My Approach to Wedding Photography
I’ve thought long and hard about how best to describe my approach to wedding photography. So here goes (I’ll just put in a disclaimer here, I may ramble). At the heart of my work is a deep seated belief that wedding photography should be unposed, natural and relaxed. My job is to capture the day, not to dictate where you should be, what you should be doing or how you should behave in front of the camera.
That just is not me and I hope it isn’t you either. The pictures that you get from a posed approach will always look staged and to my eye unnatural. In fact it’s the opposite to what I set out to achieve and the opposite of what the couples who commission me to photograph their wedding want. I’ve heard enough stories of photographers who seemingly took over the running of a wedding to know that approach is really not for me. My approach is always the same, whether I am photographing full day weddings, intimate weddings or photographing elopements in Cornwall.
Before the wedding day.
To shoot natural wedding photography, it really helps to understand who you are and how you got to this point in your lives. This is why I always offer a free ore wedding Zoom before booking (it’s a great way for us to meet and for you to ask any questions that you may have). This is followed by another meet up about 2 months before the wedding day. This is when we can go through your wedding day in more detail. I’m always happy for you to contact with any questions that you may have, including recommendations for other wedding suppliers.
Photographing the wedding day.
On the wedding day my aim is to fit in with both you and your guests. I’ve never believed that wedding photographers should be hiding in bushes with a long lens. You need to be amongst everything that is happening but at the same time must not detract from the day. The best bit of advice that I ever had was ‘to be cat like’. On a full wedding day, I am usually with the wedding party from prep in the morning through to after the first dance in the evening. It’s really important that I blend into the day. Throughout the wedding day I shoot with a documentary reportage approach.
Bride and Groom photos - unposed wedding photography
So a documentary approach sounds great for the wedding day, but what about the bride and groom photos? For me it’s the same approach. Firstly, I don’t believe in taking the bride and groom away for hours from the wedding party. No wedding day is ever long enough and it is important that I work quickly. Secondly, I still don’t use posing. This point in the day is often the first time that you get to actually be on your own after the ceremony (I know I’m there, but I don’t count). There is in an intimacy which does not require me to force you into poses or to take you out of your comfort zone. I may suggest moving you to make use of the best of the natural light (I tend to think of this more as direction then posing). But trust me, you look will great, I just photograph what unfolds as we go for a walk. If you are really worried about being in front of the camera then it may be worth having a pre wedding shoot. This gives you a really good opportunity spend time getting used to being in front of the camera (and to get another really nice portfolio of images).
Oh and a few other things.............
Flash. I don’t use flash until absolutely essential. For most weddings this is not until the first dance (sometimes in the winter I need it for indoor shots a bit sooner). Ambient light is always better and far less intrusive.
I’ve probably garbled on for long enough. So here are some of the testimonials and kind words from brides and grooms who I have worked over the years to see if they can summarise the way that I work a better.
If my approach to wedding photography sounds like the right approach to you then it would be lovely to talk about your wedding photography in Cornwall and your wedding photography in Devon and beyond.