Fiona Campbell Photography blog

A glamorous cherish the dress shoot reflecting the magic of the Mall and the beautiful, vital Alix.  the day before yesterday and evoking the glamour of the 1930s and old movies. A girl dreaming of a lost world, a lost house and ideas from long ago barely remembered. I took the 1930s and the film Brideshead Revisited as my inspiration. Aloysius the teddy bear showed up as you might expect, and Pall Mall kindly provided some of the glamour of the art deco era. Many thanks to Maggie Hunt, our genius make up artist, and Lucia Silver from State of Grace who provided this beautiful beautiful dress.

The dress and accessories were provided by State of Grace (www.thestateofgrace.com) and celebrity make up artist Maggie Hunt www.maggiehunt.com did the make up. Lucia Silver of State of Grace is creating 3 dresses for guests attending the Royal Wedding. Alix is not a model – I wanted to work with an ordinary person who had no experience in front of the camera in order to show the transformations that can be effected by my team. Sometimes I get brides saying that they’re not sure they’ll be pretty enough for my pictures. This is missing the point. My mission is to make everyone look and feel beautiful! In the words of Alix, ‘If you want someone to make you look gorgeous, Fi’s your girl!’

Aloysius

The shoot was part of a new range of images that I am creating and offering for clients called a ‘vintage cherish the dress shoot’ where we make their dress the star of the show with a fashion and beauty shoot on location. For this shoot I chose Pall Mall, and the setting was just perfect for the dress. My favourite image is the one at the end of Alix standing in front of Buckingham Palace. All the union jacks were flying and the light was just spectacular. I love the sparkle and light of this shoot.

Just back from a gorgeous shoot in Bury on the old Lancashire Railway line there, doing a Cherish the Dress shoot of Grace Kelly and Audrey Hepburn, aka Chloe and Jenny in their stunning wedding dresses. Cherish the Dress is a fashion and beauty shoot which gives you the chance to show off your dress in all its glory. Designed by photographer Chris Hanley, the idea is to make the dress the star of the shoot. It was thought up for brides so that the dress could be given the attention it deserves after the wedding day, and the aim is to create some beautiful photographs of you at your most gorgeous.

The scene is set in a vintage location in keeping with your style and the style of your dress. We start with a pampering beauty session complete with champagne and a make up artist to make you feel like a supermodel. This is not about ‘trashing the dress’ American style (let’s keep that for the next shoot!), it’s more oriented towards glamorous indoor or civilised location shooting using both natural light and studio lights where appropriate to bring out the beauty of your dress. Then we create a beautiful album and framed prints of you in your dress.

I’m really excited about this new trend because it offers me a chance to do what I do best: Bring out your inner gorgeousness! It’s fun, it’s pampering, and it’s a must for all women who love their dress and don’t want to pack it away in a box just yet. Prices from £695, to include a professional make up artist to do your hair and make up, champagne and the shoot. Stunning bespoke albums and extra framed prints are also available with prices starting from £40.