More backgrounds

I had not been to yesterday's venue and the same is true of today's. It is good to find the best backgrounds and it may be that they choose to use the background on the left. The photo on the right could be anywhere. It has a disadvantage in that you do not recognise where you are, but it has the advantage in that you don't have to be concerned about guests or members of the public in the background.

I don't tend to manipulate photos from pre-wedding meetings. There were one or two weeds on the right (none on the left) and I just felt that monochrome worked.

Happy snapping

Wonderful Venues

This pre-wedding meeting, like many others, highlights the beautiful places that form part of my work. If I were not a wedding photographer then I would not have seen this building or grounds. The two photographs were taken a few yards from each other and we managed to get many different and wonderful backgrounds in the space of a few yards.

The groom isn't present because this is where the bride is getting ready, but now that I have seen the photographs I will put it to them that we should return here after the wedding. I would like th opportunity to take the photo on the left with a few slight amendments and the wedding car in the foreground. Athough this home is not the venue for the reception, it is so easy to get a lot of great photos in a short space of time that it would be really nice if we could get back here after the ceremony.

Happy snapping

How to save a few seconds

Pre-wedding meetings are mostly about checking with the bride and groom where they want their photos. We talk through the day and look for those backgrounds.

There is also the chance to talk through some poses including one like this. Look at the two photos and you will see a difference between them. I know one is colour and the other is monochrome with a vignette, but if you look a little closer you will see that the street light is missing. It only takes a few seconds to remove it but I am now aware of it and knowing this may save me those few seconds on the computer.

Happy snapping

Candid and posed photos

This is a pre-wedding meeting and the photo on the left was the first photo that I took. It is more usual to take photos of backgrounds for the venues but I didn't hesitate to take this photo after a slip on the grass. I remember the first time that a wedding guest was crying. I hesitated to take the photo but I haven't hesitated since then. You don't get the option of whether you like a photo if it is never taken.

The photo on the right is a much more common photo. This pose shows off the back of the dress and allows the couple to get used to the type of photo that I want on the day. I think that preparation is always useful and the couple are almost used to the poses before the day itself.

Happy snapping

Christopher Murphy

I received this caricature in the post yesterday. I have bought a few of Chris Murphy's sketches for other family members but they are so good that I finally decided to get one for myself. They are definitely flattering as I am willing to show you this photo but I generally like to stay behind the camera. You will find many more examples of his work at http://www.christophermurphy.co.uk/index.html

A couple are getting married in August and I have asked them and Chris if I can use their sketch to give him an advert on my website. I look forward to adding this to my homepage.

On his website you will see that his sketch often appears in the top corner of the page. I'm not sure if you can call it a motif if it varies but I must ask him about putting this caricature on my website.

Happy snapping

Zenith EM

I read a book recently entitled 'Lee Frost's Simple Art of Black and White Photography'. The introduction attracted me to the book because I am a similar age to the author (well I am slightly older but I won't go into detail) and we both owned the same SLR as teenagers - a Zenith EM. It was well known as a basic camera and for its good lens, but the main advantage was that it was a cheap. There was a simple light meter built into the camera but you didn't have to worry about buying batteries because there weren't any.

The lack of automation meant that anyone who used this camera had to know about light readings, exposure, shutter speeds and apertures. You had to know the basic physics of photography. If you didn't then there was no point in buying an SLR. I used to make jokes about one day they would invent a camera you could just point and shoot. They were around but they were more expensive, and if you bought one of them then you didn't need to understand how the camera worked.

Happy snapping

Portrait manipulations

I took this portrait on Saturday and I gave the CDRom back on Monday along with 52 prints. This was one of my favourites. I like it because of their expressions but also because of the digital manipulations. I extended my black background (£4.50 from the market) to make it look like it was a huge background in a huge room. It wasn't. I also like the high contrast monochrome version on the right. take a close look and you will see that there is a 'barn door' effect. The bottom of the photo is a little darker. Again this was all done by manipulation. Why bother buying specific lighting effects when a click of a button will do it?

Happy snapping