Reportage wedding photography is perfectly suited to this type of wedding and I'm finding myself doing more and more of these small and quirky commissions throughout the London area, particularly during the winter months.

Hamish and Susan are a charming couple from Australia currently working in London and together with their closest friends and family celebrated their wedding over a chilly and occassionally sunny afternoon.

Our first location was Old Marylebone Town Hall, a place I know well and am particularly fond of. Admittedly the light is always a challenge because of the dark wood and lack of natural light in corridors however, its registrar's desire for couples to have their ceremony documented comprehensively more than makes up for this.

Susan and Hamish were keen to venture around London and capture some hustle and bustle so we jumped in a cab and headed straight to the South Bank - a faithfully chaotic area!

Our final destination was The Phene restaurant in South West London where I documented some touching speeches before finishing my coverage.

Here are just a few of my very favourites from this small reportage wedding in London:

Click to read more ...

Ceremony: St Margaret's Church in Harpsden

Reception: Bix Manor in Henley on Thames

I'm delighted to feature some more reportage wedding photography documenting another chilly, low light winter wedding.

Ross and Annabelle's intimate day was perfectly planned and took place in the stunning countryside surrounding Henley on Thames in Berkshire. It's been one of my favourite winter weddings to cover recently, not least because of how charming both families have been to work with.

Before the big day I got to know the couple a little more during a pre wedding photo shoot, these are incredibly useful in order to build rapport prior to the wedding. If you're interested in adding a pre wedding shoot to your package, which can take place in a variety of locations, simply get in touch.

Click to read more ...

Preparations: Rookery Hotel

Ceremony and Reception: St Etheldreda's Church

John and Maria got married at the stunning St Etheldreda's church in East London late last year, their ceremony wasn't until quite late in the afternoon so it's a perfect example of how I approach an extremely low light documentary wedding without ruining the atmosphere with flash.

Their religious ceremony took place in St Etheldreda's candle lit chapel and thankfully I was allowed to discreetly document the service as the light, although incredibly low, was beautiful. Their church service was swiftly followed by a drinks reception in St Etheldreda's crypt - another amazing space to work in. Again, the room had been thoughtfully filled with candles which created pools of light for guests to mingle in, environments like this allow you to be even more discreet as a reportage wedding photographer.

The whole affair felt incredibly warm and friendly. Subsequently, everyone had a great time and really relaxed which allowed me to capture some very authentic and intimate images.

Click to read more ...

Preparations: The Corinthia Hotel

Ceremony: Chelsea Old Town Hall

Reception: Chelsea Wharf

I documented Will and Fiona's small and intimate wedding in London late last year. My reportage wedding photography started at The Corinthia Hotel in South West London, The Corinthia is a very new and very exclusive hotel just off the Embankment, it's nothing short of stunning and I really look forward to working there again.

From there I travelled with Will by cab to The Chelsea Potter pub to meet guests. The whole wedding comprised of no more than fifteen people, so it had a very relaxed and friendly feel. The Chelsea Potter is a proper old London pub too which only encouraged this great atmosphere - reputedly this was the Stone's local back in the days. It's a pretty dark environment but great for candid reportage work and within half an hour we we're all on our way to Chelsea Old Town Hall - another magnificent building steeped in history. The registrars were very accommodating, as per usual, allowing documentary coverage to continue throughout the civil ceremony.

Our next location was Chelsea Wharf where we embarked on our two hour boat trip along the Thames. I probably do four or five weddings a year on the Thames and they never disappoint, people are always very relaxed because of the lack of formality and during the winter you can really make the most of the strong, low and warm light.

The end of the day and the end of my reportage wedding photography coverage saw us arrive at South Bank - a particularly brilliant place for photography in London. Fiona, Will and their family and friends spent the rest of the afternoon in the Skylon restaurant at the Royal Festival Hall with it's floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Thames.

Click to read more ...

My efficient wedding photography editing workflow starts the moment I begin shooting the commission, one of the key elements to being in control of your editing and processing is actually keeping your hit rate high and not over shooting. Not only will you double the amount of time you need to spend in front of the computer by over shooting but the quality of your work will be much lower. Photographers that overshoot and expect to capture significant, decisive moments and with accuracy are kidding themselves. Photography just doesn't work like that - you might capture the odd great image but this would be simply down to luck and luck has no consistency. We can all over shoot, the key is to keep a constant check on it and ensure your success rate remains high.

I never document people eating their wedding breakfast, not only do guests need to feel completely relaxed knowing they're not going to be photographed mid-chew, I also need to sit down and take a rest. Once seated, I begin my editing workflow. I find this chunk of time ideal for editing as the previous 4 to 6 hours are fresh and vivid in my memory, the process is quick and decisive. It makes absolute sense to utilise this otherwise wasted time rather than increase your workload several weeks down the line.

Importantly, it tackles a 'deal with later' attitude that we're all guilty of at times, by nibbling away at each commission, at the right time, you'll speed up your workflow and be ahead of deadlines. Infrastructure such as this keeps things efficient but you must fully commit.

Click to read more ...