Kat Hill Blog » Blog of London UK Wedding Photographer Kat Hill

WEDDING>> Congratulations Mr & Mrs. Barker!

It’s early afternoon in Hampstead and I’m at Burgh House waiting for Annie & Ed’s wedding to begin.  My second shooter Cris and I have been exchanging nervous looks for the past fifteen minutes because the weather’s playing games with us – one minute it’s glorious, the next grey clouds roll over threateningly.  Guests start to arrive, as Michael the pianist plays them in with a  touch of Schubert.

Soon, Ed arrives. He’s calm as, and beaming.  His adorable daughter shows me the flower girl bag Annie’s made especially for the occasion.  It’s pink, and floral and, most importantly she tells me, it’s reversible!  The bag is too cute (not surprising as Annie is the brains and talent behind The Village Haberdashery, a London-based fabric and knitting shop opening soon).  We inspect the petals inside and I ask whether she’s nervous? She shakes her head: nah.

Shortly after, Annie’s here looking totally amazing.  I spend the rest of the day wondering which Hollywood star she reminds me of.   Oh and the shoes! Hot pink Manolos.  You read that right :  Hot. Pink. Manolos.  Fabulous doesn’t even begin to cover it.  I squeal inwardly (and probably outwardly too, sorry Annie!).

Suddenly, it’s time.  Guests take their seats and then break into smiles as the doors are opened.   The ceremony is brief, but utterly lovely.

Champagne and congratulatory hugs fill the reception room and garden at Burgh House.   Some of Annie’s family have flown a long, long way to celebrate the big day and everyone looks so happy to be there.

While the sky looks clear, we take a few group photos, then whisk Annie & Ed away for a few couples shots.  I know I’m biased, but I think they look amazing together!!

Meanwhile, back at the venue, the guests have struck up an impromptu singalong with the help of the pianist.  Awesome.  Can we have guests like this at every wedding please?

As evening sets in, the party moves on to The Stag.

Annie’s changed into a gorgeous stripey 50’s inspired dress, with little bow details down the front….

…and food and drink seem to cover every available surface!

Thank you so much to Annie & Ed for letting me photograph their big day for them!!  It honestly was such a fun, laid-back affair it was an absolute pleasure to be part of.  I wish you both a lifetime of happiness!!

Credits:

Ceremony venue : Burgh House
Reception venue : The Stag
Shoes : Manolo Blahnik
Second shooter : Cristina Rossi

whatshappeningatmyhouse - Amazing pics, Kat – looks like a fabulous wedding.October 8, 2011 – 5:21 pm

Cristina Rossi - Ahh, lovely memories, it was such a happy day, Annie and Ed were so cool :-) Great work my friend :-) xxxOctober 8, 2011 – 9:59 pm

Kat Hill - It really was so lovely, Caroline! And thank you xxOctober 9, 2011 – 8:01 am

Kat Hill - They really were, weren’t they? Thanks lovely, and thank you for your help on the day!! xxOctober 9, 2011 – 8:02 am

Lisa Devlin - Looks fab Kat, looking forward to catching up soon.October 9, 2011 – 12:08 pm

Kat Hill - Thanks Lisa! Looking forward to it! xOctober 10, 2011 – 8:56 am

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BEHIND THE SCENES // Lofty Heights!

I woke up this morning and thought it might be a funny idea to start a series showing the ridiculous things we get up to as photographers.  When I get home after a wedding and I tell Tom about my day, I often get a raised eyebrow or two, and probably quite rightly so!

Here’s a nice gentle one to start off with.  Here I am at a wedding last month, hanging out the loft of a barn, having climbed up a rickety old ladder with broken steps, kneeling in bits of hay and who-knows-what else.  I do turn up looking quite smart at the beginning of the day, I promise! :)

The venue was the lovely Lilibrooke Manor in Berkshire.  Unfortunately all the buildings were single-story and I struggled to find anywhere high enough to take a group shot of 150(ish) people.  Until the owner pointed out the loft….

Alongside me is my lovely second shooter Cristina Rossi, who very kindly came up to hold me down in case I took a tumble.  Thank you Cris ;)

x

Cristina Rossi Photography - Ahh I love this!!! How many spider webs were there?! You did climb up so elegantly and kept clean in the process! Great fun! :-) xxxOctober 4, 2011 – 11:09 am

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PERSONAL // The Importance of Photographs

Not long ago, I met up with a lovely friend of mine for dinner and a chinwag.  The food and company was fab as always, but a part of our conversation left me a little bit sad.  Someone in her family was getting married but wasn’t bothered about photographs in the slightest – she hadn’t arranged anything and thought maybe guests might take photos throughout the day.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t expect people to be as bonkers about photography as I am, but to not really want any record of your wedding at all?  That made me a little sad for her.

One thing I’ve started to understand is that photos are important.  Really, really important. You might not realise now, because they might not matter to you so much.  But your photos will matter to someone.

I went to visit my parents a couple of years ago and one evening my Dad unearthed what I thought was absolute treasure – family photos I’d never seen before, going back a few generations.  He’d recently been given them by another member of the family for safekeeping.  There were lots of photos – of my family, of my dad when he was young, of people we couldn’t recognise, of serious faces, of laughing faces, of family pets, of houses, of holidays.  The most precious ones to me though were ones of my paternal grandparents, both of whom passed away when I was relatively young and who I never got to know.  I remember fragments of them – dancing in the living room with my grandad, or making marzipan with my nan.  But it’s all a bit sketchy and it really breaks my heart that I never knew them properly.

At least now I have this:

I make no apologies for the fact that my grandad would appear to be THE coolest guy in the world :)  Gotta love that pipe!  And how happy does my nan look?

And then there’s these two photos which my nan and grandad sent to each other during the second world war when my grandad was posted to the middle east.  The best thing about these photos? The declarations of love written on the back (which I won’t write out, you guys don’t need to hear that ;) ).

And just to complete the picture, here they are with me, many many years later ;)

I was the first girl in – would you believe – THREE generations of boys, so they were chuffed when I came along.  I love this photo.

That’s only part of the story, because a very short while ago I lost my maternal grandfather.  I’m really grateful that at least I knew him while I was an adult, but he lived several thousand miles away in Hong Kong so I didn’t get a chance to see him as much as I would’ve liked.  When I received the bad news, the first thing I did was to get my album of photographs.  It was a way of being nearer.

Here he is, I’m told, on his wedding day with my grandma, both looking positively regal.

Another photo I love more than I have words for.

Photos are SO important.

K x

Cristina Rossi Photography - You are so right, photos are priceless, beautiful memories! I love the b&w pic of your paternal parents, your grandad surely looks very cool indeed with his pipe :-) xxxSeptember 23, 2011 – 10:51 am

claire - ditto everything you said about photos being important. a little story from me… my maternal grandad died 6 months before i was born, he was an avid photographer. 2 weeks ago i went, with my mum, to a golden wedding party for which she’d been the bridesmaid 50yrs ago. what i didn’t know until we got there was that my grandad had been their wedding photographer and there was the album, in all it’s glory. a lump leapt to my throat, the thought still makes me teary. these were images he’d made 50 years ago to the day, he’d printed them in their kitchen, lovingly made the album, and they were good, really good. the more i know of my grandad the more i know we would have been best friends. :-)September 23, 2011 – 12:27 pm

Lucy Atkin (@midcenturylass) - I completely agree! I love looking through old photos. In fact, I think I love photos more with a bit of distance between Now, and Then. I was really upset when my family threw away a load of photos that my granny had kept, but recently found out that a selection were saved, and they’re priceless (especially the ones that you would delete if you took them digitally!). I think I believe that more now as I’m thinking about having kids in the next few years, and wanting to have something to show where they come from. Only photos do that for me.

Your grandparents on both sides look amazingly coolSeptember 23, 2011 – 12:51 pm

Kat Hill - Haha, thank you!!! xSeptember 23, 2011 – 2:08 pm

Kat Hill - That is a LOVELY story, Claire!!! I’m sad that you never got to know your grandad but I love how you still have that connection with him. And it’s so brilliant that you have that tangible thing to know him by, all those photos!! xxxxSeptember 23, 2011 – 2:10 pm

Kat Hill - I know EXACTLY what you mean about how photos get better with time. I was editing a wedding this morning and was annoyed because there’s a car in one of my shots as they’re walking to the venue. I was trying to crop it out nicely but it wouldn’t work. Then I thought hey, it might just be an ugly Citroen or something but in even 10 years time that will look interesting, not just an eyesore. And imagine in 30,40, 50 years time!

Urgh, so sorry to hear that your family threw photos away (!!!!!! why?!!?!). I’m glad a few were saved, though. And you’re so right, it’s for future generations, those people who come after you, who are part of you and want to know you. There’s something so lovely about being able to see your bloodline and knowing where you come from.

xxxxSeptember 23, 2011 – 2:16 pm

Tracey Barrow - Photographs are vitally important. While of course your memory stores things for eternity it doesn’t always store it in the exact way or infact in some cases it gets buried away for eternity within your memory never to be recalled again. However a photography is an exact record of history. There for you to recall in an instant. It captures moments that we don’t recall or even see. For instance that cool bag that your Granddad is carrying or the people sitting down or the little girl in the background. Or the wonderful patterned carpet and cushions in the photograph of you as a baby with your Grandparents! I wish I had been into photography for many years because I would love to have captured more memories from my past. Thank you for sharing these treasured memories with us, they truly are beautiful and priceless.

T xxSeptember 23, 2011 – 9:06 pm

Hannah Webster - I will never tire of pouring over family albums. My aunt has a fantastic collection of photo albums going back several generations and I die with happiness every tie I look through them. Even just going back to my university pics and family holiday snaps (of which there are many – I was obsessed even then) makes me oh so happy. I bloody love photography. Not only can we make pretty pictures for today – we can also hold onto moments full of wonder for future generations to cherish. I’m grinning from ear to ear just thinking about it (but happily admit I cried reading your post). xSeptember 24, 2011 – 12:00 am

Kat Hill - So true, Tracey, it’s all those little details that’d otherwise get lost. Though I’m not sure we really need to remember those patterned carpet and cushions lol! Thank you for your lovely comment though and for sharing on FB, I really appreciate it :) xxSeptember 24, 2011 – 8:41 am

Kat Hill - Awww, bless you lovely, sorry for making you cry ;) But I have to admit, I got a bit weepy writing it! You’ll have to show us some of your old photos one day, sounds like you have a fab collection! xSeptember 24, 2011 – 8:44 am

whatshappeningatmyhouse - Totally agree – and thanks for sharing your lovely family photos with us – they are so gorgeous. xSeptember 25, 2011 – 1:34 pm

Kat Hill - You’re welcome Caroline xxxSeptember 25, 2011 – 9:37 pm

Karly - This got me really quite bleary-eyed. To my mind there aren’t enough hours in the day to spend going through photos, ancient or recent. I hope your friend’s relative changes her mind about a wedding photographer. And I’m so proud and awed by your decision to help others record their memories (am getting Happy Farmer By The Harbour blown up one of these days…!)xxOctober 4, 2011 – 11:20 am

Kat Hill - Thank you, Karls!! Happy Farmer by the Harbour?! Are you telling me there’s a photograph of this?! Awesome!!! xxOctober 9, 2011 – 8:03 am

shoestringalley - Yes, yes and yes! I love photos. However, our wedding photos were such a disaster that we don’t have a framed photo from the big day or a proper album. There is one okayish shot of me in my frock but not one ‘good’ one of Hub and me. If only you were taking photos back then! I think it is a family curse because my parents wedding photos were a disaster too (just two shots survived and they aren’t looking at the camera in either one!).
PS This made me cry too!October 20, 2011 – 7:28 pm

Kat Hill - Oh noooo!!!! I’m so upset for you!! What happened that meant you have no photos – do you just not like them stylistically?! xxxOctober 21, 2011 – 10:36 am

Alexa - Such a beautiful post and such precious images. Thank you for sharing Kat xxxxMay 4, 2012 – 9:43 am

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Luxe Bridal Shoot : Preview!

OK, I’m not normally a fan of sneak peeks or previews – I always can’t help but think just show us ALL the photos already! :)  If it weren’t for the fact that I haven’t blogged in a few weeks, I wouldn’t be cheekily be doing one now.  Here’s just one photo from Wednesday’s bridal shoot starring the absolutely fabulous Sophia St Villier.

I’m pretty sure it doesn’t get any more gorgeous than this?

All credits to follow when I blog this properly, but in the meantime I have a scrummy Hampstead wedding to finish editing!  Have a lovely weekend everyone.

Cristina Rossi Photography - *whistle* check that gorgeous red hair!! Love it! xxSeptember 16, 2011 – 5:07 pm

Claire - English Wedding blog - You’re right, Kat – this is tooo gorgeous for a sneak peek, I need to see more NOW!
Seriously beautiful. Writing a note on my forehead now so I don’t forget to come back for more ;-)
Claire xxSeptember 21, 2011 – 11:47 am

Kat Hill - Thank you so much Claire!! That’s really made my day :) Will be posting a proper blog soon! Thanks for stopping by! xxSeptember 22, 2011 – 7:27 am

Kat Hill - Thank you lovely! xSeptember 22, 2011 – 7:28 am

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Fashion // Urban v Retro Fashion Show for MakeUp2Dazzle

A Tuesday night and I’m scuttling across Tower Bridge, wishing the wind wasn’t blowing my hair into a big old mess.  I’m not normally that fussed about the state of my barnet, but I do like to look smart when I’m on a job…and when the job is photographing a fashion show, well, let’s just say I wished I brought a hairbrush with me!

A couple of weeks ago I was invited by the brilliant Marcia of MakeUp2Dazzle to photograph the Urban v Retro Fashion Show, along with my friend and fellow photographer Cristina Rossi.  Organised  by Goat Girl Events, the show featured four different designers, numerous outfit changes and had no less than 14 different models.   We started off backstage, getting shots of the girls getting beautified by the lovely MakeUp2Dazzle team:


Though one of my favourite photos is this little sneaky one through the window:

And it wasn’t long before the  models were ready to go.

To see a full set of photos please go to my FB page.

Big thanks to Marcia and her team, Goat Girl Events, all the talented designers (including Riina Oun and Jason Ellis) and all the models.

 

Corrine/Frock & Roll - What gorgeous images! (And frocks!)September 11, 2011 – 2:50 am

Kat Hill - Thanks Corrine! :) And thanks for stopping by xSeptember 13, 2011 – 2:37 pm

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STYLED SHOOT // Jane Austen Inspired Styled Shoot

Sometimes as a photographer, you’ve got to go on the hunt for something interesting or pretty to photograph. Other times, it’s just all laid out on a plate for you.  This was the case last Monday when I, along with a bunch of other photographers descended on Wiston House in Sussex for a stylised Jane Austen themed shoot organised by the multi-talented Melissa Love.  What a brilliant day, though you’ll never know how much I wanted pilfer a scone!






Time for credits!!  A list of vendors below, but thanks so much also to the fab models: Meredith Hepner Phillips Theodorou, Jeremy Chapman, Rheya Brigman and all the kiddie models who were so patient with us adults shoving lenses in their faces!
Organised by:
Melissa Love Design. www.melissalove.co.uk
Orchestrated Stylised Shoots. www.http://orchestrated.bitofivoryphotography.com/
Venue. Wiston House. www.wistonhouse.co.uk
Styling, food & flowers. The Tea Set. www.the-tea-set.co.uk.
Dresses. White Mischief. www.whitemischiefbridal.co.uk
Tailoring. Gresham Blake. www.greshamblake.com
Makeup. Natalie Clark of NC Bridal Beauty. www.ncbridalbeauty.com
Hair Accessories. Cherished Vintage Bridal Accessories. www.cherishedvintage.co.uk
Hair styling. Caroline Kearney. www.mobilehairandbeauty.co.uk
Stationery. The Girl Taylor. www.thegirltyler.com
Children’s vintage clothing. Dinky Vintage. www.dinkyvintage.com
Children’s clothing. Bonnie Baby. www.bonniebaby.co.uk


Hannah - Hello Kat! Didn’t realise you were at the Jane Austen one too! Lovely pictures. xxDecember 6, 2011 – 10:50 am

Kat Hill - Thanks Hannah! Yep, was loving the styling there too! xDecember 7, 2011 – 11:09 am

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