Devon Wedding Photography

After covering their wedding in Exeter I took Dale and Leah to Saunton Sands (www.bbc.co.uk/devon/content/…/saunton_sands_360.shtml) in North Devon in time for sunset. Although there are many other beautiful beaches in the vicinity including Woolacombe (www.woolacombetourism.co.uk) and Combesgate (www.northdevon.com/site/combesgate-beach-p280233) with Saunton Sands you are able to walk along the three mile stretch and get away from passers by.

With the help of an assistant holding the flash gun on a monopod I aimed to capture the dramatic colours of the sky while highlighting the wedding outfits of Dale and Leah. This was achieved with the flash technique of off camera flash triggered by a pair of Pocket Wizards (www.pocketwizard.com/). For an excellent discussion of wireless flash see Dave Black’s webpage and tutorials (http://www.daveblackphotography.com/workshop/0408.htm).

As you can see it was low tide so we walked out towards the surf and found a patch of sand thinkly covered by the sea. I under exposed for the sky by up to 3 stops and set the flash between 1/4 and 1/2 power.

As well as using off camera flash I took some sihouette pictures with the couple framed against the sky and their reflection lying in the sun’s reflection on the sand. Silhouette techniques like this one can prove very effective in making a dramatic image, for further information see (http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-photograph-silhouettes).

My photographer assistant is clearly visible in this shot although it is not a complete write-off with a bit of clever Photoshop work. The whole shoot would have been impossible with the help of my assistant and it is well worth looking into finding one to work with. The website www.photoassist.co.uk is one of many portals that can help you find a good assistant.

Had a really good day photographing the wedding of Annalisa and Tom at Bickleigh Castle (www.bickleighcastle.com) near Tiverton in Devon. It is a beautiful 14th century castle with a chapel and function suite within the grounds making it an ideal wedding venue. Compared with other Devon wedding venues such as Coombe House (www.thishotel.com) and Bovey Castle (www.boveycastle.com) Bickleigh Castle has an authentic ambiance that may only come with centuries of use.

I began the day with Annalisa in one of the guest suites alongside a professional wedding make up and hair stylist. Annalisa was great in following my directions about where to sit so I could minimise the amount of background distractions as I set about taking the pictures.

I used a 17-35mm Nikon lens to move easily from picking out details at the 55mm end through to full length body and wide shots that used the natural frame of the windows.

By opening and closing the curtains and careful exposure control I used the natural daylight to pick out details such as Anne-Lisa expression or highlight the dress while underexposing the background. When combined with burning in as a part of the post production process I find this an excellent way of avoiding distracting background details that draw the eye away from the subject.

The wedding service itself took place in the grand hall where I again relied on daylight coming in through the large windows. I was able to get away with using an ISO of 400 but in some situations where the light level has fallen so much I’ve ended up with an ISO of 1600 or higher. With previous generations of camera this would be professional suicide because of the noise levels however recent Nikon models such as the D300 and D3 (http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/nikond300 and http://www.dpreview.com/news/0708/07082312nikond3.asp) excel in low light situations. It is worth having this low light capability because as well as resulting in much more natural images not using flash in wedding services tends to avoid trouble with the service officials or priests and keeps you unnoticed. I was able to capture a great expression on Tom’s face during the service which although you can’t see Annalisa’s face you know it was a happy moment for them both.

After working different angles during the service it was time to head outside and setup the confetti shot. Working with the ushers I organised the guests into two lines stretching out form the main gateway that provided a natural structure to the photograph.

I briefly reminded the guests to only throw the confetti when the couple pass them by otherwise the shot can be obstructed by a storm of confetti thrown at the same time. For this I used a single SB800 flash unit (http://www.dpreview.com/news/0307/03072202nikonsb800.asp) attached to a monopod and held by an assistant above the couple. Working with a flash synch shutter speed of 1/250 second I adjusted the aperture to underexpose the scene by up to a full stop and setting off the flash with the aid of two pocket wizards (www.pocketwizard.com/). This technique avoids the flat look inherent in camera mounted flash.

Annalisa and Tom had arranged for a jaw dropping Spyker sports car (www.spykercars.nl) that provided a natural prop for some portraits of the couple as light fell. I exposed for the sky and positioned the flash above the couple with the help of my assistant. This results in a nice silhouette of the tree line while the flash picks out Tom and Annalisa and highlights of the the car.

Overall it was a great wedding which produced some fantastic images and I wish Annalisa and Tom all the best.

Just finished the post production on some test shots for a studio I want to open. To keep costs down we salvaged some antique floor boards for the floor of the studio. The back walls are 2 pieces of 6′ by 4′ MDF covered in wall parer one side and then distressing the wall paper with blow torches and scrappers. Very affective. The reverse side is backing paper stained with 2 jars of coffee for the ‘damp’ look, damp chic! It took a lot of coffee, the only drawback is that the whole place stinks of coffee. Used one bowers 500 gemini with a soft box , minimal power. The camera was a D2x with a 50mm 1.4, used at 1.4-2 to give it a soft look.

here are results below, before and afters

quite effective, its very do able in a small room. As well a top end hair stylist - Nathan from www.energyhair.co.uk  and make-up artist maddie austin   on www.maddieaustin.co.uk  , hope you like I have included a few more pic of different girls,