A wedding by its very nature is fluid and more than a little unpredictable. Perhaps because it is strung out on high tension, drama and probably a glass or two of champagne a photographer has to be ready for just about anything. But, in all the drama and fluster it is easy to get swept along and end up overlooking the little touches and personal details that make a wedding more than just another day. Often these can be tiny things, such as a brand of wine, a candle or a even a type of flower. Perhaps the place settings or arrangement of the tables have a special significance, maybe an item of jewelry the groom is wearing has an important family connection. Whatever these personal touches happen to be it is vital that a photographer takes a step back and makes the time to find these things out. Why is it so important? Simply, these are the things that have received the most thought and these are the things that will mean the most to a husband and wife when they look back at these images over the next 50 years or so.
The best place to start looking for these small details is with the bride. More often than not a bride's appearance will have received more careful attention than any other aspect of the wedding which is why a photographer can easily spend an hour in the morning before the ceremony constructing shots around the shoes, garter, dress, perfume, bouquet, veil, tiara, and rings, and this is without even thinking about what the brides maids are wearing! As a style of photography these details shots are quite unique, certainly at no other point during the day can a photographer afford to spend so much time setting up a single image but then again these images can also be some of the most rewarding.
When it comes to constructing the detail shots it helps to be prepared. I take to every wedding a white voile (the shoes and rings in image above are sat on it) to use as a cover in case there are no suitable back drops and a reflector to even out the light. Just recently I have purchased some padded silk hangers as I very quickly got sick and tired of photographing stunning dresses on plastic coat hangers (I mean come on dress shops, with what people spend on a wedding dress can you not provide something a bit nicer!)
Every wedding is unique and every bride and groom want something different from their images, certainly one of the most important duties of a photographer is to ensure that he or she clearly understands what his clients are looking for. There is no doubt that capturing these little details and personal touches will give the finished album that extra touch of quality and, hopefully, lead to delighted customers who will enjoy the images for years to come.
Photography by Adrian Spencer of Will Hey Wedding Photography, a professional wedding photographer based in the High Peak near Buxton and Stockport and covering Derbyshire, Cheshire, Manchester and Sheffield.
