Wedding Photography Osmotherley

I had the honour of photographing the beautiful warm and loving wedding of Sharon and Roger at St Peters Church St Peters Church Osmotherley  on Sat 03 Dec 2022.  Sharon and I arranged to meet at their beautiful home before the wedding to discuss the type of photographs they would like and I absolutely loved their many black and white images of their lives together so far and the way they had decorated their home with personalised wall art and decorations.  Sharon knew exactly how to make a house a home.  I was particularly captivated by the huge patio doors leading out onto their landscaped garden.  These doors just let the natural light shine through and enabled plenty of naturally lit photos for bridal preparations and for the girls to relax with cold bubbly as the final hours and minutes ticked away for Sharon as a single girl. There was only 1 great place to hang Sharon’s beautiful white wedding dress and that was at the top of the stairs right beside the chosen photos of showing their memorable moments together so far in their lives.  Sharon and I talked at length and whilst here was a desire for natural photos we took the opportunity to discuss what makes a keeper photos that looks natural without it appearing managed and staged.  Such as where to look when walking down the aisle, the pace, the expression and the importance of ensuring not to stare at the camera or the vicar but to mix this gazes up and ensure the man she has chosen to spend the rest of her life with meets her gaze also.  Not forgetting of course those all important keeper photos of allowing a little space between themselves when exchanging rings and vows.  With Wedding Packages  Starting at £350 beanphotographed.com  is sure to have a package for everyone.

Sharon and Roger Wedding Photography Osmotherley

I then had the short walk down to the local Golden Lion Pub Golden Lion Pub Osmotherley.  to meet Roger and all their invited family and Guests.  It’s a good job that the place is spacious and provided plenty of room for the many guests that attended the wedding.  Thankfully, the weather briefly held enabling the guests to step outside along with the groom to permit some nice natural lite portrait moments as well as the opportunity to capture some great candid shots.  Dressed in this chequered white suit and cream rose button hole and proudly showing off his special cuff links, Roger looked quite the catch.  It’s a photographers dream to at a wedding where there are so many natural moments of guests enjoying themselves without the need to prompt them.   What is also brilliant is the limited required logistics which everything being so local.  The walk from the house to the pub took 2 mins and after everyone had filled up on Dutch Courage the walk through a small cutting took less than 2 mins.  After ensuring I had captured plenty of photos of Roger and the guests it was back up to the house to capture Sharon and her bridesmaids making final alterations to their dresses and shoes before they climbed into the car for the very short drive down to the church.  There is always that careful blend as a single photographer dealing with multiple locations of ensuring you let the wedding flow through its natural moments and trying to anticipate where to be when the wedding is split over multiple locations.  It can be extremely challenging as you can clearly not be in more than 2 locations at once however it can be so rewarding when it all pays off.

Off to the Church.

St Peters Church like many Churches in the UK has its deep roots in the Anglo Saxon Period and can trace its heritage back to 1190.  Its has obviously evolved over the years but many of its original features such as the Nave which was built around 1190, the beautiful carved South Entrance dating back to the 12th Century and the Pews being added around 1790 and the Pews Panels being added during its restoration in 1892.  The list goes on and the beauty stained glassed original windows where natural light streams through should not be forgotten.  Even though it dates back to Saxon times on bright sunny days there is enough natural light inside to capture natural photos with the need for flash.  So important when the clergy and quite rightly in my opinion place tight restrictions on the use of flash and where the photographer can and can’t stand to capture key moments. The church was full and almost standing room only as the bride made her entrance, led by here son with her stunning bridesmaids following to make the walk down to the alter to meet Roger.  I always say communication is a wonderful tool and it was fantastic to watch as the bride made the walk down the aisle that she only had eyes for Roger with a smile that a man will rarely see in his life again and you are lucky if you see it just once.  Sharon looked stunning and Roger must have thought all his Christmases had come at once.  The position designated for me to stand could have been worse and from that position I could get a clear view of the bride as she stood beside Roger enabling me to capture plenty of photos and video the ceremony.  Wedding Video of the Ceremony  Not always possible as to capture both photographs and video but extremely rewarding when all your efforts pay off.

Village Hall Reception

After the wedding unfortunately the weather let us down to enable us to capture the key bridal and family photos outside the church and nobody appreciates standing around in the rain for the benefit of the photographer to capture photos in the rain that few will appreciate anyway.  Trying to convince a bridal party to smile in Dec with failing light and cold rain will challenge the skills of anyone so I always find it best the let the wedding run its natural course and try and capture those key photographs later in a more controlled area.  The village had all come together to decorate the village hall with flowers, balloons and table decorations and I believe most of the village had been invited to wish them well and celebrate their day with them.  After capturing candid moments and family portraits just outside the Hall as we sadly could not move too far away from that location it was time for me to leave and ensure I backed up their images in numerous images in safe locations.  Its always a pleasure to capture large weddings with so many light natural moments and It was an honour and a pleasure to be asked to capture the key moments of