A couple standing close together in tall grass as low evening sunlight crosses the meadow behind them

Walled gardens · Glasshouses · Open meadows

Unhurried photographs of slow, green days

I photograph weddings and portraits outdoors, mostly in gardens where the light moves through leaves. No posed lines, no shot-list marathon — just a long, calm day recorded as it happens and edited by hand.

Check your date See the archive

Working from: Hollowfield & the river valleys
Format: Digital, with one film back
Gallery delivery: Five weeks, hand-edited

Sessions

Three ways to book a day

Every session below is booked directly with me — I photograph a small number of days each season so nothing overlaps. Coverage, deliverables and travel are listed plainly so you can compare before you write.

The Long Garden Day

Full-day coverage for a garden or glasshouse wedding. I arrive while the flowers are still being carried in and stay through the first hour of the evening, following the day rather than steering it. Two short portrait walks, twenty minutes each, timed to the light instead of the schedule.

CoverageTen hours, single continuous block
PhotographedPreparation, ceremony, table and flowers, portraits, the loud part of the evening
DeliveredRoughly 500 edited frames in a private gallery, plus a 60-frame story edit
TravelIncluded within two hours' drive

Elopement Half Day

For small ceremonies of under twenty people, often in a borrowed garden or a hired glasshouse. Five hours is enough for the ceremony, a long slow walk, and the meal afterwards. This is the session most couples choose when the day is deliberately quiet.

CoverageFive hours, morning or late afternoon
PhotographedCeremony, rings and letters, portrait walk, the first toast
DeliveredRoughly 250 edited frames, plus one hand-printed 8×10
TravelIncluded within one hour's drive

Daylight Portrait Hour

A single hour outdoors for couples, families, growers and makers. We walk a set route I know well, so the light is predictable even when the weather is not. Good for anniversaries, a pregnancy, or simply a year worth marking.

CoverageOne hour, booked two hours before sunset
PhotographedWalking portraits, one still sequence, hands and details
DeliveredForty edited frames within two weeks
TravelWithin the Hollowfield gardens and river paths

The archive

A short walk through recent work

Five frames that show how the days usually look: green, a little overcast, and mostly unposed. Full galleries are shared on request when you write.

A long table set for a wedding meal under trees, with linen runners, glassware and low arrangements of garden flowers — **The long table** — walled garden, late June

A close daylight portrait of a smiling person turned slightly towards soft window light — **Portrait hour** — overcast, no flash

A newly married couple walking away down a narrow garden path lined with tall planting — **The walk back** — elopement, April

A hand-tied bouquet of garden roses and foliage resting on a weathered wooden surface — **Held flowers** — grown two fields away

Dense green foliage inside a glasshouse with diffuse light falling through the panes — **Glasshouse light** — two o'clock, diffuse

How a day runs

What actually happens, in order

Most people ask this first, so here it is before you have to. Nothing about the day requires you to perform for a camera.

Step one

A letter, then a call

You write with a date and a place. If I am free, we talk for half an hour — usually about the garden, who is coming, and how long you want to be photographed. You will have a clear answer on availability the same week.

Step two

Holding the date

A signed agreement and a holding amount reserve the day. After that I stop taking enquiries for it. Two weeks before, we set the running order together and pick the two windows for portrait walks.

Step three

The day itself

I arrive early, walk the whole site once, and note where the light will be at each hour. From then on I stay out of the way. I will ask for your attention twice, briefly, and otherwise you should forget I am there.

Step four

Editing and delivery

A short preview set of fifteen frames arrives within four days. The full gallery follows about five weeks later, edited one frame at a time, with download rights for everything and a print list if you want one.

Light notes

Planning for weather you cannot choose

Outdoor photographs are decided by time of day, cloud and clothing — in that order. These are the notes I send every couple before they finalise a running order.

Cloud is the best light there is

An overcast afternoon gives even skin tones, open shade everywhere, and no squinting. If you are choosing between a bright noon and a grey four o'clock, choose the grey.

Put portraits near the end of the day

The two hours before sunset are worth protecting. If the ceremony is early, keep a twenty-minute gap late in the evening and we will use it rather than rushing portraits after the meal.

Wear something that moves

Fabric that catches wind photographs far better than anything stiff. Soft, unsaturated colours sit well against green; tight patterns and bright logos fight the background.

Rain is a plan, not a problem

I bring two large plain umbrellas and know the covered corners of most local gardens. Wet stone and wet leaves photograph beautifully, so we keep going and simply move the portrait walk.

A narrow path between tall hedges leading towards soft low light at the end of the day

Scouted route, late season. I walk each garden the week before a booking so the timing of every corner is known in advance.

Questions

Answers to what gets asked most

How many photographs do we actually receive?

Around five hundred for a full day, two hundred and fifty for a half day, and forty for a portrait hour. Every frame delivered is individually edited — I do not pad galleries with near-identical duplicates, so the count is lower than some studios quote and each image is one you would keep.

When will the gallery arrive?

A preview of fifteen frames within four days, and the full gallery about five weeks later. During the busiest weeks of high summer it can stretch to six; if that happens you will hear the new date from me rather than having to ask.

Do you travel, and how is that handled?

Travel is included within two hours' drive for a full day and one hour for a half day. Beyond that I add mileage at cost and, if the journey means an early start, one night of local accommodation. Both are agreed in writing before you hold the date — never added afterwards.

What happens if the weather turns?

We continue. I carry plain umbrellas and lens cloths, and I will have already found the covered spots during the morning walk-through. The only thing that changes is the timing of the portrait walk, which we move to whichever gap in the rain looks longest.

Is there a second photographer?

Usually not. One person moving quietly suits a garden better than two. For a full day above one hundred and twenty guests, or where preparation happens in two separate places, I bring a second photographer I have worked with for years and tell you the cost when we first talk.

Can we print the photographs ourselves?

Yes. Every gallery includes full-resolution downloads and personal print rights, plus a short note on which local labs handle these files well. If you would rather not deal with it, I hand-print albums and framed sets myself and can quote once you have chosen your favourites.

Do you photograph anything other than weddings?

Often. Growers, small food producers, ceramicists and gardens in a particular week of the year. If the work happens outdoors or near a window, write with a sentence about what you need photographed and I will tell you honestly whether I am the right person for it.

Enquire

Tell me the date and the garden

A few lines is plenty. I reply to every enquiry personally, in the order they arrive, and I will say straight away if the date is already held.

Availability confirmed within the same week.
Full session details and investment sent by return.
Nothing is held until you have seen a complete written agreement.