Wedding Photojournalism - How Caple Court, Hertfordshire

Documentary Wedding Photography is a storytelling approach that relies on natural light as much as possible to create a record of the day. Winter weddings can bring certain technical challenges. The shorter days and lower sun mean that the light is at best diminished or - more usually - gone altogether.

Whatever a winter wedding in the UK may lack in light or outside temperature, they most certainly make up for with a warm cosiness. There is an unwavering focus on the occasion of the day; the event that celebrates two people in love.

I met with Shaun and his groomsmen shortly before the ceremony at How Caple Court in Hertfordshire. This country venue includes a barn, marquee and rustic courtyard setting with great character. After taking the opportunity for some naturally lit outdoor shots, the guests started arriving and the excitement built before the arrival of Jacqueline and her bridal party.

The barn looked stunning lit by candles and fairy lights. Jacqueline's friend Nadine sang a beautiful rendition of Etta James '"At Last".

Being a winter wedding, it was almost completely dark after the ceremony. The documentary photography approach favours natural light wherever possible but there are times when that just isn't possible. Bridal portraits are a one-off occasion and we have to adapt to the light, adding in a little extra where necessary to create these images.

The barn prepared and ready for the Wedding Breakfast. The cheese Wedding Cake looked amazing.

The suppliers:

Ceremony & Reception: How Caple Court
Food:  Vinehouse Catering
Wedding Dress: made for Jacqueline by a friend
Hair & Makeup: Heidi Herkes
Grooms Suit: Jeff Banks
Flowers: organised by a friend
Cake: Good Taste Cheesemongers

London Street Photography

We've always been close Photography and I, but like any relationship there have been ups and downs. Since I turned professional in 2009, photography has been my sole business. I feel incredibly lucky to earn my living from something I enjoy so much, but I realised last year that I'd stopped taking pictures for fun and it was in danger of becoming just "the job". I wanted to rekindle the spark and find the enjoyment that I first felt from making photographs.

My old flame - film.

Digital cameras are my tools. They can produce amazing photographs, stunning quality and the convenience is great. What I don't like about digital is the bulk and the necessary evil of processing to get the best final results. Given the amount of filing, sorting, backing up, editing, etc that goes into a typical professional shoot, it's something I don't relish when it comes to personal work. And so to get the spark back, I turned to film.

Film is fun. Film is a nightmare. Film is beautiful. Damn this film that I have just ruined by accidentally opening the camera. Curse myself for not having this film wound on properly and missing out on 40 great holiday photos*. Forgive me film you beautiful tetchy medium.

* this happened on holiday. I was not happy - wife even less so.

Apart from the potential to require less editing, it isn't particularly convenient and certainly not cheap. A good roll of 35mm will cost around £6. Add that again for processing and by the time you've eliminated all the duff shots the costs creep up. My hit rate has been pretty good recently but still, it can get expensive.

Today the postman delivered a few rolls back from the lab and it's the best I've felt about shooting film for a while. All were shot on my Leica M6 which is mechanical, completely manual and a joy to use. Small, unobtrusive, quiet - German engineering at it's finest. It's a real camera. I have some great personal shots from my recent trip to South Africa which I'll save for another day, but the purpose of this post is to share some images from a visit to London in which I managed a couple of hours of street photography in the fading afternoon light.

Meeting up with a couple of photographer friends we took in the sights of the South Bank before darkness got in the way of proceedings. This was over a month ago and I've only just got round to getting the films developed. With no idea what they would be like, I'm pleasantly surprised.

I love the challenges of street photography. You've got to be on your toes technically and artistically; occasionally subtle, occasionally brazen. The M6 is just perfect for this type of photography and whilst not all perfect, they are what I set out to achieve.

This is how they came back scanned from the lab. All I've done is a couple of small crops, a few straightens and a bit of sharpening for the web. I love the black and whites but it's the colours I'm most happy with - which is normally the other way round for me. The colour images have the look which I adore and it's simply not the same with digital.

So Photography and I are having fun again right now. Whether I keep using film, who knows. But the past few months - and this set in particular - has helped me find the spark again. Love you Film (for now).

Technical Information

Camera: Leica M6
Lens: Voigtlander Ultron 35mm f/1.7
Films: Kodak Portra 400, Kodak Tri-X 400
Processing Lab: The Whole Picture Online 

Caswell House - Oxfordshire Wedding Photography

Continuing my run of sharing weddings from last year, this one takes us back to mid-October. Wedding weather is never predictable and as a photographer, I normally plan for the worse and then anything better is a bonus. I don't think that many people at Alex and Paul's wedding would have expected the weather to be quite as good as it was on this gorgeous Sunday in Autumn: warm sun, blue skies - perfect. And given how cold it is outside as I write this, anything that offers a bit of warmth is a good thing.

Caswell House and Barn is a beautifully renovated farm with the typical warm Cotswold stone construction for which the area is known. I joined Alex, her bridesmaids, mum and lovely son in the attached guest house which is a great place to prepare for the day ahead. Alex was the picture of calm as the flurry of activity built around her for the day ahead.

This isn't a severe case of camera shyness, just a groom ensuring he doesn't see the bride before the ceremony. Best man added to block the view even further.

Mid-Autumn and an incredible sky. Beautiful at this time of the year and Caswell House offers a nice space to be outside.

This is the first of two quite similar images of Alex drinking water in this room (second much further down the post).

Calm, excited, nervous, back to calm again, then excited... - emotions flow quickly at this stage and bridesmaids and mum Jules are on hand to keep things level. Could a mother look any more proud?

The late autumn sun was especially stunning this day and the light during the afternoon was exceptional. It was simply perfect and the ideal time for a walk around the grounds and gardens of Caswell House. Bathed with a warm, golden glow Alex and Paul's portraits are beautiful.

Everyone was suitably impressed by the photographs of Paul that his two Best Men circulated. I've purposely kept the images below at a fairly small size to save any further embarrassment. If any model agencies would like to get in touch with Paul, please contact me and I'll pass your details on.

Here's part two of the water photographs. Same room, same glass. I'm sure Alex would have managed perfectly well on her own, but it's good to know that a bridesmaid and your new mother-in-law are around to help.

I've been really looking forward to sharing this wedding. Beautiful people, venue and weather combined to celebrate love, with many incredibly emotional moments which I was honoured to record. Alex & Paul, congratulations again to you both.

The suppliers:

Venue: Caswell House (we have a sample album at this venue and regularly work here)
Wedding Dress:  Sassi Holford. Ordered from Pantiles Bride, Tunbridge Wells
Hair: Kate Hopes, www.wedding-stylist.com
Make-up: Rebecca Louise
Grooms Suit: Cameron Ross. Pantiles Groom, Tunbridge Wells
Flowers: Flowers By Hilary
Cake: Marks & Spencer
Wedding Stationery: Bride & Grooms own making with various bits purchased from Cox and Cox and www.notonthehighstreet.com