Christina and David pre-wedding shoot

Christina and David are getting married in August at the gorgeous Beamish Hall in Durham.

I went over to see them in Huddersfield for their pre-wedding shoot and they suggested a park near to them. Great choice of location, it was a lovely spot, loads of different parts that we could use and we got some great stuff!

Christina and Dave both relaxed very quickly and really got their heads round what we were trying to get from the shoot. In a nutshell, that is me getting an understanding of how they look, react and feel in front of the camera and for them, getting an understanding of how I will work with them on the day. We interacted well, everything was great fun (absolutely key in my opinion - why should everything else on the wedding day be great fun and the photos be a 'chore'??? The answer is they shouldn't - people who genuinely care about getting a great set of images on their day generally understand this and throw themselves into it with great enthusiasm) and as a result....

As well as shooting couples together on the pre-wed shoot, I always think it's really important to shoot them individually as well. This gives them a true sense of what it feels like to be the centre of attention and gives them the opportunity to become used to it. It can genuinely be quite daunting, even to the most confident of people. And it also provides them with the opportunity to be ultra critical before we get to the wedding day. I encourage all couples to feedback completely honestly on the pre-wedding shoot - I can't think of anything worse than getting them to do something that they didn't actually like on the pre-wed shoot on their wedding day. They'd feel uncomfortable, they wouldn't relax and they'd very quickly stop enjoying the photos.

Although saying that, most of the time it is positive feedback that I get!















I shot all of these with available light, no flash, no reflectors, just what was coming out of the sky!
I use Canon 5D camera bodies and in this case, this entire series was shot with the f2.8 70-200mL lens. This is a fabulous lens that is fantastic in low-light conditions when coupled with the 5D. Although it was quite a bright day, it was quite grey and rain did appear at one stage.

I wouldn't ever resist using flash however - flash used correctly can look just as natural as available light and used creatively can enhance an image and give you something really cool and different.

There are a lot of purists out there who think you should avoid flash at all costs and admittedly, some of these guys have been at the top of their game for years and their work is absolutely stunning. But I do think that sometimes they're missing a trick by not embracing flash and trying something different with it. Maybe they're happy in their comfort zone and know that they can get a consistent set of images with the techniques they employ. But I always think that the only way to be a constantly improving photographer is if you take yourself out of your comfort zone and do something a bit different.











It was really great fun shooting Christina and Dave, I can't wait for their big day and if this set of images is anything to go by, we'll get some absolutely AMAZING stuff!