Hello there, David (dp) here from www.davidpurslow.com - If you found this blog entry via the search engines, I am a wedding photographer based in Wales but I cover the whole of the UK and offer Destination Wedding Photography for couples getting married abroad. - Click here to visit my Wedding Photography Wales website - Anyway enough about me, on with the important stuff - Isabel and Phil’s Wedding.

I am just about caught up now as this was one of my weddings in May 2009 - I was recommended to the couple by another photographer and did most of our inital bookings over the internet and the phone (about normal for me a good 60 - 70% come from outside of Wales)

So after visiting Isabel and Phil in Birmingham a few weeks ago I was all excited.  The plans Isabel laid out made the day sound magical and both Phil and Isabel are a very good looking couple and I knew they would make for amazing wedding photos.  Isabel told me she was going to do most of the preparation herself and to expect a good mixture of people with friends and family from as far away places as Chile and Norway this was going to be a big day.

I arrived at the house on a gorgeous day, very sunny which can be a bit of a nightmare for photographers especially  if the bride is in a white dress but thats just part of the job and we just have to deal with it.  I always like to take pictures that tell a story and each blog entry is a little different, this one is all about the people who made the wedding, the effort the bride put into the day and the love and joy of the couple.

The shot I am opening up with is a dress shot, it was not the first pic of the day, I always like to shoot a few bride photos first to get her used to me being there but on wondering around the house looking for spots to shoot, I found the wedding dress hanging up - It looked AMAZING and I knew Isabel would look stunning in it - I could not wait for the day to start.

So remember when I said that Isabel would be doing all the flowers herself, I thought that was because she had done stuff like this before - NOPE - As you can see from the following two photos, Isabel is a remarkable girl, armed with a few flowers, wire and a guide book she set about creating the buttonhole flowers- I forget what they are called.

Well the guide books didn’t stop there.  I don’t really know Isabel and Phil so I am only guessing here and doing so by adding up a few things Isabel said to me on the day but I dont believe Isabel is the kind of girl who wears makeup every day - I am saying this because again when it was makeup time, she pulled out a book on applying makeup - this amazed me and also showed me with a little determination and the right guide books and information you really can do anything you set your mind to.

That shot just tickles me pink - its probably my favorite photo of 2009 so far, Isabel was so calm and just getting on with things - amazing.

So once I got over the shock of that, I shot a few ‘arty’ pictures as well - I like to vary the photos I take and never use a shot list and never just shoot the same stuff time and time again. - Inspired by Jerry Gihonis (one of the worlds top wedding photographers) I shot this picture - I say inspired by JG because of something I saw on one of his training videos - it was the way he used the daylight behind the subject to blow out to white and create a lovley wraparound light around the bride.

I also love the shot below because its something I struggled to capture - If you visit my website you see I try to INTERFERE in the wedding as little as possible and thats why 85 % of of what I shoot is true candid or reportage wedding photography - I don’t direct my couples when shooting, I might give a little direction before I shoot a bunch of photos but apart from a few formals I just capture YOUR day as it unfolds. - I say struggled because I was wanting to get a detail shot of the hair pin, I was using a longer lens to throw the background out of focus so the pin was the main focus but naturally Isabel was doing her eye makeup at this time so her head never stayed still - Since I was using manual focusing I kept missing the shot but persevered  and after about 8 shots I got what I wanted.

Just at as I grabbed this shot I turned to my right and saw the sister of the groom sitting on the bed looking over at Isabel with a really proud and loving look on her face so still using the big lens I snapped this shot - This is another shot I love as the natural light streaming thru the windows creates a lovely soft quality to the photo.

One of the things  I talk about on my website is how wedding photography covers all aspects of photography in general and this is why I love shooting weddings so much - NO wedding is ever the same and you always get fantastic opportunities to take great shots that will MEAN something to your clients.  The next photo is just such a picture, its one of the couples children and I had to lay down on the floor to grab this shot - but it was worth it - This picture was taken while Isabel was a few feet away doing the flowers I showed you earlier.

And while we are on the subject of kids photos, I just LOVE these two following pictures to bits - Again these are tru reportage photos and in the second one you can just see my fingers on the camera but there was no way to get the photo without this happening.

So at about this point the bride was just about to start getting dressed so I dissapeared for a while and found the groom downstairs just getting ready to leave for the church - I snagged a good few photos of the Phil the groom with his groomsmen in the back garden and rather than talk you thru each one (lets face it, you can figure these out) I will only comment on ones I had did setup.

I love establishing shots and in this first one it shows off the house and the fountain and where it is in relation to the house - this was important because to make the closeup’s have meaning you need to know that the fountain is an integral part of the garden and not just some random fountain somewhere.

The closeup

So once I got the standard photos you have to have, it was dp playtime - I wanted to make the most of the grounds and the time we had so shot a few posed photos that I setup and directed - these shots take alittle more time and eat into the grooms time with his buddies but as I say to them on the day they are so worth it for what you get back in return.

In the next shot I positioned the groomsmen around Phil and had them turn away from me, then I had Phil look off into the distance and adjust his tie - it came out great !

and since we had a few minutes left before they left for the church I got them doing a little bit of exercise

The boys then left for the church and Isabel came out into the garden for a few shots, to be honest with you there are SO MANY great shots that I wont show you them all but this one is one of my favorites - again shot with a really long lens Isabel and her daughter went off for alone time in the garden - I think this is where she found out she looked like a princess because her expression is priceless.

pretty much after this shot I left for the church myself - I was really looking forward to this as it was the first of my weddings in Codsall this year, Codsall is just outside of Wolverhampton which is MILES from my home but as I said above I offer wedding photography for the whole of the UK.

The church itself looked like a picture postcard, its St Nicholas Church Codsall, nr Wolverhampton.

So with only a few minutes to go before he became a married man, here Phil is chillin with a few of the guests and looking pretty calm

Then for some more surreal moments - Here is a shot of Isabel WALKING to her wedding - thats correct the bride walked to the church

and here are a few shots from inside the church during the service.

and I love this shot, taken from the back of the church, I noticed the flowers looking amazing and threw the couple out of focus but made sure I took it while they were both in the picture. - The flower is the main concentration of the picture here - I always shoot the flowers but generally dont post them on my blog - but I do now

Since this is turning into a big blog post I am going to skip over the recessional and the confetti shots and share with you a coupe of pictures at the back of the church.  The bride and groom wanted some romantic and dramatic photos at the back of St Nicholas Church as it was a special spot and as I always say, whatever the bride wants on her wedding day, If I can do it, she can have it - so as soon as we left the church we RAN around the back to quickly shoot a few pictures and have a few minutes of alone time !

Then the couple jumped into Phil’s Gleaming red MG Midget sports car and headed off to Birtchfield School for the reception.

And what a fantastic setting the reception was

Upon arrival the guests were met by the lovely Ruth - the head’s wife - Ruth took GREAT care of me duing my time shooting reception and made sure the guests wanted for nothing.

The reception itself took place inside a marquee in the grounds.

The bride and groom cut the cake pretty early into the day as it was a cheese cake or 3 or 4, and the light the marquee provided made for great shots of the cake cutting.

During the speeches I stalked the guests with my long lens from outside of the marquee and shot thru the windows so most people did not know I was even taking the photos.  Here is a shot of the father of the groom during the grooms speech

One of the family members shoots weddings on video from time to time so was there capturing the day - I managed to get a good few shots of him as I figured that he might get missed in the other photos as he would be taking video himself.

Following the speeches the night time kicked off with the first dance - here are a couple of photos from Isabel and Phil’s first dance.

and last but not least the group shot.

All that is left is for me to wish Isabel and Phil all the best and to thank them for choosing me to be a part of their special day - it really was a magnificent wedding with perfect weather conditions - Enjoy your new life together, all the best dp

If your new to David Purslow Photography I hope you have enjoyed looking at these photos - They are also on facebook and my facebook name is david purslow so friend me if you would like to tag people in the photos and I will add you right away.

Available for Weddings and Portraits in South Wales, West Wales, Cardiff, Swansea and the whole of the UK !!!

Ciao for now

dp

David Purslow
Wedding and Portrait Photographer
http://www.davidpurslow.com
01437 779412
0759 0076666
david@davidpurslow.com