Traditional v. Contemporary?

A large number of you will have in mind a particular style of wedding photography that you want to see in your wedding album. You may talk to several wedding photographers when planning your day and each should have a distinguishable approach and you should be able to see if it matches your style preferences (as well as you liking their personality too, which is just as important). If you take a look at a photographer’s entire wedding from start to finish, rather than just the ‘best bits’, you should be able to pick out strong images from every chapter of the day, with perhaps the photographs of the couple being some of the strongest.

Many, many couples, in fact all of you, have told me in the initial meeting that you don’t like posing for photographs. My response is always the same: (Firstly – me too!) I aim for all your wedding photographs to look warm and natural, whether you’re looking at the camera or not, but can achieve this in several ways, even if you know the camera is there. The photographs below speak for themselves, and their subjects are also all people who don’t like posing for the camera!

Often, because I’m right ‘in the thick of it’ during the highlights of your day, I can capture expressions and moments rather than poses, such as this black and white shot of Mark and his ushers messing about - see below - (playing scissor, paper, stone – a great way to distract from a few pre-wedding nerves!) Sometimes, I combine this with a little gentle choreography, to get a real epic shot where you appear lost in the moment (and often are) such as the shot of Eugenie and Craig doing the ‘dip kiss’, a truly romantic gesture that maintains its sincerity and emotion despite of the camera. Other parts of the day may call for some composed photographs - but without them ever looking forced, like this stunning portrait of Lois where natural light illuminates and flatters. If self-consciousness is an issue, a beautiful portrait can still be achieved without you staring straight into the lens.

As you can see, traditional meets contemporary to create different moods in each image and I use both styles to reflect the changing emotions throughout your day. This goes into making beautiful and moving wedding albums that tell the story of your wedding day and take you right back to the emotion of it all.