Coffee and the city....

We didn’t have a wedding last weekend so we spent it in London with four lovely couples. Our style of observational wedding photography doesn’t really lend itself to pre wedding shoots, or as Steven still calls them, engagement sessions. We normally like to photograph real life wedding days as events occur. Whereas the only reason for being photographed at a pre wedding shoot is to have your picture taken. It is inevitable then that pre wedding pictures are contrived. That said it is a perfect way to get to know your photographers. So, Steve, the couples and me are wandering the streets of our capital inventing real situations that look natural. We do like the results though.

Steve and Gosia are getting married in April in Islington and then they are having a reception in South Kensington. We met them on Saturday morning in Islington (coffee no.1) and had a walk on to the old Islington High Street where there is an “Arty” market place.





We had finished shooting with Steve and Gosia by 12 and we were not meeting Lenore and Andy until 1. As we had arranged to meet them on Upper Street in Islington we had a little wait (coffee no.2). We walked on to Highbury with Lenore and Andy, who are coming to the Miller Howe, just up the road from our studio, for their wedding in October. Arsenal were playing at home but it was a late kick off so we managed to avoid the crowds.





As is often the case at the moment there was a lot of engineering work on the Underground. The Jubilee line was closed right in the middle section so we skirted round to pick up the DLR …Nah! That was shut too. So after a little bit of ducking and weaving we got our selves back on an open section of the Jubilee line to find our way to Canary Wharf and meet up with Svetlana and Martin. With time to spare we opted for coffee no.3. We met Svetlana and Martin in their home. With true Australian/Russian/Irish hospitality they poured our 4th coffee of the day. Svetlana and Martin are planning their wedding in Tuscany for June 2011.








Once we had finished we were able to fly under our own power back to Cricklewood.

Sunday morning was much less frantic. We drove to East Finchley where we met Ola and Alex in their, new apartment. Just the one coffee and Viscount biscuits. Ola and Alex are getting married in East Finchley in August this year. We went to the Church first and then to the reception venue around the corner where we made these pictures.







We have been offering pre wedding shoots for quite a while. Now that we have shown these perhaps we will get taken up on the offer a little more.

It was lovely to meet you all after much E mailing and many phone calls and we are looking forward to all your weddings, maybe just the one coffee though.

The Art of Observation Part 2

Part two of the art of observation, more to follow.

Josh



The Art of Observation

Steven Taylor


Part 2 Inspiration





As an observational wedding photographer I have set myself some ground rules. I draw on my first hero’s words to establish my rules.

“…Our task is to perceive reality, almost simultaneously recording it in the sketchbook which is our camera. We must neither try to manipulate reality while we are shooting, nor manipulate the results in a darkroom. These tricks are patently discernible to those who have eyes to see…”

Henri Cartier-Bresson from “The Decisive Moment” 1952.


If I am to live up to HCB’s words I need to become an invisible photographer, not literally but I would like to think when you look at my images it is like I was not there. There should be no influence from me. I have seen photographs of a bride apparently applying make up or adjusting her tiara in a mirror with an expression I cannot believe. She grins like she is slightly uncomfortable; she certainly appears to be aware of the camera. The expression on my subject’s faces are genuine, concentration, joy, pride, love, tenderness, nervousness, excitement and sometimes a tinge of sadness are all apparent on the faces of the people I have photographed at weddings over the last 20 odd years.



My style of wedding photography is principally concerned with narrative. Each individual image should tell a story and the collection in the album should tell a story of the day as a whole. When I approach a wedding I have the end result, the album, very much in my mind. I look for images that work together both from a narrative and a design point of view. When we sit down with the couple to build the album design it is narrative that takes precedence. That said, individual images need to be easy on the eye. I look for strong compositions; good and flattering light and impact. Most importantly, all of the images I make at a wedding should have integrity. I like to think that I make intelligent wedding pictures that are credible.

Keely and Will, Low wood Hotel, 28th Feb 2010

Latest update of Keely and Will shot at The Low Wood Hotel in the Lake District. Lovely day with a nice boat ride on the lake! Keeley and Will are on their honeymoon at the moment but we hope that this sneak peak will bring back some fond memories!

The Art of Observation Part 1

Steve does not generally get involved with the blog, facebook and tweeting but after a little bit of gentle coercion I have managed to get him to agree to write a series of articles about his approach to wedding photography. We hope that this may be of use to other photographers and our clients alike. There will be more parts to follow so do keep your eyes peeled.

Josh


The Art of Observation

Steven Taylor

Part 1 Historical Context


It was 1974, I was an art student, my photography tutor handed me a rangefinder camera and a roll of HP4. After a brief instructional talk on exposure, focusing and depth of field he sent me out to “waste film”. It was my first roll of 35mm, black and white film and I wandered the streets searching for a subject to use up the 36 frames. I can’t remember much about the pictures I made but when I got back I was taught to develop the film, make contacts, select and then enlarge an image. I glazed my print and dry mounted it on blue card. I recall the image, it was of a back of a bus; I’d love to see it again.

That was when I first got hooked on photography. The photographers I remember looking at in those early days were photojournalists, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Elliot Erwitt, Ian Berry and W. Eugene Smith were a few but I remember also being excited by the work of Ralph Gibson and Ray Moore as well as Paul Hill, who, later, taught me on an MA course. Gibson and Hill both started their careers as photojournalists while Moore had been a painter, all three, by the time I discovered them, were making very personal work in an observational style.

Two years later I was working for Ray Vincent. Ray was, and still is, a great photographer. He was, what we called in those days, a GP, he did everything. He made most of his income from weddings and portraits though. He would send me on a wedding with a Hasselblad and 6 rolls of 120 film. We would supply the customer with 60 images so I had to make 5 out of every 6 images count. There was little space for blinks or awkward poses. Exposure had to be right every time and if there wasn’t enough light to expose the 160 ISO rated film at a speed fast enough to freeze the subject we had to resort to flash. That meant every image had to be posed. There was a shot list; Groom and Best man with rings, Bride’s maids at Church gate, Bride sat on edge of car seat with one hand on door pillar and the other holding bouquet etc. In those days I hated wedding photography every week was the same.

I moved into other disciplines of the business. I did a lot of industrial and architectural photography. I worked for Shell and the BET group. As well as working with large format cameras I was often required to shoot in a journalistic style for company reports and “In-house” magazines. This was the photography I really enjoyed, the methodology that inspired me in the early days. When I became freelance I sought out editorial, press and PR work. I enjoyed the process of finding rather than constructing images. My personal work has always been about the found image.

Although I can’t remember a period of longer than a year, in the last 34, that I haven’t shot a wedding, at the end of the eighties I wasn’t relying on the wedding business to put bread on the table. So, when I got asked to shoot a wedding I agreed as long as I could work on my own terms. I wanted to work as an observer, to record events without interference, quietly shooting away, recording the full range of emotions of the day. I was in my element and the results were proving popular. When I opened a studio in Kendal in 1996 it was this style of wedding photography I promoted. By this time other photographers in the US, Australia and, just a handful in the UK had started to record weddings in a similar observational style. Some were giving the style names, “reportage”, “candid”, “documentary” and “photojournalistic”. I’m not keen on labels but if I have to choose one I’ll plump for “observational”.



The Art of Observation

Steven Taylor

Long time no post!....... Wedding Photography from Cheshire

First wedding back after a nice rest over Christmas! We are flat out now until October with a few spaces in between! If you are still taking your time over booking dont delay!


On to the wedding this is an update for Carl and Lisa who were married at the wonderful Peckforton Castle in Cheshire. Its our second time there this year and its dramatic surroundings and excellent service never fail to impress!

Here is a sneaky peaky!




















First wedding back after a nice rest over Christmas! We are flat out now until October with a few spaces in between! If you are still taking your time over booking dont delay!


On to the wedding this is an update for Karl and Lisa who were married at the wonderful Peckforton Castle in Cheshire. Its our second time there this year and its dramatic surroundings and excellent service never fail to impress!

Here is a sneaky peaky!

The Winner

And the winner is (insert your own drum roll here!)



No 7! You have won a beautiful Giclee print of your image! Congratulations we will be in touch soon!



Please don't forget you still have the chance to win a print for all of the couples simply by us reaching 1000 fans on facebook, just hit the link below!


Josh

The competition

Is now closed! No more votes please! They wont be counted!


Please check back for details of the winner! and its not as clear cut as you might think!



Josh