waiting at the altar is such an important shot for the wedding album.

I have posted here a low-res version of the article, which is a sneak preview, as the magazine isn’t on sale yet!

A very special offer…

Those of you who may perchance be regular readers of the Rock ‘n Roll Bride blog (run by the very cool and stylish Kat Williams), will have seen that I am offering three lucky Rock ‘n Roll couples the chance to book their 2010 wedding photography with me for HALF PRICE! The offer is for my Photography and Disk package which gives you a pre-wedding shoot, 100 reception cards, all-day coverage of your wedding day, an online gallery of all your images and all your fabulous images supplied to you on a personalised Disk – all that for just £750!

All you have to do is:

1. Be getting married somewhere in the UK in 2010 (weddings over 50 miles from me will have £50 overnight accommodation costs added – destinations abroad are also included but my travel costs must be met by you)

2. Be organising a wedding that is unique to you – it could be what you’re going to be wearing, your venue, your details – anything that is a bit different to the ‘norm’ and qualifies you as a Rock ‘n Roll couple. (For example, maybe your venue is a converted tram shed, you’re bothRockabillies and are going to be wearing brothel creepers and a polka-dot dress – that’s very Rock ‘n Roll)! Remember though, it’s not all about about rebelling or showing the world how weird you are – it’s more about planning a wedding that’s an authentic reflection of you and your partner and your personalities. 

3. Email your names and contact details, a piccie of the both of you, something about yourselves and your interests along with what you think makes you and your planned wedding totally unique and worthy of Rock ‘n Roll status, to me at info@kimhawkins.co.uk

The three couples who have the most original and exciting sounding wedding day which sets my creative juices flowing will get the deal!

Good luck!

Stephanie and Ian – a winter wedding (and The Beatles came too…)

My final wedding for 2009 was that of Stephanie and Ian, who tied the knot in St. John’s church in their hometown of Royston, with the reception taking place up the road in Cambridge. Ian is a mad Beatles fan (as am I, I might add) and elements of them and their music were incorporated into their day – like Ian’s collarless jacket, the church organist making a fairly decent fist of ‘All You Need Is Love’ as Steph made her way down the aisle and the names of individual tables at the reception were very familiar titles of songs or albums. Although the weather was beautiful to begin with, the cold (COLD!) wind blew all day and brought with it dark clouds – happily, the rain kept off until the evening.

Now my weddings are finished for 2009, I can sit back a little and take stock of all the great couples I’ve photographed this year, along with all those who are booked and yet to come for 2010! I’ll also be blogging later this week about some exciting developments that are in the pipeline regarding my website, logo and blog – suffice to say, all will be revealed very soon!

In the meantime, please enjoy some of Steph and Ian’s great wedding images.

Eleni and Tim – a Bedfordshire Barn wedding

After their fantastic pre-wedding shoot a few short weeks ago, Eleni and Tim were married last week in a 13th Century Tythe Barn, which belongs to The Barns Hotel just outside Bedford. It was a pretty blustery day but luckily the weather forecasters got it wrong and the rain held off until all the photographs were completed! Eleni looked beautiful as she walked down the aisle and I think there was a little glistening in Tim’s eye when he saw her in her dress for the first time!

Here are some of the images from their day.

New camera equipment purchase!

I say new – it’s actually about 20-odd years old, but I already love it and I haven’t even shot anything with it yet! This was an impulse purchase on Ebay this week – I’ve never used a Polaroid camera before (but have featured in plenty, growing up with photographers for parents) but I’ve always loved the kitsch look to the images they produce so I had a quick whizz around the web and discovered that this model was pretty damn good. It has autofocus (at 4ft and further – any nearer and things are gonna look a bit fuzzy) and (gulp) a built-in flash! The Polaroid 600 film is not being manufactured any more (however, after a long campaign by its supporters it will re-enter production next year) but I managed to find some for sale online with a use by date of Nov 09 – should be interesting.

As yet, I am planning to ration my use of the beast, as the film is bloomin’ expensive but I think it will be useful for the odd kooky and fun shot of couples prior to the ‘real’ shoot, whether it be a pre-wed or a wedding.

Here’s an image of the beast I took earlier – no, it’s not taken with another Polaroid camera – I’ve just ‘mocked’ it up to look like it was. It looks like something out of 1978! Hang on, it is something out of 1978…..

Skye and Liam – a Halloween wedding

Saturday 31st October was Halloween and I had the absolute pleasure of shooting the wedding of Skye and Liam at a very beautiful venue called South Farm in Cambridgeshire. The venue itself is a working farm and one of the pigs had just had 12 spotted piglets, which were running around in their pen like mad things with all the excitement. Also in the grounds were some vintage Romany caravans and an old steam engine – all of which got my creative juices flowing and I made good use of all of them.

For their Halloween theme, Skye and Liam had informed all their guests that there would be a pumpkin carving competition, thinking most would not bother – on the day, almost every guest brought along a unique and amusing carved pumpkin, the display of which took up one nearly length of the barn in which the reception took place! There were loads of lovely little details at this wedding, including a message tree with ‘leaves’ for people to write on and attach to the branches and everyone was given a masquerade mask for the dancing. All the details were unique and special to Skye and Liam, and you’ll see some of them in this selection of their images. Enjoy!

Amy and Jody – a funky London wedding

There was quite a different feel to this wedding, as it was fairly small and informal, but Amy and Jody are a very funky couple and I loved their outfits! Most of all, I love shooting London weddings, as there are so many interesting locations to use as backdrops for photographs. Amy and Jody both got ready in a lovely little boutique hotel in Smithfield called The Rookery and we all travelled from there to where the ceremony itself took place in the grand surroundings of the Council chambers inside Islington Town Hall. As everyone was waiting for Amy to enter I took the opportunity to sit in the sumptuous Council leader’s chair! After that, the wedding party stayed in Upper Street for lunch and later moved back to a wine bar in Smithfield for the evening party. I got some portrait shots of the two of them after the ceremony in and around Upper Street but also later on in Smithfield which again, is very good for photographs.

Enjoy some of the images from their day.

Stephanie and Matt – an autumnal wedding at Hunton Park

I did a pre-wedding shoot with Steph and Matt in London a few months ago – they thoroughly enjoyed it and were thrilled with the resulting images, which I provided to them printed in a pocket coffee table book. We met again a few weeks ago at Hunton Park near Kings Langley to discuss the day and to get an idea of great photographic locations to be used on the day, as I knew I had a very tight timeframe in which to get them. When Saturday arrived, it was not a good day for weather – but it stayed dry for long enough for us to get the most important shots. There is a beautifully light Orangery inside the venue, which I used for some of the group shots – for the one you see here of all the day guests, I was perched on a rickety chair which itself was on top of a wobbly table – it’s a good job I’m insured!

Here are some of their images.

Jeanette and Paul – an autumn wedding in London

I first met Jeanette and Paul earlier this year when there was thick snow on the ground – fast forward to last Saturday and I met up with Jeanette at the plush Athenaum Hotel in Picaddilly, where she and her bridal party were getting ready. The wedding was going to take place at one of the most famous wedding landmarks in London, Chelsea Register Office, where many a rock star has tied the knot over the years. We took taxis to Chelsea, where Paul was waiting.

After an emotional ceremony and a few group shots on the famous steps, it was all aboard a hired ‘wedding special’ Routemaster bus to the reception venue, a bar called Below Zero off Regent Street. The three of us then had some time to capture some great portrait shots, using as much of London as possible as the backdrop. We also collected big crowds along the way, all clapping and cheering the happy couple! Enjoy these shots of their day.

Keira and Matt – a village wedding

The wedding of Keira and Matt took place last Saturday in a tiny hamlet called Lemsford, in Hertfordshire. Consisting of little more than a few homes and a primary school and sitting right next to the glamorous Brocket Hall, Lemsford Church is a beautiful place to get married and because it was such a glorious day (again – sorry folks, I know it’s getting boring!) the light flooding into the church was fantastic and made for some great shots while the service was going on.

After the wedding, the couple went for a ride in their carriage drawn by two lovely dappled grey horses and arrived back in time to have some portrait shots taken in and around Lemsford village – I also used the entrance driveway to Brocket Hall, but don’t tell anyone!

Here’s a selection of images from their day.