Notley Abbey wedding photography
Monday, October 19th, 2009What is the collective noun for a series of post wedding edits that have nestled in our creative minds and Photoshop server files at Breathe Pictures HQ? An ‘excitement?’ A ‘romance?’ I’ve spent much of my summer shooting incredible wedding days and evenings. Following that, ‘our Natalie,’ resident retoucher and self proclaimed ‘Trustee Sidekick’ at the Thatcham showroom has spent her time revisiting each special day in post edit mode. So it’s with a huge serving of pride and gratitude that I post the following shots from Dan and Elinor’s amazing Notley Abbey wedding. Teamwork!
Can someone tell me where 2009 went?
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009I have soaked this year up like a sponge, it’s been one of the best! Thank you thank you thank you to all our fabulous wedding clients – it’s been the busiest most artistically rewarding one yet and I’m thrilled that you chose me to photograph your special days. Before this starts to sound like a New Year’s testimonial to a previous twelve months of business though, I just wanted to create an ‘ickle’ wrap to the summer so that I can start blogging again. So, a couple of images from some recent nuptials then onwards and upwards into the dark evenings as winter descends and I really start to push the prime lenses to their limits.
Okay okay, so four images from near enough 10,000 presented to clients over the last two months!!! It’s been a fabulously busy period, watch this space for more.
Prime lens shooting at weddings
Monday, July 20th, 2009I’m pleased as punch with my decision a little while back to shoot much of my wedding photography material through big fat pieces of glass minus a zoom. A fast prime lens has become a bit of a signature look of late for Breathe Pictures and it genuinely excites me to see how far I can push low available light photography. In fact the pictures below were taken at yesterday’s wedding (congratulations Jon and Sam) on a day and night where I probably only attached a zoom for ten minutes. I’m moved to mention one phone call I received this week from a prospective wedding photography client who said and I quote; “I’m just phoning around to see how cheap I can get a photographer, because you all do the same thing.” Now it’s all too easy to get a little protective about our own industry and I must admit my first response nearly ran along the lines of; “Are you actually looking at the pictures on the website, or just the price section?” However, I steadied myself, reigned back premature indignance and started to try and explain the meaning of shooting through fast lenses and what a difference it makes to photographic technique. I did get an early feeling that I may as well be teaching someone how to boil an egg in fluent Martian but I persisted, and we settled for the loose understanding of the fact it makes everything look fuzzier in the background and sharp in the foreground. “And F1.2 makes things look fuzzier than the end of a thumpingly good New Year’s Eve do,” I explained. Yes, we will be doing her wedding, thank you Belle! Course some people will ask; “Why don’t you just do it all in Photoshop?” I like to think that it’s because photography is still a creative experience, it’s a here and now thing. Use the kit that enables you to feel the emotion that’s playing out in front of you. Oh, and depending upon the lens, you get a mighty fine lens bokeh. Here we go again… anyone for a Martian omelette?
Donnington Grove wedding photography – Andrew and Katy
Tuesday, June 24th, 2008
It’s candid moments that make my industry so exciting. It’s hard to tell reviewed on a two inch screen how you’ve captured a scenario until the day’s work is downloaded later on the same evening. Purists may argue that a download doesn’t carry quite the same excitement as seeing an image chemically appear before your eyes under red lights in a darkroom, but for me, that download lays bare as many truths about the day’s photography as a good few hours swathed in toxic fumes. Congrats to Katy Locke and Andrew Williams, wed at St. Mary’s in Aldermaston – a venue that holds dear for the simple reason it was my own wedding venue. It’s a dark church, smallish windows, lots of tree shade and the normal rules apply; no flash during the ceremony; low key, discreet. But the rewards are high when a bride and groom exchange time with no attention paid to the lens poking out from a pew three or four metres away. The reception venue was Donnington Grove Hotel.
