CHATEAU GENSAC...NOT A WEDDING
Well weddings have been, as it was in 2020, somewhat short in supply.
Since October 2019, at the time of writing, I have attended just 1 and had postponed or cancelled, another 45.
These are unimaginable numbers just 16+ months ago.
But I digress and today am showcasing something that different and that is, 'Chateau Gensac...Not A Wedding'.
Instead, it's their inaugural Summer fete. Or party in English would be the closest word, but we might call it a 'country fair'?
Actually, the closest term would probably be the Anglo-French 'country fete'.
Whatever we call it, it was a great day.
Well planned, well executed and well attended.
4 food trucks ranging from burgers to typical French fayre, through lighter bites to handmade ice cream.
Gensac themselves provided wine-tasting from their wide range, plus another of their specialities, armagnac.
For those not in the know, armagnac is the local 'brandy' particular to the Gascony region and specifically, the Gers.
There was also a horse show plus guided tours of both the stables and the wine/armagnac production facility.
A live band provided the music and the kids were entertained with a bouncy castle and face painting.
I just snapped away in my element. Not that different to a wedding really except there wasn't anyone as a focal point in a white frock.
Below are the highlight results; 2 short films and a series of pics.
Enjoy.
https://vimeo.com/577528334https://vimeo.com/577975003
CHATEAU NAUDOU WEDDING EDITORIAL SHOOT
This Chateau Naudou Wedding Editorial Shoot should have been the first of six.
But the weather forecast for the scheduled weekend put paid to that, so we bumped it a few weeks into the future and it became the sixth.
That wasn't such a bad move because it meant that some of what had been learned on the previous five shoots could be applied.
It was a glorious sunny day, but we knew we were against the clock with this one with a big storm scheduled any time from 8pm.
It did not actually materialise until around 9.30pm but it did prevent any real evening 'after dark' coverage.
As is the case with all of these type of things, just as it is with a real wedding, these are collaborations involving a number of people and businesses.
The full list of who was involved is below the pics but essentially this was shoot arranged by Jo at The Impeccable Pear and Victoria at The Impeccable Pear Floral Design.
Jo's oldest son Oliver stepped in to be 'The Groom' with her daughter Evie taking the role of 'The Bridesmaid'.
Our 'Bride' for the day was Tiffany and none of them have had any modelling experience before so well done to them all...because it's not easy!
Essentially this was a photoshoot from my perspective, but I also captured a series of video vignettes including some drone footage.
I'm now looking forward to shooting a real wedding at the venue, Chateau Naudou and that should have been this year but will now be 2022.
https://vimeo.com/569760323/013eae0cd3https://vimeo.com/569757755/75ad92b371https://vimeo.com/569754535/105a42d630
THE TEAM
VENUE: Chateau Naudou
PLANNER: Jo @ The Impeccable Pear
STYLING & PROPS: Victoria @ The Impeccable Pear Floral Design
MODELS: Tiffany, Oliver, Evie
MUA: Kelly @ Kelly Hayman Makeup
JEWELLERY: Maison Mimi
CAKE: Betty @ Betty's Cakes France
CELEBRANT: Natalie @ Paris Celebrant
A couple of other recent 'Editorial Wedding Shoots' can be seen by using either of the links below:
The Naked Vigneron - A Styled Shoot
Just video other than some 4k screen grabs for this one...https://vimeo.com/560411117
Château du Bédat - Styled Shoot
Château du Bédat Styled Shoot with The Impeccable Pear
Earlier this month, I had the chance to revisit this gorgeous venue for a styled 'wedding' shoot. Situated near the small town of Aignan, Gers, SW France, I had the opportunity a month prior to do a venue shoot, also for wedding planners, The Impeccable Pear at Bédat. The results from that can be seen by clicking here.
With the current lack of weddings taking place due to Covid at this time, I have been taking the opportunity to get involved with a number of these editorial or 'styled' shoots. In fact, an average of 1 per week over the last 6 weeks!
Each one has been different and unique and this shoot was no different in that regard.
What was 'different' about this one was that it was a same sex wedding (The Impeccable Pear have another website specialising in these here) and purposely limited in locations. We used just the pool area and the tree lined avenue. It was also a more playful shoot and as you will see from the results below, vibrant, fresh and fruity!
Below the pics are credits to all the suppliers involved because these things don't happen without a lot of input from a lot of people; the venue, the planner/stylist, florists, car hire, furniture and tablewear hire, hair and makeup artists, etc...
So below, a selection of highlights and if you are a couple looking for a venue in SW France, then why not get in touch with the dynamic duo, Jo & Victoria at The Impeccable Pear.
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THE TEAM
VENUE: Château du Bédat
PLANNING & STYLING: The Impeccable PearSame Sex Wedding
FLORIST: The Impeccable Pear Floral Design
PROPS & HIRE: Our Fabulous Things
HAIR: Nikki Treacy
MUA: Sarah Rees
CAKE: Elizabeth Wiseman
BAR: Cave De Tarsac
GIN: Du Grand Nez
CATERING: Le Chef Impeccable
CAR: Classic Cars in Gers
STATIONARY: Hello Snowflake
VIDEOGRAPHY: Katy Fendall Films
Château de Clauzade - Editorial Wedding Shoot
Château de Clauzade (Editorial) Wedding Shoot
Where to start with this one...
I've visited a lot of places over a lot of years and as the saying goes, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.
To be honest, my first impression of this place was not that great...but that was not and is not the venue's fault!
A handful of pics on the non-wedding site which were far from great and not only did not sell the place, put me off a bit.
But it turned out I wasn't looking at the wrong site anyway and I should have been looking at this one.
Sam(antha not uel), the in house planner assured me it was in fact a beautiful place and a bit more special than the handful of pics on-line would suggest.
And that was and is exactly the case.
I turned up on a late Saturday afternoon the evening before this planned 'editorial wedding shoot' and instantly, there was a bit of magic in the air.
Maybe it was a the light at that time of day...
Maybe it was the mixed scent of wood polish and old books...
Maybe it was the warm greeting or even just the charm of the place itself?
It was probably a mixture of all these factors but could not have been anything much if the place wasn't just 'right'.
And that's what it is, just 'right'.
Full of character, history, comfort and warmth.
And as for the shoot, well that's all below in video and pictures.
An 'editorial wedding shoot' is not a real wedding. The couple are not a real couple and though our 'bride' Lily has done a modelling job before, our 'groom' Max has not and neither are or have been married so this was all pretty new to them.
The highlight of it all was the showcase styling and the full cast list of those involved is listed below the pics.
https://vimeo.com/558999637
It doesn't take a lot of people to make these things happen, but it takes a very special group of talent. And a lot of effort.
The crew and collaborators on this one were:
VENUE: Château De Clauzade - La Chaussée Estate, Charente
WEDDING DRESS: Peter Kelly of Bangkok
PLANNING/STYLING/DECOR: Samantha Webb @Ouiici in collaboration with Jenny Fairbanks @Ourfabulousthings for tableware, crystal and cutlery.
FLOWERS: Fleurs et Nature in Saintes
HAIR & MAKEUP: Claire Jones
SILK LINGERIE: Ann Rosebrook
ON DRUMS: Moi
Fancy taking a look at another recent editorial wedding shoot then click here:
https://vimeo.com/559006383
Chateau de La Ligne - Styled Wedding Shoot
Chateau de La Ligne - Styled Wedding Shoot
It's always a privilege to be asked to get involved in anything.
Unless it's a load of old rubbish as some editorial or 'styled' shoots are. I know, I've been to them.
But that was not the case here.
I've provided photography and video at a number of weddings with the head honcho over at French Wedding Company and it was a pleasure to get involved with this one.
Spread over two days and with two different teams with two different briefs, this was principally a collaboration between FWC and the venue, Chateau de La Ligne itself.
My brief was a little bit different with this one...
Sometimes I'm just asked to turn up on the day and shoot. Not the greatest plan, but that is the case sometimes so you just have to go with it.
Sometimes, I'm involved from the start or even suggest a concept. These generally work best as scenarios.
Then there are shoots like this where my brief is more to capture the BTS (behind the scenes) from the planners perspective rather than treating it as a 'model shoot'.
But there is a bit of the latter. Well a lot of the latter as it's not easy to shoot BTS and then not actually show the rest of the story.
https://vimeo.com/572571183
Typically, I do try and shoot for the story and present as a story and I have mostly done that here, albeit we were working over 2 days and sharing elements/models between two teams so it's not strictly 100% chronological like a real wedding day. But then it's not a real wedding day!
This was not my first visit to the venue as I made a music video there for a band a few years back. However, that was December and this was May and this time, wedding related.
To date, I have not been free for any enquiries for weddings at this place but hopefully that will change soon as I'd love to capture a wedding here.
So below we have; landscapes, architecture, people at work, flowers, lots and lots of flowers, Chuck Taylor's, models, dresses, a car the same colour as custard, but absolutely no wine or pizza though it was consumed.
https://vimeo.com/572557584
So as you will no doubt appreciate and be aware, these things don't just happen without a lot of people and effort and here's a list of who was involved:
THE VENUE: Chateau de La Ligne
THE PLANNER: Laura Southgate - French Wedding Company
FLOWERS: Silk Flowers France
STYLING & CONCEPTS: Anne Tinel
WEDDING DRESSES: Pascal - Atelier Constance
HAIR & MAKEUP: Laura Cawte
FURNITURE & TABLEWARE: Options Bordeaux
DECORATIVE ITEMS & LINEN: Our Fabulous Things
PLANTS: Pepeniste
LIGHTING & BAR: BeLounge
CAR: Bernard Constant
MODELS: Aurore, Pascal, Jordan
VENUE PHOTOGRAPHY: Patrick Chatelain (not shown here, ie, all the work featured here is mine alone, photo and video)
And finally, here's a link to another recent Editorial Wedding Shoot you might be interested in.
Manoir de Biraud Bas - Editorial Wedding Shoot
First of all, what is an 'Editorial Wedding Shoot'?
Well, despite appearances, it's not a real wedding.
In this instance, the couple have been married for around 20 years!
It's not a vow renewal but a bona fida 'fake' wedding for collaboration purposes.
That is, a group of industry suppliers (listed at the foot of this page) came together for a day in order to produce a 'styled' shoot of 'what could be'.
Principally, it was a joint venture between the venue, Manoir de Biraud Bas and the stylist/florist, Jen from Our Fabulous Things.
Then of course we had various others involved including; hair & makeup, wedding dresses, cakes, cars and more, plus myself for photo & video.
The end result can be viewed below in two formats.
First of all, there is The Film, AKA 'video' that is not too dissimilar to a typical Wedding Film I might produce from a real wedding day. Just shorter.
And then there are a selection of highlight pictures that showcase the day itself and it's contributors craft.
Yes, if you did not already know, I shoot photo and video at the same time on the same job. And have been doing that for over 10 years so just like flying a helicopter or juggling, anything is possible with enough practise!
https://vimeo.com/554271144
These Editorial Wedding Shoots don't just happen by magic.
Well actually, they do. By the magic that individual suppliers bring in order to create the whole.
Other than myself, the venue and the stylist/florist/decor hire, also involved were the following people and companies:
Jewellery by the fabulous Marcia at chateauchicboutique.com
The dynamic duo that are Linzi (makeup) at skin23france.com and Nik (hair) at, well @nikbridalhair (not everyone has a website!)
The multitude of cakes were provided by chateau-carbonneau.com
The car by Angela & Steve at chateaucailliac.com
Stationary by Fiona Pike (details not yet supplied)
Dresses by Suzanne at thesuffolkbridalcompany.co.uk
Disco by...there wasn't one.
The amazing Jen, husband Doug and daughter Darcy, for all the styling and furniture and flowers and sheer time & effort. Our Fabulous Things.
And last but not least, the celebrant was/is Liz, the actual owner of the Manoir. And yes, she is a proper certified celebrant and not just playing a role on the day!
Special thanks to our 'wedding couple', Sue & Dave, plus 'the guests' who helped give the ceremony some authentic flavour.
Supplier link will be added here shortly...
Some other recent styled and venue shoots can be found by clicking here.
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https://vimeo.com/554271144
Chateau du Bedat - Wedding Venue South West France
This was not a styled shoot, but 'just' a venue shoot.
What is the difference?
A styled shoot involves people and err... styling.
A venue shoot is just that, - the place alone.
This was a collab between:
The venue: Chateau du Bedat
The planner: The Impeccable Pear
The photographer/filmmaker: Moi
This delightful family owned chateau is situated just outside the small Gers town of Aignan in South West France.
Spectacular views of the Pyrenees are on offer plus multiple options for both indoor and outdoor weddings.
Interested in finding out more? Then head over to The Impeccable Pear for further info!
https://vimeo.com/541619472https://vimeo.com/542036385
2020 'Weddings'
I'm sure if you spoke to any wedding photographer (or anyone in the wedding industry), they would say the same thing, 2020 was sh!t.Personally speaking, what should have been 25 fabulous weddings throughout France ended as being 1 fabulous wedding in Brittany.There's nothing to be said really for 2020, - it has been an utter write off and brought most in the industry to their knees.In fact, some have already folded and others will do so if 2021 continues to unfold as it has begun...But let's cast aside this major negative and focus on the positive(s).There were 3 positives for me from 2020.1: My business survived.2: I did manage that one single fabulous wedding and that was at least something.3: I remained injury free from my training for the first time in about a decade.So I am going to wrap up what shall ever be known as Covid 2020 not in my words, but with those from my 'Client Of The Year'. "When looking for photographers for our wedding in Brittany, Simon was recommended to us via my Mum by a vendor at the hotel she works at where years ago Simon had shot some weddings.After checking out his impressive website and Instagram we were excited to contact him for details as we knew his style of photography would be perfect for our special day. From the first enquiry email to our emails today, Simon has always been speedy and precise in his replies. As an English lady marrying a Frenchie in France, all of our vendors except Simon were French, so it was refreshing to have a good rapport with somebody English. It was so important to me, as with most brides, to have great communication with your photographer and Simon never took more than a couple of hours to reply, his response always very detailed and his personality shone through from the get go.We were also looking for a videographer to capture the day and were delighted to find that Simon also provided this service himself. After viewing some of his wedding film material on the website we were sold, it was just as amazing as his photography so we didn’t hesitate in booking the 2. Now 2020 wasn’t the best year to have a wedding planned. Planning a wedding is stressful enough but adding a worldwide pandemic in the mix just made things so difficult. I was in regular contact with Simon during the months leading up to the wedding and up until a few weeks before we were still unsure whether the wedding would go ahead on the date we had planned. Simon was so supportive and patient throughout, lending his advice and always tried to stay positive for us, we could feel he wanted this wedding to happen just as much as us. And luckily it did.We had our schedule for the day planned out with Simon and knew exactly what would be happening, where and when with him. On the day Simon showed up bang on time, 10am.He greeted myself, my husband and our families with a friendly polite manner and we immediately felt comfortable and at ease with him. He had already made a conscious effort to get to know all of the bridal parties names beforehand. He was so discrete and swift throughout the day that we hardly noticed he was there except for the moments we had the couple and family shots where he gave good, clear direction. It amazed us that he was able to capture every moment not only by photograph but by film too and we were so excited to see the results.We were thrilled when just a week and a half after our big day, Simon sent through the photos and highlight film. The film was edited brilliantly and summed up our day perfectly in 13 mins 50 secs. The photos were stunning, so many natural shots and again he just captured everything so perfectly that we now have those beautiful memories to look back on and treasure forever. We can’t thank Simon enough for all of his hard work and would not hesitate in recommending him to any future brides and grooms".Charlotte & Thibault, 29th July, Château du Bois-Guy, BrittanyFingers crossed for '21...Simon
The Perfect Wedding
Does not exist.
At least not for everyone.
Your 'perfect' wedding may very well be different from 'my' perfect wedding. Based on a discussion recently with a bride though, what makes a 'perfect' wedding?
Well first of all, it is no single element.
A wedding is essentially made up of 5 W's; Who, What, When, Where and Why.
The most important of these in my opinion is Who.
The least important is Where.
Now for any couple getting married, other than setting an actual date, Where is probably the most important as its 'The Big Thing' that everything is based on/in/around.
But for the photographer/videographer, it does not carry anywhere near as much importance as getting the other 4 W's maxed out.
Who, as I said, is in my opinion the most important factor because communication and relationship is the key to unlocking results.
It is possible...and I have achieved great results from weddings where we have had little prior communication, (but those days are few and far between) but dialogue leads to the best decisions.
The lower the communication, normally the less there is of any kind of relationship the result of which typically means opportunities missed or not realised at all.
The next most important element is combining; What, When and Why all into one category.
This category is that actual planning stage when the choices are considered and decisions made into what happens, when and why it happens, where it does and at what time.
And that leaves Where.
As mentioned above, it's not that Where is not important but rather it can be the icing on the cake and all of the other elements can compensate for a less than great venue, but a great venue can never compensate for a poorly planned wedding or uncommunicative couple!
Throughout my time in this industry (fairly considerable), I have been to pretty much every type and size of wedding and the one's that were the most memorable, the most 'perfect', at least nine times out of ten were because of Who and not Where.
I can't list or link them all but instead have picked 3 recent one's that for me sum up the 'perfect' wedding:
Eline & Pieter: Actually one where there was less prior communication than there might have been but the wedding planner said, "don't worry, she loves your work and will be very easy to work with". And that was the case. Great planning, location, timing for the date but most of all, great 'Who'.
Tanya & Tim: For me, the coast is my favourite place and the Ile de Re very special so to get the opportunity to do a wedding in such a location was great, but what made it even more special was again, Who, - Tanya & Tim who insisted I stayed with them and ate with them as a guest all weekend long. Before we'd even met.
Becky & James: Aww, Becky & James. I didn't have a huge amount of input into their wedding...until I turned up the day prior and completely transformed where their ceremony took place and it was unquestionably the right decision to move it. And you guessed it, the day was so fabulous from start to finish because of all the Who's at this wedding.
To conclude. The best advice I could ever give any couple is select and book everything from the heart. When it comes to the capture & preservation side, other than wedding planners, no one has as much insight into weddings as us photographers/videographers do because we are observers and observers from the inside. This means over time, we accumulate an enormous wealth of information and advice that can be given. It's always your wedding however, so your choices.
Firehorse Photography Books
FIREHORSE PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS
Hot from the printers (at least that was the case at the time of writing this) is the first batch of 2017 Firehorse Photography books!
We believe a book is the single best investment you can make in regard to the presentation & preservation of your wedding day memories.
Research shows that couples who only receive a disc or digital download, rarely do much (if anything) with it, ie, spend thousands...and have nothing to show for it.
Good intentions and all that, but life moves on and it does become a chore the longer you leave it, to that point it does not happen.
Having a book does need mean having some huge cumbersome album that lives on top of a dusty wardrobe, but something that lives on a bookshelf or a coffee table.
In a book, pictures live. On a disc, they die.
Who knows how long technology will last and in a few years, that digital download may be lost or that USB stick simply no longer works.
The book lives forever though and you see things differently with a book because you actually see and not swipe!
That's one of the fundamental differences. We live in a digital, swiping/clicking world where everything (well many things) are ephemeral and fleeting.
A book though is solid. It's physical. It's tangible. It has texture. It has a smell. It forces interaction & engagement.
A book is forever.
On that basis, ALL our clients receive a book as part of our services. Well a book or a box of prints, but most choose the book as it's a very portable and neat format.
We offer 2 sizes as illustrated, - our standard 'F' book and our larger 'X' book.
The 'F' book also doubles as a 'parent book' and is a replica of either your F or your X.
Below, are Kim & Iain's set of X book for themselves and a pair of F book scale replicas for their parents.
To find out more or any questions, feel free to ask!
France Wedding Album by Queensberry
FRANCE WEDDING ALBUM BY QUEENSBERRY
It's nice when your work is recognised and featured somewhere and our latest France wedding album by Queensberry just has been on their blog (click here) including an interview.
Queensberry have been our principal album partner for most of my professional career in this industry, so for around 15 years and for one simple reason, - the albums they produce are sublime and the best available anywhere on the planet. If they were not, we wouldn't be using them!
We have always been strong advocates of print and it's still (and always will be) the ultimate form in regard to presenting & preserving your wedding memories and nothing beats a Queensberry album.
The full page by page artwork version of this album can be viewed by clicking here.
Wedding Films in France
WEDDING FILMS IN FRANCE
In addition to photographing weddings, we also make and produce wedding films in France.
We offer 4 levels of production in this regard including; the Slideshow, the Photo-Film, the Fusion-Film (previously called 'Macro') and the Pure-Film (previously called 'Micro').
The first of these, The Slideshow is technically not a film at all as there is no video element at all, so we call this a 'media production' rather than a 'wedding film' and is a slideshow of photography set to a specially selected soundtrack. Most posts in the Wedding Stories area contain a slideshow production.
The second is the Photo-Film which again is technically not a wedding film at all but a production that bridges the difference between a slideshow and a Fusion-Film ie, is a slideshow as above, but also with audio highlights captured from the day that brings even more life to what otherwise is a slideshow.
The third option by Simon is a first person viewpoint capture adding video to the coverage producing a fusion production of; photography, video, timelapse, audio capture and soundtrack and we call this one a Fusion-Film.
The fourth and ultimate option that we offer is the combined approach of both Simon & Julie and is the Pure-Film that captures almost double the raw material from which to work with and therefore produces the most detailed and extensive production.
Please note that our wedding filming service is only available to our wedding photography clients for the very simple reason, if you watch one, you'll see why!
Final note, these are full length productions so do require a good broadband connection and time to load!
Penny & Paul's Photo-Film from their Chateau Les Merles wedding near Bergerac, Dordogne.
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/148475167[/vimeo]
Jenny & James's Fusion-Film from their Chateau de Lisse wedding in the Lot-et-Garonne region of SW France shot over 2 days.
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/135334013[/vimeo]
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/135308300[/vimeo]
Emily & Bernard's Pure-Film from their Castelnau des Fieumarcon wedding in the Gers region of SW France shot over 3 days.
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/140404911[/vimeo]
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/140423974[/vimeo]
[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/140446641[/vimeo]
Fabulous new Queensberry Q Book
FABULOUS NEW QUEENSBERRY Q BOOK
Currently in production (and will be with us in the studio shortly) is this new fabulous new Q Book from Queensberry of New Zealand featuring Emily & Bernard's recent Castelnau des Fieumarcon wedding.
This particular Queensberry Q Book is a 12" x 12" square with leather cover and printed on fine-art paper, it's about as good as books & albums get!
France Wedding Photography by Simon Mark Whitten
France Wedding Photography by Simon Mark Whitten offers a professional wedding photography and wedding filming service throughout France.
Roula & Jaber's Côte d'Azur wedding continued on Day 02 with a move inland to the village of La Colle-sur-Loup and this second album in the series showcases their results.
A set of highlights results from their wedding day photography can be viewed bu clicking this link or if you'd prefer to watch Day 02 of their wedding film, then try this link.
We are very lucky to have a base in France in the lovely little village of La Romieu and from this, have covered weddings in France to date in; Gers, Dordogne, Loire, Provence and Côte d'Azur.
Why France? Well as a family, we are dedicated Francophiles with my father living there full-time for the last 10 years and my grandparents spent a couple of decades exploring the country by touring caravan, so it's in the blood!
Two regions we have visited on a number of occasions and would love to photograph a wedding in are Brittany & Normandy, but whether your wedding is in either of these regions or anywhere else in France, we'd love to hear from you!
The best way to make contact regardless of where you are at in planning your wedding in France but looking for a France Wedding Photographer is either to give us a call on 01439 788150, or use the contact form.
We hope to speak to you soon.
Looking for a wedding planner in France? The we recommend:StephanieBeth
Best Wedding Photographers France
Is Simon Mark Whitten at Firehorse Photography one of the Best Wedding Photographers France has to offer?
Well, that's for you to decide, but we are certainly experienced, passionate and committed to offering a wedding photography and wedding filming service throughout France.
We have had a base in France for over a decade now and photographing weddings in France for 6-7 years having covered weddings in our own region of Gascony, plus Dordogne, Loire, Provence and Côte d'Azur. This base is in the gorgeous little Gascon village of La Romieu and is the perfect place for a wedding itself.
Just 4 kilometers from our family home in France, is one of the most unique location/venues for a wedding in France, - an entire village.It's called Castelnau des Fieumarcon and can be viewed by clicking this link.Here are a few pics I took on a recent visit for a coffee with resident caretaker and manager, Didier.
So if you are looking for one of the very best wedding photographers France, then why not give us a call on 01439 788150 or use the contact form, whatever stage you are at with planning your wedding in France.
The third and final day of Roula & Jaber's Côte d'Azur wedding took place at the stunning Villa Ephrussi de Rothschild on Cap Ferrat and this link will take you through to the highlights wedding photography from that day and this link to their wedding film.
Wedding Photography in France by Firehorse Photography
Looking for Wedding Photography in France? Well Firehorse Photography are specialists in this regard having a studio in the UK and a base in France in the delightful village of La Romieu.
We have been photographing weddings in France now since 1997 and have both photographed and filmed weddings in various regions including our own Gascony region, Dordogne, Provence and Côte d’Azur.
Kat & Tom's wedding took place on September 16th at Chateau de la Bourlie in the Dordogne and the album illustrated above documents the two days that we covered.
Why France? Well it's a family thing. As a boy of 12 or 13, I went on a week long school trip to Brittany and had one of the best week's of my life that left an everlasting impression.
A couple of years later, I went on a touring caravan holiday with my grandparents around Normandy and that love of France began to develop further.
A trip to Paris at university, cemented that into a full blown love affair and since that time, we have travelled extensively almost ever year resulting in the purchase of a family home in the SW Gascony region.
This acts as a valuable base for for us to offer Wedding Photography in France, but also as a family home to be enjoyed and we hope to move full-time just as soon as we are able to.
Wedding Venues, Towns, Villages & Landscapes of Gascony
WEDDING VENUES, TOWNS, VILLAGES & LANDSCAPES OF GASCONY
[ut_one_half] Wedding Venues, Town's, Villages & Landscapes of Gascony. Gascony, - that vaguely defined area of the South West corner of France, stretches from Bordeaux South to the Spanish border and the Pyrenees and East towards Toulouse. It's a beautiful part of France with it's rolling hills and (in the Summer), fields of sunflowers with a rich culture & cuisine including; d'Artagnan of The Three Musketeers fame plus also the home of armagnac and foie gras. The area includes; the Aquitaine région (départements of Landes, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, south and west of Gironde, and south of Lot-et-Garonne) and the Midi-Pyrénées région (départements of Gers, Hautes-Pyrénées, southwest of Tarn-et-Garonne, and west of Haute-Garonne). [/ut_one_half] [ut_one_half_last] Featured in this post are images mostly from the département of Gers including; the regional market town of Condom, the bastide villages of Fources, Larresingle, Terraube and Lavardens. These pictures were taken between visiting various wedding venues in a recent trip, but as it was early June, no sunflowers just yet! Want a recommendation for a local chateau? Chateau de Lisse in nearby Lot-et-Garonne is beautiful, spacious yet intimate. Another beautiful nearby venue is situated in Couloume Mondebat and is Chateau d'Arlens with weddings run and coordinated by Sally Mayo. Looking for an entire 'wedding village'?! Then look no further than the absolutely stunning Castelnau des Fieumarcon. [/ut_one_half_last]
Simon Mark Whitten of Firehorse Photography is a full-time specialist wedding photographer with a base in the Gers region.