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Until recently, images of the actual ceremony were difficult or impossible. Today digital technology (making it much easier to make images in low-light conditions) and a more relaxed attitude among vicars and registrars, make these images an enormously important part of the story of the day. Nevertheless, we feel that it is most important that images of the ceremony are made discreetly and that we are in concealed positions out of the eye-line of the guests/congregation. Also, attitude among clergy and registrars does vary considerably (some have had bad experiences of intrusive photographers or inconsiderate guests using flash) and we always ensure that we win the confidence of officials and abide by their individual guidelines. Again, two photographers provide complementary angles and we try to capture key moments in the service, the informal exchanges between bride and groom and the context of the ceremony. This phase concludes with the signing of the register (it is signed then a posed version recorded – sometimes including witnesses) and the exit of the now-married couple.
Below: A typical informal image at the end of a civil ceremony (Kitley House)
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Above: The bride and groom leaving the Church. |
We expect to take 15-20 minutes maximum on photography immediately after the ceremony and normally confine formal group shots to various combinations of the bride and groom, attendants, parents, grandparents and siblings of the wedding couple. Occasionally we may do a whole group shot if I can ascend the church tower!!
Below: an informal shot while waiting for a group photograph. The setting up of groups often provides the framework for informal shots.
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All the while, the second photographer is concentrating on informal images and we try to ensure that all the guests get a chance to take their own photos. This phase usually ends with a confetti series and/or departure of the bride and groom.
Immediately after the wedding ceremony in licensed venues such as hotels and once church wedding parties reach the reception venue – the pattern is generally similar. There is a generally a period of time when guests mingle over drinks and we will be taking reportage shots during this time – perhaps 30-45 minutes – including the couple talking to small groups of guests (see next paragraph). In consultation with the bride and groom, we then assemble everyone for the ‘list’ of group shots – such as the whole party, stag night/hen night groups/family groups etc.
Below: A typically relaxed and informal group shot of Emily and Henry with university friends.
The number of group shots varies considerably from couple to couple (see Part Two: Style) but we have never photographed a wedding without some groups and ‘images of record’ are still important in the age of reportage wedding photography – it is a way of ensuring that all your guests are included. This is particularly important since many families are now spread all over the country – or like our own, spread all over the world – and weddings are often the one occasion when close family members are together. We try to make groups as relaxed as possible and we strongly advise that the list of group combinations are limited to around ten groups or less. We feel that 20 minutes is normally perfectly sufficient to shoot these group pictures.
Below: an opportunity arises to take an informal group of the father of the bride and his friends.
Group shots do need handling carefully. As a general rule groups larger than 8-12 people are never terribly satisfactory either visually or as a record (with the exception of whole group/whole family/all friends groups photographed from a high vantage point). In larger groups people tend not to concentrate on the photographer – or at least they don’t all concentrate simultaneously – and there is the problem of scale (in large groups each head is small even on quite large prints) and the potential for delay (one person off at the bar can cause mass frustration) is considerable. We commonly generate a way of ensuring that we have images of each of the guests in their pairs or families as a record – for example as they are going into the wedding breakfast or in a receiving line (now becoming rare). Montages of separate images provide another great way of ‘assembling’ a variety of people.
Below: It is important that photographs have a sense of place - otherwise why choose beautiful locations?
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At some point – usually between the end of group photos and entrance into the wedding breakfast – we want about 10 minutes alone with the bride and groom to take ‘romantic’ and personal images. This often flows very well as the guests can be going into the meal as we are making these images.
Opposite and below: Three very different styles of portrait - all equally 'organised' .
The vast majority of wedding photographers end their coverage at the point where the wedding breakfast begins (usually after a mock-up of cutting the cake) and this makes perfect sense for the bride and groom too (they can relax knowing that prying lenses have disappeared!!). We now complete many weddings at this point as long as circumstances have allowed a full coverage to that point.
Illustrations: Images at or after the wedding breakfast - often photo opportunities arise long into the evening of summer weddings - and without disrupting the natural flow of events.
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It is usual for us to take 500-800 images at a wedding and not uncommon for this to reach a 1,000. Of course, this takes into account duplicate images and alternative compositions to guard against the photographers’ curses - blinking, squinting, moving subjects, bright sunlight, strong shadows, the difficulties presented when photographing young children (or reluctant and inattentive adults!!) and simply sometimes just catching subjects in a fraction of a second when they will not be flattered by the results. This is one of the great pluses of digital photography – there is essentially no cost to taking more pictures (as there is with film).
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In the end, we edit down images to somewhere between 300 and 600 images for clients to view – in normal circumstances most Essence Packages (80 images) will have at least three times that number to select from and most Creative Packages (200) will have at least twice that number. In general, the number tends to be increasing. This rests on a number of principles.
First, of course, is choice. We allow clients to choose their favourites and shape the balance of their collection. Or clients may put an emphasis on ‘candids’ or include more posed or portrait pictures.
Second, while our photography is primarily of, and for, the bride and groom, we are also providing a source of images for family and friends. So some aspects of the image collection – such as photos/portraits of the guests – will be geared to a wider audience than just the bride and groom and our site is geared to e-commerce, so that guests can view the images without the archaic physical circulation of proofs and they can buy prints without any central organisation. We send prints all over the world.
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Third, there are potential financial advantages for the couple and their immediate families because we offer additional prints beyond the package figure (80 or 200) at a price which is a fraction of the individual re-print cost – this is especially so if the whole collection is purchased (see Packages section of the website). With just a little organisation and co-ordination of close family members, our clients can really maximise their value for money.
Finally, there is an element of necessity because if we are to capture the story of the day - and those who were present - it simply cannot be done in a handful of traditional images. Reportage photography must mean quantity as well as quality. This is a point at which the ‘electronic album’ on DVD has such potential for the contemporary wedding couple (see Part Three).
Each selected image is now individually examined to adjust brightest, contrast and saturation and images may be cropped, colour can be turned into monochrome, montages may be created and key lines added. We normally convert a small number of images to black and white at this stage but clients can request any – and all – images to be converted at the final phase (below).
Illustration: a monochrome image just retaining the reds of the flowers.
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Once we have edited the complete collection, it is published on our website – publication within two or three days is common and more than a week is rare. Clients can restrict viewing by selecting a password if they wish but the vast majority are happy with open access (see Recent weddings section of the website).
Web publication has a major advantage – guests, friends and family can view images – and purchase them - without the inconvenience of either physical proofs (or even circulating a CD) and without involving a family member to co-ordinate orders.
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The bride and groom have several options once the images are published. They will have chosen a specific ‘package’ when booking – see Packages section of the website - and they can simply stick with this package and choose the appropriate number – and size - of images to be printed – and choose matt or gloss. On the other hand, they can ‘upgrade’ their package at this point and/or buy extra prints – or the whole collection - at a greatly reduced rate. Complete extra sets of the prints can be purchased too at an extremely advantageous price.
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We deliver the printed images to clients in a presentation box (or optional ‘memory’ box) and some couples make their own provisions for albums. Alternatively, many brides and grooms will at this stage wish to discuss album options for themselves and perhaps parents too – see Packages section of the website for details of albums. Our Fair Trade leather albums (at £45 and £75) are proving extremely popular as story-book albums, often in conjunction with more formal albums. Our album packages include print enlargements as part of the cost. We offer a full design and album construction service (see Part Three).
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