My Blog

Destination Wedding Video: Kat and Phil

Natasha Hurley — Sat, 19 May 2012 15:10:09 +0000

Kat and Phil were married in a tiny village in the south of Greece. There was laughter, a Greek orthodox ceremony and plenty of Greek dancing. Their full wedding story is here. Whilst I have to say a million times I am not a videographer, I had the time, given I was there for a few days to create a little snapshot of their day and the celebration of two people in love, committing to spend the rest of their lives together. Congratulations Kat and Phil on your wedding anniversary.

Published in Wedding Flowers magazine

Natasha Hurley — Sat, 19 May 2012 08:56:56 +0000

So, onto brighter news, the lovely Debbie at Wedding Flowers asked if she could use one of my photographs of the beautiful Jacqui for a spread they were doing on flowers in the hair. Of course I said YES and am thrilled to see the magazine on shelves now. So, if you are thinking of having flowers in your hair or (like me) just want to swoon over prettiness pick up your copy. And if you want to see Jacqui and John’s gorgeous country wedding in full head over here.

Hello

Natasha Hurley — Sat, 19 May 2012 08:42:00 +0000

I didnt know whether to write this blog post. I wondered what I would or could say. That this is too personal. That I couldnt do it. But I have decided to write, because well, it sounds weird but photography has pulled me out of the hole I was staring into. My father passed away. It was unforeseen and a complete shock. The grief has been a lonely cloak to wear and every day, all the time I am reminded of him. Things he did, said or was intrinsically part of him – like stewed apples, the smell of sandlewood, saying alright boss, listening to classical music and Radio 2. Being German. Champagne. Kindness and appreciating art, form and beauty. The antique clock he repaired and gave me for my 30th, the laundry basket he made, the type of orange juice he liked and the glasses he used. The opera. The V+A where we always went, Christopher Dresser and chippendale furniture. His sensitivity and his laughter. I miss him.

Through it all I have valued above everything the importance of family and friends. Do not take things for granted and spend as much time as you can with them. For life is precious and is gone so quickly. I guess I am also a spiritual person and going to church has helped. Its quiet, reflective and for me when I walk in it somehow supports me. And finally, photography. I stopped shooting everyday and stopped blogging. But life continues and last week I had to do a photoshoot for a friend and then test out a new camera. These two things reminded me of my love of taking pictures. Of creating art and living in the moment. And then I got a message from a fellow photographer asking how I was considering my blog absence. Natasha of Margaurita Photography, thank you. You touched my heart and have given me the energy to start typing again.

So, I leave you with the kind words Natasha wrote to me ” Death leaves a heartache that can be hard to heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal.”

Enjoying the Sunshine

Natasha Hurley — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 07:00:07 +0000

Yes I am a sunshine worshipper. For sure I need sunshine. It makes me happy, eating salad is suddenly a joy, I can pad around barefoot, I can sit in the garden and just soak up the rays. I smile more. This week has been amazing – sunshine and heat. The other day I was wondering around St James’ park watching people have impromptu picnics, falling asleep on the grass and watching the ducks on the lake. Hello sunshine. I have missed you.

Film Photography

Natasha Hurley — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 10:28:56 +0000

So over the last few…well maybe six months, since the end of last season’s weddings I have been thinking and seeing more American photographers shooting film. In fact Im finding the photographers that I am inspired by are gradually becoming film photographers. So whats the beef? Why film and whats the difference between film and digital? Im not sure whether I could cover the differences in just one blog post, and I wonder if I need to sit and think about this for a while too. Because the difference in look is subtle yet extremely clear to spot once you start to study a photograph. For me digital, especially the lenses that I use (the 50mm 1.2 and 85mm 1.2) are very good in replicating the look achieved by film but film itself is perhaps more saturated in colour, has grain (rather than noise) which is different, it kind of has a 3D feel to it – like chunky peanut butter which is all the better for being chunky (weird analogy - but hopefully you get the idea).

So Im going to be sharing my return to film photography on these pages…bear with me because its been a while. I will also try and give as much info on what I shooting on and the films I’m using. So drum roll, without further ado here are a few photographs I took on a Sunday out and about in London. I am shooting on my Olympus 10 and 35mm 1.8 lens. Film is Fuji 400H. I overexposed the film by one f stop (ie so it looks brighter and lighter) – so set the film to iso 200. I was shooting pretty much at f1.8 and adjusting the shutter speed to get the right exposure. This is all shot manually, with my own judgement of exposure settings and manually focusing.

Blog Focus: Rue magazine

Natasha Hurley — Fri, 23 Mar 2012 07:00:11 +0000

There seems to be suddenly a flurry of digital magazines online. Which is so so great. Not only is their content amazing, fresh, modern and interesting but as they are also often “published” as such every quarter they have a huge content (without adverts). I love this magazine. Not only is the photography amazing but the photoshoot ideas are beautiful. I would totally recommend checking out Rue Magazine online. Whether you are a bride-to-be, redecorating your house or enjoy fashion. It has everything.

Photography Tips for Brides: Advice from married folk

Natasha Hurley — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 07:00:00 +0000

So over the past couple of weeks I have been posting some tips for brides. These tips are based around the photography and images that can be created with some thought and organisation behind either the schedule of the day, how you dress or place things etc. So, after a couple of posts from me I thought the best people to get advice from would be brides that had lived their wedding day and could give tips on what worked for them and what in hindsight would have been great to do.

Now this is going to be a regular post so any of you reading this who are married please let me know your own thoughts on your wedding day – advice, tips and stories of from your own wedding day – I would love to hear from you. Either email, leave a comment below or tweet or facebook me.

So, two issues Im going to talk about here today.

First up – the cost of your wedding photographer…Oh I know, its a tricky subject, and I know that when arranging your photographer after the dress and the venue a lot of your budget is taken up before you come to thinking of your photographer. The beautiful Laura (who got married last September – I was the lucky photographer) says:

Pick a photographer you like, and base your decision on that, not price.

Behind this I would say that when looking for photographers look at the way they photograph – you know photographs that resonate with you. Perhaps similar weddings they have photographed to the one you envisage yours will be. And together with style make sure you are comfortable with your photographer. As a guest at weddings of my friends its strange but I see them less than when I am professionally photographing a client’s wedding. Your photographer will be around you all day – they will be shooting and posing you, they will in front of you a lot of the day. Consequently make sure you can feel comfortabel with your photographer. Either meet them in advance, be in email contact or get a recommendation from a friend who is confidently recommending a photographer – and consequently staking their friendship on such an important endorsement. Be able to laugh, relax and enjoy being with your photographer.

The second nugget of advice from a recent bride, the gorgeous Sarah is this:

If hindsight’s taught us anything it would be to have had our photographer stay until the bitter end. It the thick of wedding planning we didn’t stop to think how great it would be to have the dancing action shots to round off our amazing collection. [Which was posted here by the lovely Alexis at OMG Im Getting Married]

Laura also says:

Make sure you get some ‘end’ of the night photos. These are my faves from our wedding, and I love the ‘end’ ones of other peoples too- one under a street lamp springs to mind. For me they symbolise the end of the wedding and the start of the marriage. Bloody love it!

Now I totally agree with this too, especially if you are party folk. Because if you are, then your evening is just another dimension of your wedding – its not the end, its a very definiate part of it. Just like the ceremony or the speeches, if you are going to have a proper knees up this is an equally important part of the day to document. Often this will come at additional cost. )If you’re wondering I dont charge more – because for me as a photographer I want to be there and showcase and document for you this part of your day, all I need is a roof over my head to be able to stay).

So folks I hope this is useful. Laura and Sarah – thank you for your honesty and insight. And any of you with your own comments please get in touch.

I leave you with some end of the night shots….

Being an Artist

Natasha Hurley — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 07:00:38 +0000

I kind of gwaff because Im not an artist. I dont think I am at all – I just love photography and take photographs of what I see. But one thing that I think is really important and which I have in the past neglected a bit, and thats being inspired artistically. Now I dont mean just looking at other photographer’s work, its feeling something, being inspired by beauty, humour or emotion. Its marveling at something outside of the box that is not known before. This week we went to see One Man Two Gov’ners at the Haymarket Theatre. I laughed so much. Its well worth going to see and such a breath of fresh air to be in the theatre. We were in the cheap seats so had somewhat of a birds eye view of things but it was fantastic to be watching real life actors ad-lib at certain points…One one stage one of the audience offered the main character a humus sandwich. I will never be able to see a humus sandwich without a little chuckle now after the ad-lib comedy which ensued after the offer was made.

Mr Plant

Natasha Hurley — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 07:00:34 +0000

Story of the chrysanthemum….we were walking back from eating out on Sunday evening and as we entered the side street there on the ground was a little wooden crate with about five pots holding straggly plants with brown leaves and a few stalks sticking up. Now I would have walking on past but Em bends down and picks up one of the pots. They had been left by the flower stall holder, I guess as they looked like dead little plants. But Em decided he was going to take one home. And over the last couple of days has watered and nurtured the little plant back to health. And today – Mr plant thanked Em with flowers!

Smell

Natasha Hurley — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 07:00:58 +0000

So I wondered into WholeFoods on Friday evening and was bowled over by the smell of the fruit and vegetables. Weird to be so surprised by the smell of fruit and veg in a grocery store but even more weird that I was surprised by the smell. Why? I got to thinking that I hardly ever encounter such a smell in Sainsburys where we do all our shopping. And to me thats crazy. Because I guess it means that either all the fruit and veg are vacuum packed or over sterilized to be perfect and not go off – which is great in seeing beautifully perfect produce but at the expense of the smell of it. Boo to that I say. I literally did a little reverse in WholeFoods when passing the apples because they smelled so pungent, juicy and fresh. You know that kind of earthy, sweet smell. And you know that apples themselves werent perfect. They were all sorts of sizes and some scuffed and bruised a little. And definitely not round. And Ive decided thats the way I like my fruit and veg – inperfect but sweet smelling! Problem is, there is no WholeFoods where we live but going to make an effort to buy this kind of produce over the quick and easy load up in the big supermarket.