Nisha Haq Photography: event

2018

Upcoming Wedding Fayres 2018
(& why they're great to attend!)

Yay, it's wedding season!

I've got a few wedding fayres coming up this year and excited to meet lots of brides & grooms-to-be. I really enjoy meeting couples in person and just chatting away and getting to know each other. It's a great way of meeting suppliers face-to-face, ask lots of questions and get a feel for the service and style they offer, especially us photographers! I feel wedding photography is one of those things where it's so personal, we're there on the most precious day of your life celebrating and documenting it all, from the laughter and tears, it's a pretty intimate affair; so it only makes sense to meet in person too.

Wherever you are on your wedding planning journey, at the very early stages and you're browsing for ideas or ready to book your favourite suppliers to help make your day feel that extra bit special, wedding fayres are a great place to start! I love chatting with couples and getting to hear their engagement stories and how they first met. It's a great opportunity to see if I'd be a perfect fit as there are so many different photographers with varying styles, personalities, packages and experience; it's a big decision to make and can be daunting when there are lots of choices.

I'm delighted to be working with PMN Wedding Fayres again this year who select great local suppliers to exhibit on the day so you're assured there will be high-quality businesses offering their services. Also, another good reason to attend is there is no obligation to book, you can simply browse and feel inspired by different wedding ideas, soak up all the knowledge from professional wedding vendors to help plan your day.

I'm excited to be exhibiting at these local wedding fayres this year:

Sunday 3rd June 2018
Hilton Ageas Bowl, Southampton - 11am-3pm

Sunday 10 June 2018
Queen's Hotel, Portsmouth - 11am-3pm

*NEW DATE ADDED!*
Sunday 24 June 2018
New Place, Shirrell Heath, Southampton - 11am-3pm

Sunday 14 October 2018
Stansted House, near Havant - 11am-3pm

I'll be exhibiting my brand new wedding albums and there will also be an exclusive wedding fayre offer, only available when you inquire at the fayre. :D

Eeek my new wedding leaflets featuring Jess & Will's (photographed on their gorgeous wedding day earlier this year), has arrived just in time for tomorrow's wedding fayre!

I'm very excited! Looking forward to seeing you there!

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, by Nisha Haq

2017

HMS Queen Elizabeth Commissioning Ceremony

On this day two months ago, I was invited to the HMS Queen Elizabeth commissioning ceremony at the Royal Navy Portsmouth Naval Dockyard as a guest of my wonderful partner, Rob who was based on the aircraft carrier at the time in and what a spectacular event it was! It's not every day you get to see The Queen in real life, witness a one-of-a-kind new aircraft carrier being commissioned for an international event, and to experience it first-hand was amazing!

It all took place 7 Dec 2017, a drizzly cold morning in Portsmouth but that didn't dampen spirits as Rob's parents and I queued up for the coaches, this was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of ceremony. When we arrived at the dockyard where the coach pulled up just outside the ship, I was astonished by the sheer size! Although I've seen her in pictures in comparison to the Spinnaker Tower, it's not until you see her in real-life that you grasp the magnitude. She is the Royal Navy's largest ever warship. An impressive 900ft long, the aircraft carrier is the same size as 3 football pitches!

As everyone was getting their seats in the hangar (where all the aircraft is held), I managed to quickly catch up with Rob who was participating in the military parade along with the ship's company. He looked so smart and I was super proud of seeing him in his Naval no.1 dress uniform on this special occasion. Whilst waiting for The Queen's arrival, renowned singer Katherine Jenkins sang a few songs for the troops which filled the room with a sense of pride.

With @KathJenkins witnessing the commissioning ceremony for the largest warship ever built for the Royal Navy 🚢 pic.twitter.com/AUmzVE0oyd
— DawBell (@DawBell) December 7, 2017

At about midday, Her Majesty the Queen arrived with her daughter, The Princess Royal in which we all stood to welcome the distinguished guests. It was a truly special moment as a fan of the Royal Family, seeing The Queen in her regal purple dress was amazing. Again, it's one of those things until you experience in person the effect The Queen has in a room.

Her Majesty meets members of @RoyalNavy crew onboard HMS Queen Elizabeth. pic.twitter.com/z70IUEGoIX
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) December 7, 2017

Although my partner has been in the Royal Navy for three years, I still feel relatively new to all the Naval traditions. One of which was after The Queen made an address, the ceremonial cake (wonderfully made by Scottish cake designers 3D Cake) was cut by the Captain, Commodore Jerry Kyd's wife and the youngest member of the Ship's company.

"As the daughter, wife and mother of naval officers, I recognise the unique demands our nation asks of you; and I will always value my special link with HMS Queen Elizabeth, her ship’s company and their families." - Her Majesty the Queen

HM The Queen and the Princess Royal are attending the formal commissioning of @HMSQnlz: https://t.co/O9hYUEy9iY pic.twitter.com/WWqDB0xrVM
— Royal Navy (@RoyalNavy) December 7, 2017

Hearing The Queen address the Ship's company and all the invited guests had a profound effect on the audience. It really does make you feel proud of your country, the military and loved ones and couldn't be beaming with more pride of my partner Rob on this extraordinary day.

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We stayed over in Portsmouth for a night where we celebrated the commissioning with a tasty dinner in Southsea with Rob's parents the evening of the ceremony. It was lovely to have the family together! The following day, Rob took us all on a tour around the aircraft carrier which was both impressive but also very very cold (I'm happy to have my office in a warm cosy room!) Despite not really understanding all the technical facts & figures, it was really interesting seeing how the other half lives on a ship, their living quarters, bunk bed and their 'office space' (certainly very different from mine!) I was able to take a few snaps on this day and also an opportunity to walk on the flightdeck and take photos. Gosh, it's so vast and BIG!

I find it quite amusing that the Ship's pennant number is R08 which from afar, looks like 'Rob' in capital letters! Of course, had to get an obligatory photo of Rob in front of his name! A cool coincidence! All in all, an amazing two days!

Happy to be supporting the HM Armed Forces and I offer a special 10% off Military Discount if you're booking your wedding photography. Get in touch for more details.

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, by Nisha Haq

#girlboss

Shortlisted for IPSE Freelancer of the Year Aspire 2017 awards

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, by Nisha Haq

#girlboss

Happy 1 Year Anniversary to Nisha Haq Photography!

I can't believe it's been a whole year since I last set up my photography business in June 2015 ever since receiving a £5,000 grant from Solent LEP, HM Government's Regional Growth Fund. I've been so lucky to turn my photography passion into a fully functional business and fortunate enough to put so many smiles on happy customers!

They say the first year of business is the toughest, which I can certainly say has been hard work. Without determination and drive the hard work pays off and am so blessed to photograph so many amazing people, be invited to a couple's special wedding day and continually develop my photography and meet new people who inspire me to stay strong. It's so worth it!

I'm fortunate to have such a supportive, intelligent and inspirational partner, Rob, who continues to help me back on my feet when I've felt the stresses of running a business, balancing two jobs and a social life too. Having a Navy partner has proved its challenges with often limited contact when at sea, but I feel it only makes us stronger knowing we can get through life's ups and downs together. Having an equally driven partner has only made me want to succeed more.

Some of you may know I have been working full time and have just started a new exciting job as a Marketing Officer / Graphic Designer at Grange Park Opera in Hampshire a few days ago. I'm looking forward to this new venture and will be continuing to run Nisha Haq Photography part time. I think this will be a thrilling new chapter in my life and look forward to applying new marketing & design ideas to my business whilst applying my photography pizzazz to the opera! I simply love the arts.

It's been a crazy year with so many exciting challenges, accomplishments and experiences that it would be an even longer blog post to get through all of them but here are few of my favourite moments from my first year of running a business. Also here's to being a #girlboss! (I've just finished Sophia Amoruso's book on being a girl boss and it's a recommended read!)