Documentary Wedding Photography by Simon Atkins

Dominique & Al's wedding at St Etheldreda's church, London.

2009-11-30T15:27:00.002Z

On the 28th November I had the pleasure of photographing Dominique & Al's London wedding at St Etheldreda's church.

I love winter weddings with lots of candles and low light. The ceremony started at 4pm in the candlelit church, followed by a reception at the Bleeding Heart (http://www.bleedingheart.co.uk/).

Dominique wore a beautiful Jenny Packham dress.

No pressure on me!

2009-10-20T12:20:00.005Z

On Saturday I had the pleasure of photographing Peter & John's civil partnership in London. The couple had kept rather quiet about who photographed the pre partnership portrait that was on display. It was in fact taken by Lord Snowdon, a friend of Peter & John. Lord Snowdon is a very famous photographer and considered by many as one of the great photographers of the 20th century.

Lord Snowdon was also a guest at the reception. I'm not sure what he will make of my photograph of him, although I did get to talk to him briefly about photography and he didn't seem too keen on digital cameras (photograph taken on a Canon 5DmkII digital camera in a very dark room at iso6400).

Holdenby House - Jane & Rob's wedding

2009-10-15T11:15:00.003Z

Jane and Rob married on the 9th October 2009 at Holdenby House in Northamptonshire.

Holdenby is one of my favourite locations for weddings in Northamptonshire. It's a family home and has a lovely feel that you don't get with a hotel. Holdenby only have a handful of weddings each year.

Hampton Court House wedding - Rebecca and Rupert

2009-10-15T10:50:00.002Z

Rebecca & Rupert married at St James Church in Hampton Hill, London, on the 3rd October 2009. Their reception was at Hampton Court House.

This was my second visit to Hampton Court House, which is a school during the week and a great wedding location at the weekend.

These are a small selection of photographs from their day.

Johanne & Gareth's wedding at Thrumpton Hall

2009-09-23T11:51:00.002Z

Johanne & Gareth married at St Michael and All Angels church in Diesworth and had their reception at Thrumpton Hall.

I had photographed the wedding of Johanne's sister a few years back and the weddings of a number of their friends since. It's always lovely to work with the same family again.

A number of Johanne's friends gathered at the bottom of the stairs to greet her at the house after she got dressed. This was a lovely touching moment which made for great photographs.

Hodsock Priory wedding photography

2009-09-18T18:27:00.002Z

Charlotte & Simon married on the 4th September at Hodsock Priory, a really fantastic location for weddings.

These are a few of the photographs I took.

Siobhan & Matthew 's London wedding

2009-09-18T17:34:00.004Z

Siobhan & Matthew had their wedding in London and the reception in Docklands overlooking the 02 Arena (formally the Millennium Dome). The speeches took place outside next to the River Thames, later the couple had their first dance on the terrace.

7 weeks, 13 weddings, 2300 miles

2009-09-18T17:22:00.004Z

Regular visitors to my blog might have noticed a lack of posts recently. I have just come to the end of the busiest part of the year and it's always a real challenge to find spare time to blog recent weddings. Looking back through my diary over the past 7 weeks reveals I have driven 2300 miles, covered 13 weddings (two most weeks) at all corners of the UK and taken over 5000 photographs. The year is far from over yet, I have weddings right through to the 30th December and my diary for 2010 is filling up fast.

I'll shortly be posting some photographs from last weekend's weddings.

What do photographers do on their day off? Photograph weddings of course!

2009-08-25T11:51:00.004Z

What do wedding photographers do on a day off? Maybe have a nice restful day? Or maybe go for a day out? Actually no, they hook up with photographer friends and second shoot for them. (It's better than going shopping with my wife).

I joined up with my friends Dan & Ann Johnson who are wedding photographers based in East Sussex, on their wedding at the HAC (http://www.hac.org.uk/html/corporate-private-events) in London.

The bride, Dolly, wore a fabulous Vivienne Westwood dress. The groom, Chris, looked very fashionable in his blue suit.

These are a few of my photographs from the day.

And here I am in action.

Harewood House wedding - Melissa & Nik

2009-08-10T14:29:00.002Z

Melissa & Nik married at Harewood House in Yorkshire, a stunning venue near Leeds (http://www.harewood.org/).

Nik & Melissa met at Starbucks, the proposal was from a hot air balloon, Nik had written in paint on the lawn which Melissa spotted as they drifted across the sky in the balloon.

Northamptonshire wedding photography, Higham Ferrers and Holdenby House

2009-08-04T10:27:00.004Z

What could be better than photographing a wedding right on your doorstep? Most of the weddings I photograph involve a lot of driving and I often find myself two or three hours from home. When Catherine & Ross told me their wedding was taking place in my local parish church I thought it was local, but when I found out their parents are almost neighbours it was more local than I thought.

Ross is a wedding photographer, so no pressure for me on this one. The marriage ceremony took place at St Mary's church in Higham Ferrers on the 31st July 2009. I might be biased, but I think it's one of the nicest churches in the country. The reception was at the beautiful Holdenby House in Northamptonshire.

Holdenby House has a Falconry, this kept the guests entertained and those with cameras challenged to catch the birds in flight.

Kate & Keith's wedding at Kings Lynn, Norfolk. (The Red Barn)

2009-08-02T16:58:00.002Z

I haven't blogged any weddings for a while as I have been extremely busy. July is always a very busy month for weddings and I usually have a couple of weddings each weekend.

Kate & Keith married on the 1st August 2009 at Runcton Holme church, near Kings Lynn in Norfolk. The reception was at The Red barn in South Runcton.

These are a few of my favourite photographs.

Georgina & Steve at Prestwold Hall

2009-07-09T11:15:00.002Z

Georgina & Steve married on the 26th June 2009. The reception took place at one of my favourite locations, Prestwold Hall.

These are a few photographs from their day.

Jasmine & Jon at Great Fosters

2009-06-24T16:14:00.001Z

Jasmine and Jon married at Great Fosters on the 19th June 2009. Jasmine is the presenter of the Channel 4 show ' A place in sun: home or away' and Jon is a TV cameraman.

These are a few of my favourite photographs from their wedding.

Kellie & James' wedding in Northamptonshire.

2009-06-23T13:28:00.004Z

Kellie & James married on the 20th June 2009 at St Andrew's church in Harlestone. The reception was at Broomhill Hotel in Northamptonshire.

Press play to view the slideshow.

Suzy & Ben at Clandon Park

2009-06-23T13:12:00.004Z

Suzy & Ben returned home from working in India for their wedding which took place at Clandon Park.

The ceremony was in the tapestry room at the National Trust owned house. After drinks in the gardens the reception took place in a marquee on the lawn.

Press play to view the slide show.

Becky and James' wedding blessing at Les Eyzies, Dordogne, France.

2009-06-08T12:23:00.007Z

Becky & James invited family and friends to Les Eyzies-De-Tayac, Dordogne, France, for their wedding blessing and party.

The wedding blessing took place in Hotel De Centenaire in beautiful Les Eyzies, followed by drinks in the gardens on a warm, sunny afternoon. After the more formal parts of the day with dinner and speeches, guests joined Becky & James at Les Granges, a country house in Manaurie, for the party which went on until the early hours of the following day. A fantstic firework display was one of the highlights of the evening.

Press play to view the slideshow.

Vicky & Paul at Rushton Hall.

2009-06-08T12:06:00.009Z

Vicky and Paul had perfect weather for their wedding, the sun shone down on Vicky's sparkling Jenny Packham dress.

After the ceremony the couple and their guests mingled in the courtyard at Rushton Hall , Northamptonshire(http://www.rushtonhall.com/). As a suprise for the guests, Vicky & Paul hired a carousel for the day.

Press play to view the slideshow.

Roz & Mike at Rockingham Castle

2009-06-01T13:46:00.000Z

Roz and Mike chose Rockingham Castle as the venue for their wedding. The castle has it's own church in the grounds. The wedding took place on a beautiful early summer day.

Faye & Andrew at Kilshane House, Ireland.

2009-05-05T11:44:00.015Z

It might be a long way to Tipperary, but that didn't stop Faye's family from traveling over to Ireland from Greece for her marriage to Andrew.

Faye and Andrew married at Clonbeg church, in the Glen of Aherlow, Ireland. The wedding reception took place at Kilshane House, Tipperary, Ireland.

With a mix of Irish and Greek family and friends the party was very lively.

This is a slide show with a small selection of the 570 photographs I took over the 3 days I was in Ireland. Press play to start the slide show. (you will need to have Flash installed on your computer)

Lincolns Inn wedding, London

2009-04-27T14:10:00.011Z

On Saturday 25th April I travelled to London for Anna & James' wedding. The ceremony took place in the beautiful Queen's Chapel of the Savoy. It was the first time I have heard the National Anthem at a wedding. After a moving ceremony the couple signed the register while the choir sung PSALM 128.

The reception took place at Lincoln's Inn, London. This was my second visit to Lincoln's Inn, it's certainly a fantastic setting for a wedding reception and the food is excellent.

Anna & James have flown off to Vancouver, Canada, for their honeymoon.

These are a few photographs from their wedding story.

Silhouette Artist

2009-04-27T11:44:00.004Z

I recently discovered the work of silhouette cutter Sarah Goddard. She will attend your wedding with scissors in hand and cut paper silhouettes of your guests. Her work is amazing, this is a silhouette she cut of me. (I did ask for some extra hair!).

Sarah has a website - http://www.visagesilhouettes.co.uk , or her telephone number is 0118 9670 632

Olga & Darren's wedding at Coombe Abbey

2009-04-14T14:19:00.010Z

Olga & Darren's wedding was on Easter Sunday at Coombe Abbey near Coventry.

The ceremony took place in the Abbeygate which was lit with candles and looked very atmospheric. After the ceremony the couple and their guests were piped out by an Elizabethan minstrel playing the English Bagpipes. Some emotional speaches followed before dinner.

These are a few photographs from Olga & Darren's wedding story-

http://www.weddingphotojournalist.co.uk/

Choosing a photographer

2009-04-13T19:53:00.002Z

At a recent wedding the venue had a second wedding taking place at the opposite side of the hotel. The staff told me the other wedding didn't have a professional photographer and had instead asked a relative with a "good camera" to take the photographs, apparently not unusual at present. I have noticed certain magazines recommending you save money by getting a friend to take the photographs or by putting cameras on the tables. Obviously I have something of a vested interest in wedding photography, but it's not lost business that bothers me, it's the fact the couple will almost certainly be very disappointed with the photographs. It's not a "good camera" that makes unforgettable photographs, it's a skilled photographer. Recently I brought some Jamie Oliver cookware, unfortunately for me I'm not a World class chef now. I might have the right tools for the job, but I don't have the skills of Jamie Oliver.

Maybe I shouldn't tell you this, when I got married all those years ago I didn't have a photographer. It's one of those things I really regret, we had a very limited budget for the wedding and when push came to shove we ditched the photographer for food & drink. At the time I wasn't a wedding photographer, I took a camera along and took a few photographs and one of our relatives took some as well. I learnt it's impossible to take your own wedding photographs and you can't rely on relatives to come up with the goods. We don't have a wedding album and I find that rather sad.

I'm a photographer because it's what I love, I photograph love stories and produce albums that become treasured possessions. My job is often stressful, you have to get everything right on the day as you can't go back and do it again. It takes hundreds of weddings to get the eye for photography (I have been a wedding photographer for 9 years, previously I was a newspaper photographer for 12 years), to the point you can predict what will happen and be in place to photograph it. Anyone can take photographs, only a select few can really capture the wedding story.

The bride from a recent wedding booked me a couple of days before her wedding. She had already booked another photographer, but fell in love with my style of photography. Having paid the balance in full with the other photographer she cancelled and booked me. I'm very flattered that my work evokes such strong emotions that this bride was willing to loose a substantial amount of money to swap photographers.

Choose a photographer with your heart and you won't regret it. A wedding album becomes one of your most treasured possessions and should be full of all the love, life and happiness of your wedding day.

Simon Atkins. April 2009.
http://www.weddingphotojournalist.co.uk/

Latest wedding bookings

2009-02-16T14:50:00.003Z

Over the last couple of weeks I have been busy talking to couples about their wedding plans. The latest two bookings are for Becky & James who are getting married in Dordogne, France, on the 6th June 2009 and Caroline & Tim who are getting married on the 19th December 2009 at Loughborough and having their reception at the Priest House, Castle Donington.

If you would like to come and discuss your wedding plans I have a couple of weekends available in March. This gives you the opportunity to come and look through my albums and chat about your wedding. I'm based in Higham Ferrers, Northamptonshire, within easy reach of the M1 & A14.