A little while back I joined Louise & Paul for their pre-wedding meeting, ahead of their wedding at Nostell Priory, near Wakefield
I’ve never photographed at this beautiful National Trust estate before and it was a magnificent place indeed!
It was apparently built on the site of a medieval priory (hence the name), and Nostell has been the home of the Winn family for 300 years.
Louise & Paul brought along a special friend to the shoot…
Their ‘child’, a mischievous (& borderline mental) springer named Hudson!
We let him wear himself out snuffling on the million scents while we practiced getting comfortable in front of my camera!
The stairs up to the grand old hall were the perfect spot to cuddle up and have a smooch.
I like this little set at the bottom of the steps.
By the time we really got started on the shoot it was getting rather late, and the majority of the hall & parkland being used on the wedding day was closed off to the public…
So we went off road, into the 300 acres of lakes and parklands!
The light was simply magical, and it was one of those lucy shoots where the light is like playing with gold.
They say don’t work with children or animals, and we were best able to catch a snap of Mr Hudson when we essentially pinned him down!
But it is nice to capture some chilled out pics with a dear pet.
This is one of my faves from the shoot – a classic 50mm f1.2 – backlit with random bits of flotsom floating in the air.
Magic. 
I rarely shoot people in direct sunlight, but there comes a time in evening sunshine, where it’s ok to have it on the face.
But I always prefer it from behind.
*Oooh err missus*
Although it took a little warming up (and probably a consequence of being distracted by their mad pooch running into electric fences!), these guys were actually really lovely together, and I was really pleased with the way they behaved in front of the camera.
Though occasionally a saboteur dived in. 
Love this one!
…and this one…
…but not as much as this one!
Hunter rules!
We found this fun little pool of light behind a small house for a bit more larking about
…as well as a slightly more serious one.
Aww
Someone was starting to get a bit pooped at this stage.
Before we finished we took a few pics at this cool old cottage, that looked like some wild west cottage
And by now these kids were pros, and we got a great set of laid-back portraits.
This one is another contender for my fave of the shoot.
It’s so great to capture loads of lovely images of a couple at their pre-wed, because it helps them be more confident about how they’ll look and about how it feels to be photographed, but also, on their wedding day, it’s quicker, so they can get back to the party!
Which is exactly why I do these things!
That and to take photos of silly, happy dogs with ENORMOUS tongues.
Watch this space for their wedding highlights in a couple of weeks!