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 :)

Lady in Red

When I first started out doing magazine work it was in the days of film. I used to shoot on transparency film as that produced the highest quality images required by the magazine houses. For a typical magazine feature they may perhaps use anywhere between 4 - 20 photographs depending on the size of the article and how many pages it would take up. We would submit the photos in an A4 transparent sheet that held 20 images in 5 rows and 4 columns and the first thing the editor would do with this was to lay it out on a light box whereupon he could view all the images perfectly and accurately. Now the payment terms for these feature was always agreed with us in advance but what was never decided until the last minute was the magazine front cover photograph and often a double page spread for the centrefold. If the editor selected one of your images for either of these it meant more money, and on a really prestigious big name title a front cover shot could actually pay more than your fee for the whole article!

Well as you can imagine once we’d submitted our images all of the contributors were hoping that one of the photographs from our submission would stand out strongly enough to be chosen to grace the front cover. Now there was a little secret I knew about the colour red that I often used to my advantage to help give my submission a slight a edge. Red is a naturally strong colour and when viewed on the accuracy of a light box it will stand out and dominate over all the other colours. So when putting together my submission of twenty pictures I would always make sure to put in one image on each column that featured the colour red knowing that as soon as the editor laid out my transparency sheet on his light box his eye would be naturally drawn and impressed by the 'red' photos. First impressions are always very important and it was amazing just how many of these photographs were the ones that made it to the front cover. So, you will not be surprised to hear how red has long been one of my favourite colours!

Prior to Claire’s wedding I had no idea she was going to be wearing red. Often when chatting with the couple before their wedding we are not allowed to speak of the dress in front of the groom, although on some occasions it has been known for the groom to be sent out of the room so I can talk about it with the bride, lol. So it was a lovely surprise to see such a striking dress on the day. My photography started with photos of the dress which I hung on the back of the wardrobe in the bridal suite. I then shot some getting ready pictures whilst Claire had her hair and make-up done and when finished I asked Claire to just take the dress down and hold it alongside her and I grabbed a couple of quick photos like that before she got in it.

Whilst Claire and her bridesmaids were getting into their dresses I popped out and did some photos with the groom and his groomsmen. I only take about ten minutes but within that time I can get a good variety of nicely posed images and then some very relaxed and casual shots. I was then back up to the girls room and did the same variety of photos with them now in their dresses. Running ahead of the girls I waited at the foot of the staircase for Claire to descend with her father. I got several good shots as they came down and then made their way along to the small chapel. During this stage of the proceedings I just try and keep ahead of events and work as unobtrusively as possible so for much of the time no one even knows they are having their photograph taken. This allows me to capture the atmosphere and feelings of the day and also ensures people look natural and relaxed in all the pictures.

Following the ceremony it was a drinks and canapés reception and after the newly weds had enjoyed a drink and a nibble we went into their groups shots. Claire and Jamie had requested minimal group shots of just the immediate family so these took even less than the twenty minutes I would normally take. I then took them both away for their main bride and groom session for another twenty minutes or so. Although it was raining on the day I’d already earmarked during my pre-wedding recce the locations I would use in such an event and there was several nice nooks and crannies within the hotel that afforded good photo opportunities. As a wedding photographer in Edinburgh I am privileged to work in so many great venues, but I’ve also photographed weddings in more low key locations and venues so wherever you may be getting married I can assure you that you’ll still get a stunning set of photographs!

When we had finished up it was off to the marquis for dinner. We had been booked to photograph through until and including the wedding speeches which were to come after the meal. So whilst enjoying our roast beef and Yorkshire pudding I replenished and changed all the batteries and memory cards so that we were good to go as soon as they got underway. With the speeches I always make sure to get a good variety and selection of shots of each speaker and then, depending on the length of each speech, I’ll try and grab some photos of the bridal party and guests laughing and enjoying all the jokes and anecdotes. Detail shots are also very important, too, as many of these make up your memories of the day and can also be used creatively to personalise your album pages.

I’m not yet sure if we’ll get any of Claire and Jamie’s photos into a magazine but it was certainly a pleasure to photograph their wedding. If you’d like to see more of my wedding photography please visit my weddings gallery on my website or get in touch to make an appointment to meet up for a chat and look through some albums. All my contact details can be found on there so whether you prefer emailing or phoning I’d love to hear from you.

A Wedding Album question

I was asked a question at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange Wedding Fair last week that I’ve never been asked before. And just like the proverbial bus scenario, not one but three brides asked me the same question over the course of the weekend. The three brides in question all fell in love with the bespoke design and look of my Storybook albums. I only use genuine wedding albums at wedding fairs and also client meetings, so the albums that the brides were looking at are actually my own copies of albums that have recently been delivered to my newly wedded couples. It’s very important that wedding photographers show you genuine, real life weddings as it gives a true reflection of their abilities and consistency of quality throughout an entire wedding. Whilst there is no real harm in a photographer having perhaps one 'Best of' album which he may use as his main portfolio you should really be more interested in viewing the real wedding albums and from at least three different weddings to assure yourself of his standards.The three brides I was chatting with had all booked their wedding photographer but wanted to know if they could purchase their albums from me and hire me to do their album design. They were all convinced it wouldn’t be a problem in getting their photographer to provide me with the disc of wedding photographs. Now technically I could do this, but it really isn’t something I would recommend for several reasons. Let me first of all explain a little bit about how Storybook wedding albums are designed and then hopefully this may help explain my caution.All album manufacturers provide album design software for the photographers. Basically this consists of lots of page templates where the photographer can simply drag and drop your selected photographs on to the pre-designed templates as he works his way through the album. This makes album design nice and easy and also does not consume vast amounts of the photographers time. However, although I have access to the same software as all other Edinburgh wedding photographers I am fortunate enough to have the experience and skills to design each album from a completely blank canvas. This allows for great creativity and enables me to personalize each album to fit each couple and their wedding. Although a lot of photographers claim they offer bespoke album design the truth is that there are only a very small handful of professional photographers throughout the UK who have the expertise to do this and it is one reason why my Storybook albums stand out so much from those of other wedding photographers in Edinburgh. If you have visited a large wedding fair you have no doubt noted how many, if not all, of the wedding albums on the photographers stands look very much the same. This is inevitable as due to using the same templates there is bound to be a lot of reproduction.One of the limitations to the template design system is that they only utilise solid colours on the backgrounds. Now unless you have extremely strange taste I’m sure you wouldn’t want page backgrounds in solid blue or bright red or vivid yellow. So you tend to find that black and white backgrounds become the norm. Most photographers tend to lean towards black. Black page backgrounds are extremely classy if used judiciously and carefully, however if an album has quite a lot of black pages it starts to become rather dark and forbidding the further you proceed through it and as you near the end you often find it has become almost funereal. Not being confined to the templates I will quite simply create a background to fit and highlight the photographs on the page. Without being restricted to solid colours I can apply different effects, textures and sheens to the pages, which really do give them a 'weddingy' feel.With a good imagination you really can do pretty much anything, which also allows me to accommodate suggestions and idea’s from my couples as well (and believe me I get many unique and sometimes challenging idea’s and requests). When working on an album design much of my inspiration is drawn from the wedding itself. Not only having taken the photographs but experiencing all the emotions, feelings and atmosphere throughout the day I will endeavour to reflect this in the design of the specific pages. I also will take photographs on the day specifically with the intent of using them as page backgrounds or fillers. You can see a couple of examples here where I’ve taken close ups of a floral display or the chair covers and sashes for this purpose. Throughout the design process I keep every couple up to date with page proofs so they can amend and change anything they like. They can even try different idea’s just to see what it will look like or compare one thing with another. On occasion I’ve even had the couples come into my office and sit with while we try a few unique designs and effects. If a couple has a strong theme or colour scheme for their wedding day I can design the pages to the same theme so their album becomes a perfect fit. It really is a case of the album being designed around the photographs as opposed to the other way round.I have popped a few examples up here to try and illustrate but there really is nothing like seeing them for yourselves in the flesh so to speak. Viewing on a computer monitor or other device is a very poor substitute so I always recommend meeting up so you can look, touch and feel the quality. I am happy to do evening or weekend appointments if you are at work during the day and there is no obligation to book. All my contact details and numbers are on my website: Wedding Photography Edinburgh

A Short Wedding Photographer Question

"Is it true you should never use a photographer who is shorter than you?" This is a question I was asked on Saturday at Debenhams Wedding Weekend. It’s not the first time I’ve been asked this question either. The maxim "never use a photographer who is shorter than you" has been around for such a long time that many folk wonder is it really true or just an old wives tale?

Well for wedding photography I would say the simple and safest answer is, Yes, the saying is true! Let me explain the reasons why and then I’ll give you a basic exercise where you can prove this for yourself.

There are many aspects that affect and influence how people will look in a photograph. Lighting, angles, location, posing to mention just a few. The age old saying we are considering revolves around one of these fundamentals - angles. The angle you are photographed at has considerable influence on how you will look. As photographers we are always looking for angles that will flatter a person and make them look good and whilst there are some angles that do this there are also angles that do the opposite, and so of course we try to avoid these! One of the most common of these unflattering angles is a low angle.

It is probably easier for me to give you a simple exercise to do yourself to illustrate and prove this rather than try to explain it in words. Stand yourself in front of a wall mirror that is at the same height as your head. Now if you look straight ahead at yourself you are seeing yourself as a camera would see you if held by a photographer who is the same height as you. Now...tilt your head down very slightly as if your photographer is a touch shorter than what you are. What is the very first thing you notice about yourself? You have instantly given yourself a double chin! It doesn’t matter how many different ways you do this it is unavoidable. If you don’t have a double chin you’ve now given yourself one, if you have a slight double chin you’ve now made it a large one. This is how you will look if your photographer is shorter than you, your face will be fattened up. It is a basic, unavoidable truism. You can even try experimenting with different heights of photographer. Lets say your photographer is only two inches shorter than you. Imagine him standing in front of you and asking you to look into camera. What do you see when you do so? It is quite amazing, and frightening, just how pronounced your double chin has become. Try imagining a photographer 4 or more inches shorter than you. Very scary isn’t it? This is because low angles are not only unflattering but exaggerate and distort making you appear fatter than what you really are. Some times you may see people being photographed who have obviously heard the above axiom and so they will deliberately try looking over the photographers head to avoid the double chin look. However, this looks very unnatural as it gives the head a very weird look and also creates the affect that they are looking down their nose. So, please do not do this.

Now whilst we are still in front of the mirror lets cheer ourselves up, lol. First of all go back to looking straight ahead, nice and level. We’ll now do the opposite and imagine our photographer is a little bit taller than we are. What happens now when he asks you to look into camera? Because you are now having to tilt your head slightly up towards him this actually does the opposite and stretches and smooths out your neck and facial muscles which slim your face down and gives a very flattering appearance.

To illustrate this I’ve first of all posted a photograph of myself. Because I do a bit of freelance work in the media I often need to refresh my head shots so I use my wife, Diane, to update them periodically. As I am taller than she is I will always sit for the photographs. This means she is photographing me from a slightly elevated angle. I never stand up even though I feel more comfortable standing than when sitting. It’s not that I’m excessively vain but being aware of the short photographer syndrome why would I choose to be photographed at an unflattering angle?

In the next two photographs you can see this illustrated on a wedding day. The first wedding photo (kindly photographed by one of family) shows me doing a quick pre-ceremony photograph with the groom, Gary. Although Gary isn’t a particularly short groom as you can see he is still a few inches below my six feet two. The following photo shows the image I shot. Remember that this is about 15 minutes before his wedding ceremony so not only is Gary naturally nervous but like most people he isn’t a great fan of having his photograph taken. However, having been shot from an ideal height he looks natural, relaxed, handsome and stylish. Similarly, the next again shot is from later in the day Gary now with his new wife.

It has to be pointed out that avoiding the short photographer proverb isn’t as critical if you are going for a studio session. Here the photographer is in his own environment and can have you seated, kneeling, on the floor or wherever he wants. But when it comes to weddings it really does make a difference (that is why if a wedding photographer offers you an Engagement Shoot don’t go for a studio session but ask for a location shoot, perhaps even at your wedding venue). I know some wedding photographers in Edinburgh and around the country carry a short step ladder with them but personally in my experience of a wedding day there would only be limited opportunity to use this and it would also slow things down too much for my liking.

So I hope I’ve managed to answer and explain that adequately. I do understand that selecting a photographer is a personal thing and the above explanation of the old maxim may not worry you, on the other hand if you are looking for an Edinburgh wedding photographer it might help you in choosing one. I had several other good questions posed over the weekend so I plan on answering some more of them in future weeks as it may be of help and interest to anyone else who has thought about the same thing. Feel free to bring some questions with you to the Edinburgh Corn Exchange and Fashion Show this weekend, too. I’ll be happy to see you!