Raquel & David
Falling in love in Oxford
To celebrate the place where they first met, Ana and Neil returned to Oxford for a daytrip. And they invited us to join them!
This Pre-wedding session was not only a chance to photograph the two of them in fun and relaxed circumstances. It was a perfect excuse to experience a new adventure. We are always thrilled to discover new places and to hear stories our couples have to tell.
The stories Oxford could tell us are undoubtedly endless.
Being able to just walk the old streets of this town already feels like a privilege. It made us think off all those great minds that walked them before us: J.R.R. Tolkien, Oscar Wilde, Stephen Hawkin, Indira Gandhi.
It also made us wonder what it must feel like for those young students to arrive here hoping to get a taste of greatness, wishing to become a part of something extraordinary. The famous Bridge of Sighs has been there the whole time and will be there weather they succeed or fail to accomplish their dreams.
Once we passed the walls off the University building we were transformed to a totally different world. The interiors of the campus are extensive and intimidating. Oxford is the oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world. It is over 900 years old. Those walls have seen it all! Including filming of the Harry Potter saga. We could not resist and took a quick shot in the famous Great Hall inside the Christ Church College. Thanks to Diogo, our unofficial tour guide, we also located the famous stairway used in the film, and a small archway where Harry first arrives at Hogwarts.
We also uncovered some paths that belong exclusively to Ana and Neil, paths that shape their own, utterly unique Oxford story.
And here is how their story unwinds :
Marry me in La Baronia
There is no question about it. La Baronia with its movie-like deco makes for an ideal wedding location! This fairytale house, also known by the name of Can Bosch, is a textbook example of the XX century Art Nouveau architecture (Spanish Modernismo). Built by Antonio Gaudi´s student Joan Rubió y Bellver, this astonishing family house lived through some swinging times before it was converted into a wedding venue by the third generation of owners.
Felisha and Steve came all the way from Los Angeles to Barcelona to celebrate their destination wedding in this dreamy scenery. The house facade with its adjacent gardens does not require much additional decoration. Everything looks great just the way it is! The interiors of the building offer fantastic background for a photo shoot. Cocktail and dinner can be hosted outside and the views are splendid.
“We’ve received your photos in the lovely packaging! We are so excited to share them with our family and friends! They are absolutely BEAUTIFUL! It’s like I’m flipping through a Bridal magazine. They are everything I dreamed of and more. Thank you for capturing this very special moment for us! You two are absolutely wonderful to work with and your dedication and passion for your craft truly shines through your work! The next time we are in Barcelona we will be stopping in to visit you two.”
Felisha & Steve
A Bride who went fishing
One day after the wedding of Jorgina and Miquel in San Carlos de la Rapita, Tarragona, their family boat was due to set sail from the local port. Jorgina´s father is a fisherman and he owns a large fishing boat. Many male members of the family work for him. We simply could not resist the opportunity to witness their return to the port after a day fishing in the Mediterranean Sea. This is how our post-wedding reportage in Delta del Ebro started.
As soon as the boat was moored, the fishermen worked really fast to download all the fish, before the fearless seagulls get to it. We felt lucky and privileged to be allowed on board in the middle of the action. Gal·la, Jorgina and Miquel´s little daughter, was delighted to see her grandfather and uncles work. She was not afraid to inspect the daily catch and posed with a fish in her hand proving that the fishermen´s blood runs in her veins.
When the day of hard work ended in the port, we moved on to the nearby rice fields, the most emblematic landmark of the region. This time of the year, the luscious green rice plant is already sprouting above the ground level, but the flooded black soil is still the dominating texture. In a month, those lands will turn into endless lawns of green.
Delta of the river Ebro is probably the most authentic and unspoiled agricultural region of Catalunya, but it is also renown for its incredible, natural beaches, dunes and swamps. To show the cross section of this magical place, we ended our session by the beach, right where the river reaches the seawaters. The sunset there is so unique, that no camera can capture its true beauty.
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A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Gill and Chris brought their friends and families all the way from Scotland to celebrate their wedding day under the blue skies of Spain. And they hit the bull´s-eye! Everyone was amazed with the venue Casa Felix, the food and with how stunning the bride looked. It was one of those weddings where everything goes as planned and exceeds expectations. On top of that, it was Sant Joan, the longest day of the year and a magical night of celebration here in Catalunya! If that was not enough, it coincided with Chris’s birthday! Que vivan los novios! Lang may yer lum reek!
“You’ve been amazing and kept us so relaxed all day. We barely even noticed you being there throughout the day. Our guests were amazed by the photos and we will be recommending you to anyone else we know that gets married in the future. Loads of love.”
Gill and Chris
Tuscany – Destination Wedding
I met Florin Stefan (https://florinstefan.ro/) for the second time at the Fearless Conference 2019 in Aachen (https://www.fearlessphotographers.com/). The conference is always a pleasant opportunity to reunite with friends from all over the world and share our photographic experiences with each other.
With Florin, we talked about our plans for 2019. He told me he was traveling to Italy in May to photograph a wedding in Tuscany. Naturally, I immediately offered to come along as a second photographer and he quickly agreed.
So there we were in Tuscany, pouring rain under the cloudy sky. But this didn’t affect anyone’s attitude or mood. That´s one of the things I love most about destination weddings. Everyone is there on holiday but on top of that, they have the opportunity to enjoy a wedding with family and friends in a completely different surrounding to what they would typically experience.
The bride and groom gathered together a good mix of friends from back home and from all over the world. They being Romanians based in The Netherlands, were drawn to this romantic Italian location.
From the very beginning everyone made me feel very welcome and part of the team. One of the best things about being the second shooter at a wedding is that you have less of the pressures that comes with being the main photographer. You are there to help in any way you can, but you can enjoy the fun of photographing, almost as if doing it for pleasure. You can find angles, perspectives and moments that otherwise, being the main photographer; you wouldn´t always have the time and the patience to spot.
The weather forecast wasn´t very optimistic, but that didn´t stop the bride and groom having an outdoor wedding. It was an orthodox ceremony and I loved it. It is always very interesting to see different kinds of religious celebrations rather than the ones we are used to. It´s a privilege to observe and learn from different cultures and traditions by being a spectator on such an important day of peoples lives and also having the luxury to capture it on film.
By the time we were ready for the cocktail, Florin had already ordered the clouds to clear (there is nothing he cannot achieve) and we enjoyed the last rays of sunshine before dinner. By the end everyone was ready to party, commemorating these amazing few days in Tuscany.
