Nikon D800 - Ahead of its time

This is not a D800 review, as there are plenty of them floating about. Most reviews will say the same thing; they state the tech specs, complain that the 36.3 megapixel count in the D800 is too high, that it is competing with Medium Format and that the D800 is not a D700 replacement.

My Thoughts

I personally feel the D800 is the D700 replacement and that nothing else is in the pipeline. If something does crop up within the next few months, its due to Nikon listening to their consumer demand for an affordable, semi-pro, full frame DSLR with a manageable megapixel count.

Over the past few years, one of the features most advertised with DSLRs, or any camera in fact, is the megapixel count, this is due to the consumer perception of increased megapixels relates to increased quality.

Following this conventional wisdom, Nikon has bumped up the megapixel count from 12mp in the D700, to 36.3mp for the D800. Most who have used the D700 agree however, that the 12mp has been sufficient.

I believe when Nikon released the D800 with 36.3mp, it had nothing to do with consumers needing more megapixels, it was purely so Nikon could have a ‘one-up’ on Canon in terms of megapixels.

The downside to this frantic quest to be the top of the megapixel game is the increased file size, which results in a higher demand with computing power and storage which few people can easily attain.

Many people say the D800 is a poor choice for wedding photography. However, I personally love using the D800 for Weddings as it has a strong build quality, shares the same AF system as the flagship model D4, compact (for a pro DSLR that is), immense dynamic range, great low-light capability (even better when the file is downsized), and with the 36.3mp, it allows you to either crop for perfect composition or print large for the couple.

Many reviews have complained that the D800 is slow and that 4fps is not cutting it by todays standard and because of this, they regard the D800 more as a studio camera. As far as I’m concerned, the 4fps is sufficient for event purposes as event photography is about capturing the decisive moment. At a wedding, I am never in “Continuous” and have never felt restricted by this 4fps.

So I feel the Nikon D800 is the perfect camera for wedding photography and that it’s my computer that is not ideal for the large D800 files!

Conclusion

History tells us that the time lapse between full frame camera upgrades is roughly 2-3yrs, while computer equipment is upgraded annually. Likewise, the cost of storage decreases each year.

Memory cards over the years have gone down drastically in price. The same 45mb/s 16Gb SanDisk SD Card that cost me £49.99 in 2011 now costs £9.40 from Amazon.co.uk. The only difference is this card is now labelled “Extreme” while the new “Extreme Pro” is now rated at 95mb/s.

I predict that in a few years’ time, we will see more DSLR’s approaching this high megapixel count and that even in a few years’ time the D800 will still be able to hold its own against the competition as a serious shooter! Then again, my opinion may be biased as that’s what I own now :S

2012-09-01 - Melissa & Steven

The power of Facebook put me in touch with Melissa & Steven.

My sisters old school friend stumbled across my Photography page and had “Liked” it. When she found out her friend Melissa was looking for a Wedding Photographer, she suggested that Melissa take a look at my page and not long after, I found myself sitting in Melissa & Steven’s living room discussing her big day!

Thinking back to the meeting, I cannot really remember how it all went. I just remember walking out of there thinking they were both very friendly and extremely welcoming to me. I also remember thinking “I hope I didn’t scare Lexa”.

A couple of months later however, the big day arrived!

I usually shoot Weddings by myself, but I had one of my friends who’s into Photography express a strong interest in shooting Weddings also. He asked if he could assist me and gain some experience of what it’s like in the field shooting Weddings.

Melissa & Steven were kind enough to allow Jason to take shots at their Wedding so he can gain some experience and portfolio work.

Me and Jason arrived around 1pm to grab some shots of the venue before the guests started arriving, and it was so strange as there were no guests there at all, and didn’t look like any were coming anytime soon. Usually I arrive a little earlier and find at least one grandmother hanging around. But this Wedding, I had no-one! I was seriously questioning myself if I had the right venue…

Me and Jason went around, knocked out a few shots, and then once the guests arrived, we felt somewhat relief knowing we were in the right place.

Steven is a very sociable friendly guy, and it was evident from the very beginning when I met him, but even more so now he’s surrounded by friends and family. What I love about Wedding Photography is capturing true emotion, which is why you’ll rarely ever hear me say “Smile!” at a Wedding (if you hear me say that I have just genuinely ran out of jokes, and I am not the funniest of people also, so if I end up saying that, I’m in trouble lol… at least for that moment lol). But Steven made my job so much easier as he was just genuinely happy throughout. He did not seem stressed at all, and moving from guest to guest with a big smile on his face, he was just awesome!

Melissa was arriving soon, so all the guests went in to take their seats.

As she pulled up in the Daimler V8, I see why Steven emphasised a few times he wants shots of this car. It was a beautiful car… But then Melissa stepped out and stole the show!

I find it funny as the first thing Melissa said to me when the car door opened was “What do I do?” lol… With how I shoot Weddings, I don’t like to direct too much. I just want to capture it. So literally just told Melissa to be natural, relax, and enjoy your day. The only time I need to direct is for the Formal shots, otherwise, I prefer people to just enjoy the day as it is their Wedding, and not a full day Photo shoot. After this, it all fell into place and Melissa walked down the aisle and enjoyed her day.

During the Ceremony, having an assistant shooter was great! With the help of Jason, we were able to capture multi-angle shots. At times he remained up top, and I stayed down below, and we switched occasionally also. It was strange however that despite already having discussed with the vicar about Photography, he made announcements during the Ceremony “No Photography”. This put both me and Jason in an awkward position as we didn’t have time to clarify if he was actually talking to us, however, all I knew is that Melissa and Steven had paid me cover the ceremony, so I carried on shooting. I was more aware and cautious of the fact the Vicar had made that announcement, so I set my camera to Quiet-Shutter for the first time ever, and then found out it’s not even quiet! It’s just slower in how it makes its noise :S

After the ceremony, we went outside and it was a ‘no brainer’ for where I was going to do the group shots. I had to do it right in front of the Church with the massive Pillars. I am a sucker for Pillars. There were also a few steps which would help elevate some people at the back to avoid any people being blocked by the person in front.

We knocked out the shots very quickly, surprisingly quick in fact. I had warned Melissa beforehand that it’s difficult to predict how long the formal shots will take, it just depends on how the guests co-operate. There have been Weddings where ‘Grandad’ has disappeared and no-where to be found and the shot cannot be done without him. Obstacles like that do slow things down. I only had a 30min Window to capture these shots as I needed time for a few Portraits of them after, but this Wedding went amazingly smooth. So smooth that we added more random group shots to fill-up the time.

I pre-visited the reception venue earlier in the week and had spoken to someone at the Venue, and they informed me that a lot of the outside areas would be blocked off. So there were not many options for Portrait shoot locations, so I decided to get as much as I can outside the Church Venue.

When we arrived at the reception venue, which was Chessington Golf Centre, there was unfortunately a delay before Melissa & Steven could get out of the car. However his allowed time for Steven to act like a big kid and pretend to drive his dream car! Lol

Once all settled down, they made their entrance into the venue and I cannot express enough how much I love confetti shots! It’s something about things being thrown at people which makes them smile lol… Melissa & Steven were showered with Confetti all the way through from the car park to the entrance of the venue.

At this point, it was socialising and mingling for the guests. Jason and I were just trying to stay out of the scene and let it all pan out and capture all the candid moments.

During this time, me and Jason also went around capturing the details. I absolutely LOVE this Cake Topper! It looks JUST LIKE THEM! lol

The meal began, and Melissa & Steven graciously sat us amongst the guests. It was nice to be sat amongst the family and friends, with everyone being so welcoming.

When it was time for the speeches, it was time to get back to work! My god the speeches were funny…

As a Wedding Photographer, you hear a lot of jokes, but these speeches were hilarious! Probably a bit to crude for me to repeat them, but the one joke that sticks out in my head was the David Beckham Calendar lol! Anyone who was there listening to the speech will know what I mean lol… They rolled on this David Beckham obsession and brought out a life sized David Beckham stand. Btw, when I’m referring to a David Beckham obsession, it is the Steven that has this obsession. I know most of the readers will assume I’m referring to Melissa lol…

After a gorgeous meal, a couple of drinks, some funny speeches, they cut the cake and we went for some silly pictures outside with this David Beckham stand lol…

When it came to the first dance, their song came on, and my more youthful side wanted to scream out “CHOON!!!” lol… K-Ci & Jojo – All My Life. I am well-known amongst my peers that I am no doubt, and R&B head. I love R&B…

Melissa & Steven looked so happy during the first dance. I always shoot my First Dance pictures with a 50mm f/1.4G lens. First Dances are done in low-light, and when shooting at f/2 or faster, the Bokeh (out of focus areas) just looks so much more pleasing. It gives a nice separation from the guests surrounding them, and you can really focus in on the couple.

I always shoot them using the rule of thirds, so I throw the couple off to one side of the frame for a bit more of a cinematic feel.

Sometimes the first dance can be quite challenging to shoot, as they dance and move a lot in a circle, and it’s sometimes really hard to capture a smile from both Bride & Groom whilst looking at each other. Sometimes I can only get the back of the Grooms head whilst the Bride smiles. It just depends on what moments pop up and how much space I have to run around. With Melissa & Steven’s First Dance, it was challenging as there were kids sitting on the floor around them, however they made it easy for me as they were both just looking so happy throughout the entire dance.

I have since added Melissa & Steven on Facebook and we still keep in touch. I’m happy to see that we can keep in touch beyond their Wedding and I do now consider them friends of mine. I have seen some of the Wedding pics from their guests after I had left the Wedding and there was one funny picture of them all on the floor rowing the boat lol… I wish I got that shot! Lol

Both Melissa & Steven were very welcoming to me throughout this entire process. From the moment I was invited into their home to discuss their Wedding Day, until the moment I delivered the photos to them. You can tell they are both genuinely good people through and through and I am sincerely wishing them all the best for the future.

2012-09-23 - Kang & Vanessa

Kang is actually a friend of mine from when I was a wee little boy...

I've known the guy for as long as I can remember, but that's not saying that much seeing as my memory generally only goes as far as back as a week... I have a poor memory :S

Kang and Vanessa's Wedding was a jam packed day. I had done an oriental Wedding earlier this year, and they had their two ceremony's separated. Tea Ceremony the day before, and Traditional Wedding the next day. However Kang and Vanessa had both all in one day as they had family from all over the world, and wanted them to be apart of it in one go.

Needless to say, it was a manic day.

We began shooting at 9:30am to get some shots of the Groom and his Groomsmen before the Chinese Games began. We were just clowning around and we came up with the idea of mimicking the Abbey Road album cover!

The next image has no real significance to anything, I just thought it was hilarious to see Kang have his brother tie his Shoe Laces. What a Diva!?

The Chinese Games were about to begin, so Kang had to jump back in the car and ride up outside his Bride's house. My stupid sense of humour suggested he pretend to be like a dog and hang his head out the window lol

Then Kang's stupid sense of humour was to pretend he's trapped and squashed inside the car! lol

He was so proud of his accomplishment, it was worthy of the inspiring pose that I had seen in a Rocky Movie ;)



The Chinese Games began with the Bride's Brother coming out demanding payment, Kang and his great negotiating tactics and with the help of his Groomsmen, he managed to get out of the car and proceed to Level 2! He was presented with a Prize (or was it just breakfast?) of 2 Oranges. Which he began to juggle to celebrate! (or show off that he could juggle)...

The Ceremony shots were done by a friend of mine, Jason Shum. Jason is an aspiring Photographer who had assisted me on a previous shoot of mine for Melissa & Steven.

Jason mainly does food Photography as he is a Chef, however he wanted to try his hand at Wedding Photography and he managed to capture some great shots.

After the Ceremony had finished, it was time to get back to work!

I went around the Church venue with Kang a few days before the Wedding to scope the surroundings. The Wedding was in September and the weather seemed pretty decent at the time, however when it came to the actual Wedding day, the weather was really poor. It was such a shame as no-one wants it to rain on their Wedding day, and it forced all of the Photos to be done inside the Church.

Seeing as the church only scheduled for us to be inside for the ceremony only, and everything else was to be outside, we unfortunately had to break the rules and stay behind a bit longer. Constantly getting nagged by the lady who was locking up saying that we had to leave, we begged and pleaded for more time, and she obviously really didn't want us to stay as she decided to turn off all the lights.

We rushed through as many shots as we could, and I had to set up two flash stands with shoot through umbrella's to illuminate the groups. The ceiling was way too high for my little Speedlights to keep flashing without burning out.

I decided to under expose the background just a touch, as I wanted to have a bit more separation on the group.

They had a large number of guests at the Wedding, and as always, I had to go for a large group shot and I just about managed to squeeze everyone in. At this point the Flashes wouldn't spread the light evenly enough, and over exposed on the edges a bit, and I had to go over with an adjustmen brush to increase the exposure for the guests in the middle/back, but I still feel the shot came out pretty good considering the time we had to get things done.

One of the last shots I could pull off before we decided to leave as the woman was really pushing us to go was a solo of the Bride. I love this shot as Vanessa's dress was very elegant, and with the help of the Bridesmaids they spreaded the dress out quite nicely, and Vanessa was so easy to make smile as she generally is a smiler.

We moved onto China Boulevard in Wandsworth/Battersea for the Chinese Tea Ceremony. The one thing that made me laugh about this Tea Ceremony was that everyone who had a sip of the tea, said the exact same thing... "Whoa that was sweet" lol

It just made me want to try it, but I had to focus on shooting. I decided to go for a very cinematic type look by shooting over the shoulder of either the Bride or Groom, to show the faces of the family memebers, of vice versa to show the faces of Vanessa and Kang. It was important to me to capture the individual emotions of the Bride, Groom and their Guests, rather than focusing on the image as an event of passing the cup of tea over.

Where I did try to capture everything, as a single shooter, I was unable to get the wide and close up shots together. But my focus was the emotions which related to that part of the ceremony whether it be laughter, smiles, or tears.

I just wanted to throw this shot in as I thought it was funny... she's shouting "Canada!" btw lol... She wanted recognition of her country within the father of the Bride's speech lol

We went outside for a few shots, but then the weather got too cold, so we found a spot and took some Portaits which really represented their personalities... they're both clowns! lol

They had their First Dance, which wasn't scheduled, and at this point, I was fairly drunk :S but I managed to get a few captures for them. It's mainly of the Groom's face, but I could've swore whilst I was shooting this dance, they were swaying in such a way so that she'd be hiding from me. Or I was just pretty drunk at this point and couldn't co-ordinate :S

Probably worth mentioning that at this point, I wasn't really planning on shooting as it was 'Guest' time lol...

I wanted to get a shot with Kang and his siblings as I have known this family my whole life, and trust Kang to ruin it! (even though I'm the one looking ugly, but it's due to Kang poking me in my side... This happens a lot and I never learn)

Nikon D800 for Weddings… Really?!

I’ve been shooting Weddings since May/June 2011 and have gone through a fair bit of gear within this short period of time. I cannot actually believe how much gear I’ve gone through considering how long I’ve been shooting.

Without boring you all with the extensive list of what I’ve bought and sold for my various silly and calculated reasons, I began shooting with a Nikon D7000, and 16months later, I’ve ended up with two Nikon D800’s :S

I won’t go into detail with why and how in such a short period of time I’ve ended up with two D800’s, but you may know that some of the reasons are justified, and the other reasons my logical side just blames GAS.

Since the release of the Nikon D800 in January, many people have discussed in forums, reviews, blogs etc. that the Nikon D800 for Weddings is just absurd! Very few that I have seen, have said that you could use a D800 for Weddings.

The people who say shooting a Wedding with a D800 is the wrong decision to make. I can put my hand on my heart and say… “I can see what you mean”. However, most of the people saying the D800 is bad for Weddings are people who are judging it via Paper specs.

There is only one reason why you wouldn’t want to shoot the D800 for Weddings/Events, and that is purely because of the file sizes. The 36.3mp RAW files come out at around 70Mb per RAW, 40Mb when using Lossless Compressed.

As a result of the large file sizes, and with the known issues of LR4 being a bit sluggish, my post-production has slowed WAY down. I’ve also had to buy more HDD’s to accommodate the files, back-up and storage, and I’m still in the midst of accumulating more Memory Cards.

Other than the large file sizes, the D800 is a brilliant camera choice for Weddings. Not only can you resolve high detail images when you’re at low ISO’s, you can crank it up to high ISO’s and scale the image down to 16mp and have a file which is very comparable to the Nikon D4. The Nikon D4, based on UK prices, is 2.5x more expensive! Yes there are other benefits to the Nikon D4, but don’t forget that the D800 shares a lot of its parts with the D4 and offers basically the same features, excluding it’s speed and buffer. In some ways, the D800 offers more! With it having a Pop-Up Flash ;)

I know, I know... Professionals don’t use Pop-Up Flashes, but I was actually referring to the Pop-Up Flash as it has Nikon CLS ability, so you can control you other Nikon Flashes with this Pop-Up Flash.

The benefit also to the 36.3mp is the fact you have the ability to crop images. Again, I know of many Photographers out there who will make a point about “crop in camera”. Where I agree, if you can crop in camera, you should do it. There are many benefits to cropping the image correctly in-camera, however, allow me to paint you a picture…

You’re at a Wedding, you’re shooting the ceremony, standing on the grooms side, you look just behind the bride to see a Bridesmaid crying, you want to capture it, and there’s not enough time to switch camera bodies with a longer lens mounted, or switch lens, what do you do? With the D800, you could shoot it, then crop it for a tighter framing.

Now, to all those who say that this is cheating or still don’t agree with crop, I’ll accept your opinions provided you never suggest to someone to buy DX camera as it helps you get closer to the action. This is effectively the same thing.

I could go on and on about benefits and negatives to using the Nikon D800 for Weddings or Events, but the main point of the article is to emphasise, there are some benefits. If you care about workflow and have the mentality “time is money”, then this camera may not be for you. If you are willing to put a little bit more work in, and spend a little more time, why not invest in this camera for Weddings?

2012-08-18 – Danielle & Daniel

It feels like so long ago from when I got that phone call from Danielle enquiring about Wedding Photography, so long ago that I can’t actually believe I have already shot her Wedding and a month has gone by???

After a very brief conversation on the phone with Danielle, we arranged a time to meet up and discuss the Wedding Day. At this point I had no idea of what the Groom’s name was, and when he said “Hi I’m Dan”, I was a little confused as I thought that was the Bride’s name. However, in an attempt to not look like an idiot and thinking I forgot the Bride’s name etc… I just went along with it, and avoided saying any names at all lol…

We took the time to get to know each other a bit better, and discuss their Wedding Day. Danielle and Daniel mentioned to me that they had to make a few last minute changes to their Wedding Plans, and one of them was the reception Venue, and that they had selected this venue purely out of the Lake view, which was an amazing view. This view can be found at The Inn On The Lake in Gravesend. She put forward an idea for a Sunset shot that she envisioned when she viewed the venue, and at this point, I became a little nervous as she chose this venue for a specific shot and I did not want to disappoint.

On the day of the actual shoot, I arrived a little early, but I used this time to capture the Preparation shots casually rather than having to rush. Which was good, because during the schedule, we lost a little time trying to chase her cats lol… Danielle and Daniel are Cat lovers and wanted her two cats to be a part of the Wedding Photos. With the help of her Bridesmaid, and a lot of crawling around on the floor, we managed to snatch a couple of shots of her Cats. (I’ve always heard “don’t work with kids or animals” but that saying never really hits home until you experience having to work with them lol)

I am thankful to the Vicar at this Wedding to allow me freedom of movement. Whenever I shoot a Wedding, I do move a lot, hunting for the best angle and perspective. I tend to shoot a lot from various places, and the Vicar allowed me freedom to walk wherever I liked, and all that he asked was that I do not get into the couples face, and thankfully I have telephoto lenses which allow me to capture facial expressions from a distance… Although this shot was a little cheeky :S

The last couple of Weddings I shot, they were all hosted within the same Venue, so it was a slight change shooting on Church Grounds. I almost forgot how beautiful they can be. Christ Church in Chislehurt was a lovely building. I began my Photography life by shooting architecture and night cityscapes, and when I saw this Church, I seriously thought it was a beautiful building. I really wanted to include the building in as many shots as I could, and for this Group Shot, I needed to use my Ultra Wide Angle to squeeze everyone in along with the building. I attempted to keep the guests as central to the frame as possible without losing too much of the building, as towards the edges of the frame, it is more likely to get distortion and I did not want any faces stretched out.

For the past couple of Weddings I have attempted to use the Brenizer Method within the Portrait Shots. Ryan Brenizer is a NYC Based Wedding Photographer that has made a name for himself by shooting the likes of President Obama, Muhammed Ali and a number of other famous figures which I cannot remember right now… He made a Photographic Technique Famous, and many Photographers have called it Bokeh-Panorama, however over time it be linked to Ryan Brenizer and is now well-known as the Brenizer Method.

In short, it allows for a wider shot, but still retaining the shallow depth of field from a close-up shot. This is a very useful technique to really put focus on an image.

I used this method to capture two Portrait shots with them, it requires around 50 shots with a shallow depth of field, and stitched up. A lot of post-processing involved. However, my favourite Portrait shot of Danielle & Daniel has to be this one.

Although the Brenizer Method demonstrates a strong technical ability to piece together a shot, my favourite shot from their Portraits is the one with pure emotion. The pose is not complex, nor was it the way I shot it, however it was their genuine smiles which I love the most.

We moved onto the Formal Group shots at which point, it was a little difficult to round up as we had called some people out, but they were no-where to be found lol… I’m very thankful to the Bridesmaid’s and Groomsmen who helped out in trying to round people up for me.

I followed the Bridal Car down to the reception Venue, at which point, I had to immediately check out the Lake with my own eyes, and it did not disappoint.

We went for a couple of Portrait Shots at the Lake, but I did not want to keep them for too long as we had done some Portraits at the Church, and have it scheduled for a Sunset shot in the evening. It is important to me that Weddings do not turn into Photoshoots as I want the couples to enjoy their actual Wedding Day and be there within the moments and not have too many staged Photographs.

The speeches were hilarious, the Groomsmen tried to play Psyke Out on the Groom and at this point I had no idea what to do as they really caught me off guard! Do I capture them Psyking him out? Or do I capture the Groom being Psyked out? Lol… The Groom held it together during his speech though, and did not let his Groomsmen get the best of him… Even when one of the Groomsmen’s Phones went off lol…

After the Speeches, we saw that the sun was on its way down, so we quickly ran out to snatch the Sunset shot… As I shoot alone at these Weddings and do not have lighting assistants etc… I didn’t want to lose too much time setting up the light stands themselves, they are prone to being blown away in the wind also, so I quickly enlisted the help of the Brides sister to hold the Flash for me.

I under exposed the shot to bring in the detail from the Sky, but in turn all that would do is underexpose Danielle & Daniel. I did not want them to be Silhouettes in the shot as I had grabbed a Silhouette of them earlier, so I asked Ashley, the Bride’s sister/Bridesmaid, to stand next to them holding the flash as high as she could, but aimed at them. It was a Bare Flash directed at their faces, just to give them some exposure in the shot.

After the Sunset shot, I left the Bride and Groom to interact with their Guests, and during this time, I tried to get as many guest photos as possibly could.

Danielle and Daniel told me they would not be having a first dance, however after the Cake Cutting, they were on the dance floor and having a first dance lol…

I’m glad they did end up having a first dance as the first dance photos for me are one of the best ones from the day. There’s always a moment during the first dance where the couple look at each other or hold each other in such a way where it shows a lot of passion or happiness, and this Wedding was no different in that sense. I love how caught up they are in this moment, and it really looks as if they were in a world of their own, not worrying about their guests, or the fact there’s a big camera aimed at them, they were just in the moment.

After their dance, the Groom and one of the Groomsmen also had a First Dance of their own, then another Groomsmen came out to rock the dance floor and got the party started for sure!

Shooting Danielle & Daniel’s Wedding was an absolute pleasure, minus the fact it was the hottest day of the year! 31 Degrees! During the group shots I had to find a spot to put them in the Shade to better lighting and less squinting for them, but in turn, it put me directly in the sun which after the shoot, when I came home, my family came up to me and said “You have a tan!” lol

But otherwise, the Wedding was a great day. I saw plenty of smiles, which makes my life easier as that’s what I look for at Weddings, and both Danielle and Daniel were the main smilers!

Throughout the day I could really see that Daniel adores Danielle like no other, as I found Daniel lovingly holding Danielle a lot, and that Daniel also makes Danielle laugh like no other. Their chemistry for each other was very apparent throughout the day, and I wish them nothing but happiness for the future.

2012-07-20/21 - Tuan & Judith

I never know whose name to write first… It makes sense “Bride and Groom” that I would write “Judith & Tuan”, but I don’t want to keep relegating the Groom! Amongst my filing system at Home it’s “Tuan & Judith”, but online it’s Judith first… Doesn’t really make a difference! And I probably just wasted 2min of your life by reading that… but hopefully you’ll find the remainder of the Blog interesting…

Judith & Tuan are close friends with my cousin Robert, and they approached me last year when I had just started out doing Wedding Photography. They were engaged (obviously lol) and saw some shots I took at my cousins Wedding. These shots were done relatively casually as I was actually just a guest, but it was enough for Judith & Tuan to at least enquire with me.

We met up for dinner and to discuss their Wedding Day, but not only their Wedding Day, but to hear funny stories about my cousin and his Usher Days lol… I found this immensely hilarious as my nickname amongst some of my friends was also “Usher”. Yes, even I went through the phase in my life where I constantly listened to Usher and tried to pull out his moves in the clubs… So Robert, you’re not alone!

The gist of the conversation that I got from Judith & Tuan, was that the most important thing they wanted was natural photos. Nothing too staged, and they just wanted to feel comfortable with whoever they were going to have document their Wedding.

They mentioned that their ceremony was going to be across 2 days. They were to have a Tea Ceremony on the 20th July, and then their main Wedding & Reception on the 21st July. Not only did they want their Wedding Photographed, they wanted some engagement photos.

We completed their Engagement Photos earlier this year and I could tell Tuan & Judith were happy with these shots as not only did they tell me direct, I saw the photos I took for them very much a part of their Wedding!

The Tea Ceremony was unfamiliar territory for me, seeing as I had never shot one before, and although I was briefed by both Tuan & Judith on what to expect, you never really know until you have been through one yourself.

Upon my arrival, I was greeted by Judith’s family with a Chinese Li Xi, I think it’s called that lol, but basically, it was the red envelope they give as a gesture which contains money and represents good luck and fortune. That’s how I understand it at least lol… But I was genuinely touched by this gesture, and although the gesture may have seen small to Judith and her family, it meant a lot to me that they thought of me for this…

The shoot began with a very familiar Bride Preparation, which then moved onto some games for the Groom. These games were to test his worthiness! Lol… It was actually quite funny to see Tuan walk into his own place and pretend he had never seen it before…

The Bridesmaids had some embarrassing games in-store for the Groom. One of which entailed a very difficult Yoga Move, which Tuan Pulled off magnificently and had perfect form! :S lol

The move actually was assisted quite largely by a little stool, and then Photoshopped out by a photo re-toucher I met in Thailand, Samina Hossain.

The past couple of weeks have been immense with editing, shooting, and work, so much so that I just didn’t have the time to do this photo myself. It is quite a difficult task for me to remove the stool on Photoshop, so I hired Samina who managed to remove the stool perfectly.

The shoot for the Tea Ceremony was very relaxed as nothing was too formal. The challenge on this shoot that I came across was the very restricted space. The Tea Ceremony was held at Tuan’s Parents place in Peterborough, and their house is not small, but when you take into account the number of guests, it was extremely hard manoeuvring around whilst trying to remain like a Ninja. I failed at that miserably as throughout my manoeuvrings, my lens poked Tuan’s back :S

Judith was wearing a tradition red Oriental Dress, and I did want to do a shot that was a bit cliché, and I did unfortunately nudge Judith into doing a shot which she wasn’t comfortable doing as it was very posy. It’s not usually something I like doing myself, but I just saw Judith in her Red Dress, and holding the Red Umbrella, I did pre-envision a very old classic looking photo. By the end of that photo, I think it was safe to say Judith wanted to burn the Umbrella lol… But we did go back to the usual clowning around photos to really bring out their true personalities… ;)

Tuan’s Parents whipped out the old photo album and reminisced a bit, and came across a photo of Tuan’s Great-Grandad who had a striking resemblance too………. Myself lol… It became the joke for the day, that it was somewhat ‘meant to be’ that I am there documenting their day as I looked like one of their family members lol…

On their actual Wedding Day (21st July), I felt more at home with what I was doing. I had shot full-day Weddings before so I really had a much better pre-vision to what would be happening.

I left my house 1hr earlier than I planned to leave, as this was roughly when the Olympics was starting, and there were scares of traffic. All that ended up happening was that I was 1hr earlier than expected!

I was scheduled to start shooting Tuan’s Preparations at 9:30am, however as I arrived at 8:30am and we had finished his Preparations shots before I officially started, we went for a walk around Tower Bridge for some Portraits of him and his brother, the Best Man. It was quite unexpected, and we had no props to play with, not even the Red Umbrella that Judith loved so much :S lol… But we managed to knock out some ‘normal’ Portraits lol… (Sorta lol)

I then had to go to meet Judith for her preparation shots. During the preparation shots, Judith had quite a few of her guests arrive there for a Wedding Day lunch. It was very sweet of her to include me in on this as I wasn’t expecting this at all. It was scheduled that they would have a lunch, but I didn’t realise I would be a part of it too!

I made my way down to the Ceremony Venue, and earlier in the year when I met up with Tuan & Judith for their Venue Visit, I was praying for good weather as the staircase on this Venue is amazing. It made for a lovely Group Shot.

When I walked into the Ceremony room, I found out that their Registrar was the same Registrar from a previous Wedding I had shot last year. I found that his style for performing the Ceremony last year was great! He is friendly, funny, and does not steal the lime light away from the couple, but performs the ceremony in such a way where he does make the guests smile with his subtle jokes. When I saw that he was performing the Ceremony for Judith & Tuan, I knew they were in good hands. I also like the fact that he allows me freedom to walk wherever I wish, and does not restrict me in anyway.

After the Ceremony, Judith & Tuan were lucky to have 2 Confetti sessions lol… They had one just as they exited the Ceremony Room, and then another walking down the stairs outside the Venue. I personally love the Confetti shots as it always seems to bring out the best smiles for the couples. My jokes are unfortunately not good enough to bring out a smile as genuine as Confetti does lol…

Prior to the Wedding, the Group shot list was extremely intimidating. It was a large list, and I feared I would not be able to complete the entire list. The list was large to the point that on the Groom’s side, there were 17 separate groups listed. I’m used to doing Group Shots for the Wedding which totals to around 15ish total for both Bride & Groom, however with the help of Bridesmaids, Maid of Honour, Bestman and Grooms Cousin, we managed to rustle up everyone with ease. It was incredibly efficient… When I was done with one Group, the next was ready for the shot and just stepped in. It was amazingly efficient… I actually couldn’t believe it when I checked the time and we were on schedule.

During the meal they had a few speeches, and during the Speeches, it’s quite difficult to shoot as you cannot take pictures of the words that were said. So the best I can do is shoot in such a way where it reminds the Bride & Groom of how it looked during the Wedding, and I shoot at angles which veer over peoples shoulders, and try find angles where it looks as if you can see from their point of view. Sounds like an easy concept, but pretty hard to execute whilst trying to not make the guests or speakers feel uncomfortable.

After the speeches they hosted a slideshow presentation of pictures from their lives. This is something I had not seen before and it was amazingly sentimental. It brought out laughter and I heard a few “awww’s” lol… They even included the engagement shoot that I had shot for them in the slideshow.

I forgot to mention earlier that they had the engagement photos printed in a photobook, a large print of one of their shots in a frame. It was amazing for me to see that they made their engagement photos very much a part of their actual Wedding Ceremony.

In closing I would like to take the time to say Judith & Tuan were so laid back, easy going, and immensely caring and considerate to everyone on the day… they did not make the day all about 'the wedding day' but made the day about their lives together overall...

These two days were two of the longest shoots I have ever had, but at the same time, it was the smoothest I have ever had. It is an amazing honour to be a part of their day with them, and I am just wishing them all the best for the future!

2012-07-15 - Rachelle & Theo

Rachelle & Theo’s Wedding began with Bridal Preparations at Kink’s in Putney. This was a first for me as most Bridal Preparations were done either at the Bride’s home or in a Bridal Suite at the Venue.

This to me was a great experience shooting, as I really try to avoid being noticed at a Wedding, and getting in front of people with a big camera, it does throw people off and distract from their true emotion. However with the amount of floor space I had to play with, it made it a lot easier for me to move around. Although with the excess amount of mirrors, I was never out of sight :S lol

Nikon D800 + 24-70mm f/2.8 @ f/3.2, 1/60sec, ISO 250

We moved onto Pembroke Lodge in Richmond, and this was a stunning venue. The thing that caught my eye the most about this venue was the view at the back. The venue seems to be on top of a hill almost, and there was a brilliant skyline view.

Since I arrived earlier than everyone else, I took this time to capture the decorations for the table. Samantha Warren, which is the sister to the Bride and also a good friend of mine, managed to make up these amazing table pieces. I personally think she should look into being a Wedding Planner as her creativity and organisational skills for this Wedding were astounding.

Nikon D800 + 24-70mm f/2.8 @ f/4.5, 1/60sec, ISO100

The actual ceremony was beautiful, with a glass ceiling, it allowed plenty of light to fall through and bathe down on everyone. It was a bright and beautiful place to be married in. I loved shooting in this venue as it allowed me to shoot without flash to not distract from the ceremony and also keep my ISO down.

Nikon D800 + 24-70mm f/2.8 @ f/2.8, 1/250sec, ISO400

Nikon D800 + 24-70mm f/2.8 @ f/2.8, ISO400, 1/640sec

After the Ceremony, we went to do the Group Shots and Portraits. It was quite a difficult session as the ceremony started late, and ran into the time allocated for the group shots, but we ploughed through and got there in the end!

Nikon D800 + 24-70mm f/2.8 @ f6.3, ISO100, 1/250sec

With every couple, I do try to do their Portraits in a very natural setting, and try to get them to be as natural as possible without everything looking too staged, and then I try to give them a Portrait using the Brenizer Method.

If you haven’t read any of my other Blog’s where I’ve discussed the Brenizer Method, it’s a method which allows for a wider angle shot, but with a shallow depth of field. This method really allows me to isolate the subject, and keep the focus on them for a full body shot. It also adds a little something different as it does make them look miniature also.

Nikon D800 + 70-200mm f/2.8 @ f/2.8, 1/160sec, ISO100 (36 shots stitched)

The Brenizer Method can be quite difficult, as you don’t really know whether it has been nailed until you go home to edit and try stitch them together. For Rachelle & Theo, it somewhat failed. There was a building in the background behind the bushes, however I miss-shot one part of the building which would’ve completed the stitch, however I decided to remove the building altogether and give the final edit a slightly vintage feel, and added much more green to the highlights to give it more of an old faded image.

I was very happy to see Rachelle use the image as her Facebook Profile Picture.

Their first dance was very much the traditional dance, no remix, no funky moves, just them two, the song, and a dance floor. You can feel the love from them from their dance as they were more or less hugged up a lot of the time, and this allowed me to capture what I feel is one of my best shots. The body language and facial expressions caught within this image to me just really shows how much they love each other, and this is my new personal favourite.

Nikon D800 + 50mm f/1.4 @ f/2, ISO1250, 1/60sec

Rachelle & Theo came to me with the idea of light painting for their Wedding Photos. They wanted to use Sparklers to spell “Love”. Light painting is not something I had shot before, but I knew the theory of the technical aspect of getting the shot, but never had actually put it into practice before.

I decided to go buy Sparklers a few days before the Wedding to practice, as I envisioned a shot of the light painting, but have them in focus, with no motion blur. I had a few practice sessions at home before the big day, and the biggest issue I had was the white balance difference between the flash and the light from the sparkler, but otherwise successful runs at home. Didn’t need to test too much and had sparklers spare.

On the actual Wedding Day Rachelle tells me she couldn’t find Sparklers, so luckily these spares did not go to waste!

I think it was safe to safe Rachelle & Theo were fairly intoxicated as it was quite difficult rounding them both up for the shot. So I thought it was best to get setup before trying to get them out, and with the help with the brothers from both sides of the family, we managed to get them out, and they helped out with holding up the flash stands.

I suggested that instead of “Love”, they should paint out a heart instead. Symbolises the same message, but less movements lol… I think to spell out a word sober would be quite difficult, but they were both pretty intoxicated, so I feel a heart would be more realistic, and even at that, it wasn’t a perfect heart lol… We tried twice, and this was the second attempt. I think they were both keen to get back to the party, so I just wrapped up the Sparkler shot here, and I still think it makes for a very sweet image, even more so now that the heart isn’t perfectly done. It’s very unique and personal to them.

Nikon D800 + 24-70mm f/2.8 @ f/14, ISO100, 8sec

I absolutely loved shooting Rachelle & Theo’s Wedding. This Wedding meant a lot to me as my good friend of mine is sisters with the Bride, and not only that, the best man to the Groom is also a good friend of mine. The amount of thought that went into the details of this Wedding was amazing, and definitely I had a lot to capture.

I could be writing all day about this Wedding as there is so much to say, although I have written a fair bit already I feel I should wrap it up here.

I will close off by saying it was a beautiful ceremony, Rachelle & Theo are both genuinely great people, and without a doubt, I thoroughly enjoyed being there documenting their day for them. Wishing them all the best for the future, and I’m sure I’