Engagement Shoot: Jon and Chris in Scone

Today I'm thrilled to showcase some photographs from an engagement shoot I did with Jon and Chris, in Scone, earlier this year.

Now, if when you think of the idea of pre-wedding or engagement shoots, you think of heavy posing, or formal attire, then think again. The photographs below embody exactly what I like to achieve during my engagement shoots.

As with all my engagement shoots, I like the couple to take me somewhere that's special to them. In this case, it was into their home. Jon and Chris met a few years ago, and relocated from Glasgow to Scone in Perthshire.

For this particular engagement shoot, we went for a walk round the woodlands, near their home. It was a gorgeous crisp early spring day, and going for a walk was the perfect setting for our shoot. Afterwards, we headed back to their home, where Chris and Jon did some baking together, before settling down on the sofa with a glass of wine and a guitar to sing along to, while they waited for the food to cook.

A big thank you to Chris and Jon for letting me share these engagement shoot photographs on my blog.

A Welsh Wedding... part 1

Last year, I had the pleasure of being invited to Swansea, to photograph the wedding of Jen and Rob, who I'd met (and gotten chatting to) at a wedding back in 2010.

Their wedding took place at Craig-y-Nos Castle, just north of Swansea, which, for the historically appreciative of you, formerly belonged to opera singer Adelina Patti. For the paranormal fascinated among you, it's also allegedly haunted, and finally for the geekily eagle eyed of you, was the setting for a Doctor Who episode, Tooth and Claw. (And for bonus points it's the one that establishes the Torchwood Institute). Quite frankly, aside from being a gorgeous castle in stunning settings, the place is a pub quiz masters dream.

As Rob and Jen had already completed the formalities prior to their big day, we were able to meet up before the ceremony, and do a little pre-wedding shoot.

It was actually one of the most relaxed days I've ever been to, and being able to have a wander with the couple before the ceremony was great.

As a photographers experience, doing this was brilliant. It's fantastic if you're quite happy to have things mixed up, if you're after something a bit different, and perhaps you just don't want to adhere to old traditions. It also has the potential to help relax the couple before the ceremony, take a little bit of the edge off the nerves, and I imagine it would work best if you were both staying at the venue you were having your ceremony.

I know there's an emerging trend from America (the country which brought us Trash the Dress) where some couples and photographers have a "first look" photo shoot, which is where the couple have a mini shoot on the day before the actual ceremony, where the bride and groom are captured when they first see each other (and the emotions) without anyone else around. First look photo shoots involve the couple in their formal bridal and groom attire.

While this is different from the meaning of the First Look, I think dressing casually and comfortably there is scope for having a mini shoot as Jen and Rob did, if you want to keep your dress pristine and your suit looking neat and tidy, and you don't spoil the surprise of seeing the dress if you want to keep it a secret until the ceremony.