Skip to main content

My Second Wedding

I am struggling to keep up with my blog, having been so busy and with the kids off on school holidays. So I am adding this entry a little late. I actually shot this wedding on July 5th, 2008. It is a policy of mine anyway to never use any photos from a wedding until the official viewing with my clients. I feel it is important that the first people to see the photos are the couple themselves and they should be seen in a formal setting where they can relive the experience of the day. This takes a little longer for me to prepare than perhaps some other photographers but so far I am 2 for 2 on producing tears. To me, that makes me a success. They were good tears by the way.


Anyway, back to the subject. I did my second wedding. This one being very different from the last. There was no church, no traditional wedding gown and very little in the way of formal, posed portraits. It took place in a converted knitwear factory, both inside and on the roof top which made for extreme changes to lighting requirements. But an interesting set up all the same.


The couple, Rosemarie Fitton and Tony Matters, own their own architectural design firm called Heterarchy, based in Leicester. I met Rosemarie through a breakfast networking group a while back. I had always respected her very much as she is an interior designer, an occupation I had often dreamt of entering in my youth but for several reasons had bypassed. A creative and contemporary mind such as hers had me very flattered that she choose me to shoot her wedding even though I had yet to shoot a wedding at the time of the booking. As such, I felt even more pressure to get this right. Luckily, it would appear, that I did.


The venue, their fascinating home, had huge windows, open space, lovely lighting and brick walls (which I love). Its just too bad that we couldn't have enjoyed the roof top more but at least the rain held off until after the blessing. Unbelievably the rain started just after the last guest left the rood top to get some food following the service.










I very much enjoyed the fly on the wall perspective. It was nice to be able to sit back with my large lense and see what I could get without being right in anyone's face. But unfortunately, even in a converted factory it was hard to remain unnoticed. It wasn't long before people started to photograph me. I am very glad that not everyone is like me when it comes to having their photograph taken or I would be out of a business. I stand behind the camera for a reason, that way I am hardly ever in pictures myself.


Comments

Rosemarie said…
My Second Wedding! How very apt of Christina to name this set of pictures on her blog. Not only is it my second marriage but was also the second day of ceremonies in a three day event!
I specifically wanted Christina to shoot the pictures of my wedding knowing full well that she wasn't a wedding photographer......... that was crucial! I don't like the usual wedding photos, with endless group shots getting bigger and bigger. I also know how boring it is for people to be waiting around for all of this to happen. I had seen Christina's work and loved it and knew she would do a good job.
We wanted candid shots, which we know are difficult and we also know how difficult our place is to take good photos in. We have masses of windows some overhead and then really quite dark spots.
I really don't know how Christina managed to get around and take the shots she did as the space although huge was packed to the hilt with furniture, guests a buffet, the dj's kit and a live band!
Although I was quite stressed on the day, having woken up in my beautiful hotel room in London the morning after the legal ceremony and then having to dash back to Leicester to organise the next event, I immediately felt relaxed with Christina around, no demanding 'Look this way' or 'Move your arm' etc etc.
Once the ceremony had started I barely realised she was there. I had given her a very hard task..."No formal pictures!' however my new husband and I actually spent so little time together during the course of the evening that we had to get together in a designated space. However this was good fun too and I still felt relaxed.
We were looking forward to seeing the proofs and had no idea what to expect. We had been given so many beautiful photos from our friends, some of whom are very good amateur photographers and we were thinking what a really hard task we had set.
On the viewing evening we went along and Christina set us up with the lap top and then left us to it.
Well I was absolutely blown away, I was actually sobbing!! The pictures were so beautiful and so much more and better than we could ever have imagined.
They not only captured the day but are a complete expression of how we felt on the day. We show the slide show with the background music to everyone who wants to see our wedding photos and they have all been amazed, they have never seen such beautiful photos and they are so different to what anybody has ever seen before. Mind you we like to be different and everybody has said 'Trust you to have such different and amazing wedding photos!'

Now when I hear one of the tracks that Christina chose to accompany the slide show, I get a lump in my throat, they are so evocative of the day and the photos.
I cannot thank Christina enough for what she has done with our wedding photos, they are simply beautiful.
20 February 2009 at 17:48
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

5 Reasons you Should Consider Getting a Professional Headshot

Headshots, or profile pictures are becoming a requirement of so many tools we regularly use or reference today. From Facebook to Linked In, Instagram to Twitter and often any website that represents a company for which you work or own will have a place to include a photograph that is meant to show your audience who you are. And how you present yourself there will tell your audience so much about you. 1. A profile picture is your first opportunity for your audience to see you. Its often the first impression you make and we all know you only have one chance at a first impression. A professional photographer has the skills to show you in the best, most suitable way to give a great first impression. (These headshots were created for recruitment firm  Optima UK  who asked to have their logo placed behind them. I think it makes these headshots quite eye catching and they should do their job well.) 2. Using a professional to create your headshot will ...
3 comments
Read more

I am Still Me: A Story about a Transgender Boy

  Meet Leo. Leo is 15 and currently going through an epic transformation that has momentarily turned the lives of himself and those around him upside down. A mum who once had the daughter she always longed for is now coping with the realisation that she will be living the rest of her life with a son instead. When your child is born you have certain expectations of the typical life they will lead but most of us know and accept that it won't necessarily end up the way we imagine. Not every person wants to marry, have kids or be involved with the opposite sex. Most of us have come to accept this and can adjust to whatever comes our way relatively easily. But few of us have expected to have to deal with a change in sex. Its not that we've hoped it won't happen, but just that it never occurred to us that it might. This is a new adjustment that we as a society are being presented with today, just like so many others that have come before. When I first heard that Phoebe ...
11 comments
Read more

Family Photos with Flair - Vanity Fair Style Family Portraits

This style of portrait continues to be the eye catching success I had always hoped it would be. Once again I created a beautiful family portrait that I am really proud of and I know this family loves too. Over the years I have developed this style through influences such as Vanity Fair and the many photographers I follow, though I hope that there is something in here that is entirely my own. Having my work easily identified as my own was a goal of mine from the start. Getting to the point where people will want not just a portrait but a Christina Lauder portrait is where I've always wanted to be and I'm hoping I'm on way. These portraits were created for the family of two professional photographers who wanted some portraits of their own. Family portraits isn't really something one can do of oneself, at least not easily. So they needed the services of another and I was honoured to be chosen for the job. They chose me not just for my style but also for my ab...
Post a Comment
Read more

Wellies, Wellies and More Wellies

Over the past couple of years I've been photographing Jileon Ltd's wellies for their website. And over the last couple of months I have had quite a bit to do for them. Jileon is a great client of ours, giving us regular work that I can undertake in my own time and in my own way. It makes for such a relaxing change from having to make small children smile in a short span of time. Particularly since they can't get up and walk away just at the moment when all elements of the perfect image come together. The only real challenge in photographing wellies for me seems to be the dreaded reflection that is unavoidable when photographing shiny objects using flash. But without this challenge where would be the fun? Jileon Ltd is a Hinckley based distributor of mainly wellington boots. They do also distribute other things but typically it is just their wellies that I photograph. If you wish to order a pair please vi...
1 comment
Read more

Limited Edition Storybook Portrait Sessions

Well in the end I didn't take this promotion as seriously as was required in so much as I didn't allocate any budget for advertising.  I relied only on the few posts on Facebook and as such I only did 2 sessions, which to be perfectly honest, was all I could handle this year given that I'd not properly planned for these sessions in an already busy time of year.  However, what I did do proved to me that this is something that deserves proper attention and a concerted effort to push this promotion forward.  I thoroughly enjoyed every aspect of it, from shopping for props, to the sessions and then the editing.  I really love the fun that these sessions provide and the look of the finished images.  Spring will see a second go at this special collection with plenty of advertising in the run up to our event.  I will get another chance at shopping for additional props and tools to run this limited edition promotion and I can't w...
Post a Comment
Read more