Last summer I had the pleasure of working with Kimberley Gray on a clients wedding, It is lovely to share with my blog readers a little more about the actual people behind the business’s  that Tigerlily work with.

Kimberley is based in Hampstead and works as a full time wedding photograper, her website is fantastic and really showcases her diverse portfolio and style.

Kimberley has a very unobtrusive style on the day and really captures the excitement and emotion of each wedding.

Enjoy!

Tell me about the background of ktb wedding photography?

I had worked at Christies Auction House, a Chelsea art gallery and as a professional photographer of antiques, art and interiors for the book, The London Antiques Guide as well as several international magazines before becoming a wedding photographer. 

I loved how a powerful photograph, be it a small detail or a sweeping scene, could convey the style, the essence and story of something much larger. 

With this in mind, I photographed two of my friends’ weddings as a present for them, and their response was unequivocal- “Kimberly, you have to become a wedding photographer!”

Where do you take your inspiration from?

I actually take inspiration from all sorts of images in contemporary life.  I love beautiful cinematography, and foreign films, particularly Chinese. The way Chinese cinematographers frame scenes and convey relationships through images is simple, beautiful and effective.  If I see something that inspires me, I will take a note and try to use the idea at my next wedding. 

Having said that, I also take image ideas from more mainstream films and television, such as Slumdog Millionaire, Ugly Betty, the Sopranos and Life on Mars which all are very creative with perspective and story-telling. 

What is your favorite wedding photograph from your collection?

I hate having to decide on favourites, but in theory from each wedding, my favourite photograph is one which captures the love and happiness between the couple or between them and their family. 

What is unique about your photography?

I have a very natural style and approach.  I believe that the bride and groom need to feel like they are being photographed by a friend with whom they are having great fun and can help them laugh and be themselves.  I think this natural approach and sense of fun comes across in the happiness of my photographs.

What packages and services do you offer?

I am always happy to create a bespoke package for couples, but my most popular package is 8 hours of photography with a storybook album and a disk of edited and high resolution photographs to share with friends and family.

Tell us your funniest, scariest, most bizarre, most touching story from a photo shoot to date!

I actually photographed a pagan wedding in Camden Town in my first year.  The couple were very lovely and eccentric, and so we did their creative photographs in King’s Cross.  Everyone wore medieval costume, and seeing the five groomsmen walking down St Pancras Way with capes flapping in the wind is a memory that will always stick with me!

I also photographed a wedding on a cliff on the Arran Islands in Western Ireland.  The sun came out briefly during their ceremony, so it looks idyllic in the photographs, but everything except that 10 minutes was “extreme Celtic wedding photography” – gale force winds, horizontal rain and furious, crashing waves.  I felt like I had been in battle when I arrived back at the hotel that evening.

What is the one lasting impression you want to leave in your photos?

That’s very easy – love and happiness!

I had the great pleasure of meeting up with the amazing talented Nikole Ramsay this PM, we had coffee and lemonade at the Almeida Theatre and discussed all things wedding.

I am so pleased that Nikole is joining the Tigerlily network of photographers, so watch this space as I will be writing a little piece about her later this week with lots of stunning images to capture your imagination.

However if you cannot wait until then check out her website Nikole Ramsay.

During a conversation last weekend I asked Dan to write a piece for the blog on the subject of wedding photography during your wedding ceremony and the importance of pre planning.

For more on this and related subjects, see Dans blog  under the category “Photography during the ceremony”.

Enjoy!

What pictures you get from your wedding ceremony will depend on what you want, what the celebrant will allow, the venue, and your photographer.

The “what you want” bit’s the easiest, and is all down to communication with your photographer to make sure that they understand your wishes and that you don’t have unrealistic expectations.

What the celebrant will allow is basically a lottery.  Where church weddings are concerned, we regularly meet everything from “no photography in my church thank you” to “get whatever pictures you want, just don’t stand between me and the couple”.  Now, you’re probably thinking “well I’ll just make sure we sort this out with the priest beforehand” and that might actually work – but be aware of two possible consequences if you do.  

One is that given a choice between entering into a rational discussion about how best to ensure that you can get the pictures you want without the ceremony being turned into a circus or just saying something like “I think photography during the ceremony’s inappropriate” and moving rapidly on, most Church of England priests will take the easy option.

The other is to beware of the phrase “Oh photography’s not a problem”.  While this can mean what you think, it can also mean that photography isn’t a problem because in practice it isn’t allowed or might as well not be.

Where civil ceremonies are concerned, all you have to remember is that on the day, the officiating registrar’s word is law.  Regional policy on photography during civil ceremonies varies from “it’s your day, so whatever you want” (with London Boroughs and Kent leading the way) through to “no photography full stop” (parts of Gloucestershire and until last month all of Wiltshire), but it’s still down to the individual registrar.

They have complete discretion as to what happens and what doesn’t during your ceremony.  If he or she says “no pictures”, you can try arguing the point but frankly I wouldn’t rate your chances.

Assuming that photography is allowed during the ceremony, the venue itself has a big influence.  Basically your photographer needs enough light and at least one suitable place from which to get the shots without being intrusive.  That’s easy enough in a big bright church on a fine summer afternoon, but not so easy in a tiny village church at 3pm in mid-December, to say nothing of hotel function rooms lit only by down lighters.

Whether church or civil, you’ll be signing the registers at some point and pictures of that is a separate issue.  Indeed it’s a separate lottery.  What the law says is that the signing of the registers can be photographed but the entries in them must not, and common reasons why you shouldn’t have pictures of the actual event include “Data Protection Act”, “Official Secrets Act” and “Because I say so”. 

In practice, it’ll be down to your photographer and the registrant as to whether you get pictures during the actual signing or are expected to sit there pretending to sign a blank piece of paper with a pen that has no ink in it.  If the latter doesn’t appeal, one alternative is to opt for just a nice shot of you with your witnesses instead.

The last major variable is your photographer.  We all have different ways of working and of tackling ceremony photography, so if pictures during are important to you, it definitely pays to find yourself a wedding photographer who’s good at it and can get the pictures for you without becoming the centre of attention.

Finally, one thing that can lose you pictures as you proceed up the aisle is if you set off on the wrong side, as a result of which your photographer’s in the wrong place.  Just remember that for a normal English wedding, church or civil, the bride goes up the aisle on the right and leaves on the left of her new husband!

As my wedding season is just about to start I took some time out yesterday to review weddings that I had planned last year.

I came across this lovely photo of one of my brides, this image captures the moment that she first saw the conversion of her chosen event space for her wedding.

As you can see this image is priceless, and was taken by the talented photographer Ann Johnson, one half of husband and wife team Dan Johnson Photography.

Dan will be writing for our blog next week as a guest so watch this space.

I am getting really excited and can not wait for the wedding season to start, I am working with so many wonderful couples this year and I am looking forward to having more lovely images to share with you all.

Happy Sunday!

Photo Credit:

Dan Jonhson Photography

One of the joys of my job as a planner is working with talented professionals within the wedding industry, I am very lucky to have met some fabulous people on my wedding  journeys.

Recently we began working with Mark Bothwell a fantastic wedding photographer, he has just written an interesting blog about event planning and we get a little mention take a peak.

Have a fabulous weekend.

Paul has kindly answered our questions and given us an insight in to his work.

When did you decide to become a photographer?

When I was 21, I upped sticks and moved to London from Newcastle got a job as a studio assistant at a big fashion studio, painted floors, made tea, cleaned up, and observed  some amazing people do their jobs. I worked there for a couple of years then left to become a freelance assistant. That’s when my training really kicked in. I learned from some of the very best fashion photographers around (Bruce Weber, Platon, Norman Watson etc) and got to travel the world extensively too. Met some incredible people and had an amazing time.

After  5 or so years assisting I decided it was time to move on, after showing a few shoots of my own to a few editors I was commissioned by several young fashion mags and things took off really quickly. Shooting brand new models who quite often had never been in front of a camera before was excellent experience. It stood me in good stead for shooting weddings, particularly if either the Bride or Groom don’t relish the prospect of having their photographs taken. It has really taught me how to get the best out of people, and quickly!

What has been the single biggest obstacle against growing as a photographer on the whole?

Honestly, the only thing that could stop anyone growing as a photographer is complacency. Thinking that you know it all, that you can just turn up and go through the motions and produce worthy imagery is a dangerous state of mind.

Where do you take inspiration from?

My inspiration (and I don’t want to get all ‘Oprah’ here) are my clients. The simple fact is that good, standout wedding photography is an investment. There are so many wedding photographers out there that the better ones can afford to charge a premium for their services. That comes with a responsibility to always give the very best, from the moment of first contact with a potential client through to the delivery of the photographs.

Who are your influences?

I’m not really influenced by anyone. Inspired, yes, but personally I think photographers should shoot to their own style, and not try to imitate anyone else. How else will clients be 100% certain that they have the right photographer for their wedding?  It’s like going shopping. If you want a Marc Jacobs handbag, then anything less than that is always going to feel like second best.

What is unique about your photography?

Many of my clients mention my fashion work when initially booking. I think it helps me see things from a slightly different perspective to many wedding photographers. I pride myself on the detail shots, the bridal preparation and of course the couple portraits but I’m not one for clichés. The formal shots of the couple should feel like the most natural shots in the world to the Bride and Groom. I want those pictures to be timeless, beautiful and relaxed which requires a totally different skill set to the rest of the day’s coverage. The reportage shots -telling the story of the wedding- is to me ‘pure’ photography, where you need the technical ability to deal with any lighting conditions and have the ‘eye’ to anticipate a great shot before it actually happens. Nothing beats the buzz of editing a wedding the next day and going through my favorites, seeing the day unfold in pictures and getting excited showing the pictures to the couple. I really love my job!

What is your favorite image?

Oh, it varies from day to day! Each wedding brings more shots that I love, whether it’s the butler from Highclere Castle peeking through the door to check that the Bride is ready to make her entrance, the Groom looking to the heavens and taking a deep breath as his Bride walks up the isle behind him, the tearful Father handing his daughter to the groom at the alter, or the best man bringing the house down with his story of the groom’s childhood. Every wedding brings new favorites. Have a look on my website www.paulwhiteweddings.com to see some of my favorites form the last year or so.

Tell us your funniest, scariest, most bizarre, most touching story from a photo shoot to date!

Okay, bear in mind as a fashion photographer many of my shoots have been all of the above!  One of the funniest would also be the most bizzare too.  I flew out to LA to shoot a pop star in her manager’s mansion in the Hollywood Hills. Amazing place to live, beautiful, sprawling mansion with a huge central spiral staircase in the main hall just as you walked in. Enroute from the airport to the shoot, I got a call from the record company to say that the pop star was running late as she had just arrived in from Japan and was a little jet-lagged. I agreed that it would be best if she slept for a while, and I could set up while she was in hair and make up. Anyway, loooong story but as I arrived at the mansion, my assistant and I were bringing in the equipment when we hear someone coming down the spiral staircase which was right above our heads. We stepped out of the shadows just as the manager got to the bottom of the stairs carrying the singer who was flailing in his arms, moaning “I’m tired! I’m tired!” Needless to say the manager was as surprised as we were, and in his attempt to ‘upright’ the singer, promptly dropped her on the marble floor right at my feet…

I can’t name names, but the little genie looked beautiful when we eventually got to shoot her 12 hours (yes, twelve) later…

In general, during a wedding, how many pictures do you take?

On average, I’ll shoot between 600-800 images each wedding, depending on the length of time I’m booked for. I’ll then edit out the ‘blinkers’ or the missed expressions, colour correct, resize and upload between 300-600 to my website where the couples can view their pictures when they are on honeymoon. I always get the images online within a week of the wedding, so that the couple can log on and relive their wedding, sipping mojito’s on their honeymoon. I shoot a limited number of weddings each year, so my clients have my full attention before, during and after their wedding.

What is the one lasting impression you want to leave in your photos?

It’s simple really. I want the pictures to reflect the emotion, anticipation, excitement and energy of the wedding day so that the couple can look back in years to come and live that day all over again through the photography. What better job is there?!