Category Archive: Wasing Park
Wasing Park wedding venue in Berkshire
You instinctively know when meeting brides and grooms how emotional the day is destined to be. Take two proper softies with a love story to match and I bring you photographs from Shahriar and Emma’s Wasing Park Estate wedding. Briefed to cover this wedding in a predominantly documentary wedding photography style, the result can be seen by clicking the link below. Wasing Park is blessed to be nestled within fabulous Berkshire countryside and I usually take 15 minutes out with the bride and groom to record some private portraits. I aim for this time to be relaxed and whereas inevitably I’ll be gently posing my clients, the light touch is imperative. I like portraits to remain timeless in posed terms and natural in terms of the reportage edged selection; walking and talking etc.
Wasing Church | Wedding 365#132
I was craving an alternative to the regular register signing image when this presented itself. It’s a real; “Look what just appeared on my finger,” type of shot. The subtle presence of a minister in the foreground and of course wedding gown and groom’s attire does breathe some context into the composition for sure, but what I enjoy most within this capture and the reason it’s in this year’s 365 selection is the overall texture and sheer depth of contrast.
BERKSHIRE WEDDING VENUE: Wasing Park
SHOOTING DATA: Canon 5DMk2, 24mm, F1.4, 1/250, ISO 640, overexposed by two thirds.
Wasing Park wedding venue | Wedding 365#121
‘Thinking outside the box’ may be an aging strategy term used liberally by wannabee Rodneys in Alan Sugar’s Apprentice line up, but it does retain a relevance in my photographic universe, though I’d retitle the cliche; ‘Stepping outside the box.’ I shoot eighty weddings a year, or at least this will be my fourth consecutive year shooting that amount. I’ve reached what I believe is the peak I can comfortably handle. It’s a fair while ago, but when I was learning to drive in the 80s, my instructor talked of the ability to be able to do something with unconscious competence. This sermon usually followed half an hour of crunching gear changes and awkward hill stalls. But, it’s a phrase I borrow to this day and apply to a myriad of skills. Returning to the figure of weddings I shoot each year, I think it’s fair to say that I’ve reached both technically and mentally, a point where I instinctively seem to know what will happen next. This image is a case in point. I was reasonably sure that the groom was likely to be emotionally overcome; you just know that of some people. As Emma, the bride entered the room, her husband to be reached immediately for his pocket handkerchief. His best man moved in to comfort and I briskly stepped two to the left to shoot through the gap the boys left. That way I have procession, the intimation of emotion, and a far more interesting composition than centering solely on one party or the other. Stepping outside the familiar box or area we frequent as experienced wedding photojournalists allows us to compose and capture a familiar scene, differently.
BERKSHIRE WEDDING VENUE: Wasing Park
SHOOTING DATA: Canon 5DMk3, 46mm from a 24-70mm lens, F2.8, 1/100, ISO 320, overexposed by a third of a stop.
Wasing Park wedding venue | James and Sarah
This will be a two part post eventually, as James and Sarah opted for my sound recording service, where the vows, speeches and atmos of the day is captured, to be shaped into a stills film later; difficult to describe, far easier to witness first hand, so keep an eye out within the sound and pictures link under the galleries tab for that. Around three or four years ago a Sky installer came to visit, and this weekend at Wasing Park, I watched him marry Sarah. It’s a small World, and it’s been a pleasure watching his personal story unfold as a wedding. A couple of images to look out for when you click the ‘more’ link below. The actual register signing is an image that I so wish more clergy and registrars would note and allow. Often, not always, this style of image is refused, due to a plethora of reasons; you may nudge the signer, your presence could force them to make a mistake, you could be photographing private data. If photographed subtly and with presence of mind when it comes to legal documentation, this moment is a real golden photographic opportunity. The grip and grin picture of couples signing a register is indeed a keeper for the mantelpiece, but compared to the release of emotions and expression the real moment can bring, it comes in second place in reportage terms. It’s so much more potent as a documentary image, than a staged creation. The photograph of ‘Grandma’ laughing with such gusto; she’s just realised that the magician has swiped the watch from her wrist in a slight of hand moment.
Posted in Berks wedding photographer, Berks wedding venues, Berkshire wedding photographer, Berkshire wedding venues, Reportage wedding photographer, Reportage wedding photography, Wasing Park, Wedding Photographer, Wedding photojournalist
Tagged 365 wedding project, Berkshire wedding photographer, Documentary wedding photographer, Reading wedding photographer
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Wasing Park wedding | Wedding 365#91
Decisive moment. It’s a phrase coined by the French ‘father of modern photojournalism,’ Henri Cartier Bresson. According to Bresson, there is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a photograph. If you miss it, it’s gone forever. Wedding photography is alive with such decisive moments and I’ll retain a plentiful serving spoonful of humility when I reference one of my documentary photographs alongside a mention of one of the, if not the greatest photographer and communicator in photographic history. But this image in it’s own way does underline how important it is to judge a situation and take a decision at the right moment to depress the shutter. In essence it’s merely a ‘groom thanks groomsman’ moment, but photographically it’s captured a little more than a simple benign handshake. Mum to the groom’s right enjoys a little light banter, though from her expression I am lead to believe the banter’s a little sharp. The groomsman leaning in echos her expression with his own humour. The movement in this image is underlined by the geometry of the composition. If I were to critique this, I would mark myself down on the fact the bride is obscured by the handshake; oh that I could have thought to have dropped down to my knees to capture this scene. Still, Bresson lived to be 96. I am less than half his grand age reached. I’ll keep heeding his valuable words.
BERKSHIRE WEDDING VENUE: Wasing Park, near Reading
SHOOTING DATA: Canon 5D Mk2, 50mm lens, F1.2, 1/250, ISO 2500, overexposed by a third.
Posted in Berks wedding photographer, Berks wedding venues, Berkshire wedding photographer, Berkshire wedding venues, Wasing Park, Wedding 365, Wedding Photographer
Tagged 365 wedding project, Documentary wedding photographer, Henri Cartier Bresson, Wedding photojournalism, Wedding photojournalist, Wedding photojournalist Berkshire
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To pose or not to pose | Wedding 365#72
ETHOS: This blog post balances the reaction from the previous. It came to mind the moment I posted #71. I subscribe fully to reportage wedding photography possessing humour. If every photograph featured subjects blissfully oblivious to their photographic inclusion within the day, I believe this sense of humour would be lost. Guests are individuals. Humour is a part of that individuality and this, well, if I’d attempted a portrait sitting with this member of the bridal party, I probably wouldn’t have recorded such candidness. I maintain that people skills and laughing at oneself is an important part of being a wedding photographer. Letting characters be characters will yield a true reflection of the guest list.
VENUE: Wasing Park
WEDDING 365 PROJECT – 365 days, 365 wedding images.
SHOOTING DATA: 5DMk2, 24mm, F1.4, 1/1000, ISO 500, under by a stop and a third.
Posted in Berks wedding photographer, Berks wedding venues, Berkshire wedding photographer, Berkshire wedding venues, Wasing Park, Wedding 365, Wedding Photographer, Wedding photojournalist
Tagged 365 wedding project, Berkshire wedding photographer, Documentary wedding photographer, Wedding photographer Berkshire, Wedding photographer Reading
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Wasing Park | Wedding 365#69
ETHOS: As a wedding venue, Wasing Park is blessed on site with the most idyllic church; St Nicholas, a stone’s throw from the first glass of post service bubbly. With seating for eighty people, I’ve never photographed a wedding within this church that feels cold or empty, it’s certainly not cavernous. Belted out with gusto, Jerusalem really can ‘lift the roof’ in this church. Consequently many of the photographs I capture at St. Nicholas have a very tight feel, shot through the gaps between guests. Ideally I’d like the pictures to represent the cosy feel provided by this church.
VENUE: Wasing Park
WEDDING 365 PROJECT – 365 days, 365 wedding images.
SHOOTING DATA: 5DMk2, 135mm, F2.8, 1/1000, ISO 160, under by a third.
Posted in Berks wedding photographer, Berks wedding venues, Berkshire wedding photographer, Berkshire wedding venues, Reportage wedding photographer, Reportage wedding photography, Wasing Park, Wedding 365, Wedding Photographer
Tagged 365 wedding project, Berkshire wedding photographer, Documentary wedding photographer, Documentary wedding photography, Reading wedding photographer
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Wasing Park wedding photography | Wedding 365#63
WEDDING 365 PROJECT – 365 days, 365 wedding images.
SHOOTING DATA: 5DMk2, 50mm, F1.2, 1/100, ISO 2500, over by a stop.
VENUE: Wasing Park
ETHOS: I could try to grab the results of this shot a dozen times, maybe more, and still not capture it quite like this. If life is a little fated at some times, so too is wedding photography. But there is an interesting factor. The more images I capture as a dedicated wedding photographer, the more this so called fated photograph happens. Take this. At face value it’s what I term an interlude image. These are the moments between end of meal and speeches. It’s not always the most content rich period of a wedding as many guests are simply relaxing glass of wine in hand at a table, but it does provide a little light relief prior to the tradition of speeches. It’s a kind of play time for some and this is one such reflective photograph. It’s a playful image with a ‘back of the net’ moment. The fact the bubbles form a set of reading glasses to frame my main focal subject, well that, is fated.
Wasing wedding photograph | Wedding 365#62
WEDDING 365 PROJECT – 365 days, 365 wedding images.
SHOOTING DATA: Nikon digital, un-recorded lens, F4, 1/100, ISO 640
VENUE: Wasing Park
ETHOS: July 13th 2008, Wasing Park near Aldermaston in Berkshire. This Sunday, March 4th sees Wasing Park’s wedding open day. Since opening, I have shot in excess of 60 weddings at this venue so I know it reasonably well. The photograph above marked a change in camera equipment (the year I began trading Nikon for Canon) and the start of my shift in style. At the time of shooting I was driven by large statement style portraits. Keen to capture a portrait not immediately available to other venue photographers, I stole the bride away for a few moments following the wedding breakfast to photograph the shot featured, next to a tractor belonging to a ‘guardian’ of the estate. I was looking for subtle unusual, I think I found it. Available light was fading fast, so we had but minutes to compose, pose, shoot and be happy! Would I elect to shoot that portrait now? Maybe, maybe not. Undoubtedly my work has taken a turn for the documentary. I’m not demanding of the bride and groom; I want them to enjoy their party. However, even though four years on in 2012 my work favours a far more journalistic approach, I still make time for portraits, since on this never to be repeated, once in a lifetime, family heirloom occasion, I am being hired to record the the day, dress code and tone. For me, within the understanding of my interpretation, this is the documentary of a wedding day. Portraits are a part of the day and this one remains one of my Wasing favourites.
Posted in Berks wedding photographer, Berks wedding venues, Berkshire wedding photographer, Berkshire wedding venues, Wasing Park, Wedding 365, Wedding Photographer, Wedding photojournalist
Tagged 365 wedding project, Wasing Park, Wedding photographer Berkshire, Wedding photographer Reading
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First dance in Wasing’s Castle Barn | Wedding 365#52
WEDDING 365 PROJECT – 365 days, 365 images. My ethos behind the way I shoot.
SHOOTING DATA: 5DMk2, 24mm, F1.4, 1/120, ISO 2000, underexposed by a third.
VENUE: Wasing Park
ETHOS: I’m aware that I’ve been posting from the same venue this week. That’s really due to the updated photographic journal I’ve been preparing for Wasing Park’s open day on March 4th. As you can imagine, I have a fair collection of first dance photographs. I’m choosing one of the more raw accounts for this 365 posting, both technically and emotionally. In this photograph I’m working with only the available light, so the stage flood being used by the band in shot is providing the illumination. Then, bang! In comes a blast of strobe light from someone else’s flash and the result is clear to see. The bride leans back, the groom leans forward, equally massive flash of a contented smile meets tender kiss. The flare from all this additional light bouncing around over exposes parts of the image uncontrollably, but the emotional context of everything washes away any technical imperfections this photograph has.
Wasing Park ceremony barn | Wedding 365#51
WEDDING 365 PROJECT – 365 days, 365 images. My ethos behind the way I shoot.
SHOOTING DATA: 5DMk2, 85mm, F2.5, 1/100, ISO 800
VENUE: Wasing Park
ETHOS: I lament the passing of my 85mm F1.2 lens. Perhaps the slowest focusing lens known to man. I missed so may shots waiting for it to wander aimlessly into focus. BUT. It was a beautiful piece of glass, had a fabulous bokeh, and was the perfect focal length lens for documentary work. Oh why did I sell it? This one remains a true Wasing Park wedding photograph favourite. It’s flattering on a personal level as there is a real level of acceptance from those being photographed. It’s equally fabulous for it’s story telling. The groom’s mother and father are in their own moments. The best man seems oblivious to the outpouring emotion.
Posted in Berks wedding photographer, Berks wedding venues, Berkshire wedding photographer, Berkshire wedding venues, Wasing Park, Wedding 365, Wedding Photographer, Wedding photojournalist
Tagged 365 wedding project, Available light wedding photographer, Berkshire wedding photographer, Civil ceremony, Documentary wedding photographer, Wasing Park
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Wasing wedding | Wedding 365#50
WEDDING 365 PROJECT – 365 days, 365 images. My ethos behind the way I shoot.
SHOOTING DATA: 5DMk2, 200mm from the 70-200mm lens, F2.8, 1/8000, ISO 1600
VENUE: Wasing Park
ETHOS: I’d been shooting in a great deal of shade capturing an entirely different scene, when from behind me there came a howl of laughter. I shot two frames before everything returned to ‘normal.’ Most of the time these days I like to get close in with shorter focal length lenses. This does show that telephotos and zooms also have their place. I’m not sure the expression would have shown in this shot had I not been at the limit of the zoom. It’s also interesting to note from the shooting data how well the exposure held out considering the available light that suddenly became prevalent, the nature of the aperture setting and automated shutter speed. I shoot mainly AV, so I gave the camera settings a task to deal with. You can’t please everyone all of the time, and one of the bridesmaids complained that this didn’t flatter her. I like to think as a viewer you’re left thinking albeit briefly about what they may be discussing. That for me was the reason for inclusion.
Wasing Park wedding photographer | Mike and Sally
I was asked on Monday to submit my thoughts for a magazine article being compiled about photographing weddings in trickier climatic conditions. My thoughts on this were immediately blogged this week here. I find myself ironically able to update those words as today’s Wasing Park wedding between Mike and Sally featured a drop or three along the way. If our latitude and longitude were say 36° 10′ 30″ N / 115° 8′ 11″ W, then wet weather would be less of a problem. In that we’re 51° 26′ 0″ N / 1° 0′ 0″ W, then rain is most certainly a consideration. I often get asked by prospective clients; “But what if it rains?” My answer is based on how many portraits within the landscape of their venue a client requires or desires if such conditions occur, but more often than not my answer simply reflects a reality that we’ll just photograph inside a little more. Talking of reality, being outside is actually a small portion of the day. Generally speaking, you get ready in a room, married in another kind of room, enjoy a wedding breakfast in a room with tables and dance, well, in a room. The wet stuff certainly doesn’t wreak quite as much havoc as couples may fear. Let’s add a third reality; it doesn’t generally rain forever. If I were somewhat more of a formal photographer or one for capturing rather more contrived big production portraits, of course this would perhaps be trickier. Iin documentary terms, a break in the weather provides time to capture some outdoor shots easily. It does of course help if your venue is a good one for ‘weather,’ meaning the plethora of varieties we can receive in one day. Wasing is certainly that, boasting a ‘glass walled’ ceremony and drinks reception room and separate barn for the wedding breakfast itself. A church is but a mere minute or two’s walk from the front door, so this all amounts neatly to present a solution to unkind clouds. There is a mistaken belief that rain will somehow put paid to the festival of enjoyment that is, a wedding. Wrong. Wrong and wrong. We had a fair amount of rain to contend with today, but I hope you’ll agree the images within this post show the story of a day that was magical despite.
Posted in Berks wedding photographer, Berks wedding venues, Berkshire wedding photographer, Berkshire wedding venues, Wasing Park, Wedding in the rain, Wedding Photographer
Tagged Documentary wedding photographer, Photographing weddings in rain, Wasing Park, Wedding photographer, Wedding photographer Berkshire, Wedding photographer Reading, Weddings in the rain
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Wedding photojournalism | Wedding 365#41
WEDDING 365 PROJECT – Daily choice of a documentary wedding photograph selected from my catalogue, collated from time spent documenting these unique events. This one from Wasing Park, Aldermaston.
SHOOTING DATA: 5DMk2, 135mm, F2, 1/160, ISO 2000, over by a third.
ETHOS: Just want to quickly outline a couple of thoughts about these shooting notes that accompany the 365 images daily. My musings, my approach, my thinking is all very personal and subjective, from a tog who shoots weddings week in week out as his main line of creative expression. No way is my way the right way, it’s just a different way. I’ve chatted on email to a couple of togs who with thanks are following this ‘forum of photographs’ now, and have exceptionally different styles. I’m maturing with the genre of documentary wedding photography that I favour and I do appreciate alternative styles for sure, but the over contrived stuff doesn’t float my photographic boat. Having said that, couple of posts back, the bride and groom in front of the stream shot, well that’s hardly PJ, so yep, I do think there are moments worth setting up, to get the day’s sig shot portrait. So, edging carefully into this one, I’ve chosen today’s image for the fact it doesn’t take itself seriously at all, and is unabridged silliness. I could start a collection of those that take pics of themselves, an exhibition perhaps of, well, exhibitionists. Now there’s a thought.
Wasing Park wedding photographer | Wedding 365#40
WEDDING 365 PROJECT – Today’s image taken from my wedding photography catalogue with creative and technical musings.
SHOOTING DATA: 5DMk2, 50mm lens, F1.2, 1/250, ISO 500
VENUE: Wasing Park, Berkshire
ETHOS: This remains one of my favourite documentary wedding images from Wasing Park and almost didn’t get captured as only a second after this was taken, someone instructed the boy to; “Smile for the man!?!” Photographers will recognise that ‘order’ to be the most destructive counter creative directive possible when trying to calmly go about one’s reportage task, appreciating at the same time of course that people are genuinely only trying to help. This says wedding without screaming dipped or leaping brides. The cross of the church, guest preparations behind the subject, a lad displaying what I’m sure my own son would be thinking; “Do we really need to go through this to get to the jelly and ice cream.” A real moment.
Posted in Berks wedding photographer, Berks wedding venues, Berkshire wedding photographer, Berkshire wedding venues, Wasing Park, Wedding 365, Wedding Photographer, Wedding photojournalist
Tagged 365 wedding project, Documentary wedding photographer, Wedding photographer Aldermaston, Wedding photographer Cotswolds, Wedding photographer Reading
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