Steve Mills Photography

Colwick Hall – Wedding Photography Nottingham – Kathryn & Matt

Steve Mills — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 17:24:56 +0000

Kathryn & Matt were married at Colwick Hall on a gorgeous Spring Day. It was one of those rare days when the sun shone from beginning to end, adding to the fun and relaxed atmosphere. The Colwick Hall staff performed flawlessly to give the couple and guests a fabulous day – all topped off with fireworks in the late evening. Sarah and myself were married at Colwick Hall and it remains one of the best venues in the area, with its timeless Georgian architecture and great atmosphere. A big thanks to Kathryn & Matt for allowing us to share their special day! Here are a few favourites of mine…

Council House, Nottingham – Wedding Photographers Nottingham – Alina & Antonino

Steve Mills — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:24:47 +0000

It was a real pleasure to join Alina & Antonino to photograph their wedding at the Council House in Nottingham last week. It was a real cosy family affair, with just close family from both sides – Alina’s Mum & Dad had flown in from Russia, while Antonino’s family had made the trip from sunny Sicily – just in time to catch our distinctly chilly Spring weather! Its the first time I’ve photographed a wedding in the Council House, since Civil Ceremonies moved over from Shakespeare Street – and what a fabulous building it is. I think there are 7 room in the Council House which are used for wedding Ceremonies – our small gathering had the lovely Sheriff’s Room, with its subtle decor and gorgeous natural window light. After the ceremony, everyone made their way up to Hart’s Restaurant for the wedding breakfast. We couldn’t resist stopping off on the way through Market Square to have some fun with a few pictures:) Here’s a few favourites from the day.

Premier Legal business portraits

Steve Mills — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 09:42:15 +0000

I met Sarah and her team at Premier Legal at a recent breakfast seminar at Hart’s Hotel in Nottingham. The conversation moved onto photography and Sarah asked me to shoot some business portraits for their swanky new website (http://www.premieremploymentlaw.com/). A big thanks to Hart’s for allowing us to roam around and find the nice light. Here’s a few shots from the day.

Breadsall Priory, Derbyshire – Wedding Photographers Nottingham – Ruth & Tristram

Steve Mills — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 07:42:38 +0000

Ruth & Tristram chose the splendid Breadsall Priory for their wedding on what turned out to be a very sunny Saturday in December – and there’s not many of them about! Ruth and a few friends stayed over the night before and I arrived early to shoot the bridal prep. and get a few pictures of the venue in the early light. Breadsall Priory is the oldest Marriott Hotel in the world – as the plaque above the main entrance proudly announces. Its a similar venue to Thoresby Hall in North Notts, where we had the fortune to shoot a Christmas wedding during the ‘big freeze’ of 2010. Both venues have a charming original building which has been sympathetically extended by adding newer bits to the building. All very nice for wedding photographers!

Although sunny, it was a tad nippy and so after a few group pictures, everyone returned to the warmth of the bar for a glass or two of mulled wine. We carried on for a while and took a few portraits in the gardens – I can’t wait for the chance to do the wedding photography at a summer wedding at Breadsall and see the garden areas in all their glory.

Here are a few pictures from the day. Thanks again to Ruth and Tris for sharing their special day with Sarah and myself.

If you’d like to discuss your own wedding photography, please see our prices and packages section or feel free to contact us for a chat on 0115 9611048.

St Giles Church, West Bridgford, – Wedding Photographers Nottingham – Emma and Nick

Steve Mills — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 18:45:40 +0000

Nick and Emma chose St.Giles Church, West Bridgford for their wedding, followed by The Staunton Arms in the Vale of Belvoir. Emma and Nick have a strong connection to this particular pub – Nick is the chef and a part-owner, so it was an obvious choice for their wedding reception. He just can’t keep away from the place! So after a traditional church service and a spot of wedding photography, we left Nottingham for the Vale of Belvoir. The Staunton Arms is a charming country pub, recently refurbished and with a growing reputation for good food – this comes as no surprise to those familiar with Benton’s Brasserie in Hockley, Nottingham - Julian Benton is a co-owner with Nick. The wedding reception was held in a super marquee at the pub – very plush and complete with a ‘starry sky’ ceiling. There was a definite air of anticipation as the wedding guests eyed the wedding breakfast menu – no pressure there then Nick! So what does a chef arrange for his own wedding breakfast. Great British classics naturally, with locally sourced produce from the Vale Of Belvoir – superb! Here are a few wedding photographs from the day. You can see more photographs from the day in our wedding gallery.

I love photographing details on a wedding day – they make great images that make a wedding very personal to the couple and show the care and effort which they’ve put into the preparations.

Boys will be boys… I started it – sticking my tongue out to get the attention of the two boys – who then gave us all a masterclass!

Emma was prepared for a spot of rain – but luckily we avoided it. A very practical lady – Nick take note!

The Staunton Arms looked very inviting on a cold November evening.

…and so did the marquee.

The party went on ’til late – but it was an early start for Emma and Nick as they jetted off to Thailand for their honeymoon. Thanks for a great day!

You can find out more about our wedding photography services in Nottingham and the surrounding areas in our About section and in the FAQ area.

Low key family portraits

Steve Mills — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 16:54:34 +0000

Its a while since I shot any low key portraits and you sometimes need reminding just how fantastic they look. Here’s a few pictures of a recent family shoot. I simply used one key soft keylight as close as possible to the children and let the soft, wrap-around light do the rest. I find that low key lighting is a refreshing change to the ever popular high key portraits – its calmer, more soulful and gives great depth – even without a hair or background light. Its also easy to set-up for and most importantly, customers love the look and feel of low key pictures. Judge for yourselves…

The Priest House, Castle Donington-Wedding Photography Nottingham- Jo and John

Steve Mills — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 10:03:08 +0000

Jo and John chose the Priest House for their wedding because of its comfortable atmosphere and great location beside the River Trent. We’ve been really lucky with the weather on our weddings this year and this was no exception – the Autumn sunshine was fantastic! The low angle of the sun at this time of the year makes for some great light for wedding photography – it adds more depth and atmosphere to the pictures. Anyway, enough of me fantasising about the light! The day began nice and early, with guests arriving from far and wide. Jo had stayed over at the Priest House and had a leisurely morning getting ready for the ceremony at 1pm. Following the ceremony, it was drinks and canapes in the afternoon sun before the wedding breakfast. We took the opportunity for some more pictures as the sun went down – after which the party really began! Thanks again to Jo & John for a great day.

Wow, those shoes – I just couldn’t stop photographing them!

See what I mean…?!

The dress was equally stunning, with lots of detailed work.

The boys…

Don’t worry Jo, its a bride’s perogative to be bit late!

If you haven’t been, the Priest House really is a lovely place to visit – with great food in the bar/restaurant. More details here.

You can see more pictures in our gallery section.

Groby Lodge, Leicestershire – Nottingham Wedding Photographers – Andrea & Alan

Steve Mills — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 10:17:08 +0000

Andria and Alan were married at the charming St.James the Greater church at Oaks in Charnwood, deep in the Leicestershire countryside. The reception was held at Groby Lodge Hotel which is a short walk from Groby Lodge Farm – where Andria has many fond childhood memories of the times she spent on the farm with her grandparents. The wedding had a lovely country farm theme, complete with flower-filled milk churns and mini cows on the wedding cake! The day was made perfect by the their daughters who looked fabulous in their bridesmaids dresses – one of the things we love about being wedding photographers. Here area few favourites from the day.

After the ceremony it was off to Groby Lodge in their vintage VW camper van.

You can see more of Andrea and Alan’s wedding photographs in our gallery area.

The Carriage Hall, Plumtree – Nottingham Wedding Photography – Nikki and Ian

Steve Mills — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 14:14:53 +0000

Nikki and Ian were married at St.Mary’s Church, Plumtree and then went on to the charming Carriage Hall at the other end of the village. The weather behaved nicely all day, with sunny blue skies and fluffy white clouds. After the ceremony, the guests made their way to the Carriage Hall for drinks and canapes while we nipped off to Clipstone-on-the-Wolds for a bit of wedding photography in the lovely countryside around Nottingham. Following an excellent wedding breakfast, the guests enjoyed a great evening celebration – a big hats off to Jeremy who apart from being Nikki and Ian’s neighbour, doubled up as the wedding car driver. Jeremy’s also (rather conveniently) a professional DJ – so everyone was assured of a good night! Here are a few favourites from the day.

Nikki and daughter Maddie looking gorgeous…

Jeremy – a perfect gentleman and just the man to invite to your wedding – his drive turns into a great wedding car and he’s a pro-DJ – so the entertainment’s covered aswell!

I’m liking the shades – and especially the cool reflections…

Then it was into the car for a 2 minute ride to Clipstone-in-the-Wolds for a few pictures of Nikki and Ian.

After the speeches, Ian revealed his silky dancing skills as he lead Nikki through their first dance, followed by Jeremy’s set as the DJ… a fab night.

For more wedding photographs, please go to the wedding gallery.

Stubton Hall, Newark – Wedding Photography Nottingham – Claire and Darren

Steve Mills — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 11:03:12 +0000

The newly refurbished Stubton Hall near Newark is an amazing hotel and wedding venue and you can understand why it was voted one of the hundred best wedding venues in the world by Brides Magazine. Its a fine old English country house, set in 24 acres of park and gardens. But the best bits for us (as photographers) are the beautiful interiors and the lovely natural light coming in through the floor-to-ceiling windows. So, as you can see, we were really looking forward to carrying out the wedding photography for Claire and Darren! On the day, everything was perfect…. the weather, the atmosphere, the food – I could go on – all efficiently helped along by Rachel and her discreet staff at Stubton.

Thanks again Claire and Darren for sharing your day with us. Here are some of our favourite pictures from the day.

The day began at home for Darren, assisted by dad and bestman John.

The girls dressed at Stubton, in good time for the 1pm ceremony.

It was a nervous couple of minutes for Claire and mum as they waited in the reception area before making their entry into the elegant Music Room for the ceremony itself.

After the ceremony, it was time to relax with a well earned glass of pink bubbly!

And there was time for a few portraits with the new Mr & Mrs Lomas and that lovely natural light…

Then it was on to the wedding breakfast and the evening’s entertainment…

I always like to capture a few moody, romantic portraits at the end of the day. We came away with literally hundreds of great images of the day for Darren and Claire – it’ll be interesting to see how they manage to slim down their selection for their wedding album – but atleast they’ll have all of their images from the day on the ‘all images’ DVD’s we offer in our wedding packages.