This is what my clients (and in some instances, their families) have to say about my work… I'd like to thank everyone who has employed my services, it is a real joy to work with you every time and i am humbled by your comments.
Weddings
'This man goes above and beyond anything we ever expected from our wedding photographer. As one of our wedding guests put it after meeting Darren and seeing our photos “what a lovely and talented guy!”. It was an absolute pleasure having Darren as our wedding photographer - he was so professional and enthusiastic in all the liaison in the run up to the wedding and on the day he blended in to the venue and guests with ease.
Most of the time I barely noticed he was there, later to realise he was running around taking beautiful candid shots of absolutely everyone; capturing private moments, expressions and emotions. Darren also has a skill of choosing appropriate and opportune moments to pull guests together for group photos without guests having to go out of their way. His positive attitude made everyone so relaxed that guests could also be silly in pictures.
We are delighted with the quality and variety photos he took, including mid-air action shots, drone shots, attention to little details, so many natural shots and some formal ones for the parents’ mantel pieces. Darren also created a slideshow with a mix of short clips of film and pictures, which is just amazing. We can’t thank you enough Darren and would recommend you to anyone!' - Michelle and Will - St Giles House Wedding
'Charming, considerate and professional, we couldn’t have hoped for a better photographer for our wedding.
From the outset, Darren was both proficient and professional. He selflessly took the time to come to our house to talk us through his work and instantly built rapport with us and our dog! Needless to say, we knew immediately that we wanted to book him.
In the build up to the wedding, Darren kept in close contact and offered flexibility when arranging a visit to our venue. To our surprise, he kindly took some photos during the visit and we were thrilled with the outcome. We were also particularly impressed with Darren’s level of commitment as he contacted us when he became aware of issues with our venue that we were yet to be notified of. This really demonstrated how his service was going to be 5* from beginning to end; something that not all suppliers are capable of.
On the day of the wedding, Darren arrived early and discreetly started snapping away. He comfortably worked around the timings of the day and hairdresser as well as even helping out with the odd job!
During the rest of the day, he subtly captured candid shots and seized opportunities for our pre-arranged photos so we never felt distant from our guests.
Darren stayed for the duration of the day, never giving a definitive time frame to leave, instead going with the flow of the day to ensure it was all captured.
Sedulously, he uploaded photographs onto an online portal straight after the wedding and continued to update it for days after. We were thrilled with the shots and genuinely felt as though he was more of a hardworking guest than a supplier.
In addition to his photographs, we selected an option to have some film footage from the day. We were so pleased to have chosen this option as Darren somehow managed to capture all of the essential shots while filming some of the most special moments of the day.
Overall, Darren’s level of professionalism, experience and kind nature is paramount and we would recommend him unreservedly.
Thank you, Darren; we are absolutely delighted. It was such a pleasure to have you as our photographer' - Richard & Roisin - Axnoller House Wedding
'Darren is simply the most incredible wedding photographer. He made us feel relaxed and comfortable every step of the way and produced a stunningly beautiful set of photos for us to remember the day by and cherish.
From our initial chat over a year in advance, we knew that he just 'got' exactly what we were after and the feel we wanted - both on the day and from the photos afterwards.
In the build-up, he listened and recommended in equal measure and on the day honestly felt like a close friend and guest. So many of our guests commented on his relaxed, warm and professional nature and since, his incredible photos.
Darren was attentive throughout and we never felt like 'just another couple'. The shots were organic, genuine and unforced, depicting natural emotion, which was a massive relief given that neither of us feel happy posing for photos.
We could not have wished for better photos and they are now taking pride of place throughout our new home together. If we could review higher than a 5, we honestly would. Thank you so much Darren for capturing our day so incredibly - if we ever need photos in the future, there's only one person we'll be coming to.'
- Duncan & Kate - Larmer Tree Wedding
'From first meeting Darren, he made us feel relaxed and it was an easy choice choosing him to cover our wedding. He captured some incredible natural shots of our family and friends who all commented how Darren just became part of the group! One thing that I was worried about was getting our 14 month old little girl to get involved in the photos but Darren was fantastic with her and our niece and got the most beautiful shots!! We couldn’t recommend Darren highly enough and his work does the talking... we are blown away by our photos!' - Hannah & Chris - Burley Manor Wedding
'Rhys and I can’t thank you enough for EVERYTHING! Right from the get go when we first met you, Rhys and I knew that you would be great for the job. You have been incredibly professional and are clearly passionate about what you do which shines through in the beautiful pictures you are able to create. You have been very responsive to emails we have sent and really have gone the extra mile - our box containing the USB of our wedding photos arrived today and it had such lovely personal touches. You even agreed to work on a Sunday, which is usually your day off, to do our engagement shoot to help us out because we were struggling with availability.
It was important to Rhys and I that we choose a photographer that we felt comfortable around and one that would be able to capture a narrative of our day that we would be able to look back on for years to come. You did not disappoint! You have such a warm, friendly and unobtrusive way, that you were perfectly able to do that.
I would not hesitate in recommending you to any of my friends or family. Thanks again.' - Mr and Mrs Bufton - Edmondsham House Wedding
'Darren was recommended to us by our friends who chose him to photograph their wedding. As soon as we met Darren we knew we had found our photographer! Not only was he so friendly, his passion for his work was clear to see. It was important to us that we didn't want 'staged' photos and Darren has An amazing ability to capture really natural, emotional and meaningful moments without you knowing he's there! We've had so many of our guests from the big day sing his praises andtell us how lovely he was and how comfortable he made people feel which I think is important when it comes to people who are camera shy! When we received our photos (in the most beautiful personalised wooden box) I couldn't believe how perfectly he had captured our day, I'll admit I shed a tear or two over the beautiful images.
We feel really lucky to have had Darren as our photographer and we plan to recommend him to anyone who even mutters the word wedding!
Thanks so much Darren, you're awesome!' - Mr & Mrs Richards - Christchurch Harbour Hotel Wedding
'A friend first recommended Darren’s services to us, what a recommendation that proved to be! From the first few moments of meeting Darren we could tell this was a man who was not only professional and friendly with a great sense of humour but also a man who takes great pride in his work.
Darren’s true talent became evident to us during our engagement shoot at Pamphill near Wimborne. Darren knew the area very well and was able to make us both feel completely relaxed, as neither of us had ever been the subject of a professional photographers lens before. Darren captured some truly beautiful photos; he surpassed all our expectations of the service we were expecting from a professional photographer. Darren provided an exceptional one on one service, prompt and thorough responses to our queries, we were never made to feel like we were asking too much or being a hindrance to his other work; all this made us feel very privileged.
The photos Darren has captured of our wedding are beyond anything we thought we could achieve with the budget we had at hand. On the big day Darren seemed to be in the right place at the right time, all the time. Without exaggeration, every single one of our guests sung Darren’s praises. He captured so many fantastic natural, un-intrusive photos of all our family and friends at our intimate wedding at Kingston Country Courtyard we could not thank him enough. Even organising the standard wedding group shots didn’t seem an at all difficult task for Darren. His sense of humour and concise instructions made it all seem very easy. Darren made sure everything that needed to be captured was captured; we didn’t even have to ask. Most of the time we didn’t even notice him!
We still find ourselves singing his praises every time we look at our wedding photographs, and so do our family and friends. We would recommend Darren to anyone without hesitation, a first class photographer and all round modern day gentleman.' - Jay & Luke - Kingston Country Courtyard Wedding
I just wanted to say a huge thank you to Darren for photographing our wedding back in April. He had been highly recommended by a friend and as soon as we met him we could see why...not only are Darren's photos absolutely gorgeous but he is one of the loveliest, most genuine guys we have ever met. On our wedding day he put us both at ease and was a pleasure to be around from start to finish. Our photographs are a beautiful reminder of a magical day and the photos are natural and really capture 'us'.
Not only did we receive some amazing photos but Darren had also recorded the speeches and ceremony on his go pro. It has been so lovely to watch them back; the whole day was such a wonderful blur that it's helped to refresh our memories!
I really can't recommend Darren highly enough, he is a fantastic photographer and we wouldn't have wanted anyone else to capture our special day.' - Mr and Mrs Jess - Kings Arms, Christchurch Wedding
'Thank you so much for being Matt and Clare's wedding photographer. It was an absolute delight to have you with us on their big day. In fact you felt just like another of their friends. Thank you for your unobtrusive presence, and your professionalism at all times. Most of all thank you for your amazing photos, It is going to be incredibly difficult to know which ones to choose as there are so many beautiful ones.' - Mrs Harris, Mother of the groom. Hotel Du Vin Wedding.
'Darren was the photographer for our wedding on 17th December 2016. He is outstanding, blending into the background when necessary and getting some excellent natural shots of our guests. We're delighted with the pictures, definitely a very talented bloke. Must also mention that he proved very popular with the kids and got some great shots in the process. We've had so many positive remarks about the pictures, would have no hesitation in recommending to everyone. Thanks Darren.' - Mr & Mrs Sammuller - Cottonwood Boutique Hotel Wedding
"Where to begin… This Man is an absolute Gent, Anyone would be lucky to have him do any form of work or provide any form of service for them.
As soon as we met Darren it had felt like we had known him for years. He could not have been more attentive in every task thrown his way. We had a large wedding to say the least and although it was unexpected, he became part of our incredible day. In fact, I genuinely feel it would have been different without his calm, (cheeky) and collected input.
He subtly captured every moment and has been able to give us some incredible memories through his work. All of the pictures are stunning. We could not recommend him highly enough, to justify the service he has provided us, our family and friends. Even after the wedding he has been great with sorting various bits and bobs that people have requested of him. For example- the standard Belated gift from my Brother whom actually came up trumps with Darren’s help.
I hope this brief blurb sums up our great experience using Darren as our wedding photographer and I truly hope to see him again soon."
- Ross & Adele – Kingston country courtyard
"I had already had the pleasure of seeing many of Darren's photographs over the past few years and I knew what distinctly wonderful pictures this man is capable of capturing. Nonetheless, I was aware that, along with the videographer, Darren would have the responsibility of allowing us to look back on our day for the rest of our lives. I needed to make sure it wasn't just me that saw that something special in his work, and knew that it was certainly not a decision to be taken lightly. So, having taken Andrea through only half of Darren's gallery, the deal was done. It really does speak, no, shout for itself.
We had provided Darren with the list of formal shots we wanted on the day and asked that the rest of the photographs have a candid feel. He was incredibly efficient at capturing the formal shots and orchestrated it all so well. They were all checked off with no fuss or feeling of intrusion. Without setting any unwanted expectations for Darren to uphold in the future, he was also a real gentleman in the way he conducted himself, including carrying bags and drinks when we were moving between shots. His work aside, Darren was an absolute pleasure to have present at our wedding.
Having received the photos, slideshow, thank you cards and album we have not one regret. The after-service was outstanding and the fruits of his labour, simply superlative!" - Mr & Mrs Reeves - Lulworth Castle Wedding
'As soon as we met Darren we knew we'd made the right choice for our wedding photographer, he was recommended by a friend and we are so glad that he was! We knew on that first meeting that he would capture our wedding in the natural relaxed way we wanted and that is exactly what we got.
Throughout the day he was exceptional, organising everyone for more 'formal' shots and then fading in to the background for the incredible natural shots, most of the time I don't remember even seeing him but yet he captured aspects of the day which seem like a distant memory...so thank you Darren for keeping those memories going for a life time.
And additional thanks for doing the very unorthodox recreation of my mum & dads 'special' wedding photograph from 1978, something that gave us all a good laugh & I hope our daughter will continue the tradition!
We could not recommend Darren enough!! Thank you so much.' - Mr & Mrs Dickson - Kingston Country Courtyard Wedding
'I really could not talk any more highly of Darren.
I first met Darren when he did our engagement shoot, and liked him instantly. He is a genuinely sincere and personable man, who very clearly takes pride in what he does
Myself and Matt had never had professional photos taken before, so didn't know what to expect. We didn't want 'posy' pictures, and just wanted them to be as natural as possible, with a few artistic ones to make it a bit unique.
We thought that we would feel really awkward on the shoot, and it would show in the photos, but this was not the case. Darren was such a joy to be around, that we actually forgot that he was taking pictures half the time, as he just let us walk around the grounds and the forest, talking and laughing, like we were just out on a romantic walk together.
Our engagement photos were fantastic, and we were so relieved when we viewed them. He did exactly what we wanted and asked for, and I had no concerns whatsoever about our wedding day.
When I was getting ready at my mums house on our wedding day, it just felt like I was with another one of my friends. Everyone was so relaxed and complimentary of Darren. He didn't impose himself on anyone, and just left us to get on with getting ready (whilst taking amazing photos)!!.
When we got to the venue, it just felt like our engagement shoot all over again, and myself and Matt really enjoyed having our pictures taken.
Before the wedding, I sent Darren a list of the people that we would like our photos taken with, and he managed to get the relevant people together to capture our special day with our loved ones. So many of our friends and family commented on how lovely Darren was and I know that they would also recommend him to anyone who is looking for professional photos.
I have spent the last half an hour looking at all the wonderful photos that he took of our special day, and it brings me such joy looking at them, and reliving such an amazing day.
Thank you, Darren.
We can't wait to use your services again once our little bundle of joy arrives!!' - Mr & Mrs Mogg (plus a bump!) - Rhinefield House Wedding
'I am not quite sure where to start with thanking Darren. Living abroad did make the whole wedding process a little more difficult, the photographs however were not something I needed to worry about. Darren had it all covered!
From our first meeting to the day of the wedding I cannot fault his help, assistance and vision. Not only did he manage to capture our day he also managed to battle the weather and the Dorset traffic to make sure each element was covered. We have had so many comments about how friendly, professional and relaxing he was during the day and especially how good he was with our flower girl.
I cannot recommend Darren enough, he made the whole process a lot easier and stress free, we have some stunning photographs and rave reviews from our guests. We could not have wanted for more. Thank you so very much.' Mr & Mrs Faun @ Wimborne St Giles House
'Darren has been superb from start to finish with our wedding photos; when we booked him well over two years before our big day we knew Darren was the right person for us. He provided excellent customer service and was always a message away if I had any questions. Darren has provided us with a variety of stunning photos and a beautiful slide show which brings tears to my eyes every time I watch it! Darren's ability to capture every moment in such a relaxed way is fantastic; we have received so many comments from our guests on how relaxed Darren made them feel and how amazing the photos are.
Darren has the skill to capture the beauty & emotion in photos in such a natural way. We would like to thank you for our perfect wedding photos and all your input, we shall cherish these photos for ever.' - Mr & Mrs Jeffries - Wedding @ Parley Manor
'Well……what can I say but wow! Wow! Wow! The photos are incredible. Not only have you captured the entire day, but somehow managed to express the euphoria of the day too. The action shots, the natural shots and the artistc shots all culminate into a fairy tale of the day and make me emotional every time I look at them.
You are not only an incredible photographer, but also an incredibly nice guy. We bonded immediately and in my opinion the business relationship has developed into a friendship, and one that both Bea and I are eternally grateful for.
As far as we are concerned, you will remain the exclusive family photographer from this day and forever more.
Your beautiful arrangement of pictures has allowed our wonderful memories to remain strong in our hearts.
Thank you again' Stuart & Bea - Wedding @ Parley Manor
'We received our photos on Friday Darren and the video and photos are both amazing! I'm sure you won't be surprised to hear that I cried whilst looking through them all! The little box you sent it in with the small pics was a really lovely touch, I can tell you take great pride in your work. Thank you for all your hard work and commitment to our wedding, you made everyone feel so relaxed and you were great fun, but also a complete professional, I'll definitely be recommending you to others!' - Lucy & James Renwick - Wedding @ Spetisbury
'We cannot fault Darren and would recommend him to anyone looking for a photographer. His photos are amazing and we are so pleased with the range of pictures that he took for our wedding. He thought of everything from the smallest details that could easily be over looked to capturing moments that you don’t ever want to forget.
I was extremely nervous about having my photograph taken as I am not very photogenic and find having my picture taken an awkward experience, however Darren made me feel comfortable and completely at ease. He suggested ways in which we could make moments look better in order to capture the optimal photograph. He took pictures that were natural and didn’t make us stand and pose for the camera. Darren took photographs from numerous angles throughout our wedding ceremony and was so professional that we were unaware of him moving around the room to take them.
Darren doesn’t just care about his work he also care about his clients too. The weather on our wedding day was grey, miserable and extremely windy – it was that windy that my veil blew straight off before we had even left the hotel car park. We could have easily remained in the room the venue had provided for photos but Darren had planned to take some shots of just the two of us on the cliff top at Bournemouth. Despite the weather we have been provided with some outstanding photos that we are both delighted with.
Not only did Darren impress us he also impressed all of our wedding guests. Everyone has commented on what a good choice we made in hiring him to be our photographer.
Darren isn’t just a fantastic photographer he is a fantastic person too and it is a pleasure to be in his company especially on such a special and memorable day. He is professional, friendly and genuine and he makes you feel completely relaxed in his presence. Darren goes out of his way to make sure you are truly happy and he is extremely good with children too!
Thank you so much Darren!' - Mr & Mrs Bridges - Bournemouth Wedding
'When it came to our wedding pictures we wanted to feel at ease and relaxed all the while knowing that we would receive incredible photographic memories of our day. Therefore, there was no question Darren was the photographer for us! The level of professionalism in Darren's work is clearly reflected in the pictures he takes. I find having my picture taken very uncomfortable, and was dreading the prospect of being photographed all day. But when our wedding day arrived as soon as I saw Darren I felt instantly at ease, he went about taking photographs and in all honesty he was so discreet I totally forgot I was being photographed. As a result looking back at our photographs I can see how relaxed I am. Mat and I have enjoyed looking back at our pictures and reliving moments of our wedding day, we could not thank Darren enough for his hard work and the beautiful pictures he has produced for us!' - Mr & Mrs Norman - Private Venue / Country Wedding
'We decided to ask Darren to be our wedding photographer after experiencing what a fantastic job he did at a wedding we were guests at. We loved the fact the Darren blended in so well with guests taking fabulous photo's whilst being very discreet - as we wanted a very relaxed and informal atmosphere.
We are really, really pleased with the final results and will treasure these pictures forever.
Thank-you Darren for being such a crucial part of our day and capturing all those magical moments. You were an absolute pleasure to work with friendly yet extremely professional and we would highly recommend you.' - Mr & Mrs MacDonald - Parley Manor
'I stumbled across Darren on Twitter originally, and I couldn't be happier that I did. From our first meeting with him, it was obvious that he was the right person to photograph our wedding. Of course his pictures are great, and the price was right too, but I think what made us choose him was his attitude. We knew we were going to spend a lot of time with our photographer on our big day and wanted someone who was down-to-earth, easy to talk to, relaxed and excited for us. Darren was all of those things - where other photographers we spoke to and met weren't.
It's an easy cliché to say that nothing was too much to ask for, but Darren did everything he could to accommodate our demands. Equally though he was realistic about what he could achieve and gave us gentle pointers before and during the day to make sure that we got the best possible mementos of the day.
And what was particularly impressive was the quality of pictures we got back given the nature of our venue. Not only had Darren not photographed a wedding there before, no-one had - we were the first couple to get married at our venue. When you consider the questions that can raise for a photographer - lighting, positioning, distances that need to be covered to get different shots in a small window of time (none of which he bothered us with, of course) - it makes the hundreds of awesome pictures we got back all the more impressive.
I can't recommend Darren highly enough.' - Mr & Mrs Harris - Talbot Heath School
Commercial
'Darren's photos are a huge asset to our business, in presenting the properties on our books to the highest standard. He is very professional, both with ourselves and with our clients, whilst the photos are just stunning - high quality and an accurate representation of each property. They enable us to offer a high-end and unique package compared with other agents. In an age where images really do sell, we have found his work to be of tremendous value in getting potential purchasers through the door, bidding & buying. Thank you, Darren, for your hard work and continuously high quality images and service.' - Christopher Batten - Christopher Batten estate agents, Wimborne. Property/Architectural Images. - www.christopherbatten.co.uk
'Within five minutes of meeting Darren we knew he was the man for the job; his passion and dedication for photography couldn't have been clearer. Starting with the initial consultation he was open to our unique ideas, while also keen to provide his own input to ensure we would get the best result possible. This gave us the reassurance we needed and was further reinforced by his editing skills, something that he was able to show us through his previous work.
From here we went on to conduct the shoot itself, and what a great day it was. Although clearly a very professional man, Darren was great fun to be around and didn't waste any time producing some spectacular shots. What is more he proved to be a robust guy enabling us to conduct a mammoth 11 hour shoot, covering some extremely difficult terrain in the process. Without him this could have easily turned into a series on monotonous and tedious shoots, and as a result Team Bravura is proud to announce we have taken on Darren as our official photographer.
If you are looking for an extremely talented and versatile photographer, Darren Lovell is your man. We look forward to working with him again soon.' - L A Fallesen, Managing Director - Team Bravura