Lumière photography

Wedding Ideas

alix marina-chouhan — Thu, 03 May 2012 13:49:21 +0000

I have been so busy I have not blogged for some time and nearly missed blogging about being published in Wedding Ideas Magazine! Mel and Nathan’s wedding in Hayleybury was quite spectacular and the magazine loved it. Here are some of the pages.

For more on Wedding Ideas Magazine, see www.meddingideasmag.com

Sal and Ben’s wedding on Before the Big Day

alix marina-chouhan — Sun, 15 Apr 2012 14:46:12 +0000

I am always very happy to get any kind of compliment and it is a real honour to be blogged about, so thank you very much Georgia for featuring Ben and Sal’s wedding on your blog! Go and see this great wedding, mostly DIY, with multi-faith celebrant, a trike that said NOW and teepees! http://www.beforethebigday.co.uk/2012/04/real-diy-boho-wedding-sal-ben.html

Honours!

alix marina-chouhan — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 15:12:55 +0000

I am having so many honours at the moment, my head is spinning! 2 magazines publications- one you have seen, Perfect Weddings, the other one is to come in Wedding Ideas Magazine April issue , Ruby and Diva’s approved vendor status Rock n Roll Bride seal of approval and Before the Big day’s too! Also I am flattered to be adimtted in the Wedding Photography Select directory.. ( that’s the thumb up- see http://www.weddingphotographyselect.co.uk) And I was recognised in the woods byt a woman who had read an article by Ruby and Diva on Boho Bride! that is Fame!!

Jia and Charles’ wedding in Loughborough

alix marina-chouhan — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 17:21:11 +0000

Jia and Charles’ wedding was intimate and full of emotions. They are going to China for part 2 of the wedding and I wish I was going too! Many couples where the spouses are from different countries want to celebrate in both countries. I did just that with my husband: ceremony in France, registry in England.

I found the vows particulary moving. I know from experience that some words are hard to say in English but I could see that Jia meant every syllable of them and her saying them slowly added emotion and meaning. Charles was described as ”the cat who got the cream” and his grin was proof enough. I look forward to seeing them again after their Chinese trip, I can’t wait to see the photos!

These are a small selection of their photos.

Perfect Weddings

alix marina-chouhan — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 18:47:37 +0000

I am very excited today! Perfect Weddings magazine landed in my letterbox and it features Sara and Rob’s wedding in Chelsea last year. I had a lot of fun shooting it and we have become friends. Sara then launched www.rubyanddiva.com and we are working on some texts, photos, promotions etc together, Great isn’t it? I do remember people I photograph for ever, their faces are inscribed in my head, I spend a lot of time looking at the photos after any shoot! But becoming friends is even better. I do try to keep in touch, it’s lovely. Actually one of my brides is having her first baby this month.

So I am excited about being published again of course! I had a book published in 1996, again I didn’t really plan it, it just happened! that has been the way with photography and me, I seem on a path that takes me there. Wonderful isn’t it?

I have 2 other weddings getting published but I can’t say anything yet.. until it happens. So watch this space!!

A great-haired baby!

alix marina-chouhan — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 08:55:39 +0000

10 weeks old Serge, in Loughborough. His hair is fantastic, both colour and shape, standing up like a crown, and such a good character! He could be a future photographer, the way he was looking at the lens with intense concentration.. Beautiful mum too and beautiful house, the red walls gave a warm and soft lighting, even in black and white!

Pre-wedding photoshoot at Market Bosworth Park

alix marina-chouhan — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 05:04:24 +0000

Rachel and Nick met me at Bosworth Hall to see the venue where the wedding is taking place next week. I must say the venue is grand, with plenty of beautiful photographs oppotunities, I can’t wait!! Later we went across the field to an area of the nature park. I like natural photography, informal portraits, what I want to convey is the emotion between the fiances! It was a grey day but we didn’t get rained on and had a lovely time, walking about, chatting, having a laugh. These two are so adoring of each other it makes me grin just to think of them.

Pre-wedding shoot in Bradgate Park, Newton Linford

alix marina-chouhan — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 18:05:42 +0000

Jia Yu and Charles are a very sweet, very soft couple, full of smiles and clearly adoring each other. They are having two ceremonies, in Loughborouah and in China, so I look forward to putting their album together with both sets of photos. For now, a quiet stroll in Bradgate Park, near Leicester..

12 days old Clementine

alix marina-chouhan — Sun, 04 Mar 2012 08:29:00 +0000

A new life, a miracle.. I did both photos for both of Emily’s pregnancies and saw little Thiebault grow up- he goes to school now, I can’t believe it! So on Clemetine’s face I could see her brother’s expressions, her mummy and daddy’s traits and something that is uniquely and totally hers. Photoshoots with babies are unpredicatable, they don’t sleep or wake up or smile on command, so this is reallly catching the moment, and getting to hold a little miracle of life so small and so intense, so fragile yet so determined.. Welcome to the world Clementine. I look forward to seeing you grow up too, slowly.

Kids in snow

alix marina-chouhan — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 23:09:29 +0000

In Rearsby there is a house that is a photographer’s dream: big bay windows, lots of golden light, overlooking a lovely garden with a brook , a very cute bridge and weeping willows.. What more could I want? kids playing, having great fun with the remaining snow. Here they are.

Kids in snow!

alix marina-chouhan — Sat, 03 Mar 2012 22:41:33 +0000

I went to a house that was a photographer’s dream: big windows, lots of light, a garden with a brook and a very cute b

Having a cake and eating it!

alix marina-chouhan — Mon, 27 Feb 2012 21:48:11 +0000

I am a people photographer, but I love finding beauty wherever it is. Also, I love learning so, when presented with the opportunity to try something different, especially as I was going to work with The Cake Queen – www.thecakequeen.co.uk- I couldn’t refuse! Here are my wedding cake portraits!

Studio portraits

alix marina-chouhan — Thu, 23 Feb 2012 10:02:33 +0000

I usually prefer observing people, letting them be themselves, capture the emotion, their unique beauty. I also prefer natural light to flash and being outdoors, but here are some studio photos I have taken recently. Isn’t Kajol just adorable?

Butterflies

alix marina-chouhan — Thu, 16 Feb 2012 10:51:50 +0000

I like Facebook and find it very useful to discover beautiful, inspiring images. One page I like is called Our Beautiful World and Universe. I enjoy seeing images of nature, from sea insects to stars, with many plants, flowers, and animals in between. One day I realised I could contribute! so I’ve been posting photos and here there are all in one place. So far, butterflies.

Birth- again

alix marina-chouhan — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 17:51:36 +0000

Ok I have blogged about it before but it was THE most amazing photographic experience so allow me. I blogged about Alex’s birth last year and included a few photos. This week I entered a photo award where I had to submit a body of work with some congruence, so I entered these photos. I don’t know if I’ll win but I really enjoyed reworking the photos. Let me know what you think.

Winter!

alix marina-chouhan — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:47:26 +0000

Being from the South of France, I didn’t really mind that we had not had a winter so far, but when it arrived I was reminded of how beautiful it can be! I used to live in Switzerland and there I discovered the poetry of snow.

So, full of excitement, whithe the kids still asleep, I went out.. and couldn’t get the car out of the driveway. Undeterred, I went for a long walk along Loughborough canal up to Dishley Pool, and walked back on the road for a different feel of the snow. This is what I saw:

Wedding fairs early 2012

alix marina-chouhan — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:47:51 +0000

Wedding fairs a galore!

12th Feb Park Plazza- Notthingam
19th Feb Ashby Royal Hotel
22nd Tamworth Castle hotel
26th Mercure hotel Leicester

Come and see me!

Kids kids kids

alix marina-chouhan — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:12:50 +0000

I like kids. Well, usually. I trained as a primary teacher and I never cease to marvel at the miracle of growing up. With my kids I enjoyed every phase. Well nearly. But I always seemd to think their age was the best age ever, whatever the age. They’re teens now and I still enjoy them! But I also enjoy younger ones. Photographing Alex’s birth last year was one of the hightlights of my life I think, and I love watching kids, in parks, in the street.. for honourable reasons! I love how they lose themselves in a different world, how they interact or not… My first photo publication was a book of photographs I had taken of the Summerhill kids- yes, for people who know about Summerhill, I worked there! and that’s an honour too.

Anyway, today: kids portraits.

Maternity shoot with little brother

alix marina-chouhan — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 15:28:16 +0000

Maternity shoots are lovely. They can be kind of contemplative, this magical life growing inside, it’s so beautiful.. but when another child is involved the pace can be quite different! Running after a 2 year old makes it a different kind of shoot. That day we had studio lights set up in one room, and games in another one, so Thiebault only had to spend about 5 minutes in the lighting room, and he was so careful around the sires, it was impressive. The toys he preferred? The pegs.

Baby in a case!

alix marina-chouhan — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:41:32 +0000

Babies are great, and this one , at 8 months, is really good to photograph: he is not too mobile yet so can’t run away. He gets really interested by his environemnt so he tasted the wild garlic around him, pulled faces but tried again, intrigued! An old suitcase is a good way to contain him, and do unusual photos, although it’s not necessary, his interactions with his parents are lovely too, many opportunities to take lovely portraits and create great memories.

Party girl!

alix marina-chouhan — Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:46:27 +0000

Jemima likes to party, she has unending energy and creativity. I had great fun with her, we read stories, went on magical trips, and swam in mysterious pools..

80s Rhythm Revellers

alix marina-chouhan — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 14:22:46 +0000

The Rhythm Revellers are a really energetic band who gets everyone dancing. They have different sets, from Jazz to Just out music, and also have a whole 80s set, with costumes, slideshow.. People just go: oh yes I remember that.. and dance their heart out. Great! Here some photos taken before one rehearsal.

Alex and Elyna at the Park

alix marina-chouhan — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 17:38:47 +0000

It was a cold, grey day but we managed to squeeze some photos at home and at the park, in Oadby, Leicester, before all light disapeared.

Geneve, Geneva

alix marina-chouhan — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 12:25:39 +0000

This summer we had half a day in Geneva, I used to live in Switzerland a long time ago and I was really happy to dip in again, with my kids and husband this time. I took lots of photos but the ones that stayed- I edit a lot too, it’s a must!- are the photos of the Cathedral, a truly beautiful church and a wonderful escape from shops and heat. I include 2 other photos, one of an orthodox church because I love their shapes and sheer abundance of gold and decorations, the incense and the ceremonies in languages I don’t understand, it seems to go straigt to my heart. I also loved how Geneva was green and village-like, very friendly.

England in Autumn

alix marina-chouhan — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 11:15:06 +0000

I love traveling and I love the sun so I do post a lot of photos form the South, but I have been in England half of my life now- sounds strange everytime I say this!- and I love it too. Not just the people who are lovely usually, tolerant and tactful, welcoming and innovative.. I could go on. I love the nature too. I come from Provence where trees are a disappearing species, between the heat and the fires.. where every green thing is concentrated in smlee and size, rhododhendrons don’t reach your knees, thyme smells like a tincture.. so the first thing that comes to mind when I think of the wonderful nature here are oaks. I love oaks in all seasons, their silhouettes in winr, intricate and so black; their sweet green leavs in spring, so light and fresh for such a big tree, their canopy in summer, dark green, a mature crown, and their golden mane in autumn.. so an hommage to trees and autumn. Some of thses photos have been taken In Swithland Woods, near Loughborough, others in Derbyshire, near Chatsworth.

Kids portraits in Aix en Provence

alix marina-chouhan — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 23:34:12 +0000

Place d’Albertas is one of the most picturesque squares I know and it gets visited by hords of tourists, who all take a photo by the fountain, but even without the details, the light there is warm and so gorgeous it reflects on children’s skins beautifully. Look.

Summer travels in the South of France

alix marina-chouhan — Wed, 30 Nov 2011 22:34:03 +0000

More travel photography, buildings and people, street photography and general admiration of the beauty of details, architecture, people, patterns.. I am so grateful that I see and that I enjoy looking. I truly get a lot of happiness from looking, seeing, discovering! South of France photographs, once more, where my roots are.

Aix en Provence, my home town

alix marina-chouhan — Mon, 28 Nov 2011 20:07:29 +0000

Last time I went to visit I decided to play tourist. There is a lot to see, it is truly a beautiful city, akin to and twinned wtih Bath. There is a lot more to see than here, but here is a taste of Aix in October.

Camargue Horses

alix marina-chouhan — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:33:43 +0000

I am a people photographer but first I am a photographer and it is my way of celebrating the wonders of the world, big and small. So I love nature, animals, and Camargue horses have a special place for me because there are herds of wild horses, not all of them are wild but it is inspiring to see them. Here are a few of them.

Sete, South of France, summer

alix marina-chouhan — Thu, 24 Nov 2011 21:01:14 +0000

Tidying up this year’s photos, I find some I meant to work on and never did, so, out of season, a summer trip to Sete, lovely town I had never visited, a detour to meet some friends from England.