THE PICTURES ARE AMAZING! We had no doubt that they would be, but you have captured the day so brilliantly! Thank you so much! Love Ali and Luke x
Ali and Luke chose a sunny day end of August to get married at the beautiful Kingscote Barn near Tetbury. Kingscote Barn is one of those venues that has and offers it all: you can get ready close by, have both the ceremony and reception in the same place, the food is great, the service fast and the place is set in the most photogenic countryside.
I joined Ali early in the morning while she was getting ready in a cottage just a few minutes down the road. Ali is very organised so everything was in place and on time which is great! After she was done I went to see Luke and the boys. Poor Luke was so nervous but was soon distracted by his surprise back from the future car.
The ceremony was emotional – I love that moment when the bride steps into the room, the groom turns around and BAM that’s the moment they have both been waiting for for a very long time and nothing else counts but the moment.
Ali suggested to me to drive up to the field with the hay bales for some of the portraits which turned out to be an excellent idea as the sky was dark with rain clouds rolling in but the sun was still shining onto the two of them. The drinks reception as followed by a three course meal, speeches that were again very emotion (’emotional avalanches’), great dancing and some amazing outdoor shots in the dark.
Ali & Luke – thanks for making me feel so welcome and especially thanks for letting me be part of your journey! xxx
If you like these photographs and are still looking for a wedding photographer, please feel free to contact me. 🙂
The moment the bride and her dad pause, look at each other and touch noses for a second, before leaving the room to walk down the aisle. You can see the deep affection between these two.
Hi Betty, Thank you for the pictures, we have had a quick look online last night and they are absolutely beautiful, we are both incredibly impressed. This is a sentiment echoed by others who have seen them. I also wanted to say thank you for the day. We both felt you made us feel completely at ease throughout the morning, and all of our friends and family commented on your professional and personable style. Chat soon, Teju & Toby
Teju and Toby’s wedding is a really beautiful example for a small, intimate winter wedding. They were lucky to have a crisp and clear winter day with amazing light. In case you didn’t know, the Roman Baths offer both sunrise and sunset weddings, both of which are very popular, particularly any time between October and February. Why that is? Look at the photographs and see for yourself: the water is 46C and produces beautiful steam when it’s cold outside. The ceremony is outdoors but sheltered. And the baths stunning design adds a real uniqueness to the ceremony. Enough said, now enjoy!
If you would like to contact me, you can either use my one step contact form or send me an email to betty.bhandari@gmx.net – I’m looking forward to hearing from you.
Hi Betty, The photos are amazing, thank you so so much, we are really happy with them. They are outstanding! Thank you again, Karis and Will x
After a very busy year I finally have some time to blog one of the many wonderful weddings I had the pleasure to be part of this year.
This wedding took place end of July at beautiful Folly Farm outside Bristol. What a blast this day was! The weather was outstanding, so was the setting for the outdoor ceremony. The speeches were unusual and very funny, the pavlova enormous and the dance floor wide! I could go on for a while – it was a beautiful wedding and one of my absolute favourites this year.
I hope you enjoyed this. Get in touch if you want to know more or discuss your own wedding.
It’s always nice to see your work in print, but it’s particularly nice when you get showcased in a brand new magazine. Mediaclash recently launched their new and very stylish VOW Magazine and I had the priviledge to have quite a few of my images printed, together with a personal interview.
Here is the interview:
When did you shoot your first wedding? How did it go?
The first wedding I photographed was my sister-in-laws wedding beginning of 2011 and it went really well. As I am family and was also a guest, I was very much part of the build-up on the day. Also we had spent a lot of time talking about the photography and planning different shots so we all knew what we were doing on the day.
How many weddings do you shoot a year now?
This year I am lucky enough to shoot 21 weddings (and counting!).
How should couples chose a photographer? What’s your first meeting with them like, and do they vet you?
A wedding is a very personal affair and you need to find a photographer whose photographs you love and who you feel comfortable and secure with as this stranger will share some very intimate moments with you. Most photographers offer non-binding first meetings to show you their wedding albums and to tell you more about their approach. Ask them as many questions as you need, there are no stupid questions! Remember: getting married is new to you but an experienced photographer has seen many weddings and successfully dealt with a lot of stressful situations.
What does a typical package cost and include? What are the variables?
I now offer one package that covers everything from the final preparations to the first dance or speeches, whatever comes last. I used to offer shorter packages and still do for off season weddings, however I feel that being there all day gives me the luxury to observe people in unique moments, capture emotions and what is happening behind the scenes. Those are the real wedding photographs that the bride and groom will remember forever. I also think that photographing the preparations helps everybody warm up and get used to the camera so by the time the ceremony starts, everyone is used to me being around and can focus on the ceremony.
How do you make sure you don’t miss any vital parts of the day?
I have extensive communications with the bride and groom before their wedding day. I ask them about the order of the day, guests that are very important to them as well as must have shots. One the actual wedding day I am on my feet and behind the camera pretty much the entire time I am booked for. I blend in with the guests but don’t get involved in long conversations. I work continuously, look everywhere, try and capture as many details, emotions and interactions as possible. Having seen many weddings I anticipate situations and prepare myself by being at the right place and the right time. It’s experience and becomes second nature of a good wedding photographer.
You must have shot in some gorgeous locations. Tell us about one you love.
I have had the pleasure to see many beautiful settings, but two stand out for me. The first one is the Brownsword Gallery at the Holburne Museum – the light in there is just amazing. The second setting is an old stone arch just outside Combe Grove Manor. I shoot at bride and groom portrait there end of last year. It was end of October and getting dark but with the help of an external flash that was backlighting them I managed to get beautiful details and a very romantic atmosphere.
What looks bad in photos?
Sometimes the bride and groom excessively look into my camera as they think this is what you do, but it ruins the natural aspect of a reportage style wedding coverage. I usually tell people from the very beginning to just ignore me unless I ask them to look at me and this helps a lot as they soon forget about having a camera in their face.
How about the weather: Is shooting in the rain a nightmare? What about bright sunshine?
A day with bright sunshine requires the use of flash light just as much if not more than a dark day. Bright sunshine can be good for great colours but produces very hard shadows. And the idea of rain is so much more frightening than the reality of it. I have never had a wedding that was ruined by rain! Rainy sky can look very dramatic and there are way to take good portraits when it’s raining without getting wet.
Ever been trampled by a dancing crowd, or bridesmaids running to catch the bouquet?
Nope. But I have had my head up the brides dress to help her hook the train up!
Do you manage to have fun at weddings?
Oh yes. As I often spend a fair amount of time discussing and planning the day with the bride and groom so it gets very emotional when the actual day comes. I don’t get emotional during the ceremonies at all, but get very emotionally involved when I photograph the speeches as I listen to every work and look at the people’s reactions. I regularly laugh out loud during speeches or have a tear in my eye. It’s an emotional day and these emotions often spread to all other people.
Do you ever tear up on the job?
That has happened a few times during speeches, particularly when absent people are being remembered.
What’s your favourite kind of couple to shoot?
A couple that is very much in love and is not afraid to show or share their love. It doesn’t matter how old they are. I fully understand that not every couple is keen to show their love for each other, but when people do there are a lot of emotions around and it makes fabulous photographs that catapult the viewer right into this emotional situation.
There are some standard shots everybody wants. How do you deal with the repetition?
By making them fun and different each time. I always try to think of new compositions and ideas as I don’t want my website to consist of the same type of portraits. Every wedding is different, every couple is different, the weather and dynamics are always different so I try to incorporate elements specific to that wedding into my photographs which makes them all unique.
How do you get stiff posers to loosen up?
99% of people do not know how to pose and that is ok. When it comes to the bride and groom portraits, I will take the couple by the hand (not literally) and guide them through the process. I will tell them where to stand and what to do. Also many ‘poses’ are not really posed, they are more a situation where I stand the bride and groom in a particular place, tell them to have a chat with each other and I then remove myself and shoot them from a little distance. This can produce very romantic and personal pictures.
What kind of wedding photos annoy you?
I cringe when I see photos with spot colouring (a black and white photograph of a wedding scene with one of the elements i.e. the bouquet left in colour). That’s a big no-no. Also the overuse of vignette or too many different editing styles in one wedding reportage are not nice.
What about all those trendy filters and vintage effects? Will those age well?
I haven’t seen many uber-trendy editing effects on wedding reportages but I’m sure some people use them. They are nice when using Instagram but shouldn’t be used by a wedding photographer. As a photographer I think it’s important to work on your style and be true to yourself. Only then can you stand out from the crowd and your work will speak for itself.
Can you tell if a couple is going to stay together based on how they act on the day?
No, of course not. How a couple behaves on their wedding day does not at all tell you about how they deal with inevitable everyday problems and conflicts. A big wedding does not guarantee a happy marriage.
