My Second Wedding
I am struggling to keep up with my blog, having been so busy and with the kids off on school holidays. So I am adding this entry a little late. I actually shot this wedding on July 5th, 2008. It is a policy of mine anyway to never use any photos from a wedding until the official viewing with my clients. I feel it is important that the first people to see the photos are the couple themselves and th
ey should be seen in a formal setting where they can relive the experience of the day. This takes a little longer for me to prepare than perhaps some other photographers but so far I am 2 for 2 on producing tears. To me, that makes me a success. They were good tears by the way.
Anyway, back to the subject. I did my second wedding. This one being very different from the last. There was no church, no traditional wedding gown and very little in the way of formal, posed portraits. It took place in a converted knitwear factory, both inside and on the roof top which made for extreme changes to lighting requirements. But an interesting set up all the same.
The couple, Rosemarie Fitton and Tony Matters, own their own architectural design firm called Heterarchy, based in Leicester. I met Rosemarie through a breakfast networking group a while back. I had always respected her very much as she is an interior designer, an occupation I had often dreamt of entering in my youth but for several reasons had bypassed. A creative and contemporary mind such as hers had me very flattered that she choose me to shoot her wedding even though I had yet to shoot a wedding at the time of the booking. As such, I felt even more pressure to get this right. Luckily, it would appear, that I did.
The venue, their fascinating home, had huge windows, open space, lovely lighting and brick walls (which I love). Its just too bad that we couldn’t have enjoyed the roof top more but at least the rain held off until after the blessing. Unbelievably the rain started just after the last guest left the rood top to get some food following the service.
I very much enjoyed the fly on the wall perspective. It was nice to be able to sit back with my large lense and see what I could get without being right in anyone’s face. But unfortunately, even in a converted factory it was hard to remain unnoticed. It wasn’t long before people started to photograph me. I am very glad that not everyone is like me when it comes to having their photograph taken or I would be out of a business. I stand behind the camera for a reason, that way I am hardly ever in pictures myself.
My Second Wedding! How very apt of Christina to name this set of pictures on her blog. Not only is it my second marriage but was also the second day of ceremonies in a three day event!
I specifically wanted Christina to shoot the pictures of my wedding knowing full well that she wasn’t a wedding photographer……… that was crucial! I don’t like the usual wedding photos, with endless group shots getting bigger and bigger. I also know how boring it is for people to be waiting around for all of this to happen. I had seen Christina’s work and loved it and knew she would do a good job.
We wanted candid shots, which we know are difficult and we also know how difficult our place is to take good photos in. We have masses of windows some overhead and then really quite dark spots.
I really don’t know how Christina managed to get around and take the shots she did as the space although huge was packed to the hilt with furniture, guests a buffet, the dj’s kit and a live band!
Although I was quite stressed on the day, having woken up in my beautiful hotel room in London the morning after the legal ceremony and then having to dash back to Leicester to organise the next event, I immediately felt relaxed with Christina around, no demanding ‘Look this way’ or ‘Move your arm’ etc etc.
Once the ceremony had started I barely realised she was there. I had given her a very hard task…”No formal pictures!’ however my new husband and I actually spent so little time together during the course of the evening that we had to get together in a designated space. However this was good fun too and I still felt relaxed.
We were looking forward to seeing the proofs and had no idea what to expect. We had been given so many beautiful photos from our friends, some of whom are very good amateur photographers and we were thinking what a really hard task we had set.
On the viewing evening we went along and Christina set us up with the lap top and then left us to it.
Well I was absolutely blown away, I was actually sobbing!! The pictures were so beautiful and so much more and better than we could ever have imagined.
They not only captured the day but are a complete expression of how we felt on the day. We show the slide show with the background music to everyone who wants to see our wedding photos and they have all been amazed, they have never seen such beautiful photos and they are so different to what anybody has ever seen before. Mind you we like to be different and everybody has said ‘Trust you to have such different and amazing wedding photos!’
Now when I hear one of the tracks that Christina chose to accompany the slide show, I get a lump in my throat, they are so evocative of the day and the photos.
I cannot thank Christina enough for what she has done with our wedding photos, they are simply beautiful.