London Westminster Engagement Shoot

Have you been thinking about a London Westminster Engagement Shoot?

It’s easy to forget how beautiful your home is but on a recent shoot with Jess and Sam who were on holiday from Australia, I was reminded how handsome London is and, even better, I had two equally-striking models to capture against it.

We met in a Chelsea coffee shop at 10.30am and I spotted Jess straight away, looking stunning in a lemon-yellow dress and natural make-up. Sam joined us a few moments later with a latte for me, which was very kind, and was wearing a stylish white shirt and navy chinos. I couldn’t have chosen better outfits and was keen to get started!

Our first stop was the Instagram-famous Bywater Street, considered one of Chelsea’s most picturesque streets for its pastel-hued facades and history as a fashion shoot destination. After some couple poses and a twirl or two, we walked along a bustling London Street where the Chelsea flower show was in full swing and countless shopfronts were covered in huge stunning floral displays. Jess and Sam posed in front of a Union Jack Mini, strolled across zebra crossings in front of London’s famous hackney carriage black cabs, and posed in the London Underground. So far, it had been a quintessentially British photoshoot for the Sydney-based couple, but I had a few more tricks up my sleeve.

The next stop on our magical mystery tour was the rose garden in Hyde Park, famous for its banks of silky roses and fountains including The Boy and Dolphin and the Huntress. As we wandered through the gardens, I encouraged Jess and Sam to cuddle up a little more. I always feel couples need to ease into these moments and the rose garden and ornate fountain structures made a perfect backdrop, which I edited using a Kodak 200 E profile to soften the bright greens and complement their skin tones. 

After cuddly shots under a beautiful white rose-strewn arbour, we headed to Westminster and my pièce de résistance was to end the shoot on the bridge in front of Big Ben.

As I used my phone to navigate around the Jubilee celebrations and diversions, I was amazed by Sam’s local knowledge. Sam was born and raised in the UK but now has a subtle Australian accent acquired from his recent years of Oz life and I wondered whether I might start imitating his soft Oz accent. We all giggled at how easy it is to subconsciously assimilate to different environments. 

Despite the numerous diversions around Westminster, we finally found ourselves in the presence of the newly-renovated Big Ben. Despite running £51million over the £80million budget, the world’s most famous clock tower really didn’t look all that different. Maybe slightly brighter, perhaps?

The streets were, of course, very crowded and although the bridge was busy, we squeezed into a gap and took the iconic Big Ben photos, which countless photographers have captured for personal and editorial shoots. Here, I asked Sam to twirl Jess while I used burst mode and a slow shutter to create blurry images and I was pleased with how they turned out. 

As we made our way back across the river, I wondered if the sweet Jess and Sam could be persuaded to push their comfort zones with a passionate embrace? I was in luck! These final images are among some of my favourites in their gorgeous gallery.

For other London shoots click here and here.