Bermuda Photographer - Amanda Temple: February 2011

I am not a very good cook... Actually I take that back. It is not that I don't cook well, it is more that I don't like to cook. I make a mean wild mushroom risotto, an array of incredible soups, and the most heavenly pecan caramel cheesecake. But that is my entire repertoire... until now...
I had a friend here for lunch the other day and we found an old Gourmet magazine with the recipe for a tomato tart. It seemed simple enough so we decided to give it a go. And presto, caremelised onions on the bottom, then shredded gruyere and topped with a mixture of plum, yellow and purple tomatoes, and Kalamata olives. It was delicious, and so I am thrilled to have a new addition in my tiny culinary collection.

With Valentine's Day just a week away, I thought it was the perfect time to launch Lovebirds.
Whether you've been together for 5 months or 50 years, the Lovebirds session is a chance to spend precious, uninterrupted time together; for you to focus only on each other and for me to capture the love and honest communication between you, creating beautiful, authentic images that document genuine moments of tenderness and joy.

I have long been fascinated by love – how completely mysterious and intangible it is. How it grows, how it changes, how it waxes and wanes, how it appears and how it can slip away. Everyday I photograph love and am in awe of it’s infinite forms.

About a year ago, I discovered the work of Jesh de Rox. While looking for ways to create more genuine wedding images, he stumbled across a technique he went on to call 'experiential photography'. Intrigued by his discovery, he took a sabbatical from wedding photography to further develop his "Beloved" sessions. The concept was to create an environment for his clients to really experience each other. Rather than just trying to make people look happy or in love, he focused on different ways of inviting them to be truly aware of each other and then capture their moments of incredible joy and deep love.

As I have always endeavored to shoot this way, I was interested in learning more so, last summer, I bought his Beloved Field Guide; a beautiful box with his photographs and details on the techniques he has been using. Since then I have been exploring his ideas, reading articles by psychologists on the subject, and looking at the incredibly diverse and beautiful images that many other photographers have been creating. The Lovebirds session is the result of the research I have gathered over the past year.

Love is the most precious thing we have and needs to be nurtured and valued. It is a journey, so shouldn't we celebrate the voyage too, not just the engagement and the wedding? The beginning of relationships should of course be celebrated, but as the journey continues each additional stage is an achievement and worth celebrating too.

The Lovebirds session will be an opportunity to be alone together, to be reminded of the precious, little things you love about each other and to embrace that love is ever-changing. We will create beautiful, honest images that celebrate your journey.

I am truly looking forward to doing these sessions throughout the year, but thought that Valentine's Day was the perfect opportunity to introduce them and that a Lovebirds gift certificate would be a beautiful present. For more details visit www.amandatemple.com.

Here are some of my favourite images by other photographers and a few of mine mixed in...

Jesh de Rox not only shoots beautiful, emotive images, but uses a combination of textures and colour alterations to enhance the mood of his images.

Kelly Moore is based in Ruston, Louisiana. I have been following her blog for a while. She shoots with both natural and artificial light and creates incredibly varied images with a wonderful range of emotions.

Jesh's photography and philosophy have been an inspiration to me. In an interview he shared his vision - “I believe it is possible a new genre of photography could emerge, focusing on the celebration, strengthening and renewal of relationship between people. Photographers deliver a product whose purpose is to remind people of what is most important to them. When that service is provided at the shoot itself, a powerful combination of factors collide to create something truly beautiful. I am told frequently by the people I work with that their experience with me enabled them to grow closer. Some have described it as ‘finding’ each other again. Quite a powerful thing to be able to offer people, with benefits that far outreach what size wall-print they order”.

Sarah Rhodes is a Seattle photographer who shoots wonderful editorial images, telling people's stories authentically with honest and imaginative imagery.

I have admired Jose Villa's work for a long time. He shoots film which I do miss terribly; there is such a softness to it, that digital just does not have. Of course the gorgeous, diffused California light helps too...

Chris & Allie Bartelski are husband and wife photographers based in Atlanta, Georgia. I discovered their work on the Beloved Movement website. Their photographs beautifully illustrate the genuine adoration their clients have for each other.

Elizabeth Messina is another California-based photographer. Her style is divine; the romance, sweetness and little objects she uses to create the mood are truly inspirational. I just looked at her blog to attach her link, and strangely her post today is about love. Her writing is tender, and she has expressed so beautifully exactly what I want the Lovebirds session to be about. That love becomes more precious with the passing of time, that it is always there, hidden in the daily ordinary moments and that one should treasure every stage of the journey. Please have a look at her blog - "Kiss the Groom" and read her beautiful sentiments.