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I do not normally photograph while people are eating but I do always pop back into the room every now and then to check on things and make sure I do not miss anything like for example the speeches starting without me!  On this occasion the party was well spread, the groom was mingling and there was a lot going on, this gathering caught my eye so I followed it for a while and ended up with this.

Technically perfect?  No, brilliantly composed?  Probably not,  but I just like it anyway and a good example  (I think) of what Wedding Photojournalism is all about.  I am a fan of a scene within a scene and this is what made this image stand out to me, you have the Bride’s concern over spilling desert down her dress,  her friend helping with a make-shift bib but not letting that get in the way (it would seem) of a thoroughly good gossip!  All while the Bride gets stuck into her pudding apparently oblivious to it all.

With the advent of Wedding Photojournalism has come many of a discussion in the Wedding Photography community as to what exactly constitutes true photojournalism, do you interfere do you not interfere? do you take formal photos or not? are subjects that have and will continue to fill many a forum post.  One of the more emotive discussions however is that of the people who use flash and those that do not, the flashers claim that all light including flash is ‘available’ and should be used, the non-flashers will cry of intrusion and artificiality.  My view of this area is that there are shades of gray and whilst my preference is to use the natural available light I do use flash at every wedding that I shoot.  I once heard a very famous photographer (we call them rockstars) claim to have not used flash at a wedding in months, and whilst I have no reason to dis-believe them I do wonder how they would cover shots that almost all couples still want such as the posed register signing or cake cutting, or what they do when the couple have their first dance in virtual darkness or if it rains all day and they have to cover formal photos indoors?

As I said however my preference is to use the natural light available to me and I am always looking for the light at any venue and the 2 images below are examples of this.  The first one was a grab shot, the little girl had already blown the candle out once and I was hoping she would try again, the second image was at a wedding where it rained all day and we had to cover the Bride & Groom Portraits inside, this was a set up shot and I arranged the tea lights to provide the lighting and set the mood, the only other light was from a small wall light a few feet behind me.  Both are examples of where the use of flash whilst delivering a more evenly exposed shot would have certainly killed the mood.

Both were taken with a Nikon D700, a camera that has just been replaced by the D800, so will I be getting the new model?  No, in fact I will this year be keeping my eyes peeled for any good 2nd hand D700s that may be around.

Quite often at Church weddings taking pictures anywhere near the register signing is prohibited with the threat of calling in Jack Bauer to deal with any photographer who dares to take any images.  In all seriousness there are valid concerns relating to the data protection act but it is a shame as this is a key moment at any couples day,

Occasionally however common sense prevails and I am allowed to capture some images.  At this particular wedding I liked the informal setting there was no traditional desk & chairs setup, also the signing was setup in a position that allowed a small window to act almost as a spotlight on the person signing, it was a high-contrast  scene and for these 2 shots of the Bride & Groom signing I spot metered on the register itself, I just love the lighting in both of these images and from a story telling perspective they are far stronger than the staged setup shot that you often see.

Storytelling is always at the forefront of my mind when I photograph any wedding, sometimes however if you look hard enough an image presents itself that just stands on it’s own despite having no real relevance to the story of the couples day or even feature the Bride or Groom.

This was just such an image, during the “mingling” period shortly after the ceremony I spotted this boy, he had obviously had permission to remove his tie now that the couple were married  and he could not wait to do so.  His proximity to the water makes the image in my opinion, it probably will not make it into the couple’s album, it was however one of my favourite pictures from the day, and in case you were wondering no he did not go for a swim!