Cocoa jones London wedding photographer.
Part 2
After our lunch at Claridges, we went for a champagne toast at Blakes Hotel in South Kensington, where Ania and Rich were to stay. Blakes is a stunning hotel, created in 1978 by designer Anouska Hempel, and is known to be the world’s first luxury boutique hotel.
My approach to wedding photography is one without a specific category, but if I had to describe it in a phrase I would call it creative documentary photography. I don’t arrive at the wedding with any pre conceived ideas. I do like to have a plan of how the day will go, so that I can think ahead about the kind of lighting conditions we could be working in and timings are important, so that I can be in the right place at the right time. I also like to hear, in advance of the wedding day, what the bride and groom are hoping to see when the get their photographs back. But the thing I love to do the most is to use an artistic eye to observe all the action and moments, however small, around me from the minute I arrive. There’s so much positive, loving energy at weddings; there are endless opportunities for great captures, both candid and sometimes directed. If the light is better in one part of a room or we need to take cover from bright sunlight outside, then a photographer should direct their subjects, in order to get the most beautiful natural lighting. I also like to direct bride and groom portrait shots where necessary, although I don’t impress set poses upon them. When people are comfortable and in love with each other, and in the presence of a photographer who feels like a good friend they can trust, then the magic happens. If a newly wed couple and their family call me up in tears when the first see their wedding photographs, as they often do, then I feel my work was meaningful and will be truly treasured by my clients. I also love it when people tell me they can’t remember me being there all the time, as I like to be as discreet and unobtrusive as possible in order to capture moments as they happen spontaneously.
It was great to all hang out together and toast the happy couple before heading back home across the river. The perfect ending to a perfect day.
We wish Auntie Ania and Uncle Rich all the luck in the world for their new chapter in San Diego, where Rich has taken a job at the University. xxxx
If you missed Part 1 of the wedding pop over to here and see their Chelsea Town Hall wedding.
