Blog of London & Cornwall wedding photographer Marianne Taylor

Aran & Mark | Wedding

July 28, 2015 · 11 Comments

Whenever I get to work with Cannes-based wedding planners Lavender & Rose I know there’s going to be magic involved, and Aran & Mark’s Provence wedding certainly didn’t disappoint! Wedding planner Jennifer was in charge at the amazing Villa Baulieu, while Parfums & Saveurs took care of catering and the talented Miss Rose Perrine did gorgeous things with flowers.

The day started at a leisurely pace, with Camille Bonardi on make-up and Jen Hillyard on hair, before picking up speed once Aran stepped into her magnificent Oscar de la Renta wedding gown and electric blue Manolo Blahniks (check out the matching blue pedi!).

Super 8 film maker Mark Brown and I were spoilt with such beauty everywhere, from the outside ceremony to the stunning courtyard setting of the reception. Aran owns an art gallery in Los Angeles and Mark is a production designer for film and TV, so they are both highly visual, which meant there were pretty touches everywhere, from the adorable cake by Cakes by Pamela and the stationery designed by Holly Hollon, which was really the most gorgeous I’ve ever seen!

I loved all the pretty touches, but most importantly, all the smiles and happiness that surrounded us under the scorching South of France sun. Huge congratulations again Aran & Mark, and thank you so much for having us! x

Aran & Mark | Wedding | Welcome Cocktails

July 21, 2015 · 7 Comments

Aran & Mark’s South of France wedding weekend kicked off on the Friday evening with welcome cocktails at Le Pigonnet in Aix-En-Provence. The surroundings and the setting sun couldn’t have been more beautiful. Add to that glamorous dresses, the excited sounds of people coming together, and all the little details, such as the adorable welcome packs and the stationery designed by Holly Hollon, and you could feel it all starting to weave its magic. It was good to be back in Provence!

It was such a pleasure to get together with Jennifer from Lavender & Rose, who was the planner extraordinaire for Aran & Mark’s wedding. And the whole trip was made even more special by the fact that we got to work (and go on some adventures) with super-8 filmmaker Mark Brown once again.

I hope these images from the first day will set the mood and make you want to see more, as I’ll be blogging the next two days later on. Enjoy!

Fine art destination wedding photography in the South of France by Marianne Taylor. Click through to see more.

How to deal with awkward photography subjects

July 15, 2015 · Leave a Comment

How to deal with awkward photography subjects. Click through to read.

I receive questions about photography & about being photographed almost daily. I share some of my favourite questions on the blog, so that everyone can benefit from the answers.

Q: I sometimes go into a shoot thinking my clients will be good fun only to realise they are very awkward in front of the camera, which then causes me to freeze. What’s your number one tip for approaching a photo shoot in order to get the most natural results?

Great question! Reading this really took me back to a time when I too struggled with similar things, and it makes me truly appreciate how all the work I have put into this are has paid off, seeing how I’m able to fully enjoy pretty much any shoot situation and client interaction these days without worrying about things such as freezing or ‘difficult clients’.

You asked for my number one tip? Here it comes. Have no expectations. Having expectations on how the shoot will go, or what you want the outcome to be, is the quickest way to guarantee the kind of situation you describe. Based on what you (think you) know about the clients you might be expecting for them to act in a certain way.

You might, for example, go into a shoot with the expectation of a great success where your subjects naturally reveal their inner beauty in front of your camera, while perfect sunlight illuminates them in a magical way. Or conversely, you might have a client who you have pre-judged to behave in a certain negative way (perhaps based on an experience with someone who they remind you of) and you go into a shoot dreading it in advance, which doesn’t really pave the way for a successful session. In both of these scenarios, you are setting yourself up for failure.

The only way to truly allow your clients the safe space they need in order to reveal their true selves is to not have any expectations, and just be prepared to go with the flow and with an interest in learning more about who they are. By all means go in fully prepared in all the areas you can affect (time of day for light, gear for the type of shoot, logistics, backups and workflows) but always remember to clear your mind when it comes to your clients. Most of all, keep in mind that the session is about them and what they are comfortable giving, not about what you want out of them.

And those awkward moments? Get comfortable with them. When you learn to just stay calm through an awkward or silent moment, your clients will feel that and mirror you. Likewise, if you panic or freeze, your clients will take a cue from you and feel similarly.

Are you a photographer or an aspiring creative business owner? Her Lovely Heart is my way of helping heart-led creatives to run their businesses with purpose, freedom, and joy. By subscribing to the Inspire Your Inbox letters, you’ll gain access to a library of free resources and worksheets, plus regular letters of inspiration from me straight to your inbox. Click here to join and receive instant access to The Library.

Introducing Still Life Branding Photography

July 6, 2015 · 5 Comments

While Together Sessions and weddings are my first ‘photography love’, I also enjoy still life photography immensely. I love playing around with pretty things and styling different scenarios. Recently I extended this love to a new service, brand still photography for small creative businesses.

If you are a creative entrepreneur or a crafter, do you ever find yourself stuck with producing still photography to use on your marketing material or on on social media?

I can help you present your products in a beautiful and fun way with lifestyle still photography of your products, showcasing your brand. I create images that work on your website and your marketing materials, as well as images designed to work on social media sites, such as Instagram in square format, and if you wish, ‘mock-up’ images with white space for you to overlay text for things such as a pricing guide, quotes or brand messages.

The process is super easy, all you have to do is post your products to me, and once I’ve created your images I’ll post your products back to you.

Some of my recent clients are showcased below.

Feminine Desktop Still Life Stock Photography for your brand by Marianne Taylor Feminine-desktop-still-life-stock-photography-0002

I create bespoke styled images you can use on your website, marketing materials or social media.

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Send a selection of 1-5 of your ‘signature products’ and we can then create a foundation for your visual identity with my Mini shoot option.

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For a full brand shoot you can send up to 30 items, provided they are not huge and I will mix and match.

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Have a look at my service offering and get in touch to discuss how I can help you with stunning product presentation to take your brand to the next level.

Brand stills: Alphabet Bags // Berinmade // Bridal Musings // Hema // Her Lovely Heart

Overcoming your nerves about client consultations

July 2, 2015 · 2 Comments

How to overcome your nerves about client consultations. Click through to read.

I receive questions about photography & about being photographed almost daily. I share some of my favourite questions on the blog, so that everyone can benefit from the answers.

Q: I get really nervous when doing consultations. Can you please describe your first meeting with a potential wedding client?

These days I get so many wedding enquiries that I don’t generally get to meet the couple in person before a booking, as it would be a bit of a logistical nightmare, especially when there are more than one couple interested in the same date, which often is the case. I do try to meet with my wedding clients before their big day, though, whether at their engagement session or at a book consultation where we’ll look at some samples of albums and get to know each other better.

My main prerogative is to learn more about the client and their story, and to educate them about my process (although I do this with my material prior, so generally in meetings it’s more of a reminder), and to connect with who they are. Quite a few of my clients are based abroad, so sometimes meetings take place over skype, technology really has made such a difference to our lives in such a short space of time!

If you’re just starting out, and nervous about consultations, I think the best thing for you to do is to try to focus completely on the people in front of you and ask questions about them, rather than going in with a sales pitch and thinking you need to impress them with who you are and what you do.

After you’ve gotten to know a little bit more about the couple, do invite them to ask you questions, and then try to provide solutions for those answers. When it comes to talking about your pricing, practice makes perfect. Make sure you know your prices and are comfortable with them. You can even practice saying your prices out loud, so that when it comes to a consultation situation, you are able to do it confidently and calmly.

Don’t worry, after you’ve been meeting with potential clients for a while, you won’t even remember why it made you nervous in the beginning!