I was very pleased to be commissioned as Amy and Mickey’s wedding photographer for their Sopley Mill wedding and I have selected 5 photos to add to my 2016 review of my best images. I start off with lots of Bride prep photos, I just cant help but select allot of bride images as my favorite images from this wedding as well as others from 2016 as the off camera Lighting I began to use has really impressed me with awesome results. I love this first shot with the combination of dress hanging in the window and with warmth from ambient lighting and what makes this image stand out a bit more is the reflection of the bride in the mirror having her makeup done. In one photo we get the whole story of this part of the day. Amy the bride is slightly lit with my off camera flash which looks so natural. This image is very simple and that is what makes it a winner.

TOP TEN TIPS FOR A PERFECT WEDDING DAY

The second image I have chosen is once again mainly down to the off Camera Lighting I have used. The bride is high lighted in this image with just a rim light on one of the to be flower girls faces to show the viewer that the bride is being watched  and the flower girls eye line also takes the viewers eye back to the bride who is well lit. The off camera lighting has lit just what I wanted to be exposed at the correct exposure  and left the background under exposed and dark so as not to distract the viewers eye from the main subject and purpose of the photo. I also love the rim lighting I have created around the brides hair which also draws the eye to the bride. You just cant get this sort of really creative image using natural light or on camera flash. This image is a prime example of why anyone should commission a photographer who puts that extra bit of thought into their wedding images.

This next image is yet another example of off camera lighting taking wedding photography to another level of excellence. A very simple composition of the bride just smiling while having her her done but it is the off camera lighting just lighting her face is the eye drawer. I have included the window to mimic where the light on the bride’s face is coming from, but here the camera is telling a lie as the window is not at all the light source. I have under exposed the rest of the indoors of the room as this would high light the face with the lighting.

The next image is a classic and there is no fancy off camera lighting going on with this shot, just an on camera flash slightly filling in the light as I wanted lots of background in the shot while at the same time shooting into the sun to acquire the sun flare which gives that late evening warm glow, showing the sun shining on the love of Amy and Mickey. The composition is very simple just the bride and groom on the left third of the image while including the track behind them setting the scene and back lighting of the young budding leaves on the trees to show the time of the year of Spring. I also like the posture and pose of the bride and groom here, it is totally natural and not influenced by any instruction from me. I like them both holing hands while the groom has his other hand  lovingly on the bride’s side and the bride’s hand delicately holding her dress up. Also the groom leaning in for the kiss is a great look.

The last photo was the last image from the night of this wedding and taken around dusk just as the sun had gone down and I was able to record the garden lighting and a hint of the window lighting of Sopley Mill and if you look carefully you can see the evening reception disco lighting. The back lighting of the bride and groom is there to pick them out from the dark background and give them that halo hair light effect. There is also another light that is lighting them both from the front to give a correct exposure so we can see the faces of the bride and groom. Once again I like the holding hands and the bride now stretching up to gaze in the eyes of her groom. There was a big height difference in Amy and Mickey which is not an issue but did give us a slight issue where i had to make sure the groom’s button hole flower did not obscure any part of the bride’s face, which is hard to spot when it is dark and when your trying to work really fast to allow the bride and groom to get back to their party celebrations! The idea of any image like this during the evening is to work fast as the wedding day is about the couple enjoying themselves and celebrating and not enduring a photo shoot!

TOP TEN TIPS FOR A PERFECT WEDDING DAY