Shannan & Richard's Wedding Story
The Granary Estates–Woodditton Newmarket
Well, this was one of my long awaited Covid postponed weddings at a venue that I was supposed to have covered multiple times that year but never got to go. I first started speaking to these guys back in 2020 and they booked as part of a Christmas offer, I was running. With a tight deadline looming, we did not have time for an initial consult, so the first time I met them was in fact a week before their day, nearly two years after booking. It was clear from the outset that these guys were really laid back, which is always a good sign, as it makes working with couples so much easier. I also got the impression that Shannan may be a little shy. That being said, this was the first time that we had met and quite oftenyou never really get the real person to begin with. Half of my job is bringing that out and that only happens by building a relationship and trust with your couples. In fact, this is perhaps the most important part of my job. Building a healthy, honest and joyful relationship with clients does two things to aid me in creating a successful wedding collection. It aids me in bringing out the real them, but also it helps clients to relax around me and enjoy the day as they would have without a camera following them all day, and as I found out Shannan was not actually shy at all.
So, the day finally came, and it was a gorgeous summer morning. Not to hot but perfect lighting. The cottage over the road from the venue was in full swing with bridesmaids everywhere. Clearly comfortable in my presence from the start I got straight to work with dress, shoes and other attire. There were some nice details at this wedding as well, that produced the kind of shots that appear in a collection and mean nothing to an outsider, but everything to the couple. This really was a fantastic morning, from playful flower girls to bridesmaids freely discussing, shall we say, personal anatomy issues. I put it down to the level of comfort that I provided through my personality hahahaha.I may have invested in my relationship with my client at this point, however I have no relationship with the rest of the wedding party, so on wedding morning this is my first challenge, invest, and invest quickly with the wider wedding party. Be myself and instantly engage in conversation. There is nothing worse, or more uncomfortable than the silent mysterious photographer at the back of the room taking images of bridesmaids as they prepare themselves in front of the mirror. As we began to close in on the ceremony start time Shannans father popped his head through the door so see her. As he enters the front door, I am stood behind Shannan shooting over her shoulder but with her still in the image. Her father could not contain himself. As the tears flowed, I began to respectfully capture the moment. This was clearly a close family, which was exciting as there would surely be a wealth of these sorts of moments to come.This was just the beginning of the story.
So, on to the wedding. The barn at the estates was beautifully lined with candles and chair decorations. It really did look special and so perfectly complimented Shannans dress as she came slowly but excitedly down the aisle, looking at Richard as if he was her first ever crush. Such love and smiles in the room, but none more so than these guys. The kind of looks as if neither could believe their luck. The sun beaming in through the barns highly situated windows created such a special atmosphere, as if even nature itself was celebrating with them. After the ceremony came congratulations and celebrations in the Granary Estates stunning courtyard area. Obviously, you invite friends and family to your wedding but it was clear to see that even their friends were as close as family members and so I set to work capturing these moments and interactions, in a documentary, over the shoulder type fashion. Some photographers will make a point of stating that they specialise in documentary style shooting. The truth is that we all specialise in document ary style photography, as in reality, that is exactly what ninety percent of the day is.
Later that evening I managed to coerce them both on a couples shoot and if I could ask you to please picture the scene. At this time of year, I like to leave my couples shoots until later in the day, normally after food. The sun was low and glowing as it began its decent beyond the horizon. The beautiful Granary Estates is set in the countryside, surrounded by fields trees and hedgerows, even a small lake on the property. This would be my first area of interest. I like to plan a route with my couples, it just helps to make the shoot more dynamic, and it also makes the whole thing just feel more natural. I gave them instructions to walk up along the hedgerow and passed the lake, meanwhile I’m over the other side with a telephoto lens capturing them as they take a romantic walk and stop in the opening for an intimate kiss. The light breeze is agitating the tree branches to and frow as they framed Richard and Shannan in the clearing, the depth in the field beyond and the treeline in the distance, even the low glow of the sun manages to capture them in this space, as if it were following them everywhere. We then moved on to the tall grasses just beyond the lake where I used the grass to diffuse the foreground and help the eye to concentrate on the detail of Richard and Shannans intimacy with each other. They embrace and shared looks with each other, as if it were that sudden realisation of the vows that they have just shared and their excitement of their life ahead. As the sun began to fade away, we moved on to a large tree hanging swing that sat beside the cottage where Shannan had got ready earlier in the day. They had a gorgeous moment together here, watching the sun descend into the moody clouds as I captured those last moments of open sunshine. Shooting from behind them as Shannan is sat on the swing and Richard is stood by her side watching the sunset and that last frame where the sun is almost gone but that last thin burst of light that’s just trying to hold on remains, before all light everywhere goes flat and submits to the day. Such a perfect end to such a perfect day and what an image to end the story on. Its this skill that really defines a wedding photographer. Its not just taking perfectly lit images or capturing moments, it’s about the entire collection. There is a story to be told, an emotion to portray and a feel that allows the mind to imagine experiencing it with them.
I tend to treat wedding day like a child in a free candy shop. I am looking to fill my basket up with as many treats as possible before the shop shuts. This way when it comes to the e dit I have a huge wealth of magical moments to master, so that I may deliver them to my couple with the feel and atmosphere of my timeless approach when it comes to post production. I tell all my couples that we’ll make magic together and there is no better example than this shoot. Having sent over the images two weeks after the wedding, it became evident that I had indeed managed to make all their dreams come true. The absolute best part of my job is seeing the reaction once I share a collection. Boy I love my job!
Ps. The second part? Shannan after a few drinks giving me a big hug and telling me to call her whenever I manage to book destination weddings in exotic places, so that she can come with me as my assistant lol. So if you are reading this and you are interested in booking a photographer for your destination wedding then I would love to hear from you, plus you will get two for the price of one haha.
