British Rob's Blog

118

Mary and Eric Wedding: Goat Island Marina, Newport RI

August 24, 2010

Mary and Eric were married on a gorgeous July day in Mary's home town of Newport RI. I met with Mary's family and covered the preparations, while Mark covered Eric getting ready with his family just down the road.

With a charming family home buzzing with the chatter of Mary's sisters (x4!), there was never a dull moment! A little surprise in the form of a beautiful Packard drew up outside, luckily going unnoticed until Mary opened the front door.

After the ceremony in the Salve Regina chapel, we headed over to Goat Island Marina for a tented reception, with some great speeches (I always approve of a good grilling) as the sun set over the island.

All the best to the newlyweds and thank you for letting me be part of your special day.

View all of the images here: http://photo.brownphotographic.com/maryericwedding

Slideshow (with sound) - ask Mary for password

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117

Steph and James, Berkeley Castle, Gloucestershire

August 2, 2010

Well, everyone says that you should never shoot a family member's wedding. In late June I went back home to Gloucestershire with my wife and baby boy for my big brother's wedding... and I shot it and still had fun!

When I mentioned to fellow photographers here about this, the reaction was of course "oh no - your shooting your own brother's wedding?"... but when I told them where it was being held - a 12th century castle in the Cotswolds, the response was always "do you need a second photographer?".

Given that nothing ever, ever happens in Gloucestershire, I was quite surprised by the long and eventful history of the place:

- Origins dating back to Norman times (1000's).

- Stone structure first built in 1154 to help defend / attack the Welsh and later finished by the Berkeley family in 1189.

- King John seized it in 1216 after the owners opposed him.

- Edward II, an unpopular King, was held prisoner here and was rumoured to have been murdered by his captors.

- In the 1640s it survived a seige during the Civil War.

- The very first American Thanksgiving was held by a Berkeley man.

- Adding to that fine list, James Brown was married to Stephanie in 2010 (my parents continue to deny they knew anything about THE James Brown back in 1976).

Traditional English weddings are a little different to the American events:

- There are the colourful hats, fascinators and penguin suits.

- It is rare to have any more than two to three bridesmaids and they follow the bride down the aisle.

- The speeches are usually extremely long and ~~embarrassment~~ humiliation is the number one objective.

- Lastly, the best part is they can last all day; this one was from 12 until 12. I never hear anyone complaining that they go too fast!

I won't say too much else about the day, other than it was an absolute pleasure being able to photograph the event for someone so close. It was wonderful to meet Steph's family who are now a most welcome part of ours and a delight being able to catch up with my extended family, who I rarely see. Most of all I'm overjoyed for them both, and so happy that Steph thought the Browns were a good clan to be part of!

GUESTS: you can view all of the photos and order prints here: http://photo.brownphotographic.com/stephjameswedding

To view the slideshow below, enter Steph's maiden name as the password:

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Emilie:

Hey Rob, What fabulous piccies, just a shame you couldn't have been in more of them!

(08.03.10)

Rob Brown:

Two can play that game.... to my English friends I'm not Rob Brown, but Bobby Brown.

(08.02.10)

Doug:

This is too funny. Your brother is James Brown, but not THE James Brown, and your wife is Nicole Brown, but not THAT Nicole Brown. Looks like a great location for a wedding though, and certainly a raucous affair!

(08.02.10)

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116

Courtney and Bryan Wedding: State Room Boston

July 19, 2010

On a typically humid June afternoon, I travelled down to Needham for the wedding of Courtney and Bryan. A rather excited little dog greeted me at Courtney's mum's (mom) as I set to work and continued following me to ensure I didn't come anywhere near Courtney. The dress buttoning commenced.... and continued for quite some time! A little champagne was enjoyed for the bridesmaids (or at least it was a little by the time I left) as I headed over to the spacious St Joseph's church just around the corner.

I met with Byan who seemed a little nervous, but was put at ease by his Best Man little bro. With the ceremony running a little late, I sprinted to the car to get over to Post Office Square for the formals as the skies got darker and darker. Photos of the couple were moved inside, which actually isn't too bad inside the State Room! Some creative use of a long lens, a softbox and an ever capable Doug (everyone should have a Doug; sadly he's mostly shooting his own these days) holding the light made for some cool portraits in front of the Custom House Tower. The partying then commenced with the guests enjoying the incredible views as the pair received a classic grilling in their speeches before packing in the dancing.

Congrats to the happy couple!

View all of the photos and purchase prints HERE

To view the slideshow below, click play, then the full screen button in the bottom right (contains music)

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115

Hannah and Tom Wedding, Harvard Faculty Club

July 14, 2010

A week before their wedding, I received a call from Honolulu asking about my availability. Now, such a last minute call honestly set my alarm bells ringing - arranging a photographer a week out from their wedding? After some back and forth with the lovely Lori (thank you Lori!) and eventually getting in touch with Hannah my concerns were immediately quashed.

With a small, intimiate ceremony planned for a park in Cambridge, followed by dinner at the Harvard Faculty Club, I travelled alone on an extremely humid Saturday into Harvard Square. Walking past the USA v England footie match (how embarrassing), the sky didn't look at all forgiving as I approached the Charles Hotel. After meeting with the bride and groom it was clear the day was to be relaxed and a close affair and their totally welcoming nature, along with the rest of their family made my day thoroughly enjoyable. As an aside, while downstairs snapping a few photos of Hannah's little Hawaiian niece and her mother, my always giveaway accent led us to find out that they had a vacation home just a few miles from my family home in the Cotswolds - we even go to the same pub - small world!

So the park ceremony had to be called off, so the beautiful venue of the Harvard Faculty Club was on stand-by as the heavens opened. Their closest friends and family looked on as the two declared their personally written vows to each other. We managed to sneak a few photos under some of the porches surrounding the club, then two proceeded on to enjoy a wonderful evening of fine food and great toasts.

It was an absolute pleasure meeting and photographing you and your family Hannah and Tom! I wish you all the best on your journey and with such fine company on your wedding day you've got the best companions to make it with.

View all of the photos HERE.

To view the slideshow below (contains music), enter Hannah's maiden name as the password (lowercase)

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114

The New Look of Brown Photographic

June 3, 2010

To sum me up you could simply say "good is never good enough". I am a total perfectionist and just can't let things sit if I'm not completely happy with the outcome. However, there is just one thing that I always wanted to get to the stage of 100% perfection, something that when done just right should stick for a long time.

I've always been taken with companies that have solid brands that have stood the test of time - they have something great that shouldn't be messed with. Caterham Seven, Leica, Billingham... just a few brands I love or aspire to be part of.

Over the last seven years, I've constantly been fiddling with my brand, but never been totally happy. Although I quite liked my most recent logo, it just didn't resonate with me enough... and that to me of course means change.

While at a branding workshop in March hosted by Emile Sommer, the opportunity arose to work with her design studio Emilie Ink to not only come up with a new logo, but to provide a complete brand makeover - luxury stationery, patterns, colours... the works.

I set to work with the fabulously talented Christina over an introductory review to go through where I wanted the brand to be and after a couple of weeks the new logo was born:

It integrates a more designed version of the Brown Photographic symbol and provides a classier look that won't age.

The design of the stationery pieces then commenced, including letterpress business cards from Gus & Ruby, mini portfolio cards from Moo, a collection of note and gift cards and colour coordinated envelopes. All beautifully branded and incorporating my new colours and logo.

Take a look...

(letterpress cards still being lovingly pressed... blog post to come)

Thanks to Christina for all her hard work and talent - I'm finally in love with the look of my brand and this time it is sticking! Thanks also to the rest of the Emilie Inc team for their input through this process.

If you have a small business (of any kind) you should definitely check out Emilie Ink for some help polishing or redeveloping your branding. I'm over the moon with the result, but I was also extremely pleased with the whole process. I think a lot of folks worry that if they hire a team to rebrand, they will receive something that doesn't reflect their business. Not so with Emilie Ink - the experience ensures that the right level of input from you is received and heard and at every stage you can review and approve options. I also received a wonderful style guide that details how fonts and colours should be administered when producing new printed or digital materials. This is invaluable to keep the brand on track when producing ad-hoc material and updating websites etc.

They even work with the printers to get your stationery delivered to your door - now that's service!

I hope you enjoy the new, permanent look... leave a comment below - Thanks!

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jennifer:

Rob! I love the new design and the mailing envelopes!

(06.15.10)

Rob Brown:

Thanks all!

Em, give Christina a good old pat on the back!

Lara, yup my mission statement was definitely tweaked :) Hope all is well...

(06.03.10)

Lara:

Rob- the new site looks fantastic, and all of your stationary is lovely, well done! As you "mission statement" partner you should know I take full credit for your success... just kidding :)
Keep up the good work!
L.

(06.03.10)

emilie inc.:

Aww, we're so happy you're so happy Rob! We love the update too, and as always, love working with you for this whole process. The site looks wonderful, too!

(06.03.10)

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