Anyone who knows me, knows that I adore photographing weddings in Italy and so it was that I found myself preparing to photograph the wedding of Nichola and Adam at Castello di Vincigliata in Florence last week

Bringing to a close my marathon run of weddings I knew that there were some risks attached to this particular day. Nichola and Adam had specifically requested me as their wedding photographer after I had done their pre-wedding shoot as part of a prize in a competition that I ran. It was a great honour but on this occasion I had would have to fly in to Florence Sunday lunchtime and get to the venue in time for the 3.15 kick off – oh the sleepless nights! Believe me when I say the logistics pushed my planning capabilities and knowledge of Florence and surrounding areas to the limit! I would normally arrive in Florence at least a day ahead if not longer!

Having broken the record to get through Florentine customs my plans were initially thwarted by the hire car company who had no record of my booking! Having sorted that out, in true Florentine style I was told the wrong area for where my car would be (a sprint round the car park soon located it!) Increasing in comedic content by the minute I then set off in my newly found vehicle only to be thwarted again at the exit by a polite Canadian chap who had parked at the exit to ask for directions! (the hire car company had lost his satellite navigation request). With time pressing there was no other option – in the very best of English accents out came the shout ‘oi mate get a shift on I have a wedding to photograph!’ Both the Italian gateman and the by now bemused Canadian gentleman cleared the way as I did a rally style exit out of the airport (I only hope our Canadian friend had experienced Europe before otherwise I fear he may be left with a feeling of being dropped into some arcane bohemian landscape, devoid of satellite navigation and basic manners!)

My blood pressure returning to normal I relaxed – plenty of time, know the way there etc – but clearly the gods were not with me – the road to the castle from the direction I was coming was closed! By now I was seeing distraught brides and refunds looming but the gods clearly decided I had suffered enough and presented to me a kindly group of elderly gentlemen (if I had time I would have photographed them as they were so photogenic and what you envisage as typically Italian) who helped me see a way through and presto I arrived on time!

So, onto the wedding photography itself; Castello di Vincigliata is set high in the Florentine hills and provides a magnificent backdrop for any wedding. It apparently has a beautiful if sad legend attached to it; a beautiful young girl Bianca fell in love with a handsome young man. Sadly he was the son of her family’s arch rival. They planned to marry but as she waited for him on their wedding day he was abducted and slain by his brothers before her eyes… she of course died of a broken heart still wearing her wedding gown. Her spirit is said to roam the castle walls protecting those who are in love…

I soon forgot about my traumas and legends as I got to work. Every opportunity was utilised, although with the heat, traffic and road closures I advised Nichola and Adam that it would be safer to stay in their wedding venue for their more intimate shots rather than risk getting in the car to the nearby olive groves. My favourite shots are those that are ‘wedding photojournalism’ – everyone relaxed, unaware of me and just enjoying the moment (or concentrating on the moment during the vows)

The light during the heat of the day can be quite harsh especially on the terrace where the ceremony was held but the ‘magic hour’ as dusk approaches is amazing. The light softens and takes on beautiful deep hue. I chose that time to get the more intimate shots of Nichola and Adam together, using the stunning architecture and vistas over Florence as a backdrop.

As always a wedding day in Italy is celebrated with the making of the traditional fruit cake (like a millefeuille) in front of the guests and having captured this it was now officially time to rehydrate and finally cool down……………
Until next time enjoy the wonderful wedding of Nichola and Adam……….io spero ritornare a Firenze presto……..
P.S. Photographers, NEVER try to take your tripod as hand luggage through Florence Airport. Currently they will make you check it in and charge you 90 Euro for the privilege

Katie and Richard’s wedding was the second in a marathon run of wedding photography for me that kicked off at the start of July! The wedding season is at its peak now and every day is busy one way or the other.

Having done their pre-wedding shoot in the by now infamous barley fields, the day was set for the very English vintage style wedding of Katie and Richard. There were a few logistical challenges for me as Katie was getting ready at home over an hour away from the church but as always good planning made sure I got everywhere on time.

The preparation was fun as the Italian hairstylist (one of the main designers for Über cool Paul Mitchell) got to work to create some magic for the bridal party. Preparation shots always need expertise and speed as there is so much going on and knowledge and skill in using the natural light available is paramount. Whether it is a grand hotel room or family home that the bride gets ready in each will have different lighting situations dependant on time of day, weather, orientation of the room etc. Skill and knowledge have their own reward though when you capture the excitement, anticipation and nerves of the preparation

Once ready Katie departed for the village church at Abbotts Ripton in a vintage Rolls Royce – the Rolls Royce provided a very elegant backdrop for more shots in the fields. With the vintage feel of their wedding the fields provided a perfect backdrop evoking an era long gone.

One of the pearls of wisdom I was given in my early days as a wedding photographer was to ‘please yourself’; Let me explain; as much as the bride and groom need to be themselves, as a wedding photographer I also need to be myself and be true to the way in which I photograph so that I give the bride and groom the very best in wedding photography – creative, inspirational and timeless. This often means you will see me in strange positions to get the ideal shot or indeed ‘breaking the photography rules’ using a 16mm lens to get a landscape portrait as in the shot of Katie and Richard walking through the fields with the car in the background. As a wedding photographer these landscapes can be really good for special effects particularly if the sky is ‘right’ – for example turquoise blue broken up by cloud; the more interesting the cloud the better. One effect I came across early on in my career as a wedding photographer was the use of infra red (still film in those days) but a similar effect can be achieved digitally and I have also used this effect for Katie and Richard walking through the fields

Katie and Richard’s day was great to photograph – relaxed fun in quintessential English style Inspiring and lovely for a high summer day………..

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Clare and Darren were recently married at Barnsdale Lodge Hotel and Restaurant, holding their ceremony in the conservatory

This was an unusual wedding for me in that I wasn’t with the couple for the whole day – Just a few short hours to capture the most important points in their day. Nonetheless it was a lovely few hours which was also enjoyed by people overseas by live webcam – the age of technology at its most useful!

One thing I have noticed this year is that every bride has been very different in what they wear – quite often through a season you will see one trend emerge but not this year. Everyone has been quite individual which from a wedding photography point of view is great. Whilst I don’t overdo it with details it is always good if there are points of interest to focus on during the day i.e. table decorations; shoes; small details such as flowers and dress detail etc as they provide a very emotional memento of the day for the couple

Barnsdale Lodge Hotel and Restaurant also has a dedicated country walk which is fabulous for brides and grooms at this time of year – think grasses, poppies, wild flowers etc which of course I took advantage of to get some romantic wedding shots of Clare and Darren together. The light was just about right and the red of the poppies is amazing………

We’re back in the barley fields again! But then again they are beautiful and always a popular as a location for a romantic pre-wedding shoot…….

Bob and May are due to hold their wedding at the end of July at the beautiful Childerley Hall in Cambridgeshire (for history buffs amongst you, Childerley is the surviving redbrick wing of an Elizabethan House, where Charles I was once held under house arrest!).

I met a slightly nervous Bob and May one evening at the end of June to talk about final details for their day and of course do their pre-wedding shoot; Bob and May are typical of the client that my documentary style of photography attracts; they are very sure about what they want and love the relaxed intimate style of photography that can capture them and their day without being intrusive.

The light of a summer evening provided the perfect backdrop to our pre-wedding shoot – a walk around the village and through the barley fields. It is great seeing couples at a pre-wedding shoot. Most do start off with the couple being quite nervous and I love seeing the change in them as they begin to relax and just enjoy the moment. For me it is a privilege to be with them at this time – a rare moment of tranquility before the ‘big day’

At the end of the pre-wedding shoot I want couples to be able to walk away relaxed, comfortable and reassured about what to expect on their day and of course love the images!

Bob and May were great and having started out so nervous they left saying how excited they were once more about their wedding photography – that is what fantastic wedding photography is all about; a happy couple who love their images and will love them for years to come………..

Marc and Jessica got married recently in Buckden and held a fun wedding reception at one of my favourite hotels in the local area ‘The Old Bridge’

The day was not without a few minor challenges (thunder, hail, unexpected videographers) but it’s all in a days work as they say! Jessica looked exquisite as she arrived in a beautiful Bentley for the ceremony at St Mary’s Church in Buckden (decorated with English summer flowers from Zinnia);

After the ceremony it was time to celebrate as ‘Mr and Mrs’ done in fine style with a spitfire flypast and acrobatic display to kick everything off!

‘The Old Bridge’ has some great little locations for fantastic wedding photography, so in between the hail we hopped down onto the river bank next to the hotel for a more romantic and intimate photo shoot away from the hullabaloo of the reception but I couldn’t resist asking Jessica later on if she wanted to do some more shots (as the hail came down). Not surprisingly she said no – I don’t think there was an umbrella large enough or strong enough to protect her and the beautiful Rosa Clara gown she was wearing.

Inside the hotel the interiors are very well designed and one of the things I remember about my first visit to ‘The Old Bridge’ is the rows of Veuve Cliquot Champagne displayed in the restaurant. As I love finding unusual backgrounds on which to photograph the wedding rings what better way than to display them but on a bottle of Veuve Cliquot …….Cheers!

The day rounded off with some great speeches recounting the fun times that Marc and Jessica have had and I captured some great wedding reception shots as they laughed their way through the best man’s speech recounting Marc’s appearance on TV’s quiz show Blockbusters

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It’s a perfect time of year to be in the countryside – it provides a backdrop for fabulous ‘country life’ style pre-wedding shots that are always popular. With only the whisper of the trees and the open fields around you it is easy to relax and just kick back and enjoy the shoot………‘

Says Katie: We really love the variety of photos ….you captured so many different things- something which we definitely want on the day!

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Very excited about their wedding photography – Michael is a keen photographer and they have both done their research on what they want from their wedding photography, we started the pre wedding shoot in the flowering gardens behind the main building. With the odd duck and dive to avoid the enormous bees that seemed to reside there (I have lost count of the times I have been stung in the name of getting a good shot over the years!), Nerys and Michael found it really useful to do a ‘dry run’ to get used to the camera and had fabulous fun roaming round the grounds of Rowton Castle and providing me with a guided tour of exactly where all the celebrations will be held. It’s going to be a great day and I look forward to seeing them in September…………

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With every wedding, a wedding photographer needs to plan, plan and plan. My style of wedding photography is relaxed and captures the day as it unfolds but I still plan so that I know where to look where and when the best light is, where and how to get more formal shots when needed and so on. I knew that Neil and Michele’s priority was to be able to focus on their guests back at the reception venue which meant I would have only have a finite amount of time to ensure that they still got some essential shots around the church before they sped off toward their marquee reception. Importantly they wanted a group shot of everyone and I knew the best place for this would be in the church grounds. We were never likely to get a 200+ group organised once they were back at the marquee enjoying the champagne and I didn’t fancy being hit by a cricket ball from the match potentially taking place close to the marquee so whilst I don’t often direct the day so overtly, in this case direction, a loud voice and balancing skills were required as I called them all to order from my post on the nearby fence and got the shot

With some great wedding photography already in the bag, it was in fact the dancing that really sealed the day as a success for me. I love documenting a good wedding party and the dancing at weddings can be amazingly good (and good fun). Michele and Neil did not disappoint as they set the tone with moves to Bollywood influenced music and ensured a floor full of colour and movement for the evening

And finally a few words from Michele (who called me before she went on honeymoon) Says Michele ‘I had the most amazing day of my life. You did a fantastic job on the day and unbelievably I barely noticed you were there and I loved the sneak preview of the dance shots you gave me on the back of your camera. Thank you so much and can’t wait to see everything!’