Wedding photographer Berkshire » Prewedding shoots

The prewed shoot

nealejames — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 07:35:23 +0000

I’ve never been keen on the term, wedding package. It makes me feel like I’m flogging a cheap holiday. It may be pure and simple semantics, but I prefer to use the word, service. Quite a few ingredients make up this service. The initial meeting, the wedding day itself with it’s mixture of documentary, food, landscape and portrait photography, the post wedding retouch and client consultation during album construct. There is one other constituent worth more than a fleeting mention; the prewedding shoot. For many adults of good hearty Brit descent, the idea of having a portrait taken is, well, uncomfortable. Yet superb wedding imagery is placed near the top of the ‘must have’ list for the very same people. For me, the opportunity to meet one final time before the big day itself is paramount. It accomplishes a myriad of organisational and creative facets. We get to know each other a little more. For sure maybe not to the ‘it’s your round next’ level, but well enough that on the day the reaction to me as I fulfill my professional task is more a case of; “Oh, it’s just Neale,” than a horrified; “Here comes the photographer.” We get to discuss the day in a lot more detail, timings, names of important wedding party members, group portrait planning, maybe even some politics to be aware of. Oh yes, and we actually take some pictures.

Portrait trends come and go. Our clients are content to forgo the spartan white background studio shoot. I do use the white backdrop very occasionally at weddings for the evening studio and as that kind of installation it works well. But to relax a couple into the concept that a portrait shoot will not make them feel like they’re floundering in a pool of maple syrup, a simple walk in the park is far more comfortable.

Dan and Elinor’s Notley Abbey wedding, the prewed shoot

nealejames — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 21:52:27 +0000

Just laying down some of the prewed shoot edits for forthcoming weddings this summer. Dan and Elinor are to get wed at a church near to Notley Abbey later on in August and here are some of my favourite shots from our prewed shoot at the Breathe studio. Dan, Elinor, can’t wait to be working with you on the big day!

These ‘props’ are used at the farm (Breathe’s home studio location) to keep grain in place. Thanks (Farmer Nigel) for leaving them in the yard. Don’t suppose you could leave them for a couple months more?

Notley Abbey prewedding shoot – Laura and Sean

nealejames — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 16:47:32 +0000

We’re about to enter the busiest August wedding season we’ve had at Breathe and frankly I can’t wait. I just know we’ll all emerge the other side richer for the wonderful things we witness and amazing people we meet. Talking of which, meet Laura, Sean and their amazing son Dylan. I look forward to a fabulous day at Notley!

Breathe Pictures photograph featured in The Times

nealejames — Sat, 18 Jul 2009 09:52:03 +0000

Nice surprise to hear from a client getting wed next week to say one of our prewed pictures has appeared in The Times Marriages and Engagements section. It’s page 91; a slightly cross processed image taken from Neil and Hannah’s prewed shoot about a month back. Newspaper print process is not always kind to this kind of colour treatment, so I thought I’d pop it online in all it’s originally intended glory, plus a couple of extras beneath. I’m off to Sir Charles Napier, a new venue today (for me anyway) in Chinnor; car’s packed, batteries are charged, the primes are, well, primed. (Photography quip-ish.)

Jay and Katy – prewedding shoot

nealejames — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 15:20:01 +0000

Jay and Katy

The farm right now (home of Breathe’s studio) feels fabulous. During the winter I rarely use the yard, grounds and fields around us – so it’s great when some kindly weather drops by. Much of my social photography calendar is and will be taken up this year by wedding photography and pre-wedding shoots. A couple of shots from Jay and Katy’s pre-wed shoot featuring some new colour work; textures and the sunburnt look of old Polaroid stock. Boundary pushing is very important in this business, and I’m really trying to edge away from what’s around me, so the post production work being carried out at ‘Chez Breathe’ is entering a new era of development. Hope you like them!