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.

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!

St Richard's 1920's Ball at Malvern College

As a result of the Business Breakfast event, we were invited to the St Richard's 1920s Ball to feature our Photobooth and do some roaming photography. 

What a great event.

Malvern College is located on the side of the Malvern Hills. We were blessed with a fine evening. The setup was fabulous and the College had generously supplied the marquee and interiors for the event on the back of their Leavers Ball the night before. The staff were working throughout the day to clear up after the teenagers (!) so it was impressive that by the time we came to set up in the afternoon it looked amazing.  There was plenty of space for everyone including a Casino and our Photobooth in the marquee.

Bubbles in the marquee

Tescos donated the champers

Striking Black and White theme

Malvern College

The Pavilion and Marquee

The Black and White theme was striking. 

Our Pinhole Pod was centred in the marquee and with its colour-changing LED lights it looked great. We had sourced some additional props for the event to fit the 1920s theme although some of the guests really didn't need any props at all! 

As well as our Photobooth with props, we did some roving photography and produced a short video of a selection of the photos. The ragtime, 1920s theme seemed appropriate.

More Roaming Photos can be found on this link.

The Pod Photobooth Photos are on this link.