I don’t have a problem per sae with supermarket brand spirits, but you simply can’t compare bland label brandy with something like, say Martell. For sure I’m no connoisseur, but I know the taste of the real thing. As much I know the feeling of a wedding where there is so much more being exchanged than words repeated from a registrar’s ceremonial running order.
There are times, particularly during speeches, where it would be true to say I hold the camera’s viewing piece to my eye just a little longer than is entirely necessary following the culmination of an address. “Oh me? No, I’m not weeping, no, not me, it’s merely, ummm, dust, yes dust.” Perhaps it’s the drawn intimacy through viewing these private and precious moments through a small eye piece, I’m not entirely sure, but I would certainly say that more often than not, something envelops me during times like the speeches that serves as a pretty potent reminder of why I choose to photograph weddings as a specialist genre.
Today’s wedding at Notley Abbey, was no exception. There was an air of sentimentality when I arrived to photograph bridal preparations. The mood was contemplative yet flirted with excitability. My advice to brides and grooms is to let the day run, trust the professionals around you, and don’t let rain stop play. Embrace the opportunity to let go. You’ve done months, perhaps years of planning, now is the time to breathe in the day whilst those around you complete spreadsheet tasks. This is a wedding, your wedding!
Congratulations James and Victoria upon your wedding and my thanks for inviting me to be a part of your day.
Today was a ‘same day edit’ occasion. Fot me that’s not every image, that would be impossible; it’s a selection of photographs that may then be shown on a screen during the evening reception. Logistically it takes me the time of the wedding breakfast to sort, edit and ready the pictures for display.
If I were to create a mood board of shots I hoped would feature in a wedding, this kind of scene would feature pretty much at the top of that wish list. The rain fell outside, and the resultant light equally fell to provide me with an opportunity to gently capture this scene.
Notley Abbey at 2.50pm this afternoon.
There is no doubt in my mind that you retrieve from life’s experiences what you invest. If you’re of a sunnier disposition, generally speaking, you shall surround yourself quite naturally with friends who share that feeling.
I’ve been experimenting of late with warm toned pictures inspired by some of the greats of street and even conflict photography. There’s a definite character to the tonality of a slightly warmer toned photograph.
Today’s musical interludes during the speeches. A piece from Rachmaninoff, the piece that was played by Victoria at a concert when James purports to have first realised his true affections. And then, James brings the house down by singing Your Song, the tune where Victoria returned the compliment. James and Victoria are both accomplished musicians.
It’s midnight as I close, and I imagine right now guests are bidding their farewells to James and Victoria. I’m at the end of a large glass of cognac. I can retire to bed warmed by the real thing, in terms of cognac yes, but more over in terms of the day I have just witnessed.
