The Judge's Lodgings

My latest wedding shoot took me back to a place I know very well, Lincoln. I've photographed around Lincoln Cathedral on a number of occasions, but never at the Judge's lodgings which is situated right next to the wonderful castle. It turned out to be a lovely place to photograph, the ceremony room, small but beautifully presented was nice, bright and airy. Seventy guests absolutely filled the venue and it was a tight squeeze for us all, but the happy atmosphere and a bride and groom that were 'up for it' made for a great day, the sort of wedding I love shooting.

The bride, Lynsey, arrived in a beautiful white Jaguar and I just had time to grab this candid shot as she was about to step out. She looked lovely and the candid nature of the photograph ensured a perfectly natural smile. By using a longer lens, my Nikkor 70-200mm F2.8, I was able to take a step back and shoot from a slightly further distance. In doing so, Lynsey was able to relax and not feel too intimidated by a bloke with a large camera and lens combination. These deceptively simple portraits are some of my favourite shots. The bride may have spent months looking at hair and beauty magazines, trying to find inspiration for her big day, and to me shots like this become vital and where possible a must get.   

Arrival

I mentioned that the ceremony room was lovely and light. It was, but even so, nowhere near as bright as outside. Not being allowed to use flash and balance the indoor light with that from outside, something had to give. I exposed for the indoor light which blew some parts of the image. For me this adds a lovely, almost ethereal quality to the ceremony images, they become dreamy and help sum up the feel of the day. I shoot in manual mode when faced with tricky lighting situations like this. I don't want the camera to decide what it thinks is the best exposure for this type of situation. As good as the latest Nikons are, this is exactly the sort of scene that will trick the camera's metering system.

Married!

You can see how cramped the ceremony room was by the picture below. I couldn't move to my left as there was a table there, I just had to shoot within the tiny space I was crouching in. I love this shot though. The groom, Salim, high fives a guest, Lynsey doubles back laughing, not wanting to be slapped in the face. Shooting my Nikon D3s on continuous high, tracking autofocus selected, I managed to capture a series of images of the bride and groom as they were leaving the room, all in focus. Adopting this method allowed me to select my favourite from about 10-12 images. It really is a great technique to use and one I often select.

High Five

My approach to wedding photography is primarily one of photojournalism. I wander around a venue, capturing the day as it unfolds. Images like the one below happen all the time and look great in a wedding album, the two ladies may even decide to buy a copy for themselves. It really helps tell the story of the day. A splash of flash was used on the D3s which really helped saturate the colours of the dresses and added some lovely little catch lights in the eyes. 

Selfie

Details, details, details... I always try to capture them. There was a considerable Scottish presence at this wedding and the men looked super fly in their colourful kilts. I find it's important to capture the small details which help to build a bigger picture. It will no doubt bring a smile to the bride and groom's faces when they sit down and look through the wedding album. A longer lens on the D4 allowed me to hang back and take this shot, the guest non the wiser.

   

Dapper

I used a touch of flash from the SB700 for the image 'nice socks'. It can help add some much needed punch and really saturates the colours. There was no fear of the flash dominating the scene as it was so bright outside. The flash head was pointed directly at the three subjects and the light emitted helped fill any shadows and emphasise some of the lovely, vibrant colour.

The SB700 sits second in Nikons speedlight range behind the SB910. While they share a lot of features, and overall i'm very happy with the SB700, had I had the funds to buy the top flash at the time then I would have. The fact that the SB910 is slightly more powerful isn't really the issue. What can be an issue, and something I didn't realise at the time of purchase, is that the SB700 can't be hooked up to an external battery pack, whereas the SB910 can. This matters because the battery pack allows the flash to recycle much quicker, vitally important when firing the shutter in continuous mode. It's far better than simply using the four AA batteries in the flash, which can't quite deliver the juice when pushed. I try to negate this problem as best I can by fitting Duracell batteries into the flash to give me every chance, but unfortunately, it's not quite the same. That's about the only criticism I can level at the SB700 though, and overall it does the job well.  

Nice Socks

Getting married in the Judge's lodgings allowed the couple free access to Lincoln castle. Lovely architecture and lush green ivy dripping from the ancient stonework provided a classic backdrop for a simple and classic photo of the couple. Being prepared always helps in these situations, as does familiarity with your gear. I wasn't expecting the groom to pick up the bride and swing her round, but when he did, I was ready. There's a certain dynamism to the shot, the veil and dress billowing in the wind caused by all that twirling. I also like the dynamic pose that the groom has adopted, and the brides smile is simply gorgeous. Shooting on continuous high allows me to choose the image that is 'just right' and it's a technique I recommend wholeheartedly. 

The Newly Married Couple

You spin me right round

The couple asked me to take a shot of them walking through the castle grounds. I like this type of image, I think it can work really well in the context of a wedding album. The only problem I had on the day which just couldn't be avoided, was the clutter from all the scaffolding around the castle. Cropping the image somewhat and adding a subtle vignette hides it to some degree. The castle was open to the public so there were many people milling about. I didn't try to clone any of them out whilst editing the images as I felt they were an integral part of the day. We had quite a crowd in castle square at one point as the confetti was being thrown.    

Walking in the grounds of Lincoln Castle 

I took many pictures of the confetti scene, but I had to post this particular image where Salim has a somewhat interesting expression on his face. They both thought that the last of the confetti had been thrown, only to be confronted by a few final packets. I think it took them both by surprise.

When Confetti Strikes

Ah, possibly my favourite shot of the day. I shoot with another photographer, Julian, as well as two assistants, Emma and Lydia. While Julian will tend to concentrate on the group shots if they have been requested, I will look out for interesting candid moments. This image of the bride and her three bridesmaids in front of Lincoln cathedral was taken while Julian was guiding them into a formal posed group. The four girls shared a joke and they all descended into fits of laughter. Beautiful expressions on all four of their faces, and lovely relaxed poses make for a strong image. Look at the two girls on the left, both looking towards the bride who is laughing hysterically with the girl on the right, hand across her chest. It was very sunny at the time, the sun was at it's highest point of the day. I used my Nikon SB700 to help fill any shadows on the girls faces, and wow, look how the colours have really popped, both on the dresses and the four beautiful bouquets. 

Fits of Laughter

The speeches, as usual were good fun. You feel as though you're getting to know the couple that little bit more when you listen to the many stories. Often funny, sometimes moving, but always entertaining, I try to capture some of the emotion and energy with my images. I tend to use a long lens and stand back so I don't obscure any of the guests view. For this shoot, I was stood on a short pair of ladders, D4 on a monopod, supporting my Nikkor 70-200mm.

Best Man's Speech

Laughter at the Reception

The first dance was entertaining. I think they had secretly rehearsed it before hand and not let on. Julian was on the other side of the couple, so I waited until they obscured him before taking the shot. He was probably on the better side, facing the majority of the guests who were looking on, and he did exactly the same as me. He has since entered the image into a Professional Photographer competition where it came first. Nice one!

The First Dance

Heart Lighting

The Fuji X-T1 also got a look in at this wedding. It wasn't used for the majority of the day but it was absolutely perfect for some detail shots at the evening reception. The lights in the image above were beautifully arranged, and there was a real vintage feel to the evenings festivities. I chose this particular angle to capture the lights because they lead the eye nicely to the mural on the wall behind the wooden kiosk. This mural was painted by one of the couples friends and as such meant a lot to them. Detail shots like this are so important and they can add a great deal of interest to the wedding album.  

Flower Detail

Looks as though they already have!

Sometimes someone will grab me and ask for a portrait. These two were lovely, beautifully dressed and a great looking couple. I quickly look for a nice plain background in such situations, preferably somewhere with bright, even light. In this instance, there was a lovely bit of  late evening sunshine which was reflecting back onto them from a window directly behind me, and this light helped provide some lovely catch lights in their eyes. The rustic barn door provided a simple backdrop and compliments the couple perfectly.

     

Portrait at the barn 

This was a fun wedding to shoot. Lots of great detail to capture everywhere you looked, a bride and groom who just wanted to have a bit of a laugh, and for once, some lovely warm weather.... What more could you possibly ask for.  

More and more of the weddings I now photograph have a vintage, rustic theme. I love em'. They are so inspiring, I don't think I will ever tire of shooting them. If anyone is thinking of having a vintage styled wedding in the near future and is looking for an easy going, fun loving photographer, get in touch, I would love to hear from you.