Mark Sisley Photography

FLOODLIT SNOW PICTURES

2012-02-28T16:11:00.001Z

One of my favourite things about winter is the occasional dusting of snow we experience! It always causes chaos on the roads and railways, but it really adds that magical touch to photographs. Last month I photographed a wedding at Missenden Abbey in unseasonable balmy January conditions, within 10 days the weather really turned, the snow and freezing conditions came with a vengeance!

At the moment I'm putting together a new display album for Missenden Abbey, here was the perfect opportunity to capture some really dramatic winter snow scenes of this wonderful wedding reception venue for their album. For the past 18 years I've been taking floodlit exterior pictures at the various wedding venues I attend, winter snow conditions often prove too cold for the couples to pose for more than a couple of minutes against their wedding reception venue. Here was my oppurtunity to try lots of angles, once bundled up in my thermals the cold wasn't to much of a problem, the results were well worth the effort! I take floodlighting to every wedding I photograph, many examples can be seen on my website with the most stunning effects.

It's only been over the last couple of years that a handful of other UK photographers have attempted to copy my wedding night shots. I'm often contacted by other professional photographers asking how I achieve these results, and the lighting I use, everytime I politley decline the oppurtunity to share my lighting techniques!! Every photographer needs their unique selling point, me included! I learnt the technique whilst assisting architectural photographers in my training days many years ago. I adapted and simplified the complex lighting methods used, big halogen lamps with cables running everywhere would not be practical for weddings, all my lights are very portable, plus quick and easy to use.

Here are some examples from Missenden Abbey in the snow, plus some other floodlit images from previous weddings, including The Dairy, Danesfield House, Hartwell House, Stoke Park and Wentworth.

I hope you enjoy the photographs.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

MISSENDEN ABBEY WEDDING

2012-02-12T11:26:00.001Z

Set in beautiful grounds, Missenden Abbey in Great Missenden was originally built as a monastery for Augustinian canons in 1133. The Abbey was dissolved in 1538 and the chapel deliberately smashed, it was then converted into a palatial house after the dissolution of the monasteries in the mid-1500’s. Elizabeth 1 gave it to her favourite, Robert Dudley. He sold it to William Fleetwood whose family lived there for 200 years, modifying the building and demolishing a substantial part of it. In 1787 the Abbey was bought by James Oldham who almost wholly rebuilt it in the ‘Venetian’ style, with plain white stucco walls. He also landscaped the grounds, creating lakes and planting trees including the magnificent cedar at the front of the house. This did not suit the next owner, who restored it in the ‘Gothick’ style with turrets and battlements.

Today Missenden Abbey is available for couples wishing to get married at this stunning location. The abbey have been recommending me for the past eight years, my pictures can be seen throughout their website and wedding brochure, not to mention my display album in their reception. Two weeks ago I photographed the wedding of Carrie & Malcolm, they selected probably the mildest January day I can remember in a long time. We were outside taking pictures on the lawns in the sunshine, you'd think looking at the photographs it was a lovely spring day. The civil ceremony, drinks reception and wedding breakfast all took place with the warm sunlight streaming through the huge stone mullioned windows, this lit up the interiors and my pictures beautifully. In the evening I took a number of floodlit pictures within the grounds, these are without doubt my favourite images from the day, the full moon was an unexpected bonus! I was so inspired by these night shots that I went back within ten days to repeat some of the building shots in the snow, blog to follow with some of these striking images.

I hope you enjoy looking at the selection of pictures from their wedding.

Enjoy your week!

Mark

THE DAIRY, WADDESDON MANOR

2012-01-30T12:12:00.000Z

The Dairy at Waddesdon Manor asked me create a slide show of my work, this is to be used on their ipad for customer show rounds. All the pictures on this slideshow are recent examples of my photography at The Dairy, the music is by the harpist Tori Handsley. The Dairy has now been recommending me for over 12 years, I just love working at this magical wedding venue. Stunning backdrops and a water side location, superb for pictures.You may also want to take a look at my gallery of the venue, go to the 'Select-A-Venue' option on my website, then click on The Dairy.

I'll be at The Dairy wedding fair on Sunday 11th March, I hope to see you on the day if you can make it.

This Sunday from I'll be at the Taplow House Wedding show, 11am-3pm. It's free admission, there will be over 25 exhibitors and fashion shows during the day. There are still a few Saturdays available in my diary for this year. Hopefully you can join us on Sunday at Taplow House.

I hope you enjoy the slide show.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

TORI HANDSLEY HARPIST

2012-01-17T14:32:00.000Z

A few weeks ago Tori Handsley, one of the countries leading harpists asked me to take some pictures for her portfolio and website. Not only did I get some great pictures of her at Taplow House, I got a free concert whilst taking the pictures too! She plays everything from traditional classical music, right through to tracks by AC/DC and the Verve! I've worked with Tori many times, her music is a joy to listen to. We tend to meet at weddings either at Taplow House Hotel, or The Dairy at Waddesdon Manor as we are on their recommended suppliers lists. Here is her link: www.torishands.com She informs me she recently performed with Nigel Kennedy, how cool is that!

Most of the pictures are in black and white to create a really timeless feel; it's amazing how many brides also request some of their pictures in black and white too, I really love the dramatic effect it has on my images!

Last weekend I photographed a wedding at Missenden Abbey, blog to follow.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

WINTER WEDDING

2012-01-05T18:40:00.000Z

Just before christmas I photographed the wedding of Lorraine & Peter at Sarratt village parish Church, we had this winters first dusting of snow in the morning. Lorraine was all all excited about a possible christmas wedding in the snow, sadly it had all melted by the time the ceremony started! In my 21 years in business attending over 1,200 weddings, I've only ever photographed a dozen weddings in the snow, when it does happen it's quit stunning. I would have loved some of the white stuff too, great for portfolio pictures, this winter could still surprise us yet!!!

Peter had a special surprise waiting for Lorraine when she arrived at the church, he had secretly restored his grandad's vintage tractor, how he kept it quiet I'll never know. Her face was an absolute picture when she arrived at the church, a few tears were shed too! You'll be pleased to here it wasn't used to get them to their drinks reception at the lovely 350 year old village pub, The Cock Inn.

I hope you enjoy looking at the selection of pictures from their wedding.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

ARABIAN TENTS PHOTO-SHOOT

2011-12-21T12:12:00.001Z

I'm pleased to report everyones wedding and portrait orders have now been completed, collected or dispatched, it's always crazy long hours to make the Christmas deadlines. With families gathering over the festive period it's the perfect time to view the various wedding albums and portraits given as presents, it's a deadline not to be missed! I'm looking forward to recharging my batteries in the coming weeks, no more 14 hour working days till next spring, phew!

Last weeks wedding was in the very picturesque village of Sarratt at the parish church, followed by a drinks reception at the lovely 350 year old Cock Inn, next week I'm at Missenden Abbey, blogs to follow.

I do quite a lot of corporate and commercial photography during the week, most of these shoots never get a mention on my blog as weddings and portraits are so much more fun to report on than office interiors and product shots! However, two weeks ago The Arabian Tent Company in East Sussex booked me to capture interiors of their stunning marquees. Their wow designs bring an entirely unique dimension to marquee & venue interiors for parties or weddings, in my 21 years in business I've never seen anything quite like it! They offer many different designs, I was photographing their William Morris and the really vibrant Arabian interiors. I've attached a selection of the images:

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Mark

FAMILY PORTRAITS

2011-12-14T15:35:00.001Z

It's that final push to meet the christmas orders deadlines for my wedding and portrait customers, hopefully I'll be complete with a week to collapse and rest before the festive season starts! I've got one more wedding to photograph this year, it's this weekend, hopefully the wind and rain will stay away, I wouldn't object to a few inches of snow on the ground though!

Wedding bookings are still going well for next year, bookings this week include my second within 10 days for Stoke Park and my first ever booking for West Wycombe Park. Sadly I've also turned away two bookings due to my diary filling up on the Saturdays.

Over the last six weeks I've been making the most of the lovely autumn colours for my portraits, it still amazes me how far my customers travel to have their pictures taken. Families have travelled from the Isle of Man, West Sussex, Essex, Surrey and even France over the past few weeks.

Here are a few of the pictures:

Enjoy your week!
Mark

TAPLOW HOUSE WEDDING

2011-12-02T20:19:00.000Z

My absolute favourite time of year for photographs has to be autumn, the colours have been stunning this year! I've been busy capturing outdoor family portraits for the last few weeks, there is always a mad rush of bookings during October and November. Next week I'll post some of family portraits on the blog.

A few weeks ago I was at Taplow House Hotel, I couldn't have wished for a nicer day, blue skies and autumn colours for the pictures, just perfect! Tasha and Rich were looking for a mix of classic poses and reportage pictures to capture their wedding day. The civil ceremony was held at the hotel, followed by the drinks reception and outdoor pictures, the weather was so kind to us on the day. Normally this time of year it takes a little persuading to tempt the guests outside for pictures. I stayed the whole day to capture the speeches and their fantastic first dance, they did the most brilliant cha cha cha. It must be the 'Strictly' effect as I've never seen so many choreographed dance routines as I've seen this year.

Weddings are still coming in thick and fast for next year, this past week I've secured bookings for Stoke Park and The Dairy, two really stunning venues I love working at.

I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Have a good week!
Mark

FAMILY PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

2011-11-22T18:40:00.002Z

Now is the mad rush in to Christmas, the deadline for every ones wedding pictures and family portraits is fast approaching. The mild weather has been fantastic for my outdoor portraits, I can't believe we've still not had our first frost this autumn! At this time of year the weddings are a little quieter and the portraits just go crazy. I've been working both in the gardens of my manor house location, I've also been taking more and more of my portraits on location in the surrounding chiltern hills this year. Chesham is surrounded by so many stunning backdrops, here are a few pictures from over the past month. I'll blog some of my autumnal portraits soon, watch this space!

Enjoy your week!
Mark

TAPLOW HOUSE WEDDING

2011-11-10T11:15:00.000Z

An Elizabethan Manor was built in 1598 on a green and secluded hill just east of Maidenhead on what was thought to have been the site of an Anglo-Saxon settlement dating back at least 1,300 years. A devastating fire completely destroyed that house in 1660, the existing Georgian property was built in 1751 and it remained a private residence until 1958.

The building has a rich and varied history following its presentation by James l to Hampson, the first governor of Virginia in 1628. It was owned by Pascoe Grenfell, the MP for Great Marlow and Penrhyn in 1794 before being sold to the Marquess of Thomond in 1838. It has been put up for sale by auction twice, once in 1875 and again in 1906 where auction booklets have clearly recorded the many changes to the property over time.

The grounds of the Hotel hold a number of interesting trees. The Cedar of Lebanon, introduced into Great Britain in 1638 was planted in the gardens around 1880. But the trees with the most interesting story by far are the Tulip Trees. These trees were planted over 220 years ago and are reputed to be the tallest and fattest examples in Europe.

Taplow House was the setting for the wedding of Emma and Geraint a few weeks ago, their table plan theme was based around the French wine regions. They also appropriately staged their evening reception in the hotels former wine cellars, adorning the walls with wine themed pictures to accompany the great selection of wines on offer to their guests. I really enjoyed photographing this lovely relaxed wedding, as always no wine for me, at least not till I got home that evening!

I was working at Taplow House again last week, the Tulip Trees were covered in striking autumnal colours with blue skies above, blog to follow.

I hope you enjoy looking at Emma & Geraint's pictures.

Enjoy your week!

Mark

BURNHAM BEECHES HOTEL WEDDING

2011-11-01T17:31:00.002Z

Originally built as a hunting lodge in what was then part of Windsor Park, the house afforded rest to the Royal hunting parties before resuming the chase. In 1737 the English Poet, Thomas Gray, visited his uncle who owned the house and was inspired to write his “Elegy in a Country Churchyard”. Later, the house, known as Cant’s Hill, became the property of the Clifton Brown family, famous for their association with the Palace of Westminster.

A few weeks ago the hotel hosted the wedding of Teresa and Ray, lots of rain cloud dodging was required on the day to catch the occasional blue skies in the pictures. Their wedding ceremony was at St.Anthony's Church, Farnham Royal. Lots of children were invited to their lovely wedding , this provided great picture opportunities for me. The hotel has lots of great backdrops for pictures come rain or shine. Here are some of the images from Teresa and Ray's wedding:

Last weekends wedding was at Taplow House Hotel, stunning autumn colours everywhere and plenty of sunshine, blog to follow soon.

Enjoy your week!

Mark

THE DAIRY, WADDESDON MANOR

2011-10-17T13:11:00.001+01:00

Without doubt one of my favourite venues to photograph weddings is The Dairy at Waddesdon Manor, this sensational venue is totally gorgeous in every way! I've been one of their main recommended photographers for over twelve years, I just love working at this wow venue. The Dairy is a very romantic place for weddings with its lakeside gardens, colourful flower borders, wonderful architecture and delicious food. The main house on the vast estate is the stunningly beautiful Rothschilds Chateau, it's just amazing for wedding pictures too.This is undoubtedly one of Britain's finest manor houses and most prestigious wedding venues.

Waddesdon Manor was built by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild between 1874 and 1889 to display his art collection and to entertain his friends and business contacts. The house was built in the style of a sixteenth century French chateau, by Gabriel Hippolyte Destauiller.

The Dairy was built as part of the estate created by Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild at the end of the 19th century. It was a working Dairy housing the Baron's prize-winning herds of cattle. The buildings and garden fell into disrepair, but in 1989 Lord Rothschild initiated an extensive restoration programme at Waddesdon Manor, which included the Dairy and its Victorian water gardens created by James Pulham in the 1880s. You'll be pleased to hear the prize-winning herds of cattle have long since vacated, weddings are now the main events held at The Dairy, a few weeks ago I photographed the lovely wedding of Jenny and Pete. We had blue skies and a great party atmosphere throughout the day.

I hope you enjoy looking at the pictures from Jenny and Pete's wedding.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

HAMPDEN HOUSE WEDDING

2011-10-07T20:59:00.001+01:00

Hampden House is the ultimate architectural jigsaw puzzle, with pieces added every century since the 14th. It is the most wonderful building and one of my absolute favourite wedding venues. It is set in over 300 acres of parkland with a fantastic views over the Chiltern hills. I've been one of their main recommended photographers for the past eight years.

John Hampden, a cousin of Oliver Cromwell, was a key figure in the English Civil War movement; he championed the rights of the common people of England against the tyrannical rule of King Charles I. John Hampden's famous stand against Ship Tax in 1635, whereby he refused to pay the naval tax when it was extended by the King to inland counties, was the spark that started the civil war with the Royalists in 1642. Probably the most famous visitor to Hampden House was Queen Elizabeth I in 1564 and 1592.

The wedding of Jenny and Pete was several weeks ago, thankfully it's a much more peaceful setting these days, you're more likely to witness a romantic wedding at Hampden House than hear discussions of civil war and treason.

I hope you enjoy looking at Jenny and Pete's pictures!

Mark

TAPLOW HOUSE WEDDING

2011-09-30T16:16:00.003+01:00

I was back to my regular haunt at Taplow House a few weeks ago to photograph the wedding of Jacqui & Luke. They got married in Fulmer parish church, then their reception was at Taplow House. It was perfect blue skies picture weather, my favourite conditions for wedding photography. They had booked a bagpiper and magician to entertain the guests, then also had the most stunning vodka luge ice sculpture in the shape of a JCB digger for the evening reception. You'll be pleased to hear I only photographed it, I was on my usual, though not so exciting orange juice all day! The wedding was a really fun one for me to attend. I was with them all day, starting at the hotel and staying through until the evenings entertainment.

Last weekend I was at The Runnymede Hotel, lots of great riverside backdrops on the Thames.

I hope you enjoy the pictures from Jacqui & Luke's wedding.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

GREAT FOSTERS WEDDING

2011-09-22T18:55:00.001+01:00

Britain is blessed with so many lovely wedding venues, Great Fosters in Egham is one of the very best. This most gorgeous Jacobean manor house is such a wonderful wedding location, it's set in 50 acres of stunning gardens.

Frederick Furnivall ran Great Fosters as a lunatic asylum in Georgian times, his methods of treatment for mental illness were quite revolutionary at the time. He was known as "Doctor to the Poor” in Windsor, it is also believed that Great Fosters was where King George III was housed when he was being treated for his insanity.

I'm pleased to report those days have long since been left behind. Nat & Tim's wedding at Great Fosters was a far more glamorous occasion, on a lovely sunny Monday a few weeks ago. Although the guests might have been forgiven to think the chef and head waiter should be locked up in the Frederick's asylum. After the main course they unexpectedly just burst in to song in the great hall whilst the guests were enjoying their desserts. They were in fact top west end opera soloists, it really was the most spectacular singing and entertainment, I've never seen anything like it! Nat and Tim had booked them as a surprise for their guests.

This week I photographed a marquee wedding in St.Albans, write up to follow if I get to catch up with all the other blogging from this summers weddings.

Here are some of Nat and Tim's pictures from Great Fosters.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

FAMILY PORTRAITS

2011-09-16T09:21:00.000+01:00

Here are a few pictures from one of my outdoor family portrait sessions. These were taken in the local Chiltern Hills a couple of weeks ago. I'm really looking forward to working in the autumn colours next month, my absolute favourite time of year for family portraits. I still have some availability for the weekends in October.

I hope to meet some of you at the Taplow House wedding show this Sunday, 11am-3pm.

Enjoy your week!

Mark

ROYAL BERKSHIRE HOTEL

2011-09-12T11:18:00.001+01:00

Sandie & Matt's wedding at The Royal Berkshire Hotel a few weeks ago had all the attributes for the perfect day. Stunning location, lovely easy going couple, great weather, loads of energetic happy kids, perfect for photographs, I couldn't ask for much more!

My weekend wedding was at Tewin Bury Farm, Welwyn Garden City, blog pictures to follow soon.

On Sunday 18th September I'll be attending the Taplow House wedding fair, 11am-3pm. Last years show was a resounding success, probably the busiest show I've attended for many years, I hope you can join us on the day. I'll be bringing lots of display albums, plus obviously masses of recent pictures of Taplow House.

I hope you enjoy looking at this selection of images from Sandie & Matt's wedding:

Enjoy your week!
Mark

FAMILY PORTRAITS

2011-09-05T14:44:00.001+01:00

I've been getting soaked a lot lately, just one of our typical British summers I guess! I've become quite an expert in watching the cloud formations over the years, dodging the many downpours and working at breakneck speed when the tiniest patches of blue sky occasionally appear.

Besides the weddings, my outdoor family portraits have also kept me busy this summer, my commissions are all over the southeast of England, though most customers visit me at my Chesham manor house location. Since I introduced a special rate of £200 back in July for a portrait session at The Bury Manor including a high resolution CD, the diary has been filling up nicely! Your choice of portrait location within 40 miles of Chesham & high resolution CD prices start from £295.

The weddings are now quieter I'm pleased to report, the crazy annual August schedule has been replaced by a more manageable one wedding per week schedule. Last weekend I was at the stunning Merton College in Oxford, it's always a pleasure to work in the historic cities fantastic colleges.

Here are a few pictures from one of my regular customers sessions, the Bourne family portraits were taken a couple of weeks ago at their home then choice of manor house location in Surrey.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

WADDESDON MANOR WEDDING

2011-08-30T20:30:00.000+01:00

Three weeks ago I attended another wedding at one of my favourite venues, The Dairy at Waddesdon Manor. Buckinghamshire has so many wonderful wedding venues, couples are really spoilt for choice in the Home Counties. I've attended well over 75 weddings at The Dairy since they started recommending me over 12 years ago, I enjoy working there now as much as ever, a truly inspiring location for photographs!

Sam and Mark's wedding was a really fun relaxed day, with a mix of this August's sun and showers. Thankfully Sam had no objections going on to the damp grass for pictures once the blue skies arrived. Not all brides want to venture on to the grass when it's damp under foot, it's not great for the dress, but stunning pictures are usually the priority in the brides mind!

Over the last 10 days I've attended five weddings, including two marquee weddings, Burnham Beeches Hotel, a river boat wedding in London and my second wedding of the month at The Dairy last Thursday.

See over 200 images of The Dairy on my website, plus over 50 other venues in my 'Select-A-Venue' gallery.

Here are a few of the pictures from the wedding of Sam & Mark, I hope you like the pictures.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

MANIC AUGUST!!!!

2011-08-18T14:02:00.000+01:00

Every year it's exactly the same, August is by far the busiest month of the year for weddings. Next week I have 3 weddings to attend, it was the same last week too! Many of the couples are school teachers, so this month is no doubt the best time of year to ensure their work friends can join in with the celebrations.

The weddings last week were at Taplow House, Missenden Abbey and Hampden House, (all these venues recommend me), even the weather was kind to us on all three days! During August it's 14 hour shifts every day, most of this time is spent processing the images, thankfully my friends don't totally desert me, it does quieten a little from September onwards!

Here are a few of my favourite pictures from the wedding of Louisa and Chris, they got married at Taplow House Hotel (my 2nd home). Lots of lovely blue skies and happy faces! My brief was to capture all those fun moments, plus some classic poses. I'm lucky enough to have captured well over 150 weddings at this wonderful hotel over the last 15 years, there are just so many stunning backdrops for me to work with!

Enjoy your week!
Mark

SUMMER IN PRAGUE

2011-08-03T19:06:00.001+01:00

This wonderful city is one of the many places I had on my wish list to visit, two weeks ago I went for a short midweek break to see what Prague had to offer. I was not disappointed, once you are away from the main touristy areas, it was like stepping back in time. The architecture is stunning, then there are the lovely cobbled streets everywhere, rickety trams instead of buses, it's no wonder so many movies have been made there. I would recommend Prague to anyone who likes a mix of history & adventure.

August is my busiest month as always, I did three big all day weddings at the weekend, including my regular haunt and 9th of the season at Taplow House Hotel on Friday, followed by The Royal Berkshire Hotel on Saturday and Great Fosters on Monday. Thrown in for good measure was my birthday boat trip down the River Thames with friends on Sunday, a great fun day out! Come Tuesday I was so exhausted, I just collapsed in a heap until lunchtime recharging my batteries and resting my aching limbs!

Here are a few of the pictures I took in Prague, I hope you enjoy looking at them.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

CANDID WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHS

2011-07-26T13:00:00.000+01:00

Some of the nicest pictures from weddings are in the unexpected images I capture. I'm always looking for those candid moments, pictures that really help to tell the story of the day, whether it's laughter, expressions, tears, reactions or just the kids causing havoc at the reception! One of my all favourites was capturing the bride and groom diving fully clothed in to the reception swimming pool, they were swiftly followed by the ushers and bridesmaids, that was one crazy wedding! No two weddings are ever the same, that's what I love about my job, I just never know what's going to happen next, you can be sure that my camera is always at the ready though! Mischievous little children are without doubt as good as it gets for photo opportunities at weddings. Just last weekend I captured a little boy dismantling one of the lovely pew end flower displays at the church, then I captured his mum having a stern word, the facial expressions were priceless, the whole time they were oblivious to my camera and long lens at the back of the church! These could be the classic photographs that will be used by his best man in 20 years time to truly embarrass him on his wedding day.

My weddings in the last two weekends have included The Dairy at Waddesdon Manor, Taplow House Hotel and a marquee wedding, I'm also busy this time of year attending small midweek weddings. My busiest month is always August, it's no exception this year with many lovely big weddings coming up.

Here are a few candid and fun moments from the last couple of weeks, I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Enjoy your week!
Mark

WENTWORTH WEDDING

2011-07-15T19:36:00.003+01:00

One of my favourite places for weddings is the world famous Wentworth golf club in Surrey, the most wonderful setting. Sweeping lawns, lovely lakes, gorgeous club house great flower borders and so much golfing history. I've lost count of the famous golfers I've seen there over the years, on one recent visit I photographed nine times major winner Gary Player with the wedding couple, a really nice genuine and friendly guy who was happy to chat and pose for a picture. I have to say the groom was so excited at talking to him, though his wife didn't have a clue who he was!!!

Wentworth has been recommending me for the past eight years, my most recent wedding was just a couple of weeks ago. We had the most lovely blue skies with perfect fluffy white clouds throughout the day, Karen & Ian were thrilled with their pictures too! One of the most memorable things for me was the couple and me being pursued in our golf buggies by the resident swans as we headed over the fairways towards 'their' lake for a photo oppurtunity. I can tell you that swans are every bit as fast as golf buggies at full speed! Many of their pictures can now be seen in my display album at Wentworth. Here are a few pictures from the day, I hope you enjoy looking through them.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

TAPLOW HOUSE HOTEL

2011-07-08T13:06:00.004+01:00

The staff at Taplow House have been recommending me for almost 15 years now, I must of photographed about 120 weddings there over the years. It really is one of the nicest Georgian country house hotels, high ceilings, chandeliers, big spacious rooms, huge windows and lovely gardens. It also helps that the staff are so friendly, some have been working there longer than the 15 years I've been attending weddings there. I've photographed four weddings there alone in the past six weeks, with two more over the next month. A few years ago I attended six weddings over two weekends at the hotel, the staff were joking that I should have just taken a room! As a photographer I'm always looking for great architectural features for my backdrops, Taplow House has these in abundance. Check out their website to see lots more of my work: www.taplowhouse.com or visit my 'Select-A-Venue' gallery to see over 150 images of the hotel.

It's manic here at the studio in Chesham, it's our busiest time of year by far. Lots of wedding bookings are being made for next year, even some very organised couples are reserving dates for summer 2013!

I hope you enjoy looking at the selection of pictures from these Taplow House weddings below.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

DANESFIELD & OLD LUXTERS

2011-06-30T11:47:00.000+01:00

Where has the time gone, we're already past mid-summers day, the shorter days are coming fast! I've attended some fantastic weddings in recent weeks, last weekend I was at The Dorchester Hotel in London and a lovely marquee wedding in Gerrards Cross. The Dorchester is one of my absolute favourite hotels, elegance, style, sophistication with stunning backdrops to match. Check out the gallery of the hotel on my website, click on 'Select-A-Venue', also see over 50 other venue galleries.

The wedding of Becky and Phil at Old Luxters near Henley was a really memorable day. Becky was given away by her two pet dogs, in my 21 years in the business this was a first for me to witness! I just wish they didn't have a videographer to capture me doing whatever noises were necessary to get the dogs attention in the pictures. The signing of the register even included the dogs, not to mention all the guests witnessing my canine impersonations, sometimes you just have to get the picture no matter what!!! Becky got ready at Danesfield House before travelling to Old Luxters in a lovely vintage VW camper van, I did say the wedding was memorable! The entire day was very informal throughout, lots of happy faces, weddings like this are a pleasure to photograph! Here are some of the pictures from the day, I hope you enjoy looking at them.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY

2011-06-23T09:06:00.002+01:00

Rain, rain, rain and more rain!!! These past few weeks have been challenging for my photographs to say the least, though we desperately needed the showers to bring our lawns and wedding venue gardens back to life after the dry start to the year. I've hope I've now done my qouta of weddings in the rain for this year, soggy cameras, and dashing between the church and reception venues under umbrellas is never much fun! In the past two weeks I've attended three weddings at Taplow House Hotel and one at Wentworth, both these venues have recommended me for many years now. Visit my 'Select-A-Venue' gallery to view lots of recent pictures from these lovely locations, plus over 50 other venues too!

Thankfully there has been plenty of sun between the donwpours, just as well since my outdoor portrait season is in full swing now. Most of my pictures are taken in the grounds of my studio at The Bury Manor, I also do lots in the surrounding countryside of the Chilterns. Here are a few pictures I took for the Shard family, they have been regular customers since I photographed their wedding at Bradenham Manor a few years ago. The pictures work really well with the vibrant colourful outfits they decided to wear. Tall grasses and valley views are great for my fun style of family portraits. At the moment I'm doing an amazing special offer, the portrait session and a high resolution CD of all the images is only £175!!

Enjoy your week!
Mark

ARDINGTON HOUSE WEDDING

2011-06-10T08:49:00.002+01:00

This is the time of year through till September that weddings are at there busiest, most weekends I'm attending one every Friday and Saturday. There are also quite a few midweek and Sunday bookings in my diary, most of my commissions are via hotel or client referrals.

I'm often asked how I manage to keep busy between wedding bookings, many people think it's a life of leisure for most wedding photographers outside of the weekends!! I wish! Every wedding involves about 40-50 hours work, this includes initial consultations, pre meetings at the venue with every couple, 4-12 attendance on the wedding day, 5-15 hours editing-processing-photoshop work, creating an online gallery, guest orders, designing the bespoke album layouts etc. In addition to this I do family portraits and some commercial photography too, I'd guess a typical working week for me in the summer would be about 80 hours. Thankfully I love my job! All I ever see is lots of happy faces, there is something very, very special about witnessing and being entrusted to capture the treasured memories at weddings, or special family occasions. Visting so many stunning locations that most people would never normally get to see is bonus too, it amazes me how many maginificent historic manor house reception venues there are in the UK. Even my studio is located within a gorgeous 300yr old manor house, this is no accident, you could say I love old buildings, it's the sense of history and the architectural grandeur that I find really inspiring.

The last two weekends weddings were at Danesfield House, Hampden House Taplow House Hotel and Old Luxters, all great venues for pictures. The weather was a mixed bag, lots of wind, no rain thankfully!

One wedding I really enjoyed photographing was at Ardington House in Oxfordshire three weeks ago. Lisa and Toby were married in the stunning lakeside gardens of this lovely Georgian manor house. The weather was just perfect, blue skies and fluffy white clouds, stunning backdrops, lovely couple, a photographers dream! Here are a few of the pictures I took on the day, I hope you enjoy looking at them.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

Harte & Garter Hotel, Windsor

2011-05-26T13:46:00.001+01:00

A few weeks ago I was approached by the Harte & Garter Hotel in Windsor, they were looking for an additional wedding photographer they could recommend to their Brides. The new hotel manager knew me and my work from his time at Taplow House Hotel in Maidenhead. Within 10 days I was at the hotel taking lots of pictures to update their brochure and website, this was great for me to get some portfolio shots of a gorgeous hotel where I'd never attended a wedding. There can't be many venues I've not attended a wedding within a 20 mile radius of my studio, I was blown away by the facilities they have. The biggest shock was their stunning high ceiling ballroom, I didn't even know it existed, yet I go in to windsor probably a dozen times a year! It can hold up to 200 guests, I can only think of a handful of luxury historic wedding venues that can accommodate this many guests for a sit down meal. In addition to this they have fantastic views of the castle from the majority of their rooms. I'm thrilled to now be recommended by this lovely 14th Century, 4 star hotel.

The photo-shoot involved quite a few models, lots of their staff, the hotel toastmaster, florist, bridal company, menswear suppliers, the changing of the guard was the only thing we didn't need to organise, even the sun came out for the day!

The wedding season is really in full swing now, last weekend I was in South Oxfordshire at Ardington House, the most stunning Georgian Manor house, lovely lakeside gardens too. It has been the home to the Baring family for several generations, they are best known for founding the famous merchant bank.

Below are a few of the pictures from The Harte & Garter photo-shoot.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

SPRING BLUEBELLS

2011-05-20T08:17:00.001+01:00

The wedding season is now firing on all cylinders, the weather has been great for pictures so far! Last weekend I was photographing a lovely wedding beside the river Thames at Bisham Abbey, a great venue with fantastic backdrops. The most popular packages this year are for either the CD only, or for the Graphistudio glossy coffee table books. Next years bookings are coming in fast too, bookings include Hedsor House, Hampden House, Taplow House, Waddesdon Manor and Hartwell House. Most of my bookings are from customer referrals or from the nine venues that recommend me.

I've also been busy in recent weeks with family portraits, most of these have been taken in my local bluebell woods, the colours have been stunning this year. The bluebells are so vibrant and provide a dream backdrop for my portraits. I just love working outdoors, the images are just so natural and really capture peoples personalities. It must be almost 18 years since I last did a family portrait in a studio, it's just not my style! A new and very popular option this year is for a high res CD only portrait session, the session and CD of all the images taken is £175. Some weekend bookings are still available for my wild flower meadows at my manor house location in Chesham, the meadow is in bloom during June and July. Check out my prices and gallery of portraits: http://www.marksisley.co.uk/portraits-1.htm

I hope you enjoy looking at some of my bluebell pictures.

Have a great week!
Mark

TULIPS AT WADDESDON MANOR

2011-05-12T09:29:00.000+01:00

Spring is such a colourful time for photography in England, daffodils, tulips, lily of the valley and bluebells everywhere. I've travelled the world on holidays and photo-shoots, yet nowhere comes even close to being as vibrant and colourful as England. Combined with the rich heritage, architectural treasures and temperate climate this country has to offer, we are very lucky! I've got friends in Canada who are still buried under two feet of snow, yet it's five weeks till midsummer's day, how crazy is that!

My family portraits are all taken outdoors in the gardens of my manor house location, also in various locations in the surrounding Chiltern hills. I depend on stunning backdrops throughout the spring, summer and autumn months, working within a designated area of outstanding natural beauty there is no shortage of options locally.

I visited one of my favourite places in the Chilterns last week; Waddesdon Manor has been recommending me for many years as a preferred wedding photographer. I'd never photographed a wedding during the tulip season so decided to pay a visit with my camera, I was not disappointed. The tulips were out of this world, the amount of work that goes in to creating these displays must be immense. You can see some of the pictures here, I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed taking them.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

HARTWELL HOUSE INTERIORS

2011-04-29T07:17:00.000+01:00

Here are a few images from my recent Hartwell House Hotel photo-shoot, these are some of my favourites. The pictures are to be used by the hotel for future publicity and promotional purposes. These images will also be used on my Hartwell House photo-gallery, view over 80 more images at: http://www.marksisley.co.uk/venues/hartwell-house/default.htm

I'm now very busy on weddings, the months ahead look quite frantic! Family portraits in my local bluebell woods are also keeping me very busy, the colours are just stunning this year.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS IN SPRING

2011-04-21T14:32:00.000+01:00

I've just returned from a week at my holiday rental apartment in the Scottish Highlands, the wear and tear is something I always try and keep under control. Or maybe it's more to do with keeping the Visit Scotland 4 star rating, this was my last chance to do essential maintenance works before the autumn, balancing any DIY with my manic wedding and portrait diary over the summer months is not easy! Also the apartment is usually booked for 40 weeks of the year, I hope to do a trip without the decorating requirements in the not too distant future. The apartment is located within a grade 'A' Victorian monastery over looking Loch Ness in the most dramatic setting of the Great Glen. www.boysdormitory.co.uk

I've attached a few of the pictures I took from within the grounds of the monastery, plus one from the apartments window overlooking Loch Ness.

The wedding and portrait season is now in full swing, in the coming weeks I'm attending weddings at Taplow House, Waddesdon Manor, Hampden House and Wentworth, I just hope this fantastic weather continues! Last week I attended the most wonderful military wedding at RAF Halton, lovely couple, perfect blue skies and just the most stunning building. This is my third wedding at the venue over the last few years, check out my gallery of recent RAF Halton weddings. Before you go rushing off to view the manor house as a potential setting for your wedding, it's sadly only available to RAF personnel.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

MY NEWLY DECORATED MANOR HOUSE PREMISES

2011-04-14T11:22:00.000+01:00

I've now been in my lovely 300 year old manor house premises in Chesham for the past 17 years, I just can't imagine being located anywhere else, it's such a perfect setting for my work! The majority of my family portraits are taken in the stunning lakeside gardens, when I started my business I just couldn't bring myself to follow the stereotypical approach to portrait photography in the UK of white or brown studio backdrops. For the past 17 years I've been offering fun, relaxed informal outdoor portraits in the colourful gardens of The Bury Manor. Backdrops include daffodil meadows, wild flower fields, herbaceous borders, sweeping steps and the manor cloisters. I am not aware of any other photographers offering this unique service from such an idyllic setting; in recent years other photographers have started to become more adventurous and venture out of their studios in to the local parks and woodlands. I'm still not aware of any other photographer being based in such a lovely garden and manor house setting in the UK. By offering a totally different approach to family portraits I've managed to keep my diary very busy over the years, many of my customers have become regular visitors, several families have even been photographed by me every year since 1994 when I moved my business in to the manor. I have clients who have travelled from as far afield as the USA and the Far East for their family portraits.

Over the last couple of weeks I've been redecorating my showroom in preparation for the new portrait season, ripping up carpets, stripping and waxing floorboards, painting walls, new bathroom tiling etc. At the moment the lakeside daffodils are in full bloom, I just hope this mild spring weather stays with us. Attached are a few pictures of my newly decorated showroom, plus a few of the gardens. I'm also now taking bookings for portraits in my wild flower meadows, the meadow is at its peak during the month of July.

See my portrait website gallery for examples of my work, prices and special offers.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

HARTWELL HOUSE IN SPRING

2011-03-29T09:18:00.049+01:00

Hartwell House have been recommending me as a wedding photographer for the past seven years, last year I photographed six weddings at the hotel. This week I was there to photograph the exterior of this fantastic Grade I listed Jacobean and Georgian country house hotel for publicity purposes. The blue skies and daffodil beds were gorgeous, perfect for pictures; a photographers dream location! What I love about this charming hotel is its intimacy, stunning interior and exterior architectural features, perfect gardens, lovely atmosphere and really friendly staff. The hotel is packed with the most superb antiques and paintings, sadly most historic hotels are either over modernised or crammed full of cheap reproductions! The hotel is now owned by the National Trust, the most famous resident of Hartwell was the exiled King of France, Louis XVIII, with his court from 1809 to 1814. More recently President Clinton broadcast to the American people from in the library. The Emperor and Empress of Japan have also been recent guests to Hartwell House. I just love this place, whether I'm there to photograph a wedding, or enjoying a relaxing afternoon tea or meal with friends!

You can see over 100 wedding images of Hartwell House in the 'Select-A-Venue' gallery on my website.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

LONDON'S ARCHITECTURAL GEMS

2011-03-22T11:01:00.000Z

Being so close to London many of my assignments take me in to the city on a regular basis. Last week I attended a couple of corporate functions in London, these are the bread & butter jobs that keep us photographers going over the quieter winter months. As always, I was on the look out for any striking picture opportunities whilst travelling to and from shoots, all these recent blue skies certainly help. London's Georgian and Victorian roof tops really fascinate me, the architectural design work of yesteryear is quite breathtaking. I've been to London many hundreds of times over the years, yet every time I see sights I'd never noticed before. It really is a true Pandora's box of delights! Below are some of the pictures I took last week.

It's been the usual quiet start to the year with the weddings and portraits, though that's about to change as always in the coming weeks. I'm really looking forward to the start of the main wedding season, lets hope these blue skies continue!

Enjoy your week!
Mark

RIVER THAMES & LONDON AT DUSK

2011-03-09T19:17:00.004Z

For the last few days I've been working in London on a commercial assignment, lots of interiors of empty office blocks. The life of a photographer is not all glitzy red carpet photo-shoots and country house weddings! I was working in Covent Garden, an ideal opportunity for me to take some pictures for my personal folio of the Thames once the neon lights lit up the river at dusk. For those of you who know me well, I'm known for my floodlit night time photographs. Normally I'm floodlighting manor house locations at dusk for couples on their wedding day, this time I was just taking pictures for me! I said something similar to this on a European trip a few years ago, only for the pictures to published in a national glossy travel magazine a few months later!!

Don't forget, The Dairy at Waddesdon manor is holding their wedding fair this Sunday 13th March, 11am-3pm. I have been recommended by the Dairy for the past 12 years, see over 200 images of this fabulous venue on my website. You'll see lots of winter and summer floodlit wedding shots on my Waddesdon gallery too!

Wedding bookings are still coming in fast for this year and 2012, only a few Saturdays now remain for this summer. At present a third of the 2012 summer Saturdays are reserved in my diary.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

HIGHLANDS PHOTOGRAPHY

2011-02-24T19:13:00.000Z

This week I thought I'd share a few more pictures of my trip to The Scottish Highlands, I can't wait to go back. The winter light is just fantastic for landscape pictures, early morning and dusk create the most magical effects. Everywhere you look there are oppurtunities, sadly on this trip the sun was a little shy at times. In an ideal world there would be fantastic sunrises and sunsets every day, I guess it would be boring if landscape photography was this easy! The weather was so changeable throughout this trip, torrential rain, snow storms and strong winds were in abundance. I hope you enjoy the pictures.

This week has been quite busy, with a lovely wedding at Pendley Manor, and several couples visiting my Chesham studio to discuss their weddings for this summer. After the two recent wedding shows at Taplow House and Bisham Abbey, I'm pleased to report the bookings are coming in fast for 2011 and 2012.

Enjoy your week!
Mark

THE SCOTTISH HIGHLANDS

2011-02-15T17:58:00.001Z

Without doubt one of my all time favourite locations for photography and total relaxation. I lived in Scotland till I was 5 years old, to this day Scotland still has a very special place in my heart. In fact 6 years ago I invested in a holiday property in the heart of the Scottish Highlands, my little slice of Scotland. Last week I did I short mid-week trip to enjoy the peace and tranquility, plus a little maintenance work which is always required. The apartment is within a stunning converted Victorian monastery with magnificent views of Loch Ness and the mountains. Dominating the southern shores of Loch Ness, Fort Augustus Abbey, formerly a military fort, has a long and turbulent history that streches back to the days of Bonnie Prince Charlie and the battle of Culloden, the last ever pitched battle on British soil. The original military fort was transformed in to a place of peace and worship by the monks of the Benedictine order in 1867. In 1919 the monks opened The New Abbey School, sadly this closed in 1993 after many successful years and in 1998 the abbey was closed and the monks dispersed. The Grade 'A' listed building was then converted in to luxury apartments, whilst retaining the fabulous architectural features of the buildings. My apartment was previously used as the boys dormitory within the school at the abbey, I've decided to retain the name, though none of the 30 bunk beds remain! It now has a Visit Scotland 4 star rating, a standard none of the boys would have experienced whilst sleeping cheek by jowl at the boarding school! Check out the website for the holiday apartment (Sleeps 2): www.boysdormitory.co.uk

Below are few pictures of the abbey and the apartment taken last week & last summer:

For me it's back to work now, processing the pictures from last weekends Oakley Court wedding.

Enjoy your week,
Mark

WEDDING SHOWS DURING FEB & MARCH

2011-02-08T19:45:00.000Z

Wow, what a fantastic wedding show at Taplow House Hotel on Sunday. With over 100 brides coming through the door, I cannot remember the last time this many brides came to an out of London wedding fair. Could this be a sign that the economy is starting to improve? With so many wedding suppliers struggling and going bust in recent years, this is a very positive indicator of things to come for the industry and the economy I hope. On the Sunday and yesterday I took five new bookings for this year, I lost count of the number I turned away. My diary is now filling up nicely, with only a few Saturdays still available for this summer. A big thank you to Taplow House Hotel and Berkshire Wedding Fairs for organising such a great show. I have been the recommended photographer at Taplow House Hotel for the past 15 years. It's a really lovely 4 star Georgian Manor House Hotel, with period features, high ceilings, chandeliers, open fireplaces, stunning interior design and really friendly staff, it's just how a country house hotel should be.

I'm attending two more wedding shows in the coming weeks, this Sunday the 13th is the Bisham Abbey wedding fair, again organised by Berkshire Wedding Fairs. A lovely period property on the banks of the river Thames near Marlow, well worth a visit if you're still looking for that perfect venue or suppliers for your big day. To see my gallery of Bisham Abbey pictures, click on the 'Select-A-Venue' heading on my website.

Then on Sunday 13th March is a wedding fair at The Dairy, Waddesdon Manor. This is one of my all time favourite venues, one of the finest wedding settings in England. A magnificent lakeside period building with gorgeous grounds, a photographer's dream. I've been lucky enough to be recommended by The Dairy for the past 12 years, check out my gallery of over 100 recent images of the venue on my website. Click on 'Select-A-Venue' on my website.

This week I did a photo-shoot for the Maidenhead florist Richard Elder, it was great to see his large new premises at The Glasshouse, Stubbings Nursery, what a fab location. Richard is considered to be one of the finest florists in the south east of England, his work is quite stunning. Below is a picture of his premises, well worth a visit to organise your wedding flowers.

I couldn't resist taking the other picture from my window this morning, a view of the hills over the Chilterns, near Amersham. The mist was just perfect, England really is such a beautiful place!

Enjoy your week!
Mark

WINTER'S MORNING

2011-01-30T18:02:00.000Z

This morning there was a beautiful frost down by the river at Latimer. Here are a couple of my favourite pictures.

Just a reminder for anyone who wishes to come along and see me at the Taplow House wedding fair, it's next Sunday, well worth a visit as there should be over 25 exhibitors. Taplow House has recommended me for the past 12 years, and is a gorgeous venue - visit my Select A Venue gallery to view over 100 recent images from weddings at the hotel.

Have a great week!
Mark

MY NEW BLOG JANUARY 2011

2011-01-23T14:37:00.001Z

Welcome to my new blog, a great opportunity for me to post information and pictures. I hope you enjoy following my updates, my intention is to post a picture of the week and keep you informed of what's new here.

The first pictures I'm posting were taken last week in Canada, I was there for just a week in the province of Manitoba. The most beautiful setting for stunning landscape photography; these images were captured at sunrise on a cold, frosty morning.

Welcome to my blog!

2011-01-17T11:14:00.002Z

Welcome to my blog. I will be posting news and views here regularly ... please come back and visit soon!