Vintage Inspired Civil Partnership in Southampton

June 14, 2011 by sue | Leave a comment

Forty of their closest family and friends attended this brilliant civil partnership. This awesome gay couple have been together for 10 years. During that time that time they have lived in London and Kylie’s native New Zealand, soon they will be moving to Southampton to start their new business.The event was full of creative personal touches: Kylie is a fantastic chef and not only created the amazing wedding cake but also the delicious nibbles on the day.

Kylie who is  normally camera shy had been ‘practicing’ her smiles, for the camera, for which I am eternally grateful. A camera shy bride would have made for a difficult day!  The weather was a little damp so some of the family shots had to be taken inside the hotel, but everyone braved the big outdoors for some fun group shots.  Sam was wearing a vintage inspired ivory dress and Kylie was wearing a classic black number.

The official civil partnership ceremony took place in Southampton Registry Office, whilst the main meal was at Balmer Lawn Hotel. The Hotel has a special meaning as it was very close to where Kylie popped the big question to Sam last year. Table decorations were created by Sam’s brother Steve, (an interior designer) and each table was named after a lesbian icon, from Martina to K.D to Alex Parks. Fantastic vintage coaches with the nicest drivers you could ever meet, ferried all the guests from one venue to next. The coaches really added to the vintage feel and made a real virtue of going to the different venues.

The post celebration bash was at Sam’s family home where friends and family partied in a marquee, until the neighbours could bare no more! At the end of the evening Chinese lanterns were lit and friends and family watched as they floated up in the sky. The whole day was awesome.

If you would like me to take pictures for your civil partnership then please don’t hesitate to get in contact with me: suevenables@googlemail.com.

Posted in Uncategorized, Wedding

Vintage Photos leave me nostalgic for the past

May 12, 2011 by sue | Leave a comment

I spent last Sunday afternoon with a shoe box on my lap, thumbing through my partners  family archives and listening to stories from relatives. Although for some people this is  is their idea of  of hell, for me it is a slice of photo heaven. There’s something about the crumpled corners and frozen moments that captivate my attention. I love the authentic black and white images, with often dodgy depth of fields and camera blur.

I was struck by the physical amount of photographs we were looking at, possibly about 200 tops. This seemed like nothing for 80 years of family history which they contained. I recently did a vintage photo shoot to celebrate a babies first birthday and I handed over a disk which had about 70 good images on it -just from a couple of hours of work. A wedding would produce probably upwards of 2oo images. Years ago a family birthday party would have elicited about 5-10 pictures as the photographer, carefully balanced the cost of film and processing with the magnitude of the event.

I remember my family sending off the rolls of films in paper envelopes and then the excitement when they were returned to you in the post. The first exciting thing was whether you were receiving your roll of film back or some other customers! Once that was sorted, I remember holding my breath going through the photographs which sometimes weren’t as good as you imagined or were excellent examples of mogic (moments of magic – yes I made that up!). But how many prints do we liberate from the hard drives of our computers now?

When I’ve done a photographic assignment I burn all the images onto disc. I make a back up and hand the digital files back to the client as that is the way I like to roll! The clients hired me and I retain the copyright but they can do what they like with their images as long as it is not for commercial purposes. No up selling – no big bills to pay after the event for the client. Nice and simple.

I know my clients go on to print out the images and create albums and sometimes they ask me to help but I hardly print out any of my own images. In fact the only images which I liberate for the hard drives are those my partner has demanded of me. If I don’t alter my non printing ways, in future I could be sitting with a shoe box on my lap with fewer printed images that my elderly relatives – ah that’s progress!



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Vintage Birthday Party Photo Shoot Surrey

May 2, 2011 by sue | Leave a comment


Here are a selection of photographs taken for a vintage inspired photo-shoot in celebration of baby Josie’s first birthday party. I set the table under the trees in a wooded part of the garden. The shabby chic bunting was fresh from the royal wedding and was recycled as table dressing – well we are meant to be in the age of austerity! Cup cakes, flowers from the garden and Grandmas finest floral china decorated the table. I think the photos have a simple elegance and more than a hint of nostalgia. Baby Josie was a fantastic model and remained good humored and cute throughout the shoot. Happy memories!

If you would like to hire me for a similar shoot then please don’t hesitate to get in contact with me. Details of pricing can be seen here.



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Vintage Engagement shoot feature in Whimsical Wonderland Weddings

March 24, 2011 by sue | Leave a comment

Vintage Alice in Wonderland ShootI’m really proud that www.suevenablesphotography.com is being featured today in Whimsical Wonderland Weddings. It’s a one stop shop for wedding inspiration, engagement photos, news etc, with plenty of fantastic ideas for the bride to be. If you are into vintage,  you are in for a treat as there are lots of real vintage weddings featured on the site.

I would like to add a big thank you to Lou for being super efficient and super lovely!

UK Wedding Blog



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Vintage Alice in Wonderland Themed Engagement Shoot in Essex

February 22, 2011 by sue | Leave a comment

Well here are the results of the, ‘Vintage Themed Engagement Shoot,’ that I photographed at the weekend. I am really pleased with the results. I’m sure Wendy and Thom won’t mind me saying but their characters seemed to match their fictional roles rather well! The themed was inspired by the surreal children’s book, ‘Alice in Wonderland.’

The photographs are a celebration of the couples recent engagement and came about through a series of discussions with them. They wanted to have an engagement photo shoot but also wanted it to be a little bit different. They are both natural performers as you can see from the photos and are lovers of all things vintage. It was also a perfect excuse for them to wear their finest vintage clothes and for me to get out my shabby chic crockery and get styling!

I decorated some fairy cakes with red and white shaped hearts and I collected together some old pocket watches and vintage books to set the scene. The decanter is meant to look like it is filled with Absinth but it was in fact some food dye! Seeing the table laid out on the edge of farm land was really quite surreal. The cold misty weather was freezing and the ground was boggy underfoot. The adverse conditions added a huge sense of emergency to the shoot as both myself and the couple couldn’t wait to be inside!

Their were a few hilarious moments where I was doubled up laughing. For example when Alice sat on the chair which promptly disappeared into the boggy soil and the ‘Mad Hatter,’ tried hard to keep a straight face for the camera whilst his ‘Alice,’ was sinking before his eyes!

But by the power of technology I have just about managed to visually warm up Alice and add some warmth to the cheeks of the Mad Hatter! I would like to thank Wendy and Thom for their patience and good humour!

If you would have some ideas for a themed photo shoot that you would like to discuss with me then please don’t hesitate to get in contact.



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Vintage Couples

February 8, 2011 by sue | Leave a comment

I’m planning some fantastic couple shoots over the next few weeks. The first photo shoot is with a vintage ‘Alice in Wonderland,’ theme. That reminds me there are still a few props that I need to either fashion or buy. Top hat and 1920′s bow tie and ‘Drink Me’ potion – anyone?

I’ve got loads of ideas for other vintage themed shoots, which are energizing me and getting my creative juices going, for 2011. I’d love to hear your ideas for vintage shoots as well.

I am hoping that it will be the first of many vintage shoots. I’m really inspired by rustic American vintage look at the moment, with beautiful decaying barns, wide open spaces and wholesome attire. So I’m going to put on my blue grass tunes and head to the countryside. I’ll be praying for a good sunset, failing that I’ll be experimenting with trying to create an artificial one, with some orange gels and some flashes! It should be a real ho down. So stay tuned.

The vintage wedding scene seems to be growing hugely at the moment, from my research it seems to be much bigger in America. But with the recession and an awareness of recycling it seems that we are just keen in the UK to look backwards for inspiration. If vintage is your thing then there’s a wedding fair that you should go to. The next one is in Harrogate at the end of the month. I might just be booking a stand at the fair and see you there.

I love the look of vintage and the fuzzy warm glow of nostalgia it brings. If you are like minded and interested in having a vintage shoot done or you are planning a vintage wedding then I’d love to hear from you.

Posted in Portraits, Wedding

Creative Valentine Portrait Photographs

February 6, 2011 by sue | Leave a comment

I’ve got limited availability to shoot a valentine shoot with you and a love one, over the next few days. If you are interested in a couple shoot then please don’t hesitate to get in contact with me. It might make the perfect valentine gift and be a great way of celebrating your love for each other. As always the shoot could be done at your home or on location. Perhaps there’s a location with a romantic significance, that you would like to use?

Posted in Portraits, Uncategorized, Wedding

Le Gothique – Winter Wedding

December 23, 2010 by sue | Leave a comment

The ladies were glamorous and the gentlemen were dapper. The snow was thick on the ground all around. It was the perfect setting for a magical winter wedding. The bride and groom couldn’t have wished for a more beautiful location, which was transformed by the snow. Inside Le Gothique the intimate venue was dimly lit – every wedding photographers nightmare – but it had a wonderful atmosphere. I love Christmas and the wedding had a very festive feel. It was like we had all been transported to a mini break in lapland. Oh let it snow.. let it snow.. let it snow.

The bride wore a stunning, vintage inspired beaded dress and she looked amazing. I have to applaud her extreme bravery on enduring the elements for the photographs. It was freezing – one whether report that I read in advance of the shoot, said that it would feel like minus seven degrees, it certainly did to me!  I enjoyed looking at the ladies footwear, some persisted in wearing their three inch heels and others swapped them for a pair of sensible wellies. One of my favorite photographs from the day are of the bridesmaid and her little pink wellies in the snow- gorgeous. From the comfort of my computer it’s hard to imagine just how cold it was, but it took me a good few hours to thaw out when I got home.

If you require a photographer to capture the precious moments, on your special day, then don’t hesitate to get in contact with me. If you would like to see a price list then click through. I know no two weddings are the same so if you would like to discuss your specific requirements with me the please don’t hesitate to get in contact.




Posted in Wedding

I saw Wendy Kissing Santa Claus…

December 18, 2010 by sue | Leave a comment
Couple portrait taken by Surrey Photographer

I saw Wendy Kissing Santa Claus

Ho Ho HO! Happy Christmas everyone…



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Family Photo Shoot

December 5, 2010 by sue | Leave a comment

With a Christmas tree in the background, an open fire and snow on the fields around, it was a truly festive portrait session.

This was the third or fourth photo session with the Williams’. First was their wedding photographs, then there was the pregnancy photographs and then their new born baby photographs and now a family photograph. What will be next?

I took these photographs in the lounge of their lovely character cottage on the outskirts of Leeds. I used a couple of speed-lights and softboxes, which give the photographs a  studio like feel. I like doing these quick ‘pop up studio,’ sessions especially with children as you have to think fast and maneuver quickly to get the photograph. Time was against me but their youngest daughter who is just 3 1/2 was my photographic assistant/model. When I was sorting out the lighting, she was rather reluctant to be the model as this picture shows. But when her family became involved she soon lost her inhibitions.

The reluctant model!

Great to see you all. Enjoy.

Posted in baby photos, Family Portrait Tagged , , |