REAL Wedding Photography
Documentary Wedding Photographer
HERO SHOTS ... Smoke bombs, clever composite images, grand vistas - anything to grab attention in an otherwise overwhelming array of pictures and funny cat videos. I know attention spans are limited. We don't make the time to stop and take things in before the next thing competing for our attention. I'm guilty of it. Facebook, Instagram etc are designed to get us hooked and the way they do that is showing us images and stories that instantly grab our attention .... the WOW factor or Hero shot type stuff. But it is so far from what really floats my boat.
I just got this little comment on my most recent blog post, a wedding in Cambridge ...
Amazing photographer (and photographs) for an amazing day! The photos were EXACTLY what we wanted and I never stop looking at them. It was an intimate affair and that wholly rings true with your approach. Thank you again!
... and it reminded me of an email that Rhiannon sent me after she first got her photos that because of my own rushing about, I hadn't really stopped to reflect upon.
"they’re so poignant for me as that house is where I have lived my whole life and they’re just wonderful.
The photos you captured of my grandad are so special. I know how distraught he was that my grandmother couldn’t make it but if ever there is a lasting memory of my grandfather it is exactly as you captured; sat at the table, be it at their dining table or in our conservatory, just reading the paper. I can’t tell you how treasured that picture is to me.
The rest of the photos are just wonderful. It is so lovely to see the guests arrive as obviously I wasn’t there for that! The candid nature of everything is what I love about them - everyone is so happy and enjoying themselves.
I meant everything I said before, and don’t feel like I’ll ever say thank you enough - we just love them!"
So, here's a couple of, really simple but nonetheless, favourite images from the day. One of my own and one of Rhiannon's.
The first is her grandfather, just quietly reading his paper as the rest of the household busied around getting ready. This image was special to me too, because he reminded me so much of my own grandfather (not least the Welsh accent). When you book a wedding photographer, you're hiring their eye and each and everyone will have a different viewpoint on your day. This image was influenced by my own love for my grandpa and by what, I hoped, Rhiannon would want to see of her grandfather, as the years go by.
The next image is our bride composing herself before she leaves for church to meet her (soon-to-be) husband. She is helped into her dress by her sister in the living room of the home where they played make-believe as children. There's nothing particularly clever, nothing flashy to speak of here but it's capturing images like this that sings to me. I hope it sings to you too ... if it does, do drop a comment below or, feel free to check out more about my approach to wedding photography here.
If you're looking for unposed, documentary wedding photography in Norfolk or, like Rhiannon, a documentary wedding photographer in Cambridge, get in touch and tell me about your plans!