When I photograph an event with only a handful of guests I like to spend some time talking and getting to know the people I’m taking pictures of. I want people to always be comfortable with me. This makes them easier to photograph and I get to meet some really cool people into the bargain! Barbara and Bob and every single one of their guests were the coolest, most interesting people I could ever have spent a day with. I enjoyed documenting their day as a story. The minutes without laughter were few and far between. The ceremony had laughter, tears and tears of laughter. These were genuinely funny people with a real passion for Scottish scones. You can’t find a decent scone in the whole of California apparently.
I went to the pub with them after the ceremony at Dalmunzie Castle and had a riotous meal at the Strathardle Inn. We changed into comfy clothes (I took off my jacket). A special single cask, numbered bottle of Edradour later and all the stories flooded out. These guys are rocket scientists. No, really! Bob was designer on the Space Shuttle engine. Then a walk and sad goodbye. Keep in touch guys.
For me the purest form of wedding photography is photojournalism. Documentary, storytelling photography where the photographer is an observer capturing real moments rather than setting them up. Don’t get me wrong, I get a real kick out of directing a shot you know is going to make them go ‘wow’ when they see it. The most affecting pictures for me are just a still frame in the movie of the wedding. Expressions of emotion between people can be impossibly beautiful because they are so real. A really good documentary photograph should make you hear the laughter or taste the whisky. And if it is good enough it will still make them go ‘wow’.
Here’s a slideshow of our favourites (turn down the volume if your boss is near!):
