I was approached at a wedding once during prep time and was asked
“What time will we all come over for the photos?”
So I asked “The photos?” Pretending to be a bit confused.
“Ya, you know, the photos, what time will we come over?”
And then I say something like “No special time… it’ll be nice and laid back today, let the day flow at its own pace, it’ll be quite informal, nobody is on the clock”
And she says “Ah, I get you, I get you…”
Slight pause and then she says
“What time will we all come over for the photos?”
I love ridged set ups me
It’s Documentary not mockumentary!
Not one image on my website is fabricated, set up or faked, not one. Now, there is a culture of documentary wedding photography that would appear to be mainly set up pictures. For me this defeats the purpose, and is nothing short of a cop out in my book. With my own style of work there is no need to set up or pretend to create a “candid” picture. It is all real.
Each day will bring what it may and I will go with this and form the day as it flows This includes the portraits with the couple alone, and in fact this is perhaps my strongest selling point. In my experience no couple will want to hang around or be told what to do at any stage during their wedding. And what does this do? All this will do, in my opinion, is make any couple feel awkward. In setting up these pictures allows the photographer to knock out the same snaps he or she did last week… and next week, week after etc etc. Is that really good enough? For it is not.
I have a better way
Thinking on the spot and actually finding something that is unique to each individual couple and wedding, this is paramount to me and my way of working. With the day flowing freely it allows me to react in an instant, and be creative. I crave that creativity. I get the impression that some people fail to do enough research before they book a photographer. It is a big investment and should be done wisely. If you are looking for a documentary style approach make sure that it is what you are getting, but don’t stop there. How good is the person you are looking at? Do they fill your head with superlatives or are they a bit more articulate? If they are articulate then you should easily get to the point of what that particular photographer can and will achieve.
Not every couple will want to take time away for a session by themselves but if they do it is vital for me to just stick with them and observe, and to create on the spot, in other words it is not a “photo session”, but is part of the day where they take time out. I stand back and allow them to be whoever they are at that moment. When it feels right only then will I hit that shutter. 
This one,for example taken at Ballintaggart House in Dingle. It is the type of moment that can, for me, kick start the day in the right way.
It’s Documentary not mockumentary!
