The Wedding

‘Don’t do it’, they all say… ‘Shooting a wedding for a fried or family member is a baaaaad idea.’

Of course many photographers would love the chance to jump in and shoot a wedding – for may it is seen as a surefire way to make income from your photography due to the huge amount that wedding photographers can charge. But it is a lot of work and a lot of stress.

And doing it for a family member – what if it goes wrong, you lose a memory card. your camera breaks. The internet is rife with horror-stories like this.

But I was told, in no uncertain terms by my partner, that not shooting her sister’s wedding would not be a viable plan. So I bit the bullet.

As with any event that a family are managing and organising mostly by themselves, I also found myself wearing many hats most of the day – daddy and childcarer, sound engineer, table mover. We had a bit of stress when I stated I needed half an hour to get my kit arranged.

‘We don’t have half an hour, I need you to have [our son]’, my partner declared.

‘If I don’t get half an hour, you don’t get any photographs…’

But anyway, in the end it all came off very nicely and I enjoyed myself. The wedding was in Scarborough Spa, with a bridal procession on foot down the cliff-lift and along the bay. The weather was kind to us with a gentle hazy sunshine and cloud – perfect to create a set of high-key pastel style images.

So here they are, congratulations to Sarah and Adam Stansfield, my first wedding shoot.