Cooling Castle Barn - Wedding Photography

A small collection of pictures from Alex and Reisha's wedding at Cooling Castle Barn.

I thought I would try and capture some of the lessons learned at Cooling Castle Barn.

Equipment:- using a brand new camera is a risky strategy especially when very close to a model you are very familiar with. I should have used the reflector more - it is easy to overlook what an efficient tool it is. Flash - used for almost all of the shots it worked all day on a single set of batteries. The 'beter bounce card' worked really well but the guests found it amusing - choosing to shout 'Origami' when asked to pose. I suppose anything that generates a bit of humour is good but I'm not sure it looked very professional. I will look to replace with something more robust.

Preparation:- we met the bride and groom prior to the day and also went to the rehearsal but didn't fully exploit the time. I should have looked at more pictures and comments online from previous weddings at Cooling Castle Barn.

Formals:- we had quite a long list and struggled to get through them even with the assistance of the Toast Master, Lesley Watson. I am not sure I managed the time as effectively as possible and am keen to find out what others do. I also would like to be better at posing the larger groups. My one regret was not getting a picture of everyone together - I could blame lack of time or the change in the weather but ultimately I should have made it happen.

Editing:- Although I had a work flow I spent too much time looking as images that I would never use. I will use a much stricter quality control system in the future.

Working with others:- We got loads of help from the Videographer, Les Watts and the Toastmaster. this certainly helped in some instances - but not all. I felt we were maybe a bit heavy handed turning up on mass whist the Bride was getting ready. I will adopt a different approach next time.

Photobooth:- This was a hit and worked really well in a very confined space. We actually used a white background, two studio flashes with small softboxes and two speedlights as background lights. Next time we will make sure that we use one camera just for the photobooth. I also need to investigate a different background set up. the only other issue is selling the output - I wonder about using a photo printer in situ or maybe selling the images on USB thumb drives?

Conclusion:- Excellent day and I am delighted with the results although working with great looking people in a superb location obviously helps. Early feedback is good and prints are being ordered via the online Photobox galleries. It also looks like we may have another wedding and a portrait booking on the strength of our work.