Method & Approachs

Wedding photography

General
Weddings move very quickly, especially if you are photographing one.

This often surprises the novice photographer, and wedding work has often been described as portraiture at 100mph. Many photographers shun wedding photography as too stressful, but I revel in the challenges it presents and the satisfaction of pulling off great shots under such conditions.

My key objective is to ensure the bride, groom and guests relax and feel comfortable in front of the camera. This way I avoid self-conscious and unnatural photographs.

I maintain a light-hearted, but serious, organised and planned approach.

Depending on the type of wedding, I shoot between 300 - 1000 images.

Capture
To capture my images I use Kodak Portra® colour film – Nothing can match the beautiful, natural, flattering skin tones and delicate colour rendition of this film. Add to this the extreme ability to hold detail from the deepest shadows to the toughest highlights, this is the perfect medium for photographing weddings.

For Black & White I use Ilford HP5, FP4 and Delta 3200 professional films. Nothing can surpass the look, feel and emotion of monochrome images captured on real black & white film. Just think of some of the most famous photographs in history.

Film provides a real tangible original, as opposed to a “virtual” digital file, which, in my view, is much more satisfactory. When scanned it also allows the use of all the latest digital tools too, if necessary, and the creation of a CD.

Prints
All prints are made on the finest Kodak Professional Endura paper, for colour. Ilford and Kentmere real black and white papers are used for monochrome prints and I resist printing black and white images on colour paper – nothing quite has the look of real black and white paper.

These prints are made in the traditional way, in the darkroom, and have the best proven archival track record of any photographic prints – a very important consideration for wedding photography.

Albums
Wedding Albums are included in all my wedding photography packages and are hand made by the British company GF Smith. These type of professional wedding albums are like nothing available in the shops and are only sold through the trade to photographers. The pages are strong and sit flat with overlays and mounts.

Also available are the printed “wedding book” style albums. Please ask for details.

Commercial Photography

With the advent of the Internet and cheap digital equipment, the market for commercial photography has been squeezed, in particular with reference to stock photography. In times gone by stock images could be quite expensive, but no more – if you want an image of a call centre or a factory, or a London Street, you can simply download this from the web for free.

My approach to Commercial photography is therefore aimed at the bespoke market including industrial images, commercial portraiture etc.

Landscape & Travel photography

As a darkroom worker, I have always been a strong admirer of the late great Ansel Adams (1902 – 1984). He was the Californian photographer who developed systems and methods for black and white photography. Whilst the general approach is valid to all forms of photography, it is particularly relevant in relation to monochrome landscape photography, probably the most technically challenging of all photography.

Landscape & Travel photography is a more “recreational” area for me.

Links

Kodak Portra

Ilford HP5 FP4 Delta 3200

Kodak Endura Professional

Ilford

Kentmere

Ansel Adams