Wedding Photography – Never Say Never Again

Wedding Photography – Never Say Never Again

by | Dec 7, 2022 | Wedding Photography

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:

 

Black & White

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.

Photography Course Update

by | Mar 24, 2013 | Blog, Photography

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Well, we are nearing the end of the ‘advanced’ photography course. I’ve got about a week and a half to come up with, produce & edit my final project – and I still haven’t got the foggiest about where to start – or what to do.

It’s not the course I hasten to add. It’s me. I have had lots of ideas but done nothing with any of them. Even while I write this I should really be working away on the project. If I could get on with it now, there would be much less of a rush at the end.

The course has been great. David is reassuringly calm and knowledgeable and patient. The speakers he organised (Christophe Dillinger and Andrew Jackson) were inspirational in completely different ways. Christophe has a wild and quirky approach to photography. He seems to want to break all the rules, and is taking his own unique path. His results are often strange, non-conformist and sometimes downright weird. It’s not to everyone’s taste by any means but I admire his courage to create his own path.

Andrew, on the other hand, is much more conventional by comparison. His images are still challenging and, coupled with his stories about how and when they were taken, take on a whole new meaning, particularly his South African pictures. It was fascinating to hear his experiences of getting briefs from magazines and papers and then having to think on his feet when doing the shoot – to keep the editor happy and also to fit in with the subject of the shoot who was often difficult, or short on time. Add in the problems of weather, lighting, venue, equipment etc it all adds up to a scary account of the life of this photographer.

Other sessions on the course have included a photoshop overview, a studio session with two models and only the barest of guidance allowing us to get it wrong and then learn how to get it right. Plus David went through various styles of photography and the work of a number of photographers.

All in all – it’s been good fun. And I’ve met one or two people who I hope to stay in contact with when the course is finished. And I’ve finally taken my camera off Auto.

I just need to think of a theme for the final project. Better get on with it!

Wanna do a photography course and live within travelling distance of Birmingham? Here’s the link:
http://www.fotofilia.co.uk/