Apologies for the delay in posting an image of the week, I’ve been busy getting the wedding season started and enjoying a week away.

This week’s image is from Gabriella & Tone’s wedding back in June 2011. Gabriella’s folks live near Henley-on-Thames and have a wonderfully beautiful garden in which the marriage blessing took place. Two of the main tenets of my approach are to show the day from the perspective of those who were there and to create a body of work that gives the viewer the sense of being part of the wedding, whether they were present on the day or not. This image does both. By getting in amongst the congregation I was able to frame the photograph between two heads, giving a sense of seeing the moment as a guest might have viewed it.

The actual perspective is somewhat different. This was shot on the 135L, my all-time favourite lens, and due to the focal length, the guests in the foreground and the couple in the background have been seemingly brought closer together. This helps with the image by removing the perception of distance that existed between the congregation and the ceremony and accentuating the framing qualities of the two heads.

The weather during the ceremony was touch and go - rain was a real threat - but the cloudy skies and late afternoon timing contributed to some gorgeously soft light. The final aspect was waiting for the connections to appear in the image. It’s sometimes challenging to combine multiple significant expressions into one picture, as people react to different things and different moments; but during the reading Tone’s reflective expression and the eye contact between Gabs and the reader came together. It’s a real favourite of mine.

For the togs out there I shot this on the 5DII with the 135L @ f.4.0, 1/800th, ISO 800. Till next week!

I will be shooting Rob & Steph’s wedding at Clandon Park in December and last week we went out on a mild and sunny afternoon in Henley for an engagement session. I don’t shoot a lot of engagement or pre-wedding sessions, but Rob & Steph were especially keen to have one.

Henley-on-Thames is a superb location. With the river running through the town, and thanks to one of Rob & Steph’s friends, we were lucky enough to have access to a particularly exciting spot. Temple Island sits a couple of miles downstream from Henley and is so named for the charming folly to which it is home. Thanks to their connections we had the great opportunity to shoot on the island and in the temple! To top off such an entertaining shoot we travelled to and from the island in quite simply the most beautiful boat I have ever laid eyes on. “L’Amazon” is one of the Regatta boats and is used to carry the umpires during races. She is absolutely stunning!

Rob & Steph were great fun to photograph and made my job infinitely easier by being a) really good looking and b) arranging a photographer’s dream location! Thanks to them for everything and for running with my crazy ideas - I’m looking forward to their wedding immensely! Below I’ve chosen a selection of my favourites from the afternoon. I hope you enjoy them: