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Congratulations Mr and Mrs Berry
By nealejames | February 3, 2007
We’ve just returned from Mike and Annabel Berry’s wedding reception venue, Great Fosters, a Grade One listed building, now hotel, near Windsor. It was first opened as an hotel in 1930 and, I quote from their website now; has played host to royalty, film stars, emperors and literary icons. There’s no doubt it’s an extremely romantic venue with plenty of photographic opportunities. The entrance hall is wood panelled, dark and brilliantly moody. And so, we set up some shots on a stairwell. Instead of bouncing flash into the scene and ruining the feel of the photograph, I selected a high ISO; 800. I use Nikon bodies, and 800 is as far as I can comfortably push it, before unwelcome digital noise starts to intervene. F2.8 and a low shutter speed, and I was able to use two bare lightbulbs to light our bride and groom. The groom was standing near a window and initially he was slightly overexposed by this unbalanced light. Fortunately there were curtains to draw. It was only after we’d completed the shot, that Mike (groom), presented me with a small picture frame. Inset the words; “Hands off our curtains. These were hung by Jane Austen’s brother, a previous owner of the house in 1785.” It reminds me to remind photographers reading this blog, that even in the heat of a moment, where you can see clearly an idea and execution, to respect your surroundings. The result though, thanks to one of the most historic pair of curtains in England, is the above shot.
Topics: Blog journal, Photography tips and techniques, Wedding general |