An Edinburgh Wedding

All wedding photographers in Edinburgh like Edinburgh Castle. It’s such an iconic landmark recognised around the world. I’ve enjoyed photographing many weddings at Edinburgh Castle but last Saturday’s wedding wasn’t actually in the castle, but very close by. Helen and Robert were married on the Royal Mile and their entire day was to be very much oriented around the city’s famous historical street. The wedding ceremony was held at Lothian Chambers and then the couple were going to back to the Semplehill Suite for their drinks and canapés before enjoying a family meal in the renowned Witchery, close to Edinburgh Castle. They had particularly requested their bride and groom photographs to feature Edinburgh Castle and I of course was happy to oblige.

I started the day in the Semplehill Suite which is located in Jollie’s Close literally a stones throw away from Edinburgh Castle and right across from the Witchery. Being situated in this ancient and tiny Edinburgh close the Semplhill Suite is very unique and atmospheric with very little natural light, as you can see from the second image here taken in the bedroom. I enjoy low lighting as it can be very creative and striking which proved to be a boon later on in the afternoon.

The first photographs of the day were some detail shots and then some important photographs of Helen’s dress, or outfit to be more precise. This was a unique and exclusive Justin Alexander design and created especially for Helen. I was very honoured to be entrusted with the first official photographs of it and also given sole discretion from Helen to select the one or two that were to be supplied for media release soon after the couple were wed.

The day itself proved to be one of sunshine and showers, something which most Edinburgh wedding photographers are completely used to handling! Whilst we had got some nice sunny photos on the Royal Mile with Helen prior to departing for the ceremony, by the time she arrived at Lothian Chambers it was raining. Once she was in the building the weather didn’t really matter at there is place and a nice staircase. I got a couple of good images as she ascended the stairs with her proud father and then likewise as they made their way up the aisle.

With just a handful of close friends and family this was a very warm, intimate ceremony. When the proceedings were completed and the register signed, low and behold the rain had stopped and out came the sun. We decided to take advantage of this and do a Big Group shot in the rear courtyard of the building. On the way down however I briefly paused the couple at the top of the staircase whilst I ran down to take a photograph from below looking upwards and framing them in the ornate, spherical ceiling. There was a lot of overhead light here due to a large skylight further up and I knew this would throw the couple into a strong silhouette where it would be virtually impossible to make them out. To avoid this I overpowered the speedlite by two and half times and the result was spot on! There’s no substitute for experience!

The sun was still beaming away so we took Helen and Robert along to Johnson Terrace where I could get a few shots with Edinburgh Castle as their background. Living in Edinburgh and knowing it so well it would have been easy for me not to bother with doing my usual pre-wedding recce, however, as a professional this is something I never take for granted and yet again it proved beneficial because there is currently building work being carried out in the car park and so there are diggers, machinery, scaffolding and a host of other unsightly materials spoiling the usual castle vista. This was one reason why I chose Johnson Terrace because I knew I could utilise the steps here to give me the best possible backgrounds.

We had timed everything perfectly because upon finishing off down came the rain. So we headed back to the Semplehill Suite with the wedding car doing a slight diversion in front of Edinburgh Castle. All the group photographs and the the cake cutting ceremony, overseen by legendary Piper John MacKintosh were carried out inside as by now the rain was pouring down. My mobile studio lights were employed for the group photographs, so it meant they would all look very striking and fashionable. Due to Helen’s job we had agreed before the wedding that only a limited number of their photographs would be released and therefore the reason for not posting any of the family group photographs. So as a compensation I’m popping up at the end some cakes shots taken from Heather’s wedding the week before that demonstrates how atmospheric low lighting images can be…plus they look pretty yummy! lol

Edinburgh wedding photographer storms Glenskirlie Castle

Being a wedding photographer in Edinburgh places me within easy travelling distance of all the popular wedding venues throughout Scotland. I have some great weddings I’m looking forward to this year from as far away as Torridon in the north west Highlands to The Royal Terrace Hotel which is literally a stones throw from where I live. Heather and Robert were marrying at Glenskirlie Castle near Stirling which is only about 40 minutes away from Edinburgh. Two years ago I photographed a lovely wedding at Harburn House, Lianne and David, where Heather was a bridesmaid for her sister, now it was to be the other way around! As soon as Heather and Robert had set their date and decided upon Glenskirlie Castle, Heather and Lianne’s parents phoned me immediately to book me to photograph the wedding. It’s always a pleasure when this happens and I was delighted to have their date available and book them in!

Glenskirlie Castle is a relatively new wedding venue in Scotland having been purpose built about 5 years ago. It’s a magnificent white turreted fortress with a host of beautiful locations for photographs both inside and out. The day itself dawned nice and bright with just a hint of a possible light shower, which did occur a couple of times but didn’t spoil anything at all. The girls were getting hair and make-up done in town and then I was to meet them at the castle for 1pm. The first thing I did was photograph Heather unpacking the gorgeous dress as she couldn’t wait to get it out. I then did a few details shots including shoes, flowers, bouquets and also a couple of bridal portraits.

I met the guys down at the castle entrance around 1.45pm and did some different shots with them finishing up with portraits of the groom. Before returning to the bridal suite I got pictures of the ceremony room set up and also some shots that I will use as page backgrounds in their album. Back up in the bridal suite I photographed Heather having her dress laced up and then when she was ready some full length photographs showing off the beautiful dress as well as a couple of bridal portraits. We also had time to do some photographs with the three bridesmaids, including of course Lianne, and also the very proud father of the bride.

I photographed bridesmaids and then Heather and father walking up the aisle before retreating to the rear of the room. When I’d carried out my pre-wedding venue recce a few weeks ago I noted that at the front of the room it was going to be quite a tight squeeze and I would therefore be better placed moving to the back of the room during the ceremony. I know I’ve written before about how important the pre-wedding venue check is, but this is a typical example of it’s benefits. Usually I will opt for a position at the front of the room during the ceremony so I can see the couples faces as I quietly work away in the corners of the room. However, if I’d gone their on this occasion I would have found myself blocked in and not having a good view of the proceedings either. The pre-wedding venue check helps to ensure I get in the right place at the right time which is crucial to good reportage wedding photography.

Heather and Robert had requested a Big Group photograph of all their guests so following the ceremony I took everyone outside into the rear courtyard and set this up whereupon I then did their family group photographs. A few spots of rain came down just as we were about to take the newly weds around to the front of the building for their bride and groom set but it didn’t amount to much and soon blew over. I got a good mix of photographs using the castle as a backdrop and then went over to a little ornate garden in front of Glenskirlie House. If there had been a wedding booked for the house on the same day as one in the castle we wouldn’t have been allowed down here but I’d checked this out on my earlier visit so knew we were okay. We’d scheduled half an hour for our bride and groom photographs so I finished it up with a few interior shots as the lighting is quite low inside and made for some lovely atmospheric images.

Speeches were before the wedding breakfast which allowed the speakers to relax and enjoy their meal. Diane and myself got some great photographs from the speeches capturing all the fun and laughter on the top table and throughout the room. We had time after the meal to do some group shot requests and then we were back into the main room for the cutting of the cake on the dance floor. Lights down again for the first dance and that was the evening reception now into full swing.

All in all a fantastic day and a wonderful wedding and a big thank you to Billy and Ethel for booking me to photograph both their daughters weddings! Now looking forward to designing Heather and Robert's album!

The difference in printing quality

A common question that I’m often asked is concerning the great diversity in the quality of prints from one place to another as well as other products. Maybe you have found this yourself when collecting a set of photographs from a printers such as Boots or Asda, sometimes they look very good and you’re delighted with them but on other

occasions they look really poor. As a photographer it is very important to me that my photographs are always printed at the highest possible quality. As a wedding photographer in Edinburgh all my couples get all their photographs on disc at high resolution which gives them control over where they go for their prints so here are a few facts and tips that hopefully may prove helpful to them and also my portrait clients, too. Let me start with basic printing. The highest quality printing is carried out at a resolution of 300dpi (dots per inch) that is the standard which your glossy magazines, books, calendars and

other high end photography products are printed at. For all my own prints and products I also print at 300dpi. However, virtually all high street labs and

printers have their machines set to print at a much lower resolution of around 200dpi, some of them even going as low 150. The reason for this is for greater speed and economy. Now as you can see the figures show that the quality of this printing is only half as good as that done at the higher resolution. If you are only wanting a small set of photographs, say 6 x 4, you may not notice the difference because it is not quite so discernible to the naked eye at this relatively small size. But the larger you want your photograph the more noticeable it becomes. Therefore, my advice particularly to my wedding

clients is use the high street printers for economy reasons, perhaps to get an entire set of their photographs printed at 6x4 or even 7x5, but for anything special to be mounted, framed and used for display they can order directly from me. One further thing to mention on this subject is that most professional photographers have their printers,

monitors and other equipment closely calibrated to ensure your final photograph matches the quality at which it is taken in camera. And in addition to this, whereas a high street printer simply has your disc placed in one end of the machine while the photos pop out at the other end, in house printing has the photographer physically inspecting each individual photograph for accuracy, quality and overall perfection. Another aspect of printing to consider is what exactly you are printing on to. Photographic papers vary greatly in price and quality and again you will find these affect the finished look of your picture as well as the longevity. Let me use Canvas Wraps as a typical example. You can buy a canvas wrap on the internet for a relatively

small sum of money and quite a bit cheaper than buying one direct from your photographer. But canvas choice and quality is critical. Most canvases used by internet companies are very low grade, hence their cheap prices. This can adversely affect the picture quality itself, perhaps spoiling the definition, colour balance, sharpness, clarity, etc. But also it’s longevity (how many faded or tatty looking canvases have you seen hanging on people’s walls?). A high grade canvas will last a lifetime, if not several generations, and will retain all the above mentioned characteristics. In addition to this many people do not realise at the time of ordering that for a top quality canvas wrap the original image needs accurately resizing. By nature of the name a canvas wrap is where the image wraps around the edge of the canvas frame. When you upload or hand your disc to the company the first stage is for them to print the image straight onto the canvas and then when it is ready the canvas is stretched and wrapped around the framework. This results in the edges of the picture losing perhaps two inches or more, depending on the overall size, as the photograph wraps around the sides. You can now see the importance of having the image resized before this procedure

commences, especially if it is a wedding or portrait shot, as you don’t want to lose portions of heads, feet or other crucial elements in the wrapping process. When I handle canvas wrap orders this is a critical and time consuming aspect of the prep yet it is vital if you want to ensure a perfect fit. Gallery Prints. "What are they?" I get asked this quite a lot as Gallery Prints are relatively new and not many wedding photographers in Edinburgh are yet offering them. Gallery Prints are the highest quality prints currently available. You can have a single image printed edge to edge or I can do a collage of images. Once prepared the photo or collage is printed, laminated and heat sealed onto foamex making it extremely light weight yet with rigid protection and allowing it to be hung in the fashionable floating gallery style. These really are the ultimate way to present and showcase your photographs! All the above points I’ve covered apply equally to wedding albums and digital books. All my albums are printed at the highest resolution, use the highest grade materials, and are physically checked by hand and eye for colour balance, accuracy, density, clarity, sharpness, etc, to ensure overall perfection.

There are plenty of companies around who can do things cheaper but the only way to achieve this is to compromise on materials and/or production. As my wedding clients receive all their photographs on their disc they have control over where they want to go for additional items and how much they wish to spend. When they want the very best albums and products they can order straight from me and for things of lesser importance they can use their disc to save themselves a lot of money. Photos posted are a selection of different products and include two prints in Display Mounts, a Strut mount, a Canvas Wrap, Digital Wedding Book and then three Gallery Print collages.

An Old Grey Corridor

As an Edinburgh wedding photographer I’ve photographed weddings at some of the finest and

most superb venue’s throughout Scotland and it really is a delight and privilege to work at such magnificent places and locations. However, this week I’m showing you a few photos from Lucie and Ryan’s bride and groom session that were taken in nothing more than a boring old grey corridor just to illustrate that no matter where you may be getting married, be it grand or humble, you can still get a set of stunning photographs from your special day.

Lucie and Ryan actually held their wedding in a very fashionable hotel in the middle of Edinburgh and we used several of it’s idyllic nooks and crannies for their photographs. However, I was particularly drawn to this grey, long corridor as I just felt it had great potential and as a modern photographer posed an interesting creative challenge. The corridor itself was rather dark having only two low lights at either end.

I think it was probably this that attracted me so much. A great many wedding photographers in Edinburgh and around the country do not like low light but I must confess it is something I have always been quite fond of and found it a unique opportunity for utilising the circumstances to produce very dramatic and atmospheric images. You can see from the opening photo the possibilities that attracted me. Here I positioned the couple with the glowing orangey, yellowish light right behind them, using it almost as a backdrop. Whilst this pose and photograph is quite nice I took it really just to settle them into position for the image I was really wanting and had conjured in my mind. Instead of 'image' I should really say 'series of images' three of which you can see on the next spread. After settling Ryan and Lucie into the opening shot I quickly switched to my camera with the telephoto lens.

A telephoto lens compresses your backgrounds and I knew it would produce quite a dramatic backdrop which would be very eye catching but at the same time not over powering. I went through four quick successive shots here firstly asking Lucie to look at Ryan whilst he looked into camera, then asking Ryan to look at Lucie whilst she looked back to me, then looking at each other and finally a kiss. The spread here is actually from their wedding album and you can see how three of the selected images sit so well together on the page and harmonise with the overall Storybook. The third photo was taken from the same spot but looking back towards the opposite end of the corridor. You can see some pink illumination creeping over the side wall from the low lighting in use at this side. This gave me the idea for the following two photographs where I’ve simply placed Lucie at a nice angle to the lighting to give a slightly more fashionable feel to the images. Again I did two different shots one with the bouquet and one without.

I shot both of these at three quarter length which was the only way the images would work as full length would mean including more of the carpet area which would result in losing the pinkness of the light and thus spoiling the whole effect and whilst the lighting was modern and fashionable for a three quarter length image it wasn’t flattering enough here for a head and shoulders close up. The second to last shot was simply taken upon exiting the corridor to take the stairs. I positioned them on the staircase and did the shot with their album in mind giving it a deliberate tilt with the idea of using the image later in their album in the illustrated diamond shape. The final photo is another one from Lucie and Ryan’s wedding album. These photographs were taken half way along the corridor looking back towards the ‘pink’ end. I placed Lucie as the main focal point of the shot (sorry guys but the bride is a touch more important than you! lol) but asked Ryan to lean up casually in the background which gives the shot much more interest, particularly as I positioned him where he appears to be wrapped in the arch of pink light. The photo across from it I did again at three quarter length. Without Ryan in the background this time at three quarter length it would sit perfectly with the other shot whilst still retaining the overall ambience of the corridor - which doesn’t look so grey and boring now! lol

A couple of other photos from Lucie and Ryan’s wedding are now in my wedding gallery on my website. If you’re looking for a wedding photographer in Edinburghor anywhere else in Scotland please check it out and then get in touch me if you like what you see :)