Hey friends! This post is a bit different as it shows two different bridal sessions with the same bride (the lovely Scarlett) on two different days taken at two very different venues and with two very different vibes and looks. It’s actually a great example of how much the locations we shoot in and the lighting and weather conditions can influence the mood of a photo session, which ultimately knocks on into the photos we produce as a result.
The first session took place at Duke Gardens during peak cherry blossom season, which Scarlett wanted to as the backdrop to her session. Scarlett and I met up early in the morning and photographed in Cherry Allée which was in full bloom. Scarlett looked amazing and we set about taking photos immediately to showcase Scarlett’s beautiful Vera Wang wedding dress in this gorgeous setting.
The main challenge at this time was the sheer number of people that had the same idea as us and were out taking photos in this same spot. Getting there early was key for the best possible light and to avoid the crowds, but there were still enough people about to make taking photos without them in the background a fun task. With the right combination of lens choice, composition and timing, we made it happen and got some great shots.
We then sent the rest of our time together that morning just taking photos in the flower gardens and bamboo groves I love to shoot in.
Here are just a few faves from that shoot with Part II (this took place at Oxbow Estate) following on below:
The Duke Gardens Bridal Session
The Oxbow Estate Bridal Session
For this shoot, I booked Oxbow Estate for a few weeks later. Scarlett wanted to try and different look for her hair and makeup and also take a few photos in the dress she would wear at the reception.
Oxbow is set amongst some really beautiful landscape and I’d been really looking forward to photographing outside, but Mother Nature had other ideas and so we pivoted to shooting solely inside the English-style Manor House. The rainy weather actually worked to our advantage as it gave us some really moody light to work with. I decided to focus on that harnessing that moodiness and shot some Ilford 3200 film B&W alongside my digital cameras. This allowed us to get a set of photos that were very different to what we had already got at our first shoot, but also complemented it at the same time.
