I hear a lot of people say that they’re not going to have a professional photographer because “it’s only a quick registry office wedding and I’ll just get a friend to take a couple of snaps”.

I’m pleased Jas & Chris valued the photography and asked me along, it was a lovely wedding ceremony. Hopefully you’ll agree that these photos show it’s worth hiring a professional, even just for an hour!

Guildford registry office has some lovely grounds for wedding photos after the ceremony..

Look carefully in the centre of Jas’ hand

Hannah took a sneaky one of me. Tip: notice I have crouched down to get a low angle and am shooting directly into the sun. I know this is counter-intuitive to a lot of people, but try it. You’ll get a completely different look to your photos. You can either shield the sun from getting right into the lens (see photo below) or let it come in and create flare (the yellow circles of the various parts of the lens – see photo above)

This shot is all about composition and lines. It’s important that the horizontals are horizontal and the verticals vertical. To do this, use the telephoto end of your zoom. The wider angle the lens the more you will notice distortion and your photo will have curved lines that should be straight.

Love this shot. It really sums up Havana to me. Walking one block away from the tourist trap and you’ll see Cubans going about their daily life with no interest in what you’re doing.

The evening light was amazing. These photos directly above and below were taken at 6.30pm.

Another of my favourites. I noticed this car coming out the corner of my eye, pre-focussed on the pavement in front and pressed the shutter just as the car came past.

Old & new

Good luck with getting this going again!

These fantastic textures and colours were everywhere.

The graffiti says “pose for the camera… wait for the flash”. I also waited for the car to come into shot.

We had a lot of mojitos in two weeks. Varying a lot in quality, these were the best. Yum!

A local shop in Trinidad.

I started to photograph this car when the owner very proudly came and told me it was his. We got chatting (in my fairly limited Spanish) and he told me he was a carpenter and showed me round his workshop.

Vinales, the tobacco growing region. Above is the drying house, below is a close up of the leaves.

A tobacco farmer.

Cigar rolling…

The finished product.

More fantastic light, this time in Trinidad

The family that owned of the houses we stayed in. Some of the happiest and nicest people I think I’ll ever meet.

The stunning beach in Varadero.

Here’s the slideshow of some of my favourites… It’s best viewed with music and in full screen (click the square in the bottom right of the video to make it full screen, press escape when you have finished). Please be patient while it loads.

Not loading? Click here to see the wedding photo slideshow on your iPhone/iPad.

You just need a brilliantly fun couple like James and Emma to complete the package

First stop, Breeze Hairdressing in Farnham to photograph the girls having their hair done.

Then on to the Fox and Pelican in Grayshott for a couple with the boys.

The beautiful bridal suite at Cain Manor where Emma got ready. Great for wedding preparations, it’s a lovely large room with high ceilings.

We had to get the red Louboutin’s in of course

Arriving at St Joseph’s Church in Grayshott. How happy is everyone here?!

Love this shot, a beautiful ‘first look’ moment.

Married! As this was a winter wedding, Emma & James decided on ’snow’ instead of confetti. It worked really well, and such wonderful expressions!

Back to Cain Manor for the reception.

After the wedding breakfast we had time to do some more informal group photos or Emma and James and their friends…

… the girls running into the bridal suite and getting into bed wasn’t my idea by the way!

For the photographers among you… this was an unplanned shoot, so I just had two trusty speedlites with me for lighting (one off camera as a trigger and one held off camera).

This is Anna looking beautiful. It’s her collection

Nice of someone to grafitti ‘image’ for my fashion shoot background

Everyone was in true party spirit and it was such a fun day! Congratulations to the new Mr & Mrs Nicholson!

Here’s the slideshow of some of my favourites… It’s best viewed with music and in full screen (click the square in the bottom right of the video to make it full screen, press escape when you have finished). Please be patient while it loads.

Not loading? Click here to see the wedding photo slideshow on your iPhone/iPad.

View the complete collection here (contact Emma & James for the password).

Here’s the slideshow of some of my favourites… It’s best viewed with music and in full screen (click the square in the bottom right of the video to make it full screen, press escape when you have finished). Please be patient while it loads.

Not loading? Click here to see the wedding photo slideshow on your iPhone/iPad.

I’ve just uploaded a new page about wedding photography in Surrey to my website so please have a look and get in touch soon!

You can email me on studio@ianolsson.com or call me on 01483 874 918 or 07731 37 97 27.

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Ian

Not loading? Click here to see the wedding photo slideshow on your iPhone/iPad.

Arriving at Elmers Court on a beautiful Autumn’s day.

How nice does that champagne look?! For the camera geeks, this is taken at f2 on my 1.4 50mm lens. Love the sharpness at the front and soft bokeh (out of focus area) behind.

The grounds at Elmers Court are brilliant for photos. So many options.

Back inside using the soft window light and oak panelling in the background.

Great backdrops and light for the group photos.

Cool room for a wedding breakfast.