Wedding Couple Portraits
I am mainly a documentary wedding photographer – I want to impact your day as little as possible, because I see the day as sacrosanct and I want to capture the real stories, the real emotions and keeping my hands and influence out of that wherever possible is one of the things that keeps the day flowing.
Having said that – couples often want to step away from the day and get some relaxed wedding day couple portraits of the two of them together.
I don’t really think of it as a photoshoot. What your portrait session should be is some quiet time away from the hustle and bustle, where you can breathe and enjoy each other’s company.
So that’s my philosophy.
(If you want to read article for photographers on this subject – you can read it here)
Love having your photo taken? Me neither
I hate being posed and manoeuvred too. Especially when I have a camera pointed at me. It would make anyone feel awkward. So what I want to do, ideally, is just take you for a walk… find some nice light and let you be yourselves in it. I want to capture the context – the setting of the wedding. But most importantly I want to capture you and your relationship.
We can do a cheesy one for gran’s mantelpiece too(in fact, we totally should) – but I just want to make some photos that you recognise yourselves in. I don’t want you to look back at your photos and see an expertly posed interchangeable couple. Like you’re a couple of shop mannequins.
Of course you’re going to feel awkward at first, but if we work through that we can capture something really special.
Natural Light Portraits
I love working in natural light and really have trained myself to see the world the camera sees it. I do very occasionally use off camera flash (if everything has gone really dark!) – but I usually get a better connection with people using the natural light to make photos.
And there’s usually some beautiful light to be found – even when it’s cold and rainy outside. We just have to find it.
When to do your Wedding Day Portraits
I always love doing them after the meal whenever I can (this is so much easier in the summer months). Sometime between 6pm and 9pm we’ll usually enter golden hour and the light is soft, warm and directional.
The other bonus is that I think couples are so much more relaxed at this time – they’re no longer thinking about the ceremony, or group shots or speeches.
So we usually go for a little walk in the evening and do the thing.
Being yourselves for authentic portraits
I’m really keen not to push you into being anything you’re not. We don’t all want to be James Bond or Disney princesses or any other stereotype or archetype. And I really don’t want to assume anything about you on your wedding day.
Some people are quiet and introverted, others have higher energy. Some people are very physically affectionate – others not so…. and that’s all good. As I said before – what I really want to capture is a ‘You’ that you recognise.
About Simon
I’m a Derby wedding photographer with an alternative, documentary style. If you’d like to discuss me coming along for your big day and making some photos, please drop me a line