I was a bit nervous about this as I'd been volunteered by Lou to be the 'official' photographer. As I couldn't get into the Royal Cambridge Hotel to check out the venue I got a large reflector disc, checked the flash worked and hoped for the best. As it happened the day was really sunny so the reflector wasn't needed. The manager of the hotel was, frankly, a pain in the rectum - kept getting his head in the way of the lens, pi**ing about and being a general nuisance.
After the ceremony and 'signing the book' shots we went across the road to the Leys school. As it was really sunny I did the formal shots under the trees (giving the wrinklies some shade). The "Reservoir Bridegroom" shots cam out pretty well: all standing about in shades looking in different directions. In fact it looked so good the bride and co demanded that I did the same with them! For the next shots I got the bridal party to link arms and walk away from the camera, turn round and walk back - this provoked some laughter (people turning the wrong way, despite being linked) and provided some excellent shots.
There is an old stone staircase at the Leys so I got Sarah & Charlie to climb up and took some pictures of them looking through the 'windows' and then got the bridesmaids and groomsmen up as well. On a visit to the school earlier in the week, we'd noticed a "School Shop' sign above the entrance to the staircase so we got some lollies and handed them to Charlie and his mates and got them to pose like overgrown kids (they didn't need much, if any, encouragement!). It was a bit of a silly idea but the lads played along and the photos are really good/quirky. After that it was back to the hotel to be greeted by Pimms, eating, photographing the speeches etc. I also managed to get the bouquet flying across the car park.
Things to remember (4 next time):
* Get people to lean towards the central figure(s) as this creates a sense of intimacy and focuses the image better.
* If the bridesmaids are wearing low-cut tops (and especially if they are 'top heavy') try to discourage them from bending over too much!
* keep an eye out for 'reportage' shots using a long-ish lens to shoot from a distance without disturbing the subject - great for shooting kids or those who hate being photographed.
* Try and keep an eye on how much your other half/assistant is imbibing - I didn't and had to deal with a very "tired and emotional" Lou .....
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