Kathryn & Tim's Wedding at The Elevetham

My final wedding of 2012 was the gorgeous wedding of the equally gorgeous Kathryn and Tim. Held just two days before the new year and with the couple living overseas this was certainly one to marvel at how amazingly well the couple had done to organise such a lovely celebration from so far away. The Elvetham is a fantastic venue to hold a wedding with huge grounds and for a winter wedding plenty of beautifully decorated rooms to utilise when the light fades early on or it gets a bit cold for the older guests. This was quite a large wedding with family and friends travelling from far and wide to enjoy the couples day and no doubt celebrate the coming new year too. A truly great wedding to end the year with.

AGWPJA Q3 2012 Winner

Firstly a very Happy New Year to you all. Mine has started off very well with the news that one of my pictures came third in the AGWPJA Q3 quarterly competition. Regular readers may recognise the winning image from an earlier wedding review post from Houghton Lodge below and also it being part of another competition win earlier in December, also posted about below. It also appears as my facebook banner image so you can probably guess it is one of my favourites. The Judges comments on the image were as follows: "I love how this looks like a painting at first glance. It reminds me of Thomas Eakins’ paintings. It is eerie and beautiful at the same time. The photographer’s perspective adds to the mystery." Such a lovely bit of news to kick start the year.

Jessica & Ben's Wedding at the Alverbank Country House Hotel

Well firstly I have to wish everyone a very Happy Christmas and New Year. Another amazing year for me with wonderful weddings and couples I'll always remember. I have one more wedding to go before 2013 starts but on Saturday I shot my last one before Christmas. The gorgeous Jessica and Ben were married at St Mary's Church in Alverstoke with a reception at the Alverbank Country House Hotel by the coast. The weather was not particularly kind to us but that never dampened the spirits of the lovely couple and their guests and this was a wonderful winter wedding in the truest spirit of the word.

International Wedding Photographer {Excellence Awards} Winner

To say I was delighted this morning to discover I had won second place in the prestigious International Wedding Photographer {Excellence Awards} is somewhat of an understatement. This is a competition that draws entries from around the globe and is not just based on one great picture but on a series of five from a recent wedding and is judged by some very well known names in the industry. The wedding I chose to submit was Abbie and Alex's from Houghton Lodge and you can see the five winning pictures below. It is such a great boost to have my work recognised in a major competition like this and of course the prize money won't hurt either. To have a look at the website for the competition just follow this link: http://thepwpn.net/ Visit the Elton Mogg Photography website

Eight years in the making

Ever since my son Dylan was born I have been filling up a large bag with all his old shoes. When Rheya came along I started doing the same. I had visualised creating a picture of them with all their memorable old shoes looking tattered and worn to show the passing of time and them growing up. So after eight years I was finally able to make my pictures (it's a very long project for just two pictures!). Now Katie is happy we have some space back in the garage (no doubt the bag for school people will be happy too) and I now have some personal art work for my office walls. Visit the Elton Mogg Photography website

Melissa & James Wedding at Highclere Castle

This Saturday I was lucky enough to spend the day capturing the gorgeous wedding of Melissa & James at Highclere Castle or as many have now come to know it, Downton Abbey. A cold but clear day greeted this wedding so it was great to be able to go outside for some pictures after the ceremony and coupled with the beautiful interiors there were picture opportunities everywhere.

Melissa got ready at the castle and made her way to the ceremony via a walk around the balcony and down the iconic staircase. The guests had great fun working out which rooms were used in the TV series and the couple had also themed their wedding breakfast with all their favourite TV shows. A special mention should go to the staff at Highclere, especially Michelle who made the whole wedding run perfectly for the happy couple. Visit the Elton Mogg Photography website