I usually meet wedding couples two or three times before the wedding but Maria and Andy booked me entirely by e-mail for a Mum and "Bump" portrait session before the big event, so we had never met which added an interesting dimension to the shoot. As a photographer, it is essential to make your subject feel entirely comfortable in front of the camera. This is much easier if you have met each other beforehand and have established some form of rapport. It is a touch harder if you have never met!. However, I need not have worried as Maria and Andy were very natural and we very quickly felt comfortable working together. Maria chose Cannon Hall near Barnsley as the venue for the shoot, as this is where Andy and her were married. A low sun blazing out of a cloudless sky proved to be quite a challenge, but we found some shade and got some lovely shots.
As a wedding photographer there are times when you wear the hat of a portrait photographer, at times a fashion photographer, at times a landscape photographer to name but a few. However, one of my favourite hats is that of the architectural photographer. I've always had a great love for history, so when I have the opportunity to photograph a beautiful Norman church then I try to make the most of it, arriving well before the wedding party to have the time to walk around the church to look for the best angles. Last month I found myself in Riccall for the first time for a wedding and the church of St. Mary's is a real gem. Riccall is famous as the landing place for the Viking fleet in 1066 prior to the Battle of Stamford Bridge, which preceded the Norman invasion and the Battle of Hastings. The church of St. Mary's was built shortly after the Norman conquest on the site of an Anglo-Saxon church. The doorway dates back to 1160 and the lovely three stage tower was added on 1180. The church itself is very typical for this particular part of Yorkshire, being built from local Tadcaster magnesium limestone, giving it a very light coloured appearance. It really is lovely and is well worth a visit if you are in the area.
