Wintry, Watery, Wonderful, Wet Wedding!

2012 has had appalling weather - it's been all over the news as many homes and businesses have been flooded.  December 14th was another very wet day, but it wasn't a washout!  Bad weather changes the way a photographer thinks about photography and places certain creative challenges at the feet of the man with the camera!  By definition, outdoor shooting is limited, but weddings are really about stories - two people in love committing their future to each other, supported by the people they love!

In winter, the poor light means high ISO settings as, at times, the camera works in near darkness, which in turn means grainy pictures - but I love the quality of the grainy images as they add a certain romance.  The trick is telling the story and not letting any technological limitations get in the way!  My preferred flavour of photography is natural light, rather than flash or strobes, as this allows the people you are photographing to relax as the photgrapher blends into the background and becomes unobtrusive.  Below is a case in point: Danielle is moved to tears by the speech her Mum gave, and I'm convinced that if I had been clicking away with flash the moment would have been ruined!

White balance is another tough one to get right in these circumstances - the yellow cast inherent from tungsten lighting mean that time spent correcting in Photoshop is well worth it!

Black & White photography is making a huge comeback for weddings and I always like to give clients both the colour and mono versions of the images.  My favourites from the day are below: the first shows the Groom's Mum, Dad and Brother (Best Man) during the moment that the vows are exchanged.  Dad, in the centre, clearly feeling incredibly proud of his son, and the Best Man enjoying the moment, contrasting with the emotion that Mum is clearly feeling.  The second image shows Danielle's reaction to her first kiss as a married woman - bliss!

Finally, and I make no apologies for this, my favourite posed image from the day.  Danielle was a flower girl at my own wedding 21 years ago, and I thought a 'then and now' may be fun!  (1st image Copyright Geoffrey Shryhane)