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

How To Take Great Holiday Photographs You and Your Family Will Love

Time To Get Ready

It’s that time of year when the days are getting longer and warmer so we can think about getting the suitcases out of the attic ready for the summer hols!

Don’t forget to pack your camera too and get those important holiday photographs that will keep the memory alive.

An Accessory To Make Taking Photographs Fun

When packing your camera it’s always useful to pack a small tripod and I always take my Gorilla Pod this friendly gizmo is ideal to pack in your case as it’s flexible, small and capable of great things, to get shots in awkward places and for putting your camera on self time for a group shot you want to be in. Check out the website to see what this little monkey can do http://joby.com/gorillapod

Before You Leave Home

It doesn’t matter what camera you have, whether it’s a big DSLR or a compact point and shoot if you aren’t confident using it you’re not going to get great shots, so spend some time getting to know your camera if you haven’t already.

Pack a couple of extra compact flash memory cards or buy them at the airport, the cost of these have come down considerably in recent months. Best not to have all your images on one card so spreading across two or three makes good sense in case you lose your camera.

• Set your camera to the large file size option so you are getting maximum quality, you can make smaller if you need to on your return. You can’t make a small file bigger so start how you mean to go on.

• Check you know where your flash option is so this can be easily triggered when the occasion arises.

• Clean your lens with a soft cloth and take this with you, it’s so easy to have a greasy, sandy lens which will impair the quality of your images.

• Check you are familiar with the different shooting options. You may prefer to shoot everything on ‘auto’ or ‘A’ for aperture priority or ‘S’ for shutter priority.

• If you don’t get time to check this out before leaving home and are taking a flight this can always be done on the journey. The advantage of doing this at home is anything you aren’t sure about can be looked up and understood on You Tube, you can bet there is someone demonstrating exactly what you are looking for, just enter your camera make and model and what you would like to know, much easier than fumbling through a manual.

• Don’t forget to take your battery charger and adaptor depending on where in the world you are going.

• Two spare fully charged batteries are always worth having and carrying with you, we have all been in the position where you miss a crucial shot because your battery has expired, depending on the temperature of where you are this can happen sooner than you expect.

• Just one point worth remembering about battery power is it will expire quicker if you are a ‘chimper’ ( "chimping" frequently looking at every exposure captured on the back of the camera after exposure). Try and resist the urge to do this if your battery power is low.

Flash I always use my flash when shooting people in harsh sunlight especially with the sun behind your subject otherwise they will be in shadow so just flip up your flash option to increase the contrast.

Avoid using flash indoors if you have enough ambient light , especially for a portrait shot by the window the light is much softer and more flattering. Experiment with your flash on and off and see the difference. You may need to increase your ISO (sensitivity of your digital sensor) or if you have this setting on Auto the camera will do it for you.

Lens

Regular readers of my newsletters will know I love my 70mm – 200mm lens as it will allow you to shoot from a distance and get great results as far as shallow depth of field is concerned, so whether it’s people or landscapes you are keen to shoot this lens is ideal. For shooting groups and in confined places you’ll need to use a lens with a wider angel so a 24mm-70mm is a safe bet. However it isn’t always practical to carry a few lenses so if you can have a 24mm – 200/300mm this one lens will do the lot but you will have to compromise on your widest aperture as you may only get f5.6 when you are using it at its maximum 200/300mm

Composition For shots that are capturing a moment you really don’t get much time to think before you shoot otherwise the moment has gone, but for shots where composition can make all the difference between a good shot and a stunning shot, just give yourself a little time. Your subject doesn’t always have to be in the centre just by moving your camera to the left or right if you have an interesting background will make a difference. You don’t have to always shoot at eye level you can crouch down, tilt the camera on the ground, hold the camera above your head, just have fun and experiment and find what works for you. For shooting landscapes the best time of day is early morning as the sun is coming up or at dusk as the sun is going down. Try over or underexposing to get a more atmospheric result.

Finally

Photography should be about capturing a moment for future reflection and to enjoy the process, don’t let it get in the way of actually enjoying a moment and absorbing it, taking a great photograph is also about knowing when not to take it.

Experiment as much as you can as this way you’ll see what works for you.

On return from your holiday download your images and back up on external hard drives too, only when you have done this clear and reformat your memory cards ready for the next time.

If you want to get the best pictures possible feel free to join us for a photography Masterclass. Create memories from your holiday to last a lifetime; investing a small amount on learning how to use your camera properly is worthwhile when you are spending so much on the holiday itself..call us on 01883 722282 to enquire or visit the Masterclass section of our website.

Bye for now!

Stella

Top Marques Monaco 2014

I have had the pleasure of photographing many Super Cars over the past year so I was very excited to be going to Monaco last month to visit the Top Marques event, the most exclusive Super Car Show in the World!

It took place over the Easter Bank holiday, but luckily for me it started on Thursday 17th April so I could get there just for the day on the first flight out of Gatwick and the last one back before Monaco was heaving with all the Easter holiday makers on Good Friday.

My Journey

I flew to Nice airport and got the train from a little train station a short bus ride from the airport called “Nice St Augustin”. For a few euros I took the 30 minute journey along the coast line which must be one of the prettiest train journeys I’ve taken, it certainly beats the East Grinstead to Victoria line that I’m more familiar with.

We stopped at seven stations on the way and the train was certainly filling up with many people visiting Monaco for the tennis or the Top Marque Show. Once I got to Monaco it was an easy walk to the Grimaldi Forum home of the show. As I was approaching the forum I was just in the right place at the right time to photograph the arrival of the Lamborghini Aventador which took pride of place at the entrance to the show and was supplied by aaarentcars .

A Little Bit About Monaco

Monaco, officially the principality of Monaco is the second most densely populated country in the world! Prince Albert II is the head of state and has immense political power. Monaco has a coast line of 2.5 miles and the state has no income tax, low business tax and is well known for being a tax haven and is understandably attractive to the super wealthy.

The roads were very congested due to the ongoing building work as the new Yacht Club takes shape and the preparation for the Grand Prix in May.

Grimaldi Forum

The Grimaldi Forum is the main exhibition centre and very impressive too. On arrival I was just in time to join in the walk about that was going on with Prince Albert II, I managed to tag along with the press to get a few shots.

The cars on display were an incredible array of dynamic performance and aesthetic genius. With the added option of being able to test drive a selected few, this I’m sure was a big attraction to the many visitors over this four day event!

Super Cars

On display were cars by a variety of manufacturers Noble, Ferrari, Jaguar, McLaren, Quant, Tushek, Tesla, Lexus, Mercedes, Bentley, to name just a few. I was there to promote my photography of Classic and Super Cars and met with the dealers and spectators to show case my book which is designed with the serious collector in mind who would like to have their car or cars photographed to add value to their collection, but most importantly to document their car as a work of art and to reflect the owners lifestyle and finished in a bespoke limited edition book, this part of my website will tell you more.

People

I met many interesting people all with a passion for cars and the finer things in life. One lady in particular, a local resident, just passing the time of day was very keen to do a brief interview about me on her iphone for a blog she wanted to start.

If you would like to take time out in Monaco next year the Top Marques Show is from April 16th-19th April 2015, I’ll be back again to soak up a little more of my passion and of course the Cote D’Azur.

Thanks for reading.

Stella

Wedding Photography Tips

This is how I do it!

First of all to be a great wedding photographer you have to have passion and buckets of it helps, a passion for the art of photography and a passion for communicating with people, this is a winning combination. I’ve been photographing weddings for over 35 years and started with a twin lens Rolleiflex using four rolls of film with only 12 exposures on each, so every shot counted and you had to get it right!! Let me tell you how you can do it with these wedding photography tips.

Passion

Passion isn’t something you can buy you need it to be able to get the results as this is probably one of the hardest genres of photography but probably one of the most rewarding, after all you have been entrusted with a very special day there really is no margin for error. Location Always make sure you have visited the location the wedding is taking place at so you are familiar with the best spots for group photographs, bride and groom shots and where the sun is positioned at the time of day you’ll be shooting. A plan B is a must in case rains prevents any outdoor photography, so check the inside of the venue too (especially if it's a church ceremony).

My Kit Keep it simple!

You have a lot to think about on the day - who’s who, what’s the weather doing, am I in the right place at the right time, the names of the people you are interacting with, is my exposure correct with the changing light. Knowing your kit inside out is crucial to be able to make split second decisions. I carry two D700 Nikon bodies with additional battery attachments that way I don’t have to worry my batteries are going to die, after approximately 1000 exposures the second battery automatically kicks in. One body is fitted with a 70mm-200mm lens and the other a 24mm-135mm lens. I use a Nikon speedlight attached to my shorter focal length lens body as a fill in light source and also as a main light when shooting inside. I carry a foldaway reflector too, you never know when you might need it, especially for natural window light shots. In reserve I carry two more bodies as backup and a wider focal 18mm lens should I need to introduce this lens for the back of the ceremony wide angle shot. I often shoot with a second photographer as it’s impossible to get all angles covered, especially during the ceremony when roaming photographers are a big no no. I carry a sturdy tripod to prevent camera shake if I need a slow shutter speed in the church, as any supplementary lighting is often forbidden and natural lighting is far more complimentary. Make sure your 32gb memory cards are formatted and ready to go. I carry a light metre with me so I can get an accurate reading, I check this with the histogram on my camera too. In my kit bag I carry two spare flash guns with charged batteries and lens cloth cleaners.

Camera Settings

I choose to set the shooting control on my camera to manual so I can have full control of any given lighting. I have my flash set to manual too and set to two stops under the exposure of the camera so it should deliver the correct dose of light to fill in the shadows of group photographs or, for when your subject is backlight, full flash is best. This is something that over the years becomes second nature as does the camera settings. I generally set my ISO to 400 but change to 1600 for internal shots in low lighting and often use a low dose of flash too, this all depends on what my experience is telling me. I always set my camera file size to JPEG normal and RAW so I have two files of each image. A typical combination when shooting on a bright day is shutter speed 250th and aperture f11. When using my camera fitted with the 70mm – 200mm lens I don’t use flash and sometimes set this on aperture priority of f4 or f5.6 so I can shoot on a fast shutter speed in bright lighting. The image below is an example of this, I have used the backlighting and flare to my advantage, as usual these shots are rarely planned and capture the moment. I have my white balance (WB) set to auto, this is fine tuned in post production. Another crucial thing that makes life easier when you are sorting all the images from two or three memory cards together in one folder, is to set your cameras all to the same time, otherwise you’ll be doing lots of sorting to get everything in chronological order. You don't want to put yourself in this position.

Post production

Once I have downloaded the images usually between 1000 to 1500 images the editing takes place, this is a lengthy process and often takes place over two or three days. All images I take whether in the studio on location or weddings go through a fine tuning post production process prior to printing to ensure they are true in colour, this too is a lengthy but necessary process to ensure optimum quality. The RAW file (up to 10mb each) records maximum data, this helps if you are caught out and have over or under exposed your file, the RAW file will allow you to retrieve the data that a JPEG wouldn’t. Don't rely on this as it's always best to get the exposure right to start.

What Next If you would like your wedding photographed please call the studio to check we have your date available I am only taking 8 wedding commissions a year to ensure I can give them the time and attention they each deserve. To learn more about photography and understanding your camera, my masterclasses with give you the confidence to take better photographs.These can be small group classes or on a one to one basis. My classes will give you valuable wedding photography tips that you can use whatever you are photographing.

Thanks for reading!

Bye for now.

Stella