More Melville Castle weddings, Fiona and Keith

Well you can tell how busy I am by the fact that I’m falling further and further behind with my blogging, lol. I set a goal of doing a blog post every week and for most months this year I’ve done okay, but for the month of July I only managed two. June, July and August are always the busiest months for weddings and having two or three weddings a week during July is my excuse for only blogging twice. Anyway let me tell you about Fiona and Keith’s wedding which was right at the very end of July.

Keith and Fiona live just around the corner from me in Edinburgh so our pre-wedding meetings were nice and easy to arrange and it will also save me a lot in postage when delivering their DVD and album as well ;) We were at Melville Castle, but this time in doors with the ceremony being held in the Ballroom. I was booked for 6 hours coverage, 2pm to 8pm, with the ceremony being held at 2.30pm. However, I was there a little after 1pm and started the photography at about quarter past one. This happens at pretty much every wedding I work at as I inevitably start before the time I’ve been booked. It has something to do with loving my job so much, lol.

I went round and took a few detail shots initially which included the rooms being set up, the wedding cake and some of the flower arrangements. I then met up with Keith and his groomsmen and we went outside for a mix of photos. I did what we call a 'walk through' where I get all the guys to start off about 50 yards up the driveway and walk back towards me talking and joking amongst themselves. This is a great way to get a set of natural, informal shots as I simply shoot a succession of images from differing angles as they pass around me. I then did a couple of quick, posed combinations of Keith and the bestman, then with all the groomsmen (the first shot shown here) and then finally some photographs of Keith by himself.

Because I’d started early it meant Fiona was in the latter stages of having her hair finished, so we were able to get a few getting ready photos of her, too, which was a nice bonus. Being one of the most regular Edinburgh wedding photographers at Melville Castle means I know the place very well indeed. So when Fiona was ready I quickly took her out into a nearby corridor where there is a large overhead skylight which creates a gorgeous pool of natural light. Positioning her carefully under the ambient light we were able to produce a set of beautiful bridal portraits at full length, three quarter and close up. I then arranged the two bridesmaids alongside her for a full length and close up, followed by a similar father of the bride shot. I then headed off to the Ballroom to photograph their entrance and the coming down the aisle.

During the ceremony I always work quietly and unobtrusively usually in one of the corners of the room. As well as photographing all the key moments, like the vows and declarations and ring exchange, I’m always looking for the natural expressions of enjoyment on the faces of the couple. I’ve included two examples here both of which occurred during the singing of the opening hymn shortly after Fiona has been handed over from father to fiance. The happiness shown on both their faces really captures the joy of the moment and their love for another. This is also apparent as they hold hands whilst listening to one of the readings during the ceremony, too.

There was a minor mishap during the signing of the register when the minister some how spilt ink on Fiona dress, however, as far as the photographs go it’s no big problem as I cleaned them up during the editing. I know most wedding photographers in Edinburgh charge a premium for additional retouching work like this, but as I’m such a nice guy I’m happy to make it part of the service. Plus it can’t be a bad thing having a man of the cloth forever in your debt, lol!

I did the formal group shots out on the lawn in front of the fountain, which is where I normally do them at Melville Castle as it is the perfect place with the best angle of lighting. We then took Keith and Fiona away for half an hour for a bride and groom session starting outside and then moving around to the rear entrance before finishing off on the staircase inside. We got a great range of photographs from natural, relaxed images to fun and romantic with a few fashion shots thrown in.

The wedding breakfast commenced with the speeches. I worked around the top table with Diane shooting from the back of the room. As usual the speeches were full of fun and laughter which we managed to capture in a wonderful set of images. When the wedding meal was over everyone made it back down to the Ballroom for the cutting of the cake which was done in the centre of the dance floor right before going into the first dance.

Upon getting home the first thing I start doing is downloading all the photographs and backing them up. Also, as we had another wedding the following day, a lot of the equipment was to be re-charged overnight. In the morning I will give everything a clean and a re-check. Being a professional photographer requires having two, and with the more important, three items of each piece of equipment. To be honest, equipment malfunction is very rare as we only use top of the range professional kit, but nothing gets left to chance with something as important and un-repeatable as a wedding day. Hopefully, I’ll catch up with my blogging and tell you about the next days wedding in my next post.