Posts
Pictured above with her father Gerry, here is the lovely Laura. Sadly at some of the weddings we have attended, the bride's dad didn't make it. My mum was given away by her Uncle because of her own father's severe Parkinson's disease and his fear that he wouldn't be able to walk her down the aisle. My own dad was absent from both of my own weddings having passed just five weeks before I married Chris in 1987. In the space of about 5 years I'd lost my grandfather, my dad and my first wife, so eulogies and other speeches are usually quite poignant for me. With just 5 wedding shoots to go to our 400th I have heard a significant number of speeches from a variety of bride's fathers, but Gerry's has to rate amongst the top ten of all time orations. Not only did he deliver it without a script, but it was from the heart.
This bunch above were partly responsible for our attendance at the wedding as I've been photographing four of them since the mid 1980's. Danny & Keri (far left) were married in August last year (see previous blog post).
I've been planning to do this shot (above) for ages, but was waiting to replace my monopod before I did it with real people. the one I'd ordered hadn't arrived by 30th (so many bank holidays had delayed all of our deliveries) so I used what I had to hand. The idea was to use a wide enough lens to capture everyone at the round table and get everyone's face in view.
Table shots rarely end up getting purchased for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is common to share a table with people you've never met before and as nice as they might be, you don't actually want a framed shot of them on your mantelpiece. The second reason that table shots are unpopular choices is that if those closest to you turn around to face the camera, they are huge compared to those who remain at the other side of the table so it's not a particularly aesthetic shot.
When I work with Marta Demartini from HM Digiart Weddings she has a great way of getting everyone round one side of the table and her resultant shots look like everyone actually likes one another. This can work really well when you have a rapport with everyone on the table, but can be problematic when the venue is really cramped or where guests have impaired mobility and getting round the table becomes a painful task - resulting in painful expressions on their faces.
In all the years we've been shooting, table photos are routinely requested but rarely used in the album or purchased separately.
So - holding up my ageing Manfrotto tripod which weighs a tonne, with the 1DS (full frame) digital SLR and a 15-30mm Sigma lens attached on manual focus using a cable release, I attempted to get a shot where everyone at the round tables was equidistant from the lens. I think the greatest success of the day was in not inducing a hernia as I lifted the 14kg rig at arms length above the heads of the guests. Problem 1 was that I needed Nedine to fire the trigger as my hands were somewhat full. Problem 2 was that even at 15mm setting on the lens, the table was too wide to get everyone in. Problem 3 was that I needed Nedine to tell me to go forwards, backwards right and left as it wasn't easy to place the lens correctly given my posture. Problem 4 my antics were far too entertaining for the guests so instead of looking up at the lens as directed, they'd be laughing about the bloke having a seizure balancing the heavy kit above the table or chatting about the bride's father's speech.
Back to the drawing board methinks, but I haven't given up yet. Any tips would be gratefully received, but as I don't see anyone else doing these "aerial" shots I think it could be a non starter. The shot above was the best of ten attempts at this wedding.
So here they are newly married and coming back down the aisle. Mark and Laura spent most of the day smiling and laughing without a single prompt.
My second shooter was Nedine O'Brien from Fera Photography above. Nedine covered Danny and Keri's wedding with me last August and as Keri is Laura's cousin, we already knew many of the guests. Not only was it great for us to have familiar faces to shoot, it also reduced some of the potential for distress by people who might worry that we'll post images they don't like of them on the internet or mess up their big day. TPS Photos has a motto of "Nothing without consent" that generally diminishes any of the concerns that clients may have in this area, but word of mouth recommendation also tends to put minds at rest.
Keri with her brother Liam (left) at the Church of the Most Sacred Heart in Ruislip.
This is one of my favourite shots of the day above - taken by Nedine just after Laura had put her veil on.
Laura, not content with organising most of her own wedding, managed to study for and gain her Masters Degree at the same time in 2010 (a point highlighted in her father's speech). Part of that arrangement was this fantastic classical duo from The Guildhall School of Music. Martin Wray on violin (also a master of the viola) provided the pre-dinner vibe with a cellist whose name I didn't get (please get in touch and we'll rectify that).
Laura's five bridesmaids consisted of her two sisters (Emily far left and Julie Anne far right) and Clare, Clara and Fran. Lovely, lovely, lovely, lovely and lovely are words that immediately spring to mind.
So after our fourth April wedding we have a brief hiatus. August this year is already fully booked, but there are still gaps for the rest of 2011 which will be filled with teaching A level photography students, our annual training day in Roundwood Park on 15th May and catching up on all the wedding album design, family portraiture and the host of other events and activities that keep us all busy.
