Often couples are very keen for a pre shoot or engagement shoot and it is something I stress with the highest importance, however there are times when some of my couples have been a bit spectacle of having some pictures of the two of them in a normal situation, wedding is natural but the engagement shoot isn’t an event outside of its purpose. This leads me nicely on to explaining my three main reason for a pre shoot:

1. Allowing the couple to put confidence in me and my work. They will see the pictures from the pre shoot / engagement shoot several weeks before the wedding, and therefore will be able to see I can produce the pictures they want. So on the wedding day its one less thing for them to worry about and they are more likely to trust my decisions, ideas and judgement.

2. Allowing the couple to feel more comfortable with me around. Although my style is of a documentary nature for a large part of the wedding day, I often photograph the couple together in a combination of simple and ambitions ways that add to the narrative of their wedding pictures. To do this in the best possible way, the couple need to be relaxed and most importable act naturally as if I wasn’t around.

3. For me to get to know the couple personally and photographically. Not just their so called good side and bad side, but what they are comfortable doing and how the act together as a couple, are they the adventurous type, or just loving and affectionate? It gives me an insight and allows me to develop ideas of things like the level of documentary vs couple pics they might want on the wedding day itself. Although ultimately all I ever do at a wedding or on the planning day before is make suggestions and explain the advantages / disadvantages and let the couple decide. I just supply the options.

I can firmly say that after this pre shot and many others, I walk away feeling more like a friend of the couple than being employed by them. Initial meetings are for business and selling myself, a pre shoot is about having fun with them, getting to know them and becoming more of a friend with them, so on the wedding day, all I have to do is take great pictures.

Below are a few of the pictures from my engagement shoot last week at Torquay – for those who follow my work you may notice more of a film look to the pictures and a bit more colour than normal, its an avenue and a development I am currently exploring – more on that soon.

So here are a few frames from the 95 pictures the couple will receive.

Which brings me on to these new ‘Wedding Photography by Barney Walters‘ books, they are small, light and only contain about 50 pictures over 20 double page spreads, but they are what I see as an extension of a business card. They are relatively inexpensive to make in comparison to the hard back 12″ square books I produce for my wedding clients, and are more similar to the parent books I produce, with about the half the amount of pages.

The resulting product is a collection of images and words about my wedding photography for me to be able quickly back up whatever I’m talking about, wherever I am. The books will also be left at a couple of chosen wedding venues around my more local area, so if you are starting to look at venues then keep your eyes pealed for one. Alternatively they can be used to send to potential clients who live a little further afield, enquires that come from the North of England, Scotland and mainland Europe for example.

Here I have included a few pictures of my almost finished mini portfolio book for 2012, these are my two final samples before getting a batch made. If you are interested in getting your hands on one to have a flick through and learning a little more about the style and methods behind the pictures then please contact me here.

Hope you like.

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All the pictures are directly from my phone, when using Hipstimatic you can choose the film, camera and lens look you want before you take the the picture, the app then processes the picture with the built in pre-sets. The great thing about this App compared to others is that you choose everything before you take the picture and not after like many others.

So here are a few of the frames, all shot in the space of 5 minutes.

See the venue’s website here.

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The Hotel itself is located in the heart of Tavistock, on the main street just a few hundred yards from the Church, another option for a more traditional and religious ceremony. Logistically parking can become an issue on busy weekends, especially on busy days for the town, but a large car park only a few minute walk away could be the ideal spot, alternatively taxis and buses may be an option you choose to exploit.

From a photographic point of view, I have to exploit the smaller areas of the hotel where their might be a nice bit of light or one of the empty library rooms can make for some nice intimate bide and groom portraits. One of the more notable features of the hotel is the roof top veranda overlooking the rest of the town, from which the church is clearly visible. The one other notable feature is the glass roofed reception hall which provides good light during daylight hours for winter weddings and if the weather should take a turn of the worst.

Overall I have experienced good food, speedy room turn around times and intimate family weddings at Browns Hotel Tavistock.

For more info on the hotel please click here. or to see some wedding pictures from the venue click here.

It was very unusual for me to turn up at the venue in the morning having not even met the Bride & Groom, and although I was a little concerned the lack of relationship could create a few issues, I was proven wrong and within a few minutes of my arrival and with a bit of distance shooting we all had a brilliant morning, ceremony and evening. The whole affair at Little Quarme Cottages was fairly intimate and was certainly very relaxed, informal, and the vast majority of my pics for the couple reflect that. Probably one of the most if not the most pure ‘Documentary Wedding’ I have shot – we literally spent about 3 minutes from the whole day doing two ‘posed’ pics, a little less than my normal 10-15 minutes or so split up into two or three 5 minute windows.

Little Quarme is a lovely little venue hidden away with what has the potential, and what was proven to be a great outdoor ceremony spot overlooking the countryside. After the ceremony and wedding breakfast the day was topped off with some great singing from a friend of the bride and groom and then a rather interestingly funny bunch of guys called the Village Disco.

From a photographic, style and processing point of view, I am starting to get interested in a lot more traditional film, even shooting more film, not particularly at weddings yet, but none the less taking aspects of what film does well and replicated a feel of film in some of my wedding pics. You may notice this in a few of the pics I have included below, more so in black and white at the moment.

Finally my congratulations and best wishes to the couple for not only their marriage, but their soon to be new addition to the family. Here are a small selection of the 400+ pics that the Brdie & Groom with receive.

If you want to know a little more about Little Quarme Cottages then please click here.

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Having photographed the very first wedding completely held at Little Quarme, I am perhaps in a unique position to see the place and what should be its worst. However the owners, set up, effort put in and evening food were all great. Especially the food. The atmosphere was great, even with the windy weather and mixed whether throughout the day, the outside marriage was beautiful for the couple and the wholes setting when looked back on from a distance looks fab. A great countryside all in one wedding venue. The cottages on site are well furnished and the interior marquee and function room provide space for a small to medium sized wedding if the whether does turn for the worst.

All in all a good wedding venue with some great possibilities for pictures using the surroundings on Exmoor, a couple of horizon points and a unique view for myself photographing the outside ceremony.

See more wedding pictures at this venue here.

Last week I had the pleasure of photographing one of my fellow peers back from my school days, a little younger than me, yet her talent for music is clearly there. Jessica is thinking of soon travelling to the USA to live in order to push her music ideas for her future, meanwhile trying to launch an online presence for herself, Jess contacted me to produce some portraits of her and her music. We spent a couple of hours at various locations around Cornwall including woodland, a rape field and a beach to create a dynamic set of pictures from which Jess can hopefully draw what she needs from them when she needs it, not fitting any one specific product or outcome but so she can pull social networking material, website material, posters or even CD/Album covers if she needs it.

I have to admit I had a great time, it was brilliant that all the time we could both share ideas and build on each others imagination, something you only really get with other artistically minded people, or very keen brides! I’m no closed door, in fact, one idea that came from Jess that I was not very keen on to start with turned out to be one of our favourite pics of the day.

Jess took about 60 pics away from the day after our meeting a week later when we both looked through the pics together, its also great when both myself and the client pick out ruffly the same favourite 20 frames, below are a sample of these pics.

You can see some of Jessica’s work on Youtube.

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The view from the bridal suite and all of the coast facing rooms are simply stunning and the balonys and lawn make for some great outdoors pictures on a bright day, the shade of tress and two large interior downstairs rooms used for bars,  your ceremony and wedding breakfast provides sufficient inside space if the weather turns for the worse and for whatever activities you have planned. With a great square staircase, stairs and entrance there are plenty of options for interior bridal portraits.

On a good day the outside space can be utilised for some stunning spacious pictures, even on a gloomy day if you have your boots and umbrella. For a photographic point of view I have been fortunate to see both beautiful sunshine and storming rain at the Carlyon Bay and either way the space provides for some super pictures.

The Carlyon Bay Website.

See more wedding photography here.

Trevenna is one of those warming wedding venues ideal for small to medium sized family orientated weddings, amazing accommodation on site, some beautiful rooms and buildings and a big handful of open space within a short distance for picture and walking opportunities.

From a photographic point of view Trevenna offers access to Bodmin Moor, Coliford Lake and even Golitha Falls, all within 10 minutes of the wedding site. At the site itself the barns create a nice countryside backdrop as well as some great indoor window light for that perfect spot for some more intimate pictures. The interior also has some pleasant looking beams and walls that look great before adding anything dramatic.

Want to see a wedding shot here? click here.

You can read more about Trevenna here.