Ellisse and James' Pre-shoot at Brockholes Nature Reserve, Preston

It’s a busy time for me - the studio is open again for newborn and baby shoots, and before the wedding season really kicks in (Lockdown’s and Roadmap out permitting of course), it’s pre-shoot time!

I love pre-shoots, not just because it’s an excuse to try out a new coffee shop somewhere different, it’s also a great chance to really get to know a couple and see what they are like in person. This is particularly true because of the lockdowns - it’s meant that meeting up in real life prior to booking their wedding has been difficult - Zoom and Skype are a brilliant tool, but nothing is ever as good as a real life meeting.

So, yesterday I had the absolute pleasure of meeting James and Ellisse in real life. We’ve been Facebook friends for over a year, since we came across each other in a Facebook Group called “The group where everyone is super f****** nice to each other for no reason.’

You see, I believe the world is what we make it and if we want the world to be nice then we have to do nice things, and Ellisse posted in there that her boyfriend had asked her to marry him - and of course she had accepted. I peeked at Ellisse’s profile and found that she’s had a really tough time over the years - with lots of different mental health, eating disorder and self-harm issues. And so in the spirit of the group I messaged her to say I wanted to shoot her wedding. For free. As my gift to her and her boyfriend.

And so here we are - it’s coming up to just 2 months away from their big day. They were literally up for anything - including a quick paddle in the (very cold) River Ribble…I can’t wait for their wedding day - it’s going to be brilliant, I just know it.