Travel Photography El Rocio Andalusia

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Travel Photography El Rocio Andalusia

We were told of this hidden gem of a village about an hour South West of Seville so we decided to stop for a few nights on our way out of Portugal and back into Spain and Andalusia.  Visiting El Rocio is like stepping into a Western filmset with no tarmac just a series of sand streets around a beautiful lake and whitewashed church where Pilgrims flock to see La Paloma Blanca the virgin statue.  We took a trip into the neighbouring Donana National Park home to the elusive Spanish Lynx and a host of migratory birds.  May be we’ll see the Lynx next time……………..?

For a further look at our images of our Cardiff, South Wales landscape and travel photography, please have a look at our other Blog Posts and if you have any questions about our services don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or contact us.

Llanerch Vineyard Wedding Photography

cardiff wedding photographer

[dt_gap height=”10″ /]Llanerch Vineyard Wedding Photography

Llanerch Vineyard is the stunning venue for this gorgeous couple’s wedding reception!  The weather was perfect, everyone had an amazing time, it was so laid back and Vix looked
fabulous in her Augustus James dress that she purchased from Laura May Bridal and pretty Dune shoes, which the Bridesmaids complimented in their long, coral dresses and the final touch of stunning bouquets from The Flower Lodge.  All of the girls had their hair and make up done by Brideology who came to Vix’s house and who ensured that they were all ready in good time to get dressed and have some photographs before we headed off to St Denys Church in Lisvane.  It was very emotional when Vix walked down the stairs and her Dad saw her for the first time, such a touching moment.  The boys were waiting for us at the church, looking extremely smart in their grey Moss Bros suits and plain ties – Henry was wearing a coral one to match the Bridesmaids!  We had met his Mum & Sister at the house so it was nice to meet his Dad & brother, who was an Usher too.  Once some of the remaining guests had been coaxed out of the pub across the road from the church it was time for the Bride, Father of the Bride, Bridesmaids and Vix’s Mum to arrive in ‘Candice’ from Henrietta Hire, they made a striking site walking along the pretty path in to the church where Rosemary was waiting for them to perform the ceremony.  The church is unusual as it is ‘L’ shaped so Vix & Henry stood at the edge of the ‘L’ so that all of their guests could see them and watch them exchange vows, though they signed the register in the vestry with just their parents and Rhys the Best Man and then walked back down the aisle and out in to the beautiful grounds of the church where confetti was thrown and a couple of family photographs were taken!  We all headed off to Llanerch Vineyard where the reception drinks and delicious canapes were served, whilst all of the guests were arriving we took Vix & Henry through the Woodland walk to the lake, it was so peaceful with perfect lighting, they enjoyed having a bit of time with each other before joining all of their guests in the Calon Lodge, overlooking the vines – we just stopped in the marquee for them to see the room set up as they had planned and to take a photograph of them with their cake made by Kooky Cakes!  The guests loved being able to appreciate the vines and sit outside in the glorious sunshine, the perfect backdrop for the family & friend’s photographs before heading to the marquee for the Wedding Breakfast.  A delicious meal was served and heartfelt, humorous speeches were delivered – including the story of how Henry proposed, amusingly it was at home in their kitchen as Henry’s plan to propose on a romantic walk was foiled by Vix finding a certificate of insurance for the carefully chosen engagement ring – before we took Vix & Henry back to the vines to photograph them in the late afternoon/early evening sun – Ryan the owner of the vineyard had set up a scaffold tower for Andy to be able to get a birds eye view of the gorgeous couple and the vines with the restaurant, hotel and Calon Lodge, it looked amazing!  Soon it was time for the cake cutting and then the First dance, played expertly by the band, Perfect Day Party Band!  We hope they are having an awesome honeymoon in Thailand and can’t wait to see them when they return to come to see their wedding day images!!

If you’d like to get in touch or view more weddings from Cardiff Wedding Photographers Andy & Sacha of A.L.S Photography please visit our contact and blog pages and feel free to have a look around.

Destination Wedding Tuscany

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Destinatioin wedding Volterra Tuscany
Destinatioin wedding Volterra Tuscany
Destinatioin wedding Volterra Tuscany
Destinatioin wedding Volterra Tuscany

Destination Wedding Tuscany

Volterra, Tuscany in Italy, is the most beautiful and enchanting location for this very intimate wedding!  This beautiful couple, Soph & Sam decided to tie the knot here witnessed by only us and their gorgeous daughters Esme and Tilly, which obviously makes us feel extremely honoured and I felt super proud as I have known Soph all of her life.  We started photographing as everyone was getting ready, a hairdresser arrived to ‘tame’ Soph’s hair, the girls sat still for a few minutes to have their hair tidied up too!  Sam got ready in to his smart Navy Hugo Boss suit matched with tan brogues and belt that were gifts from Soph, the girls literally couldn’t wait to get in to their hand made Bridesmaids Dresses, they looked so cute accessorised with sparkly gold sandals from mini-boden and petite feather clips in their hair.  Soph applied her own make up using lovely subtles shades of Chanel make up, which was perfect to go with her 50’s inspired designed hand made dress, which Sam assisted in doing up the zip, complimented by classic nude LK Bennett court shoes. Soph’s sister had given her a delicate silver bracelet and she wore earrings made from diamonds that were her late Grandmother’s.  The grounds of the complex where they were staying are just stunning with amazing views looking up to the hilltop town of Volterra, beautifully kept gardens and 3 pools! and we were able to take some lush photographs of them all before the taxi arrived to take us in to the town for the Ceremony which was held in the Town Hall in The Palazzo dei Priori.  We were met by Gillian, a lovely Scottish Lady who organises many weddings for couples wishing to get married in Tuscany, she had Soph’s bouquet which was a stunning hand tied bouquet of ivory roses.  The ceremony was conducted by the Lady Mayoress of Volterra in the beautiful Italian language, very romantic (Soph & Gillian were the only two people who understood it!) with Gillian translating the legal parts of it, so cool!  After some photographs inside the stunning room and on the steps outside we walked back through the busy streets to have a drink and to take some more photographs overlooking the gorgeous Tuscan countryside.  The taxi then took us to the amazing Villa Pignano which was a few miles away from Volterra but had the most incredeible view overlooking Volterra, where we had a gourmet’s delight of a Wedding Breakfast and the staff were most attentive and the sunset just perfect, it completed a perfect day!

Our style of wedding photography is a mix of documentary photography, unobtrusively capturing moments, personality and emotion with natural, fine art style Bridal Portraits at a variety of wedding venues in and around Cardiff, South Wales and the UK.  For a further look at our images of our Cardiff, South Wales Wedding photography, please have a look at our Gallery or other Blog Posts and if you have any questions about our services don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or contact us.  Also if you would like to arrange your own Family, Child or Couples Portrait Session please email [email protected]

Landscape Photography Lagos Algarve

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Landscape Photography Lagos Algarve

Just had chance to go through some of our winters trip to Spain & Portugal this morning, I’ll get there eventually!!  Here are some images from Praia Da Luz, some sunrise and afternoon shots at Ponte Da Piedade and some dusk shots at Praia Do Camilo which as it happens has a very nice bar on the cliff top!! The latter two are on a headland just outside the town of Lagos – an absolute stunning stretch of coastline!  Climbing down the last section of the cove in Ponte Da Piedade proved a bit of a challenge with my gear and tripod but definitely worth it when you get there – as long as the tides not in of course!

For a further look at our images of our Cardiff, South Wales landscape and travel photography, please have a look at our other Blog Posts and if you have any questions about our services don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or contact us.

Margam Orangery Wedding

Margam Orangery Wedding

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St. Illtud's Church Llantwit Major
Margam Orangery Wedding

Margam Orangery Wedding

Margam Orangery is the stunning Gothic venue for Emily & Adam’s Wedding Reception!  Though the day started in Wick, so nice & local for us at the rather busy home of Emily’s parents, where Emily, her family & Bridesmaids were all getting ready, there was plenty to capture, starting with Emily’s Wedding Dress that she had borrowed from her cousin who had worn it 10 years earlier, it still looked immaculate and hasn’t dated at all!  Emily matched it with gold court shoes from Dune and her Bridesmaids complimented the look with their Navy dresses from Coast and the Flower Girls brought it all together with theirs from Debenhams.  The Colour theme for the day was Teal and Gold which both Mum’s beautifully adhered to and Emily’s bouquet from Gutteridges in Porthcawl made the look complete!  It was then back to the St Illtyd’s Church in Llantwit Major (so very close to home for us) to meet up with Adam, his family and Groomsmen, the recently renovated Visitor’s centre provided a perfect backdrop for this whilst guests were arriving and awaiting the arrival of Emily!  The boys all looked super smart in their Grey Morning Suits and Top Hats with teal cravats from Moss bros.  We met Emily & her Dad back at the gate of the church where they alighted from the beautiful vintage Wedding car to be greeted by Father Anthony Beer who escorted them to the church door and then led them inside for a lovely service.  The weather remained perfect so all of the photographs could be taken outside, though we did make an exception when we got to Margam Park and were allowed to photograph inside the Grade 1 Listed Castle!  We are spoilt for choice with areas to photograph here and we made good use of the grounds with the various family and friends photographs including the steps leading back up to the house!  The staff at the Orangery provided excellent service and food, so everyone was quite content and sat back to listen to the speeches, Adam’s Brother in law who was Usher and MC did all of the introductions – not before the cake had been cut though, loveingly baked and iced by both Emily & Adam’s Mums, there was also a ‘Cheese Wheel’ for those who don’t like cake!  It was soon time for the First Dance that had been choreographed for them, they certainly had practiced well, much to their guests delight, who then joined them on the dance floor to enjoy the sounds of their band The Hot Shoes!  We couldn’t leave with out taking a photograph of Emily & Adam outside in the lit up ruins just outside the Orangery building, perfect photographs to end on!  We can’t wait to hear about their honeymoon to Iceland!

Our style of wedding photography is a mix of documentary photography, unobtrusively capturing moments, personality and emotion with natural, fine art style Bridal Portraits at a variety of wedding venues in and around Cardiff, South Wales and the UK.  For a further look at our images of our Cardiff, South Wales Wedding photography, please have a look at our Gallery or other Blog Posts and if you have any questions about our services don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or contact us.  Also if you would like to arrange your own Family, Child or Couples Portrait Session please email [email protected]

Cardiff Castle Wedding Photography

Cardiff Castle Wedding Sunset

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Cardiff Castle Wedding Sunset

Cardiff Castle Wedding Photography

Cardiff Castle provided the stunning backdrop for these ‘full of fun’ couple and their 5 Children!  After Dan had proposed to Debra at her home, they decided that Cardiff Castle would be the perfect venue for them and they opted to have the ceremony and Wedding Breakfast there, so the ceremony was the last one of the day at 4pm which was so nice as it was a gorgeous sunny day and the crowds started to thin out and from 6pm they had the Castle to themselves – though some of the visitors provided a giggle for them as they squeezed past to get in to the Castle for their tour wishing them a happy wedding day!!!  We met Dan at the Castle first, he was accompanied by his son Oscar, they both looked dashing in their grey suits and lilac ties from Tickled Pink in Hatfield Doncaster, Dan dressing his with dark purple Dr Martens boots, greeting the guests prior to the ceremony.  Debra then arrived in ‘Annabelle’ from Prices Wedding Cars along with her 2 daughters Seren & Chleo, Dan’s 2 daughters Olivia & Madeleine, her Mum and her Uncle Alan who ‘gave her away’, there was plenty of room for them in the 7 seater, they emerged looking gorgeous Debra was in a beautiful lace gown from Allison Jayne, accessorised with a pretty bouquet from The Secret Garden and white Dr Marten boots, laced up with purple ribbon!  The girls were in pretty ivory dresses and Uncle Alan had made his own jacket matching perfectly with the purple and lilac theme.  After the ceremony in the Undercroft the guests were able to go outside for their drinks and we were able to photograph them in the beautiful surroundings, moving around the grounds to capture many aspects of the Castle.  At 6pm everyone found their seats in the Banquet Hall to listen to the speeches, seated at tables that had been decorated using their favourite theme of Star Trek which Dan’s Best Man, Scott, included in his speech followed by feasting on the tasty Wedding Breakfast provided by the Castle’s Caterers.  They had decorated their M&S Wedding cake complete with robots adorning it, which they cut with the Castle’s ceremonial sword!  The evening light was perfect and we were able to take the newlyweds back out in to the Castle grounds to take some more Bridal Photographs, the sky was gorgeous and the Castle’s Keep looked very dramatic against it, Debra & Dan completed the perfect view!  They then danced the night away to the the tunes played by ‘Mad Mel’ surrounded by their gorgeous children!  A honeymoon to Disneyland Paris, completed this fab couple’s start to married life and continued the fun that they all have together!!

Our style of wedding photography is a mix of documentary photography, unobtrusively capturing moments, personality and emotion with natural, fine art style Bridal Portraits at a variety of wedding venues in and around Cardiff, South Wales and the UK.  For a further look at our images of our Cardiff, South Wales Wedding photography, please have a look at our Gallery or other Blog Posts and if you have any questions about our services don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or contact us.  Also if you would like to arrange your own Family, Child or Couples Portrait Session please email [email protected]

South Wales Location Portrait Photography

South Wales Portrait Photography at a Rapeseed field in the Vale of Glmaorgan

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South Wales Portrait Photography at a Rapeseed field in the Vale of Glmaorgan
South Wales Portrait Photography at Llantwit Major Beach in the Vale of Glmaorgan

South Wales Location Portrait Photography

The best way to know what it will feel like having your photograph taken on your Wedding day is to have a Photo-Shoot before your Wedding day!!!  Sera & Stu did just that!  They really fancied a Beach session, but we also wanted to take advantage of the Rapeseed fields that were in abundance in the Vale of Glamorgan, so we headed to one that is on a Public Footpath route (it is important that you know that in advance so that you are not trespassing on farmer’s land) near Llantwit Major.  We took full advantage of the pathways that are marked out in the field, so that it looked as if they were literally walking through the pretty yellow flowers, the lighting was perfect -the best time of day between 4 & 6pm at this time of the year (April).  We then went off to the beach, the tide was on it’s way in which was great for being on the flat rocks but being near the water, much to Sera’s dismay!  She handled it very well (even with the heels!!) and we had some fun shots of them walking at the water’s edge, incorporating the beautiful cliff face and the rocks at this dramatic and beautiful spot.  It was only a short session, just enough to give you an idea of how we guide through the photographs on your Wedding day!  We then photographed Sera & Stu’s amazing Wedding day at the Welsh College of Music and Drama and they both felt so much more relaxed about being photographed.

If you’d like to get in touch or view more weddings from Cardiff Wedding Photographers Andy & Sacha of A.L.S Photography please visit our contact and blog pages and feel free to have a look around.

 

Landscape Photography Sagres Portugal

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Landscape Photography Sagres Portugal

Situated at the South West tip of Portugal is the sleepy surf town of Sagres.  We used this as our first base in the Algarve to explore the surrounding headlands, beaches, forts and lighthouse on both the southern and western coastline.  We also had a great drive into the Algarves interior, driving up into the hills and visiting some of the rural towns such as Aljezur and the beautiful hilltop market town of Monchique.  We aslo found a great spot for sunset at Castelejo, one of the more remote beaches North of Sagres.  The campsite at Sagres was fairly basic, especially when compared to our next stop Lagos!

For a further look at our images of our Cardiff, South Wales landscape and travel photography, please have a look at our other Blog Posts and if you have any questions about our services don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or contact us.

Landscape Photography Lisbon Coast

[dt_gap height=”10″ /]Landscape Photography Lisbon Coast

A few hours south we arrive at Lisbon, spread along a hillside overlooking the Rio Tejo and it’s iconic red bridge.  Home for the next few days is between the town of Cascais and the Western beach of Praia Do Guincho.  We caught a local train into Lisbon and had a great day exploring the city, starting at a stunning riverside square the Praca Do Comercio, a great place to grab a coffee and people watch.  We climbed the narrow backstreet alleyways up to the Sao Jorge Castle with it’s magnificent views of the city and river.  Time to jump on a local tram and see if we can get lost, luckily it went vaguely in the right direction??  As we had visited the most Westerly point of mainland Spain we thought we had better go and see the most Westerley point of mainland Portugal and Europe, Cabo Da Roca.  A few miles North along the windy mountain road is the beautiful cliff top village of Azenhaus Do Mar, a great spot for a sundowner while waiting for the sun to set over the wild Atlantic breakers.  We also had a great day exploring the beautiful hillside down of Sintra with it’s historic gardens, mansions and fairytale hilltop Palace, a home to many of Portugal’s monarchs.  We also visited the beautiful clifftop village of Azenhas Do Mar where the wild Atlantic surf batters the coast, lying about 40 minutes drive North West of Lisbon.

 

For a further look at our images of our Cardiff, South Wales landscape and travel photography, please have a look at our other Blog Posts and if you have any questions about our services don’t hesitate to leave a comment below or contact us.

The Barn at West Farm Wedding Fayre

Weddings at the Barn at West Farm - Marquee

[dt_gap height=”10″ /]The Barn at West Farm Wedding Fayre

The Barn at West Farm in Southerndown is THE place to get married on the Heritage coast in the beautiful Vale of Glamorgan, with the converted stone barn and the marquee it offers views over the Bristol Channel and pretty gardens providing an amazing backdrop for photographs.  Town and Country Hotels are responsible for the efficient running of the venue and for providing the amazing food that will be served on a Wedding day from canapes to the Wedding Breakfast and including the evening buffet, Claire, Scott and Ashley were on hand to take bookings and enquiries at the first Wedding Fayre here, run by Eternity with Love yesterday.  The sun shone and a steady stream of excited Brides, Grooms and their families arrived to see the venue dressed as a wedding day would look to give them an idea of how gorgeous their own day could be.  We joined other top suppliers in South Wales who were there to meet them, we were situated in the marquee where we displayed our beautifully designed Wedding Albums and  frames and offered advice about what to look for in a potential wedding venue – for example looking at areas indoors as well as outdoors for your Wedding Day Photographs in the event that it may rain, the Barn offers many areas to take photographs indoors as well as the outdoor areas – along with Ceri Wynne Jones who played the harp beautifully adding the perfect ambience, Flowers with a Twist had provided a wide variety of stunning flower centre pieces and bouquets and Totally Co-Ordinated had dressed the tables and chairs with the most elegant choice of chair covers, table places etc.  Zuccherro had completed the look with an exquisite chocolate cake design.  It was great to catch up with our friends Emma Hall Designs, have banter with Picasso Griffiths and meet new ones such as Butterfly Brides and Laura from Dream Wedding Photographer and we also caught up with Prices cars who were set up proudly outside.  A big thank you to Jamie and her team who kept us fed & watered throughout the day.  It was lovely to meet some new people and we have already had some emails from a Bride and Grooms that we met, can’t wait to hear from a more!!!