Things I’ve seen…

A Kiss

There is something about the formality of a first dance which can sometimes make it less interesting compared to what can be found later in the day. And when I say less interesting, I mean in a way that people can sometimes feel more aware and be less themselves, in a small way. Which is why it always surprises me when couples call me asking for coverage “up to the first dance”. Is there some great significance I am missing? Because I’ve been to a lot of different weddings and reading the atmosphere and the people is always far more significant than an event plotted at an absolute time. And no later! So this image happened much later into the evening, when Jen & Gyula are more free to go and dance and enjoy themselves in their own time. They’re surrounded by friends, family, and that atmosphere which we all love. It’s the timing, the tiny gesture of the hands, and knowing that it’s a real, unscripted happening in their lives which makes it special.

A Cup Of

One of the great things about spending some (or even all) of your wedding day at your own home, or perhaps your family home, is that I get to see these strong personal elements throughout. I’ll see things that just aren’t possible if you’re at a more typical wedding venue, and often they’ll end up being the most valuable images. Part of the key is that I’m really photographing for 20 years time, which I admit can be a difficult concept to grasp in a semi-disposable generation. There is something so familiar about this image, yet you wouldn’t immediately call it a ‘wedding photo’. It’s blessed with details and tiny-gestures, the sort that bring back memories in only a way a photograph could ever do.

Peanuts

Something I admire is when people aren’t afraid to do what they want and be who they are. Sometimes people don’t want the formalities of a traditional wedding day, but know they want to create a celebration with the people they care about. To get everyone together for a good time! I think it’s key: to know the sort of feeling and atmosphere you want, and then the photos will follow suit. The other way around, photos before life itself, is very inorganic. When these less formal events are made, I can see the little things that change. The son who runs across to the pub to buy some snacks, when he should probably be greeting guests for the ceremony, and enthusiastically stuffs them into his mouth. It’s only one image, but as any one image can do, it reveals so much.

Quiet Thoughts

I always admire the personal touches that people put into their wedding day. Sometimes it can just be an idea, an atmosphere, maybe a location, but whenever a sort of personal meaning is conveyed I think it can add something special to it all. For instance, Kris’s own brother conducted the ceremony, which is a bit of a rarity in the UK, but what a beautiful personal touch! What I love about this image is it shows part of a personal touch, but also conveys part of it’s meaning. And in the morning, people can sometimes get lost in the crowd of ‘standard-pose’ wedding photos – and I know you’ve seen a million eyelash images, so we just don’t need to go there. Here Kris is writing her vows down for the ceremony. You can see she’s focused, and using a quiet moment on her own to think about them. This image takes us back to that meaning and the thoughts in the vows them-self, which is what makes for a highly personal image.

The Unfortunate Welly Incident

There is an undeniable honesty about this image which we can’t but love. Part of why I find it amusing is how often I hear other people tell me “we hardly saw the couple” at other weddings, or something to that effect. Meaning they’ve likely been jumping up and down, chasing balloons, or what not, for an hour or two. Which of course some people will like, but at the same time, it’s a quite impersonal to just do the same things over and over again. And then there is the time spent away from the actual event… so it doesn’t appeal to everyone. In this image, we had stepped out for literally 10 minutes (why would they want to be away for any longer?) to catch the last sun, and Kate & Peter returned up to the manor house entrance. I don’t have to describe how or why Kate’s wellies are stuck on her feet, but this is a very real moment of Peter trying to ‘free’ her! With the cookie-cutter antics other couples repeat, like jumping in the air, or holding balloons, which I just find to be the most impersonal… this image just feels so real and bold. Perhaps this image is the reality of marriage!