Special Occasions & Events through Life

Special Occasions and Events through life

Each year I am asked to photograph christenings, baptisms, naming ceremonies, first holy communions, landmark birthday parties, anniversaries and increasingly end of life celebrations too.

I tailor my approach to your occasion to your needs with my documentary and portrait photography skills and years of experience photographing people. With every event I attend, my main aim is to make a pictorial record in a candid, reportage style, very naturally and as it unfolds; often with some family and extended family portraits if you desire them.
Precious memories in photographs for families and individuals to cherish and and pass down the generations.

Christening, Baptism, First Holy Communion & Naming Ceremony photography

These special family events usually involve me attending about 45 minutes before the service begins. During the ceremony, I capture the moments naturally and discreetly as it unfolds and afterwards, if desired, some family groups with the godparents, grandparents etc.
Sometimes I am asked to visit the family at home in the morning as they get ready to capture some baby and immediate family pictures and after the service to cover the reception, speeches and cake cutting etc. As with all my photography, the photographic approach is very natural, spontaneous and apart from the moments where we might come together for some portraits, undirected.

baby being christened at font, Temple Church, London
Baby in father's arms opens his mouth and eyes wide in awe as he looks towards the altar.
A family gather at the font in Farm Street church in London's Mayfair for their baby boy's baptism.
boy holding baby with christening gown and other children in a row
Parents on sofa getting their daughter into her christening gown with the dog looking on.
christening reception scene with children and adults
three girls sipping drinks on a sofa with one falling off.
A young girl in a pew during the baptism of her baby brother.
A baby on her daddy's knee and smiles up adoringly at her mummy on the right who is smiling back.

Landmark Birthday, Party & Anniversary photography

Over the years my experience in photographing landmark birthdays, parties and anniversaries and other life events has taken me from 1st to 100th birthday celebrations; from quiet intimate lunchtime gatherings of extended family to full-scale receptions and late into the night celebrations; and from celebrations on barges, in barns and family homes and gardens to central London hotels and clubs.
To see more images head over to the Special Occasions Portfolio section.

Lindsey dancing with her daughter and friends and watching the band play at her surprise 50th birthday.
John and Gary blow out the candles on their cake as they celebrate their joint 40th birthdays with a party in Battersea.
A family gather for dinner to celebrate grandma's 90th birthday. A balloon in the background says 90 on it.
Derek on his 100th birthday reading his telegram from her Majesty, the Queen.

Funeral, Memorial Service and Celebration of Life photography

 
The back of the sister of the deceased who's photograph she is looking at - her brother who passed away very young.
A woodland funeral at Greenacres and the grandchildren of the lady who has passed away at 101 lower her coffin into the ground.
Family members listen to the testimonies of others at a woodland ceremony at Greenacres in Buckinghamshire, with a grandson in the foreground watching the speechmaker and a granddaughter in the background with her head down in thought.
The sister of the deceased, her brother who is pictured on the easel to her left, makes her address at his funeral and has her hand over her face as her grief overspills.
A long-time friend of the deceased clutches her posy of flowers ready to put on the coffin of her friend who has died aged 101 at woodland ceremony.

Funerals, memorial services or gatherings to celebrate and mark the life of a loved one are events I have only recently been approached to record in pictures and many families understandably want to keep these images private. I felt immensely privileged and honoured to be entrusted to be a discreet part of these occasions making a pictorial record.

The woodland funeral was very much a marking and a celebration of a life well lived where the deceased had reached the age of 101.
The funeral in Mortlake was a life sadly taken too early and during the 2020 pandemic when some of the loved ones were not able to attend. I received the following note from my client for this:

“As some family members were not in the country, we needed a way to include them in saying farewell to a dearly loved brother. Anna was very sympathetic and listened to what we needed. She was very respectful and reassuring throughout, and on the day I did not notice her record this sad time for our family. The photos she captured are lovely and a permanent reminder that we will cherish forever.””
— Funeral, Mortlake Crematorium, West London

I have come to realise how, in some cases, telling the story at these events in pictures can help in the healing process by giving comfort and pleasure to those present, bringing it to those who were not able to attend, and providing a record for and of the people whose lives the deceased touched to be handed down the generations in respectful and joyful remembrance.

You can see more images in the Special Occasions Portfolio section. If you would like to talk to me and explain your plans, we can organise a convenient time to have a chat.