Wedding photography at "The Gherkin" in London

 The wedding of Rahael Kilby Tyre and Alun Robinson Parry @ Searcys 40/30 at The Gherkin

If you gave the address, 30 St Mary Axe in the City of London, and most people would stare at you blankly. If you said "The Gherkin Building" most people would know exactly where you were talking about. Lets face it, it is one of the most iconic buildings, not only in London, but across the world.

Not only is The Gherkin a fabalous building, it has a second to none venue at the very top (and I mean the very top) run as Searcy 40/30. A comapny that knows what they are doing, why they are doing it and most impotantly, who they are doing it for. Dealing with Oliver, the functions manager was a pleasure throughout and the staff were, without going over the top, brilliant.

But the story starts months before.......

When Rachael contacted me about photographing her wedding, I didn't realise that it was going to be on the same scale as a Hollywood production. Not because of the numbers of guests, about 120, but because each location was so far apart considering the tight schedules that weddings have to run to. The bride lives in the Cotswolds. The groom spends most of the week at his London apartment, the ceremony would be in the City of London, the groom would be in the docklands apartment, the hairdresser was in the West End and the brides suite was...... well, I think you are getting the drift.

A short telephone conversation later and David Purslow, a friend and great pro photographer was on board.

A week later and I had visited The Gherkin as a guest of Searcys 4030 and scouted the location, checking for lighting issues etc. At the same time I had visited a number of locations for a pre wedding shoot which yielded Leadenhall market and Millennium bridge as my two favourites.

Another week later and the dress was announced to me.... you will see from the images why when I heard about the colour my heart soared... a photographers dream, given the Searcys venue.

Another week and I visited the florist, Clare Lee, to see the plans and colour schemes. I came away thinking, WOW.

And before long the weekend arrived. I met David at our hotel early on the Friday to finalise our shooting arrangements. Then in the evening we joined the bridal party for an informal get together. Then to bed early as I had to be across London at the hairdressers by 8am.

The day unfolded like clockwork. I met the bride and stayed with her (joined later by the three bridesmaids. Poppy, Bethan and Evie) until the ceremony.

David met the groom and covered the arrival of the guests.

Our thanks to The City of London Registrars who assisted David and I by allowing photography throughout the service. They really did want what was best for the couple.

So now the day is over but captured forever, please enjoy the images.....Sorry that they are not in order...

Cotswolds based Wedding Photographer - Beautiful wedding photography by Nicholas James

Helen and Jason

There are always two thoughts that go through a photographers mind when they see a quaint English country church. Wow, what an image and I hope there is going to be enough light inside (especially as in this case where the Vicar has insisted on "no flash photography". With this in mind, I visited the Stanton Church in the middle of the Cotswolds a few days before the event so that some internal shots could be in the bag without worrying myself on the day.

Stanton is a very beautiful Cotswolds village. A village green, a pub (The Mount at Stanton) at the top of the hill, stunning little (and not so little) cottages, in fact a picture postcard village.

Getting the shots of both the bride and the groom getting ready were, for once, simple as they only lived about a quarter of a mile apart. So all morning I was running up and down the lane capturing each stage in each house and if I do say so myself, I became a rather good errand boy.

Nearing the time of the brides departure (her father had gone to take the car to the church) i was at the house alone with the bride. she getting dressed and I downstairs reading a paper, when there was a scream. I ran to the foot of the stairs and shouted up asking if everything was OK. No it's not, I'm stuck with my dress half on and half off and I cant move..... Thank god for mobile phones, a call to the church and her mother was brought back to assist. All great drama on the day of a wedding.

By this time the groom was getting worried, we were now a lot later that the customary five minutes, in fact, by the time the bride was ready we were three quarters of an hour late. However, the bride calmly posed for photographs outside the church and the record was made. Great to see a bride so unflustered and keeping in mind that she wanted great wedding photographs. The service went without a hitch.

Moving from a beautiful village setting to a beautiful reception venue is perfect, not only for the bridal party but for the wedding photographer too. Helen and Jason had picked well and it was only in the next village.

Buckland Manor I am told has played hot to Michael Jakson, Barbara Striesand and Britney Spears to name a few celebrities. I'm not sure how true this is (the staff are too discreet to mention names) but I could certainly see why they would have stayed here. Not far off the main Broadway to Cheltenham road, but far enough for it to be away from prying eyes. Buckland Manor changed hands on a number of occasions when it was a family home, once the home of Brough Scott's (one of the best known names in British horse racing) family and has played host to royalty. In it's current roll of hotel, they have managed to keep a "family country retreat" feeling to both the house and gardens.

For Jason, Helen, their family and friends it was a perfect day.

As a wedding photographer who is based in the Cotswolds, Nicholas james Photography was proud to have been asked to record the day.

When top interior designer gets....

When top interior designer, Rachael Kilby-Tyre, decides to get married you know it's going to be in style.
Rachael has agreed to tie the knot with London business consultant, Alun Robinson Parry on Saturday 27th November 2010 and what a venue they have chosen.
They are to be married on the top floor of the iconic "Gherkin" building in the city. I am proud to have been asked to record the day.





If you would like to see the venue take this link and be prepared to say WOW. The site takes a little while to load but is worth the wait.

Why do you do it?

I have just recieved an email from a photographer friend who has been keeping an eye on my blog.

She asked the question, "I have noticed that whilst other wedding photographers are your competition in business, you promote their websites by placing links to them in your blog posts?"

The answer in my mind is simple. Why Not?

There are a great many fantastic photographers out there. I hope that I am one of them and Yes, I would like any brides who happen to read my blog to look at my website and allow me to photograph their wedding day.


But there are a number of simple truths about the wedding photography business.

The first is simple. There are thousands of brides looking for wedding photographers. I only take on 40 weddings each year. So why not point brides in the direction of my peers, they then have a list of photographers from a professional wedding photographers perspective.

Secondly, brides have a very definate idea of the type of results they want. I appreciate that any photographer worth his salt can take and produce the album of a brides dreams. By pointing the bride in the direction of other websites she may see something on each of three websites that she wants included and can discuss with me at a meeting. If I am not capable or comfortable with the ideas suggested I will always refer them to a photographer that I believe is suitable.

It's another case of communication is key. There are other photographers out there, the bride is aware of this and I am aware that she is aware. So why would I pretend on my blog that I am the only one.

Wedding photography prices

There are two sides to this coin - on one side we have the Bride and Groom (who probably don't have in infinite budget) and on the other we have the wedding photographer (who in line with all wedding suppliers) has to make a living. So I am trying to see this question from both sides.

The confusion that can be caused by websites is generally down to the individual photographers pricing structure. The price quoted is often not the price that is paid. For example - Wedding photography for £600 but when we delve a little deeper we also need to pay for an album, then extra photographs then this and then that. To keep this confusion to a minimum for my clients I simply quote the whole price. obviously there has to be some movement in that to allow for brides wishes but I try to keep this to a minimum.

People often say to me "I've seen the prices you charge, you're not doing badly for yourself, for only working Saturdays". Well, like all businesses things look different from the inside. What these same people don't realise is that I (like most full time professionals) spend about 60 hours on ONE wedding. I only use the best albums (they cost money), I bring in other professionals to design the albums or for post production work. I have a studio, telephone bills, fuel charges to pay for, tax etc etc and all of the time this is coming out of the price that is seen initially (by some) as the money that I am making. I am not moaning about these costs, all businesses have them, but it needs to be said.

I also think that clients need to look at the cost of things going wrong on their big day.

Two of the main reasons (apart from cost) that the Bride and Groom make a decision on hiring a particular photographer are 1. They like the photographs in the photographers portfolio and 2. They like them as a person - and if I may say so, very valid reasons. But there should be more to this process of thought.

Here are some of the things that I would ask:-

Are you a full time professional?
Are you fully insured against public liability and professional indemnity?
Do you carry back up equipment including spare cameras, lenses and lighting?
What exactly would happen if you were taken ill on the day?

The reasons for these four questions, to my mind, is simple.

A full time professional does this week in and week out. They have a work pattern that is aimed at producing "The Album" which to my mind is the future family heirloom. This takes experience. There is only one chance to get all of this right. Miss that vital moment and the moment is gone forever. The person who does this part time or as a Saturday job (the weekend warrior) maybe a great photographer when they are not under pressure and have all the time in the world to take a photograph, but weddings happen at a pace and there is no pause or rewind button. They may be confident that they can get the job done, after all they did their cousins wedding - are you that confident? I also mentioned that a professional will spend around 60 hours on your wedding - could someone who holds down a full time job give you that sort of commitment.

Being fully insured shows the photographers attitude to working in a professional manner. It gives you piece of mind knowing that you will not be liable for their actions and if the worst does happen there will be some sort of compensation.

Someone telling you "I have a really good camera" or "I've never had equipment break down on me before" is simply not good enough. Take the attitude that if it is mechanical or electronic (cameras are both) then they can go wrong. A photographer should carry at least two cameras, better if it is three. An array of lenses that can be used by all of his cameras and adequate lighting. You should never put yourself in the position of hearing "I'm sorry I only recorded the first hour of your wedding day because my camera wouldn't work".

If the photographer is taken ill on the day, another photographer should appear seamlessly. I would always want to know before the day - who that photographer would be and also see work from their portfolio. Things could be a little hairy should the photographers neighbour turn up to take your photos on the big day, because they have not planned for every eventuality.

Now, as with most things in my life, I like to look at things in a balanced way.

It would seem from above that I am against new photographers coming into the business. I am not, there are some extremely talented people out there who by virtue of being new to the business don't necessarily have all of the equipment yet, let alone back up equipment. And whilst they are talented, they also possess a certain business sense that allows them to think outside the box (ie I have a wedding, so I'll make sure I can borrow a spare camera). Try looking at Dashas site to see an example of someone who is new to the business but can be trusted. She is constantly working to improve and appears to invest in her future by buying equipment when she can. As with all businesses there are others that buy a camera and see wedding photography as a way to make a quick buck. There are a group of individuals on a photography forum site called The photography Parlour that are worth looking at and more importantly perhaps talking to. The reason that I say this is because they all admit their limits and are hell bent on improving. Try the site out and sit back and watch what is being said - If you like what you hear from someone simply click on their link to see some of their work.

I have always.....

I have always made it part of my wedding photography business strategy to mingle with other photographers. I attend seminars relating to photography and when there always make a point of striking up a conversation or two with my fellow togs. When I get the chance, I will go to get 2 gethers that occur within the industry (the latest I wrote about on this blog - The Photography Parlour G2G in Bristol), all of which I have learnt from and all of which I have enjoyed. Add to this, I have met a great number of wedding photographers whilst attending courses and over the years have made many long standing friends.
Today was slightly different. Following a chance comment on a photography forum, I met up with a Birmingham and Worcestershire based wedding photographer called David Purslow. For no other reason than to have lunch together.
When I mentioned to my wife that I was having lunch with a fellow tog, that we were meeting in a pub and that I would be leaving my car at home - she feared the worst.
She was wrong to fear for my safety - we had a simple, sober lunch that was in fact just the catalyst for a really good conversation between two photographers.
We talked about everything that related to our businesses and a lot more. David told me about attending a course with Yervant, I believe that Nikki McLeod was on the course too. He gave me some great ideas that he was using in his business, and was willing to share them, we talked about websites, blogging, pricing... you name it - if it was related to wedding photography, we talked about it.
So from a point of view of meeting a fellow photographer on a one to one basis, as far as I am concerned it was a success. I know that I have benefited from the meeting, in fact I hope to have more of them, and I hope that he benefited too.
When you meet a fellow tog like this, it goes to show that we need not be cagey about what we are doing... I was open to suggestions and I believe that he was too. I was honest with him, telling him often "I'm going to use that idea" and trusted him enough to show him the exact location of a project that I have up my sleeve. I hope that some of my ideas were of use to him too.
The only fly in the ointment was that David is going to a seminar with Joe McNally in London tomorrow and I'm jealous that I can't make it.
So the point of this blog post is?
If you are a photographer, pick up the phone and arrange to meet a peer and do it today. You will both benefit immensely.

Martin Roberts, presenter of the BBC programme "Homes under the Hammer" weds his bride, Kirsty Withyman

They met whilst climbing Kiliminjaro

They fell in love over a piece of fruit cake made by Kirstys grandmother

Lets face it - it's a hell of a start to a love story

Now they are married and we realise that the story is just begining.

I consider myself very fortunate to call these two people - My Friends