Tim & Rodrigo’s wedding at the gorgeous Leez Priory was just so effortlessly cool! Tim & Rod chose different colour of blue suits with bow-ties, each had a groom’s party of 2 best men each and two groom’s-maids! in contrasting grey and blue. Every photograph I took looked stylish and cool!
My photography style, as always, changed between natural the documentary style where I’m trying my best to blend in with the guests, and of course stepping in where I see a nice photo opportunity or if I know we need to arrange a particular shot. Being completely invisible for the whole day could certainly miss an important moment, group photo or family member. I think this sample set from their 700+ wedding photographs shows quite well the mixture of styles I take during a wedding. The overall feel of my wedding photography at Leez Priory, or any other wedding venue across Essex and Suffolk, is that I’ve been very discrete and almost invisible for most of the day. But I think any wedding photographer needs to understand when to step up and make a quick arrangement, or assert themselves when needed, to make sure the formal group lineups get done promptly for example. A day spent truly being hands-off and invisible would have many many important shots missing!
I do my best to ensure I’ve covered the atmosphere, the details of the wedding venue, the married couple greeting guests, plenty of guests’ faces in the crowd, unaware of the camera, casual ‘turn and smile’ group photos among drinks and canapes, of couples, friends groups, or young families. The formal group photos are far from a trendy thing to do, with some photographers almost boasting that they won’t do them! I think this is crazy, as the joining of two families at a wedding is usually an extremely rare moment, and one to be documented well; it’s just important the married couple don’t feel it took up too much of their day.
After the allbeit minor fuss of arranging group photos it’s nice to take the couple off around the grounds; great for me to get a good set of photos in a variety of backgrounds, and great for the happy couple too, to have a little quiet time, away from the rest of the wedding guests! Knowing Leez as well as I do, from visiting as a child, working on the bar, meeting my wife (Then working as waiting staff!), getting married there myself, not to mention photographing perhaps hundreds of weddings there over the last fifteen years, I have a route around the grounds I like to take clients on, covering my favourite locations and backdrops, taking in the character of Leez, textures of wood and brick, doorways, gates, towers, ever changing colours from leaves and flowers, some places where the sun can be a real asset, others where I know exactly which lens, or which setting would really make a certain photograph come to life!
As a wedding photographer, you have to take your lead from the couple, and get a feel for exactly how people interact with each other. The photos of Tim & Rodrigo in the grounds at Leez Priory have a relaxed feel, because I made sure they were relaxed. I never push clients too far out of comfort zones. Any posing or arranging always starts with the most relaxed shots possible- walking. Holding hands, looking to each other, the photos feel like a candid moment, caught unaware, even though they are completely arranged for the camera! Stopping, asking to look this way, that way, “over to that gate”, “now back to each other” , small prompts such as this, and the kisses or more intimate moments happen with very little prompting! What’s most important to me is that the clients feel relaxed, so they can look relaxed, and also that the wedding didn’t feel like it was all about the photographer. I hope I get the balance right in being discrete for such a large part of the day, without missing a single shot that I could kick myself about later!
This set of 108 images is just a handful of the 700+ wedding photos Tim & Rodrigo were supplied in the full set! Most wedding photography packages include the supply of all images on a USB without copyright restrictions, to print or share as you wish. For more info please browse my website!
Ben Brown, Wedding Photographer for Lavenham Photographic Studio has been recommended by Leez Priory for around fifteen years! This means there is a close relationship between Ben and venue staff, helping the day run smoothly. Also, this experience means the best locations for the best wedding photographs are easily found in all kinds of weather, lighting and times of year.
More Information about Leez Priory can be seen here: http://www.countryhouseweddings.co.uk/leez-priory/
