Phil and Kyria amongst the Wisteria, The George of Stamford.
Wisteria Wedding
I took this photograph a couple of weeks ago at the Wedding of Phil and Kyria in the garden of The George Hotel in Stamford, Lincolnshire. It was virtually the last shot of the night and was the best of about ten with this set-up. The other nine are not really usable and goes to show that photography is as much about luck as skill. Having said that, if you want the luck, you have to put yourself in the position for it to happen. This shot was not a serendipitous snapshot inasmuch as the idea was conceived the week before, then planned, rehearsed and executed on the day.
Conceiving
I had never shot at the George Hotel before, but what a great location to get married; Stamford being one of the finest stone towns in England. I Attended a consultation about a week before the ceremony giving me the chance to have a good look round, take some pictures for reference, chat to the staff and have a remarkable chocolate cheesecake and cup of tea in the courtyard, with the bride and groom, in the late evening sunshine – the sort of research I like! As anyone who has ever strolled in the hotel garden at this time of year can tell you, there’s a giant wisteria dominating the east wall. The trick is not noticing it but planning how to make it special.
Planning
The main part of the wedding and ceremony and speeches were all finished by 5:00 pm. Whilst the wedding guest tucked into their meals and started drinking, I went to do some planning. I calculated the light would be right to complete the shot in front of the Wisteria at about 8:00 pm’ this left me three hours. I don’t know if anyone has waited around for three hours, but let’s just say you can play an American Football game in this period, including time-outs, adverts and half-time show.
Wisteria Wedding rehearsal
Rehearsal
During my waiting period, I managed a little rehearsal with a very nice lady who was married in the same location only a few weeks before; she posed for me and was complimentary about the results so I knew I was on the right track. It also gave me a chance to tweak the results and confirmed to me that I needed less ambient light and should keep waiting.
Execution
The time came to grab the happy couple, but by this time they had forgotten about the last shot, thought I had gone home and had been making merry for at least three hours. A short walk in the fresh air away from the party had made them even merrier, so I’m glad I had it all set up in advance. We worked quickly and they managed to hold it together for ten shots, which is all we needed to get the shot at the top of the page.
Lucky ending
I have my shot, they now have the signature image from the day. It was a great day and I’m glad I hung around until the light was right and gave myself chances. A big thanks to Phil and Kyria for that last ten minutes of shooting which was really comical and good fun trying to get them to act serious.
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