Well, my winter wedding season has just finished and before the slideshows appear on this blog I thought it would be a good opportunity to remind brides planning a winter wedding of some things to consider when planning a winter wedding.

1. Get married in daylight - I suggest a 1pm marriage at the latest to allow the church exit, guests driving to the reception venue and possibly Bride & Groom portraits to be undertaken in daylight.

2. Lighting the reception venue - 2 candles per table may not be enough so do consider ambient lighting. If the venue does not have the flexibility to provide controlable lighting then hire LED uplighters to light the room - these will really change the atmosphere of the room remarkably.

3. Guest accomodation and transportation - if your venue is out in the countryside then do consider arranging transportation for everybody from a town centre and back so everyone can enjoy and drink and get home safely. Also supply lists of accomodation and urge guests to book early especially as the christmas work party season has started.

4. Bad weather - do consider where guests are going to enjoy pre-wedding drinks if the weather is bad. Some venues have more flexible space than others to accomodate bad weather winter weddings.

5. Heating - make sure the venue is sufficiently warm for a winter wedding either by central heating, log fires or temporary lpg gas burners.

Since the launch of the Canon 5D MkII a few weeks back wedding photographers have been getting excited about the one of the new features the 5D MkII offers. Being a 5D user myself my first question was “have Canon improved the low light auto focus capability?” but it seemed everyone else has been excited by the possibilities of combining moving images (video) and still (photos). The term Fusion has been adopted to describe it.

Now Vincent LaForet (whose work and blog is a great resource and inspiration) was one of the first photographers to receive a 5DMkII and within 72 hours he had devised and shot a 2 minute movie using the camera. He is not a wedding photographer per se but used the genre to produce his first story set in NYC.

I see the the main advantages are that the 5D weighs no more than a hardback book, there are wide range of lenses readily available to a stills photographer (super wide to long zoom) and it records in high definition format. Until now most video cameras were bulky and came with one fixed lens but the flexibility of the 5D MkII system allows additional creativity in a compact familiar package already carried by a typical wedding photographer.

I can see possibilities to combining moving and stills images into one package - it isn’t a new idea. But there are disadvantages too, I think it is a 2 person job - 1 to shoot still, 1 to shoot movie. The camera needs to be kept still and that means a tripod being used. Quality audio recording requires lavalier mikes (clipped onto the groom usually) and the whole lot needs to be edited and output onto DVD which means more time and higher costs.

Photographers and videographers were not always the best of friends at a wedding, one accusing the other of permanently being in the way. Perhaps now the two formats are moving a bit closer together. Of course, adding Fusion to a wedding package won’t make an average wedding photgrapher great and could dilute their skills further as they struggle with the challenges of two formats. Until now I’ve only seen prototypes shot with models and high production methods so let’s see how it pans out in the next 12 months before getting too excited.

As part of my ongoing 40th birthday celebrations (hey, I’ve stretched them out over a one month period!). I love to put photography books on my birthday and christmas list and this year received a copy of World Press Photo 08. Photographers from all over the world submit their finest work to be judged by a panel of industry luminaries. There are categories for single image, story, spot and general news, contemporary issues, daily life, sports, sports action, portraits, nature, arts and entertainment. Winning is a major achievement.

However, there is nothing like judging a photo competition to get photographers (usually avoiding doing any work) into a heated debate. This year’s World Press Photo of the Year went to Tim Hetherington for a photograph of a soldier in a bunker taken during an embed with his platoon in Afghanistan in 2007. I think it shows a war photograph does not have to include obvious action to illustrate the difficulties and terror of war. It is a personal moment between the subject and the Tim the photographer. The soldier has a look of fatigue, anxiety and stress. A quick look through the photography forums leads to a lively discussion on whether it should have won or not - with comments from it’s blurry, dark and another war photo to it’s a personal moment between the photographer and subject during a period of fighting for survival on remote hillside in one of the most dangerous places on earth.

The overall selection through the first half of the book seems to be dark and negative. The only truely vibrant section are the delighful closeups of marine life. Platon’s portrait of Russian Prime Minister Putin is fantastic in it’s underlying menace.

The exhibition has already passed through London but you can see the whole set of winners on the World Press Photo website.

So, we are into the first week of September and I drive west to North Devon for the wedding of Julia + Arrin. A pair of world travellers who met in Auckland, New Zealand and settled near Barnstaple, N Devon. As dedicated surfers they wanted to overlook the water for their ceremony and reception. Unfortunately the weather was not entirely cooperative and consequently wellies were popular footwear. However, we all had a good time and enjoyed the day. Enjoy the slideshow.

It was fantastic to be back at Buxted Park for the wedding of Kirsty + Danny. The weather was beautiful and we all enjoyed the ceremony. Kirsty + Danny look fab together as I think the portraits show. Enjoy the slideshow.

We dodged the showers to photograph the wedding of Annabel and Gareth in Girton on the edge of Cambridge. It was great to see the Bestman Jonny and his wife Ceri whose wedding I photographed 2 years ago too. The whole church listened in awe to David who played the organ - he is a master. We had tea and cake served in the church hall and then drove to Girton College for a few more photos and the meal. Enjoy the slideshow.

I went further afield this week to photograph the wedding of Lucy and John in Hertfordshire. Early morning showers cleared for a sunny day. The church had a wooden box to one side of the altar allowing a view over the choir to photograph the wedding vows and ring exchange - how considerate is that. John has a wonderful smile and Lucy looked fantastic in that wedding dress. The reception was held at Theobalds Park. Click below to view the photos -

Christel + Ryan were married at South Lodge Hotel just north of the South Downs. Christel’s family flew over from France for the wedding and the sun shone all afternoon. I was working with my good friend Leo the videographer from Perfect Day Studios. It was my first visit to South Lodge and the service provided by the staff was excellent. Enjoy the slideshow -

Sam and Mark were married in the Orangery at  Buxted Park and I was there to photograph the wedding and celebration. It was a fabulous day - click on play to see the highlights slideshow.

Well, with the wedding season in full flow, the benefits of 6 months fairly regular free weights + endurance work at the gym and running along Brighton seafront has been really noticed. My improved stamina and the ease at which I pick up my heavy bag at the end of the evening in particular. I have eased back during this busy period but I am really keen to carry on working on my fitness this late summer and autumn. I will be blogging on my recent purchase shortly…