Farrah & Robert, Wedding photography at Kew Gardens

Everybody loves Kew Gardens. It's that place you went when you were a kid - loved the flora and fauna and the butterflies - but perhaps never truly appreciated.

Back in the Autumn, I was in the car after a meeting, checking voicemails. Chief among them was a very polite message from a woman called Farrah. She asked about my availability to shoot her wedding in January. To this day, what sticks in my mind about that message is just how considerate she was to apologise for calling on a Sunday. In this day and age, that's pretty impressive.

Fast forward a couple of meetings and there we are at a freezing, drizzly Kew Gardens the first weekend after Christmas. So many venues would have struggled to put on a show in these conditions, but led by Kew's Ruth Denton the day ran seamlessly.

The day revolved around three separate locations within the Gardens, plus an initial visit to Farrah and Robert's home to shoot the preparations.

The couple held the service in The Nash Conservatory (think understated grandeur), the Princess of Wales Conservatory for drinks (think mini Eden Project), then the The Orangery for the wedding breakfast. Each building boasting a character all its own.

The day was laid-back, different, interesting and in my eyes a very happy occasion. It had a little piece of everything and you could easily describe Farrah & Robert in exactly the same way. Working for them was a pleasure and hopefully this shows in the shots.

Click any thumbnail to enlarge...


Through the lens... Farm Street Church, London

Two weeks ago saw my latest commission at the epic Farm Street Church in London's Mayfair. It's always been one of my favourite places to work since my first job there some years ago.

The inspiring internal space got me thinking about that magical 30-45 mins just before a the wedding ceremony starts, as the atmosphere builds, family and friends arrive and anticipation fills the air.

The church is tucked away in Mount Street, just off Berkeley Square and there is something quite Narnia about it. A relatively modest doorway opens up into a cavernous space - a room that has witnessed over 150 years of activity. It's like the wardrobe into another world. In a matter of steps you exit fashionable town and emerge deep into history.

I have always enjoyed this chunk of a wedding day, the point when I am able to search out quiet scenes and detail. These photographs provide context within the wider selection and, once edited into the reportage material of the main players, they really set the scene and complete my pictorial overview of the day. 

Of course a wedding is primarily about the couple. But they have chosen their location(s) with care and they often have family significance. So it's vital to tie in these 'detail' images with the people shots and priceless moments which make their day unique.

Click on any photograph to enlarge....

The spectacular aisle leading to the high altar... (85mm lens, 90th/F2, 1250asa)

One of many dramatic depictions tucked away in the side chapel... (50mm lens, 250th/F2, 1600asa)

The Priest addresses the congregation ahead of the bride's arrival... (85mm lens, 60th/F4, 2500asa)

Last few guests sneak in before the service... (28mm lens, 125th/F2.8, 800asa)

Ushers seemingly not ushering... (200mm lens, 30th/F2.8, 1600asa)

Everywhere you turn the church offers scenes straight from a film set... (28mm lens, 30th/F2.8, 2000asa)

Anticipation builds as friends and family arrive... 

Sarah & Scott, Wedding photography at the RSA London

When you shoot a wedding at a single location, it can sometimes present as many issues as it solves. Often, where venue staff turn around a room for multiple uses it can impact on timings, restrict guest movement and frankly can look a bit messy. 

But there is none of this at the 250-year-old Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, tucked away in John Adam Street, just off the Strand. How can you not adore an organisation founded in a coffee shop?

Early December saw my first shoot at the RSA and it has immediately become one of my favourites because it’s the exact opposite of the the issue outlined above - this venue offers significant variation. I love it.

My clients, Sarah & Scott, wanted a simple, stylish, people day. Their wedding ceremony took place in the vaults, three floors below street level, an atmospheric environment enhanced by candlelight. It was interesting, historic, romantic and thoroughly appropriate for December. 

Once married, it was up into the Great Room for drinks and ultimately the guests settled into the gorgeous, contemporary Benjamin Franklin Room for the wedding breakfast. This was one of those commissions that whizzed by, an absolute pleasure to shoot. 

I was so grateful to be welcomed in and generously treated by the family. Their calm, genuine ambience contributed to a very personal set of photographs, exactly what we all hoped to obtain.

As usual, here are just a few to give a flavour of the day. Click any thumbnail to enlarge...  

Viktoriya & Ryan, Wedding photography in Chelsea

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...  

Through the lens... Christmas 2013

Credit for this idea sort of goes to my friend, Stacey Jackson, the irrepressible Canadian singer...

Over dinner one evening she berated me for not doing enough social media and self-promo... "you don't need a reason, man - just get them out there!". Doesn't do to disagree with the Stae.

So, here is the start of a series I'm going to call 'through the lens'. Basically a little corner of the site where I will regularly show shots which haven't been seen in blogs, and are possibly too left field or quiet for the portfolio. It's also a chance to lift the lid on some technical info for each featured image, something people ask me about a lot.

The first batch comes from commissions shot over the Christmas period, at weddings staged at The St Pancras Renaissance, Hampton Court and Kew Gardens.

Click on any photograph to enlarge....

A quiet moment during a drinks reception at Kew Gardens... (85mm lens, 125th/F2, 1600asa)

Morning preps with the flower girls, always a time for great shots... (28mm lens, 60th/F1.2, 2000asa)

The arrival of guests. I'm in the warm, they're in the cold - brrrr... (50mm lens, 250th/F2.8, 800asa)

Where would we all be without our smartphones! (28mm lens, 30th/F1.2, 2500asa)

A nervous giggle before the bridesmaids head for the ceremony... (50mm lens, 60th/F2, 2000asa)

Left: lovely moment with the bride reacting to a speech... (85mm lens, 90th/F1.8, 2500asa)

Right: a committed Liverpool fan... (200mm lens, 180th/F2.8, 1600asa)

A festive wedding shoot at Somerset House...

With the cold weather now kicking-in, it seems apt to feature something which looks freezing. And this shoot from last winter always sticks in my mind as being a cracker (ahem).

We all have favourite shoots. Sometimes it's because of a grand venue, or a brilliant couple. Maybe there was terrific detail. Then, every now and then there's a commission which has everything.  Even Christmas. And what's better than Christmas at the glorious Somerset House.

The shoot was also notable as a day when snow blanketed town, turning the capital into a winter wonderland. Renee and Mark are from Chicago, but based here on short work contracts. They had commissioned the fantastic Penny Cullen of Tigerlily Weddings to style and orchestrate their wedding, and as usual it looked fabulous and flowed brilliantly. Below are just a few from the final set, because this lovely, young couple are very private, but still allowed me to show a few.

It was a simple late afternoon service followed by an intimate dinner for close family and friends, all overlooking the ice rink now so popular over the festive period. I enjoy all the weddings I shoot, but have a particular soft spot for Renee and Mark and their family. They are lovely people with a sense of style. What more can a photographer ask...

Lauren & Tom, Wedding photography at Layer Marney Tower

One of the great things about shooting weddings is meeting people. This was never more evident than during Lauren and Tom's small, very family-orientated wedding earlier in the year.

So the saying goes, "it's all about the bride". However, in this case I think of the groom first whenever I come across their selection in the library. This is because Tom is a proud Paratrooper, a breed apart, quietly getting married hot on the heels of a recent tour of duty.

We're talking about a very, very impressive young man. One of those fellas us everyday chaps thoroughly respect, as he does a job very few could handle. I know for sure I couldn't. Therefore, I greatly looked forward to their day at the atmospheric Layer Marney Tower, near Colchester.

Everything had been made easy for me, mainly due to Lauren being possibly the planet's most considerate girl. Timings, the essential names, the 'must get' shots - all were listed and prepped with (dare I say) military precision. 

Being involved in a relaxed, very laid-back day is always a lovely flip-side from some of the bigger, more imposing venues at which I often work. This certainly comes across in what I see as a 'people set' . An extremely rewarding day - what a wedding is all about.

Below are a few of my favourites from the wider selection. Click any thumbnail to enlarge... 

 

 

 

From the archive... #11

Walk into this room - wow - you're rocked back on your heels by the opulence. 

I had been asked to shoot a catwalk show in the ballroom of The Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Knightsbridge, organised by the market-leading magazine Brides. The client was Mirror Mirror Bridal, with whom I'm developing a terrific working relationship. The London Atelier would be showing some of their stunning couture designs.

On display were the best couture dresses from the country's leading designers - the cream of the cream. It was a terrific opportunity to really nail some atmosphere and record the wider scene. 

I've picked this example from the set because it not only shows a gorgeous gown, but also the style of the room. And, I feel, you can really sense the anticipation of the audience as some truly beautiful dresses were unveiled.

A brilliant night. Perk of the job...

Going live...

Wedding photography is all about creating a set of memories, which I try to construct brick-by-brick over the course of the day and spend hours painstakingly editing. Press photography is different. It is about getting the message out, reporting, being fast. It's about quick delivery. Luckily, I've done both which meant last week's eleventh hour request to release a picture of the happy couple to the world's media whilst simultaneously covering the day, was, if a little stressful, ultimately pretty straightforward. 

The commission was to shoot the beautiful wedding of Olympic cycling star, Mark Cavendish, and his bride, model Peta Todd. Due to the high-profile nature of the couple, unwanted press intrusion was a real concern. Especially as the venue for the wedding was One Mayfair, in the heart of London.

So a plan was hatched: we would keep the media animal fed with one great shot and hopefully - with the help of a security contingent - head-off any gate-crashing Paps. I decided I would send a fairly simple shot during the early part of the evening. The timing had to catch the first editions of the Sunday papers (around 19.00), but also had to fit-in with my extensive list of wedding day 'must-gets'. My overriding brief for wedding clients is always to create photography which will last, something memorable. But I also needed to click into deadline mode and get something out. 

Cavendish_media.jpg

On the technical side, I decided to take two MacBooks. One to download/back-up the rolling coverage as the day progressed, the other purely for the transmission of the picture. Around 17.45 I asked Peta & Mark to just spend a moment with me so I could grab the shot I thought would be appropriate. That done, they could relax and enjoy their wedding breakfast. Meanwhile, I raced off to the crew room and started to download... the clock was ticking.

Wedding planner, Lisa Walker, of Just Bespoke, had every element of the wedding covered to perfection and ensured I had a desk, wifi and the relevant contact from Mark's management to sign-off the shot for distribution.

I initially chose two pictures. A simple portrait and then something a little more creative, a wide shot from the actual ceremony. It was decided we'd send out the portrait. The picture duly signed off, the file was then slipped into a press release and immediately sent to PA, who, in turn made it accessible by all major news organisations. Phew. Box ticked. 

And as the press quickly clicked into gear reporting on the Cavendish nuptials, it was time for me to get back to creativity and shoot the speeches and evening atmosphere.  

 

 

Amy & Duncan, Wedding photography at Milden Hall in Lavenham

I recall driving home from Amy and Duncan's wedding day thinking it was such a happy occasion full of great detail and laid-back personalities.

I'm not one to blog every wedding I shoot, but this was a commission to share. So when I was given the green light to use them it was such fun to go back into the day and pick the little moments I like best.

Being a very firm believer that weddings are about people, with detail there to simply to support, it was a delight to be welcomed in by a lovely crowd of folks and then allowed to do my thing quietly in the background. 

The main building at Milden Hall is a 16th century tudor farmhouse, which attracts many different events, not just weddings. Having already covered a wedding there I knew the day would unfold to become a relaxed, fun occasion for all concerned - the venue seems to attract just such a clientele.

The staff also hits that balance between attentive but unseen, which for 100+ people is vital when partying in what is quite a cosy space. Each time I work there I'm looked-after and thoroughly enjoy the shoot. Roll-on the next visit.

As usual the shots below are just a handful from the set...

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"... We couldn't recommend Mark enough. We met him a couple of times before our wedding and it was always clear that he understood exactly the feel we wanted for our day and how to shoot it.

When the day itself came around he was very relaxed and low key but worked seamlessly with our best man to get all the shots we wanted. Lots of people have said how lovely the photos are (it'd be rude not to!) but also how they barely noticed Mark being there at all. His attitude was that the day was ours to enjoy and he worked around that rather than making us slaves to the lens..."   Amy & Duncan, Oct 2nd, 2013

 

Portrait shoot / Love Scarlett...

Ahead of a recent, stunning wedding at the gorgeous Cliveden House, I really enjoyed a quick portrait session with the bride and groom, Sasha and Artiom - a lovely, young Russian couple based in London.

A few examples from the shoot, but more importantly the story behind the relationship, are now live on lovescarlett, one of the hippest wedding resources around...

New portraits...

When new acquaintances ask me what I do, I simply say I photograph people. I don't see myself as any one thing or another because I shoot so many varied commissions, but they nearly always involve people in some way.

So imagine the hardship when lovely girls such as Melanie Helen at Cranberry Blue Weddings, or Mimi and Liesl at Zouch&Lamare ask if I could help out with some new site portraits.

Usually these sessions require a minimal lighting set-up and a quiet space. In Mel's case the amazing bar at The Rosewood, and in Z&L's case The Four Seasons, Mayfair. Hardly tough gigs to attend and always great to be involved.

In each case I've known the girls for a little while and the brief was simple; capture the person, make it look relaxed, go with it... I think in each case it's job done.

Zouch_Lamare.jpg

Lights, camera... couture!

It took a nanosecond to email back after Maria Yiannikaris at Mirror Mirror Bridal asked if I was available to come and shoot some catwalk couture material. Alongside some the biggest names in bridal fashion, Mirror Mirror was showing its latest collection and needed to document the evening for press and PR use. 

The event was a lavish affair in conjunction with Brides magazine. Combine a runway full of models and freedom to shoot whatever against the spectacular backdrop of the ballroom at The Mandarin Oriental in London's Knightsbridge - it was a pretty good gig for a weeknight!

It also shows that wedding photography isn't all about actually being at weddings. There are so many areas within the industry to explore photographically. From specialist supplier shoots through to portraiture of company bosses, it's a varied world offering rich detail and flamboyant personalities.

I have always loved working in an environment with strong lighting. There are endless opportunities to use the light in front and behind your subject to create something with great contrast and visual punch. Add to this the buzz of excitement in the room as the girls strutted their stuff and you have a dramatic canvass on which to paint with the camera.  

Here are just a few from the event. Click any thumbnail to enlarge or navigate with the arrows...

From the archive... #9

Wow. That was my first impression at the recce and then double wow come the wedding. Even more remarkable when you consider this is only the side chapel of Westminster Cathedral, not the main body of the church.

The lush nature of the lamp lighting gives this shot so much depth - with the ornate decoration and late ceremony time compounding the sense of atmosphere for Paul & Maria's gorgeous winter service. 

You would struggle to think this is just down the road from the everyday bustle of Victoria train station; it feels like you're firmly ensconsed in Rome.

It was also a bit of a spine-tingler for me because the Cathedral is an oft used location for feature films. This very same view can be seen during the opening minutes of Elizabeth, The Golden Age (trailer link), doubling for Lisbon Cathedral in the mid 1600's, filmed just a few weeks before my shoot. 

Amazing location, amazing view, lovely wedding... 

Kristen & Jatin, Wedding photography at The St Pancras Renaissance

This a great story... I'd been in Berlin for a few days and while checking-in for the flight home my iPhone pings. It's an email from a girl called Kristen who wants me to shoot her wedding, but she doesn't have a date or a venue. Different.

After a few chats and meetings together with Kristen's fiancé, Jatin, it all came together as a wonderful day at The Renaissance Hotel St Pancras. 

Terrific attention to detail, as always, from Georgina Bentley-Leek and her crew at the hotel ensured a flowing day full of great characters and fun. I'm so pleased to be an official supplier at the hotel, next shoot is Christmas week. Roll on December.

As usual, here is a snippet from the selection. Click any thumbnail to enlarge...