Janaina & Rory, Wedding photography at Claridge's

Claridge's needs no introduction. It is one of most famous hotels on the planet and an iconic brand. A new generation was made aware of this via the excellent BBC2 documentary last year which provided a fascinating glimpse behind the scenes and highlighted the hotel's amazing attention to detail.

Working at the hotel always fills you with motivational nerves. At this wedding, my main concern was to capture as much detail of Janaina & Rory's day as possible. There was so much going on and photographs seemed to pop up again and again, all of them feeling absolutely vital at the time. Below is just a snippet from the final set.

Once back from Mayfair's spectacular Farm Street church in Mayfair, a swift drinks reception paved the way for the wedding breakfast in the ballroom. I found myself trying to pack as much into the shoot as possible, very keen to provide an accurate memory of the obvious work that had gone into the preps. Below is just a sample from the final set.

And I nearly forgot to mention the 'supplier meal' of Dover sole. It arrived, beautifully presented, from Gordon Ramsay's Michelin-starred kitchens. I felt very lucky that day. Perfection.

Click any thumbnail to enlarge... 

A wedding photographer in London...

If you ask me, London is the greatest city in the world. It has the lot. The streets are filled with a million fashions encased by every kind of architecture and there are places of interest to suit every taste and need.

Much of my time is now spent working in this city and my enthusiasm just grows and grows for our wonderful capital.

My personal relationship with the city began as a very small boy being shown around by my parents. Every weekend is was another sight or sound.

Then, many years later when I started my A levels, it was with tremendous pride that I hopped on to the train every day to attend college near Euston station.

My photographic relationship with the city started a few years later with some PR shoots via motorsport industry sponsors – an area in which I worked for over 15 years.

Leaving that world behind, it came as a big shock to have my very first London wedding commission at the Institute of Contemporary Arts, just off The Mall. Gulp. Nerves = huge motivation.

Since those initial inspiring days I have been so lucky to forge relationships with many truly amazing venues and shoot in some of town's greatest spaces, from the most famous hotels like Claridges, and The Savoy to vast churches such as Temple Church and cathedrals like Westminster Abbey.

I’ve also shot weddings in more than a few of the city’s quirky spots. Variation is key. I believe that being able to shoot well regardless of the location is something a client should demand of a good photographer.

I love the feeling, energy, excitement, drama and heritage of every nook and cranny of our sprawling gem of a city.

So here is a little pictorial celebration of some of my favourite places to shoot... I hope you enjoy them (click to enlarge)

 

From the archive... #7

I have always really like this moment. Unless you force children to pose, something at which they aren't any good at, you know shots displaying kids are completely honest. 

Here we have some rather late bridesmaids! The bride and her father were already on the landing waiting nervously to enter the ceremony, but the girls had been faffing about in the gardens and lost track of time. All quiet amusing. 

What I love is the body language of each - something only a still photograph can show. The little girl leading the way is clearly in a hurry. To emphasise this point you can see she's almost dragging her younger sister behind her. Lastly, we have the eldest of the three who is more concerned with her dress on the stairs.  Three totally different concerns.

The moment was there... and then gone again, made even stronger as nobody is looking into the lens. It preserves the genuine rush and mild panic, yet it still slightly playful.

Thirty seconds later it was all OK...

Nicola & Antony, Wedding photography at Andaz, London

Andaz is one of those hotels which gives a photographer more and more, depending on how much you search. Prior to this shoot, I'd eaten there once, met Nicola and Antony there once, but never really had a chance to recce because it's such a busy, public location.

Located right next to London's Liverpool Street Station, the hotel is what I'd call an 'inside/outside space'. The drinks reception was in a very spacious area, lit by natural light, but all inside - therefore weather-proof. This alone makes it a very popular venue with couples and I really enjoyed the commission as I could also use significant elevation and record the feeling of space in several shots. 

Nicola and Antony were fabulously laid-back and just rolled with the day. I was given my usual 'do your own thing' brief and a nice set emerged as a result. I won't overplay the fact that the location was literally 2 mins walk from my train home, but...

So, a stylish couple and a venue at which you don't care about the weather. But what did the weather actually do on the day?  It was warm and sunny. Oh, the irony...

As usual here is a small selection from the day. Click on any thumbnail to enlarge... 

Roland Mihalszky...

With my own wedding only a fortnight or so away, one aspect which really excites Ruth and myself is bringing cinematographer, Roland Mihalszky over from Hungary to film the day. We came across his work quite by chance and he immediately went on to the 'must have' list. 

I ultimately don't plan to upload our own film to the blog, but at the same time want to draw attention to Roland's skill for not just his on-the-day work, also his editing and understanding of how a soundtrack can add another significant layer to the footage.

In the example below the way the music builds during the evening dancing is very clever. The capture of tiny moments especially wouldn't be out of place in a carefully crafted Tomas Alfredson movie. His cuts flow with grace and attention to detail, all effortlessly telling the story.

Watch and enjoy. I would suggest it's the woman with the cigar which makes it art...

From the archive... #4

This is a nice little shot that's always been one of my favourites. But while it's simple, the picture also says a lot about the day in question. That 'photo is worth a thousand words' thing.

Without knowing the couple or anything about their wedding you can instantly tell it was a relaxed affair with a rustic feel - hence the chairs. We also know they have a sense of humour and thought it would be mischievous to coordinate shoes and socks - the focal point of the shot. The brogues tell you the groom is his own man and not swayed by the need to conform totally to the occasion. And you sense the bride loves the idea of being little daring with scarlett shoes. 

The wedding was in Shoreditch Town Hall, with the emphasis on fun, and the couple are as laid-back as they come. It was a tiny, personality-rich affair - which is always brilliant to shoot.

This shot has also directly led to more than one subsequent commission. The image sticks in people's minds and has even led to one couple copying them (see second shot). It just goes to show that you can chuck all the marketing and strategy you wish at your business, but it's the smallest things to which people respond...

Persian wedding, Pegah & Sam...

This recent shoot will always stick in my mind as something fun, stylish and wealthy in character.

Pegah and Sam are Iranian and shooting a Persian wedding was a first for me. The location was a private residence and  although it doesn't look like it, the day was blighted with frequent showers. 

The detail of the wedding ceremony feast, the guys in black tie and a lovely, happy bride made the day constantly interesting and its laid-back nature made for simple, personal photography and pretty close to ideal from my perspective. We've met up since to shoot some portraits, such was the extent of their enthusiasm for the final results.  A great day and a great couple.

As usual I haven't included the whole shoot, but here are my favourites from the set. Click any thumbnail to enlarge...

Mirror Mirror...

You've got to love a business that's only beaten in a search engine by a Hollywood movie... Punch Mirror Mirror into Google and the first thing you'll see is a Julia Roberts film. But right next to it is Mirror Mirror London, the UK capital's best-known bridal atelier. 

With shops in Angel, Islington and Crouch End, Mirror Mirror have their own couture dress line as well as stocking leading ready-to-wear designers such as La Sposa, Cymbeline, Paris and Yolan Cris. Their dresses have been worn by celebrities such as Amanda Holden, Zoe Ball and Tamsin Outhwaite. 

So it's really great news that I've just become a photographic partner and somebody, quite literally, that Mirror Mirror 'loves'. The business was formed in 1989 and since then has established tself as THE go-to outlet for brides. Numerous awards from the wedding industry press has cemented a reputation for excellence and ensured a bursting order book.

We'll be working together on numerous shoots in the coming weeks/months and it's terrific for me to develop new commissions and relationships via Mirror Mirror clients. Partners, Maria Yiannikaris and Jane Freshwater, are market leaders at what they do. I believe that when you are striving to be the best, you need to work alongside the best, so this makes me incredibly proud and excited.

It has also totally taken my mind away from having eaten too much Easter chocolate...

Fiona Leahy feature shoot...

I'd never met Fiona Leahy before, but a quick visit to her home in London immediately propels you into creativity. Then via some form of osmosis you leave with far more energy than when you arrived.

No point going into detail here, you can read all about the lady via the lovescarlett.com feature for which I was shooting. Suffice it to say that Fiona is an event planner extraordinaire, with Royal clients and celebrity friends, and I had a ball playing around with detail and some fun portraits shot very quickly indeed, all with natural light, no flash at all.

Consider this a blog-let which just touches upon the final selection produced. As usual, I'm not one for scores and scores of shots on a blog, you get the picture (boom boom)...

Love Scarlett...

couple of weeks ago I blogged the behind the scenes video to a portrait shoot in preparation for the launch of Love Scarlett. Well, yesterday the site went live and it looks the business.

A bold, sharp and stylish resource for couples who want to read about the very best in British wedding style, the blog feels like a high spec magazine with something for everyone ; wedding meets fashion meets lifestyle - updated daily.

I've been working with Penny Cullen on numerous shoots ready for today's launch, and while there is lots more great stuff in the pipeline, it's fair to say I'm super impressed with the way she has pulled it all together. Never one to rest and stand still, Penny has gathered together a bunch of leading individuals in the wedding industry to inform and excite, and such input will make Love Scarlett rich in depth. But the key is that everybody works together, a collective, so the sum of the parts leads to something fresh and different.

An initial feature getting some social media play centres around a wedding I shot alongside photographer, Anna Hardy. We were commissioned totally independently, a first for us both. Click here to read the piece..

From the archive... #3

It always intrigues me why people like certain pictures within a set. This little sequence is one on which clients always linger in my portfolio. Here's a little background...

The commission was a Christmas wedding last year with the drinks reception in a private residence. I had worked the room a little in search of off-beat and candid portraits, but kept noticing the little flower girl nipping away into one of the downstairs rooms.

didn't really pay much attention to this until I heard the piano certainly not making a great sound. After putting two and two together it was suddenly obvious that the little rascal was making her own entertainment...

Adopting my very best stealth approach, I let her just play around nd tried to shoot frames as she hit the keys, so as not to disturb the scene. It wasn't until she'd finished that my presence had been sensed, and she immediately scurried from the room. It's the last image and the look on her face which absolutely makes the set.

(Canon 5DMK2 body, 85mm lens, 1600asa, 60th @F2)

A photographer's diary...

Back in June I thoroughly enjoyed working with Melanie Helen of Cranberry Blue Weddings & Events. Mel has a fresh take on planning and over the last year or so we've had some great chats about collaborating on projects. (These conversations usually take place over a long lunch a One Aldwych!)

On Mel's blog is a basic overview of a wedding day from a photographer's perspective. It was fun to write and (I hope) interesting to read...