MY APPROACH AND THOUGHTS ON WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHY

It seems that many couples feel unsure of what to expect from their wedding photographer or their wedding photographs. They can feel pressured into thinking that they have to have it done in a certain way, or that they’re missing out if they don’t spend hundreds on exclusive albums designed by fashionistas in Paris and made by elves in Lapland! There’s the cost: The venue’s already an arm and a leg, the dress just can’t be any less, not to mention the flowers, the favours, and the amount of booze your friends alone can consume…

Let’s break it down a little.

Firstly, you’ll only be getting married this once! All of your friends and family are going to be there, in one place, to celebrate your marriage and to send you off on your new life. You’re going to great lengths and expense to ensure everything runs smoothly, and every detail is meticulously designed to happen in the right place at the right time. Everyone is telling you that it will go by so quickly, and that it’s an emotional and overwhelming experience, yet you still don’t know what to expect, and it’s so exciting…

Where to begin?

Start with the core photography. The capture and recording of your day. If you get this right then everything else can follow. You can buy albums, re-prints and just about anything else later, but you can’t go back and take the pictures again. Good photography really is the best way to capture the real essence of your wedding day. To be able to look back over timeless pictures is the best way of re-living those memories. Reportage, formal, classic, journalistic, and contemporary are all words you’ll hear to describe the kind of photographs you can end up with, but the truth is that the best wedding photography is a combination of all of these things and more.

Point and shoot?

Photography has been made more accessible as cameras have become more advanced and cheaper to buy. This is a fantastic thing and has made it possible for a lot of people to get out there and photograph the world. It has also encouraged a great many people to take up the next best thing and become a professional photographer. Obviously, things are never so straightforward. Photographing a wedding throws up a whole set of complicated technical problems that a new camera can’t magically fix.

Sometimes, it’s people skills that are the order of the day – something technology can’t help with! A lack of experience can have a very real impact on the photography.

For example; you may find that you’ve been led into not having any old-fashioned group shots under the guise of this ‘reportage’ photography. Is this current trend just a way of avoiding any structure to your photography? What if you do want some classically posed portraits of loved ones? Isn’t there something romantic about looking your best, and proud to be photographed together? And if you’re paying your photographer, why hide him or her away? A great natural light photographer may not be able to adapt to more challenging lighting conditions during the evening celebrations. And what if it does rain? A good photographer will be able to adapt to any of these tricky scenarios.

It’s my responsibility as your photographer to seize the special moments, and to connect with you and your guests as your story unfolds. I can blend into your proceedings enough to not intrude, and also take control of situations where encouragement is needed. I’ll pay attention to all those well planned details you’ve included and build a descriptive portrayal of the themes and colours of the day. The flowers, the cuff-links, the something borrowed, and all the personal touches are all part of the rich tapestry of your day.

From a technical point of view, I work fast, calling on years of experience and using the very latest and reliable digital systems, even sometimes alongside very vintage film cameras - whatever the situation calls for.

Behind the scenes…

Editing all of this after the event is a crucial part of your photography booking, and calls for a dedicated eye. And patience… To create an album with a flow and a natural pace is a subtle skill that is often as important as the picture taking on the day, and your involvement in the editing can be an enjoyable part of the process. Thankfully technology enables an almost interactive experience in the form of personalised web galleries and instant communications – you can feel very much in control of your final albums and printed media to the last, and you can be as involved as you want to be through these stages. As your photographer I have a lot more control over the final output than ever before, digitally enhancing images to create a rich, dynamic, and high spec finish.