An unusual wedding photo

I must stop defending photographic manipulation because I don't think that I need to. I believe that when I take out oil stains on the road or remove the white lines then people appreciate that the photo has improved. I did this with the photo on the left. I didn't add any sunshine as we had a lovely day in sunny Morecambe.

The reason why I am showing these photos is because it was my last wedding two weeks ago and I have shown this couple's photos to three more prospective brides and grooms. They have all booked me and all commented that they liked these particular photos. I give copyright to the bride and groom and in return I ask to use their photos in the blog and on the website. It works to my benefit because they are a great advert and it works to their benefit because friends and family see their photos throughtout the world. It is very unusual to see the photo on the right on my website or in a blog as I have to ask permission for more people to have their photos included, but it does show another manipulation and there is usually a spontaneous comment as to how people like photos like this type of photo.

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This photo has been manipulated

This photo has been manipulated. I thought I'd better let you know because an MP is trying to bring in the need to make this clear if manipulated photos are used as adverts that are aimed at children (see yesterday's blog). Well this might be an advert for bracelets or hooped T-shirts and if it is an advert then you may be able to read the mind of the advertiser and decide that this message is going to children. These children may not be able to detect that this is the same photo five times. Children may be fooled to think that there are five very similar people that stood in a strange juxtaposition. One happened to be black and white, one sepia, one that looked like a pencil drawing and one that had an exceptionally high contrast.

I know that this MP has started a debate with the best of intentions. Children may develop a poor body image if all the magazine photos show perfect models. It is just an argument that I can't agree with. Ban airbrushing and only 'perfect' models will be hired. If I take weeds out of the lawn then this imitates the same lawn that has just been cut. Pick up the litter on the computer or literally pick it up. Put a model in the best possible light or recreate that light on the computer. If this idea becomes legislation it will be unworkable. Policing it would be impossible and everyone would still want their picture to put them in the best possible light.

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More manipulations

Before I leave the pre-wedding meeting from Saturday I will show you the statue of Oliver Cromwell. History is written by the victors and Cromwell was victorious at Wythenshawe Hall, hence the statue. When I take photos at a wedding I am much more interested in gestures, in momentary events, in smiles. So the techniques that I use are totally different from a landscape photographer. If I wanted a picture of this statue then I would have waited for better weather. I would have taken my tripod and I would have taken time to find the best viewpoint. As it happened I just turned round and took a photo as I was only looking for backgrounds for photographs.

When I saw this photo I cropped it. I increased the contrast and then I sharpened it. Each stage of manipulation made the photo a little nicer. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but the big debate on the website called Liberal Democrat Voice is whether airbrushing should be allowed in children's advertising. I was drawn into the comments page and I have written about it in my politics blog. Legislation to avoid manipulation would not be workable and/or it would cause a move towards more expensive photo shoots and 'perfect' models. Let's not have beauty police but just explain that simple computer techniques enhance photographs. In fact anyone with computer skills can join in and amend their photographs.

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Did you see the leaves?

The pre-wedding meeting looked at the reception at Wythenshawe Hall but the church is St Ann's in Manchester. If you know the church then you may know St Ann's Passage that connects the church to King Street. It was used on Saturday as a possible wet weather option to get the church in the background. During these meetings I am not greatly concerned about expressions as I am looking at backgrounds. Expression takes priority on the day but for the moment we are just looking for viewpoints.

The photo on the right is the same photo and it is only when I cropped the photo, made it sepia and put a vignette around them that I noticed the tree. It really makes a big difference and I will be looking for that tree if the opportunity arises. This reminds me of the quote from the photographer Dorothea Lange, 'the camera is an instrument to teach people how to see without a camera'. I need a few photo manipulations as well. I knew that I had removed the bags, there were no shop windows (and no letters on the groom's shirt) but the leaves really help the cropped photo.

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Wythenshawe Hall 2

I am pleased to have visited Wythenshawe Hall (see yesterday's blog). The reason that I was there was for a pre-wedding meeting and one of the main reasons for the meeting is to see where the main group photo can be taken. These photos can be taken anywhere as the family and friends are the most important aspect of the wedding, but if this photo can be combined with a background of the venue then so much the better.

There are no two walls that are parallel at Wythenshawe Hall, but from this angle it is very difficult to tell. Not only do you get the hall as a background, but a third of the photo is lawn and this looks good too. I have not done any manipulations to the lawn. No weed has been uprooted. If a dandelion dares to show itself on the day then I will go round with the weedkiller (alright photo manipulation). Plans may change on the day but this may well be the site for some groups.

From this angle there is no need to remove the pedestal and sign. In fact there is another sign telling us the hall is open. However in this case there is no point in disguising the age of the photo. The bride and groom are there telling everyone it is a modern photo and when the groups are there you won't see the signs anyway.

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Wythenshawe Hall

This is Wythenshawe Hall in Manchester. It is a beautiful Tudor house which played a part in the English Civil War. Oliver Cromwell successfully fought here so he gets quite a large statue which is just behind where I took this photo. Well it's a couple of hundred metres away but it's not far. This photo was taken by the gate. If you go a bit further back you will take a photo of the wall surrounding the hall so here is the best position but it is just a little too close. There are converging verticals, but Wythenshawe Hall is not a conventional building. I am not sure if there are two lines in the walls that are parallel. It looks like it is falling over but I wanted to show it in a better light.

In the photo on the right I have done my best to straighten the walls and stop it looking like it is falling over. Look a little closer. I have taken out the sign in the central garden area and just behind the sign is a pedestal that I have also removed. I thought that black and white would give it a look more fitting to its age and I also wanted to highlight its Tudor character so I increased the contrast in the black and white. For good measure I tidied up the drive.

Having made all these changes, I did take photos at an angle from the corner of the grounds and then you don't notice the lack of Tudor verticals.

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Can you see their souls?

On the 30th January I wrote about emotion in photography and I mentioned the Canadian photographer Yousuf Karsh. In 1999 Karsh was awarded a lifetime achievement award by the Canadian Association of Photographers. At the same time they gave a similar award to another Canadian photographer called Ted Grant.

I know it is a tenuous link but last month I had a quote from Ted Grant as my quote of the month on my website at www.gradwellphotography.co.uk The quote is 'when you photograph people in colour you are photographing their clothes. When you photograph them in B&W, you photograph their souls'. Can you see the souls on the right? I don't know about you but I can still see clothes.

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