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.
It’s been a rollercoaster year and certainly been an exciting 12 months! One of the major things that has happened this year has been taking the plunge into going full-time with my photography business. It’s been one of the most nerve-wracking decisions to have made but couldn’t have done it without the support and love from my partner, friends, family and of course all the wonderful clients I’ve had the pleasure of working with this year. Wow what a year it’s been! Not only to mention being full-time freelance but to have been crowned Young Freelancer of the Year 2017 by IPSE (The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed) at the glittering awards ceremony on National Freelancers Day in June. A huge thank you to everyone for making 2017 an epic one!
With over 100,000 images taken...
Having looked over this past year 2017 has been a year full of ‘taking the plunge’ so I thought I’d dedicate this blog post to just that. It’s crazy to see how far I’ve come just 2 years ago from starting my business. A few personal highlights of mine have been:
- January - Photographed my first ice-cream gelato commercial shoot and discovering the art of food photography.
- February - First engagement session of the year in the unique setting of The Spinnaker Tower - my highest engagement shoot to date at 110m high!
- March - kicked off the wedding season with my first wedding in East Sussex for a Back to the Future themed wedding at Buxted Park Hotel. Also introduced my new range of bespoke luxury wedding albums which was super exciting!
- April - Took the plunge into exhibiting at my first English wedding fair at Houghton Lodge Gardens showcasing my work and selling to clients in person for the first time. Also first time photographing an Engagement Session in a rapeseed field which I’ve always wanted to do - love that vibrant yellow!
- May - My first New Forest wedding at The Bell Inn and what an fabulous day it was! One of my favourite confetti shots of the year photographed here. Also this month, first time photographing a family/engagement shoot which was fun, love to do more family shoots in the 2018.
- June - Being awarded UK IPSE Freelancer of the Year Aspire 2017 which was an extraordinary feeling and encouraged me to think bigger and take the plunge…
- July - TAKING THE PLUNGE! In the height of wedding season, I decided to go full-time with my business and leave full-time work with the opera company as a graphic designer behind. It was a tough transition and keeping up with the workload but the best decision to make to fully commit to all the weddings and fabulous clients. The start of a new chapter!
- August - Visited Lake Como, Italy and my gosh was it beautiful!! Would love to shoot a wedding/ elopement there!
- September - My first magazine feature in Some Such Magazine. Amazing to see my photos published. Also found out I was shortlisted as a semi-finalist for the Hampshire Venus Women Awards.
- October - Photographed more weddings in Somerset & Dorset than Hampshire this month and getting to travel to new and breathtaking places such as Brympton House is magical.
- November - First time winning a photo competition with a nature/landscape photo. Documented my first Hindu ceremony in Southampton. It was also the first time giving a talk about entrepreneurship & freelancing in London. Also my first time delivering albums to a client’s home and seeing their reaction opening their wedding album. It was wonderful!
- December - My first wedding magazine feature in Dorset, Wiltshire & Hampshire Bride magazine… (I’ll be sharing a blog post on this soon! ... ooh here it is!)
- PLUS... I've just found out that I've been shortlisted for the UK Wedding Awards for Best Wedding Photographer!! ARGHGHGH, the notification came over Christmas so it's a lovely New Year surprise to be shortlisted amongst some amazing photographers across the country. I'd never thought I'd be shortlisted for this in such a tough category but it's a wonderful feeling to be recognised by industry judges. It would be fantastic to have your vote please and help me along on this journey. You can cast it here:
This has also been my first full wedding season and I'm so thankful to my amazing clients and wonderful and unique people I've had the pleasure of getting to know this past year. I can't wait for more exciting things to come in 2018!
P.S I still have availability for 2018 weddings so do get in touch if you're looking to book your wedding day. :)
Happy New Year folks!
Thank you!!
