Then I’m to go up the road to the church for 1pm and photograph Scott and the guys arriving with a few informal shots too before Zena and the bridesmaids arrive for the 1.30pm ceremony.
So I leave in plenty of time, picking up my coffee from costa to sip on the drive down, and arrive at Barony Castle for 11.30am. I came down last week for a good look around but I still like to do a quick double check that nothings changed. Which I did, and it hadn‘t! lol. So I’m in the lobby awaiting Scott and his bestman and two groomsmen at the appointed time of 12 noon. When no one shows up I talk a walk along to Scott’s room. Scott was stood out in the corridor talking to his bestman so we see each other as soon as I turn the corner into the corridor. He’s still in his jeans and t-shirt! So is the bestman! We both burst out laughing!
We have a chat for a few minutes and decide that as it’s pouring down with rain anyway we’ll skip the 'guys outside the castle' photos and I’ll meet him up at the church just before 1pm. This is fine as it will give me a little extra time with Zena and the bridesmaids at the Inn, which has plenty of rooms for inside photographs so we don’t need worry about the rain. However, when I arrive there I find she too is nowhere near ready, lol.
This is fairly typical of a wedding day where the best laid plans seldom work out 100% accurately. Zena was full apologies but I assured her I was used to it and she had nothing to worry about. I got some shots of the wedding dress while I was there which we wouldn’t have got if everything had gone strictly to plan anyway. I very much like to photograph the day naturally, as it unfolds so I’m never fazed by anything that does, or does not happen, or deviates from the scheduled order.
Barony Castle is a well known wedding venue amongst wedding photographers in Edinburgh being only half an hour drive away from the capital, so I certainly wasn’t the first Edinburgh wedding photographer to work there. But not many folks get married in Eddleston Parish Church. I think I heard the minister say they only have two or three weddings a year. So that was something a bit different. When I went up the road it had stopped raining so the shots we’d planned to do with Scott and the guys earlier at Barony we did in the church grounds instead. I also got a few informal photographs has different guests arrived and of Scott and the bestman awaited news of the imminent arrival of the bride.
It was still dry when Zena arrived too. She had planned to walk up the hill from the Inn to the church, but had a car on stand by just in case it was too wet, so I was pleased for her that that worked out as she had hoped. As I usually like to do I paused her with her father in the church doorway for a quick full length and close up photograph, and then added in the two bridesmaids either side for a group shot. After that I ran ahead and took up my favoured position about three quarters up the aisle to photograph father and bride as they walk up the aisle.
The autumn colours were superb and we got a great set of different photographs as we walked along and then inside and outside the gazebo. I positioned Zena by a fence that ran over a tiny waterfall, and also placed Scott in the gazebo entrance off in the background behind her. I then ran down stream a little ways, clambered over the afore mentioned fence, tramped across the sodden grass and arrived at the river bank. There is this stone wall thing that protrudes out into the river and by walking out onto it I was able to get to a unique vantage point where I could see Zena standing above the falls with the gazebo in behind her and Scott casually leaning in its entrance. I then took the shot which you can see posted with a telephoto lens, which I think has worked out really well and was worth all the effort.
The photograph you see with one of the castle turrets rising behind the bride and groom was one of the last I took before getting back into my suit for the wedding breakfast. I had to lay on the ground with the camera angled sharply up to create the exaggerated effect. This was another image I’d earmarked from last weeks visit and an another reason for the old clothes. Although Diane will tell you I do this type of shot quite regularly even without old clothes! lol
Speeches were before dinner and between Diane and myself we came away with a good variety of pictures. I would have
got more but the bestman cut his speech down a lot as a bat entered the room and flitted around the tables for several minutes before finally exiting after the hotel staff opened up a door. That was certainly one unique trick to save extensive embarrassment, Scott ;)
During the evening I did a few more groups requested by the family amongst my usual informal, reportage photographs. Also the cutting of the cake and of course the first dance. I finished up around quarter to nine as I had Melville Castle’s wedding fair to get ready for the following morning, which I’ll tell you more about next time. Scott and Zena’s private wedding gallery went online Monday evening and they’ll get their disc full of all the photographs as soon as they get back from honeymoon. I have to say a big Thank You to Scott and Zena and their families for inviting me and enjoying such a wonderful day and meeting so many of their other friends. I can’t wait to get to work on your album design!
Beautiful wedding portraits! I really love the black and white buildings with the couple centered in color. Really stands out!
ReplyDeleteI love this series of images. Your work really stands out and is quite inspiring for me, a fellow wedding photographer in Seattle.
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