Best Wedding photos of 2016
Best wedding photos of 2016
It's now 2017, a brand new year, and I think its as good a time as any for me to look back over the year just gone and all the photos I've taken.
2016 was my busiest year yet for shooting weddings, sometimes I felt like I never stopped shooting! As usual I met and worked with some amazing couples who made my 'job' an interesting and incrediblily rewarding experience.
When looking back over the wedding photos I shot in 2016 and choosing which ones to include in this 'Best of' blog post I decided to split them and have a category section and a few extra shots, which I feel deserved a bit of 'backstory behind the photo'. As usual it was hard to leave out some photos, but I didn't want you to feel like it was a chore looking through a hundred odd photos!
My wedding photography style is very much shooting in a photojournalistic or documentary way and all the moments you see here are completely natural and not at all staged or directed by me in any way (apart from a few bride and groom portrait shots). Some may make you laugh or cry, but hopefully they will tell a story and most importantly capture a special moment for the couple to remember.
So here they are in no particular order....
Bridal Preparations
A time for the bride to run the gauntlet of emotions as she prepares to get ready for the ceremony and biggest day of her life. Laughter, excitement, nerves and tears all make an appearance...
The story behind the photo
It's one of the moments I hope for and pay special attention to during the bridal prep. Dad seeing his daughter in her dress for the first time. Here, bride Charlotte's Dad is clearly overcome as he sees his little girl all grown up and ready to get married, perhaps in a way handing over the reigns to her husband to look after her. If I have to choose I think it's best to capture the dad's expression, rather than the bride, as it can be one of those rare moments a grown man openly shows emotion.
It must be a happy and strangely difficult time for the parents seeing their children getting married and I often wonder if I'll be able to hold back the tears when I see my daughter in this scenario, albeit a few years away!
The ceremony
The groom seeing his bride coming down the aisle. I remember this well at my wedding, I was an emotional wreck! The exchange of vows, the relief of getting the ceremony over with. Another melting pot of emotions to capture.
The story behind the photos
Okay, I'm cheating a bit here having two photos, but they are from the same wedding and I love them both for different reasons! Jill and Iain's wedding was memorable for a lot of reasons. They were a lovely down to earth couple. The weather for their Westward Ho! wedding was a mixture of gale force winds and horizontal rain. In July. All day. Well, almost all day. As they came out of the church they were delighted to see a break in the weather and the sun even made a very brief appearance, albeit for about five minutes! The look on their faces says it all, especially as Jill wanted all their guests to walk en masse the short distance from the church to the Pier House for the wedding breakfast and was worried about the dismal weather ruining their chances. As we got halfway to the Pier House, the heavens opened again and everyone put a bit more into their step to get there!
Like myself, the groom, Iain, is a big Star Wars fan and as a surprise Jill bought him a larger than life-size stormtrooper who was an integral part of the day. Needless to say, he makes an appearance in quite a few of their wedding photos! Okay, I admit I had my photo taken with the stormtrooper too....
Children at weddings
Some of the many things kids get up to at weddings. I love the first one in this set where the parents of the groom are trying to get the couple's son to be quiet whilst his parents are exchanging their vows.
The story behind the photo
Sometimes a look can tell all. Eme and Terel's son is giving a reading during the wedding ceremony. Standing up in front of 90 or so people and speaking can be tough for anyone, but he does a great job and some of the words clearly hit home for Eme. If you zoom in closer there is a tear in her eye.
Pre Wed shoot photos
Throughout 2016 I did lots of pre wedding shoots with couples. Some were married this year, some in 2017. Here are a few of my favourites.
The story behind the photo
It must be because I'm a dad myself, but I'm really drawn to this photo. Not just because it's a beautiful moment between a bride and her father, but I think it's due to it being such a rarity at weddings these days. I shot 39 weddings this year and only 3 or 4 had any brides dancing with their fathers. Earlier in the day during the speeches it became clear that bride Keri was extremely close to her father and I was so pleased when they had a father/daughter dance just after her and Tim's first dance. You only need to look at some of the guest's faces to see how much it meant to both of them. A gentle tip for future brides. If possible, try and make the time for a dance with your father and make sure you tell me you are going to have it and I'll make sure I capture the moment. Thank you.
First dance
One of my favourite parts of the day. The last formal thing the bride and groom have to do and after that it's time to let your hair down and party a bit!
Bride and Groom photos and a few others that have no category, category
Although I am first and foremost a photojournalistic wedding photographer, I always try and make beautiful bride and groom portraits. I especially love to do these at sunset, often with off camera flash set ups. Here are a few followed by a few other photos without a category, although strangely they feature swords!!!!
If you made it this far, well done! If you are looking for a wedding photographer for 2017 and beyond please contact me to see if I'm available to capture moments like these.