

I have been fascinated by the Mount Without for a few years. I have been dreaming about creating some magic in a place so special. At the start of this year I decided to reach out to them and ask the question : “could I come and shoot here”? I was over the moon when Michele, the co-founder of the Mount very kindly agreed to grant me and a small team of creatives a morning at the venue.
This building has such a fascinating history. You can read all about in here. At the moment, it is host to not only private events, such as weddings, but also cutting edge dance productions, music, holistic and catering events.
“From the ashes of disaster and 20 years of neglect and a catastrophic fire, we have built a hybrid business and given new life to an iconic building which holds so many memories to various people in the area. With the design within, we have kept sympathetic to the roots of the building – we tried our best to maintain the origins of the venue, being sure not to ignore the experiences this iconic building has lived through.”
One thing that stood out to me from the very beginning was the kind nature of the staff. Everyone I met was enthusiastic, hard working and extremely accommodating.
Let me make one thing clear. A styled shoot is nothing like a wedding day. It’s pretty much the polar opposite of a real wedding. It is a fantastic opportunity for creatives of the industry to get together and bring their visions and ideas to life. I have never felt more inspired by a venue before and I wanted to experiment with the beautiful light and unique features the Mount Without offers.
Hair and make up are so important in a styled shoot therefor I had to have the best of the best on the team. That would be no other than the superstar Rose Forrest. She created a natural and effortlessly glowing style for our stunning model Robynne.
As I mentioned above, the staff at The Mount Without was amazing! They made all the rules as clear as possible but allowed us to be creative. Candles and a smoke machine helped with the mood. These might not be the best idea on a wedding day, but they definitely created an amazing vibe for the purpose of this shoot. We played with reflections. With movement. With a little motion blur. And of course with that perfect light!
A big shout out is in order so some fab suppliers. Forrest and the flowers put together a beautiful bouquet for us. Rose Savage is the designer and maker of the stunning short dress Robynne is wearing. And the gorgeous two piece is from Dandelions and Pearls.
I honestly cannot think of a more beautiful place for a wedding. The Mount Without can accommodate up to 200 guests for your ceremony and the same number for the wedding breakfast. They have a super cool in house bar down in the crypt. And you also get to use all their quirky sofas and chairs. Of course if you are planning a wedding here and would like to have me as your photographer, send me an e-mail! If you’re not quite sure we are a good match, come and have a look at some real weddings I shot.
“In photography there is a reality
so subtle that it becomes more real than reality.”