wedding photography | Mark Wakefield

A Fake Wedding

by admin | Sep 21, 2026 | Information, Photography, Wedding Photography

I did say that I wouldn’t ever do weddings. Then I did one. Then another. Both for friends as I felt I couldn’t refuse. Both times I remembered why I didn’t want to shoot weddings. It’s stressful, fast-paced, no time to re-group and check the shots. Just keep shooting, and hope it’s all going to be okay. Looking for the moments, the accidental happenings, the looks, the love. And getting all the shots on whatever list you’ve been given.

So – no more more weddings for me. Until yesterday, when I shot another one. The difference this time? it was faked. The couple were already married and already had a full set of wedding photos. But they kindly volunteered to get dressed up again to help us out with a ‘mock wedding’ to help promote Antony Woodland Garden in Cornwall as a new wedding venue. Chris and Charlie were amazing. We scoped out some locations and drove them around in the Head Gardener’s buggy. I enjoyed it, as it wasn’t as stressful as a real wedding and I think the photos came out okay. What do you think?

Wedding Photography – Never Say Never Again

by admin | 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: