Little Moments. Big Days.

Of all my photographic endeavours over the past year, nothing has kept me busier than weddings. So with my website gallery in dire need of an update I have finally sifted through my vast archive of images to bring you these – my favourite wedding photos of 2010…

Particularly throughout the summer, I was out covering a wedding most weekends – sometimes more than one – and when you consider I come back with thousands of frames that all need processing, straightening, cropping, and uploading for clients (not to mention all the meetings and production of prints and albums) it’s no surprise that the job of showcasing the best ones has been left until the Christmas break.

It’s been nice to take stock and review all the shots from 2010. Some of the images here I knew were winners when I took them, but some little gems get overlooked at the time. The ones I like aren’t necessarily always the ones that my clients end up choosing for their albums, so a couple of these are seeing the light of day for the first time.

A quiet moment with Emily

One of my favourite bits of shooting a wedding are the bridal preparations. I’m guaranteed to get some nice candid shots while everyone bustles around distracted by hair, make-up and flower deliveries. It’s also a great opportunity for nervous brides to become comfortable with the camera and for me to get to know everyone. Doing it as often as I do I am often the expert in the room and have also become a dab hand at lacing up corsets!

Here come the girls...

The bridesmaids get Nicky straightened out

Children are fabulous subjects too. Being a mum of three boys myself means that I know how to get the best out of them. A wedding is so out of the ordinary for kids – there’s lots of wide-eyed wonderment at the beginning and a fair bit of sugar-rush comedown and overtiredness towards the end.

Some of the cutest wedding moments come courtesy of the little ones

This young lady was off to tell her parents to come in for dinner when I caught her running by

Of course the centre of attention are the bride and groom and I’ve been really lucky to have worked with some truly lovely couples this year and every wedding has been different. For some, disappearing with me into the grounds for some posed shots has been an opportunity to escape some of the mayhem, while others are happy for me to just slink into the background to click away and do my thing.

Caroline and Stuart pose in Ettington Park while Ali flashes her garter at Gary at Fawsley Hall

A hollywood moment for Anna and Kevin with Nicola and James snapped on a country lane

Nicky climbs into the bath while Caroline poses in the chapel doorway

Of all the feedback I get the most overwhelmingly positive stuff is about the candid shots of guests. I love capturing the little moments that go on and I think wedding couples like to see their friends and family captured as they really are.

I shot this group of young guests thinking it looked like a scene from The Great Gatsby

Sunshine, Pimms, big hats – what's not to love about these two?

2010 has also taken me to some great wedding venues around Warwickshire, Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire and Leicestershire. The most popular by far has been Wethele Manor, just down the road from me in Weston-under-Wethele, a lovely, relaxed working farm. In contrast, I have also shot in some stunning stately homes such as Wroxall Abbey, Fawsley Hall and a couple of castles for good measure Belvoir, in Leicestershire, and Clearwell in Gloucestershire as well as more modern venues such as the Hyatt Regency on Birmingham’s Broad Street.

Of all the venues I shot this year Belvoir Castle had to be the most opulent

And where most couples chose an album or two, I’d just like to share something that was put together, by my talented graphic designer husband Craig, as a gift from one of my brides to her mini-mad husband who hired the Italian Job minis as their wedding cars.

It really has been an busy and exciting time. Special thanks to all those couples who asked me to be their photographer on their big day and I’m looking forward to working with all the couples who have booked in for this year and into 2012.

I hope you’ve liked this little look at what I get up at the weddings I do, there are many more images on my wedding gallery here. I’d love to know what you think.

Much love for 2011. Have fun.

RS x