Andy & Gemma - Wedding

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Hey folks, here's my second wedding, of which I was lucky enough to travel to Italy to Andy & Gemma's wedding. I have chosen a few of my favourites from the day to post here then a link to around 100 images on the blog if anyone cares to see them as a set.

There weren't too many (hardly any) posed photos of the couple in this wedding, partly as they didn't really want many and partly because of the time constraints. Everything was so close together it was non stop after they left for the ceremony!

Again, there are things I have seen and decided to work on/rectify going forwards in striving to improve at this. I have had a couple more bookings lately which is a positive sign too from potential customers. Anyway, here we go....

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Link to the blog post *CLICKY*

Thanks for looking. :)
 
Nice work Gareth - love the reflected boat shot and the one of her at the doors. Looks like a perfect setting and no doubt will bring you a lot of bookings off the back of it.

Getting a wedding to go the way you want it to, in order to get the shots you want is a skill in itself. It'll come with having more confidence in what you do.
 
No2 is an absolute cracker Gareth- some really nice images on the Blog too, I'll put money on they absolutely love them

Les ;)
 
theurbanclown said:
Getting a wedding to go the way you want it to, in order to get the shots you want is a skill in itself.
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Bloody hell Ben, who's the wedding for? The couple or the snapper?

Whatever, nice ones, Gareth. I'd zap the sign in the first one and that bit of light on the curtain in the second, but that's about it. That last one's lovely.

BTW, I wonder if the couple realise how lucky they were that the guests threw that rice upwards. I've seen a couple of occasions where folks have thrown it at the couple, which tends to result in brides looking either pained or majorly p***ed off ...
 
Serendipitous Sid said:
Bloody hell Ben, who's the wedding for? The couple or the snapper?

Whatever, nice ones, Gareth. I'd zap the sign in the first one and that bit of light on the curtain in the second, but that's about it. That last one's lovely.

BTW, I wonder if the couple realise how lucky they were that the guests threw that rice upwards. I've seen a couple of occasions where folks have thrown it at the couple, which tends to result in brides looking either pained or majorly p***ed off ...
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I don't mean taking longer on photos at the expense of enjoying the day, but naturally the couple hire you to take good photos - if it's good for the photographer, it'll be good for the couple. Some couples just don't realise the time you need for great portraits. I think some of them just think you can leave aside 5 minutes and create some magic, which is rarely the case.

At least they took it out of the packet. :)
 
theurbanclown said:
Nice work Gareth - love the reflected boat shot and the one of her at the doors. Looks like a perfect setting and no doubt will bring you a lot of bookings off the back of it.

Getting a wedding to go the way you want it to, in order to get the shots you want is a skill in itself. It'll come with having more confidence in what you do.
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Thanks Ben. :)

Lez325 said:
No2 is an absolute cracker Gareth- some really nice images on the Blog too, I'll put money on they absolutely love them

Les ;)
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Yhanks Lez and for taking a look at the Blog post. :)

Serendipitous Sid said:
Bloody hell Ben, who's the wedding for? The couple or the snapper?

Whatever, nice ones, Gareth. I'd zap the sign in the first one and that bit of light on the curtain in the second, but that's about it. That last one's lovely.

BTW, I wonder if the couple realise how lucky they were that the guests threw that rice upwards. I've seen a couple of occasions where folks have thrown it at the couple, which tends to result in brides looking either pained or majorly p***ed off ...
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Thanks Dan. I kept thinking about the light behind the curtains myself. Now someone has mentioned it I may just remove it.

spencer said:
Great set for a second wedding.
Really love the first two.
( is it worth cropping the second image to the top of the door frame?)

Spence
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Thank you. I think I could crop in like that a little. Thanks for taking the time.

^Joe said:
A cracking blog in a beautiful location (y)
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Thanks Joe. :)
 
Dammit, double post. Not done that for a while. :)
 
theurbanclown said:
I don't mean taking longer on photos at the expense of enjoying the day, but naturally the couple hire you to take good photos - if it's good for the photographer, it'll be good for the couple.
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Cool. Now you put it like that, I'm more inclined to agree with you.

theurbanclown said:
Some couples just don't realise the time you need for great portraits. I think some of them just think you can leave aside 5 minutes and create some magic, which is rarely the case.
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Most couples don't realise much at all about the reality of getting the snaps they want. I always suspected that some were really disappointed to find that actually you can't just do a couple of quick snaps of them on the day then do the magic afterwards in PS.

theurbanclown said:
At least they took it out of the packet. :)
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So, you've seen that too then. How about dried peas? Just about the naffest gig we ever did had a large contingent of persons from rural Eire, who were memorable for various reasons - one of which was the packets of dried peas they brought with them to open and chuck at the bride from one side while she got a blend of rice and confetti from the other. Plus Silly String. Pink, of course ...
 
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Bhoy_Whunder said:
Great set Gareth. I really like your style. What are you shooting with?
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Thanks Mark. :) Glad someone likes my 'style', I am not sure I have one or like it myself! :LOL:

Shooting with a pair of NIkon Df's with 35 & 85 F1.4s. There was also a 14-24 used in these for a handful of shots, glad I borrowed one now.


Oh and about the rice throwing, there was pretty extensive talk before hand about it being thrown up and not at the pair!
 
gazmorton2000 said:
Oh and about the rice throwing, there was pretty extensive talk before hand about it being thrown up and not at the pair!
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Yes, yes, Gareth - but did you get the shot of her (or him) fishing it out of her cleavage?
 
Gareth, IMO that blog post is first class. It's an excellent coverage with some very good snaps indeed, nicely processed. So impressed am I overall that the only nits I can really pick are ...

Shoes on the wall - IMO trying to combine the shoe shot with context to that extent shows a lack of understanding of quite what the shoes mean to many brides. What they want is a shoe shot that's a cool shot of the shoes, in the same way that your rings shot is a cool shot of the rings. Where the shoes are concerned, you're handicapped by being a bloke ;)

Groom looking round as she processes - needs cropping. As it stands it's a bullseye shot with a lot of space round the subject which serves no purpose. And the same goes for the b/w of him looking at her before The Kiss.

The two of them on the scooter - as above, plus that dark spot on the wall needs to go

And that's all! 10/10 for converting the dance shots, btw.

You done good mister.
 
Serendipitous Sid said:
Gareth, IMO that blog post is first class. It's an excellent coverage with some very good snaps indeed, nicely processed. So impressed am I overall that the only nits I can really pick are ...

Shoes on the wall - IMO trying to combine the shoe shot with context to that extent shows a lack of understanding of quite what the shoes mean to many brides. What they want is a shoe shot that's a cool shot of the shoes, in the same way that your rings shot is a cool shot of the rings. Where the shoes are concerned, you're handicapped by being a bloke ;)

Groom looking round as she processes - needs cropping. As it stands it's a bullseye shot with a lot of space round the subject which serves no purpose. And the same goes for the b/w of him looking at her before The Kiss.

The two of them on the scooter - as above, plus that dark spot on the wall needs to go

And that's all! 10/10 for converting the dance shots, btw.

You done good mister.
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Thanks for taking the time as always Dan.

Understand what you mean about the shoes. I will think more about that next time! Will also have a look at the shots you mention when I get a chance.

The dance shots were a nightmare. It was properly night time and no flash. I perhaps need to get and learn to use flash for these situations. Some of those are at ISO 6400.

Thanks again. :)
 
these are super. Beautiful colours and tones. Great detail shots too, simple things like the speedo on the car all really add to the feel.

I would be well chuffed witht this...

see you got the website how youwanted it. Looks nice. Clean and simple.
 
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gazmorton2000 said:
I perhaps need to get and learn to use flash for these situations.
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I could understand you saying that if you'd screwed up the dance shots, but as it stands, what you say makes no sense to me.

gazmorton2000 said:
Some of those are at ISO 6400.
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So what? How might they have been better at 1600 with flash? You know they were at 6400 and you're not entirely sure about that. Nobody else gives a flying one. Especially your customers ...
 
Looking good there Gareth. The main comment I can offer is maybe for need to be a bit more selective with your blog, (or create storyboards instead). There is an awful lot to look through.

I'm not sure why you feel the need to use flash- the photos look great and nobody really cares about the settings you used for the shot, as long as you get the shot. Which you have.
 
gpc1 said:
these are super. Beautiful colours and tones. Great detail shots too, simple things like the speedo on the car all really add to the feel.

I would be well chuffed witht this...

see you got the website how youwanted it. Looks nice. Clean and simple.
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Thanks Greg. :)

Yes, I did a few little adjustments, thanks for the tips and for mending me the inspiration. :)

Serendipitous Sid said:
I could understand you saying that if you'd screwed up the dance shots, but as it stands, what you say makes no sense to me.



So what? How might they have been better at 1600 with flash? You know they were at 6400 and you're not entirely sure about that. Nobody else gives a flying one. Especially your customers ...
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Hmmm, good points for sure. As for the ISO comment, I was just trying to illustrate how dark it was really, not that it matters. Cameras handled it well I think.

boyfalldown said:
Looking good there Gareth. The main comment I can offer is maybe for need to be a bit more selective with your blog, (or create storyboards instead). There is an awful lot to look through.

I'm not sure why you feel the need to use flash- the photos look great and nobody really cares about the settings you used for the shot, as long as you get the shot. Which you have.
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Thank you Hugh. :) I struggle to cull some images out, maybe due to personal attachment to them. I am sure that will get easier to make the post shorter in the future.

Thanks for the flash comment. Still unsure if it's an area I want to go down. Here perhaps not too bad but in your standard UK evening venue?
 
gazmorton2000 said:
I struggle to cull some images out, maybe due to personal attachment to them.
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An awful lot of wedding snappers have exactly the same problem, Gareth. And some never seem to realise that the fact they bust a gut to get a shot, or mastered some technical challenge, doesn't turn a crap shot into a worthwhile one.
 
gazmorton2000 said:
Thanks Greg. :)

Yes, I did a few little adjustments, thanks for the tips and for mending me the inspiration. :)
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Just been looking at your site agin at home on my 27inch mac and the images really are class matey.

They do take a while to load though, what size you scaling them to?
 
Serendipitous Sid said:
An awful lot of wedding snappers have exactly the same problem, Gareth. And some never seem to realise that the fact they bust a gut to get a shot, or mastered some technical challenge, doesn't turn a crap shot into a worthwhile one.
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Mental note made! Thanks Dan.

flyingmonkeycorp said:
Love number two especially. And Italy for that matter, what an amazing location!
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Thank you. :) First time I have been to Italy that's not been a ski holiday. I wish I had more time there. It was beautiful.

Stevie- said:
top drawer.
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Thank you Stevie.

tommmy.star said:
Great work Gareth. Really enjoyed looking through the blog post.
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Thanks very much Tommy. :)

gpc1 said:
Just been looking at your site agin at home on my 27inch mac and the images really are class matey.

They do take a while to load though, what size you scaling them to?
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Thank you for looking again. :) Seemed to load quick enough here from a clear cache. Anyone else find it a bit slow?

Marcus Geezer said:
Great work Gareth. Look forward to seeing more.
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Thank you Marcus
 
Yv said:
Bloody well done Gareth, you have really pulled that one out of the bag with a flourish. Yes, there are a few tiny, minor niggles but frankly I doubt anyone but us lot would notice, I hope they are absolutely thrilled to bits!! :clap:
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Hey, thanks Yv. A lot of nice comments on this thread from some of who I consider to be great wedding photographers. It's very appreciated. I just hope I can do a similar job on my next UK one. That will be the test I think.
 
Gaz, one word, fantastic :cool:
 
Just like to say the whites in the photos look blown to me looking at the wedding dress in the photos above. There is no detail in the dress at all.
 
I've just taken the time to have a proper look through your blog. I think you beat yourself up too much mate. These shots are beautiful, I love the way you shoot, I love the processing, I love the idea's and captures you have here. No set is ever 'perfect' and even the best wedding photographer would receive at least some comments should they post up here in TP. Start thinking more of yourself and your work and take strong confidence in what you are producing. I look forward to seeing more fella.
 
andy1868 said:
Gaz, one word, fantastic :cool:
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Thank you Andy :)

realspeed said:
Just like to say the whites in the photos look blown to me looking at the wedding dress in the photos above. There is no detail in the dress at all.
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As Will and Yv say, they definitely aren't blown. There's plenty detail in the dress. :)

Marcus Geezer said:
I've just taken the time to have a proper look through your blog. I think you beat yourself up too much mate. These shots are beautiful, I love the way you shoot, I love the processing, I love the idea's and captures you have here. No set is ever 'perfect' and even the best wedding photographer would receive at least some comments should they post up here in TP. Start thinking more of yourself and your work and take strong confidence in what you are producing. I look forward to seeing more fella.
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Thanks again Marcus and for taking the time to look through the whole set and comment again. I am relaxing a little with regards to beating myself up over jobs, however I will always maintain I need to strive to get better. :)
 
gazmorton2000 said:
Thank you Andy :)
Thanks again Marcus and for taking the time to look through the whole set and comment again. I am relaxing a little with regards to beating myself up over jobs, however I will always maintain I need to strive to get better. :)
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When you stop striving to get better I'll send the boys round and have 'stuck in my ways' tattooed on your forehead.
 
Marcus Geezer said:
When you stop striving to get better I'll send the boys round and have 'stuck in my ways' tattooed on your forehead.
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Make it a rubber stamp, Marcus. An awful lot of wedding snappers could do with an application of it.

Incidentally, ref your comment "even the best wedding photographer would receive at least some comments should they post up here in TP", yep - and rightly so, because even the best will always be looking for improvement. Honest critique is one of the very best ways to raise your game, and it's also the quickest.
 
Hi Gareth, excellent set. Looking through the blog there are some really crackers in there. Few thoughts I have which are not so much criticism, but more just things that occur to me.

1. Pretty much the whole set is shot with wide aperture (mostly f/2). Obviously a stylistic choice you have made. I wonder if some shots would benefit from great depth of field. E.g. I struggled to find any images where more than one subject was in focus.

2. As other have said there is a lot in the blog, and whereas there are many great shots there are some which don't add much IMO. Perhaps that is a business decision you have made; after all the client's needs/wants come first.

3. I note that you shoot almost everything in landscape. It that a stylistic choice? Are you not keen on portait orientation?

4. One thing I like is that you use very little flash. I don't think I saw any flash lit images? I have used flash a lot in the past have absolutely loved it. I am gradually veering away from flash and find I prefer the look of natural light images.
 
PatrickO said:
Hi Gareth, excellent set. Looking through the blog there are some really crackers in there. Few thoughts I have which are not so much criticism, but more just things that occur to me.

1. Pretty much the whole set is shot with wide aperture (mostly f/2). Obviously a stylistic choice you have made. I wonder if some shots would benefit from great depth of field. E.g. I struggled to find any images where more than one subject was in focus.

2. As other have said there is a lot in the blog, and whereas there are many great shots there are some which don't add much IMO. Perhaps that is a business decision you have made; after all the client's needs/wants come first.

3. I note that you shoot almost everything in landscape. It that a stylistic choice? Are you not keen on portait orientation?

4. One thing I like is that you use very little flash. I don't think I saw any flash lit images? I have used flash a lot in the past have absolutely loved it. I am gradually veering away from flash and find I prefer the look of natural light images.
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Thanks for taking the time Patrick. I will answer as honestly as I can.....

PatrickO said:
1. Pretty much the whole set is shot with wide aperture (mostly f/2). Obviously a stylistic choice you have made. I wonder if some shots would benefit from great depth of field. E.g. I struggled to find any images where more than one subject was in focus.
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To be perfectly honest, I am still learning this Nikon kit so F2.0 is a bit of a safety net so I know it will nail focus. If I was confident that it would nail it every time at F1.4, I'd probably do that. Ha. I love a shallow DOF. There are a few where I have stopped down a little to get more in focus. I had a look through the blog post again after reading your comments and I can't see many where I would have preferred more in focus to be honest, except the one in the car where she is sharp and he is slightly behind her. That's one I wish I had used more DOF on for sure.

PatrickO said:
2. As other have said there is a lot in the blog, and whereas there are many great shots there are some which don't add much IMO. Perhaps that is a business decision you have made; after all the client's needs/wants come first.
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It's a tricky one. Depends who you are blogging for I guess. The wedding couple and their guests will see things in some shots that complete strangers will not and they will mean more to them. I was chatting to a friend about this. I could probably halve the images in the blog post but it wouldn't tell the story of the day as well. Believe me, it's something I am still working on. I can't give more of an answer than that at the moment.

PatrickO said:
3. I note that you shoot almost everything in landscape. It that a stylistic choice? Are you not keen on portait orientation?
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Hmmm, it's not a choice I have sat and conciously made to shoot things in landscape. I just kind of do stuff at the time what feels right. There are a few in the full set of images that are in portrait format. A couple of bride portraits but your right, mostly landscape.

PatrickO said:
4. One thing I like is that you use very little flash. I don't think I saw any flash lit images? I have used flash a lot in the past have absolutely loved it. I am gradually veering away from flash and find I prefer the look of natural light images.
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Thank you. No, no flash lit images at all. I am toying back and forth with the idea of using one for the first dance shots in the future. I love it when people use it well for that part of the wedding but then, do I want to shoot like other people? Still on the fence.


The truth is, there's no right way. I am in the fortunate position where I don't have to shoot weddings to feed myself or put a roof over my head so I can shoot how I like and the people who book me will book me because they like how I shoot, not just employ me to shoot how they want me to. I have turned down a few bits of other work lately, like children's portraits, because it doesn't interest me in the slightest. I could take their money and shoot, but my heart wouldn't be in it and therefore wouldn't be in the photos. I genuinely love a wedding day and hopefully people will buy into that. I know it sounds a bit idealistic and if it doesn't work, then I'll admit I was wrong, but as it stands I have now got 5 confirmed with deposits for 2015 based on the two I have shot so far (and the couples/engagement shoots) and a couple of couples to meet in the near future.

I am just winging it really. Doing it how I like and learning as I go. It's a massive learning curve and there are things from this wedding I will take into the next one and learn from and things which perhaps didn't work as I would have liked that I will discard going forwards. The same as peoples comments on here. It's taken me a while to toughen up to the C&C but I take it (mostly) how it is intended now and consider the replies, either embracing it or discarding it going forwards.

Oooops, apologies for the long post but I felt it needed more than direct replies to your questions so you can see where my head is at with it. :)
 
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