Light and Timing

Timing

"Time is an illusion, timing is an art." - Stefan Emunds

As we say on our website it's not just about being in the right place - it's also about being there at the right time. Anticipating what is about to happen presents a much better chance of achieving a great shot.

Typically I (Liz) do the bridal prep while Pete does the Groom prep. 

What follows is the story behind the wedding preparation for a wedding near Malvern in April.

I spent the morning with Kate, her Mum and Bridesmaids at a lovely barn conversion beyond Branscombe, Worcestershire. It was a beautiful place and a perfect location for preparing for Kate and Jamie's Wedding.

Things were quite chilled and everyone was having hair and makeup done throughout the morning. The little flower girls were gorgeous and loved getting ready and having their hair and makeup done.

There were clearly some excellent opportunities of light from various windows including the one below at the end of the main bedroom.

This was a perfect spot for makeup. It would be helpful later for my favourite shot of the day.

The little flower girls were playing upstairs so I followed them into one of the bedrooms - they were going to have a party. One stood on a stool to pull the shade down on the velux window. I quickly got a shot as the light changed and a shaft of light focused on her face. 

The cars had arrived. Hair and makeup for everyone had been done. Suddenly time seemed to be flying by and Kate needed to get into her dress, get her final hair/makeup check and we needed to go. 

All the bridesmaids, Kate and her Mum went upstairs to help Kate with her dress. I positioned myself to get shots as the Bride stepped into her dress. 

They also needed to take all their overnight bags and pack up so there was still quite a lot left to do. The Bridesmaids left the room. I could feel the urgency and the weight of expectation for the next part of the day. 

I quickly moved to the other side of the room and took a seat on the floor. Kate sat down on the bed opposite to do up her shoes. 

There was a moment of quiet and peace. 

It was a beautiful moment between Mother and Daughter - Kate's Mum helping Kate with the simple task of doing the straps on her shoes. 

Later on in Church, Kate's Mum would walk her down the aisle and give her daughter away but for now this seemed like a beautiful gesture of a Mother helping her Daughter get ready for this day. 

The simple act was beautiful. The early Spring light was highlighting Kate from the side. I knew as I took the picture that it was a gorgeous image.

This was a significant day among all the days that her Mum had helped her throughout her life.

The timing and the light was perfect.

Kate's Mum left the room to get her things together. It was just Kate and I but it was as though as I wasn't there. Perfect.

I was struck by the symbolism of this moment. Kate, on her own. The single bed. The look of urgency. 

Time to go. Time to be married.


These are the moments we love. Telling a story. Telling the story of this special day frame by frame.

The Winter Engagement Shoot

Pinhole Images provide wedding & event photography with 2 photographers as standard.

Our “Through the Pinhole” blog posts feature either individual images that we love, or, like this one, focus on a particular wedding or event photography session or subject.

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We met Jamie & Kate at the NEC National Wedding Show last year.  They visited our stand and loved our high quality photobooth and our natural style of wedding photography.  So much so that they booked us soon afterwards to be their wedding photographers for their big day later this year. 

But they also liked the idea of a pre-wedding shoot, so on a cold Sunday afternoon in December we met up on location in Worcestershire and spent 90 minutes taking photos at several different spots that we had reccied in advance.

It was certainly cold, but the low winter light was fantastic, casting long shadows and highlighting the colour of the fallen leaves.  

About to walk the future winding road together....

Whether just engaged, already engaged a while or just about to get married, a pre-wedding shoot (or engagement shoot) gives the opportunity to celebrate this stage of your relationship.  I often think it should be called a ‘loveshoot’.

Here, the backlighting from the low winter sun and the breath condensing in the cold air certainly helps to add some atmosphere, and captures the context as well as the image of the couple.

Kate wears a halo from the setting sun

Our wedding photography style is as discreet as possible and captures moments as they unfold. This is sometimes known as documentary photography or reportage photography.  A photojournalism approach - but because we give you 2 photographers rather than one, you get double the amount of coverage.  

We like to make our engagement shoots relaxed too, with the minimum of posed photos.  But there’s no getting away from the fact that the couple is the centre of attention – more so than at the wedding itself, because the only purpose of the session is to have your photo taken.  And there aren’t usually any other guests or events going on as distractions.  Few people are used to being in front of a camera – unless it is for a selfie.

The engagement shoot is an important way for both the couple and the photographer to get to know one another a little better, to have a chat and to get as many natural and memorable photos as possible with the minimum amount of directing along the way.

Usually it doesn’t take long for couples to relax into the role and actually start to enjoy it.  In this case, Kate was soon in the spirit of things as it was her idea to use the lifesaver ring as a prop.

Still waters run deep.

Jamie & Kate had also brought along daughter Ella, together with Bonnie their French Bulldog / Jack Russell cross who added some extra energy and entertainment.

Sorry Bonnie it's not a treat, it's just a camera

One of our chosen locations on the site was a shady woodland glade that made for a good backdrop, but which was quite gloomy for natural light photography.  No problem - this called for our portable studio lighting equipment to be deployed.  Although rarely used on location, it’s invaluable for situations like this.  And having the second photographers helps here too - even though our camera equipment isn't heavy, this adds to what we carry on the day.

It's nice to work with such a photogenic couple!

The object of the exercise is to capture the affection between the couple and their personalities, and I think this shot achieves that quite well.  This picture has been well liked on social media channels, and for me shows the dynamic between Jamie and Kate, as well as indicating the fact that it is winter!

An affectionate moment - and a giver of warmth 

This picture is processed in black & white as in my opinion the colour distracts from the subjects, but we also provide clients with the colour version for them to decide.  Photography is an art, not a science, and is subjective in the eye of the viewer.

And then it was back to the sunset.  For a pre-wedding shoot we like to find a venue that has some meaning.  This location is where Jamie & Kate’s wedding reception will be held, in the countryside that they love close to where they live.  We are hoping for similarly good weather for their wedding....

A lake, a big sky, some hills.  A lovely backdrop

There are usually lots of guests at a wedding and few opportunities for shots of the couple alone.  It is also a more formal event, so an engagement shoot gives an opportunity for some more informal photos to accompany the wedding photos when they are produced.

You could use the photos produced for save the date cards, thank-you cards or perhaps in some other way on your wedding day.  Project them at the reception venue perhaps.  Use your creativity! It is also a great opportunity for you to see the photographer in action and the quality of their work in advance. 

Some couples ask a friend or relative to be their wedding photographer.  That might be a good subject for another blog post.  And if you are considering doing that, why not ask them to do an engagement shoot with you in advance too?  The same logic applies and it will be good experience for you both.

Autumn, winter and spring are in many ways better for photography than summer (when the light can be very harsh).  So if you have a summer wedding, do consider an engagement shoot in winter, or spring or autumn.  Your wedding photographer will probably thank you too – as he or she is probably very busy in the summer months.  

And you will be have some photos of you and your partner to cherish.

Reflecting on the important year ahead...

Pinhole Images provide wedding & event photography with 2 photographers as standard.

Our “Through the Pinhole” blog posts feature either individual images that we love, or, like this one, focus on a particular wedding or event photography session or subject.

To see future posts and be the first to hear about our special offers and events please subscribe to our Newsletter.  

Congratulations on your Engagement!

Christmas and New Year are traditionally very romantic times for marriage proposals to be made.  

"Congratulations" if you are recently engaged! 

Copenhagen Main Square

In this post I'll reveal some of the reasons why Pete and I love doing Wedding Photography and why it means so much to us to be involved in capturing the special moments, the shared joys and the love of family and friends.

If the ring were real it would have a name!

I remember getting engaged in December so well.

It was a wonderfully romantic setting with snow gently falling outside the restaurant as Pete proposed. We walked to the main square after a beautiful meal in Copenhagen where the Christmas Tree was lit with fairy lights.  I knew that this was one of the happiest days of my life.

And yes, it is a very, very large ring! It it were real it would probably have a name - Kohinoor or something...

I like to think that he proposed with this ring for dramatic effect but also because if I'd said "No" he would only have invested £30 in a piece of costume jewellery from the airport!

We replaced it after Christmas a few weeks later with a beautiful engagement ring from the Birmingham Jewellery Quarter that we chose together. 



Within a month we were planning our wedding and within two we were married. 

The setting was Seven Mile Beach in the Cayman Islands where I had worked as a scuba diving instructor. It had special memories for me and it was a beautiful backdrop as the sun set. My best friend was my best woman and we were married by the Reverend Meghoo! 

As photographers we spent a lot of time researching the top wedding photographers in the Cayman Islands. In the end we spent more on our photographer than we did on our hotel! That probably says a lot.

Our final choice was Rebecca Davidson. She is a superb photographer based on Grand Cayman and is quite an inspiration. We loved her style and her approach. She made us feel like movie stars and we instantly relaxed in front of the camera. 

When we came home we had a Blessing and a big marquee party in the summer - it was the perfect combination for us.

Rebecca inspired us and we loved the process. We often look back on the photos or play the slideshow set to romantic music. We love to help couples enjoy their wedding day as much as we did.

These are a few things that we worked out - 

• Every engagement is different. 
• Yours will be as unique as you are and as your wedding will be.
• Enjoy each moment as you plan your future lives together. 
• Be authentic and true to yourselves.  
• Work out what is important to you - it's a great starting point for your plans.
• Check out different photographers' websites and get a feel for the styles on offer - Instagram is great for this. 

Please visit our website and view our Wedding Portfolio Selection.   Get a feel for our images and see if you like them. If you do, feel free to call us to discuss. We can arrange to meet (or Skype) and talk through your ideas and answer any questions.

We'd love to be part of your day in the way that Rebecca was for us.

Here are a few of Rebecca's images which we absolutely love.  

West Bay, Grand Cayman

West Bay, Grand Cayman

West Bay, Grand Cayman

Seven Mile Beach

Cayman Islands Photos by Rebecca Davidson

Thank you for visiting our Blog!

Congratulations to our December Prize Draw Winner!

Congratulations to Tom and Jemma who were delighted to receive the news that they had won our December 2016 Prize Draw Competition. 

They won 50% off the cost of their booking! Yay! 

Jemma and her Mum visited our stand at the National Wedding Show in October 2016.

The Photo Cart on our stand at the National Wedding Show

The Pinhole Images Photo Cart at the National Wedding Show

Sunglasses 

Having tried it out at the Show they decided to book Pinhole Images for their wedding at The Nash, Kempsey, Worcestershire in July 2017. It's an amazing venue - an Elizabethan manor house which we had to visit to ensure we could set it up (there's only one 13amp plug in the hall!). There could be antlers as a backdrop along with some Jacobean linenfold oak panelling. 

Jemma said - "Tom and I are  delighted and very excited to have the Pinhole Images Photo Cart at our wedding next summer - we were always keen to have a photo booth but were concerned we wouldn't find anything that fitted with our period venue, so the cart is perfect!"

You can see the Photo Cart for yourself on our stand at the next National Wedding Show at the NEC, Birmingham from 3-5 March 2017.

Jemma and her Mum at the National Wedding Show Birmingham

St Richard's Snowdrop Ball 2016

What a great night! There were some absolutely epic photos from guests at the Snowdrop Ball. 

The Pinhole Images Pod Photobooth was busy all night. The largest number of guests in one picture was 18! 

The Roaming Photos can be found on this link to the St Richard's Hospice folder.

Visit our Photobooth gallery to see the Photobooth Photos. These photos are designed for sharing and downloading. Share the photobooth love!

If you would like printed photos as 6" x 9" or as a JPEG (without our website logo) please follow the instructions on the gallery pages.

Part of the proceeds go to St Richard's Hospice

St Richard's Staff getting into the photobooth groove in style

Shark!

Merry Christmas!

Creative!

Maybe there are 18!

Add caption

Photo Booth for Team Building Evening - Casino Royale

The customer, Tavistock Financial plc, in conjunction with an event management company had designed a Team Building event at an hotel in Cheltenham. Pinhole Images were a asked to provide the Pod Photobooth for over five hours as part of the evening entertainment. The theme was "Casino Royale". The customer planned to transform a room that had been used during the day for presentations into a casino for the evening complete with poker tables and croupiers. In the foyer the Photobooth would provide entertainment for guests.

Pinhole Pod Setup at Cheltenham Hotel

The key points were:

  * Short setup time within the constraints of the event timings

  * The evening theme to be a surprise for the delegates

  * Themed props

  * Fun and entertaining photobooth

The client did not require any logo or wording on the photos. They wanted high quality 6" x 4" output with a dark background.

Lots of Props - Casino Royale Themed including a shark (stuffed)

The Pod in action

The event was a great success and the feedback from the Director who organised the event summarised our Pod Photobooth with a glowing recommendation:

"Excellent service from @pinholeimages on Thursday evening. If you are looking for a fun way to capture your evening, look no further!"

and from the administrator of the event -

"The photos look amazing! Everyone had a marvellous time – you and Peter did an amazing job! We’ll definitely be in touch for future events."

The Pod is really fast but demand was very high!

If you are looking for a way for capturing photographs of your customers or clients, the Pod Photobooth can provide a focal point for the evening entertainment. On screen images of the photos that have been taken, re-printing and sharing to email via a second screen add to the "entertainment" value of the Pod, beyond that of the standard photobooth.

The Pod is fast too so queues are minimised. Instant prints can also be used to capture guests as they arrive with or without props. Compared to a normal event photographer, it is faster for customers to get their prints and generally preferred by customers as they can check their pose before the photo is taken, unlike with an event photographer.  

Instant prints give everyone a wonderful memento of your evening.

We've been nominated! Three Counties Wedding Awards!

We were chuffed to bits to find we'd been nominated for the Three Counties Wedding Awards for Best Photobooth for Worcestershire.

We need your vote! So, if you've used our Photobooth or Photography and liked it please follow the links below.

Pinhole Images Nominated for Three Counties Wedding Awards

VOTE FOR US HERE. Use the code for Pinhole Images WR19 - PI2017

Just a few reminders of our Photobooth Highlights - follow this link for a selection of our Pinhole Photobooths Photos from 2016.

Thank you from Pete and Liz