You never know who’s watching. This is especially true of being a photographer at a wedding.
At a recent shoot where the bride was a close friend, Viktoriya was discreetly in the process of planning her own big day.
She was still to secure a photographer, and that day I appeared on her radar. She liked what she saw and so, after a quickly arranged chat at the Bluebird cafe in the Kings Road, we were in business.
This shoot was a crisp, stylish and as London-centric as it gets. A small, intimate ceremony at Chelsea Registry Office was followed by the drinks reception on a chartered boat. A couple of hours motoring down the Thames and we reached our our ultimate destination: The Bingham, Richmond. It’s a stunning boutique hotel perfectly in keeping with the feel of Viktoriya and Ryan’s day, and the ideal spot for a gorgeous wedding breakfast.
I love the opulence and that glorious sense of celebration you get with a Russian-London wedding. To my eyes, there’s an element of old-fashioned movie star about Viktoriya’s look. This is complimented by Ryan’s immaculate black tie - together, they make a classic, effortlessly photogenic pair.
Save for a small number of swift family shots just before the meal, I was left to play quietly in the background and pick off portraits and moments. This is an ideal brief for me, and I think this carte blanche approach shows in the many of the quiet shots of friends and family which are evident in their wider set.
There’s a good chance I’ll be back shooting at The Bingham very soon (fingers crossed), so it just shows how good work leads to good work, the mantra of my freelance career.
Below are just a few examples from a splendid day in town. Click any thumbnail to enlarge...
