Hello there,

Middlethorpe Hall; what a charming venue for a wedding.  Turns out its just off the A64 near Fulford.  I can't actually believe I hadn't stumbled across it until a recent three hour wedding booking.  I'm a Leeds oriented Luxury Wedding Photographer, having spent most of my life living in Yorkshire.  I really ought to have known about this place!

I'm using this particular blog to showcase exactly how much you can capture in just three hours. It's pretty much my most basic package, where my clients receive images on a lurvely bespoke DVD (I design the cases and everything!).  It's something I started doing so that I could offer my services to those that may have budget constraints, or simply didn't want every part of the day documented....it's also quite refreshing for me not doing the whole day once in a while.

The thing is that even though your day is most definitely unique to you, it is also, from the point of view of a photographer a connected string of very well rehearsed, discrete photoshoots.  A full day entails getting ready , setting off and arriving, pre ceremony with the lads, pre ceremony with the lasses, the actual ceremony, confetti, formal family shots, reception, speeches, private photoshoot, cake cutting,  first dance.  Almost all weddings follow that pattern.  And within each segment there are generally things which happen time and time again.  The more weddings you do, the more you realise how you can squeeze more out of each section of the wedding.

The surprising thing is that within three hours (starting say an hour prior to the ceremony) you effectively cover well over half of the key elements of the day.  Don't get me wrong, full day coverage is essential if you feel you want the story of your day capturing  (this is particularly important for those considering a wedding book) as the fallback of relying on other people's images to fill the gaps really doesn't cut it when you sit them next to a decent professional's.

Really you get everything bar the ladies getting ready, speeches and first dance and it's significantly cheaper (just mail me for a quote - it's eminently affordable).

So here's a brief tour of this mini three hour wedding shoot.


First job, get oriented.  Pictures of the venue and some details to set the scene...

Quick tour of the grounds eyeing up areas to explore with the couple later on as well as getting details such as flowers, cakey etc.







Then its off to meet the groom and get some portraits of key people....always keeping the eye out for the odd random pot shot.


 Do some group shots and just generally get candid images of people having a good time...as well as doing distinctly weddingy things.
























Then it's Bride O'Clock.  Time to check out the ladies and see where they're at in the proceedings.




































Then it's time to get things cranked up.  Ceremony time !!






Couple of quick posey shots on the way out to drinks in the garden...



































Then time for formal group shots of family and all the VIP's...

And finally on to a quick jaunt around the grounds with the happy couple...







And there's always something going on on the way back to the car ...

 

So there you go, a whistle stop tour of a three hour wedding.

Give me a shout if you're up for one :)

Leeds Wedding Photographer, Paul Scott