Wedding Photography

Here’s where I share beautiful wedding photographs, offer my opinions on the wedding photography industry or share hints and tips for planning your big day.

10 Amazing Wedding Venues

by
Kings Chapel Amersham Buckinghamshire Wedding Photography

(That I’d Like to Photograph!)

Today I’d like to blog about fantasies (not those kind, you saucy lot…!) but wedding venue fantasies. Amazing locations, sweeping vistas, breathtaking spaces…basically, any location where getting married would be an absolute dream come true. A couple of years ago I was lucky enough to photograph a wedding at the amazing Leez Priory, but with all due respect to that venue, these following locations are a league apart. So let us begin…

Natural History Museum, London

As a child, my folks used to take my brother and I on day trips to London. We’d do all the touristy things – visit Buckingham Palace, Madame Taussauds and the London Dungeon…however, there was one venue that was always a real treat to explore, and that place was the Natural History Museum. When I visit now I feel very excited about the amazing architecture and venue as a whole (take a look at one of my favourite architectural photographs to see how magnificent the Central Hall is), but as a kid it was all about the dinosaurs. Or rather the unbelievably massive “Dippy” the Diplodocus skeleton. How cool would it be to have your wedding reception overseen by one of the largest mammals ever to walk the earth? Yes, very.

San Francisco City Hall

I confess I’ve never been to San Francisco, but judging by the grandeur of these interior photographs of the City Hall, I think that I’d rather like to…

St Paul’s Cathedral

What an amazing venue, and the cathedral where Charles and Diana were married. if you’d like to get married there, you need to (and I quote from the St Paul’s Cathedral website) -“be a members of the Order of St Michael and St George, the Order of the British Empire, holders of the British Empire Medal,  members of the Imperial Society of Knights Bachelor and their children (but not grandchildren).”

That clears that up then, eh?

Santorini, Greece

A few years ago I visited Santorini, and it’s absolutely breathtaking. Most adverts and TV programmes that depict  the white buildings with the coloured roofs are all filmed in Santorini. If you get married or spend your honeymoon there, be sure to visit Oia to witness the sunset. Beautiful.

Claridges, London

It’s one of the most prestigious hotels in London, if not the world, so who wouldn’t want to get married there? (well, anyone whose budget is less than the GDP of a small country, but we can all dream…!)

Scrub Island, British Virgin Islands

You know the rubbish, miserable and downright depressing weather we’re having in the UK at the moment? How about forgetting all your cares, maxing out your credit card* and getting married on the British Virgin Islands?

*(I assume no responsibility for any dubious financial advice administered on this site…!)

Historical Gothic Palace, Venice, Italy

I went to Venice a few years ago with my girlfriend. At first it’s completely overwhelming – so much staggeringly gorgeous architecture, all tightly-packed within a small area, that it literally befuddles your head. So much beauty, so little time. However, after a cappucino / Peroni or two and a few deep breaths, you can begin to digest just how spectacular this place is. Within 30 minutes we’d visited the chapel where Vivaldi first performed The Four Seasons, a hotel where Tchaikovsky used to stay, as well as being charged around £12 for a pint of beer (be VERY careful where you go to eat and drink!)

We didn’t get to see the Historical Gothic Palace, but just look at it. Makes my eyes water, in a good way.

Chateau de Challain, France

Ah, France. The country of romance, exquisite cuisine, and Zinedine Zidane, one of the finest footballers ever to grace the planet. They also have some absolutely spectacular wedding venues, if the Chateau de Challain is anything to go by…

Painted Hall, Greenwich, London

Words fail me. Simply look at the stunning painting and architecture (designed by Sir Christopher Wren and Nicholas Hawksmoor, fact fans), and imagine walking down the aisle here….sigh.

Dulwich College Great Hall, London

I thought I’d end with a venue that’s literally just down the road from me; if anyone out there is getting married there (or would like to get married there), then hire me as you’ll save on my transport costs! (I’m kidding…) I’ve walked past Dulwich College on a number of occasions, and it’s spectacular on the outside (and even more spectacular on the inside, judging by the photo above…)

Kids + Weddings = Fun!

by
East Dulwich Tavern London Wedding Photography

To coin a somewhat well-worn cliché, kids do the funniest things, and at weddings, they do the even-funnier things! As a photographer, it’s relatively easy to direct the bride and guests, asking them to pose and to guide them, all in the name of capturing beautiful images.

But with kids? Forget it.

Best to just let them get on with it, make sure the eyes in the back of your head are working, and never take those eyes and your camera off them for a second!

Here are some of my favourite images of kids being little tinkers at weddings I’ve photographed. I hope you enjoy them!

Shooting Winter Weddings Workshop

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Shooting Winter Weddings Workshop

We all need to keep learning, right? No matter how good we think we are, there’s always room for improvement, and when a chance to learn from two of the best in the wedding photography business looms on the horizon, we’d be fools not to grab it with both hands.

Speaking of which, yesterday I had the pleasure to attend the Shooting Winter Weddings Workshop in Stonehouse, Gloucestershire with renowned wedding photographers Damien and Julie Lovegrove. Together they’ve photographed over 350 weddings, as well as releasing a book and a number of DVDs, so it’s safe to assume they have a pretty good idea what they’re talking about..!

The basic premise of the workshop was to demonstrate how to take (hopefully) fantastic photographs throughout the course of a wedding, often with very little light to work with. To quote from the official blurb, “This workshop is designed to give wedding photographers the confidence and skills to take beautiful images that the client will love. Simple, repeatable techniques are taught to provide you with all the necessary skills to take your wedding photography further.”

The day was divided up into three sections – the bride and groom getting ready, pre-ceremony portraits of the bride and groom, and finally shots of the ceremony and the couple together immediately after the ceremony. As a bonus, the day ended with Damien talking about lighting solutions for weddings, and Julie covered the psychology of a wedding shoot, from meeting the couple, arranging the flow of the day with them and so on.

What struck me most of all during the workshop was how possible it was to capture fabulous images in extremely low-light conditions using very low shutter speeds! For example, two scenarios spring to mind; the first was a shot of the bride Sarah in one of the corridors of the hotel against some beautiful wood panelling, where there was seemingly no usable light except for a splash coming through from a window opposite. Previously I’d have disregarded the location, and would have deemed it too dark to capture a usable image. How wrong I was…using a monopod, high ISOs, low shutter speeds (sometimes as low as 1/15 and occasionally 1/10…shudder…) and overexposing by +1EV on this occasion, it was entirely possible.

The other seemingly unusable location was under some trees just by the church. By this time the heavens had opened and the sky was bleak and angry, so the group looked at each other when Damien led us all under some trees where there was even less light. Again, using a monopod, a slow shutter speed, high ISO and overexposure, we all managed to capture an image that the couple would adore.

I’ve read numerous wedding photography / processing articles where the author warns against blowing the highlights and retaining all the detail in the bride’s dress. Julie was happy to dispel this myth, if it meant capturing some wonderful images. Damien emphasised this point by stating that all the shots should look like they were shot on a sunny day. After all, the couple hardly want to look back at their wedding photos and remember that it was tipping it down on their special day!

As you’ve probably guessed, I’d thoroughly recommend the workshop. It’s set in a beautiful location, Damien and Julie were extremely friendly, approachable and happy to help and assist along the way, the couple Alex and Sarah were extremely professional, and I came away with a renewed sense of optimism, enthusiasm and most of all, inspiration.