Archive for the ‘Wedding Days’ Category
1 Of 3
For some reason, the stars always align each September so that I have a series of three weddings in a row. I’m not complaining, but you have to wonder whether the gods couldn’t spread them out a bit.
So for today and the next two days, I’m in bridal mode. Almost exclusively in Co. Kerry.
That means fairly late home, and a couple of hours prep for the next day, before I can relax.
I’ll post a quick (and very rough) favourite from each day as I go.
This is today’s:
(c) Roger Overall 2010
Anatomy Of A Wedding #6
This is an interesting set of images for me personally for several reason. These will become clear as you read the commentary with each photograph.
I've said before that parents are often the forgotten people on their childrens' wedding days. Despite the unfortunate positioning of the clothes line, I love this picture. (c) Roger Overall 2010
There was a strong smell of onions in the air. Hardly surprising when the groom had reversed a car over his father's freshly harvested onion crop. Here they survey the damage. A moment they'll both look back on with great humour in years to come. (c) Roger Overall 2010
A special photograph for so many reasons. It shows a small crisis involving some lost paperwork. It turned up in time, but this captures a little of the anxious moments. This is also a special photograph for a very personal reason. The priest you see here was at my father-in-law's side when he passed away and was of infinite comfort to my wife's family. He is also the man who christened my daughter. (c) Roger Overall 2010
(c) Roger Overall 2010
So you already know I'm the emotional sort and that I love my daughter (see previous post), so you imagine that I'm going to struggle a smidge on her wedding day. There is so much story here in the father of the bride's face as he watches the final preparations before he walks his daughter own the aisle. I see pride and I see love. (c) Roger Overall 2010
(c) Roger Overall 2010
(c) Roger Overall 2010
Anatomy Of A Wedding #5
Another selection of favourites from a recent wedding with commentary.
I have two photographs of this exchange between the bride and the flower girl. This is my favourite. Just. The other was taken side on with a wide angle and shows more of the room. The light on the bride's face is more pleasing to me in this one, taken with a standard lens. There is great story here and you can almost write the dialogue yourself. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Men do love their flowers. I'll be honest, I was concentrating on the page boy. That was where the story was. I was aware that the groom's father had a bunch of flowers as well, but only noticed afterwards that he was examining them - mirroring the little boy's movement. (c) Roger Overall 2010
And he was the well-behaved one. (c) Roger Overall 2010
On an average wedding day, a couple gets to spend surprisingly little time together - or at least time when they can have a private exchange. Holy communion is usually the first chance they get, and often they take it. I always set myself so that I have a clear view of the couple, just in case. I love the echo of the couple's intimacy and the exchange between lads on the front bench. The bride's gesture is also wonderful to me. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Weddings are happy occasions. This says everything. (c) Roger Overall 2010
What caught my eye here initially was the light in the entrance, which lit up the bride. The guest, a very dapper man dressed in black tie, was also waiting for them to come in. He makes this picture. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Something different. I like the almost total blur of the first two people compared with the relative lack of it for the second pair. (c) Roger Overall 2010
A missed opportunity - sort of. I have a series of shots of the couple as they walked down this corridor. This is the best one in terms of the bride's reflection in the glass frames. I've chosen it because the reflection was what I was after. However, there is a picture a few paces earlier where the couple are smiling at each other. Unfortunately, they are too far back to be reflected. You win some, you lose some. This is still pleasing to me because the bride looks so contented. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Anatomy of a Wedding #4
Last week I spent some time working on a new black and white conversion in Lightroom, the software I use to process my image files. In the end, I got close enough to what I wanted to use the conversion on a recent wedding.
This wedding was a bit of a mind bender. The groom has a twin. They are the spitting image of each other – or the “head off each other”, as the saying goes round this way. Once dressed in their suits they were indistinguishable on the day, save for the colour of their ties. I’m not kidding. The bride’s mum congratulated the best man instead of the groom after the ceremony. That’s how alike they are. Fortunately, I’d been warned about their similarity in advance and the groom made sure I had the tie colour code ahead of time.
I’ve photographed identical twins before at a wedding. On that occasion, I didn’t know the bride had a twin sister. It wrecked my head for about 20 minutes when I arrived at the bride’s house. She’d walk out one door in a dressing gown, only to enter again through another a nano-second later wearing a summer frock.
Name tags, that’s what I say.
Three generations of the same family in a single picture. (c) Roger Overall 2010
This is the best man, the groom's twin brother. I love the concentration that comes with tying ribbons to a car. (c) Roger Overall
It's hard sometimes to get a different sort of photograph of the bride getting ready. I like the smile on her face as she talks to the make-up artist and the way the reflection completes a border around the scene. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Your guess is as good as mine. There are some details that add to this photograph, fleshing out the story. The clock, for instance tells us what time it was. The figure of Jesus in the frame tells us about the family's relationship to religion. (c) Roger Overall 2010
The groom... no best man... This is all about the lighting and the verticals. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Usually I'm able to get a photograph of the bride and groom chatting as holy communion goes on behind their backs. Here, though, they are thronged by the congregation, which made it hard to get any picture at all. Thankfully, there was a break in the line and I got this interaction between the bride and some friends. I dulled the areas around her to let her sparkle a bit, drawing the viewer's eye in to her. (c) Roger Overall 2010
A lovely moment - one that lifts the picture above the usual walking down the aisle photograph. (c) Roger Overall 2010
OK, what's wrong here? ... Anyone?... The groom is taking off his wedding ring, sure, but that's not what's wrong. What's wrong is that the bride had slipped it on the wrong finger during the ceremony. Once outside the groom quickly swapped it over to his left hand. This photograph is of itself unremarkable, but it does show the strength of documentary photography. The ring anecdote will add colour to the stories of this wedding for years. And here is a photograph to go with the tale. (c) Roger Overall 2010
(c) Roger Overall 2010
One of my most accomplished photographs ever. The bride is waving at her mother as she leaves the church. For me, there is an echo through the ages. The way the mother is reflected in the window makes it almost look as if she is in the car, as she once would have been, maybe even leaving the same church on her wedding day. This photograph will mean the world in the years ahead to both of them. (c) Roger Overall 2010
We get a lot of wind in Ireland. (c) Roger Overall 2010
The father-of-the-bride and the groom - just a terrific interaction full of warmth and sparkle. (c) Roger Overall 2010
I'd been asked to photograph the bride and her circle of closest friends. At one point they all lined up for a bank of guest photographers. This to me, though, is a far more interesting photograph of the group. No, you can't see everyone's face, but you can see the dynamism and fun, which I think are far more important. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Not a classic, by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a very arresting image. The hand gesture is dramatic and what makes the whole thing work for me is the lighting on the bridesmaid's right eye. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Anatomy of a Wedding #3
Wednesdays are normally reserved for PictureBoos. But sometimes your blogging schedule and your life run off in different directions.
The Boo will follow shortly. In the meantime, here is a selection of photographs with commentary from the recent wedding in Co. Kerry.
A quick nod to the bride, Caroline, who helped with the logo for The Circle of Confusion with Peter and Roger by making some wonderful suggestions as we discussed her wedding at Cork Airport back in April.
They tell you never put your subject in the centre of the frame. It's boring. Possibly. Here the dullness of the composition is helped by the leading lines of the wine glasses and the gesture by the groom. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Another photograph with the subject in the centre. However, it works because the leading lines in the photograph all lead to the groom - more or less. The railing, the bench and the tiles are the obvious ones. The groups of people either side also help direct your eye to the groom. Lastly the two trees draw your eye in as well because the innermost one is smaller, so you have the sense of a slope from right to left into the centre of the frame. Lastly, I think this photograph works because of the story and the mild humor it contains. (c) Roger Overall 2010
You can't beat emotion in a photograph, especially if it is joy and friendship. The left of the frame is balanced by the reflection of the smiling lady in the window. (c) Roger Overall 2010
There is more going on here than meets the eye. Children are often strangers at weddings. They can't really join in, so there is a separation between them and the adults. This is emphasized here by a whole range of things. Firstly, the crouching under the table, hidden from view. Secondly, by the height difference between the small boy and the adults, which is exaggerated by the low camera angle. Lastly, the boy is boxed in by the table structure and the umbrella pole. He is in his own separate frame.(c) Roger Overall 2010
I just love the expression in this picture. (c) Roger Overall 2010
This is a real favourite of mine. Importantly, it shows the couple and the tenderness between them. It is also a photograph of twos. Two people. Two chairs on the left. Two windows on the left, and two on the right. Two paintings on the wall. There are even two candles on stands in the background (c) Roger Overall 2010
This photograph is all about expressions. They range from joy to gentle smiles, to introspection and, if you look for it, what appears to be shock. (c) Roger Overall 2010
(c) Roger Overall 2010
The ability of the artist who made this sculpture is astonishing. It lives. It is listening to the conversation. (c) Roger Overall 2010
I don't remember taking this. That's not uncommon for me. I experience a wedding so intensely sometimes that my mind discards photographs as soon as they are taken to allow it to concentrate fully on the next one. (c) Roger Overall 2010
A lovely interaction between the bride and a guest, made more interesting by the curve of the reflection. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Another favourite. I don't need to tell you why. A superb couple. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Anatomy Of A Wedding Day #2
After the 2010 National Photographic Awards, I made a bold statement. I wouldn’t be entering any more photographs of children. It is too easy to score well that way.
I’m now somewhat regretting that pronouncement. Well, part of me is. The lazy part. This is by far the bigger part of me, so it gets a lot of airtime in my head.
There is a panel of four photographs from this wedding alone that would make a very decent stand at the national awards. Each photograph shows the same little girl.
My lazy voice notwithstanding, none of her photographs will go to the awards. This year, I want to concentrate on the bride and groom. It is their day after all, and I want to show that in my awards entries.
At least, here in Ireland… 
These photographs are from a wedding I covered in May. Superb, warm, loving couple.
The bride's family are big greyhound enthusiasts and this scene-setter at the house in the morning helps tell that bit of the story. I was helped by some people coming out of the house to greet me over on my right, which distracted the dog for a second. It's the mimic of the head direction that makes this work. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Flower girls are an endless source of great photographs. Rarely do they do as they are told. Boredom prevents them from doing so. And they often escape into their own world of play when they can. This was captured just before the ceremony, after the girls had marched dutifully for the third time down the aisle to prove they knew what would be required of them. (c) Roger Overall 2010
What can I say? Pure genius by the little girl. Talk about scene stealing. This was taken with a 135mm lens - a rarity. (c) Roger Overall 2010
When you're bored, you're bored - so you make your own entertainment. Everyone else was busy with the signing of the register. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Veils, wind. It's a familiar story. The bride's wonderful warmth here adds dynamism to the photograph as well. In terms of photography, it was a case of looking for the expression. The veil is an added bonus. Documentary photography for me is about emotion first. Any additional occurrences are extras I take gladly, but you need to lay the foundation first by looking for the emotion. (c) Roger Overall 2010
I love the tenderness here. (c) Roger Overall 2010
The older guests at weddings are often overlooked by photographers. In a way it's understandable. They are often there at the parents' request. While I do try to concentrate on the younger guests, I like to keep an eye out for older guest interaction. They could be a favourite great uncle, after all. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Two worlds exist beside each other - one of my favourite themes. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Children and sugar. 'Nuff said. From a photographic perspective, this was something of a grab shot, as the boy announced what he was going to do and then did it before the words had fully left his mouth. (c) Roger Overall 2010
And here she is again. This time in discussion with the groom. I like the way that her hand gesture is mirrored to some extent by that of the groom's mother in blue. I've tried this picture cropped tighter to exclude the window highlights at the top and the two men at the far end. The crop makes the picture claustrophobic; leaving it uncropped keeps the context and depth. (c) Roger Overall 2010
The parents are often the forgotten players on the wedding day of their children, so I try hard not to. I love this interaction between the bride's mum and the groom's dad. (c) Roger Overall 2010
This is all about the ring. I was able to get quite close with a 50mm lens without the couple noticing me. Until the shutter clicked. Taken on a Canon 1DS Mrk II - a camera whose shutter lives up to the brand name. I sometimes wonder whether I should wear earplugs. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Getting an interesting shot of the cutting of the cake can be hard. So I leave it to someone else - as shown here. (c) Roger Overall 2010
I love the look on the bride's face. It conveys so much. Photography of the speeches is all about reactions to what is being said. Usually, you get a couple of outstanding speakers at Irish weddings, and there are lots of great expressions. Rich pickings for a documentary photographer. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Anatomy Of A Wedding Day #1
I’d made a commitment before to publish more work with annotations. I kinda let that slide. I’m going to be a bit more disciplined about it from now on. Here’s a wedding that I photographed a couple of weeks ago at Ballyseede Castle in Co. Kerry with some information about how I came to take them.
I do like reflections. Being able to show the bride from a couple of sides shows the dress in all its elegance. I had a couple of decisions to make in terms of cropping. Firstly, on the far right-hand side, I could have cut out the window, ending the picture on that side with the dark wood of the poster bed. Instead I elected to show the window to give a sense of depth beyond the picture confines. If you put your hand over the window, the picture becomes more enclosed and claustrophobic. Secondly, I could have cropped out the light at the top on the right. Left in, it is a distraction. Left out, the room loses some of its character. I'll often favour detail and context over cropping. (c) Roger Overall 2010
I get more joy from anticipated rather than grabbed photographs - even if it is a fairly simple one like this. In this instance, there was always a chance that the bride wouldn't be the first out of the room. The bride's movement gives her an almost ghost-like appearance. Added to that is the contemplative look on her face that helps make the photograph. (c) Roger Overall 2010
This is most likely my favourite photograph of the year so far - and I'll admit there was a bit of luck involved. On her way down to her parents and family from her hotel room, the bride paused and looked out of the window. I almost missed it. I had gone ahead of the bride and was halfway down the stairs when I looked back. I saw her looking out of the window and climbed the stairs quickly and got a single frame. At the time, it was the lighting and pose that caught my eye. I hadn't even noticed the bust. Without the bust, the photograph would have been nice - nothing more. The bust, though, makes the picture. It brings balance and a gentle humour that lift the photograph above the ordinary. (c) Roger Overall 2010
The church in Fossa, Co. Kerry, is a modern structure and particularly striking. If the sun came out, I knew it would catch the bride and illuminate her dress and veil. Having settled on a composition, I marked a spot with a stone and went round the corner to photograph the bride arriving in the car park. Then I ran back to the stone and waited. Fortune smiled on me. The sun appeared. Also the bride and her father are distinct, rather than hidden in a crowd of people, which often happens. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Another favourite from the year so far, even though it is heavily flawed. A moment of serenity before the bride enters the church. Here the reflection is more than simply duplication. It shows more than "the real world" which you can see on the right of the photograph. Not only can you see her bouquet, which would otherwise be hidden behind the bridesmaid. It helps offset the photograph's flaw: the head of the person who stood in front of me to get a better view of the bride just as I was taking the shot. Without the head, this is a picture I would consider entering for awards. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Similar to the one above, this photograph tells the story of a key moment in the day. The groom's first glimpse of his bride. I pre-focused on the doorway and knew that the bride and her father would briefly be in some light. Sometimes the groom will look, sometimes he doesn't. It's nice when they do from a photographic point of view. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Unlike the photograph above, this one isn't hindered by the head in front of the bride. For me, it adds to the sense of intimacy and the sense of people around the bride. Also, you don't need to see the other half of her face to know her emotion. I also like the gentle look on the groom's face. He seems contented and relaxed. Finding a good vantage point to photograph the receiving line can be a challenge. The difficulty here was that the groom was standing in the doorway on a bright sunny afternoon. Exposing for the inside of the church meant losing all of the detail outside, along with parts of the groom on occasion as well. (c) Roger Overall 2010
This photograph is all about the interaction and the light. There is so much going on in both regards. The window is casting different light on everyone. Combined with the range of interactions, this makes for a captivating image. (c) Roger Overall 2010
The couple on their way to dinner at Ballyseede Castle in Co. Kerry. I'd seen the potential for a photograph earlier and waited for them to appear. I'd have preferred them a little further forward, but then the light coming in from the window on the left wouldn't have illuminated them half as well. Documentary photography often involves compromises. (c) Roger Overall 2010
Cheering Up
My wife came into the office earlier, wondering if I was all right. Apparently, I sound very glum in my John Hedgecoe Boo.
I’m happy to say I’m fine.
To prove it, here’s a picture from a wedding that’s going through the post-production cycle at the moment.
It made me smile. Children at weddings always do.
(c) Roger Overall 2010
A Shift?
I don’t do colour wedding photography. Not much anyway. That’s what I tell everyone. Pigs’ll fly before I shoot lots of colour.
Thing is, is that really true?
Looking at some of my latest work, I have to ask whether I’m experiencing a shift.
Take these photographs from a recent wedding, for instance. It was only after I’d uploaded them on to the blog (originally with the intention of running them without text) that I realized half of them were colour pictures.
Is it a blip? Or the start of a bigger development in my shooting style? Should I even care?
Maybe not. But in light of what I’ve said about colour photography in the past, all I can say is that if you are a pig farmer you’d better go and check your livestock are still on the ground.
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Did You Ever See A Happier Bride?
Here are some selects from a recent wedding in Glandore, west Co. Cork. Did you ever see a happier bride?
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