I believe that your wedding day should be spent with your family and friends having the time of your lives, not with your photographer. I adopt a natural and relaxed approach to wedding photography where you can forget about a photographer even being there.
Does that mean I’m hiding in the bushes trying to get photos of guests without them spotting me? of course not. But I like to get involved in the day and be present during all those special moments and although I’m not always going to tell you what to do, we can still totally get some lovely and fun family photos and cool creative portraits but that’s only for a fraction of the day.
I’m more than sure that in your hunt for a wedding photographer you’ve come across a whole load of descriptive words that probably don’t make much sense to anyone who’s not in the industry.
My top tip? Ignore all those words – fine art, contemporary, reportage, traditional – and look at the photos.
Do you love them? Can you imagine looking back at your day and seeing all your loved ones having a right good laugh, dancing the night away and throwing their arms around you in delight?
If you can then relax, you’re in the right place!
Most importantly though what does this mean for you guys and me being part of your wedding?
I arrive when it suits you and work from your preparations , popping in and out of your make up and hair sessions catching those moments while leaving you and your bridesmaids to relax and enjoy the moment.
Then I head over to the ceremony, start taking photos there, carry on chatting away with your guests, put people at ease…that kind of thing. The rest of the day carries on just like that. Think of it this way – I’m there to tell the story of your day in photos from within your wedding. Not as an outsider.
THE ‘AWKWARD’ BIT (THAT ISN’T AWKWARD AT ALL – HONEST!) OTHERWISE KNOWN AS ‘THE PORTRAITS’.
If I had a pound for every couple who told me how unphotogenic they are then I wouldn’t need to work for a living! In fact, every single couple on this website has said that to me at least once and they all looked fabulous.
So, in short, don’t worry about this part of the day. We’ll take some time out for you guys to catch up with each other, have a break from all the hugging and congratulations. and as we chat, I’ll get some relaxed photos of you both together.
The emphasis is on the word ‘relaxed’. As long as you two can giggle together and have the odd kiss then you’ll be absolutely fine.
INFORMAL FORMALS
I know, I’ve just been going on about how I’m a relaxed, storytelling photographer but let’s face it, parents like family photos and in a couple of decades, when you look back and giggle at the hairstyles and fashions of the 2000s, you’ll be glad you had them done.
Like the rest of the day though I keep this bit nice and informal. I’m not going to shout at your guests to come and line up in rigid rows.
Before the day we’ll work out which group shots you would like, then on the day I’ll get a best man/usher/friend/ultra helpful person to help me out and we’ll rattle through those shots in no time. Once they’re all done you can get back to enjoying your day and I can get back to photographing you and your mates enjoying themselves.