Emma & Gen's wedding, Henley on Thames

I jumped out of bed and flung back the curtains to the sun just rising and a light layer of snow covering the garden...Today it was Emma and Gen's wedding and I couldnt wait...so much so that we (thats me and my fantastic boyfriend who was my second photographer for the day) were on the train and heading to Henley-on-Thames early bird style - I figured that the snow would melt and needed to get some shots of Phyllis Court (where the reception was being held) before it did.

Wow, what a day! From the sandwiches and make-up of Emma and the girls getting ready, to the entrance at the church to a piano solo of Laila, the fabulous Long Dragon Dress by Alice Temperley, the ceremony and the walking down the asile.... back outside and into the late afternoon sunshine, the happiness and sunglasses, the car and the waves goodbye, the arrival at Phyllis Court to a touch-up of make-up and a quick photo session next to the river....the evening light and torches lighting the way to the reception from the Bandstand, the fairylights inside, the speeches and the "crisp tasting", the beautifully designed order of service, menus and little touches...the laughter, the absolutely stunning bride, cool groom and equally gorgeous guests, the photo booth and the cake, the first dance and the crazy dancing that followed. Yep, it was fantastic, here are a few pictures...

Emma arriving at the church with mum in the background...I used the line of the wall to create a more graphic shot which draws the eye in.

This shot is always tricky to pull off, but with my Speedlite flash it gives just enough light to freeze frame the shot without being blowing the exposure - which is really important especially when there were candles lighting the church.

To get this shot I was in the porch of the church tip-toeing on a bench to peek through one of the cut-out wooden shapes in the entrance...lucky for me the sun was back lighting Emma and Gen and the confetti being thrown.

I always do a visit to the venue before the wedding and had seen this shot when doing so...It was perfect with the sun setting and by altering the exposure to enhance the affect I was able to create this beautiful shot. Plus by shooting close to the water's edge (make that very close) I was able to get the tree in the frame too.

This shot just came together. I had an idea that I wanted to capture a shot of the cake at night (rather than during the day before the guests sit down), and by lining up the fairy lights in the background I was able to frame the cake perfectly. Its a proper magical shot I think...yum

I love this picture of Emma and Gen - a moment stolen after they had just come in to the reception room and sat down...This is what I love to capture.

Dancing to 500 miles by the Proclaimers was always going to mean a fast first dance... I wanted to capture the atmosphere and a sense of speed, so I kept my shutter speed slower (1/60) and my flash under exposed - yes there is some blur, but good, real life, in the action blur!

Here's one of my boyfriend Emmanuel's photos - love it! I think that by this point in the evening the ties were well and truly being loosened.

A deep breath, slow shutter speed - I think I was 1/8, and as big an aperture as possible (f3.2) - which wasnt much but being dark with no tripod thats the way it had to be...and amazingly, the depth of field held good. Yeay. Love the stormy effect from the full moon and clouds too!

Thank You

Big sorry for the lack of recent blogs...life has been happening whilst I was busy making other plans! But, one thing is for sure, my time away from the slightly obsessive wedding photography has really made me think, and although its no eureka moment the importance of family and being there for each other is something I have learnt not to take for granted and really treasure. I guess this is what weddings are all about - its the start of building a family, and is something that should be celebrated!

Anyways, enough philosophy. This weekend I got a lovely thank you card (and scrummy chocolates) from the gorgeous Beccy and her husband Pete whose wedding I photographed last August. I am always so critical and spend hours pouring over the photos I have taken for each wedding looking at how I can improve that its the best thing ever - I mean it - to get feedback from my couples (especially when they are so glowing - yeay). Here's a couple of photographs from their wedding.

Can you spy the "heart" created by the sun's rays in the photograph...it was only in the post production that I spotted it, but how fab is that!

Evening light at Bank

Phew, its been a hectic few days, with an event to photograph on Thursday and then a wedding on Saturday....you'll have to stay tuned for the photographs from Emma and Gen's fabulous wedding - think a light dusting of snow, clear blue skies, sun shining, fairy lights and the most gorgeous bride and trendiest groom ever!

So, whilst Im doing the post production of their photographs I'm going to share a couple of pics I took after the event I photographed as I stepped outside and into an amazing sunset. This is fast becoming a fascination on how to create the perfect exposure for evening shots. Always fab for a wedding, it holds a magical quality as the sun sets and the lights come on. Photography wise its tricky. Unless you have a tripod (which I dont like to cart around) its a question of a long exposure - slow shutter speed (if you can do it 1/8 or 1/13), as high an f number (aperture) as you can go (so f8 upwards if pos) and a very steady hand! I have to bump up the ISO which means a bit of grain, but hells bells, if I can capture the atmosphere thats fine by me.