My Dorset wedding photographer 2016 review continues today with a three more than my usual five images from one wedding, but they are well worth giving a bit of attention to, as at first glance some of them hide allot of thought and skill gone into their creation.

I have included three images from the bridal prep as each of them really do some up important aspects from that part of the day with the first being one of the final looks the Bride takes in the mirror seeing herself for the first time as the fully made up bride to be, that very special first moment of the day she has been thinking about for so long! This first image shows really well why I think using off Camera lighting is so important for bridal prep. The light coming from right to left in the image is off camera flash and makes this photo so much better than if it just been a flat boring natural room light. The off camera flash has given form and shape and also picked out the colour of the eyes far better than any natural light could of done. The flash also brings out the definition of the makeup which would also of been lost in natural light. Last but not least and possibly the most important, the off camera flash has allowed me to stand at an angle to the light and capture a catch light in the bride’s eyes which gives that glint and draw to the viewers eye into the bride’s face. Also the angled off camera flash has enabled me to not light up the stylist’s hands and hair and body which also concentrates the photo viewer onto the brides face and does not distract the eye. I like that the stylist has a comb in her hand as this gives information on who is holding the mirror and you can almost feel that tense moment when the stylist is seeking the bride’s approval. The composition of this Shot is also fortifying the shot, the shot is drawing the eye in from left to right with blurred out of focus back of bride’s head and into the bride’s face framed by the mirror and the viewers eye returns to the bride’s face as the stylist’s fingers are pointing back to the face and the face is right on the edge of the mirror so there is no distracting details in the background to detract from the bride’s face.

The next shot of the final veil adjustments is a real stress reliever for me as this moment in time at most weddings can be very stressful for everyone as everything is coming to pass and there can be lots of people milling about, asking questions, loosing things etc and the bride can sometimes loose it, which is very understandable.  So I love this shot as it is so relaxed! Bride looking over her shoulder out of camera and the stylist also laughing and looking relaxed tells us that someone else is in the room and making jolly! Stacey the bride really was relaxed and completely able to just let everyone else worry and take the strain of the day while she just took it all in and enjoyed the day from start to finish. In my experience brides who relax on the day are those who are assured they have hired good professionals to do their job’s well and also the bride knows she has a fantastic support network around her of friends and family to help and rely on. The natural direct window light plays its part in this image to illuminate and give form to both the subject’s face’s, this shot will look even better when I get the go ahead to create it again into black and white high grade.

Father of the bride first look is more or less done at every wedding these days, and this one I love with father of the bride’s face not only lit up by soft window light, but lit up with a dirty great big beaming smile of how amazing his daughter looks for her big day and for him to give away, an obvious proud moment here for dad! There is not much more to say about this picture as a wedding photographer, it is a moment captured and we could get slightly distracted by the tv and wires in the background, but this is part of the reportage moment, we are not photographing in a studio, its in someone’s home, and homes are by nature, lived in. The composition for this shot is dictated by the room I have and the direction of light, but also is the most common composition I opt for shooting over the bride’s shoulder so as the viewer we know who the subject is and who he is looking at. As part of my 2016 Dorset wedding photographer review some emotional reportage images are a must to make it into my top images from the year, and even though these images are yet to be produced into black and white or high art they still hold meaning and strength. It was a packed out large church with many guests so I had allot of bodies to shoot through, competing with moving bobbing heads and the odd iPhone and iPad, but I did manage from distance get this very emotional shot of the first bridesmaid in floods of tears and the second bridesmaid holding them back. This is one of the main briefs for any wedding photographer, to capture raw emotion as and when it happens on the big day. As all wedding photographers know, it is very tiring to concentrate on people watching up to 100 people at a wedding at a time looking out for anything that can make an awesome photo. At least during this part of the day, there is only one place to point the camera. The light is all natural as it was a lovely modern well lit church and the composition was enforced by the limited positioning I can take up at this part of the day. As much as I love the bride’s flowers and they do play their part in the information included herein the image I personally find the bright colours slightly distracting, and as a purest would prefer this image in black and white, but that does not detract from this image.

This image is a departure from what I normally do as it is very traditional looking, which has been slightly dictated by the bride’s flowers which can only be held along the arm, also Stacey was quite happy to have her flowers in all her romantic photos. This shot I feel is all about the bride, and the composition directs us always to the bride. From left to right the dark sky and monotonous grass to the ruin and the twisting steps lead down to the brides shimmering white dress and the off camera side lighting is highlighting the dress details which the natural light or on camera flash would not of recorded. The off camera flash is also giving lovely shape and form shadows, giving a deeper dimension to the finished image. The off camera flash is also there primarily to fill in the image with light as I am shooting into direct sunlight and also want to darken the sky down to try and make it as dramatic as possible, which isn’t easy when you are just a few weeks away from the longest summer day and in the middle of the day! Just one other thing to note, the dress is well placed and laying perfectly on the ground with no wrinkles, now that doesn’t happen by accident. I like the groom’s gaze to off camera but in the direct of the bride and the bride engages the camera by looking directly into the lens which will keep the viewers eye returning back to the bride, so as I said at the start, this shot is all about the bride, although the groom Daniel is looking very dashing.I could not leave this shot out, as here we go with another very emotional photo of the best man who has just completed his speech and became overwhelmed and also effected some others in the marquee. I have grown to love these speeches shots far more since I began this year using off camera lighting for the speeches as well as I can direct the lighting at my subjects, rather than flooding the whole room with front light and there for lighting up everyone in the foreground more than the actual subjects! I like this shot as you can never see the tears but the hands tell us everything.

First dance photos always tend to make it to my favorites as the lighting tends to add so much drama and interest to an image. One of my off camera flashes is actually in shot here as I love the splash of light it gives. All the lighting here is my off camera flashes, and the ambient lighting is purely there to create colour interest and not as a modeling light. I like the kids watching in the background and in fact for most first dance shots I like to have guests watching in the background as it places the couple. So to sum up this shot is all about the lighting, and the subjects look. Last of all a night time shot which is always a massive favorite for my clients and this one took a bit of thought with lots of off camera lights as I wanted to back light the bride and groom and also the tree and also have a modeling light to pick out the bride and groom from the dark sky background. One of my favorite ways couples stand is with heads together and holding hands, more photogenic that just hugging and more sensual.