Catherine & Jez | St Matthew's Darley Abbey | Dovecliffe Hall Hotel

Catherine & Jez's Wedding took place on a beautiful summer's day, which always makes for more dramatic high contrast images. But this makes it doubly more challenging for any photographer, with harsh bright sunlight causing people to squint, strong shadows and high contrast throughout... but I'm always up for a challenge!!

On day's such as this I normally carry a large white reflector, and use lots of fill in flash, which normally leads to many guests asking 'Why do you need flash in this lovely weather?'... if i had a pound for everytime I've been asked that I'd be a rich man. Having an assistant comes in very handy for all the portraiture where the reflector is nearly always required and thanks to Gavin for helping out on this wedding too.

The opportunity for some amazing backlit shots is also possible with bright sunlight, as you can see I've tried to make the most of this with the portrait shots taken in the South facing doorway of Dovecliffe Hall, which is a beautiful house set in large established and well tended gardens and lawns, creating some lovely spots for bride & groom portraiture.

There's a particularly nice area covered with summer wildflowers which I've made a feature image out of (see below). A few of my favourites here! I hope you like them as much as I enjoyed shooting them! best wishes to Catherine & Jez! Happy Honeymoon! - Steven