The wedding season of 2016 kicks off mostly for me in April, the daffodils are in full bloom, the bite of winter begins to release it’s cold grip and the sun starts to shine. Too many photographers (in my opinion) are scared of bright full sun when it comes to taking pictures of people. Yes it’s true that it gives rise to some challenges, like blinking squinty eyes and hard shadows, but use the light wisely and you can bless a couple with powerful warm light that just can’t be replicated with any other method. The trick is not to shoot directly from the angle of the sun, and for just about all my portraits of couples not to engage them to the camera, it helps to keep it natural. I’m no fan either of reflectors or powerful flash to take the contrast out of the sun, I would rather go with it than fight against it. The minute you start adding more tools to the mix the bigger the job you have, and then before you know it, things have become a fashion shoot rather than a collection of relaxed images that reflect the couple on their wedding day.
In the few short minutes that I had with Lydia and Kyran before their wedding breakfast and some wonderful heartfelt words during speeches, the sun shone at full power while we took some time out from guests. Just enough time to get some great images of the two of them to remember their day by. No assistant, no encumbering reflectors or powerful flash packs, just me and them.
Either side of this little collection of portraits are some of my favourites from what was a splendid day with family and best friends. Scroll on down and enjoy!
