Paul and Laura are getting married next year and I look forward to capturing their wedding for them. This picture was taken at a recent birthday party on a very wet bonfire night in the midlands.

When you live and work in England you better be ready to make the most of the elements and the sparks flying here are from the rain as well as Paul and Laura, and not a stray firework.

Sometimes it pays to be up early in the morning to catch the sunrise and other times you think why did we bother. Yesterday’s engagement shoot with Alison and Graham was planned to capture the sun poking over the trees, instead we had a grey overcast morning. Not to worry I have small flashes and my wits for just such occasions, this is Leicestershire and not California after all. The picture on this post was created by me with with the help of a little flash and no help from God who was probably off having more fun exploding volcanoes in Iceland and extending teacher’s holiday in Acapulco… mysterious in deed. The moral is that unlike holiday insurance firms I do offer some protection against small acts of God it’s called a flash.

Would it be ironic if I was struck by lightning before the next post?

It always nice to get a card near Christmas

It always nice to get a card near Christmas, this one I liked especially, a hand written thank you card from the bride’s parents.

“Helen and I have just received our copy of the wedding/party album from Phil & Kyria. I have to write and thank you for all your hard work and the quality of the completed article.

I usually hate wedding albums and the process that the photographer uses to reach their contrived conclusion.

I have to say you have changed my attitude. It can be done as it should be done.

Thank you for a delightful result and I hope you have many more commissions, you deserve them.

With regards,

Bill and Helen Foster“

You can preview their wedding album here. It’s a two-parter with the ceremony coverage from The George of Stamford and the celebration in Stonton Wyville.

Wedding couple photographed in Florence

Busman’s Holiday

Buongiorno a tutti.

Whilst on holiday in Italy this year I grabbed this serendipitous shot of a couple having their wedding photos taken. The shot is taken from the popular Piazzale Michelangelo, which has classic views of Florence with its skyline of the Duomo, Giotto’s Tower, Palazzo Vecchio and misty Tuscan hills. It was taken about two o’clock in the afternoon so the light is a bit harsh, but I’m sure their pictures turned out great.

I made a composite picture of the couple by putting them in the landscape whilst showing the famous city in the background.

Florence montage image- click for larger view (190k)

Florence is a great place to visit, well known for its medieval history and being the birthplace of the Renaissance. If you are arriving by car, the Piazzale Michelangelo is easy to get to and has free parking. Apart from the views it’s a good place to start your visit from and ice-cream and coffee are readily available nearby.

Panarama of Florence skyline

The panoramic I made below, shows the city in great detail – click to explore the larger version.

Panoramic of Florence - click for larger view (700k)

Sunrise or Sunset?

Florence is a beautiful city and a world heritage site. To get the best viewing experience you should try and see it when the light is at its best, which means two chances a day – sunrise and sunset. At sunset, Piazzale Michelangelo is a very popular place to be and you can join in with the spontaneous applause as the sun sets to the left, behind the famous skyline. However it’s a better experience getting up very early, and catching the sunrise. Trek up to the Piazzale Michelangelo and you’ll see the sun kiss the famous buildings and bathe them in warm sunlight. The only audience will be early risers and dawn-chasing photographers.

A great place to try for fantastic views/photography and less tourists is the Forte Belvedere (literally beautiful view), another trek uphill but what view worth looking at isn’t? As an aside, the Belvedere is the location Dr Hannibal Lecter, in Thomas Harris’s book Silence of the Lambs, chooses to sketch the Duomo from. Recommendations don’t come higher than the Doc when it come to good taste.

If you are thinking of having your wedding in Florence, then a Google search will reveal a long list of wedding planners, venues and caterers. If you still need a photographer I am more than willing to make the journey, get up early, climb to the Piazzale Michelangelo and take stunning sunrise photographs of you and yours. I’ll even get the coffee for breakfast when we’re finished.

That’s all from me today, “in bocca al lupo”, as they say in Italy.

Links

• Year-round sunrise and sunset times in Florence
• Google search for wedding planners in Florence

Mr and Mrs Wright at their wedding celebration

One of my favourites from yesterday’s garden party to celebrate Phil and Kyria’s wedding. This one’s a bit of a nod towards Mrs and Mrs Wright by Gainsborough.

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.

Links

• Photos from the day
• George Hotel of Stamford
• Stamford, Lincs
• Wisteria

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