When Mark and I arrived at Sunny Cove Beach in Santa Cruz it was shrouded in the typical coastal mist you get here on a Summer’s day…and it was cold! We were about to photograph Jeannie and John’s Wiccan wedding, usually referred to as Handfasting. This is where the couple’s hands are tied together signifying their union.

The circle was being cast on the beach and a candle would be placed in each of the four quarters – north to represent Earth, east to represent Air, south represents Fire, and Water to the west.

Inside the beach house, preparations were in full swing, and things were rather more familiar!

We were so pleased Jeannie and John decided to have a ‘first look’. The emotion was quite overwhelming, and of course we get some time to capture their joy at seeing each other for the first time that day.

We walked to the beach, now bathed in warm sunshine, where the attendants entered the circle to stand at the points followed by Jeannie and John. The ceremony included John offering his sword to Jeannie and in exchange she offered her treasure. After the vows, the Priestess tied their hands together to celebrate their commitment and love for a lifetime.

Handfasting comes from a Scottish custom, where, in a simple ceremony a couple would have their hands tied together; they were accepted as man and wife, if after a year they were still together!

The formal photographs were anything but! The wedding party was such good fun and and their photographs are just filled with laughter. And because Jeannie and John were tied together, this added to the merriment, each taking turns to duck down behind the group when they weren’t needed in the photograph!

From the beach we went to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk for rides on the merry-go-round and the pirates’ ship. A bride and groom tied together – not something you see everyday at the fairground!

As the sun went down, guests enjoyed a barbecue and dancing back at the beach house, ending a perfect day.

Jeannie and John, it was an absolute joy photographing your wedding, sharing your passion and love for each other, family and dear friends.

Our love and best wishes for the future, Mark and Maria xx

If Lacy had lived in the late 19th century she would surely have been one of Rossetti’s subjects, with her mane of curly hair, alabaster skin and air of confidence coupled with a little twinkle of naughtiness… This is what boudoir photography is all about – capturing a women’s beauty from the inside out…

I chatted to Lacy a couple of weeks after her session, asking how she’d found the whole experience. She said she’d had a roller coaster of emotions starting with being quite nervous about revealing her near nakedness to a couple of photographers, to becoming totally relaxed and having fun in front of the camera, to feeling anxious about how her images would look, and finally to feeling completely over-joyed when she saw her private, on-line gallery of photographs!

Lacy blogged about her session just after the shoot showing a very natural Lacy and the sexy hot Lacy we sent as a sneak peek. What a great insight…

Welcome to our brand new blog feature and page!

This area of the blog will feature tips and advice for photographers, with links to additional advice elsewhere. There’s so much good information out there, so we’ll be collating information and links to the very best!

tobeadored is husband and wife team Mark and Maria Woods. Married for over 17 years, our various skills complement each other well – and we’re confident we can help others with advice, reviews and guidance on a range of subjects.
Maria has been a freelance commercial artist, illustrator, photographer and visual guru for 20+ years. Maria has over 2,000 licensed designs out there, and has just learned that a recent design range has made it into the top 3 of the prestigious Henries Award in the UK. We’ll find out in October, when the winner (from 14,000 entries) is announced at the awards in London!
– but that’s a story for another blog!
(You can see Maria’s work on her art site – www.mariawoods.com)

Mark has been an electronics engineer and designer for the same time, with experience in audio and visual editing, as well as all things computer and web!

The For Photographers section will also be open for others to post and blog – so we can generate a good central reference on techniques from working professionals in the wedding, photography, and other commercial photography fields – such as editorial fashion.
Send us a mail with your ideas and tips on photography, workflow or post-production.

Rather than keeping our methods secret, we’re going to share! – and believe that by helping others, good things will flow both ways!

To kick off this section (and with a blatant plug!!!)…

Lynda.com
We’re affiliates of www.lynda.com – and want to mention this resource as we genuinely feel it’s the best place to learn so much about so much software, including the latest on Adode’s CS5. It’s also a very affordable way to learn at $25 a month.

All professionals, in all fields, know that you should constantly sharpen your skills and always be learning. As a blatant plug, please use the click-thru badge on the sidebar to sign-up – and there’s even a Free 24 hour pass to lynda.com.. We’ll get a few cents for your patronage – but you’ll find a seemingly never ending fountain of knowledge. Be warned – it’s addictive!