So you want to be a wedding photographer…….

Dear readers, my regular followers will know I have a passion for photography, as an art form and as a creative outlet and devoid of the pressures of modern day business life.

So, when my niece Eleanor approached me and politely asked if I would be the official photographer for her second first wedding (hold that thought) how could I possibly refuse.

I liken this acceptance to being in the pub the night we were all approaching 50 and after the third or was it sixth Guiness deciding we would mark the occasion by swimming the English Channel. Of course this was an experience I shall never forget and in fact I enjoyed it so much I never want to experience it again!

So how difficult could it be to photograph a wedding. I mean I have all the gear, (some say with no idea), I understand the importance of composition and, if I allow myself a modicum of self praise, I have mastered the intricacies of the exposure triangle. Moreover, I have that Churchillian fortitude that I can do anything if I really want to and adopt the mantra of “when you fail to prepare you are preparing to fail” and in this case failure was not an option.

If I may digress I would like to refer to my blog of 1st August, “The Fab Four Go On Tour” and my gallery which gives an overview of Eleanor’s first “first” wedding which was an absolute delight in the depths of deepest Tuscany. At that wedding I was merely a bystander and Eleanor had gone full throttle with two photographers and a chap flying a drone!

Eleanor’s second “first” wedding was the civil ceremony to be held right on our doorstep at the Mayor’s residence on Plymouth Hoe and the photographic element comprised solely of me.

First decision was what gear to use. Well I decided to go fully tooled up with my main camera being the Leica SL2s with the 24-90 Vario Elmarit and back-up being the Leica SL2 with the 50 mm Summicron SL.

So the big day arrived and the weather was set fair. I decided to get to the venue early and was met by the organiser Sharon who by the way was an absolute star. She greeted me by saying “ ah the photographer, you must be Uncle Chunkle”! I must point out that amongst the young people of the family this is their preferred form of address when referring to me and harps back to a time when I was of a slightly more robust stature!

Sharon then set my nerves completely jangling by saying “ as you know the room is always a challenge, especially with the sun streaming through the south facing windows”!

Memo to me, it might have been wise to have undertaken a preparatory visit to the venue to gauge the lighting especially given that I didn’t have a dedicated Leica flash and would be shooting in natural light. Memo to me 2, next time @ gajan_balan is in the U.K. book a workshop and learn to use flash for Leica.

Anyways “when needs must the devil drives” and I would just have to adapt, improvise and overcome.

I was then approached by the celebrant, Georgia. She had clearly sensed the sweat forming on my brow and the look of panic in my eyes and with a serene smile told me not to worry, I should just move around the room as I please in order to obtain the best shots. Phew! This might just work out.

Given that I am myself married to the beautiful Mrs. C, my wife of 40 years (yes I know what you are thinking she must have been a child bride!) and of course I had my dream as a father come true when I walked our daughter down the aisle during her spectacular wedding in Edinburgh in May of this year, so in my mind I had a fairly good idea of the order of play.

Setting The Scene.

I initially wanted to grab a shot across the Hoe and Plymouth Sound and then an image of the historic location where the ceremony would take place.

Beautiful Plymouth Hoe and Plymouth Sound.

The Beautiful Mayors Residence - what a venue to host the official Ceremony.

Capture a quiet image of the expectant Groom.

The expectant Groom - He is a good looking boy is our Kevin and looks extremely relaxed.

The arrival of the bride and bridesmaids.

At this point I went in to full paparazzi mode as I captured the group through the windscreen of the car and then grabbed an image of the beautiful bride through the side window. Then a picture of the bride on the venue steps and up to the first floor and the room itself.

Uncle Chuckle was almost run over by the Brides’s father.

Beautiful Ellie looking so composed and relaxed.

I wanted to make sure I had an image of the best man and groomsmen (they called them ushers in my day).

The Groomsmen and Best Man - a group of likely lads!

The arrival of the bridal party.

The three bridesmaids and then Eleanor and her dad Mike. Phew we seemed to be on track and no major disasters so far.

Dejau-Vu as Mike hands Ellie over to Kevin for a second time.

The Ceremony.

Being a civil ceremony my thought was to try and make this as intimate as possible.

Giving Kevin that look that says I love you.

A beautiful ceremony by Georgia the Celebrant.

Everything must be witnessed with brother Joe looking on.

Our second witness with Kevins mum Vicky.

An Intimate Moment

As the ceremony concluded I was ready to capture the kiss!

A moment of light relief at the top of the stairs.

A couple of post ceremony portraits.

I did then take the happy couple on to the balcony for an intimate portrait and then, for 5 minutes, we sat together to catch a breath and I captured my favorite image of the day.

Formal photography.

I went “old school” and made sure I captured an image of both family groups.

The Nortons, Steeds, Chivers and Pandriches.

Grandma & Grandad Steeds - What a proud day for them.

Candid photography.

Eleanor did ask me to grab a few candid shots. I am always careful with these as some people don’t react well to being caught unawares. However, in this case I was playing to a friendly audience and the champagne and guinness had been flowing so I managed a few.

Getting stuck in to the Guinness and champagne.

I also captured a few B-roll shots to set the scene.

The Confetti Shot.

I was set up perfectly to capture this. The family were dutifully instructed to throw up and not in to their faces and I believed that I captured the moment….but that is for you to decide.

The After Party.

At the after party I grabbed a shot of the flowers, the cake and the lace of Eleanor’s beautiful dress followed by the couple addressing the guests. After that the camera was put away and what went on at the party stayed at the party. I then enjoyed a couple of well earned beers.

It really was a beautiful day and I hope that I managed to capture the event and the memories. I was mentally exhausted as I realised that I hadn’t stopped during the whole event.

So there we have it, the anatomy of photographing a family wedding. Do I think I could do it for a living?…..yes but with more practice as a second shooter and developing my skills of lighting and using flash. Do I want to be a wedding photographer?….absolutely not. Anybody who does this week in and week out has my utmost respect as I then had two memory cards full of images to edit.

For me it was actually a pleasure to capture imagery of the people I love. There couldn’t be a better expression of my love for Eleanor and Kevin than capturing their special day.

So there we have it, I hope you have enjoyed this candid view of capturing a wedding.

Please stay tuned for more adventures as my next blog will encapsulate a water-borne Italian adventure!

Warmest regards from Plymouth UK.