Laura & Chris | The Priesthouse on the River | Castle Donington
What an absolutely awesome couple Laura & Chris were to work with... it was a cold and windy day at one of my favourite venues, The Priesthouse on the River at Castle Donington. I'm so pleased with the results from this wedding and in particular the more documentary style black & white shots amongst this small collection of my favs below.
The first image you see here was one I'd pre empted Laura & Chris too earlier that day... Laura wasn't too keen on staying out in the cold for too long, (or getting her dress or shoes dirty) during the earlier portraits we took... but we had a deal, that we'd cut the outdoor shots short (due to the cold windy weather) and instead I'd shoot some interior portraits and attempt this night-time shot later that evening. The picture was shot at around 9pm that day, and I asked the hotel staff to turn on as many of the front elevation lights as they could to really illuminate the building... i went out to setup the camera on a tripod and do some test shots whilst Laura & Chris waited in the warmth of the lobby before running into the shot... the image was captured in a single 10 second exposure and Chris' dad was my helpful assistant holding the flash behind them to create the rim light around the bride & groom at the end of the exposure, just before the shutter closes. It was crucial Laura & Chris stayed as still as possible for the 10 seconds as the natural ambient light exposure for the 10 seconds could easily have capture the smallest of movements, but they did a great job of staying still in the wind.
What I like about the picture, is the fact there's no photoshop trickery... it's all done in-camera, and I've deliberately left the blown over benches and if you look carefully you can see Chris' dad crouching just behind Laura & Chris as they pose for the shot!!... Yes I could easily Photoshop out the benches and my helpful lighting assistant, but for Laura & Chris these details tell the story of how the shot was created and the experience of it, and in 10 or 20 years time they'll look back on their Wedding album, notice the blown benches and remember, 'Oh yes, it was very windy and cold on the day!...and look there's Dad holding the flash!!' Congratulations Laura & Chris... I hope you love the shots as much as I do!! - Steven
