This was a fantastic event and it was a sheer pleasure to be able to document it all. Guests were incredibly nice and tactful and everyone had a brilliant time. All in all I have delivered over 600 photos and as always a mix of quality colour and black & white images. More and more couples request b&w photography and that suits me quite well because I am a huge fan of black and white. In fact that’s how I started with photography, b&w film and darkroom development. Today I do everything in digital but my love for monochromatic images remains very strong. Of course there are some images which I think tend to look much better and more expressive in colour. It really depends on the images.

Needless to say this wedding was a magnificent affair with over 80 guests for the reception and over 110 guests for the disco. As a wedding photographer in Nottingham I love working at venues such as the Colwick Hall Hotel where there is plenty of spots for nice portraits, both inside as well as outside the hotel. There are two beautiful water fountains, one in front of the entrance to the venue and the other in the garden area. The venue is large enough to accommodate two weddings simultaneously, however they usually try to host one wedding at a time. The Colwick Hall Hotel is also available for conferences and other business and social events. There is plenty of space to stroll around and admire the views of the adjacent Colwick Park.

This was a very relaxed wedding with brilliant crowd. After the first dance the bride did the best bride and father dance I have ever seen done at a wedding. This will surely be remembered by all the guests and I think it’s always a good idea to try to make each wedding unique and memorable in an interesting way. This is a perfect time to show your family what you’re made of!

As a Nottingham wedding photographer I know most of the wedding venues in Nottingham and the surrounding areas so it is always a treat to be photographing at an interesting venue that I haven’t seen before. The first thing to do of course is to scout the new location with utmost vigilance and try to find nice spots for the bride and groom portraits. This is quite important because these portraits are usually the only shots that will reveal the actual vibe of the surrounding areas. The other important thing that I always try to do is get to know the venue and its management. Knowing my way around the venue and being on friendly terms with its staff always helps on the wedding day. I feel more comfortable shooting at a venue where people know me and understand what I’m trying to achieve.

This was a wonderful wedding. The weather was perfect for such a glorious event, not a drop of rain and with a lot of sun. The bride and groom hired a piano player to provide live background music in the garden where refreshments were being served after the wedding ceremony. Personally I think this was a grand idea. Not only did he make the guests feel more relaxed with his jazzy virtuoso but he also added another dimension to the whole experience. Some couples hire a harp player or a saxophone or guitar player. I think any type of live performance during the welcoming drinks is a very good idea and not necessarily an expensive one. Remember that they only play during the refreshments and they are only there to provide so called background music for about 40 minutes. This is the time when your family wants to socialise and they will not be paying much attention to the performance so it doesn’t have to be top class. Perhaps you can get away with hiring an accomplished music student that needs some extra cash for his studies. Generally it shouldn’t cost more then £200 but I think that in many cases is less than £100.

The Portland Building could be an obvious choice for Nottingham University students and graduates. Because the interior of this building is quite modern and bright it is very well suited for wedding photography. Buildings with big windows and plenty of natural light shining through make it a lot easier for a photographer to get sharp and clear pictures. The reception room is painted quite bright and so speedlight can be bounced off the walls and the ceiling without any major colour distortions. On a bright day you could probably shoot without flash on a higher ISO setting, probably about 1600 and f5.6. I remember that the service team was really well organised and impeccably dressed. The food was delicious and served as an open buffet which I think worked wonders because it gave all the guests more opportunity to mingle…and families need to mingle, especially at a wedding.

The Carriage Hall is a popular choice for many couples in Nottingham. At a recent wedding at the Carriage Hall I’ve noticed they have added new features to their outside gardens. They have added few more benches and chairs which is not much but definitely helps with photography and being able to produce more varied work quickly without long marches from one location to another. I have also managed to find additional spots for bride and groom portraits not too far from the venue. Unfortunately during this wedding, due to weather and time constraints, we did not have the time to do any bride and groom portraits. Most wedding photojournalists don’t take any staged bride and groom portraits. It is our job to only document the event as an outsider but that does not mean that none bride and groom portraits are taken during the day. Most guests have cameras and smart phones with which they take plenty of pictures often unknowingly forcing the newlyweds into poses. All you’ve got to do at that time is to be there and capture the right moments.

I love photographing outside Nottingham and especially in secluded places such as the Royal Arms in Sutton Cheney. The drive over there was a nice adventure on its own, I must admit. GPS signal was strong but unfortunately without very precise location. All was good in the end and I got to the initial meeting on time but I’ve decided to always have a map with me just in case. Relying on your GPS alone can prove to be a big mistake. When a wedding photographer is late for a wedding he’s been hired to document, it is very unprofessional and at best, will cost a future recommendation. In my book it’s unacceptable, however one must keep in mind that we’re only human and unfortunately very much a subject to outside forces often beyond our control.

The Hemsley may be a popular choice for couples who study at the Nottingham University. The grounds around the venue have plenty of nice spots that can serve as a background for photo portraits. You won’t have to walk far, which is a big advantage because that also saves time. During this wedding we went for a nice short walk and I took pictures in various areas. I kept my distance to give the newlyweds some room to breathe. /naturally, this required the use of a telephoto lens. I like to keep my distance when I’m shooting portraits, although this largely depends on the nature of the portrait. I think it brings out the best of the couple since they feel more at ease. Most newlyweds are not professional models and one must keep that in mind. Many couples won’t be able to relax completely when the photographer is standing too close to them. Imagine kissing your love one right in front of a stranger who keeps clicking the shutter a meter away from you. How relaxed could you be?

I think it’s extremely important that guests are accepting and allow you to proceed with your job without any hindrance. In most cases this is a norm, however there are always exceptions. Guests can for example block you views and be unwilling to move at your request, or keep asking you various open-ended questions when you’re trying focus on documenting the wedding for the bride and groom. The most problematic is always the group shot when you have to move the entire congregation to specific setting and compose the scene a bit. A group shot is usually the most formal shot taken on the day. Sometimes some guests are unwilling to move into the set scene for a number of reasons. They are either tired and can’t be bothered or have an interesting conversation they don’t want to interrupt, or quite simply they don’t want to be photographed at all. In contrast, there those guests, that will make your day super special. Some guests will even offer to buy you a drink for a job well done. I feel bad to turn down such warm gestures, but as a professional photographer hired to document a wedding, I can’t allow myself to get too comfortable. After all, I’m paid to work.