NEWS - DIGITAL ONLY

Dear all, due to the pressure from the market and to keep 2exposures up on running for the years to come davidB has decided to provided the same standard of high quality wedding reportage photography using Digital technology as a first priority. Customers dedicated to film and its advantages will still be able to order it at request.

MINIMAL AND CREATIVE COUPLES SHOTS part 1

In this new chapter I am trying to show how couples shots can be done everywhere in fact. Many couples are concerned about how grand or amazing the location must be. In fact to have the privilege of having such a environment requires a certain budget which might now be available to all. Also, in some cases, admirable venues are in the center of town. If they permit to experience a very special setting they are not ideal for creative shots.
I have worked regularly in the very same venue and my policy is always to change my angle and approach. I never reproduce the same. I simply find it too easy, not challenging and I love to explore new fields. And most importantly I am trying to find an style that perfectly suits the couple I am working for.

The first image depicts the couple hugging and sharing some intimacy. The venue was quite exquisite in fact, but the weather conditions didn't allow me to enhance the large grounds of Woodstock Manor. Therefore I opted for something more personal and classic mixed with emotions. It is a tender and strong composition that works most especially with the two glasses displayed as symbols. By simply using the stoned fence I can give a sense of grandeur to the place indirectly. And by having a exposure quite dark I enhance the feelings rather than reality experienced.

In my second shot the couple chose to use the Queen's tennis club grounds in Fulham for their reception. Despite being a sort of landmark, the options for romanticism are quite limited not only because you have tennis courts, but also because the buildings around the club are quite unattractive. But, it such situations you can actually use those problems and turn them into something original if you have in mind the final result. Also, I had to deal which a certain difference of heights between the two characters. That is why I decided to compose in such a way, using some kind of old cartoons humor that fit perfectly with the people. I use the tennis court fence and make it look like a old wall. I use the old council flats in the background but make sure they are blur and focus on the energy and fun produced by the couple. I was also making sure that they had to interact with their guests who were laughing in my back.

In the following 4 images I will be explaining different approaches on the very same area. This couple chose the English Speaking Union in Mayfair. They were full of life and happiness and very open to any sorts of creativity. The two colour photographs have been taken at exactly the same place within 5 minutes. It is actually not taken by the venue but by the hotel side entrance next door. It was December the Xmas lights were already decorating the streets. I noticed that the hotel had something charming that could transmit the Xmas feel. It was just an entrance but the top black cover which formed like a mini tunnel was full of red tiny spotlights. Before the speeches I asked then to follow me for a quick session outside and they had no clue about where we were going. I did show them where I would take a new set of pictures. I explained briefly how I would do it and what I expected from them. They were a bit surprised and didn't know what to expect but they played the game and the result is great.

In the first one I asked the groom to dig into his wife's neck and cover with kisses. As it was cold outside it was a good excuse to keep them busy and close to each other. I used a bit of flash and quite a slow exposure( something like 1/15 I guess) and moved the camera in different directions baring in mind a certain composition due to the two embraced bodies. In the second picture, I asked them to face each other and to kiss tender as long as they wanted. I was using a medium relatively large aperture (4 or5.6) and quite a long exposure but NO FLASH at all. I had to hold but knowing I could keep it very still, and that very weakness would help me to get that sort of gaze, or blur where the couple seems to fly into. So basically in those two shots, there is no landmark, no view, no natural light just a dark corner, and still you can make it look like special.

Here again same couple but much earlier in the day. The sky was grey. I checked the locations few days before and tried to figure out what could be an interesting London shot in that area. There are a lot of beautiful buildings, but the streets are full of cars and emptiness somehow. Well, in the first BW I found a beautiful old fashioned butcher shop window. And as they loved food I thought that quality food in the background would please them. The architecture and the design of the background suits perfectly the BW touch. And with the lack of natural light, well exposed BW is the answer. Second shot is Sepia and is a reflection in the Rolls they hired. Making sure that the white of the dress would be on top of black surfaces in order to make the bride appear. I use the diagonals of the seats in increase the tension expressed by the kiss given to the bride by the groom.

The one below is quite interesting again because the couple got their reception at the very same venue as above. Once again, to keep up with my policy I try to find a different angle. As the weather is more clement I eventually chose to emphasize on the emptiness of Mayfair adding some flair from the sun shining through the roofs. The result is an intimate and tender embrace with a lot of genuine fun. Note that I am using quite a wide aperture to focus on that intimacy and enhance the void behind. That way the environment becomes more like a studio background.

An other couple in central London. They chose the Blake Hotel in South Kensington. Beautiful and exquisite hotel I really like. Many small corners to be used. Each bedroom has its own style and the finish of every single details is sublime. As we were outside trying to make most of the weather we had to eventually go inside to avoid the rain. The sky was quite menacing and dark, but it had some very strong highlights in some ways. I therefore asked the couple to stay close to the glass door and look at the sky. Once settled I had to find my position to grab those highlights from the sky which would balance then very well with the darkness from above. I really like this shot.


We come back to our previous couple and see how we can capture a strong sense of love with a bit of nostalgia in mind using some tricks. I asked them to walk slowly together and kiss occasionally as we where on our way back to the car. It had just rained and the pavements were still wet. I know in the back in my mind that I will not only shoot BW but that I will also turn them in Sepia. As I am walking at the same pace as theirs and using a medium speed (1/60), I can capture quite clearly the scene in keeping a bit of blur. I also know that the light from the sky clearing off with the rain will help me to get that fussy mysterious effect from the wet pavements. Here again , there is nothing much but a feeling ans some old style reportage.


A wedding in the countryside now. I got into the car with the couple after the church as we drive away from the guests who are making their way to the reception. I do not have any clue where we are going but I simply observe the landscape from one eye I observe the couple from the other. Then I see this field of crops bathing in the summer heat. I also know that I need some kind of strong contrast to frame the scene. I therefore use the door frame from the car like if I was outside the scene. That is a simple trick use a lot by artist Alison Jackson. Try to distance yourself by including an other element in between you and the subject.

Finally, a photograph from the south of France at the Rothschild villa. I took quite a few great shots using the amazing gardens and villas in the background, but I most especially like this one as it is more intimate. It expresses that warmth found in that part of France. It also take the couple away from the delicate but imposing beauty of the site. This is an humble shot using some flair like if it was a dreamy reality. The couple, some plants as a pattern and the sun - simple.

To conclude I just want to say what I tell my couples to be. Great couple shots are about you. It's not an landscape or architectural shot. I see too many couple shots nowadays where the couple represents only 5 to 10% of the image, completely lost in this gigantic manor or landscape. That can be done obviously to a certain extent but that does not reveal anything about the couple. It is a landscape shot with two people, as simple as that. I do not find this approach very honest and interesting. Couples shots are about people where the chosen environment or technique used will enhance your message through your composition and ability to direct your characters.