Location Photography Bluebell Woods

There's a lot going on tomorrow Friday 20th March - a Super New Moon, the Spring Equinox and a Solar Eclipse all coming together during the morning. The eclipse will start at about 8.30am with a deep partial eclipse, 80-95% at about 9.30am. It's an opportunity to take a look up to, hopefully, a clear sky to see the moon pass the sun. Be sure to use a telephoto lens on your camera, a 200mm will work. Failing that grab your smartphone to capture a piece of history. Sorry if you have read this too late and missed it, the next total solar eclipse visible for our part of the world will be on 14th June 2151.....yes, 135 years away!

Next weekend, Sunday 29th March the clocks go forward so we can begin to enjoy the springtime, the longer days and all they have to offer.

Bluebell woods

This is my favorite time of year when we can wave goodbye to the bleak winter months and welcome the warm weather and watch mother nature do her thing. I especially look forward to bluebell season, time to head to the woods as the forest floor turns into a carpet of velvety blue flowers, the scent is just divine!

With the shoots already visible it's just a matter of time, the weather influences when they flower. To make sure I get the best backdrop for your family photo shoot I like to go on bluebell watch, so I can gauge when they are at their best. Years of experience has taught me to be patient, to just wait for them to flourish. I try not to be tempted to start too early, the best results for my photography is when they are at their peak and abundant. Last year, due to the very wet winter they were late to flower, I didn't start to photograph until early May, in previous years this is usually when they start to fade. I'll keep you posted.

You can see a few examples in the show reel below as to why it's worth waiting, families are always thrilled with the results!

We have started taking bookings, which are limited, due to photographing only at specific times of day when the light is just magical.

Call the studio on 01883 722282 to book your shoot.

To capture the present, to create the past, for future generations.

Bye for now.

I'll be back in two weeks time with more news.

Stella

Darley House

Last year I was asked to photograph a lovingly restored Georgian residence at Darley Dale.

It was a very special house with an interesting history. Darley House was bought over five years ago by Alex and Lucy Arterton. They could see the potential the house had to offer, and were unfazed by the restoration work that lay ahead of them, having restored two properties before, this was a challenge they were willing to take on, and with remarkable results.

One of the main attractions for buying the house was the garden and its history and its link with Joseph Paxton, the famous English gardener and architect who was head gardener at the nearby Chatsworth Estate. In 1845 he bought Darley House for his daughter, the gardens were landscaped in a similar design to Chatsworth. He was also the designer of the Crystal Palace and the prototype was built at Darley House.

Last September I was given the wonderful task of photographing the property. I love the variety of work I am offered and couldn't wait to get creative with this wonderful home. I arrived on a crisp and sunny autumnal afternoon, the front door was left unlocked so I could make my own way into the house. I was bowled over by the grandeur of Darley House. I had a lovely warm homely feeling, I wanted to kick off my shoes, put my cosy slippers on and move in. I was invited to stay overnight so I immersed myself in photographing the house and gardens. I very much enjoyed talking to Alex and Lucy about the restoration of their bolthole, they were wonderful hosts.

The reason for the photographs was so Lucy could market the property for people to come and stay, or attend a residential course or even hold their own. The house is available for hire for private groups from the end of March. Some of my photographs appear on the website which will tell you more, so you too can enjoy this hidden gem too.

Above, Darley House in 2010 with the garages on the right demolished to make way for the new kitchen, with vaulted ceiling and mezzanine floor. Below the transformation is amazing, with dozens of PVC windows replaced with artisan crafted Georgian-style box sashes and original vertically recessed wooden shutters were repaired.

Above preparing the floor in the kitchen. The restoration work used fourteen tonnes of authentic lime plaster on the walls. Some 50 to 60 bags of sheep wool were purchased to re-insulate the roof. The finished kitchen below is ideal to entertain friends and family or to host a business event.

The living rooms and bedroom suites have all been finished to a very high standard and make a perfect retreat from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.

Thanks for reading, I'll be back in two weeks time with more news.

Stella

Sonisphere Festival 2014

When and Where

On Friday 4th July I was very excited to be going to the Sonisphere Festival.  It's a three day music event for rock and heavy metal fans.

I drove to Knebworth House in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, it's been the home of Sonisphere since it started in 2009. I found out that Knebworth House is celebrating 40 years as the home of British rock music and I can see why. The park is vast with a natural bowl shaped arena and easy to get to with great links from the M25 straight onto the A1(M).

I was invited to enjoy the festival by K2, the event owner and had an access all areas pass to photograph a little bit of history, and boy was I in for a treat.

(I am writing this on a high on the Monday after the night before) Let me tell you more about my experience.This year for the first time Iron Maiden and Metallica  were headlining at the same festival.

My Experience

It had been a while since I had attended a rock festival, so I prepared well and made the most of my three days.

On arrival I was directed to the guest car park, which was close to the main stage (Apollo), so there was no danger of forgetting where your car was parked or having to walk miles to get to it!l 

The layout of the festival was well structured. A few days prior, this was just park land, and now there are porta cabins as dressing rooms, toilets, showers, marquees for food, drinks, crew catering, guest hospitality, and two huge stages (Apollo and Saturn) and three smaller stages (in marquees). You could get a new tattoo, buy a new outfit and have a ride on all the fairground attractions. 

There were bands performing from morning until late at night, with a choice of exciting entertainment until the early hours (they even had a silent disco!).

It was interesting to see the array of accommodation on site, which ranged from a one man tent, to very comfortable Winnebagos complete with all the mod cons, home from home to chill out and recharge. There really was something for everyone. 

The array of food kiosks available was enough to suit any diet and palette, I was spoilt for choice.

You could sense the excitement and fever in the air, the 50,000 plus fans were there for a good time and they weren't disappointed.

Behind the scenes was very calm. Everyone got on with their duties; the production team, the caterers, the engineers, sound and lighting, hospitality, press office the golf buggies ferrying crew to the main stage and the limousines driving the artists back stage to take centre stage.

On Saturday, Iron Maiden's front man Bruce Dickinson had taken to the skies and flown a 1977 fokker tri plane as part of the First World War memorial. He was joined by members of the Great War Display Team, who together staged an eight-plane dogfight above a wooded area next to the festival site, with commentary and machine gun fire playing throughout the display, this really got the crowd in the mood for what was to come later.

Apollo Stage

Just before 9pm the fans gathered in anticipation in front of the Apollo stage. Iron Maiden were playing their last concert of a three year tour. The roar of the crowd as they joined the stage was incredible. From back stage I was escorted through the crowds with precision weaving, to take my position in the mixing tower a few hundred feet away from the stage.

I felt so privileged to have been able to take photographs from this magnificent viewpoint, with a sea of fans below either side.

I was swept away by the pure theatre and precision of their performance, it became very clear why they have been so successful for the past thirty plus years, and are one of the most well respected bands in the world!

And they're British too!!

In The Pit

I got a snap shot of the end result and photographed the artists doing what they know best during the first three numbers of their performance. Especially during Metallica's performance, I could feel the music reverberating in the cavity of my chest - the atmosphere was "on fire".

Seeing around 50,000 people of all ages, all walks of life and countries having a good time was a surreal experience, enhanced by the sun going down.

I was able to take time out behind the scenes and speak to the crew and band members about their experiences, including Martin Mickels from Oxted who was playing with his band Empire Kill and with his "roadie" Randy from Oxted's very own Randy and the Rockets.

I got to photograph Iron Maiden, Metallica, Deftones, Gary Numan, Limp Bizkit, The Lounge Kittens, Little Matador and others, it was an experience to listen to the bands, some I hadn't heard of before.

My camera kit consisted of:-

2 Nikon D700 bodies 1 with MB-D10 battery pack

1 wide angle 15mm-30mm lens

1 telephoto 70mm-20mm lens

1 standard 24mm-120mm lens

1 Nikon speedlight SB-910 with spare batteries

3 Memory cards 32mb

All I can say is WOW, and WOW -  what an amazing, exhausting, exhilarating experience!! A huge, huge thanks to my hosts for looking after me so well and enabled access all areas to what was a first class festival. I can highly recommend Sonisphere to all you music lovers out there for next year, you don't have to be a big rock or metal fan, I wasn't, but I certainly am now. 

Thanks for reading, my next newsletter will be in two weeks time about the Masterpiece Fair in Chelsea.

Bye for now.

Stella

Beach Wedding Watergate Bay Hotel

Where and When On Friday 20 June 2014 I had the pleasure of photographing Charlotte and Jon's wedding at The Watergate Bay Hotel.  Jon's birth place is Newquay in Cornwall so it was the obvious choice to marry the woman he loves at this stunning coastal resort. It was going to be a wedding to remember for a long time to come. The Watergate Bay Hotel is on the north Cornwall coast and a surfers paradise. The weather was spectacular, I had to keep reminding myself that I was in the UK and not the South of France. An ideal place for beach wedding photography.

Jamie Oliver's Fifteen

Watergate Bay is also home to Jamie Oliver's Fifteen restaurant. It really wouldn't have been right if I didn't experience a meal there and support Jamie's quest to empower unemployed young people in Cornwall with the kitchen skills and experience to flourish in the world of work. With views across the bay you feel like you are part of the vista. The food is exquisite and extra special attention is applied to presentation and detail. The atmosphere relaxed but professional, a fantastic recipe for success. The restaurant sits above The Beach Hut which is part of The Watergate Bay Hotel, I look forward to going back to try this place as it came highly recommended!

What the Bride Wore

Charlotte's dress was chosen with the location in mind and was a delicate chiffon pink under skirt and cream top skirt with lace bodice and delicate buttons at the back with a bow. Designed by Naomi Neoh who works from her design studio in Dulwich, South London and bought from Victoria Allinson Couture in Limpsfield, a stones throw from Oxted. Her three bridesmaids complimented her in blue and mother of the bride in a deep blush pink with contrasting lace bodice, all colours reminiscent of the seaside. Shoes were by Jimmy Choo. As we were going to be on the beach for some of the photographs and it was National Flip Flop Day the bridal party changed into theirs!

Photographing The Wedding

The wedding photography started with Charlotte getting ready in the bridal suite, the beautiful ocean views really leant itself to available light photography, shooting on a high ISO which added to the high key nautical feel. We had access to all areas of the hotel and took advantage of this. The ceremony took place in The Events Space with the windows folded back so it felt like you were elevated above the beach with nothing but blue skies to look at and the walls decorated with bunting made by Charlotte's mum. The chairs in the aisle graced with a delicate pink rose all set the scene for this fairy tale wedding. For photographing groups on the balcony after the ceremony with the seascape as the background and backlit by strong sunlight (remember it was like being in the South of France), it was important to use flash at maximum output so they weren't in silhouette. As June 20th was the day before the longest day we took full advantage of the sunset and now was the time to get that silhouette with the sunset as the backdrop. For anyone wanting to recreate this you'll need to turn off the flash and expose for the background light. I always shoot in manual mode and don't rely on the cameras internal metering and use my judgement and experience to get what I'm looking for. You can try bracketing the exposure of this and choose which works best for you, experimenting is the ideal way to learn.

Silhouettes convey an emotion that the imagination can decide upon.

I am so glad I got to be a part of this truly magical day and toast Charlotte and Jon to a lifetime of magic moments.

Watergate Bay Hotel is the perfect location for a beach themed wedding.

Thanks for reading, my next newsletter will be in two weeks time.

Bye for now.

Stella

Edenbridge Car Pageant

Where and When

On Monday 26th May I drove a few miles south to Edenbridge to see (and hear) for myself what the car pageant I had read about had to offer. The weather was overcast and wet, not ideal for such an occasion. The event was organized by the Eden Valley Chamber of Commerce as part of the Edenbridge Fun Day. As a member of the Oxted Chamber of Commerce I caught site of an email from our chairman letting us know what another local chamber were up to over the Bank Holiday weekend. I’m very glad I took note of this because what unfolded filled me with delight and added so much to my visual and mental portfolio of cars! All on my doorstep in Fircroft Way, Edenbridge, Kent.

John Surtees OBE

Edenbridge is the hometown of Motor sport legend John Surtees OBE.

This year John is celebrating 50 years since he won his Formula 1 World Championship title as well as his 80th birthday. John Surtees OBE is a one off; the only person to have won World Championships on both two and four wheels. John proudly showcased his F1 bikes and cars outside his Bradford shop, Station Road, the Surtees team factory and business base for the past 56 years. The cars were built at this address and mainly by local residents. Edenbridge High Street was closed to allow the parade to take centre stage. It was led by John in the Ferrari 158 which he won the 1964 Formula One Driver’s World Championship, and was followed by Team Surtees Formula 1 cars of the Seventies driven by Scott Malvern and Robbie Kerr.

Exhibition and Book

John will be launching his book "My Incredible Life on Two and Four Wheels" on June 19th 2014. The book contains over 250 photographs some of which were on display at TOPFOTO Gallery also in Fircroft Way. The photographs are an incredible account of an incredible man. The majority of the photographs were taken by John Topham a documentary photographer who lived in Edenbridge until he died in 1992, please follow the link to find out more about him http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Topham_(photographer).

The book can be ordered from Evro Publishing.

The exhibition was an added bonus to my afternoon as it showcased some of John's finest moments, even better, it was an opportunity to own a limited edition print signed by John Surtees and very reasonably priced too, £50 for an unframed A3 print.

Fund Raising

The event raised funds for the Kent Surrey and Sussex Air Ambulance Association and The Henry Surtees Foundation.

The foundation was set up in memory of John’s son Henry who was tragically killed in a freak accident at Brands Hatch in 2009 aged just 18 years, whilst competing.

The Pageant

I was pleasantly surprised to see so many owners turn up with their cars and bikes, they had travelled from all over the country to take part in this prestigious event. I chatted to a few of them who were happy to tell me the history of their cars, one man told me he bought his MG when he was just 18 years old and has owned it for the past 36 years, and was passing it over to his son to enjoy.

Amongst the parade were Ferrari, Aston Martin, MG, Corvette Stingray, Lotus, BMW, Morris Cowley to name just a few. They followed John's parade of cars and gathered at the Lingfield Road recreation ground, the other end of town, for all to enjoy as part of the fun day.

It was a very enjoyable Bank Holiday Monday afternoon, thanks to all involved who made this the great success it was, despite the great British weather.

All part of my other passion in life photographing Classic and Super cars. You can see and read a bit more about this on my website www.stellascordellis.com

If you would like to commission me to take photographs of you, your family, or your cars, then please get in touch.

Bye for now.

Stella

Fish Master Class Browns Mayfair

A Wonderful Evening

One of my passions in life is food, having been born into the restaurant industry it's in my blood. I love food markets, cooking with good quality fresh produce that I can feed my family and friends, after all it's all part of my Greek-Cypriot roots to feed and entertain en-mass.

Even more, I like to take the opportunity to combine two of my passions in life, photography and food! When I'm not photographing people or classic car collections I like to indulge in some fine dining and to capture those moments forever (give me a commission to photograph food from field to plate and I'd be one happy lady).

Brown's, Mayfair

On Wednesday 21st May I went to Rocco Forte’s Brown's Hotel in Mayfair, London's oldest luxury hotel for an entertaining evening with Mark Hix for his Fish n Hix master class. My photographs show an account of what happened next, this may inspire you to try it too.

Mark Hix

Our host Mark Hix owner of Hix Oyster & Chop House and Tramshed entertained a group of nine of us, on how to prepare and cook some of his signature dishes. Located in the plush surroundings of the Niagra room he took centre stage at the head of the table with one cooking ring armed with the appropriate knives, scissors and tweezers.

What’s For Dinner

We were wowed with the quality of produce and the attention to detail that Mark is known for. He explained where he likes to source his produce from and uses sea vegetables where possible, in particular samphire, stonecrop, sea purslane, sea beet and sea aster, which really complemented the flavours of the fish.

We were served by a group of discreet and efficient waiters who made sure our wine and water glasses were always full, and service swift and attentive.

Mark started with a demonstration on how to prepare ceviche using fresh whiting fillets, a fish often under used but very tasty and lends itself to this recipe using the acidity of the lime to ‘cook’ the fish.

Followed by smoked salmon, we had a go at slicing under Mark's guidance and watchful eye, super sharp knives guaranteed you could glide the knife diagonally through this slab of heaven. The fillet of salmon once pin boned is smoked on site at Brown's. For his restaurant in Selfridges he told us he has a shed that sits on the roof where he can smoke his salmon to perfection. The salmon was moist, not oily, very lightly smoked and served with soda bread.

The red and white wines accompanying the courses were sourced in Portugal by Mark and his friend, restaurateur, chef and food writer Mitch Tonks. They have named their wine 'Tonnix' a combination of their surnames, the labels on the bottles designed by friend Tracey Emin.

We were also shown how to fillet and bone fish with a few tricks to make this less time consuming. Take a look at the menu below to see what followed, each dish was light and flavoursome and relatively easy to prepare at home. Mark is a lover of rapeseed oil, we were encouraged to drizzle this on our fish, in particular the salt baked sea bass and chargrilled brill.

The gurnard was prepared and cooked in paper pouches and was a tasty conclusion to this gastronomic event.

Photographs

The photographs I've taken are a snapshot of the evenings events over the two hours showing Mark at his best, he was entertaining and happy to answer all our questions and share his culinary experiences. I used my Nikon body with a 24-135mm lens and a mixture of daylight and bounced flash with a high ISO.

Thanks Mark for a great evening, next on the agenda is to try your meat master class.

The Menu

• Marinated Newlyn whiting with chilli and plantain crisps

• Albemarle smoked salmon 'Hix cure' with Corrigan's soda bread

• Isle of Barra cockles with Burrow Hill cider and smoked Orkney bacon

• Salt-baked St Margaret's Bay sea bass with buttered seakale

• Chargrilled whole Start Point brill with aura potatoes and béarnaise sauce

• Paper-baked Lyme Bay gurnard with steamed coastal greens

• Strawberry jelly and fool

We left the evening feeling comfortably full with a generous goodie bag containing a signed cookery book, an apron and a bottle of rapeseed oil. Not forgetting lots of inspiration for future cooking .

I can highly recommend a Fish Master class Browns Mayfair.

Anyone for fish?

Bye for now.

Stella