My first love, when originally starting out in the wedding photography business, was wedding photojournalism. I was a bit of a purist back then, so documenting moments using available light was really what made me tick and I paid little attention to portraiture and even less to posing, using artificial lighting, etc. But I am driven to always work on and improve my skillset to be able to produce images in a wider range of conditions and styles, especially in the area of portraiture. The bridal photography session, for example, was quite a foreign concept for me when I first moved to North Carolina back in the autumn of 2010. As a Southern tradition, and given my European background, I have to admit it took me a while to understand its significance and truly embrace the need to stage and pose photos ahead the wedding day itself.

Now though, I really enjoy shooting bridal portraits and see them as a great opportunity to bond with my bride (and often their mums!) ahead of the wedding day. I also like to use them as a time to experiment and produce something unique as well as deliver some of the more classically posed and traditional images.

A good example of this would be Jordan's bridal session at Rose Hill Plantation a couple of weeks ago. I was very much looking forward to photographing such a beautiful bride in such a unique venue. I said it at the time and I say it again, I could have shot there for hours and hours, but we did a pretty good job of getting around the house both inside and out and getting a good selection of photos showcasing Jordan's amazing dress, her beautiful hair and stunning make-up (courtesy of Wedding Hair by Liz and Tiwa Lawrence respectively).

Here are just a few of my faves from the shoot...