Hitched Breakthrough Awards 2011

So, you may have seen on Facebook/Twitter that I was lucky enough to win Best New Wedding Photographer on Hitched. Getting shortlisted was amazing and overwhelming enough, but to win has been amazing. If any of you lovely people reading this voted, I'd like to send you the hugest of thank-yous. Just in case you don't believe me, here's me and Hitched MD Dean Yardley when he came all the way to Wirksworth to present me with my award/listen to me babble inanely for a while.

Yes, my beauty regime ahead of this photo opportunity mainly involved eating all the pies.  

The thing with starting a business is that you are constantly looking ahead. Wondering which direction to take next. Worrying about the future. Creating goals. Planning, planning, planning. I am really glad to have had the chance to take some time to look back over the last few months and appreciate what a mad and wonderful journey (yes, I just used the word "journey". If it makes it's any consolation it made me sick in my mouth a bit and it won't happen again) starting this business has been and how brilliant and humbling it is to have won this award. I love my job so much and while I look forward to seeing where it takes me, I'm going to get a bit sentimental for a moment and have a look through some of my favourite experiences from the past few months while I have a cup of tea.

Engagement - Owen & Rebecca

When it comes to engagement shoots I have a whole list of ideas and locations stowed away of things I'd love to try. A dawn photoshoot has been on that list for about as long as the list has existed. The next step is matching up the right couple with the right idea. After meeting Rebecca and Owen and taking some time thinking about what might suit them (because it's so important for the shoot to suit the couple, I cannot stress this enough) I decided to suggest a sunrise photoshoot up on the gorgeous Curbar Edge. Undeterred by a 7am start and unpredictable weather (cannot believe how jammy we were with that by the way - it was a gorgeous morning!) we ventured out yesterday morning and here's the results!