Never work with animals or children

You're always looking for new angles and locations when photographing the Bride's big day. When the bride in question mentions in passing that she owns several horses, and the evening reception is being held in a field right next to the paddock, you just know that the two elements have to be combined somehow. When I suggested to the Bride the idea of photographing her and a horse together, she was well up for giving it a go. As we walked towards the paddock across the muddy fields, cameras and reflector in hand, I kept telling myself that Jules and I would nail a shot, all the while trying not to look at the beautiful white Wedding dress taking on a disturbing brown hue, as it was being dragged through the mud. At this point, I have to mention that it's quite a good idea to ensure your Wedding couple have downed several glasses of Champagne prior to embarking on mad ideas like these. It really does seem to help. We climbed into the Paddock and waited for one of the horses to trot on over to us. Of course, it had to be the largest of the beasts, all 25 hands of him. ( Okay, that is a bit of an exaggeration, but he was huge ). It's at this stage that all posing ideas go out the window. You may be able to direct the bride, but the horse, forget about it. It was quite late in the evening and the Sun was low, casting lovely soft, warm light across the Bride and the horse. Off camera Flash was a big no no, we couldn't afford to spook our furry friend, so a reflector was used, just to push some ambient light back towards the subjects and lift any shadows. Then I started shooting, waiting for the one moment when it would all hopefully come together. When the horse tried to eat the bouquet, and failing that, the dress, and with the Bride in fits of hysterics, I pressed the shutter and knew I'd nailed the shot. Images like this can't be posed, they just happen, and I have to be in the right place at the right time to capture them. This is why I'm a photojournalistic Wedding Photographer, and why I love my job. "Never work with animals or children"... I couldn't disagree more.  

Never work with animals or children

        

Nikon D3s

1/2500 sec @ F4, ISO 800

Nikkor 24-70mm F2.8 @ 70mm

The Nikon D3s has such exceptional high ISO performance that ISO 800 is considered a very low setting. This allows very fast shutter speeds to be employed without losing quality or dynamic range in the captured image, perfect for fast moving equine subjects. 

'Gigi'

 Gigi looking fantastic on her Wedding Day last September.

Nikon D3s with Nikkor 70-200mm F2.8 mk2 @  F3.2, 1/1000, ISO 800 at a focal length of 160mm. I was the second shooter at this moment as Julian was taking the main image to my right. Some times the candid shot seems to work that little bit better, and this was one of those occasions. Gigi's attitude is fantastic. It was bright but overcast so we had lovely soft light for the majority of the day and there are lovely catch lights in Gigi's eyes. I love shooting wide open, especially with longer focal lengths as this causes shallow depth of field and really draws the viewers eye towards the sharpest areas of the frame.
                

Fun in the Park

Fun in the Park

We could all do to be a little care free at times.  Sun, warmth, and a lovely park certainly help, as too, so it seems, does a rope.