THE PRIEST HOUSE HOTEL WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER
I was very happy when Tina and Russell asked me to be their Priest House Hotel wedding photographer! Situated on the banks of the River Trent, the rich history of the Priest House Hotel dates back almost 1000 years. Built around an old mill tower, this wedding venue is now the perfect location for your dream wedding.
I’m happy to admit that this was my first ever time doing wedding photography. That’s right, while I had been shooting in my personal life for several years, especially when I lived in Japan, this was my first professional commission as natural wedding photographer.
Early Days
It’s way back in 2014. Tina and Russell had already tied the knot abroad and were now looking for a relaxed wedding photographer to cover their wedding celebration back in the UK. As it happens I had recently built my first website to present some of my personal and travel photography. Tina is the younger sister of an old friend from university, and thanks to the connectivity and convenience of Facebook, she learned of my website and decided my style was right for her.
Becoming A Professional Wedding Photographer
I was soon to discover that photographing a wedding is VERY DIFFERENT to taking photos in your personal life. I could go on at length about this subject, but needless to say, there is a lot more pressure to get things right when shooting a wedding. When you take a photo at home, or on holiday, or on a night out, it doesn’t really matter if it doesn’t turn out quite the way you hoped does it? You can just delete it and no one really cares. But at a wedding, indeed it does matter, it matters quite a lot. From a photographer’s point of view, weddings are fast-paced, busy events that have a habit of taking on a life of their own. It’s a tough environment in which to take photos, and yet the photos need to be of a high, professional standard. Improvements in consumer technology mean it’s getting easier and easier to take reasonably good personal photos without knowing too much about photographer…..but nonetheless professional photographers still carry a lot of responsibility in ensuring your photos are the best they possibly can be (and that’s one of the reasons why we charge hundreds, often thousands of pounds).
Natural Wedding Photography at Priest House Hotel
Bearing in mind the above, I felt very lucky that my first ever bride and groom were as super chilled and friendly as Tina and Russell. They wanted to enjoy their time with their friends and family without being dragged away for photos all the time, so instead I tried to document their day, capturing moments, unscripted an as they happened. I didn’t know it at the time but this would shape my approach to wedding photography permanently. To this day I much prefer to shoot unobtrusively, allowing couples and their guests to have a great time without any intrusion from me.
Our newlyweds had a fun day planned involving plenty of hugging, blowing bubbles, dancing and eating ice creams in the sun. This was a celebration so there was no celebration or wedding breakfast, just fun times all day and night! After a few speeches everyone got on the dance floor to some great tunes by their hired band (so long ago I can’t remember their name, sorry!).
Massive congratulations to Tina and Russell. I was very lucky indeed that it was you guys who picked me to be your Priest House Hotel wedding photographer.
Wedding Suppliers
Venue: Priest House Hotel
Dress: Lori G Bridal Studio
Like Unposed Wedding Photography?
The above photos were taken way back in 2014. If you would like great photos but without any hassle, why not check out some of my more recent work in my blog, and if you like what you see, get in touch to see if I’m free on your wedding date.
