Taylor Young Photography

Becky and Michael’s Wedding at Chartwell

admin — Tue, 14 May 2013 11:09:37 +0000

This past weekend I photographed a wedding in one of my favorite National Trusts and home to Winston Churchill, Chartwell near Westerham in Kent.

I have been visiting Chartwell for a number of years and it has long been one of my favorite Trust buildings. Winston Churchill happens to be my favorite Briton and so it is natural that when I photograph this amazing wedding venue it just feels great.

Chartwell makes a wonderful backdrop for any wedding. The terrace has a spectacular view for guests to take in while they enjoy refreshments. The gardens are perfect for bride and groom photos and the history and tradition that Chartwell is steeped in is evident at every corner.

A big thanks to Becky and Michael for having me as their photographer on their special day. And a giant thank you to the wonderful wedding coordinators at Chartwell. You truly are some of the best in the business.

Becky and Michael's Wedding-Chartwell

The Rose Garden-Chartwell

The Front Door of Chartwell

Magnolia Chartwell

The Kids at Chartwell

The Terrace at Chartwell

Marrakech – My North African Adventure

admin — Tue, 07 May 2013 16:19:41 +0000

I just returned back from a week in Marrakech. What a strange and magnificent city. At first I was not sure whether I liked it or not. A first for me. Normally I arrive in a city and I know instantly whether I would go back again. But, to be honest, I didn’t know until I got home and looked at the below photos that the answer to that question is, yes, definitely yes!

Marrakech is a rich and vibrant city with culture literally oozing out of every street corner. The people are warm and unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. For example, my wife and I took a taxi from our hotel to Hotel La Mamounia for an afternoon on their terrace. When we exited the taxi the driver said to us, “I hope to see you again, Inshallah.” Normally, if I get more than a grunt from a taxi driver I’m happy.

This kind of affection was evident all over the city. And it didn’t matter how much money the people had either. Every person from every walk of life acted warmly towards me and my wife.

The city itself is not what I would call the cleanest city in the world. Let’s be honest, there is rampant poverty in Marrakech. But there is also incredible wealth. Two of the best hotels I have ever seen La Mamounia and the Royal Mansour are in Marrakech. They are not just hotels, they are palaces.

I enjoyed La Manounia and Royal Mansour as much as I enjoyed the main square. The food in both places is amazing and the atmosphere is second to none. I highly recommend it.

Here are some photos from my trip.

Enjoy!

Peter and Nora’s Engagement Shoot

admin — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 09:38:19 +0000

For my second engagement photo shoot of this past weekend I had the pleasure of shooting Peter and Nora. A lovely couple who are getting married at Lewes Castle. We chose to do their engagement shoot at their reception venue, Northease Manor near Lewes Castle.

The weather was bright and there was only a small amount of haze lingering around during the shoot. I actually liked the haze and it added character to the shots. Especially the shots near the gnarly trees, which I particularly liked.

Thanks to Peter and Nora for being such good sports and letting me precariously perch them on a tree trunk for the shoot.

I look forward to your wedding!

Peter and Nora Engagement Shoot

Northease Manor Photography

The Cute Couple

Gnarly Trees

Peter and Nora Engagement Shoot

The Loving Couple

Peter and Nora Engagement Shoot

The Kiss

Becky and Michael’s Engagement Shoot Chartwell

admin — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 11:21:37 +0000

This weekend the weather perked up a bit and not a moment too soon. I had two engagement shoots this weekend. Quite a few have had to reschedule due to bad weather, and on this occasion I was photographing Becky and Michael at their wedding venue, and one of my favorite National Trusts, Chartwell in Kent.

When Becky and Michael approached me to do their wedding at Chartwell I got very excited. It is one of my favorite National Trusts and home to Winston Churchill, who is one of my favorite Britons. It is a lovely property with gardens, stone, brick and loads of views. An ideal place for both an engagement shoot and a wedding.

Thanks to Becky and Michael for braving the cold. And I can’t wait to shoot your wedding there.

Becky and Michael at Chartwell

Engagement Photography at Chartwell

Becky and Michael Wedding Photography Chartwell

Becky and Michael Wedding Photographer Chartwell

Chartwell Engagement Photos

Becky and Michael Black and White

Chartwell Weddings-Becky and Michael

Chartwell Becky and Michael

Becky and Micheal

Becky and Michael Kissing

Becky and Michael Engagement Photos

Unilever Press Event in London

admin — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:01:01 +0000

This week I had the pleasure of photographing a fabulous event held in London for Unilever, one of the global leaders in the food industry. The event showcased 8 of their food lines, including: Maille, PG Tips, Colemans, Stork, Hellman’s, Knorr, Slim-Fast and Flora.

The London press were invited to the event and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves.

Thanks to everyone who made the event such a success!

Winter Wedding at Hever Castle – Sophie and Ben’s Wedding

admin — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 13:48:33 +0000

Every now and then I photograph a wedding in a location that I feel truly blessed to be a part of. Hever Castle is such a place. Childhood home of Anne Boleyn, Hever Castle is not only a truly historic wedding venue, but a majestic one too. Especially around Christmas. WIth the Music room and dining hall completely decked out for the holidays, Hever Castle is an ideal wedding venue at this time of the year.

When Sophie and Ben asked me to photograph their wedding at Hever earlier this year I knew I was going to get some great shots.

Thanks to everyone who was involved in the wedding and a special thank you goes out to Sophie and Ben for choosing me to photograph your wedding at this idyllic location.

What Food Photography Can Do For Your Menu

admin — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 11:33:46 +0000

A few months ago I did a food photography shoot for a pizza take-away and an Indian take-away restaurant. The owners hired me because they knew that high-quality images on their promotion would attract more customers and increase sales.

This however, is not the normal sentiment shared by most restaurant owners. Many restaurant owners are simply too stubborn, or too lazy to make sure their hard work in the kitchen gets portrayed onto print and web advertising in the correct manner.

Why would anyone spend £1,000 a month on leaflet advertising, Yellow Pages and glossy magazines to try and boost their restaurant’s customer base and then use cheap photos taken with a £50 camera bought for them for Christmas at Tesco? It baffles my mind.

If you look around at the top restaurants in the world, the majority of them have hired exceptional food photographers to photograph their food and restaurant. Why should you do any differently?

The old saying is still true, YOU HAVE TO SPEND MONEY TO MAKE MONEY. And it’s no different with your food photos.

The below images are taken from the menus these restaurants, which I photographed a while ago, are currently using. It is of their actual food, not stock photography. So when a customer receives a menu through their letterbox, orders and comes home with a take-away from the restaurant it looks the same as portrayed in the menu. This is very important… it earns the trust of the prospective restaurant customer. Using stock photos is a good way for any budding restauranteur to start, but once your restaurant is off the ground, proper, professional images are a must if you want to stay competitive and truly show your potential and existing customers what your food is all about.

My client was very happy with these images and has seen sales increase steadily since we took them.

Peshwari Spice Indian Restaurant Food Photography

Peshwari Spice Indian Restaurant Food Photography Crawley

Papichinos Pizza Food Photography Sussex

Papichinos Pizza Food Photography West Sussex

Photographing The Jive Aces

admin — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 15:39:23 +0000

This past week I had the excellent pleasure of photographing the UK’s greatest swing bands, The Jive Aces. Some of you may of seen them on Britain’s Got Talent earlier this year.

It was a long day… we had to fit all of them on a stage and their equipment, something I’ve never done before, shooting such a large studio image. But I think the results speak for themselves.

The editing of the below images was done by a member of the band and he did a fantastic job extracting them from a white background.

Thanks to everyone for including me and I hope you love your images!

The Jive Aces

The Jive Aces-UK Swing Band

My Images Used For Potato Week L’Atelier

admin — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 13:03:47 +0000

A few weeks ago I was asked to come up to London and photograph a series of photos at one of my favorite restaurant chains on Earth; L’Atelier by Joel Robuchon.

The Many Faces of Potatoes website had asked Mr. Robuchon to come up with a very special tasting menu, the World’s first potato tasting menu and he did a splendid job.

My focus was to be on the potatoes themselves and not distract the background with clunky props. It was to be natural and all the focus needed to be on the food.

A large website is carrying a story about the menu and using my images, which is what you see below.

To view the entire article please click here.

Wedding Photography Workshop Images at Hazlewood Castle

admin — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 14:50:49 +0000

Last week I had the immense pleasure of attending a wedding photography workshop at Hazlewood Castle near York. It was a 5 hour drive from me in Sussex, but well worth it. Running the program was a leading wedding photographer from that area and he gave us two days of shooting and administrative know-how.

I had a blast!

The images below are a selection of some of my favorite images that I took during the first day of the workshop. Two models, Vivienne and Luke were our bride and groom and they did a magical job.

I plan on using the below techniques in some of my weddings from now on. My understanding of on and off camera flash as well as using video lights has increased tremendously. During these two days it became even more clear to me how automation and post processing workflow are key to production as a wedding photographer.

The rest of my 2012 weddings will benefit from these new techniques and certainly my 2013 and beyond!

Beautiful Vivienne with Luke

Big Sky Shot of Vivienne with Luke

Vivienne and Luke Through the Trees

Vivienne Glowing Radiantly

Vivienne with Hazlewood Tree

Luke Posing in The Garden

Vntage Vivienne Wedding Shot

Vivienne Steps of Hazlewood Castle

Vivienne and Luke Hazlewood York

Sitting on Bench at Hazlewood

Vivienne Dancing Around

Walking Through Hay Fields Near Hazlewood

Checked Floor inside Hazelwood Castle

Jumping into the Sunset at Hazlewood

Blue Glow Heart Hazlewood Castle