"I don't want anyone seeing me without my make-up on!" Photographing the bridal preparations.

 

"I don't want anyone seeing me without my make-up on!". 

This is the comment I most often hear from brides when they think about whether they want the bridal preparations photographed. I always offer the option of having the bridal preparations photographed on the morning of the wedding itself. And in our special deal it doesn't come at any extra cost. 

Quite often brides say they don't want this, but then most of the time this has changed by the time the wedding arrives. So what does this photography involve and why does it change?

A time for photographing the details.

Firstly it is a time for photographing those so important details involved with getting married when they are still looking their best. This is a very important part of recording the story of the day for the bride and groom in the years to come. These, more often than not, are included in the selection of photos people make for their wedding album. 

Whether it is a picture of the shoes so carefully chosen, the wedding rings, the flowers, the dress hanging up or even the garter. It may even be some other detail that is special to your wedding.

Photographing the bridal preparations

Let us return to that first comment at the top of this post. It is possible to simply mock up a picture at the end of the make up session showing the bride touching up her make up. Other brides, however, want a photographs  before the make up is put on and the hair is ready. Both the pictures below (along with all the other pictures in this post) were taken at the preparations for Sarah's wedding earlier this summer. Neither picture was "mocked up" when the bride was ready.

 It is also a time, when time allows, for getting those early portaits of the bride, bridesmaids and the brides parents. But as importantly it is a time for photographing the events and atmosphere of the preparations. The final picture below is one of the candid pictures taking during the preparations at Sarah's wedding. Here one of the bridesmaids is having her hair done while the bride's sister stands by watching, a lovely moment.

·      

Why not check out my websites and join us on facebook

Wedding Photography
Portrait Photography
Commercial Photography
Facebook

(Thank you to Sarah for allowing us to use her photographs)

·         

Wedding Preparation - Visiting the Venue with the Couple

Why visit the venue with the Couple?

There are lots of reason's that I like to visit the venue of a wedding before the day itself. Where possible I like to do this with the couple getting married.

Whether the couple are there, or not, I like to see what it looks like and to search out good photographic locations. It is also important to find places to photograph when it is wet. It is also helpful to see where the sun is and where the light comes from. All this helps me plan the technical side of the photography for the day.

What it doesn't do, however, is the equally important part of the preparation that is to easy to miss. To shoot a venue I need to understand why a couple chose the venue and what it means to them. And the only people that can tell me this are the couple themselves.

Earlier this year visit to Taunton and bridge. Registry office had scaffolding on the front and wasn't the best location for the bride and groom shots. We needed to find a better place nearby where the group shots could be taken and also for the bride and groom photos. The bride and groom photographs on the day needed to be taken quickly before the couple moved on to the reception some miles away.

The two following pictures show photographs taken at the spot we found in central Taunton. The bride and groom didn't move between the two photographs except to turn round.

Last month for a wedding in Wells the couple and I searched for a spot that they liked by the town hall which was easy to reach and fitted into the schedule and flow of their day. Not a problem in a beautiful City like Wells.

On other occasions, however, it is not so easy. Whilst there had also been lovely places by the church that we had used we had been very short of time as there was a wedding there soon after.

The picture on the left was taken of the bride and groom in a spot surrounded by large buildings that are not very 'picturesque'.

A small little corner that was ideal that we found out on our visit to the venue proved the ideal placce for this lovely bride and groom photograph.

Yesterday I visited Dillington House with a couple. Walking around the venue and sharing ideas and locations for the pictures I could get a very good idea of the couples dreams for their perfect day. For this couple the location is very important to them and as well as the close up and intimate photographs they want sweeping pictures showing the house and gardens and the celebrations taking place their. It was only by visiting with them that I could find this out

So why visit the venue with the couple?

Visiting the venue with the bride and groom helps me understand the story of the day and makes the photography personal and special to the clients. Each wedding is different and needs to be photographed differently and the visit to the venue with the couple is an important part of the preparation so that realistic plans can be made.

Oh yes, as importantly, it helps the couple to be more relaxed about the photography on the day. A major plus point.

Why not check out my Websites

Wedding Photography
Portrait Photography
Commercial Photography
Facebook

I Don't Want a Pre-Wedding Shoot!

With each wedding we photograph we offer the option of a pre-wedding photo-shoot, but not everyone wants one. So what is it and  how much does it cost?

What is it?

A pre-wedding shoot is just that a photo-shoot before the wedding. We would normally go to a location of your choice and take some lovely pictures of you as a couple. Many couples have never had professional photographs done of them together and this will be the first time that some people have ever had any professional photographs done.

What's more its fun, yes that's right, it's fun. Everyone always says this after their shoot even if they are very hesitant before it happens. Why is it such fun. In the midst of busy wedding planning it is great to take time out as a couple and do something together where you have time for each other in a lovely location.

How much does it cost?

Getting married is not cheap. Everyone has their own budget, and it is usually tight so this is a fair question. If you have booked your wedding photography with us then the shoot is included in the cost of the wedding. In other words you pay no session fees for a pre-wedding shoot. We can provide digital images and prints at a reasonable cost but you do not have to buy anything, more about this later.

But I don't like my photograph being taken!

Many of us don't like to see pictures of ourselves. That is just the way it is! Or is it? If this is you then this
photo-shoot is very useful and helpful. Not every session is about getting lovely photographs. It can simply be about getting more comfortable in front of the camera.

It is a time in which I can see how you look your best in front of the camera and the sort of photographs you like. There are many techniques photographers use to make you look thinner, hide features you don't like and help you relax in front of the camera. You can use this shoot as a time to prepare for being photographed so that you look your best on your special day. It can simply be a rehearsal for the wedding photography and you don't have to buy any of the photographs.

 Suggestions for the shoot.

To get the best out of such a shoot we would plan it carefully together but here are some suggestions.

• Set aside plenty of time not just for the shoot, but to do something nice together as a couple on the day. Make it a special time for the two of you.
• Choose a lovely place to take the photos, perhaps a place that is special to you both.
• Get babysitters if needed. 
• Carefully choose the clothes that you will wear, you don't want to clash!
• Enjoy

Check out our wedding website

A touching Moment

We often wonder what the future will hold and what will happen to those important relationships in our lives. In today's touching photograph we have a candid image which captures something of the depths and friendship of love.

"A Touching Moment"

Pictures can tell us as much about ourselves as they do about the subject of the picture. We don't know this couples personal history and if we did then this image may say something else to us, but we can recognize that unspoken communication of love. To me it is a picture of hope, it is a demonstration that the important things of life can continue into our latter years. How does it make you feel and think?

21st Century: The Communications Age

"Important Message"

I love this image taken in Glastonbury it seems to say so much about modern like in Britain. Wherever we are communication technology is not far from us. Was this message important, we will never know, it may even have been a facebook status update. Whether or not this individual message was important doesn't really matter, we are now able to be in touch with our family and friends so quickly and so easily.

Most of the people I saw using their mobiles like this were young women, most of the people who were talking on their mobiles were men. Perhaps this was unusual, but do women use their mobiles to text more than men, and could that be due to the size of the keypads becoming so small, better for more slender fingers.

As an image it gets me thinking about my reaction to modern communications  and how they can reach us in any place and at any time, do I really want that? What about the space I need to find, space for recreation and reflection. Space to escape the constant chatter of noise and information around me and discover who I really am and what is important to me in the now and at this place.

Or do I want to be like the cyclist in the next image, busily multitasking and perhaps not stopping to ask if it is a good idea, or even safe. This was at a junction.

"Multitasking"

Images that read us!

For me street photography is a project to challenge me photographically and artistically. It is a genre of photography in itself as images have to be quickly taken and not set up. The challenge, whilst doing this, is to produce photographs that are of a high technical quality: correctly exposed, well composed, and with good structure and processing.

 They should also tell a story. The story that the pictures speak to me may well be, and probably is, different to what others see in them. The aim is to get images that read us, if we let them, as much as we read them.

They may tell us something simple like the image of the elderly gentleman elsewhere on this blog which just captures a moment in time in the life of one person. Yet in doing this it shows something of the nature of humanity and life in 2011. His walk and the scene reminds me of people I have known and, with those memories, raises questions for me about what it means to grow older and the physical challenges that this brings. Have you ever noticed how when people grow older they use their arms less when they walk developing a walk which is stiffer and harder. This raises for me the question of how does this happen and where am I on this path of physical ageing.

But the image may raise for you different questions or even none at all. However you react to this, or other questions, street photography is not about taking snaps but, through images, exposing the nature of normaility and the deeper questions behind it.

Another Quick Camera Trip

Today I took another quick go round with the camera. his time using a 45mm setting on the lens and shooting without composing, literally from the hip. Below are two photos from this 15 minutes shoot.

"Meeting Place"

"Morning Constitutional"

This is a completely new technique for me as I usually shoot in a controlled environment where the lighting and posing are carefully considered and the pose and composition set up in camera. Shooting from the hip in this way gives you no chance to look through the viewfinder and with a lowish focal length kit lens you have to go in quite close. If the angle of the camera is slightly wrong then you either get all pavement or all sky. It was fun to try though. The other problem with kit zoom lenses in these circumstances is that they are slow lenses and on a dull day like today it is very hard not to get camera shake.

I had to put the ISO up to 400 which on my camera has quite a bit of noise. Oh for the day when I can have a faster lens and a higher spec camera. But such a camera and lens wouldn't make me a better photographer. The good photographers of the past had cameras less powerful than mine.