When I decided to devote most of my professional life to photography, I realised that photographers really need to specialise in a particular niche of photography, and get really good at it, rather than just being okay in several areas. As a result I chose not to do weddings – as there are lots of really good wedding photographers already – and I always thought it would be so stressful (e.g. trying to get lots of people herded around in a short space of time etc.) that I wasn’t suited to that branch of photography.
However, when I have been asked by good friends if I will photograph their wedding (or that of their offspring) it’s surprisingly hard to say no.
Almost immediately though, the stress and panic begins to set in! Even though the wedding might be months away, I’m already thinking about what might go wrong and how I can mitigate against it.
Recently a good friend of mine asked me to photograph his daughter’s wedding. He likes my photography (although he is an excellent photographer himself), but the real reason he asked me is because his daughter has had anxiety issues in the past and he felt that having someone known to the bride on her big day might help reduce her own nerves and so allow her to enjoy the day more.
As time marched on, we met so that the bride could tell me what kind of photography she wanted (lots of pictures of her!) and so she could give me a list of the required shots.
A week before the wedding we visited the venue and checked out the best places to shoot the happy couple, and to meet the wedding planner. Some examples of the results below:
I really like black and white photography – especially of people so I selected a few from this wedding and edited them in black and white too.
So, I’ve now been to two games and taken photos and the teams involved seem to really like them. It’s nice to feel appreciated!
There are many facets to photography. One area that we are becoming known for, is property photography. We are currently working with several estate agents and also commissioned by private sellers and holiday home owners to photograph properties. Property photography is quite technical and it takes a while to develop the skills to get the shots (and the subsequent editing) right.
To this end we have recently set up Property Image Services as a separate division of our marketing consultancy so that we can concentrate on this area of photography. We have also obtained our PfCO (drone licence) so that we can offer aerial property photography – which is very useful if the property has land attached.
This week Mark has received his PfCO (Permission to Fly Commercial Operations) from the Civil Aviation Authority. It’s only issued after attending ground school and then passing an exam and flight test. It’s in the name of Stretch Marketing (Mark & Sara’s partnership) and Mark is the Pilot in charge. So if you are interested in any aerial photography or videography please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
I know. I know. I said I’d never do weddings. And I don’t. But I did do one. Recently.
In November last year (on my birthday, in fact) some very good friends on mine asked if I would be prepared to shoot their wedding. They didn’t want stiff, formal shots, but did want informal ‘capture the moment’ stuff and even hinted that they might like them in black and white. They would understand if I’d rather not (as I’d be invited anyway). I did take a few days to think about it – but as you’ve probably gathered, I agreed to do it – as our wedding present to the happy couple.
As it turned out, my wife Sara also got roped in and organised the flowers and some room prepping for the big day. This involved her meeting a florist, getting trained in making up boquet’s and buttonholes, as well as having to be at the flower market at 6am just before the wedding.
So, on the big day, which was on 14th April 2018, we were at the venue (the beautiful Hartlebury Castle) at 8am, ready with ivy to decorate the dual staircase in the Great Hall, the candelabra in the Dining Room and the mantelpieces in both rooms.
When the guests arrived I found myself dashing in and out of the venue photographing people as they walked up to the Castle and then back inside as they greeted the groom (Tim). The bride (Nicky) meanwhile was upstairs getting ready for her grand entrance. Dashing in and out meant lots of fiddling with the ISO. I actually set the camera on Aperture priority to reduce the amount of knob fiddling I’d need to do. I’m glad I did that – as the light conditions were changing all the time.
As well as me (the photographer) the couple had also asked a videographer to shoot the wedding. We tried to co-ordinate where we’d be in order not to get in the way of each other – but I suspect I got into his shots a lot!
At the allowed time, the upstairs doors opened and the couple descended to stairs. I had to walk swiftly backwards, shooting them as they came down and then walked towards the fireplace where the Humanist wedding was taking place. I moved around (as subtly as I could) during the service to get shots from every angle. Then it was the register. Then they walked back up the aisle with me walking backwards again in front. After that it was drinks, some outdoor shots and then the meal & speeches. The day was rounded off with dancing to the excellent band. (These shots were tricky as it was almost dark and I didn’t want to use flash so by this time the ISO was up to 8000!). In some the slight blur looks okay as you can see some of the movement.
All in all, it wasn’t quite as scary as I thought it would be.. but maybe that’s because Tim & Nicky are our friends and were not putting me under any great pressure. They just left me (and Sara who acted as my assistant in the latter part of the day) to get on with it. Will I do any more weddings. No, it’s very unlikely…. Or maybe I should never say never?
It’s always a pleasure working with new models. Part of the pleasure is getting to know them a bit so that it’s possible to try and bring out some of their character in the images. Recently I got to work with Savannah in Birmingham. At just sixteen she is new to the business but she has all of the right attributes for success as a model.
Shooting models can be great fun for both model and photographer. Maybe you’ve got an idea for a shoot and need a willing photographer. Maybe you are new to modelling and would like to start your portfolio. Either way maybe we can help each other. I’m happy to try out new modelling shots and experiment with lighting etc. Just let me know what your preference is.
Ideally no money would change hands. You would give me your time for free and I would give you my time for free plus some edited images on a cd. You can bring someone with you if you like. Maybe they can assist by holding reflectors etc. If you are interested in working with me please get in contact through the contact page. We’re based between Worcester and Pershore not far from Junction 7 of the M5.
Mark
Recently I had the opportunity to shoot two models using two different lighting set-ups and two different cameras in a large studio. It was the first time that I’ve used anything other than a Nikon for a long time and it made me realise how familiar I have become with one particular camera and how rubbish I was at finding my way round a different one (it was an Olympus). In the end we got some shots though and I was quite pleased with the fact that I could make the camera do what I wanted (after a lot of faffing about). The ones taken on the Olympus (with speedlites) have the spiral staircase in the background and the others are taken with my Nikon (and 1 large soft box plus a reflector)
